Pictures in Your Mind: Using Interactive Gesture-Controlled Reliefs to Explore Art

Tactile reliefs offer many benefits over the more classic raised line drawings or tactile diagrams, as depth, 3D shape, and surface textures are directly perceivable. Although often created for blind and visually impaired (BVI) people, a wider range of people may benefit from such multimodal material. However, some reliefs are still difficult to understand without proper guidance or accompanying verbal descriptions, hindering autonomous exploration. In this work, we present a gesture-controlled interactive audio guide (IAG) based on recent low-cost depth cameras that can be operated directly with the hands on relief surfaces during tactile exploration. The interactively explorable, location-dependent verbal and captioned descriptions promise rapid tactile accessibility to 2.5D spatial information in a home or education setting, to online resources, or as a kiosk installation at public places. We present a working prototype, discuss design decisions, and present the results of two evaluation studies: the first with 13 BVI test users and the second follow-up study with 14 test users across a wide range of people with differences and difficulties associated with perception, memory, cognition, and communication. The participant-led research method of this latter study prompted new, significant and innovative developments

Computer-assisted versus oral-and-written dietary history taking for diabetes mellitus

Background: Diabetes is a chronic illness characterised by insulin resistance or deficiency, resulting in elevated glycosylated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels. Diet and adherence to dietary advice is associated with lower HbA1c levels and control of disease. Dietary history may be an effective clinical tool for diabetes management and has traditionally been taken by oral-and-written methods, although it can also be collected using computer-assisted history taking systems (CAHTS). Although CAHTS were first described in the 1960s, there remains uncertainty about the impact of these methods on dietary history collection, clinical care and patient outcomes such as quality of life. Objectives: To assess the effects of computer-assisted versus oral-and-written dietary history taking on patient outcomes for diabetes mellitus. Search methods: We searched The Cochrane Library (issue 6, 2011), MEDLINE (January 1985 to June 2011), EMBASE (January 1980 to June 2011) and CINAHL (January 1981 to June 2011). Reference lists of obtained articles were also pursued further and no limits were imposed on languages and publication status. Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials of computer-assisted versus oral-and-written history taking in patients with diabetes mellitus. Data collection and analysis: Two authors independently scanned the title and abstract of retrieved articles. Potentially relevant articles were investigated as full text. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were abstracted for relevant population and intervention characteristics with any disagreements resolved by discussion, or by a third party. Risk of bias was similarly assessed independently. Main results: Of the 2991 studies retrieved, only one study with 38 study participants compared the two methods of history taking over a total of eight weeks. The authors found that as patients became increasingly familiar with using CAHTS, the correlation between patients' food records and computer assessments improved. Reported fat intake decreased in the control group and increased when queried by the computer. The effect of the intervention on the management of diabetes mellitus and blood glucose levels was not reported. Risk of bias was considered moderate for this study. Authors' conclusions: Based on one small study judged to be of moderate risk of bias, we tentatively conclude that CAHTS may be well received by study participants and potentially offer time saving in practice. However, more robust studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these. We cannot draw on any conclusions in relation to any other clinical outcomes at this stage

The imperial war museum’s social interpretation project

This report represents the output from research undertaken by University of Salford and MTM London as part of the joint Digital R&D Fund for Arts and Culture, operated by Nesta, Arts Council England and the AHRC. University of Salford and MTM London received funding from the programme to act as researchers on the Social Interpretation (SI) project, which was led by the Imperial War Museum (IWM) and their technical partners, The Centre for Digital Humanities, University College London, Knowledge Integration, and Gooii. The project was carried out between October 2011 and October 2012

DeWitt Wallace Library Annual Report 2014-2015

Summary of library and media services activities for 2014-201

Nucleus segmentation : towards automated solutions

Single nucleus segmentation is a frequent challenge of microscopy image processing, since it is the first step of many quantitative data analysis pipelines. The quality of tracking single cells, extracting features or classifying cellular phenotypes strongly depends on segmentation accuracy. Worldwide competitions have been held, aiming to improve segmentation, and recent years have definitely brought significant improvements: large annotated datasets are now freely available, several 2D segmentation strategies have been extended to 3D, and deep learning approaches have increased accuracy. However, even today, no generally accepted solution and benchmarking platform exist. We review the most recent single-cell segmentation tools, and provide an interactive method browser to select the most appropriate solution.Peer reviewe

Smart Signs: Showing the way in Smart Surroundings

This paper presents a context-aware guidance and messaging system for large buildings and surrounding venues. Smart Signs are a new type of electronic door- and way-sign based on wireless sensor networks. Smart Signs present in-situ personalized guidance and messages, are ubiquitous, and easy to understand. They combine the easiness of use of traditional static signs with the flexibility and reactiveness of navigation systems. The Smart Signs system uses context information such as user’s mobility limitations, the weather, and possible emergency situations to improve guidance and messaging. Minimal infrastructure requirements and a simple deployment tool make it feasible to easily deploy a Smart Signs system on demand. An important design issue of the Smart Signs system is privacy: the system secures communication links, does not track users, allow almost complete anonymous use, and prevent the system to be used as a tool for spying on users

