9,636 research outputs found
Beam scanning by liquid-crystal biasing in a modified SIW structure
A fixed-frequency beam-scanning 1D antenna based on Liquid Crystals (LCs) is designed for application in 2D scanning with lateral alignment. The 2D array environment imposes full decoupling of adjacent 1D antennas, which often conflicts with the LC requirement of DC biasing: the proposed design accommodates both. The LC medium is placed inside a Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW) modified to work as a Groove Gap Waveguide, with radiating slots etched on the upper broad wall, that radiates as a Leaky-Wave Antenna (LWA). This allows effective application of the DC bias voltage needed for tuning the LCs. At the same time, the RF field remains laterally confined, enabling the possibility to lay several antennas in parallel and achieve 2D beam scanning. The design is validated by simulation employing the actual properties of a commercial LC medium
Automated Mapping of Adaptive App GUIs from Phones to TVs
With the increasing interconnection of smart devices, users often desire to
adopt the same app on quite different devices for identical tasks, such as
watching the same movies on both their smartphones and TV.
However, the significant differences in screen size, aspect ratio, and
interaction styles make it challenging to adapt Graphical User Interfaces
(GUIs) across these devices.
Although there are millions of apps available on Google Play, only a few
thousand are designed to support smart TV displays.
Existing techniques to map a mobile app GUI to a TV either adopt a responsive
design, which struggles to bridge the substantial gap between phone and TV or
use mirror apps for improved video display, which requires hardware support and
extra engineering efforts.
Instead of developing another app for supporting TVs, we propose a
semi-automated approach to generate corresponding adaptive TV GUIs, given the
phone GUIs as the input.
Based on our empirical study of GUI pairs for TV and phone in existing apps,
we synthesize a list of rules for grouping and classifying phone GUIs,
converting them to TV GUIs, and generating dynamic TV layouts and source code
for the TV display.
Our tool is not only beneficial to developers but also to GUI designers, who
can further customize the generated GUIs for their TV app development.
An evaluation and user study demonstrate the accuracy of our generated GUIs
and the usefulness of our tool.Comment: 30 pages, 15 figure
Facilitating prosociality through technology: Design to promote digital volunteerism
Volunteerism covers many activities involving no financial rewards for volunteers but which contribute
to the common good. There is existing work in designing technology for volunteerism in HumanComputer Interaction (HCI) and related disciplines that focuses on motivation to improve
performance, but it does not account for volunteer wellbeing. Here, I investigate digital volunteerism
in three case studies with a focus on volunteer motivation, engagement, and wellbeing. My research
involved volunteers and others in the volunteering context to generate recommendations for a
volunteer-centric design for digital volunteerism. The thesis has three aims:
1. To investigate motivational aspects critical for enhancing digital volunteers’ experiences
2. To identify digital platform attributes linked to volunteer wellbeing
3. To create guidelines for effectively supporting volunteer engagement in digital volunteering
platforms
In the first case study I investigate the design of a chat widget for volunteers working in an
organisation with a view to develop a design that improves their workflow and wellbeing. The second
case study investigates the needs, motivations, and wellbeing of volunteers who help medical
students improve their medical communication skills. An initial mixed-methods study was followed by
an experiment comparing two design strategies to improve volunteer relatedness; an important
indicator of wellbeing. The third case study looks into volunteer needs, experiences, motivations, and
wellbeing with a focus on volunteer identity and meaning-making on a science-based research
platform. I then analyse my findings from these case studies using the lens of care ethics to derive
critical insights for design.
The key contributions of this thesis are design strategies and critical insights, and a volunteer-centric
design framework to enhance the motivation, wellbeing and engagement of digital volunteers
2023-2024 Boise State University Undergraduate Catalog
This catalog is primarily for and directed at students. However, it serves many audiences, such as high school counselors, academic advisors, and the public. In this catalog you will find an overview of Boise State University and information on admission, registration, grades, tuition and fees, financial aid, housing, student services, and other important policies and procedures. However, most of this catalog is devoted to describing the various programs and courses offered at Boise State
Searching for New Landscapes
“Searching for New Landscapes” ventures beyond familiar environments to explore new territories in graphic design.
