Using eye-movement modelling examples to improve critical reading of multiple webpages on a conflicting topic

Interventions to promote students' source evaluations have used various methods designed for the classroom context. In the present study, we tested an approach that is easily adaptable to online courses, based on eye movement modelling examples (EMME), that is, short videos displaying an expert student's eye gaze while s/he reads multiple pages on the Internet to learn about a conflicting topic. Using an eye-tracking methodology in a pre–post design, we analysed how an intervention using EMME changed students' attention to source information, and how this processing affected their learning. EMME increased participants' attention to the search engine results page, author information and decreased attention of texts from untrustworthy pages. In addition, EMME increased the number of participants who cited at least one document source at post-test. We discuss the potential benefits and limitations of EMME in teaching complex literacy strategies, and the importance of measuring processing data in educational research studies.     

浅析汉字字体的审美表情及其分类优选

字体表情自汉字诞生之初业已存在,其发展变化的助推力来源于人类从不间断的文明进程。印刷术的推广加快了字体审美表情的演变速度。当下汉字字体的结构韵律及审美表情千姿百态,与汉民族性格存在一定的映射效应。汉字字体借鉴诸多西方字体的结构特征,形态日渐丰富多样。为期达到最佳审美及实用功效,应根据字体的审美表情差异对汉字字体进行分类优选。     

Effects of display factors on Chinese proofreading performance and preferences

This experiment investigated the influence of four display factors, viz. typeface (Ming Liu and Jheng Hei), font size (10-point and 14-point), text direction (horizontal and vertical) and copy placement (left-right and top-bottom) on Chinese proofreading performance and subjective preferences. Proofreading performance was measured in terms of time and accuracy, and preferences were examined in terms of comfort, ease and fatigue. It was found that the horizontal text direction resulted in faster proofreading than the vertical one, but the other three factors were non significant. The faster proofreading using the horizontal text direction was valid for both the left-right and the top-bottom arrangements. There was an interaction between typeface and font size such that, for the smaller character size (10-point), the Ming Liu style produced a faster performance than the Jheng Hei style. However, for the larger character size (14-point), the Jheng Hei style produced a faster performance than the Ming Liu style. Regarding proofreading accuracy, the number of non-detected missing words and related false alarm in left-right copy placement setting was significantly larger than that in top-down setting. Greater accuracy was obtained in proofreading at the cost of a speed-accuracy trade-off – the higher the accuracy in the proofreading task, the longer the proofreading time. Font size and text direction had significant effects on proofreading preferences, but typeface and copy placement did not.

Practitioner Summary: This study examined four display factors on Chinese proofreading performance and subjective preferences. The findings of this experiment provide information and recommendations that should prove useful for the design of proofreading interfaces to improve proofreading time and accuracy, and to satisfy proofreaders' preference.     

Standing at a kiosk: Effects of key size and spacing on touch screen numeric keypad performance and user preference

Touch screen input keys compete with other information for limited screen space. The present study estimated the smallest key size that would not degrade performance or user satisfaction. Twenty participants used finger touches to enter one, four or 10 digits in a numeric keypad displayed on a capacitive touch screen, while standing in front of a touch screen kiosk. Key size (10, 15, 20, 25 mm square) and edge-to-edge key spacing (1, 3 mm) were factorially combined. Performance was evaluated with response time and errors, and user preferences were obtained. Spacing had no measurable effects. Entry times were longer and errors were higher for smaller key sizes, but no significant differences were found between key sizes of 20 and 25 mm. Participants also preferred 20 mm keys to smaller keys, and they were indifferent between 20 and 25 mm keys. Therefore, a key size of 20 mm was found to be sufficiently large for land-on key entry.     

