Digital Commons Network^™

Designing A Goal Journaling Application, Kevin Lufkin

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

Achieving a personal goal and making a positive change in one’s life can be a difficult and elusive task. Everyday people are creating and setting new goals for themselves, but more often than not these goals are never realized. Motivation, determination, and discipline are all key elements when it comes to accomplishing a goal, but if there is no clear idea as to how to connect the dots from where one is to where one wants to be these important qualities lose their effectiveness.

The applications that exist today largely fit in the realm of goal/task management and planners. This …

Supporting Non-Verbal Visual Communication In Online Group Art Therapy, Brennan Jones, Kate Collie, Sara Prins Hankinson, Anthony Tang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Art therapy provides therapeutic benefit to people suffering from chronic pain, and recent work has explored supporting art therapy through online tools such as chat forums and discussion boards. These tools give people the benefit of engaging in art therapy without the burden of having to leave one’s home (when transportation may be a challenge), and allowing people to reveal their identities through dialogue and activity rather than through one’s appearance. However, these tools also do not provide much opportunity for collaboration and shared art making. Because group members are not aware of each other’s actions and non-verbal cues in …

Changing Minds To Changing The World: Mapping The Spectrum Of Intent In Data Visualization And Data Arts, Scott Murray

Art + Architecture

No abstract provided.

A New Edge-Preserving Algorithm Based On The Cie- Lu'v' Color Space For Color Contrast Enhancement, Mohammad Zolfaghari, Mehran Yazdi

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Image segmentation and edge detection are the most important presteps in machine vision, and their successfulness can affect the success of the next steps. In this paper, the performance of the Trahanias edge detector in different color spaces, such as RGB, YCbCr, HSI, and CIE Lu'v', is compared in order to find the best color space for image segmentation and edge detection. We then offer an efficient edge-preserving algorithm for color contrast enhancement in the CIE Lu'v' space. The proposed algorithm can increase the color contrast, which causes a remarkable improvement in image segmentation and edge detection in the CIE …

Detecting Covert Communication Channels In Raster Images, Brian Cusack, Jarrett Chambers

Australian Information Warfare and Security Conference

Digital image steganography is a method for hiding secret messages within everyday Internet communication channels. Such covert communications provide protection for communications and exploit the opportunities available in digital media. Digital image steganography makes the nature and content of a message invisible to other users by taking ordinary internet artefacts and using them as cover objects for the messages. In this paper we demonstrate the capability with raster image files and discuss the challenges of detecting such covert communications. The contribution of the research is community awareness of covert communication capability in digital media and the motivation for including such …

Riskvis: Supply Chain Visualization With Risk Management And Real-Time Monitoring, Rick S. M. Goh, Zhaoxia Wang, Xiaofeng Yin, Xiuju Fu, Loganathan Ponnanbalam, Sifei Lu, Xiaorong Li

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

With increased complexity, supply chain networks (SCNs) of modern era face higher risks and lower efficiency due to limited visibility. Hence, there is an immediate need to provide end-to-end supply chain visibility for efficient management of complex supply chains. This paper proposes a visualization scheme based on multi-hierarchical modular design and develops a supply chain visualization platform with risk management and real-time monitoring, named RiskVis, for realizing better Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM). A Supply Chain Visualizer (SCV) with a graphical visualization platform is mounted as a part of a SCRM management decision-making dashboard and it provides senior management a …

Portable Game Based Instruction Of American Sign Language, Christyna Wilson

All Theses

In this thesis, we address the effectiveness of portable gaming devices as a vehicle for learning American Sign Language. We begin by creating a multi-level game using a standard programming language, and use the game to illustrate various signed words. We translate the game to mobile devices using Kivy, a crossplatform framework. This allows the game to be compatible with multiple mobile devices and platforms. A secondary inspiration for creating a game as opposed to standard memorization techniques is to stimulate a quicker learning response as the user enjoys the sign learning process. In this thesis we provide a mobile …

Usability Of Performance Dashboards, Usefulness Of Operational And Tactical Support, And Quality Of Strategic Support: A Research Framework, Bih-Ru Lea, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Performance dashboards are used as a strategic decision support tool in organizations. In this research, we examine the relationships between the usability of performance dashboards, the usefulness of operational and tactical support, and the quality of strategic support that they provide. We hypothesize that usability of performance dashboards will influence user perceptions of the usefulness of the operational and tactical support provided by the dashboards, which in turn influence the perceived quality of strategic support provided.

