Spatial issues in user interface design from a graphic design perspective

The user interface of a computer system is a visual display that provides information about the status of operations on data within the computer and control options to the user that enable adjustments to these operations. From the very beginning of computer technology the user interface was a spatial display, although its spatial features were not necessarily complex or explicitly recognized by the users. All text and nonverbal signs appeared in a virtual space generally thought of as a single flat plane of symbols. Current technology of high performance workstations permits any element of the display to appear as dynamic, multicolor, 3-D signs in a virtual 3-D space. The complexity of appearance and the user's interaction with the display provide significant challenges to the graphic designer of current and future user interfaces. In particular, spatial depiction provides many opportunities for effective communication of objects, structures, processes, navigation, selection, and manipulation. Issues are presented that are relevant to the graphic designer seeking to optimize the user interface's spatial attributes for effective visual communication

The inter-American system: its reorganization and integration into the United Nations.

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit

An Investigation of the Current Distribution in an HTS Triaxial Power Cable and its Operational Impacts on a Power System

An investigation of the current distribution in a 3-phase triaxial superconducting cable was conducted to study the phase imbalance under steady-state operation and to assist in the construction of a transient model to study operational impacts in a power grid. The triaxial cable consisted of three superconducting concentric phases inside a copper shield, with each phase composed of multiple layers of BSCCO tape wound helically in opposite directions. Current distribution within the cable was determined by using an electric circuit (EC) model containing the self and mutual inductances resulting from both axial and tangential magnetic fields. An AC loss term was also included in the model. Building on the EC model, a lumped cable model was used to investigate the effects of the triaxial cable on a power grid when faults are applied to the system. Cable lengths for future applications (~16 km) were considered. Steady-state simulation of the EC model revealed that the electrical imbalance associated with the phases of the triaxial cable may be negligible for cable lengths less than one mile, but become more of a concern at greater lengths. Transient simulations showed that fault currents approaching 30 kABpeakB may be possible under certain conditions and that resulting induced shield currents may be substantial. Recommendations for further research are provided as well as possible suggestions for alleviating the electrical imbalance

Raich, Health Care, and the Commerce Clause

This article considers to what extent health care may be viewed as a traditional area of state concern in the context of the Supreme Court’s revival of federalism principles, in particular limits on Congress’ Commerce Clause power, and what effect Raich v. Ashcroft, heard by the Court in the fall 2004 term, might have on these issues. Addressing these questions will necessarily involve exploration of medical marijuana policy as well as the role of the “traditional state interest” principle within the Commerce Clause. However, the central focus of this article is not what impact Raich may have on the Commerce Clause or our nation’s drug laws, but what effect it might have on health care issues. We start by briefly examining medical marijuana in Part II: the debate over its efficacy, regulatory history, and current trends in both cultural and legal spheres. We then review the Court’s recent Commerce Clause jurisprudence, with a focus on the role of the traditional state interest factor in the analysis, and provide an overview of Raich. In Part IV, we provide a historical look at the traditional role of states in regulating health care and compare that with the more recent expansion of federal health care regulation. Part V then provides an overview and examples of how the traditional state interest issue may impact future health care regulation in four different fields

Building Information Modelling and Standardised Construction Contracts: a Content Analysis of the GC21 Contract

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is seen as a panacea to many of the ills confronting the Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector. In spite of its well documented benefits the widespread integration of BIM into the project lifecycle is yet to occur. One commonly identified barrier to BIM adoption is the perceived legal risks associated with its integration, coupled with the need for implementation in a collaborative environment. Many existing standardised contracts used in the Australian AEC industry were drafted before the emergence of BIM. As BIM continues to become ingrained in the delivery process the shortcomings of these existing contracts have become apparent. This paper reports on a study that reviewed and consolidated the contractual and legal concerns associated with BIM implementation. The findings of the review were used to conduct a qualitative content analysis of the GC21 2nd edition, an Australian standardised construction contract, to identify possible changes to facilitate the implementation of BIM in a collaborative environment. The findings identified a number of changes including the need to adopt a collaborative contract structure with equitable risk and reward mechanisms, recognition of the model as a contract document and the need for standardisation of communication/information exchange.