基于UCGUI库的外扩中文字库研究与实现

UCGUI是实时嵌入式系统中广泛使用的图形用户界面,但UCGUI不支持中文字符编解码。为此,提出一种支持中文字符编解码的方法。在分析UCGUI字符编解码框架基础上,修改内核代码,添加GB2312汉字编解码驱动,实现中文字符显示编解码服务。针对UCGUI中文显示时中文字库占用空间大与MCU存储空间有限的矛盾,提出一种字体驱动与字模数据分离的中文字体设计方法,包括为外扩字体设计专用驱动、字模数据存储接口及存储方法。在UCGUI仿真平台环境下的测试结果表明,该字库在UCGUI系列环境下,具有较好的可用性和通用性,可弥补UCGUI界面库在低成本嵌入式系统中难以实现中文显示的缺陷。     

Effects of font size and font style of Traditional Chinese characters on readability on smartphones

This study investigated the effects of Traditional-Chinese character sizes and typefaces on both reading time and subjective preference when participants used 5.5-inch smartphones without limiting their viewing distance. An experiment of 3 × 3 completely randomized design with eighteen replicates was employed. One hundred and sixty-two participants performed reading comprehension tasks and subjective preference ratings which were used to measure the readability of nine design combinations. The results suggested that the smaller character size was better than the larger one for reading tasks. Additionally, the most favorite typeface was the Kai or Hei style. These findings might be more appropriate than those of previous studies to be generalized for Traditional-Chinese typographic design on smartphones because the real conditions of operating smartphones were considered in this study.     

The effects of age,viewing distance,display type,font type,colour contrast and number of syllables on the legibility of Korean characters

This study evaluated the effects of age (20s and 60s), viewing distance (50 cm, 200 cm), display type (paper, monitor), font type (Gothic, Ming), colour contrast (black letters on white background, white letters on black background) and number of syllables (one, two) on the legibility of Korean characters by using the four legibility measures (minimum letter size for 100% correctness, maximum letter size for 0% correctness, minimum letter size for the least discomfort and maximum letter size for the most discomfort). Ten subjects in each age group read the four letters presented on a slide (letter size varied from 80 pt to 2 pt). Subjects also subjectively rated the reading discomfort of the letters on a 4-point scale (1 = no discomfort, 4 = most discomfort). According to the ANOVA procedure, age, viewing distance and font type significantly affected the four dependent variables (p < 0.05), while the main effect of colour contrast was not statistically significant for any measures. Two-syllable letters had smaller letters than one-syllable letters in the two correctness measures. The younger group could see letter sizes two times smaller than the old group could and the viewing distance of 50 cm showed letters about three times smaller than those at a 200 cm viewing distance. The Gothic fonts were smaller than the Ming fonts. Monitors were smaller than paper for correctness and maximum letter size for the most discomfort. From a comparison of the results for correctness and discomfort, people generally preferred larger letter sizes to those that they could read. The findings of this study may provide basic information for setting a global standard of letter size or font type to improve the legibility of characters written in Korean.

Statement of Relevance: Results obtained in this study will provide basic information and guidelines for setting standards of letter size and font type to improve the legibility of characters written in Korean. Also, the results might offer useful information for people who are working on design of visual displays.     

Effects of color and background luminance on minimal legible size of dynamic Chinese characters presented on a LCD monitor for low‐vision and normally sighted users

Abstract— The effects of velocity (3, 5, and 7 cm/sec), stimulus color (red, green, and blue), and background luminance (20–80% white, in increments of 15%) on minimal legible size of dynamic Chinese characters, were examined. Participants were divided into low‐vision, severely myopic, and normal‐vision groups. They were asked to recognize the stimulus Chinese characters, which were presented with varying velocity on a screen. Analysis showed that the minimal legible size was significantly greater for those in the low‐vision and severely myopic groups than for those in the normal‐vision group, and the minimal legible size for the low‐vision group was greater than that for the severely myopic group. The minimal legible size was significantly greater when the stimuli were green than when they were red or blue; however, no significant difference was found between green and blue stimuli or between blue and red ones. An effect was observed for background luminance: a higher ratio of white in the gray background yielded a smaller minimal legible size than did a lower ratio of white. Additionally, velocity significantly affected the minimal legible size: a velocity of 3 cm/sec resulted in lower minimal legible size than did a velocity of 7 cm/sec. Results have implications for electronic text information design or icon design for visually impaired individuals.     