Usability Of Performance Dashboards, Usefulness Of Operational And Tactical Support, And Quality Of Strategic Support: A Research Framework, Bih-Ru Lea, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Performance dashboards are used as a strategic decision support tool in organizations. In this research, we examine the relationships between the usability of performance dashboards, the usefulness of operational and tactical support, and the quality of strategic support that they provide. We hypothesize that usability of performance dashboards will influence user perceptions of the usefulness of the operational and tactical support provided by the dashboards, which in turn influence the perceived quality of strategic support provided.

Understanding Effects Of Presentation On Concept Learning In Technology Supported Learning, Nivedita Singh

Theses

The world of technology has had a significant impact on learning and instructional domain. Today, a large number of devices and software are specifically designed to afford faster and effective learning and instruction. They have not only erased the physical boundaries to resources in education but have also helped create new interactions and engagements for learners and instructors. With this changed scenario, the content or instructional material also needs our attention to become usable and compatible with the changed learning styles and preferences of the learners today. Not only does the content need to seamlessly integrate with the delivery methodology …

Sensual Cultures: Exploring Sensory Orientation, Lauren Sonnenstrahl Benedict

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

We use our senses every day, consciously or unconsciously, based on our cultural needs and preferences. These sensory orientations shape and are shaped by what a given culture defines as acceptable. For this reason, different sensory orientations result in different strengths and areas of emphasis and de-emphasis. Becoming aware of different sensory orientations and their associated cultures allows us to realize what we are missing in our own sensory orientations that inform our cultural habits. Familiarity with various sensory orientations may cultivate greater cultural acceptance as well. To analyze and illustrate such differences, an educational app for iPads was created …

The Use Of Visual-Based Simulated Environments In Teacher Preparation, Sharon Judge, Jonna Bobzien, Ann Maydosz, Sabra Gear, Petros Katsioloudis

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

While virtual technology for training in the simulation field has a long history in medicine, aviation, and the military, the application of similar emerging and innovative technologies in teacher preparation and education has been limited. TLE TeachLive™ (Teaching Learning Environment, Teaching in a Virtual Environment) [TLE] is an inventive mixed-reality environment (the blending of real and synthetic content) where prospective teachers can interact with a group of virtual students. The purpose of the virtual teaching environment of TLE is to strengthen teacher recruitment, preparation, and retention in education by allowing teachers to improve their skills with virtual students, providing a …

19. Zoology, University Of Central Oklahoma

Oklahoma Research Day Abstracts

No abstract provided.

Reducing Communication Delay Variability For A Group Of Robots, Goncalo Martins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A novel architecture is presented for reducing communication delay variability for a group of robots. This architecture relies on using three components: a microprocessor architecture that allows deterministic real-time tasks; an event-based communication protocol in which nodes transmit in a TDMA fashion, without the need of global clock synchronization techniques; and a novel communication scheme that enables deterministic communications by allowing senders to transmit without regard for the state of the medium or coordination with other senders, and receivers can tease apart messages sent simultaneously with a high probability of success. This approach compared to others, allows simultaneous communications without …

Cooperative Interactive Distributed Guidance On Mobile Devices, Gregory Burnett

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Mobiles device are quickly becoming an indispensable part of our society. Equipped with numerous communication capabilities, they are increasingly being examined as potential tools for civilian and military usage to aide in distributed remote collaboration for dynamic decision making and physical task completion. With an ever growing mobile workforce, the need for remote assistance in aiding field workers who are confronted with situations outside their expertise certainly increases. Enhanced capabilities in using mobile devices could significantly improve numerous components of a task's completion (i.e. accuracy, timing, etc.). This dissertation considers the design of mobile implementation of technology and communication capabilities …

Discrete Transforms With Good Time-Frequency And Spatial-Frequency Localization, David Chisholm

Dissertations and Theses

Discrete orthonormal time-frequency basis functions are described and used for both analysis and synthesis of complex-valued signals. We derive expressions for complex-valued expansion coefficients in time-frequency lattices in the discrete one dimensional case. This derivation is based on Professor I. Gertner's previous construction of a complete orthonormal set of basis functions well localized in the temporal-spatial-frequency domain in the continuous case. We describe how these can be generalized to any number of dimensions. Example applications are presented in one and two dimensions. Three dimensional basis functions are visualized and discussed. Finally, a full a Matlab implementation of this work is …

