Puzzle-solving activity as an indicator of epistemic confusion

When students perform complex cognitive activities, such as solving a problem, epistemic emotions can occur and influence the completion of the task. Confusion is one of these emotions and it can produce either negative or positive outcomes, according to the situation. For this reason, considering confusion can be an important factor for educators to evaluate students' progression in cognitive activities. However, in digital learning environments, observing students' confusion, as well as other epistemic emotions, can be problematic because of the remoteness of students. The study reported in this article explored new methodologies to assess emotions in a problem-solving task. The experimental task consisted of the resolution of logic puzzles presented on a computer, before, and after watching an instructional video depicting a method to solve the puzzle. In parallel to collecting self-reported confusion ratings, human-computer interaction was captured to serve as non-intrusive measures of emotions. The results revealed that the level of self-reported confusion was negatively correlated with the performance on solving the puzzles. In addition, while comparing the pre- and post-video sequences, the experience of confusion tended to differ. Before watching the instructional video, the number of clicks on the puzzle was positively correlated with the level of confusion whereas the correlation was negatively after the video. Moreover, the main emotions reported before the video (e.g., confusion, frustration, curiosity) tended to differ from the emotions reported after the videos (e.g., engagement, delight, boredom). These results provide insights into the ambivalent impact of confusion in problem-solving task, illustrating the dual effect (i.e., positive or negative) of this emotion on activity and performance, as reported in the literature. Applications of this methodology to real-world settings are discussed

Restoration and enhancement of historical stereo photos

Restoration of digital visual media acquired from repositories of historical photographic and cinematographic material is of key importance for the preservation, study and transmission of the legacy of past cultures to the coming generations. In this paper, a fully automatic approach to the digital restoration of historical stereo photographs is proposed, referred to as Stacked Median Restoration plus (SMR+). The approach exploits the content redundancy in stereo pairs for detecting and fixing scratches, dust, dirt spots and many other defects in the original images, as well as improving contrast and illumination. This is done by estimating the optical flow between the images, and using it to register one view onto the other both geometrically and photometrically. Restoration is then accomplished in three steps: (1) image fusion according to the stacked median operator, (2) low-resolution detail enhancement by guided supersampling, and (3) iterative visual consistency checking and refinement. Each step implements an original algorithm specifically designed for this work. The restored image is fully consistent with the original content, thus improving over the methods based on image hallucination. Comparative results on three different datasets of historical stereograms show the effectiveness of the proposed approach, and its superiority over single-image denoising and super-resolution methods. Results also show that the performance of the state-of-the-art single-image deep restoration network Bringing Old Photo Back to Life (BOPBtL) can be strongly improved when the input image is pre-processed by SMR+

A File preparation tutorial to digital printing for graphic designers

Background and Significance New technologies within the printing industry open new challenges, enable innovative ways of reaching prospective clients and bring ever more stringent demands to both graphic designers and printers. Printers must implement the emerging technologies that best suit their customers and the evolving needs of the marketplace; designers must acquaint themselves with new technologies and learn to design with respect to the output device to make best use of the equipment. A short step beyond desktop technology are digital printing systems, the culmination of many technologies that have been in various stages of development for over 20 years and have finally caught up with each other. 1 Digital printers are capable of printing directly from digital information residing in an electronic file on a computer, 2 bypassing the multiple and time-consuming steps of film output, proofing, imposition and plate-making required by traditional methods. 3 As of today, digital printing is targeted to the short-run and on-demand segments of the industry. Eventually, digital approaches will apply to just every facet of graphic communication, whether it has to a run of 1,000,000 or just one. 4 Statement of The Problem The all-time myth roaming in pressrooms that designers know nothing about printing is not entirely untrue. Often, a design is finished and approved in a studio without the minimal consideration for printing and finishing. The consolidation of a digital workflow today in the printing industry increases the need for designers to acknowledge printing in their brainstorming sessions to create designs that can be produced through emerging technologies. By doing so, they can reduce problems associated with file transfer and output such as missing images and typefaces. The ease of operation of digital presses that can receive a file and print much as a desktop printer does makes them highly attractive to designers and entrepreneurs, providing these a means for printing without all the makeready procedures associated with traditional printing processes. Statement of The Project Goals The purpose of this thesis project is to evaluate the color reproduction of digital printing systems most common in industry through the creation of a universal test instrument with respect to which all the systems will be compared. The results of the test will be used to assess the capabilities of the equipment and determine their ideal applications within the graphic communications industry. A file preparation and specification guide for each of the devices tested will be compiled. The audience at which this study is targeted is graphic designers, who could benefit by learning about the advantages and disadvantages of the various systems and learning to design with these in mind. As a result, particular attention will be paid to the impact these emerging technologies have in designers\u27 approach to producing their work. This thesis project does not suggest the equipment to be tested is the best in the market place. Its results, however, may be used in determining which system is most suitable for implementation. Methodology This thesis project will provide a color reproduction evaluation and comprehensive guides for designers to prepare and expedite files to the following digital presses: Xeikon DCP-32D Indigo E-Print 1000 Xerox DocuColor 40 Heidelberg Quickmaster-DI The criterium defining the color reproduction evaluation and the elements used in the test instrument is the following: Graphic designers, the audience at which this thesis project is targeted, think in terms of memory colors; red, green, and blue. As a result, the elements comprising the test instrument will be those which designers deal with: text and images. The printed samples will be measured with a X-Rite 938 spectrodensitometer, and the results will be complemented with a visual evaluation done under standard lighting conditions. Test Instrument The test instrument will be comprised of the following: CMYK patches and bars 4-color black patches Images of different sources and resolutions Line art Type Overprinting circles Color bars RIT Neutral Balance Target for SWOP RIT 4-Color Spokes Target Evaluation Tone reproduction Solid ink density Total ink density Gray balance Dot gain Resolution Ghosting The second part to this thesis project will involve the compilation of guides to expedite files to each output device. In addition, specifications will be collected to determine the requirements for preparing variable data printing documents