By changing our environment and patterns, looking at things anew with a fresh perspective, and transforming the tools we use, we can spark new insights and catalyze evolution for growth.
This study proposes getting away from known environments and breaking existing habits by responding instinctively and rapidly to unexpected prompts.
The collected works and writing underpin the importance of thinking flexibly with a lighthearted “why not?” attitude and looking at things beyond existing definitions.
These methodologies are further applied to the action of teaching, to create spaces that empower students to push beyond the traditional boundaries of their discipline.
As a present continuous, “Searching for New Landscapes” keeps seeking ways to discover new horizons
The nexus between e-marketing, e-service quality, e-satisfaction and e-loyalty: a cross-sectional study within the context of online SMEs in Ghana
The spread of the Internet, the proliferation of mobile devices, and the onset of the COVID-19
pandemic have given impetus to online shopping in Ghana and the subregion. This situation
has also created opportunities for SMEs to take advantage of online marketing technologies.
However, there is a dearth of studies on the link between e-marketing and e-loyalty in terms
of online shopping, thereby creating a policy gap on the prospects for business success for
online SMEs in Ghana. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to examine the relationship
between the main independent variable, e-marketing and the main dependent variable, e-loyalty, as well as the mediating roles of e-service quality and e-satisfaction in the link between
e-marketing and e-loyalty. The study adopted a positivist stance with a quantitative method.
The study was cross-sectional in nature with the adoption of a descriptive correlational design.
A Structural Equation Modelling approach was employed to examine the nature of the
associations between the independent, mediating and dependent variables. A sensitivity
analysis was also conducted to control for the potential confounding effects of the
demographic factors. A sample size of 1,293 residents in Accra, Ghana, who had previously
shopped online, responded to structured questionnaire in an online survey via Google Docs.
The IBM SPSS Amos 24 software was used to analyse the data collected. Positive
associations were found between the key constructs in the study: e-marketing, e-service
quality, e-satisfaction and e-Loyalty. The findings from the study gave further backing to the
diffusion innovation theory, resource-based view theory, and technology acceptance model.
In addition, e-service quality and e-satisfaction individually and jointly mediated the
relationship between e-marketing and e-loyalty. However, these mediations were partial,
instead of an originally anticipated full mediation. In terms of value and contribution, this is the
first study in a developing economy context to undertake a holistic examination of the key
marketing performance variables within an online shopping context. The study uniquely tested
the mediation roles of both e-service quality and e-satisfaction in the link between e-marketing
and e-loyalty. The findings of the study are novel in the e-marketing literature as they
unearthed the key antecedents of e-loyalty for online SMEs in a developing economy context.
The study suggested areas for further related studies and also highlighted the limitations
The Metaverse: Survey, Trends, Novel Pipeline Ecosystem & Future Directions
The Metaverse offers a second world beyond reality, where boundaries are
non-existent, and possibilities are endless through engagement and immersive
experiences using the virtual reality (VR) technology. Many disciplines can
benefit from the advancement of the Metaverse when accurately developed,
including the fields of technology, gaming, education, art, and culture.
