User Interface Design in Virtual Reality Research

Thesis Statement The primary objective of this research is to develop and investigate a user interface that supports learning to be implemented in the virtual reality application Anatomy Builder VR, an ongoing project from the Department of Visualization. Through the conception of this interface, we will explore the research question “how can user interface design in virtual reality applications support learning and engagement?”. Theoretical Framework Through the use of iterative design, we will develop an interface to be implemented in the virtual reality application Anatomy Builder VR.To accomplish this, we will create several prototypes to be evaluated by a focus group before implementing a high fidelity interface into the application. The three prototypes will be used to conduct a user study that will improve the quality and functionality of the final interface as a whole. Project Description Effective user interface design is extremely important when creating an application focused on learning. If the application’s interface is misleading, the user will either incorrectly learn the information or stop using the application altogether. For this reason, we will center our research on the question “how can user interface design in virtual reality applications support learning and engagement?”. Expected outcomes include designing a user interface that will provide an intuitive and engaging learning experience. Our interface will be implemented intoAnatomy Builder VR, an application that allows users to assemble a human or canine skeleton while learning comparative anatomy. Anatomy Builder VR is a current collaborative project between Department of Visualization and Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences. We will investigate how our design impacts the user’s anatomy learning experience

La Linea Baja: Reimagining Puerto Plata as a Pedestrian-Oriented, Inclusive City

The following report considers current development challenges facing the region of Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. Based on historical research, meetings with local and national stakeholders and site visits conducted during a week-long excursion in October 2011, the report summarizes the transportation challenges and opportunities for Puerto Plata and surrounding communities. It provides perspective on options for re-conceptualizing the urban grid to prepare the region for future growth. The analysis supports development of alternative transportation systems that prioritize non-motorized transit in a medium density environment. The proposed plan, called La Linea Baja, increases access for residents and tourists, creates an authentic urban form that supports development of public space and locally-oriented industries and mitigates the environmental harms caused by the current pattern of development. In addition, it argues for the development of a formalized data collection process that monitors transportation patterns and a participatory planning process that empowers local residents to become involved with planning decisions that affect their lives. By considering this proposal and the philosophical urban form proposed, policymakers can leverage local assets to provide additional economic opportunity and sustainable development in the Puerto Plata region

Functional Characterisation of Candida Glabrata Open Reading Frames with no Orthologue in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

Candida glabrata is a significant and increasingly common pathogen of humans yet its mechanism of virulence remains unclear. Comparative genomic studies revealed that C. glabrata is more closely related to the non-pathogenic yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and that both these genomes are distinct from C. albicans. In order to explore C. glabrata virulence attributes, C. glabrata ORFs with no orthologue in S. cerevisiae were studied since these ORFs may have accompanied the adaptation of C. glabrata to the human host. Reciprocal best hit searches identified C. glabrata ORFs with no S. cerevisiae orthologue. A barcoded deletion library targeting 65 C. glabrata-specific ORFs was constructed. To functionally characterise the deletion library, mutants were tested for fitness and phenotypically screened to identify gene products required for growth in response to biologically relevant stresses. As such, novel phenotypes associated with the deletion of previously uncharacterised ORFs were uncovered. Mutants were also tested for infection-related properties including biofilm formation, antifungal agent susceptibility and for virulence in a Drosophila melanogaster infection model, resulting in the identification of two C. glabrata-specific ORFs, CAGL0K05687g and CAGL0H01749g, which were required for virulence. Three ORFs with notable phenotypes were taken forward for further characterisation. An adapted genome-wide synthetic genetic interaction approach was used to create genetic interaction networks for C. glabrata ORFs over-expressed in S. cerevisiae. Genetic interaction analysis of a C. glabrata chromatin remodeler CAGL0D05434g revealed a role for this ORF in metal ion homeostasis and DNA damage repair. Genetic interaction profiling for an oxidoreductase encoded by CAGL0K05687g was used to reveal mechanisms related to transport by which this ORF may be required for virulence

The Transport Planning Process: A Political and Institutional Analysis

The governance of urban transport involves a complex amalgam of intergovernmental actors, revenue sources and normative justifications. In recent decades, there has been a clear shift toward decentralized approaches to urban transport investment. This devolution of responsibility supports the development and deployment of new governance strategies that rely heavily on sub-regional implementation strategies and that justify urban transport in terms of economic development, not mobility impacts. This dissertation provides a grounded view of the devolution of urban transport planning through an in-depth case study of the implementation of a modern streetcar investment in Kansas City, Missouri. Using a combination of institutional analysis and phronesis, it illuminates the antecedents of local governance strategies, like value capture and non-profit governance, and shows how local conditions and history are shaping transport policy in unanticipated ways. While new governance strategies support enhanced investment, they also shape who benefits from new investments. In the Kansas City case, policies in the streetcar’s proximity emphasized the importance of lifestyle diversity and nurturing the development of an emerging arts community but eschewed notions of race and income diversity in ways that reflect and exacerbate the city’s dismal history of segregation. Devolution is facilitating new governance arrangements that reflect local conditions but, as this case shows, these new strategies may also be setting urban transport on a troubling institutional trajectory that – without intervention – will only lead us away from equitable and inclusive cities

87th Legislature of Texas

Report from the Sunset Commission regarding the Texas Commission on Fire Protection, including the Commission's decisions and the final actions taken by the Texas Legislature, along with information from the original staff report, such as the need for, performance by, and improvements to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection

87th Legislature of Texas

Report from the Sunset Commission regarding the Texas Commission on Fire Protection, including decisions on statutory recommendations for the Texas Legislature and management recommendations for the agency, as well as information from the original staff report, such as the need for, performance by, and improvements to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection

87th Legislature of Texas

Report from the Sunset Commission regarding the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, including the Commission's decisions and the final actions taken by the Texas Legislature, along with information from the original staff report, such as the need for, performance by, and improvements to the Teacher Retirement System of Texas

87th Legislature of Texas

Report from the Sunset Commission regarding the Texas Racing Commission, including decisions on statutory recommendations for the Texas Legislature and management recommendations for the agency, as well as information from the original staff report, such as the need for, performance by, and improvements to the Texas Racing Commission

87th Legislature of Texas

Report from the Sunset Commission regarding the Anatomical Board of the State of Texas, including the Commission's decisions and the final actions taken by the Texas Legislature, along with information from the original staff report, such as the need for, performance by, and improvements to the Anatomical Board of the State of Texas