Monitoring and Failure Recovery of Cloud-Managed Digital Signage

Digitaal signage kasutatakse laialdaselt erinevates valdkondades, nagu näiteks transpordisüsteemid, turustusvõimalused, meelelahutus ja teised, et kuvada teavet piltide, videote ja teksti kujul. Nende ressursside usaldusväärsus, vajalike teenuste kättesaadavus ja turvameetmed on selliste süsteemide vastuvõtmisel võtmeroll. Digitaalse märgistussüsteemi tõhus haldamine on teenusepakkujatele keeruline ülesanne. Selle süsteemi rikkeid võib põhjustada mitmeid põhjuseid, nagu näiteks vigased kuvarid, võrgu-, riist- või tarkvaraprobleemid, mis on üsna korduvad. Traditsiooniline protsess sellistest ebaõnnestumistest taastumisel hõlmab sageli tüütuid ja tülikaid diagnoose. Paljudel juhtudel peavad tehnikud kohale füüsiliselt külastama, suurendades seeläbi hoolduskulusid ja taastumisaega.Selles väites pakume lahendust, mis jälgib, diagnoosib ja taandub tuntud tõrgetest, ühendades kuvarid pilvega. Pilvepõhine kaug- ja autonoomne server konfigureerib kaugseadete sisu ja uuendab neid dünaamiliselt. Iga kuva jälgib jooksvat protsessi ja saadab trace’i, logib süstemisse perioodiliselt. Negatiivide puhul analüüsitakse neid serverisse salvestatud logisid, mis optimaalselt kasutavad kohandatud logijuhtimismoodulit. Lisaks näitavad ekraanid ebaõnnestumistega toimetulemiseks enesetäitmise protseduure, kui nad ei suuda pilvega ühendust luua. Kavandatud lahendus viiakse läbi Linuxi süsteemis ja seda hinnatakse serveri kasutuselevõtuga Amazon Web Service (AWS) pilves. Peamisteks tulemusteks on meetodite kogum, mis võimaldavad kaugjuhtimisega kuvariprobleemide lahendamist.Digital signage is widely used in various fields such as transport systems, trading outlets, entertainment, and others, to display information in the form of images, videos, and text. The reliability of these resources, availability of required services and security measures play a key role in the adoption of such systems. Efficient management of the digital signage system is a challenging task to the service providers. There could be many reasons that lead to the malfunctioning of this system such as faulty displays, network, hardware or software failures that are quite repetitive. The traditional process of recovering from such failures often involves tedious and cumbersome diagnosis. In many cases, technicians need to physically visit the site, thereby increasing the maintenance costs and the recovery time. In this thesis, we propose a solution that monitors, diagnoses and recovers from known failures by connecting the displays to a cloud. A cloud-based remote and autonomous server configures the content of remote displays and updates them dynamically. Each display tracks the running process and sends the trace and system logs to the server periodically. These logs, stored at the server optimally using a customized log management module, are analysed for failures. In addition, the displays incorporate self-recovery procedures to deal with failures, when they are unable to create connection to the cloud. The proposed solution is implemented on a Linux system and evaluated by deploying the server on the Amazon Web Service (AWS) cloud. The main result of the thesis is a collection of techniques for resolving the display system failures remotely

A Framework for Biometric and Interaction Performance Assessment of Automated Border Control Processes

Automated Border Control (ABC) in airports and land crossings utilize automated technology to verify passenger identity claims. Accuracy, interaction stability, user error, and the need for a harmonized approach to implementation are required. Two models proposed in this paper establish a global path through ABC processes. The first, the generic model, maps separately the enrolment and verification phases of an ABC scenario. This allows a standardization of the process and an exploration of variances and similarities between configurations across implementations. The second, the identity claim process, decomposes the verification phase of the generic model to an enhanced resolution of ABC implementations. Harnessing a human-biometric sensor interaction framework allows the identification and quantification of errors within the system's use, attributing these errors to either system performance or human interaction. Data from a live operational scenario are used to analyze behaviors, which aid in establishing what effect these have on system performance. Utilizing the proposed method will aid already established methods in improving the performance assessment of a system. Through analyzing interactions and possible behavioral scenarios from the live trial, it was observed that 30.96% of interactions included some major user error. Future development using our proposed framework will see technological advances for biometric systems that are able to categorize interaction errors and feedback appropriately

