49 research outputs found
Catalog Denison University 2020-2021
https://digitalcommons.denison.edu/denisoncatalogs/1194/thumbnail.jp
Separation of concerns: strategies for complex parametric design modelling
Parametric design systems are indispensable in enabling flexibility during the delivery of solutions to geometrically complex and ill-formed design problems. However, this flexibility is provided at the expense of coercing designers into adopting a highly structured design process. While this inflexibility has been widely documented in the literature, there are no examples of strategies for overcoming it. I have investigated how to overcome the inflexibility inherent in parametric modeling systems through the development of two major strategies and eight sub strategies. The strategies were developed through a mixed-method research methodology combining the case-study method and the action research method, in order to analyse the eight real world case-studies presented in support of this thesis. The primary finding of this research is that we need better ways to integrate automation in design modelling while simultaneously we need more tacit interaction through “Direct Modelling” with our models in order to achieve a greater flexibility in design modelling. The approaches analysed in this thesis have demonstrated through the eight specific case-studies how designers can reasonably achieve disruptive variation within the flexible design environments which the parametric design paradigm fosters. The three intervention modes: Internal Code, External Code and Bespoke Approach, addressed challenges to flexibility within parametric design software and ways to overcome them depending on the nature of the problem and the suitability of the strategy to the design problem
Catalog Denison University 2021-2022
https://digitalcommons.denison.edu/denisoncatalogs/1195/thumbnail.jp
Catalog Denison University 2019-2020
https://digitalcommons.denison.edu/denisoncatalogs/1191/thumbnail.jp
Catalog Denison University 2018-2019
Denison University Courses 2018-2019https://digitalcommons.denison.edu/denisoncatalogs/1190/thumbnail.jp
Catalog Denison University 2016-2017
Denison University Course 2016-2017https://digitalcommons.denison.edu/denisoncatalogs/1188/thumbnail.jp
Using MapReduce Streaming for Distributed Life Simulation on the Cloud
Distributed software simulations are indispensable in the study of large-scale life models but often require the use of technically complex lower-level distributed computing frameworks, such as MPI. We propose to overcome the complexity challenge by applying the emerging MapReduce (MR) model to distributed life simulations and by running such simulations on the cloud. Technically, we design optimized MR streaming algorithms for discrete and continuous versions of Conway’s life according to a general MR streaming pattern. We chose life because it is simple enough as a testbed for MR’s applicability to a-life simulations and general enough to make our results applicable to various lattice-based a-life models. We implement and empirically evaluate our algorithms’ performance on Amazon’s Elastic MR cloud. Our experiments demonstrate that a single MR optimization technique called strip partitioning can reduce the execution time of continuous life simulations by 64%. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to propose and evaluate MR streaming algorithms for lattice-based simulations. Our algorithms can serve as prototypes in the development of novel MR simulation algorithms for large-scale lattice-based a-life models.https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/scs_books/1014/thumbnail.jp
Distinguishing fungal from bacterial infection: a mixed integer linear programming approach
The immune system is responsible for protecting the host from infections. In healthy individuals, this system is generally able to fight and clear any pathogen it encounters. Blood stream infections can be caused by several pathogens such as viruses, fungi and bacteria. Delivery of appropriate treatment requires rapid identification of the invading pathogen. The use of in situ experiments attempts to identify pathogen specific immune responses but these often lead to heterogeneous biomarkers due to the high variability in methods and materials used. Support Vector Machines (SVMs) allow using gene expression patterns to discriminate between two types of infection. Comparing gene lists from independent studies shows a high degree of inconsistency. To produce consistent gene signatures, capable of discriminating fungal from bacterial infection, SVMs using Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) were employed allowing the combination of classifiers using different datasets. Employing this method demonstrated the improvement in consistency of the produced gene signatures that distinguished fungal from bacterial infections irrespective of the type of the leukocyte or the experimental setup. The produced biomarker list showed an increase in consistency of 42% when compared to single classifiers and predicted the infecting pathogen on an unseen dataset with an average accuracy of 87%. Restricting the analysis to datasets comprised of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and monocytes, showed an enrichment of genes from the lysosome pathway that was not shown when using independent classifiers. Moreover, the results suggested that the lysosome pathway is specifically induced in monocytes. In conclusion, the combined classifier approach increased the consistency of the gene signatures, compared to single classifiers and "unmasked" the monocyte-specific expression profile for fungal infections
Interactive Technologies for the Public Sphere Toward a Theory of Critical Creative Technology
Digital media cultural practices continue to address the social, cultural and aesthetic
contexts of the global information economy, perhaps better called ecology, by inventing
new methods and genres that encourage interactive engagement, collaboration, exploration
and learning. The theoretical framework for creative critical technology evolved from the
confluence of the arts, human computer interaction, and critical theories of technology.
Molding this nascent theoretical framework from these seemingly disparate disciplines was
a reflexive process where the influence of each component on each other spiraled into the
theory and practice as illustrated through the Constructed Narratives project. Research
that evolves from an arts perspective encourages experimental processes of making as a
method for defining research principles. The traditional reductionist approach to research
requires that all confounding variables are eliminated or silenced using methods of
statistics. However, that noise in the data, those confounding variables provide the rich
context, media, and processes by which creative practices thrive. As research in the arts
gains recognition for its contributions of new knowledge, the traditional reductive practice
in search of general principles will be respectfully joined by methodologies for defining
living principles that celebrate and build from the confounding variables, the data noise.
The movement to develop research methodologies from the noisy edges of human
interaction have been explored in the research and practices of ludic design and ambiguity
(Gaver, 2003); affective gap (Sengers et al., 2005b; 2006); embodied interaction (Dourish,
2001); the felt life (McCarthy & Wright, 2004); and reflective HCI (Dourish, et al., 2004).
The theory of critical creative technology examines the relationships between critical
theories of technology, society and aesthetics, information technologies and contemporary
practices in interaction design and creative digital media. The theory of critical creative
technology is aligned with theories and practices in social navigation (Dourish, 1999) and
community-based interactive systems (Stathis, 1999) in the development of smart
appliances and network systems that support people in engaging in social activities,
promoting communication and enhancing the potential for learning in a community-based
environment. The theory of critical creative technology amends these community-based
and collaborative design theories by emphasizing methods to facilitate face-to-face
dialogical interaction when the exchange of ideas, observations, dreams, concerns, and
celebrations may be silenced by societal norms about how to engage others in public
spaces.
The Constructed Narratives project is an experiment in the design of a critical creative
technology that emphasizes the collaborative construction of new knowledge about one's
lived world through computer-supported collaborative play (CSCP). To construct is to
creatively invent one's world by engaging in creative decision-making, problem solving
and acts of negotiation. The metaphor of construction is used to demonstrate how a simple
artefact - a building block - can provide an interactive platform to support discourse
between collaborating participants. The technical goal for this project was the development
of a software and hardware platform for the design of critical creative technology
applications that can process a dynamic flow of logistical and profile data from multiple
users to be used in applications that facilitate dialogue between people in a real-time
playful interactive experience