Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Creative Graphical Coding Via Pipelined Pixel Manipulation, Dale E. Parson

Computer Science and Information Technology Faculty

Creative coding is the act of computer programming intended to create aesthetic artifacts in one or more digital media such as graphical images, animated videos, computer games, or musical performances. Visual artists and musicians use computers to compose, to render, and to perform. Algorithms remain as important as they are for any computer program, but their intent is to inspire, or at least to entertain, in contrast to more utilitarian applications of algorithms. This paper outlines the software structures and aesthetic perspectives of two novel algorithms for the creative manipulation of pixels in the Processing language. The first algorithm focuses …

An Investigation Of Scenic Visualization Using Virtual Reality During Rehearsal, Cyrus Jian Bonyadi

Computer Science

In this paper, we discuss the use of virtual reality as a tool for actors during the rehearsal process and assess methods to implement and continue this research in future works. During the rehearsal process, the scenic design is normally introduced to actors close to the end of rehearsals. In introducing a virtual reality environment to train actors, we hoped to help them develop a better understanding of the design at an earlier point in the process. Our investigative pilot study involves two productions in a university theatre, where we render the scenic design of the production for which our …

Survey Of Techniques For Producing Blended Images: A Case Study Using Rollins College Archives, Hannah Holman

Computer Science

The Rollins College Archives are a treasure trove of historic resources relating to the college’s history, and they are often underutilized or overlooked by both the student body and the surrounding community. In particular, historic resources are all too often excluded from work in computer science and related fields. This project aims to bridge that gap by bringing the two areas together. To that end, the goal of this project is to merge past and present by blending historic photos with input of a present day scene in order to reveal changes and juxtapositions of the same scene across eras. …

'Is More Better?': Impact Of Multiple Photos On Perception Of Persona Profiles, Joni Salminen, Lene Nielsen, Soon-Gyo Jung, Jisun An, Haewoon Kwak, Bernard J. Jansen

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this research, we investigate if and how more photos than a single headshot can heighten the level of information provided by persona profiles. We conduct eye-tracking experiments and qualitative interviews with variations in the photos: a single headshot, a headshot and images of the persona in different contexts, and a headshot with pictures of different people representing key persona attributes. The results show that more contextual photos significantly improve the information end users derive from a persona profile; however, showing images of different people creates confusion and lowers the informativeness. Moreover, we discover that choice of pictures results in …

Perspective On And Re-Orientation Of Physical Proxies In Object-Focused Remote Collaboration, Martin Feick, Terrance Mok, Anthony Tang, Lora Oehlberg, Ehud Sharlin

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Remote collaborators working together on physical objects have difficulty building a shared understanding of what each person is talking about. Conventional video chat systems are insufficient for many situations because they present a single view of the object in a flattened image. To understand how this limited perspective affects collaboration, we designed the Remote Manipulator (ReMa), which can reproduce orientation manipulations on a proxy object at a remote site. We conducted two studies with ReMa, with two main findings. First, a shared perspective is more effective and preferred compared to the opposing perspective offered by conventional video chat systems. Second, …

Pageflip: Leveraging Page-Flipping Gestures For Efficient Command And Value Selection On Smartwatches, Teng Han, Jiannan Li, Khalad Hasan, Keisuke Nakamura, Randy Gomez, Ravin Balakrishnan, Pourang Irani

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Selecting an item of interest on smartwatches can be tedious and time-consuming as it involves a series of swipe and tap actions. We present PageFlip, a novel method that combines into a single action multiple touch operations such as command invocation and value selection for efficient interaction on smartwatches. PageFlip operates with a page flip gesture that starts by dragging the UI from a corner of the device. We first design PageFlip by examining its key design factors such as corners, drag directions and drag distances. We next compare PageFlip to a functionally equivalent radial menu and a standard swipe …

A Visual Interaction Cue Framework From Video Game Environments For Augmented Reality, Kody R. Dillman, Terrance Tin Hoi Mok, Anthony Tang, Lora Oehlberg, Alex Mitchell