Differential localization of glutamate receptor subunits at the drosophila neuromuscular junction

The subunit composition of postsynaptic neurotransmitter receptors is a key determinant of synaptic physiology. Two glutamate receptor subunits, Drosophila glutamate receptor IIA (DGluRIIA) and DGluRIIB, are expressed at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction and are redundant for viability, yet differ in their physiological properties. We now identify a third glutamate receptor subunit at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction, DGluRIII, which is essential for viability. DGluRIII is required for the synaptic localization of DGluRIIA and DGluRIIB and for synaptic transmission. Either DGluRIIA or DGluRIIB, but not both, is required for the synaptic localization of DGluRIII. DGluRIIA and DGluRIIB compete with each other for access to DGluRIII and subsequent localization to the synapse. These results are consistent with a model of a multimeric receptor in which DGluRIII is an essential component. At single postsynaptic cells that receive innervation from multiple motoneurons, DGluRIII is abundant at all synapses. However, DGluRIIA and DGluRIIB are differentially localized at the postsynaptic density opposite distinct motoneurons. Hence, innervating motoneurons may regulate the subunit composition of their receptor fields within a shared postsynaptic cell. The capacity of presynaptic inputs to shape the subunit composition of postsynaptic receptors could be an important mechanism for synapse-specific regulation of synaptic function and plasticity

Movie Description

Audio Description (AD) provides linguistic descriptions of movies and allows visually impaired people to follow a movie along with their peers. Such descriptions are by design mainly visual and thus naturally form an interesting data source for computer vision and computational linguistics. In this work we propose a novel dataset which contains transcribed ADs, which are temporally aligned to full length movies. In addition we also collected and aligned movie scripts used in prior work and compare the two sources of descriptions. In total the Large Scale Movie Description Challenge (LSMDC) contains a parallel corpus of 118,114 sentences and video clips from 202 movies. First we characterize the dataset by benchmarking different approaches for generating video descriptions. Comparing ADs to scripts, we find that ADs are indeed more visual and describe precisely what is shown rather than what should happen according to the scripts created prior to movie production. Furthermore, we present and compare the results of several teams who participated in a challenge organized in the context of the workshop "Describing and Understanding Video & The Large Scale Movie Description Challenge (LSMDC)", at ICCV 2015

Coherent X-ray diffraction imaging of photo-induced structural changes in BiFeO₃ nanocrystals

Multiferroic materials that exhibit coupling between ferroelectric and magnetic properties are of considerable utility for technological applications and are also interesting from a fundamental standpoint. When reduced to the nanoscale, multiferroic materials often display additional functionality that is dominated by interfacial and confinement effects. Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) is one such material with room temperature anti-ferromagnetic and ferroelectric ordering. Optical excitation of BiFeO3 crystals results in an elastic structural deformation of the lattice with a fast response on the pico-second time scale. Here we report on dynamic measurements to investigate the structural properties of BiFeO3 nanoscale crystals using laser excitation and three-dimensional Bragg coherent x-ray diffraction imaging. Tensile strain beyond 8 × 10-2 was observed predominantly at the surface of the nanoscale crystal as evidenced in the reconstructed phase information and was correlated to photo-induced lattice deformation

GUYANA-VENEZUELA BORDER DISPUTE: SEEKING A PEACEFUL SOLUTION

The purpose of this thesis is to examine and evaluate the effectiveness of those dispute settlement mechanisms that are capable of resolving the Guyana-Venezuela border dispute. This thesis will analyze those legal principles and/or techniques of the International Court of Justice, mediation and the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which are indispensable for dispute resolution. I argue that a resolution is significant for the stability of the international community. Guyana and Venezuela possess economic and political interests in the disputed Essequibo region. Venezuela’s predilection for bilateral negotiations contradicts Guyana’s request for a judicial solution. These extreme positions are not novel but were shaped by the history of the dispute. A historical analysis of the Guyana-Venezuela border dispute will highlight those reasons for their extreme positions and reinforce the degree of complexity which is often associated with dispute resolution. The border dispute was ‘settled’ by a tribunal in 1899 but it persists. Thus, the thesis will test whether the dispute is based on colonial inheritance or is solely based on the economic value associated with the Essequibo region. This analysis will help to evaluate the applicability of the aforementioned dispute settlement mechanisms. Additionally, it will predict those legal principles and/or techniques which are pertinent and necessary for the resolution of the dispute. Ultimately, the thesis will conclude by critically evaluating and predicting the roles and effectiveness of the International Court of Justice, mediation and the Permanent Court of Arbitration towards resolving this dispute. ‘Resolution’ will not be limited to a decision being made. Instead, ‘resolution’ will include the level of compliance and current relationship status of states that had their dispute settled by the International Court of Justice, mediation or the Permanent Court of Arbitration. One of the three dispute settlement mechanisms will then be selected as the best option for resolving the Guyana-Venezuela border dispute. Selection will be based on the effectiveness and relativity of the dispute settlement mechanism, in accordance with, the dynamics of the dispute