Procedural Tree Modeling with Guiding Vectors

We propose guiding vectors to augment graph‐based tree synthesis, in which trees are collections of least‐cost paths in a graph. Each node has an associated guiding vector; edges parallel to the guiding vector are cheap, but edges are more expensive when their orientation differs from the guiding vector. We further propose an incremental method for assigning guiding vectors over the graph, in which a node's guiding vector is an incremental rotation of that of its parent. We present a complete procedural system for tree modeling; our use of guiding vectors enables the graph‐based method to produce high‐quality tree models resembling a variety of real‐world tree species.     

Visual Assessment of Alleged Plagiarism Cases

We developed a visual analysis tool to support the verification, assessment, and presentation of alleged cases of plagiarism. The analysis of a suspicious document typically results in a compilation of categorized “finding spots”. The categorization reveals the way in which the suspicious text fragment was created from the source, e.g. by obfuscation, translation, or by shake and paste. We provide a three‐level approach for exploring the finding spots in context. The overview shows the relationship of the entire suspicious document to the set of source documents. A glyph‐based view reveals the structural and textual differences and similarities of a set of finding spots and their corresponding source text fragments. For further analysis and editing of the finding spot's assessment, the actual text fragments can be embedded side‐by‐side in the diffline view. The different views are tied together by versatile navigation and selection operations. Our expert reviewers confirm that our tool provides a significant improvement over existing static visualizations for assessing plagiarism cases.     

Guided Volume Editing based on Histogram Dissimilarity

Segmentation of volumetric data is an important part of many analysis pipelines, but frequently requires manual inspection and correction. While plenty of volume editing techniques exist, it remains cumbersome and errorprone for the user to find and select appropriate regions for editing. We propose an approach to improve volume editing by detecting potential segmentation defects while considering the underlying structure of the object of interest. Our method is based on a novel histogram dissimilarity measure between individual regions, derived from structural information extracted from the initial segmentation. Based on this information, our interactive system guides the user towards potential defects, provides integrated tools for their inspection, and automatically generates suggestions for their resolution. We demonstrate that our approach can reduce interaction effort and supports the user in a comprehensive investigation for high‐quality segmentations.     

Semi‐Regular Triangle Remeshing: A Comprehensive Study

Semi‐regular triangle remeshing algorithms convert irregular surface meshes into semi‐regular ones. Especially in the field of computer graphics, semi‐regularity is an interesting property because it makes meshes highly suitable for multi‐resolution analysis. In this paper, we survey the numerous remeshing algorithms that have been developed over the past two decades. We propose different classifications to give new and comprehensible insights into both existing methods and issues. We describe how considerable obstacles have already been overcome, and discuss promising perspectives.     

Computing Minimum Area Homologies

Calculating and categorizing the similarity of curves is a fundamental problem which has generated much recent interest. However, to date there are no implementations of these algorithms for curves on surfaces with provable guarantees on the quality of the measure. In this paper, we present a similarity measure for any two cycles that are homologous, where we calculate the minimum area of any homology (or connected bounding chain) between the two cycles. The minimum area homology exists for broader classes of cycles than previous measures which are based on homotopy. It is also much easier to compute than previously defined measures, yielding an efficient implementation that is based on linear algebra tools. We demonstrate our algorithm on a range of inputs, showing examples which highlight the feasibility of this similarity measure.     

Filtering Multi‐Layer Shadow Maps for Accurate Soft Shadows

In this paper, we introduce a novel technique for pre‐filtering multi‐layer shadow maps. The occluders in the scene are stored as variable‐length lists of fragments for each texel. We show how this representation can be filtered by progressively merging these lists. In contrast to previous pre‐filtering techniques, our method better captures the distribution of depth values, resulting in a much higher shadow quality for overlapping occluders and occluders with different depths. The pre‐filtered maps are generated and evaluated directly on the GPU, and provide efficient queries for shadow tests with arbitrary filter sizes. Accurate soft shadows are rendered in real‐time even for complex scenes and difficult setups. Our results demonstrate that our pre‐filtered maps are general and particularly scalable.     

Statics Aware Grid Shells

We introduce a framework for the generation of polygonal gridshell architectural structures, whose topology is designed in order to excel in static performances. We start from the analysis of stress on the input surface and we use the resulting tensor field to induce an anisotropic nonEuclidean metric over it. This metric is derived by studying the relation between the stress tensor over a continuous shell and the optimal shape of polygons in a corresponding gridshell. Polygonal meshes with uniform density and isotropic cells under this metric exhibit variable density and anisotropy in Euclidean space, thus achieving a better distribution of the strain energy over their elements. Meshes are further optimized taking into account symmetry and regularity of cells to improve aesthetics. We experiment with quad meshes and hexdominant meshes, demonstrating that our gridshells achieve better static performances than stateoftheart gridshells.     

The role of regulation in medical student learning in small groups: Regulating oneself and others’ learning and emotions

This study examines the role of regulatory processes in medical students as they learn to deliver bad news to patients in the context of an international web-based problem based learning environment (PBL). In the PBL a medical facilitator and students work together to examine video cases on giving bad news and share their perspectives on what was done effectively and what could be done differently. We examine how regulation occurs within this collaboration. A synchronous computer-supported collaborative learning environment (CSCL) facilitated peer discussion at a distance using a combination of tools that included video-conferencing, chat boxes, and a shared whiteboard to support collaborative engagement. We examine regulation along a continuum, spanning from self- to co-regulation, in situations where medical students learn how to manage their own emotions and adapt their responses to patient reactions. We examine the nature of the discourse between medical students and facilitators to illustrate the conditions in which metacognitive, co-regulation and social emotional activities occur to enhance learning about how to communicate bad news to patients.     

基于Word文档的数据隐藏方法

在分析当前数据隐藏与恢复相关技术研究基础上,参照微软官方最新公布的复合文档存储规范,从利用载体Word文档现有空间中未真正使用部分和适度扩展新空间两条思路出发,设计一种利用Word文档作载体隐藏秘密信息的解决方案,包括在文字、各种嵌入式对象及其相应控制结构数据中隐藏信息。实践表明,隐藏数据后的载体文档可以被正常拷贝和使用电子邮件传送,根据需要隐藏的信息随机选择使用该方案,被隐藏信息更不容易被侦测出来,被二次编辑后被隐藏信息一般不会被破坏,鲁棒性不错,具有一定的实用价值。     

基于PLC的等离子体干法刻蚀设备控制系统的设计

针对大型等离子体干法刻蚀生产设备的工艺特点,根据公司的生产实际需求,对原有损坏机台控制系统进行了重新改造设计。基于真空系统、工艺气体混合调节系统、射频微波放电系统、传动控制系统和终点检测系统等各子系统的控制难点及实现过程,设计了以三菱Q06 PLC为核心和In Touch 10.0为上位机监控软件的等离子体干法刻蚀设备控制系统。在In Touch 10.0平台上,搭建了等离子体干法刻蚀系统的监控界面,通过上位机处理大量生产制程数据和归档重要配方参数,实现生产工艺流程各个环节的实时监控、设备工作运行状态的参数显示和系统的故障报警等功能。