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Based on an analysis of 49 popular contemporary video games, we develop a descriptive framework of visual interaction cues in video games. These cues are used to inform players what can be interacted with, where to look, and where to go within the game world. These cues vary along three dimensions: the purpose of the cue, the visual design of the cue, and the circumstances under which the cue is shown. We demonstrate that this framework can also be used to describe interaction cues for augmented reality applications. Beyond this, we show how the framework can be used to generatively …

Geocaching With A Beam: Shared Outdoor Activities Through A Telepresence Robot With 360 Degree Viewing, Yasamin Heshmat, Brennan Jones, Xiaoxuan Xiong, Carman Neustaedter, Anthony Tang, Bernhard E. Riecke, Lillian Yang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

People often enjoy sharing outdoor activities together such as walking and hiking. However, when family and friends are separated by distance it can be difficult if not impossible to share such activities. We explore this design space by investigating the benefits and challenges of using a telepresence robot to support outdoor leisure activities. In our study, participants participated in the outdoor activity of geocaching where one person geocached with the help of a remote partner via a telepresence robot. We compared a wide field of view (WFOV) camera to a 360° camera. Results show the benefits of having a physical …

Mitigating The Effects Of Cyber Attacks And Human Control In An Autonomous Intersection, Karl C. Bentjen

Theses and Dissertations

Widespread use of fully autonomous vehicles is near. However, the desire for a human to maintain control, even if limited, of a vehicle will likely never fully subside. Protocols to safely and efficiently manage reservation-based intersections with a mixture of fully autonomous, semi-autonomous, and non-autonomous vehicles exist such as AIM, SemiAIM, and H-AIM. Missing from these protocols is persistent human control of semi-autonomous vehicles in approaching and navigating autonomous intersections without the use of traditional signals. This thesis offers a proof-of-concept of a reservation-based protocol with necessary extensions required for human control in semi-autonomous vehicles. Desired is a protocol that …

Speech Emotion Recognition Using Convolutional Neural Networks, Somayeh Shahsavarani

Department of Computer Science and Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Automatic speech recognition is an active field of study in artificial intelligence and machine learning whose aim is to generate machines that communicate with people via speech. Speech is an information-rich signal that contains paralinguistic information as well as linguistic information. Emotion is one key instance of paralinguistic information that is, in part, conveyed by speech. Developing machines that understand paralinguistic information, such as emotion, facilitates the human-machine communication as it makes the communication more clear and natural. In the current study, the efficacy of convolutional neural networks in recognition of speech emotions has been investigated. Wide-band spectrograms of the …

Visualize To Realize: Improving Safety Of First Responders, Vikas Sahu

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The goal of this study is to improve the safety of first responders during an emergency hazardous material (hazmat) incident.

• A first responder (FR) is an individual who arrives first during a hazmat incident and takes the initiative to act in order to minimize the risk to public health and property from such incidents. Often first responders are firefighters.
• The reports of National Fire Protection Association recorded a national average of more than 30,000 firefighter injuries between 2010-16 (National Fire Protection Association, 2017).
• According to the US Fire Administration, an average fatality of 120 firefighters were recorded between 2010-16 throughout …

The Way You Move: The Effect Of A Robot Surrogate Movement In Remote Collaboration, Martin Feick, Lora Oehlberg, Anthony Tang, André Miede, Ehud Sharlin

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we discuss the role of the movement trajectory and velocity enabled by our tele-robotic system (ReMa) for remote collaboration on physical tasks. Our system reproduces changes in object orientation and position at a remote location using a humanoid robotic arm. However, even minor kinematics differences between robot and human arm can result in awkward or exaggerated robot movements. As a result, user communication with the robotic system can become less efficient, less fluent and more time intensive.

Revisiting The Futamura Projections: A Diagrammatic Approach, Brandon Williams, Saverio Perugini

Saverio Perugini

The advent of language implementation tools such as PyPy and Truffle/Graal have reinvigorated and broadened interest in topics related to automatic compiler generation and optimization. Given this broader interest, we revisit the Futamura Projections using a novel diagram scheme. Through these diagrams we emphasize the recurring patterns in the Futamura Projections while addressing their complexity and abstract nature. We anticipate that this approach will improve the accessibility of the Futamura Projections and help foster analysis of those new tools through the lens of partial evaluation.

