Temporal evolution of contacts and communities in networks of face-to-face human interactions

Temporal dynamics of social interaction networks as well as the analysis of communities are key aspects to gain a better understanding of the involved processes, important influence factors, their effects, and their structural implications. In this article, we analyze temporal dynamics of contacts and the evolution of communities in networks of face-to-face proximity. As our application context, we consider four scientific coil- ferences. On a structural level, we focus on static and dynamic properties of the contact graphs. Also, we analyze the resulting community structure using state-of-the-art automatic community detection algorithms. Specifically, we analyze tile evolution of contacts and communities over time to consider the stability of the respective conmmnities. Furthermore, we assess different factors which have an influence on the quality of com- munity prediction. Overall, we provide first important insights into the evolution of contacts and communities in face-to-face contact networks.     

In search of trustworthy information: a qualitative study of the search behavior of people with dyslexia in Norway

Universal Access in the Information Society - Access to trustworthy information is a premise for participation in a democratic society. However, locating useful and valid information may not be a...     

Surface reconstruction for incremental forming

In spite of extensive efforts being made with regard to virtual process optimization technology, the production of prototype parts is still a necessity. With respect to the production of sheet metal parts in low quantities, incremental sheet metal forming (ISMF) is a highly interesting process. ISMF allows the production of complex parts with drastically reduced costs in tooling and machinery compared to conventional processes like deep drawing. However, ISMF, with it’s incremental nature, introduces the need for generating a tool path considering both final geometry and process-induced deviations or constraints. Consequently, for the generation of the tool path a (tool path) surface, with an adequate offset, is necessary. That is why, within the scope of extensive research work at the Institute of Forming Technology and Lightweight Construction (IUL), a special correction module has been developed, determining this offset e.g. depending on the workpiece geometry. This paper presents the algorithm, the application, and the effect on the produced parts. Furthermore, a concept for an extension regarding further constraints like elastic workpiece behavior is presented.     

Protecting and preserving clear barrier layers for flexible packaging materials In‐line thermal evaporation of organic topcoat layer

The end market for transparent flexible barrier films is larger than for metallized films. Presently, the market is still dominated by polymeric barrier layers but the used chemicals may be harmful for the environment. An alternative would be transparent thin layers deposited by vacuum deposition techniques using reactive processes. Ceramic materials like silicon oxide or aluminum oxide are used having a film thickness of just ～10 nm, a coating uniformity of +/?5% across and along the film at a barrier performance below 2.0 sccm/m²d for oxygen transmission rate (OTR) and below 1.0 g/m²d for water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) on PET substrates. In this paper, details will be provided about the deposition processes for these barrier layers using thermal evaporation, plasma‐assisted thermal evaporation as well as deposition by electron beam evaporation. An important factor for these high barrier transparent coatings is also to withstand the downstream processes in the whole packaging stream like slitting, lamination, printing etc. One solution is to protect the barrier layers by a Topcoat. For example, off‐line deposition of lacquers is used in field but the market penetration is low due to high process and material costs. An in‐situ Topcoat deposition is a smart solution to overcome this issue saving time and costs. Such an approach will be also described in the presentation and the impact on the performance of the final package will be discussed.     

“Studierstube”: An environment for collaboration in augmented reality

We propose an architecture for multi-user augmented reality with applications in visualisation, presentation and education, which we call Studierstube. Our system presents three-dimensional stereoscopic graphics simultaneously to a group of users wearing light weight see-through head mounted displays. The displays do not affect natural communication and interaction, making working together very effective. Users see the same spatially aligned model, but can independently control their viewpoint and different layers of the data to be displayed. The setup serves computer supported cooperative work and enhances cooperation of visualisation experts. This paper presents the client-server software architecture underlying this system and details that must be addressed to create a high-quality augmented reality setup.     

Natural perspective projections for head-mounted displays

The display units integrated in today's head-mounted displays (HMDs) provide only a limited field of view (FOV) to the virtual world. In order to present an undistorted view to the virtual environment (VE), the perspective projection used to render the VE has to be adjusted to the limitations caused by the HMD characteristics. In particular, the geometric field of view (GFOV), which defines the virtual aperture angle used for rendering of the 3D scene, is set up according to the display field of view (DFOV). A discrepancy between these two fields of view distorts the geometry of the VE in a way that either minifies or magnifies the imagery displayed to the user. It has been shown that this distortion has the potential to affect a user's perception of the virtual space, sense of presence, and performance on visual search tasks. In this paper, we analyze the user's perception of a VE displayed in a HMD, which is rendered with different GFOVs. We introduce a psychophysical calibration method to determine the HMD's actual field of view, which may vary from the nominal values specified by the manufacturer. Furthermore, we conducted two experiments to identify perspective projections for HMDs, which are identified as natural by subjects--even if these perspectives deviate from the perspectives that are inherently defined by the DFOV. In the first experiment, subjects had to adjust the GFOV for a rendered virtual laboratory such that their perception of the virtual replica matched the perception of the real laboratory, which they saw before the virtual one. In the second experiment, we displayed the same virtual laboratory, but restricted the viewing condition in the real world to simulate the limited viewing condition in a HMD environment. We found that subjects evaluate a GFOV as natural when it is larger than the actual DFOV of the HMD--in some cases up to 50 percent--even when subjects viewed the real space with a limited field of view.