195,912 research outputs found
Three-dimensional context-aware tailoring of information
This is the post-print version of the Article. The official published version can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2010 EmeraldPurpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the notion of context in ubiquitous computing. Personal Information Managers exploit the ubiquitous paradigm in mobile computing to integrate services and programs for business and leisure. Recognising that every situation is constituted by information and events, context will vary depending on the situation in which users find themselves. The paper aims to show the viability of tailoring contextual information to provide users with timely and relevant information. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted after testing on a group of real world users. The test group used the application for approximately half a day each and performed a number of tasks.
Findings – The results from the survey show the viability of tailoring contextual information to provide users with timely and relevant information. Among the questions in the questionnaire the users were asked to state whether or not they would like to use this application in their daily life. Statistically significant results indicate that the users found value in using the application. Originality/value – This work is a new exploration and implementation of context by integrating three dimensions of context: social information, activity information, and geographical position
Macroelement modeling of shallow foundations
The paper presents a new macroelement model for shallow foundations. The
model is defined through a non-linear constitutive law written in terms of some
generalized force and displacement parameters. The linear part of this
constitutive law comes from the dynamic impedances of the foundation. The
non-linear part comprises two mechanisms. One is due to the irreversible
elastoplastic soil behavior: it is described with a bounding surface
hypoplastic model, adapted for the description of the cyclic soil response. An
original feature of the formulation is that the bounding surface is considered
independently of the surface of ultimate loads of the system. The second
mechanism is the detachment that can take place at the soil-footing interface
(foundation uplift). It is totally reversible and non-dissipative and can thus
be described by a phenomenological non-linear elastic model. The macroelement
is qualitatively validated by application to soil-structure interaction
analyses of simple real structures
Derivation of a Non-Local Interfacial Hamiltonian for Short-Ranged Wetting II: General Diagrammatic Structure
In our first paper, we showed how a non-local effective Hamiltionian for
short-ranged wetting may be derived from an underlying Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson
model. Here, we combine the Green's function method with standard perturbation
theory to determine the general diagrammatic form of the binding potential
functional beyond the double-parabola approximation for the
Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson bulk potential. The main influence of cubic and quartic
interactions is simply to alter the coefficients of the double parabola-like
zig-zag diagrams and also to introduce curvature and tube-interaction
corrections (also represented diagrammatically), which are of minor importance.
Non-locality generates effective long-ranged many-body interfacial interactions
due to the reflection of tube-like fluctuations from the wall. Alternative wall
boundary conditions (with a surface field and enhancement) and the diagrammatic
description of tricritical wetting are also discussed.Comment: (14 pages, 2 figures) Submitted J. Phys. Condens. Matte
An Efficient Algorithm for Automatic Structure Optimization in X-ray Standing-Wave Experiments
X-ray standing-wave photoemission experiments involving multilayered samples
are emerging as unique probes of the buried interfaces that are ubiquitous in
current device and materials research. Such data require for their analysis a
structure optimization process comparing experiment to theory that is not
straightforward. In this work, we present a new computer program for optimizing
the analysis of standing-wave data, called SWOPT, that automates this
trial-and-error optimization process. The program includes an algorithm that
has been developed for computationally expensive problems: so-called black-box
simulation optimizations. It also includes a more efficient version of the Yang
X-ray Optics Program (YXRO) [Yang, S.-H., Gray, A.X., Kaiser, A.M., Mun, B.S.,
Sell, B.C., Kortright, J.B., Fadley, C.S., J. Appl. Phys. 113, 1 (2013)] which
is about an order of magnitude faster than the original version. Human
interaction is not required during optimization. We tested our optimization
algorithm on real and hypothetical problems and show that it finds better
solutions significantly faster than a random search approach. The total
optimization time ranges, depending on the sample structure, from minutes to a
few hours on a modern laptop computer, and can be up to 100x faster than a
corresponding manual optimization. These speeds make the SWOPT program a
valuable tool for realtime analyses of data during synchrotron experiments
Between the Lines: documenting the multiple dimensions of computer supported collaborations
When we consider the possibilities for the design and evaluation of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) we probably constrain the CS in CSCL to situations in which learners, or groups of learners collaborate with each other around a single computer, across a local intranet or via the global internet. We probably also consider situations in which the computer itself acts as a collaborative partner giving hints and tips either with or without the addition of an animated pedagogical agent. However, there are now many possibilities for CSCL applications to be offered to learners through computing technology that is something other than a desktop computer, such as the TV or a digital toy. In order to understand how such complex and novel interactions work, we need tools to map out the multiple dimensions of collaboration using a whole variety of technologies. This paper discusses the evolution of a documentation technique for collaborative interactions from its roots in a situation where a single learner is collaborating with a software learning partner, through its second generation: group use of multimedia, to its current test-bed: young children using digital toys and associated software. We will explore some of the challenges these different learning situations pose for those involved in the evaluation of collaborative learning
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