고령인의 키오스크 접근성 향상을 위한 인간공학 연구

학위논문(석사) -- 서울대학교대학원 : 공과대학 산업공학과, 2022.2. 박우진.In this thesis, two independent experimental studies were conducted to improve self-service kiosk (SSK) accessibility for older adults. First, in an attempt to propose an optimal on-site training tutorial design, four training methods, which were the combinations of two medium types (paper, digital) and two instruction types (goals only, goals and actions), were compared. A between-subjects experimental study that comparatively evaluated the training effects of the four methods was conducted. In the second experimental study, the impacts of potential SSK design features, that is, side partitions, a back partition, and a chair, on perceived workloads and task performance of SSK users of different age groups were evaluated. As a result of the two studies, the dissertation research proposes design implications on training materials and public SSK design. The results from the two research studies would contribute to improving accessibility for older adults as well as enhancing the user experience (UX) of public SSK.본 논문에서는 고령인의 키오스크 접근성 향상을 위한 두 가지 방안을 고려한다. 첫째, 고령인의 키오스크 사용 방법 학습 효과를 극대화하는 방안을 모색하고자 각 두 종류의 정보 전달 매체와 설명 방식의 조합인 4개의 서로 다른 트레이닝 설계의 학습 효과를 비교한다. 피험자 간 설계 실험으로 4개의 트레이닝 설계의 효과를 비교 분석한다. 둘째, 키오스크에 설치 가능한 설계 특성 (좌우 칸막이, 뒤 칸막이, 의자)이 키오스크 사용자의 작업 수행도와 작업부하에 미치는 영향을 평가한다. 그 결과 본 논문에서는 고령인의 키오스크 접근성 향상을 위한 효과적인 트레이닝을 설계하기 위해서는 어떤 정보 전달 매체와 설명 방식을 선택해야 하는지, 공공 키오스크의 전반적인 사용자 경험을 개선하기 위해서는 어떤 설계 특성을 설치해야 하는지에 대한 가이드라인을 제공한다.Abstract ii Contents iv List of Tables vii List of Figures viii Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Research Background 1 1.2 Research Objective and Questions 3 1.3 Structure of the Thesis 4 Chapter 2 Training Design for Helping Older Adults Use Public SSK 5 2.1 Introduction 5 2.2 Method 9 2.2.1 Participants 9 2.2.2 Experimental Procedure 9 2.2.3 Training Methods Design 11 2.2.4 Independent and Dependent Variables 14 2.2.5 Data Analyses 16 2.3 Results 17 2.3.1 General Training Effects 17 2.3.2 Training Method Effects 10 2.3.3 Training Time 21 2.4 Discussion 21 2.4.1 General Training Effects 22 2.4.2 Training Method Effects 23 2.4.3 Implications 26 Chapter 3 An Investigation of SSK Design: A Partition and Chair Effects on Perceived Workloads and Task Performance 29 3.1 Introduction 29 3.2 Method 35 3.2.1 Participants 35 3.2.2 Experimental Setup 36 3.2.3 Design Alternatives 36 3.2.4 Experimental Task 37 3.2.5 Experimental Procedure 38 3.2.6 Independent and Dependent Variables 40 3.2.7 Data Analyses 42 3.3 Results 43 3.3.1 General and Generalized Linear Model Analyses 43 3.3.1.1 Design Effects: Main and Interaction Effects on Design Variables 46 3.3.1.2 Age Group Differences in Design Effects 48 3.3.2 Comparison of Design Alternatives 50 3.3.3 Correlation Analyses 51 3.4 Discussion 53 3.4.1 Design Effects: Main and Interaction Effects of Design Variables 54 3.4.2 Age Group Differences in Design Effects 60 3.4.3 Correlation Analyses 63 3.4.4 Implications 64 Chapter 4 Conclusion 66 4.1 Summary and Implications 66 4.2 Future Research Directions 67 Bibliography 69 국문초록 82석

Whole-cell segmentation of tissue images with human-level performance using large-scale data annotation and deep learning

Understanding the spatial organization of tissues is of critical importance for both basic and translational research. While recent advances in tissue imaging are opening an exciting new window into the biology of human tissues, interpreting the data that they create is a significant computational challenge. Cell segmentation, the task of uniquely identifying each cell in an image, remains a substantial barrier for tissue imaging, as existing approaches are inaccurate or require a substantial amount of manual curation to yield useful results. Here, we addressed the problem of cell segmentation in tissue imaging data through large-scale data annotation and deep learning. We constructed TissueNet, an image dataset containing >1 million paired whole-cell and nuclear annotations for tissue images from nine organs and six imaging platforms. We created Mesmer, a deep learning-enabled segmentation algorithm trained on TissueNet that performs nuclear and whole-cell segmentation in tissue imaging data. We demonstrated that Mesmer has better speed and accuracy than previous methods, generalizes to the full diversity of tissue types and imaging platforms in TissueNet, and achieves human-level performance for whole-cell segmentation. Mesmer enabled the automated extraction of key cellular features, such as subcellular localization of protein signal, which was challenging with previous approaches. We further showed that Mesmer could be adapted to harness cell lineage information present in highly multiplexed datasets. We used this enhanced version to quantify cell morphology changes during human gestation. All underlying code and models are released with permissive licenses as a community resource