Effects of Font Size,Stroke Width,and Character Complexity on the Legibility of Chinese Characters

This study investigated the effects of font size, stroke width, and character complexity on the legibility of Chinese characters. A within‐subjects design experiment was employed. Thirty‐six subjects participated in the experiment and completed the character‐search tasks in the pseudo‐texts. The search time per target character, correct response number, and correct response rate were used to measure the legibility. The results indicated that the font size and character complexity had significant effects on the legibility, while the effect of stroke width was not significant. All the two‐way interactions among the three display factors had significant effects on the legibility. Stroke width is critical to the legibility for characters with high‐level complexity, whereas font size is the critical factor influencing the legibility for characters with low‐level complexity. The combination of 12pt font size and 1:10 stroke width resulted in the best legibility for both character complexity levels. The findings provide useful information for the font design of Chinese texts displayed on a visual display terminal to improve the legibility.     

基于国际标准的错字处理方案设计与实现

为了帮助汉语教学研究人员使用计算机有效处理错字,分析了汉语教学界对错字分类的研究成果,建立了一种适合计算机处理、以字形为依据的错字分类体系.基于Unicode5.1标准中表意文字变体序列标准(ideographic variation sequences,IVS),设计并实现了以正字为中心组织和管理错字,使用正字加IVS变体选择符表示错字编码,应用OpenType字体技术解决了错字的输入输出问题.实验结果表明,该错字处理方案是可行的,而且能够较好地支持错字的传输、共享和检索,以及错字与标准字符集内汉字同文显示.     

Investigation of Chinese reading comprehension performance on mass rapid transit

The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of display type, reading content, and background music on accuracy, change of critical fusion frequency (CFF) and subjective visual fatigue while performing a reading comprehension task on mass rapid transit (MRT). Thirty-two participants were recruited in a three-way mixed factorial experiment to investigate the influence of three types of display (liquid crystal display, electronic paper display, and plain paper), three types of reading content (science, literature, and magazine) and four types of background music (none, light music, pop music and heavy metal music). The results showed that display type was significant in all indices, where electronic paper displays and plain papers showed the better accuracy and lower change of CFF than liquid crystal displays. Plain papers demonstrated the lowest subjective visual fatigue. The results also indicated that reading content was significant on accuracy and subjective visual fatigue, where reading comprehension was better with magazines than with science- and literary-related texts. The results further demonstrated that background music was significant on subjective visual fatigue, where heavy metal music resulted in the greater visual fatigue than the three other kinds of music. Based on the results of this study, reading paper magazines and avoiding noisy music will lead to the lowest level of visual fatigue and, thus, enhance Chinese comprehension on MRT. Participants who are used to listening to music should be included as a test group in future studies.Relevance to industryThis study provides suggestions for using suitable displays while reading on MRT. This information could serve as a reference for mobile display manufacturers in designing their future products.     

Y2K问题对自控系统的影响

计算机“千年问题”并不仅仅危及计算机系统本身,同时也对自动控制系统产生了严重威胁,介绍了“千年问题”及其主要表现、特点以及严重性,分析了它对自动控制系统的影响和我们所面临的形势,最后给出了解决Ｙ２Ｋ问题的一般性步骤。     

Effects of screen size,viewing angle,and players’ immersion tendencies on game experience

This study investigated the effects of viewing angle manipulated through screen size and the moderating role of players’ immersion tendencies on presence experience in the context of computer game playing. Thirty participants played a third-person computer game, Tomb Raider 2, in two screen size conditions: a 12.7-in. and an 81-in. display. ANCOVA analyses showed that playing in front of a large screen led to a more favorable impression on the game character, a more positive mood change, and significantly higher feelings of both physical and self-presence, confirming previous research. Our findings also revealed that individuals’ intrinsic immersion tendencies have a positive moderating effect on the sensation of physical and self-presence, above and beyond the influence of screen size. The results suggest that feeling of presence as well as overall game experience is determined by the interaction between technological factors and human influence.     