Mapping Indigenous Knowledge in the Digital Age

This Special Issue, “Mapping Indigenous Knowledge in the Digital Age”, explores Indigenous engagement with geo-information in contemporary cartography. Indigenous mapping, incorporating performance, process, product, and positionality as well as tangible and intangible heritage, is speedily entering the domain of cartography, and digital technology is facilitating the engagement of communities in mapping their own locational stories, histories, cultural heritage, environmental, and political priorities. In this publication, multimodal and multisensory online maps combine the latest multimedia and telecommunications technology to examine data and support qualitative and quantitative research, as well as to present and store a wide range of temporal/spatial information and archival materials in innovative interactive storytelling formats. It will be of particular interest to researchers engaged in studies of global human and environmental connection in the age of evolving information technology

Prediction of screener-induced moire in digital halftone pattern generation

In the graphic arts, objectionable moire patterns are often observed on films or printed products due to the interaction of various periodic structures of halftone images. A particular type of moire pattern that results from digital halftoning at arbitrary angles and frequencies using a virtual screen function has been studied. A computer program was developed that produces uniform digital halftone patterns using a virtual screen approach and that calculates the corresponding amplitude spectra. It was found that aliasing due to the sampling of the virtual screen causes low frequency components in the amplitude spectrum. Moire patterns with fundamental vector frequencies equal to those of the strong aliased components were observed in halftone images reconstructed on a film recorder. Moire was also observed at frequencies not represented or under represented in the amplitude spectrum. It is shown that this moire effect is due to the additive beating of two or more higher frequency components that differ by the frequency of the observed moire. It is suggested that the non-linearities of the film recording process amplify this effect . The effects on the resulting moire patterns of varying the halftone parameters of dot size, dot shape, screen angle, and screen frequency were examined. In general, the amplitude spectra are complex, indicating many overlapping patterns. Screener induced moire was found to behave in a nearly identical manner to that induced by digital scanning of an existing halftone

