Adaptive training interfaces for less-experienced,elderly users of electronic devices

A great number of complex electronic devices are now part of our everyday lives. While many of us learn to handle these products by trial and error; others, especially older users with little experience in using electronic devices, need support. In order to allow the user maximum flexibility in terms of learning time and location, a training programme is presented which is implemented as part of the software embedded in the product itself. Particular focus is placed on the effect of adaptive training on learning. In this study, the training versions differed in their ability to adjust their complexity to the user's experience (adaptive user interface complexity) and their capability to support the learner by prompting them during the learning process (adaptive training advice). The results show that the adjustment of complexity had a positive effect on users’ experience: elderly users who trained with an adaptive interface were more successful in learning to use a mobile phone. Adaptive training advice, however, was found to have no significant effects on learners’ success and reduced their self-efficacy. This work offers guidelines on how to design integrated training applications for electronic devices that successfully help elderly users with little prior experience.     

BerlinMOD: a benchmark for moving object databases

This document presents a method to design scalable and representative moving object data (MOD) and two sets of queries for benchmarking spatio-temporal DBMS. Instead of programming a dedicated generator software, we use the existing Secondo DBMS to create benchmark data. The benchmark is based on a simulation scenario, where the positions of a sample of vehicles are observed for an arbitrary period of time within the street network of Berlin. We demonstrate the data generator’s extensibility by showing how to achieve more natural movement generation patterns, and how to disturb the vehicles’ positions to create noisy data. As an application and for reference, we also present first benchmarking results for the Secondo DBMS. Whereas the benchmark focuses on range queries, we demonstrate its ability to incorporate new future classes of queries by presenting a preliminary extension handling various nearest neighbour queries. Such a benchmark is useful in several ways: It provides well-defined data sets and queries for experimental evaluations; it simplifies experimental repeatability; it emphasizes the development of complete systems; it points out weaknesses in existing systems motivating further research. Moreover, the BerlinMOD benchmark allows one to compare different representations of the same moving objects.     

Real-time crowd motion planning

Real-time crowd motion planning requires fast, realistic methods for path planning as well as obstacle avoidance. In a previous work (Morini et al. in Cyberworlds International Conference, pp. 144–151, 2007), we introduced a hybrid architecture to handle real-time motion planning of thousands of pedestrians. In this article, we present an extended version of our architecture, introducing two new features: an improved short-term collision avoidance algorithm, and simple efficient group behavior for crowds. Our approach allows the use of several motion planning algorithms of different precision for regions of varied interest. Pedestrian motion continuity is ensured when switching between such algorithms. To assess our architecture, several performance tests have been conducted, as well as a subjective test demonstrating the impact of using groups. Our results show that the architecture can plan motion in real time for several thousands of characters.

利用Nelder-Mead单纯形法优化模糊逻辑控制器

本文提出了一种优化模糊逻辑控制器的新方法。该方法的主要思想是自动地优化误差变化率的隶属度函数，因为这类录属度函数表征了速度的反馈。为此，首先定义了一族参数化的隶属度函数，然后，在系统的运行过程中利用Ｎｅｌｄｅｒ－Ｍｅａｄ单纯算法来优化这类隶属度函数，为了验证所提方法的有效法，报告了控制一非线性被控对象的阶跃与跟踪响应。     

A multi-sensor climatological view of double ITCZs over the Indian Ocean

We characterize the climatological features of the double inter-tropical convergence zones (DITCZs) over the western Indian Ocean during November–December by a synergistic analysis of the Hamburg Ocean Atmosphere Parameters and Fluxes from Satellite (HOAPS III) data (1988–2005) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) A-Train data (2002–2009). We investigate rainfall, freshwater flux and cloud liquid water, cloud fraction and relative humidity over the DITCZs. In addition, the daily rainfall data from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) are used to document the DITCZs during the El Niño southern oscillation (ENSO) events. An analysis of the GPCP data shows that the DITCZs are clearly discernible during strong ENSO events (1997, 2002 and 2006), in sharp contrast to the DITCZs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, where they are absent during ENSOs. Further, these convergence zones on either side of the equator are of short duration, approximately 3–6 pentads during November and December. All satellite sensor data sets consistently capture the major features of DITCZs. As an accurate simulation of DITCZs in coupled global climate models remains a challenge, the results from the present study would provide a platform for evaluating these models.     

Computing surfaces invariant under subdivision

In this paper, we propose a general subdivision algorithm for generating surfaces. The algorithm has as motivation our earlier work on the design of free form curves where similar ideas were investigated. Here we describe some properties of uniform refinement algorithms for surface generation. A detail analysis of their properties will be given later by one of us.     

An interval arithmetic method for the solution of nonlinear systems of equations on a vector computer

We describe a vectorized algorithm for an interval arithmetic Newton-like method for a class of systems of nonlinear equations arising from discretizations of nonlinear elliptic PDE. This method converges to a solution under relatively weak conditions. It is founded on a combination of a Newton-like interval method and interval arithmetic ‘fast’ direct solver. In the present paper we focus our attention on aspects of the vectorization, in particular that of a simulation of an interval arithmetic and that of the direct solver.     

Die nutzung gentechnischer methoden zur produktion wertvoller proteine in mikroorganismen

The genetic make-up of living systems especially of isolated cells can be altered by a variety of methods including chemical or light-induced mutation. More modern procedures are the in vitro recombination of nucleic acids and the cell-cell fusion. The new methods are especially useful to reprogram microorganisms to produce valuable proteins or other natural products in excess quantties. In the following we will elucidate the importance of the new techniques by describing the bacterial production of glucose dehydrogenase, of the proteinase inhibitor stefin A and by outlining the methods and promisses of substractive cloning. Although the economic value of genetic engineering techniques still awaits justification, the importance of the methodology for basic biological research is well documented.