Enhanced Vireo Kis At Vbs 2018, Phuong Anh Nguyen, Yi-Jie Lu, Hao Zhang, Chong-Wah Ngo

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The VIREO Known-Item Search (KIS) system has joined the Video Browser Showdown (VBS) [1] evaluation benchmark for the first time in year 2017. With experiences learned, the second version of VIREO KIS is presented in this paper. Considering the color-sketch based retrieval, we propose a simple grid-based approach for color query. This method allows the aggregation of color distributions in video frames into a shot representation, and generates the pre-computed rank list for all available queries which reduces computational resources and favors a recommendation module. With focusing on concept based retrieval, we modify our multimedia event detection system at TRECVID …

Food Photo Recognition For Dietary Tracking: System And Experiment, Zhao-Yan Ming, Jingjing Chen, Yu Cao, Ciarán Forde, Chong-Wah Ngo, Tat Seng Chua

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Tracking dietary intake is an important task for health management especially for chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Given the popularity of personal hand-held devices, mobile applications provide a promising low-cost solution to tackle the key risk factor by diet monitoring. In this work, we propose a photo based dietary tracking system that employs deep-based image recognition algorithms to recognize food and analyze nutrition. The system is beneficial for patients to manage their dietary and nutrition intake, and for the medical institutions to intervene and treat the chronic diseases. To the best of our knowledge, there are …

A Fast And Robust Extrinsic Calibration For Rgb-D Camera Networks, Po-Chang Su, Ju Shen, Wanxin Xu, Sen-Ching S. Cheung, Ying Luo

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

From object tracking to 3D reconstruction, RGB-Depth (RGB-D) camera networks play an increasingly important role in many vision and graphics applications. Practical applications often use sparsely-placed cameras to maximize visibility, while using as few cameras as possible to minimize cost. In general, it is challenging to calibrate sparse camera networks due to the lack of shared scene features across different camera views. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm that can accurately and rapidly calibrate the geometric relationships across an arbitrary number of RGB-D cameras on a network. Our work has a number of novel features. First, to cope …

Computer Program, System, And Method For Observation And Communication For Mobile Settings, Mobile Applications, And Wearable Mobile Devices, Jibo He, Barbara Chaparro

Publications

A system including at least first and second wearable mobile devices and optionally one or more smartphones or other computing devices for allowing a wearable mobile device wearer, an on-site observer, and a remote observer to research and test usability of products in mobile settings, mobile applications, mobile devices, and wearable mobile devices, desktop usability settings, and other settings and devices. The devices nm a software application for generating first-person video and third-person video, transmitting the video to the other devices, marking the videos with time stamps, and allowing the remote observer to send messages and other information to the …

Natural Language, Mixed-Initiative Personal Assistant Agents, Joshua W. Buck, Saverio Perugini, Tam W. Nguyen

Computer Science Faculty Publications

The increasing popularity and use of personal voice assistant technologies, such as Siri and Google Now, is driving and expanding progress toward the long-term and lofty goal of using artificial intelligence to build human-computer dialog systems capable of understanding natural language. While dialog-based systems such as Siri support utterances communicated through natural language, they are limited in the flexibility they afford to the user in interacting with the system and, thus, support primarily action-requesting and information-seeking tasks. Mixed-initiative interaction, on the other hand, is a flexible interaction technique where the user and the system act as equal participants in an …

Model File Name: 1ehz-Trna(Thick).Stl, Michelle Howell, Karin Van Dijk, Rebecca Roston

3-D Printed Model Structural Files

Model file name: 1ehz-tRNA(thick).stl

Authors: Michelle E Howell, Karin van Dijk, Rebecca L Roston

This is a teaching model of Phe-tRNA in a thick stick-representation (PDB: 1ehz), designed to go with a teaching module comparing DNA and RNA basic structures and functions. The printable model is already uploaded to Shapeways.com under the name “tRNA-Phe small”. This model has been printed successfully using these parameters on Shapeways’ laser sintering printer in the following materials: Strong & Flexible Plastic and Elasto Plastic.

