Aesthetics and complexity in digital layout systems

Abstract

The layout of pages which carry information is the bread and butter of the graphic design profession. The rationale of what elements are chosen and where they are placed is based on tacit knowledge gained over a number of years of experience. The aesthetics associated with the overall finished design are often based on a style. Important elements of style are complexity and aesthetic value. In this paper I explore how various mathematical aesthetic functions can use complexity as an arousal enhancing or limiting mechanism in the application of layout designs.     

Digital design and time on device; how aesthetic experience can help to illuminate the psychological impact of living in a digital culture

ABSTRACT

Aesthetic techniques are increasingly used by marketeers to create enticing digital products. In this paper, I work with the aesthetic experiences of one audience group to consider the psychological impact of living in a culture where digital devices are deliberately designed to influence behaviour. I argue that aesthetic encounters can help with understanding the impact of the interplay between visual stimulus, affect and digital culture, in ways that may support situated understandings of mental distress in a digital age. I show how audiences respond to the artist-led research project Are We All Addicts Now? arguing that they generate ideas connected to submersion and being overwhelmed as a means of reporting on their own personal experiences of living in a digital culture that seeks to influence behaviour. The findings may have value for designers, curators and artists invested in understanding the experiential impact of digital devices.     

水电站对外公路设计特点及主要技术标准分析——以乌东德水电站工程为例

水电站对外公路设计既要满足水电站施工期间对外交通运输要求,又要便于水电站完工后移交地方交通部门统一管理。结合金沙江上游乌东德等梯级水电站对外公路设计实践,通过对水电站对外公路的任务、功能及特点的分析,从公路设计等级、设计速度、建筑限界、荷载标准、平曲线设计等方面,对主要技术标准和指标的运用进行了论述;总结了设计经验和体会。对类似工程设计具有参考作用。     

西阜高速公路石家庄段弃渣场水保措施探析

针对西阜高速公路石家庄段建设过程中弃渣量大的实际情况,在分析弃渣场选址与治理思路的基础上,提出了工程措施、植物措施和临时拦挡措施相结合的综合防治体系,并对弃渣场水保措施进行典型设计。     

Optimal blank design based on finite element method for blades of large Francis turbines

Metal pressing process that is widely used in industries has advantages over casting process for producing large Francis turbine blades from thick plates. Prior to the pressing process, blank design is firstly performed to determine flat blanks. The traditional trial and error approach is not applicable to blade design for Francis turbines that are not standard due to hydraulic characteristics of power plant sites. The rapid development of computing technology makes it possible to obtain optimal flat blanks by numerical modelling and simulation. In this paper, inverse finite element approach is investigated for blank design and an elasto-plastic model has been built using the well-known commercial software ANSYS. Numerical simulations for blade unfolding models with thick shell elements, solid elements and shell elements have given results with negligible differences. Unfolding tests with simple geometries have been carried out and the numerical results agree well with the analytical solutions. A large and thick shape of a Francis turbine blade for a hydropower plant has been successfully unfolded by inverse FE model. Sensibility analysis shows that the middle surface of the flat blank is independent of blade thickness. For ensuring the machining of the blade after the pressing process, a new contour is obtained by extending the boundary of the flat blank provided by the numerical model. This research may provide a useful tool for optimal blank design of Francis turbine blades.     

埋地钢管结构设计思路的探讨

主要通过对国内和美国手册关于埋地钢管不同的设计思路进行分析对照,尤其在不同工况、不同土弧包角及砂浆衬砌作用下对钢管壁厚设计的影响进行了探讨,可为其它工程设计提供借鉴。     

非圆曲线的数控处理及程序实现

引用优化设计中一维搜索和黄金分割法,针对数控加工中非圆曲线的处理,给出实用、简洁和新颖的宏程序实现方法,解决在数控系统中求解方程组的问题,是数控用户快速解决相关应用问题的有效手段。     

Truth-Telling Reservations

We present a mechanism for reservations of bursty resources that is both truthful and robust. It consists of option contracts whose pricing structure induces users to reveal the true likelihoods that they will purchase a given resource. Users are also allowed to adjust their options as their likelihood changes. This scheme helps users save cost and the providers to plan ahead so as to reduce the risk of under-utilization and overbooking. The mechanism extracts revenue similar to that of a monopoly provider practicing temporal pricing discrimination with a user population whose preference distribution is known in advance.     

Mining e-Learning domain concept map from academic articles

Recent researches have demonstrated the importance of concept map and its versatile applications especially in e-Learning. For example, while designing adaptive learning materials, designers need to refer to the concept map of a subject domain. Moreover, concept maps can show the whole picture and core knowledge about a subject domain. Research from literature also suggests that graphical representation of domain knowledge can reduce the problems of information overload and learning disorientation for learners. However, construction of concept maps typically relied upon domain experts in the past; it is a time consuming and high cost task. Concept maps creation for emerging new domains such as e-Learning is even more challenging due to its ongoing development nature. The aim of this paper is to construct e-Learning domain concept maps from academic articles. We adopt some relevant journal articles and conference papers in e-Learning domain as data sources, and apply text-mining techniques to automatically construct concept maps for e-Learning domain. The constructed concept maps can provide a useful reference for researchers, who are new to the e-Leaning field, to study related issues, for teachers to design adaptive learning materials, and for learners to understand the whole picture of e-Learning domain knowledge.     

Advanced product planning: a comprehensive process for systemic definition of new product requirements

This paper reports results of research into the definition of requirements for new consumer products––specifically, electro-mechanical products. The research dealt with the derivation of design requirements that are demonstrably aligned with stakeholder needs. The paper describes a comprehensive process that can enable product development teams to deal with statements of product requirements, as originally collected through market research activities, in a systematic and traceable manner from the early, fuzzy front end, stages of the design process. The process described has been based on principles of systems engineering. A case study from its application and evaluation drawn from the power sector is described in this paper. The case study demonstrates how the process can significantly improve product quality planning practices through revision of captured product requirements, analysis of stakeholder requirements and derivation of design requirements. The paper discusses benefits and issues from the use of the process by product development teams, and identifies areas for further research. Finally, the conclusions drawn from the reported research are presented.