A Framework For Medical Image Retrieval Using Merging-Based Classification With Dependency Probability-Based Relevance Feedback, Hossein Pourghassem, Sabalan Daneshvar

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Content-based image retrieval (CBIR) systems are used to retrieve relevant images from large-scale databases. In this paper, a framework for the image retrieval of a large-scale database of medical X-ray images is presented. This framework is designed based on query image classification into several prespecified homogeneous classes. Using a merging scheme and an iterative classification, the homogeneous classes are formed from overlapping classes in the database. For this purpose, the shape and texture features, selected using the forward selection algorithm, are optimized by a novel genetic algorithm-based feature reduction and optimization algorithm in the feature space. In this algorithm, using …

No Tradeoff Between Confidentiality And Performance: An Analysis On H.264/Svc Partial Encryption, Zhuo Wei, Xuhua Ding, Robert H. Deng, Yongdong Wu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Partial encryption is often used as a tradeoff between security and performance to protect scalable video data. In this paper, we argue that although partial encryption is strong enough for access control, it is not adequate for content confidentiality protection. We conduct experiments to show that partially encrypted H.264/SVC (scalable video coding) streams leak significant content information from the enhancement layers in all three scalability dimensions. Our analysis concludes that such leakage is caused by the underlying coding techniques used in H.264/SVC, and all layers should be encrypted to protect confidential video streams.

Understanding The Adaptive Use Of Virtual World Technology Capabilities And Trust In Virtual Teams, Dawn Owens

Student Work

In an environment of global competition and constant technological change, the use of virtual teams has become commonplace for many organizations. Virtual team members are geographically and temporally dispersed, experience cultural diversity, and lack shared social context and face-to-face encounters considered as irreplaceable for building and maintaining trust. Previous research has established that higher trusting teams have better cooperation and experience improved outcomes; however, trust building in a team where members are from different backgrounds, time zones and cultures is a considerable challenge. Virtual teams (VTs) rely heavily on technology to facilitate coordination, communication, and control in the team. One …

Automated Content-Based Video Analysis And Management, Engin Mendi

Theses and Dissertations

Rapid expansion in the use of digital videos as an information source has led to a significant increase in the availability and the amount of video data. Multimedia applications use and generate large volume of complex video data sets. Since manual indexing, searching, browsing, and retrieval of relevant information are both computationally expensive and time consuming, efficient and reasonable mechanisms that can perform these operations are needed. This dissertation sorts out the challenges of video processing for automated content-based video analysis and management. More specifically, the work presented here include temporal video segmentation to partition video sequences into shots, extracting …

Simple Touch-Based Gaming: Project Pond, Taylor Yust

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The mainstream success of smartphone technology has prompted the video game industry to invest resources into new types of mobile games. While seemingly successful on the surface, there are unseen issues and risks that may potentially harm the long-term sustainability of the market. In response, I’ve developed my own smartphone gaming app that addresses what I find to be some of the largest problems in the market. My intent is to test my design theories while also challenging the status quo in mobile game design. The fruit of my labor is Pond, a smartphone gaming app for Windows Phone 7. …

The Adaptation Of 3d Video Game Production Techniques To The 2d Game Play Mechanics Of The Beat-Em-Up Genre, Donald Roeder

All Theses

In this paper, we address some of the technological issues and shortcomings that led to the recession in popularity of the Beat 'em up video game genre. In particular, we adapt current technological advances and apply them to 3D video game development to mirror the mechanics of the 2D Beat 'em up genre. We describe our assembly-line approach to 3D asset production that permits quick development of multiple and varied characters and environments. Our approach to 3D camera placement provides the same viewpoint used in the 2D game approach. We have developed various scripts to streamline the animation process. In …

Defining Industry Expectations And Misconceptions Of Art And Technology Co-Creativity, Vanessa C. Brasfield

Department of Computer Graphics Technology Degree Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to establish whether or not students and industry professionals share the same views about what students should be learning in animation education, what skills are necessary, and whether or not students graduating with a bachelor’s degree would be adequately prepared for an entry level position. To establish where misconceptions lie, surveys were issued to three groups: undergraduate students, post-graduate students, and industry professionals. These surveys were then analyzed using paired t-test for validation and question relevance, and ANOVA models to establish whether or not groups shared viewpoints. These data established significance within the …

Simulation Visualization Rhetoric And It's Practical Implications, D'An Knowles Ball, Andrew J. Collins

