DNA-BASED SELF-ASSEMBLY AND NANOROBOTICS: THEORY AND EXPERIMENTS

We study the following fundamental questions in DNA-based self-assembly and nanorobotics: How to control errors in self-assembly? How to construct complex nanoscale objects in simpler ways? How to transport nanoscale objects in programmable manner? Fault tolerance in self-assembly: Fault tolerant self-assembly is important for nanofab-rication and nanocomputing applications. It is desirable to design compact error-resilient schemes that do not result in the increase in the original size of the assemblies. We present a comprehensive theory of compact error-resilient schemes for algorithmic self-assembly in two and three dimensions, and discuss the limitations and capabilities of redundancy based compact error correction schemes. New and powerful self-assembly model: We develop a reversible self-assembly model in which the glue strength between two juxtaposed tiles is a function of the time they have been in neighboring positions. Under our time-dependent glue model, we can rigorously study and demonstrate catalysis and self-replication in the tile assembly. We can assemble thin rectangles of size k × N using O

Player attitudes to avatar development in digital games: an exploratory study of single-player role-playing games and other genres

Digital games incorporate systems that allow players to customise and develop their controllable in-game representative (avatar) over the course of a game. Avatar customisation systems represent a point at which the goals and values of players interface with the intentions of the game developer forming a dynamic and complex relationship between system and user. With the proliferation of customisable avatars through digital games and the ongoing monetisation of customisation options through digital content delivery platforms it is important to understand the relationship between player and avatar in order to provide a better user experience and to develop an understanding of the cultural impact of the avatar. Previous research on avatar customisation has focused on the users of virtual worlds and massively multiplayer games, leaving single-player avatar experiences. These past studies have also typically focused on one particular aspect of avatar customisation and those that have looked at all factors involved in avatar customisation have done so with a very small sample. This research has aimed to address this gap in the literature by focusing primarily on avatar customisation features in single-player games, aiming to investigate the relationship between player and customisation systems from the perspective of the players of digital games. To fulfill the research aims and objectives, the qualitative approach of interpretative phenomenological analysis was adopted. Thirty participants were recruited using snowball and purposive sampling (the criteria being that participants had played games featuring customisable avatars) and accounts of their experiences were gathered through semi-structured interviews. Through this research, strategies of avatar customisation were explored in order to demonstrate how people use such systems. The shortcomings in game mechanics and user interfaces were highlighted so that future games can improve the avatar customisation experience

Video Game Acoustics: Perception-Based Sound Design for Interactive Virtual Spaces Submitted

Video game acoustics are the various aspects of sound physics that can be represented in a video game, as well as the perception and interpretation of those sound physics by a player. At its core, the research here aims to identify the many functions and considerations of acoustics in interactive virtual spaces, while also building a theoretical foundation for video game acoustics by gathering relevant research from a wide variety of disciplines into a single video game context. The writing here also functions as an informative resource for video game sound designers and is primarily written for that audience. Through a review of the literature it is found that there is research available across many different disciplines that is relevant to video game acoustics, but none that bring it all together and fully explore acoustics in a video game context. Small discussions related to the topic occur sporadically throughout various fields, however there are few of any detailed focus and even fewer with video game sound designers as their intended audience. This scattering and dilution of relevant information validates the need for its distillation into a dedicated discussion. The writing here addresses this gap in the literature and in doing so uncovers aspects of video game acoustics that have not previously been given adequate attention. This thesis accomplishes its aims by combining an interdisciplinary background with an emphasis on simplification to suit the creative field of game sound design. A theoretical foundation is built from several different disciplines, including Acoustics, auditory perception, acoustic simulation, sound theory, spatial presence, film sound, and of course game sound. A twofold physics/perception approach is used to analyse video game acoustics. The human perception of sound has various strengths and weaknesses, which help to identify the aspects of sound physics that are important to provide a player as well as aspects that may be ignored for efficiency reasons. The thesis begins by revealing the many considerations and implications of incorporating acoustics into a video game, followed by an exploration of the perceptual functions of acoustics in virtual spaces. Several conceptual frameworks are then offered to address some of the problems discovered in the previous sections. By the end of the thesis it will be shown that the main purpose of video game acoustics is to provide a player with a natural experience of sound. People working in the video game industry may use the research presented here to cultivate an understanding of how humans can interact with video games through sound physics, and why it is important to improve the quality of this interaction.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Elder Conservatorium of Music, 202