RUNNER\u27S LOG AND PREDICTIVE PERFORMANCE ANALYTICS

This report, prepared for the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, describes the development of a running log application and the development and analysis of a data-centric approach to running performance prediction. The java application incorporated common UI principles as well as a community aspect to facilitate and encourage its use. The data-centric predictive model was developed by analyzing individuals who have performed similarly to the input. As tested with 1148 male track performances and 1265 female track performances, the data-centric approach provided predictions with an average error of 3.05 percent for men and 3.63 percent for women. These errors are approximately 9 percent and 20 percent lower, respectively, than the leading Purdy Points model

Multimodal MP3 Jukebox

This report, prepared for the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, describes the design, testing, and analysis of a voice- and button-controlled MP3 Jukebox for automotive applications. This project, sponsored by the Bose Corporation, incorporated modern software components and complete interaction features. An inexpensive, high-function driving simulation system was developed and used in conjunction with the Peripheral Detection Task (PDT) to measure driver distraction. As tested with four subjects, Jukebox interaction increased the overall median reaction time by 133 milliseconds

Stochastic and Mixed Density Functional Theory within the projector augmented wave formalism for the simulation of warm dense matter

Stochastic and mixed stochastic-deterministic density functional theory (DFT) are promising new approaches for the calculation of the equation-of-state and transport properties in materials under extreme conditions. In the intermediate warm dense matter regime, a state between correlated condensed matter and kinetic plasma, electrons can range from being highly localized around nuclei to delocalized over the whole simulation cell. The plane-wave basis pseudo-potential approach is thus the typical tool of choice for modeling such systems at the DFT level. Unfortunately, the stochastic DFT methods scale as the square of the maximum plane-wave energy in this basis. To reduce the effect of this scaling, and improve the overall description of the electrons within the pseudo-potential approximation, we present stochastic and mixed DFT developed and implemented within the projector augmented wave formalism. We compare results between the different DFT approaches for both single-point and molecular dynamics trajectories and present calculations of self-diffusion coefficients of solid density carbon from 1 to 50 eV

Curriculum Grant Success Analysis

This report, prepared for the National Science Foundation, describes the process we used to develop a tool that predicts a project\u27s outcomes from its proposal. We defined proposal characteristics and outcome extents for 36 completed educational software development awards. We used multiple regression analysis to specify and fit a predictive model, and cross-validation to assess the predictive ability. Finally we developed a software tool that allows program officers to apply this model to help evaluate new proposals

Low Speed Motorcycle Stabilization Device

The objective for this Major Qualifying Project was to design and prototype a low speed motorcycle stabilization device for a partially handicapped customer. The system would remove the need for the rider of the motorcycle to place his feet on the ground at low speeds or stops, but allow uninhibited motorcycle riding at standard to high speeds. The project focused on three major aspects, the mechanical assembly, fluid power, and microprocessor control. The outrigger deploys at 14 miles per hour with some compliance for low speed turns and becomes increasingly rigid until 4 miles per hour when the device locks to keep the motorcycle steady at a stop. The prototype system has been installed on a Harley Davidson Sportster

Design Arguments – an examination of how designers argue for their designs

To communicate a design can be seen as consisting of at least two aspects: presentation and argumentation. In our research we have taken on the task of studying how practicing interaction designers approach the challenge of presenting and arguing for their designs. We have chosen to label our object of study, or unit of analysis, a design argument. Based on three studies, we have developed a descriptive framework that can be used to describe, analyze, and compare design arguments. The paper ends with some discussions and reflections concerning the potential relevance, use, and implications of a framework of design arguments

Investigation of Thermal Stimuli for Lane Changes

Haptic feedback has been widely studied for in-car interactions. However, most of this research has used vibrotactile cues. This paper presents two studies that examine novel thermal feedback for navigation during simulated driving for a lane change task. In the first, we compare the distraction and time differences of audio and thermal feedback. The results show that the presentation of thermal stimuli does not increase lane deviation, but the time needed to complete a lane change increased by 1.82 seconds. In the second study, the influence of variable changes of thermal stimuli on the lane change task performance was tested. We found that the same stimulus design for warm and cold temperatures does not always elicit the same results. Furthermore, variable alterations can have different effects on specified tasks. This suggests that the design of thermal stimuli is highly dependent on what task result should be maximized

Dates, Diet, and Dismemberment: Evidence from the Coldrum Megalithic Monument, Kent

We present radiocarbon dates, stable isotope data, and osteological analysis of the remains of a minimum of 17 individuals deposited in the western part of the burial chamber at Coldrum, Kent. This is one of the Medway group of megalithic monuments – sites with shared architectural motifs and no very close parallels elsewhere in Britain – whose location has been seen as important in terms of the origins of Neolithic material culture and practices in Britain. The osteological analysis identified the largest assemblage of cut-marked human bone yet reported from a British early Neolithic chambered tomb; these modifications were probably undertaken as part of burial practices. The stable isotope dataset shows very enriched & 15N values, the causes of which are not entirely clear, but could include consumption of freshwater fish resources. Bayesian statistical modelling of the radiocarbon dates demonstrates that Coldrum is an early example of a British Neolithic burial monument, though the tomb was perhaps not part of the earliest Neolithic evidence in the Greater Thames Estuary. The site was probably initiated after the first appearance of other early Neolithic regional phenomena including an inhumation burial, early Neolithic pottery and a characteristic early Neolithic post-and-slot structure, and perhaps of Neolithic flint extraction in the Sussex mines. Coldrum is the only site in the Medway monument group to have samples which have been radiocarbon dated, and is important both for regional studies of the early Neolithic and wider narratives of the processes, timing, and tempo of Neolithisation across Britai