Model File Name: 1lmb-Dbd-Tfmono.Stl, Michelle Howell, Karin V. Van Dijk, Rebecca Roston

3-D Printed Model Structural Files

Model file name: 1lmb-DBD-TFmono.stl

Authors: Michelle E Howell, Karin van Dijk, Rebecca L Roston

This is a teaching model of the DNA binding domain of a Lambda repressor transcription factor monomer that accompanies the full color DNA helix (PDB: 1lmb). It is in a cartoon ribbon representation with key amino acid residues in stick representation to highlight interactions with the DNA. This model is designed to accompany a teaching module illustrating transcription factor-DNA binding. The printable model is already uploaded to Shapeways.com in the MacroMolecules shop under the name “Lambda TF DBD”. This model has been printed …

Model File Name: 1ehz-Trna(Thin-Big).X3d, Michelle Howell, Karin V. Van Dijk, Rebecca Roston

3-D Printed Model Structural Files

Model file name: 1ehz-tRNA(thin-big).x3d

Authors: Michelle E Howell, Karin van Dijk, Rebecca L Roston

This is a teaching model of Phe-tRNA in a large, but thin stick-representation (PDB: 1ehz), designed to go with a teaching module comparing DNA and RNA basic structures and functions. The printable model is already uploaded to Shapeways.com in the MacroMolecules shop under the name “Full color Phe-tRNA (1ehz)”. This model has been printed successfully using these parameters on Shapeways’ laser sintering printer in the following material: Strong & Flexible Plastic.

Model File Name: 1lmb-Dnalong_Fordimer-Test6b.Stl, Michelle Howell, Karin V. Van Dijk, Rebecca Roston

3-D Printed Model Structural Files

Model file name: 1lmb-DNAlong_fordimer-test6b.stl

Authors: Michelle E Howell, Karin van Dijk, Rebecca L Roston

This is a teaching model of the 19-bp segment of DNA to which Lambda repressor transcription factor interacts (PDB: 1lmb). It is in a stick representation and has been designed with sites to add magnets to illustrate binding interactions with the transcription factor. Sphere magnets with a 1/8” diameter can be purchased separately from K&J Magnets. The model can interact with the dimer form of the transcription factor. This model is designed to accompany a teaching module illustrating transcription factor-DNA binding. The printable model …

Model File Name: 1lmb-Tfdimer-Mags-Joints-Jnd-Sc1-8-Parts-V4b.Stl, Michelle Howell, Karin V. Van Dijk, Rebecca Roston

3-D Printed Model Structural Files

Model file name: 1lmb-TFdimer-mags-joints-jnd-sc1-8-parts-v4b.stl

Additional files: 1lmb-Lys-Ser-extras-v4b.stl and 1lmb-TFdimer-Leu-v4b.stl

Authors: Michelle E Howell, Karin van Dijk, Rebecca L Roston

This is a teaching model of a ribbon and stick representation of the transcription factor lambda repressor (PDB: 1lmb). Key amino acid residues are in stick representation to illustrate the interactions between the repressor and the DNA to which it binds. Some of these residues have been designed with sites to add magnets to illustrate these interactions. Sphere magnets with a 1/8” diameter can be purchased separately from K&J Magnets. Some of the residues can be interchanged with other …

Model File Name: Dna-294bp-Magnet-Supercoil.Stl, Michelle Howell, Karin V. Van Dijk, Kalika Mahato, Rebecca Roston

3-D Printed Model Structural Files

Model file name: DNA-294bp-magnet-supercoil.stl

Authors: Michelle E Howell, Karin van Dijk, Kalika Mahato, Rebecca L Roston

This is a teaching model of a long, thin representation of double stranded DNA (294 bp). The DNA model has small sites on the ends where the user can glue magnets to mimic circular DNA, and to aid in manipulating the model. Disc magnets with a diameter of 1/8” or 1/10” and thickness of 1/16” can be purchased online from K&J Magnetics and glued into the magnet sites. The model is designed to go with a teaching module on DNA supercoiling. The model can …

Model File Name: Dna-294bp-Handle-Supercoil.Stl, Michelle Howell, Karin V. Van Dijk, Rebecca Roston