Nevertheless, developing the Metaverse environment to its full potential is an
ambiguous task that needs proper guidance and directions. Existing surveys on
the Metaverse focus only on a specific aspect and discipline of the Metaverse
and lack a holistic view of the entire process. To this end, a more holistic,
multi-disciplinary, in-depth, and academic and industry-oriented review is
required to provide a thorough study of the Metaverse development pipeline. To
address these issues, we present in this survey a novel multi-layered pipeline
ecosystem composed of (1) the Metaverse computing, networking, communications
and hardware infrastructure, (2) environment digitization, and (3) user
interactions. For every layer, we discuss the components that detail the steps
of its development. Also, for each of these components, we examine the impact
of a set of enabling technologies and empowering domains (e.g., Artificial
Intelligence, Security & Privacy, Blockchain, Business, Ethics, and Social) on
its advancement. In addition, we explain the importance of these technologies
to support decentralization, interoperability, user experiences, interactions,
and monetization. Our presented study highlights the existing challenges for
each component, followed by research directions and potential solutions. To the
best of our knowledge, this survey is the most comprehensive and allows users,
scholars, and entrepreneurs to get an in-depth understanding of the Metaverse
ecosystem to find their opportunities and potentials for contribution
Aerial Network Assistance Systems for Post-Disaster Scenarios : Topology Monitoring and Communication Support in Infrastructure-Independent Networks
Communication anytime and anywhere is necessary for our modern society to function. However, the critical network infrastructure quickly fails in the face of a disaster and leaves the affected population without means of communication. This lack can be overcome by smartphone-based emergency communication systems, based on infrastructure-independent networks like Delay-Tolerant Networks (DTNs). DTNs, however, suffer from short device-to-device link distances and, thus, require multi-hop routing or data ferries between disjunct parts of the network. In disaster scenarios, this fragmentation is particularly severe because of the highly clustered human mobility behavior. Nevertheless, aerial communication support systems can connect local network clusters by utilizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as data ferries. To facilitate situation-aware and adaptive communication support, knowledge of the network topology, the identification of missing communication links, and the constant reassessment of dynamic disasters are required. These requirements are usually neglected, despite existing approaches to aerial monitoring systems capable of detecting devices and networks.
In this dissertation, we, therefore, facilitate the coexistence of aerial topology monitoring and communications support mechanisms in an autonomous Aerial Network Assistance System for infrastructure-independent networks as our first contribution. To enable system adaptations to unknown and dynamic disaster situations, our second contribution addresses the collection, processing, and utilization of topology information. For one thing, we introduce cooperative monitoring approaches to include the DTN in the monitoring process. Furthermore, we apply novel approaches for data aggregation and network cluster estimation to facilitate the continuous assessment of topology information and an appropriate system adaptation. Based on this, we introduce an adaptive topology-aware routing approach to reroute UAVs and increase the coverage of disconnected nodes outside clusters.
We generalize our contributions by integrating them into a simulation framework, creating an evaluation platform for autonomous aerial systems as our third contribution. We further increase the expressiveness of our aerial system evaluation, by adding movement models for multicopter aircraft combined with power consumption models based on real-world measurements. Additionally, we improve the disaster simulation by generalizing civilian disaster mobility based on a real-world field test. With a prototypical system implementation, we extensively evaluate our contributions and show the significant benefits of cooperative monitoring and topology-aware routing, respectively. We highlight the importance of continuous and integrated topology monitoring for aerial communications support and demonstrate its necessity for an adaptive and long-term disaster deployment. In conclusion, the contributions of this dissertation enable the usage of autonomous Aerial Network Assistance Systems and their adaptability in dynamic disaster scenarios
Interactive documentary and non-profit engagement: building an inclusive story practice in heritage
This thesis examines the potential of interactive documentary (i-Doc) as an inclusive model of storytelling that can benefit non-profit organizations in widening public participation, improving engagement and supporting fundraising. Through the case study of a single organization, the Council for British Archaeology (CBA), the research addresses the diversity gap in heritage storytelling as the first step in improving public participation from diverse audiences. Through the analysis of primary and secondary data from the CBA, the study identifies a lack of understanding of immigrant perspectives of heritage in the UK, proposing to create an i-Doc that forefronts such underrepresented voices through a co-creative film process. By adopting a participatory approach, the study then develops an interactive storytelling platform through an iterative design process with participants, exploring personal themes of archaeology and heritage in an everyday context. The result of the study is a working model of an i-Doc that presents digital stories of the participants. This storytelling model offers the CBA the opportunity to increase their digital visibility, supporting their goals of using innovative creative avenues to reach new audiences, diversify their membership and support their long-term fundraising strategies. The research contributes to new insights in adopting the interactive documentary as a creative pathway to building inclusive and robust engagement methods that can benefit non-profit organizations, considering the challenges and opportunities that such technologies present
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