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Modeling and simulation has moved far beyond simple data representation into the world of visual communication over the past 15 years; ultimately, the acceptance of M&S within mainstream science and society will depend on the results that are produced visually. A simulation’s function is of primary importance to its end result, but it cannot be denied that the discipline of M&S now prizes fancy graphics to communicate. Rhetorical methodological decisions have the greatest impact on the end user, and considerations that bring visual rhetoric to modeling and simulation should be examined as a necessity to application. This paper will expose …

Joint Source-Channel Coding For Error Resilient Transmission Of Static 3d Models, Mehmet Oğuz Bi̇ci̇, Andrey Norkin, Gözde Akar

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

In this paper, performance analysis of joint source-channel coding techniques for error-resilient transmission of three dimensional (3D) models are presented. In particular, packet based transmission scenarios are analyzed. The packet loss resilient methods are classified into two groups according to progressive compression schemes employed: Compressed Progressive Meshes (CPM) based methods and wavelet based methods. In the first group, layers of CPM algorithm are protected unequally by Forward Error Correction (FEC) using Reed Solomon (RS) codes. In the second group, embedded bitstream obtained from wavelet based coding is protected unequally with FEC as well. Both groups of methods are scalable with …

Mathematical Model Development Of Super-Resolution Image Wiener Restoration, Amr H. Yousef, Jiang Li, Mohammad A. Karim

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

In super-resolution (SR), a set of degraded low-resolution (LR) images are used to reconstruct a higher-resolution image that suffers from acquisition degradations. One way to boost SR images visual quality is to use restoration filters to remove reconstructed images artifacts. We propose an efficient method to optimally allocate the LR pixels on the high-resolution grid and introduce a mathematical derivation of a stochastic Wiener filter. It relies on the continuous-discrete-continuous model and is constrained by the periodic and nonperiodic interrelationships between the different frequency components of the proposed SR system. We analyze an end-to-end model and formulate the Wiener filter …

An Empirical Investigation Of Virtual World Projects And Metaverse Technology Capabilities, Dawn Owens, Alanah Davis, Deepak Khazanchi, Ilze Zigurs

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Publications

Metaverses are immersive three-dimensional virtual worlds (VWs) where people interact with each other and their environment, using the metaphor of the real world but without its physical limitations. Unique technology capabilities of metaverses have the potential to enhance the conduct of virtual projects, but little is known about virtual worlds in this context. Virtual project teams struggle in meeting stated project outcomes due to challenges related to communication, shared understanding, and coordination. One way to address these challenges is to consider the use of emerging technologies, such as metaverses, to minimize the impact on virtual project teams. Applying a theoretical …

Shared Memory, Message Passing, And Hybrid Merge Sorts For Standalone And Clustered Smps, Atanas Radenski

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Books and Book Chapters

While merge sort is well-understood in parallel algorithms theory, relatively little is known of how to implement parallel merge sort with mainstream parallel programming platforms, such as OpenMP and MPI, and run it on mainstream SMP-based systems, such as multi-core computers and multi-core clusters. This is misfortunate because merge sort is not only a fast and stable sort algorithm, but it is also an easy to understand and popular representative of the rich class of divide-and-conquer methods; hence better understanding of merge sort parallelization can contribute to better understanding of divide-and-conquer parallelization in general. In this paper, we investigate three …

Scholarship In International Technical Communication, 1950-1989: A Historical Study, Xiaoyan Huang

Masters Theses

"This thesis is a study of the published scholarship in international technical communication from 1950 to 1989. It provides insight into the four decades' worth of scholarship as well as a resource for the development of present and future scholarship in international technical communication. It attempts to answer the following research questions: What did scholars of international technical communication study in each decade? What are the similarities and differences among the four decades in terms of scholarship in international technical communication? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the relevant scholarship in the four decades? What can we learn from …

A Low Cost Adaptive Graphical User Interface For The Visually Handicapped With Multiple Conditions, David Veal, Stanislaw Maj

Research outputs 2011

Limited trials have been demonstrated that a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for the visually handicapped called Dynamic Pattern System (DPS) can adaptively utilize residual vision by generating different patterns, colors and shapes. Low vision simulators, used by normally sighted, have allowed researchers to clearly identify visual impairments that can be helped by DPS. However, it is not uncommon for the visually handicapped to suffer from multiple conditions having a multiplicative degenerative effect on their sight. This paper demonstrates how DPS can be used to assist individuals with compound sight disorders.