3-D Printed Model Structural Files

Model file name: DNA-294bp-handle-supercoil.stl

Authors: Michelle E Howell, Karin van Dijk, Kalika Mahato, Rebecca L Roston

This is a teaching model of a long, thin representation of double stranded DNA (294 bp). The DNA model has small handles on the ends to aid in holding and manipulating the model. The model is designed to go with a teaching module on DNA supercoiling. The model can be accompanied by Nucleosome and H1 histone models to demonstrate DNA packaging in the cell. The printable model is already uploaded to Shapeways.com in the MacroMolecules shop under the name “294bp DNA (handles)”. …

Model File Name: Dna-420bp-Handle-Supercoil.Stl, Michelle Howell, Karin V. Van Dijk, Kalika Mahato, Rebecca Roston

3-D Printed Model Structural Files

Model file name: DNA-420bp-handle-supercoil.stl

Authors: Michelle E Howell, Karin van Dijk, Kalika Mahato, Rebecca L Roston

This is a teaching model of a long, thin representation of double stranded DNA (420 bp). The DNA model has small handles on the ends to aid in holding and manipulating the model. The model is designed to go with a teaching module on DNA supercoiling. The model can be accompanied by Nucleosome and H1 histone models to demonstrate DNA packaging in the cell. The printable model is already uploaded to Shapeways.com in the MacroMolecules shop under the name “420bp DNA (handles)”. …

Model File Name: Dnalong-3pc-Lego.Stl, Michelle Howell, Karin V. Van Dijk, Rebecca Roston

3-D Printed Model Structural Files

Model file name: DNAlong-3pc-Lego.stl

Authors: Michelle E Howell, Karin van Dijk, Rebecca L Roston

This is a teaching model of a stick representation of the DNA to which the transcription factor lambda repressor binds (PDB: 1lmb). This model can be adapted to accompany a teaching module illustrating transcription factor-DNA binding. The model has been designed in 3 parts that can be joined together by Lego®-style junctions. The printable model is already uploaded to Shapeways.com in the MacroMolecules shop under the name “Lego DNA with GCbp”. This model has been printed successfully using these parameters on Shapeways’ laser …

Model File Name: Dna-420bp-Magnet-Supercoil.Stl, Michelle Howell, Karin V. Van Dijk, Kalika Mahato, Rebecca Roston

3-D Printed Model Structural Files

Model file name: DNA-420bp-magnet-supercoil.stl

Authors: Michelle E Howell, Karin van Dijk, Kalika Mahato, Rebecca L Roston

This is a teaching model of a long, thin representation of double stranded DNA (420 bp). The DNA model has small sites on the ends where the user can glue magnets to mimic circular DNA, and to aid in manipulating the model. Disc magnets with a diameter of 1/8” or 1/10” and thickness of 1/16” can be purchased online from K&J Magnetics and glued into the magnet sites. The model is designed to go with a teaching module on DNA supercoiling. The model can …

Model File Name: H1-Protein.Stl, Michelle Howell, Karin V. Van Dijk, Rebecca Roston

3-D Printed Model Structural Files

Model file name: H1-protein.stl

Authors: Michelle E Howell, Karin van Dijk, Rebecca L Roston

This is a teaching model of a crude representation of an H1-protein intended to accompany the nucleosome and a long, thin double stranded DNA helix model in order to illustrate DNA packaging and supercoiling. This model is designed to go with a teaching module on DNA supercoiling. The printable model is already uploaded to Shapeways.com in the MacroMolecules shop under the name “Histone H1 protein”. This model has been printed successfully using these parameters on Shapeways’ laser sintering printer in the following materials: Strong …

Model File Name: Dna-Short-Helix.X3d, Michelle Howell, Karin V. Van Dijk, Rebecca Roston

3-D Printed Model Structural Files

Model file name: DNA-short-helix.x3d

Authors: Michelle E Howell, Karin van Dijk, Rebecca L Roston

This is a teaching model of a DNA helix in which the atoms are colored by heteroatom (PDB: 1lmb). This model is designed to go with a teaching module comparing DNA and RNA basic structures and functions, and with one that studies transcription factor-DNA binding. The printable model is already uploaded to Shapeways.com in the MacroMolecules shop under the name “DNA helix - polynucleotide molecule”. This model has been printed successfully using these parameters on Shapeways’ binder jetting printer in the Coated Full …