Study on co-occurrence character networks from Chinese essays in different periods

Co-occurrence networks of Chinese characters are constructed from collections of essays in different periods of China:the ancient Chinese language,the Chinese language in Wei,Jin,and Southern-Northern Dynasties,the recent Chinese language,and the modern Chinese language,and their statistical parameters are studied.It has been found that 99.6% networks have the scale-free feature and 95.0% networks have the smallworld e?ect.This study reveals some commonalities and di?erences among articles in different periods of China from a complex network perspective.There has been a controversial question as to whether the literatures in Wei,Jin,and Southern-Northern Dynasties should belong to the ancient Chinese language or the recent Chinese language in the linguistic study.Our work shows that the statistical parameters of networks in Wei,Jin,and Southern-Northern Dynasties are clearly different from those of networks in the other periods of China,and it seems more reasonable that the literatures in Wei,Jin,and Southern-Northern Dynasties belong to the recent Chinese language.     

A robust method for coarse classifier construction from a large number of basic recognizers for on-line handwritten Chinese/Japanese character recognition

In this paper, a systematic method is described that constructs an efficient and a robust coarse classifier from a large number of basic recognizers obtained by different parameters of feature extraction, different discriminant methods or functions, etc. The architecture of the coarse classification is a sequential cascade of basic recognizers that reduces the candidates after each basic recognizer. A genetic algorithm determines the best cascade with the best speed and highest performance. The method was applied for on-line handwritten Chinese and Japanese character recognitions. We produced hundreds of basic recognizers with different classification costs and different classification accuracies by changing parameters of feature extraction and discriminant functions. From these basic recognizers, we obtained a rather simple two-stage cascade, resulting in the whole recognition time being reduced largely while maintaining classification and recognition rates.     

EPS文件中矢量汉字拆分模型的研究

针对在刻字软件中人工对汉字拆分费时费力的问题,提出一个EPS文件中矢量汉字拆分模型。该模型在分析EPS文件中矢量汉字的构成特点基础上,设计了两个类以及类中方法的算法,其中的EPS文件类的算法用来读写EPS文件、拆分汉字部件,汉字部件类的算法完成移动和绘制汉字部件等功能。模型用c#语言编程实现,结果表明模型稳定、准确、高效,大大减少了人们拆字的工作量。     

Assessment of early onset of driver fatigue using multimodal fatigue measures in a static simulator

Driver fatigue is an important contributor to road accidents. This paper reports a study that evaluated driver fatigue using multimodal fatigue measures, i.e., surface electromyography (sEMG), electroencephalography (EEG), seat interface pressure, blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen saturation level. Twenty male participants volunteered in this study by performing 60 min of driving on a static simulator. Results from sEMG showed significant physical fatigue (ρ < 0.05) in back and shoulder muscle groups. EEG showed significant (ρ < 0.05) increase of alpha and theta activities and a significant decrease of beta activity during monotonous driving. Results also showed significant change in bilateral pressure distribution on thigh and buttocks region during the study. These findings demonstrate the use of multimodal measures to assess early onset of fatigue. This will help us understand the influence of physical and mental fatigue on driver during monotonous driving.     

Effects of anomalous characters and small stroke omissions on eye movements during the reading of Chinese sentences

We investigated the influence of typographical errors (typos) on eye movements and word recognition in Chinese reading. Participants' eye movements were tracked as they read sentences in which the target words were presented (1) normally, (2) with the initial stroke of the first characters removed (the omitted stroke condition) or (3) the first characters replaced by anomalous characters (the anomalous character condition). The results indicated that anomalous characters caused longer fixation durations and shorter outgoing forward saccade lengths than the correct words. This finding is consistent with the prediction of the theory of the processing-based strategy. Additionally, anomalous characters strongly disrupted lexical processing and whole sentence comprehension, but small stroke omissions did not. Implications of the effect of processing difficulty on forward saccade targeting for models of eye movement control during Chinese reading are discussed.