Position and orientation correction for pipe profiling robots

Sewer pipelines are prevalent, important, valuable, unnoticed, and often in a state of disrepair. Pipeline inspection is essential for effective management of wastewater systems and is now mandated for many municipalities complying with the Governmental Accounting Standards Board Statement 34 and EPA regulations. Pipe inspection robots are routinely used to inspect underground pipelines for cracks, deformations, leaks, blockages and other anomalies to prevent catastrophic failure and to ensure cost effective maintenance and renewal. Most existing pipe inspection robots only collect video footage of pipe condition. Pipe profiling technology has recently been introduced to allow for measurement of the internal coordinate geometry of pipelines. Accurate radial measurements permit the calculation of several important pipe parameters which aid in the determination of pipe condition and prediction of time to failure. Significant research work has been completed in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia aimed at improving the accuracy and automation of the pipe inspection process. However, standard calibration, verification, reporting and analysis practices must be developed for pipe profilers if coordinate profiling data is to be effectively included in the long term management of pipeline assets. The objective of this research is to quantify the measurement error incurred by a pipe profiler\u27s misalignment with the pipe axis, present a new methodology to correct the measurement error, develop a prototype profiler to verify the equations derived herein, and to further the development of pipe profiler technology at the Trenchless Technology Center at Louisiana Tech University. Equations are derived for pipe ovality as a function of the robot\u27s position and orientation with respect to a pipe to demonstrate the magnitude of the error which is introduced by a robot\u27s misalignment with the pipe axis. A new technique is presented to estimate the position and orientation of a profiler using radial measurement devices at each of its ends. This technique is demonstrated by applying homogeneous coordinate transformations to simulated radial measurements based on mathematically generated data that would be obtained by incrementally rotating two parallel radial measuring devices in a perfectly cylindrical pipe. A prototype pipe profiling robot was developed to demonstrate the new position and orientation technique and to experimentally verify the measurement error caused by a robot\u27s misalignment with the pipe axis. This work improves the accuracy and automation of pipe profiling technology and makes a case for the development of industry standard calibration, verification, reporting and analysis practices

Design and Validation of a Novel Tool to Assess Citizens’ Netiquette and Information and Data Literacy Using Interactive Simulations

Until recently, most of the digital literacy frameworks have been based on assessment frameworks used by commercial entities. The release of the DigComp framework has allowed the development of tailored implementations for the evaluation of digital competence. However, the majority of these digital literacy frameworks are based on self-assessments, measuring only low-order cognitive skills. This paper reports on a study to develop and validate an assessment instrument, including interactive simulations to assess citizens’ digital competence. These formats are particularly important for the evaluation of complex cognitive constructs such as digital competence. Additionally, we selected two different approaches for designing the tests based on their scope, at the competence or competence area level. Their overall and dimensional validity and reliability were analysed. We summarise the issues addressed in each phase and key points to consider in new implementations. For both approaches, items present satisfactory difficulty and discrimination indicators. Validity was ensured through expert validation, and the Rasch analysis revealed good EAP/PV reliabilities. Therefore, the tests have sound psychometric properties that make them reliable and valid instruments for measuring digital competence. This paper contributes to an increasing number of tools designed to evaluate digital competence and highlights the necessity of measuring higher-order cognitive skills.This research received no external fundin

The Artificial Intelligence in Digital Pathology and Digital Radiology: Where Are We?

This book is a reprint of the Special Issue entitled "The Artificial Intelligence in Digital Pathology and Digital Radiology: Where Are We?". Artificial intelligence is extending into the world of both digital radiology and digital pathology, and involves many scholars in the areas of biomedicine, technology, and bioethics. There is a particular need for scholars to focus on both the innovations in this field and the problems hampering integration into a robust and effective process in stable health care models in the health domain. Many professionals involved in these fields of digital health were encouraged to contribute with their experiences. This book contains contributions from various experts across different fields. Aspects of the integration in the health domain have been faced. Particular space was dedicated to overviewing the challenges, opportunities, and problems in both radiology and pathology. Clinal deepens are available in cardiology, the hystopathology of breast cancer, and colonoscopy. Dedicated studies were based on surveys which investigated students and insiders, opinions, attitudes, and self-perception on the integration of artificial intelligence in this field

Facsimile reproductions of art with the use of a digital camera system

Reproductions of original works of art have played a major role in the existence and growth of the graphic arts over the centuries. The one concept that has not changed over time is the difficulty in reproducing art that is true to the original. Using a high-end scanning system is one known method that is able to achieve high quality reproductions. However, it has several limitations. The purpose of this research was to verify that a digital camera system combined with color separation software can be used as an alternative technique to create facsimile reproductions of art. Five pieces of original artwork representing a variety of media were reproduced with the high-end system and were photographed using the Dicomed digital camera system. The two sets of reproductions were compared to the original. The comparison was in how well they matched the original. Utilizing three standard testing procedures, there was no significant difference between the two reproduction methods. With the introduction of digital photography into the publishing environment; prepress professionals would require the skills of the photographer. Also, photographers are fur ther exposed to the traditional separation skill of the scanner operator; obscuring the distinction between photographer and prepress professional. A goal of the printing industry is to eliminate unnecessary steps in the process; ie, graphic arts films being replaced by computer-to-plate systems. With this goal in mind, it makes perfect sense to eliminate unnecessary steps in capturing the original image; ie, using a digital camera syste