The BCD transient recorder revisited: firmware for the ISA-to-USB bridging card and software for the graphical user interface

This report describes recent updates to the custom-built data-acquisition hardware operated by the Center for Hypersonics. In 2006, an ISA-to-USB bridging card was developed as part of Luke Hillyard's final-year thesis. This card allows the hardware to be connected to any recent personal computers via a (USB or RS232) serial port and it provides a number of simple text-based commands for control of the hardware. A graphical user interface program was also updated to help the experimenter manage the data acquisition functions. Sampled data is stored in text files that have been compressed with the gzip for mat. To simplify the later archiving or transport of the data, all files specific to a shot are stored in a single directory. This includes a text file for the run description, the signal configuration file and the individual sampled-data files, one for each signal that was recorded.

Effective affective user interface design in games

It is proposed that games, which are designed to generate positive affect, are most successful when they facilitate flow (Csikszentmihalyi 1992). Flow is a state of concentration, deep enjoyment, and total absorption in an activity. The study of games, and a resulting understanding of flow in games can inform the design of non-leisure software for positive affect. The paper considers the ways in which computer games contravene Nielsen's guidelines for heuristic evaluation ( Nielsen and Molich 1990) and how these contraventions impact on flow. The paper also explores the implications for research that stem from the differences between games played on a personal computer and games played on a dedicated console. This research takes important initial steps towards de. ning how flow in computer games can inform affective design.

XSophe-Sophe-XeprView (R). A computer simulation software suite (v. 1.1.3) for the analysis of continuous wave EPR spectra

The XSophe-Sophe-XeprView((R)) computer simulation software suite enables scientists to easily determine spin Hamiltonian parameters from isotropic, randomly oriented and single crystal continuous wave electron paramagnetic resonance (CW EPR) spectra from radicals and isolated paramagnetic metal ion centers or clusters found in metalloproteins, chemical systems and materials science. XSophe provides an X-windows graphical user interface to the Sophe programme and allows: creation of multiple input files, local and remote execution of Sophe, the display of sophelog (output from Sophe) and input parameters/files. Sophe is a sophisticated computer simulation software programme employing a number of innovative technologies including; the Sydney OPera HousE (SOPHE) partition and interpolation schemes, a field segmentation algorithm, the mosaic misorientation linewidth model, parallelization and spectral optimisation. In conjunction with the SOPHE partition scheme and the field segmentation algorithm, the SOPHE interpolation scheme and the mosaic misorientation linewidth model greatly increase the speed of simulations for most spin systems. Employing brute force matrix diagonalization in the simulation of an EPR spectrum from a high spin Cr(III) complex with the spin Hamiltonian parameters g(e) = 2.00, D = 0.10 cm(-1), E/D = 0.25, A(x) = 120.0, A(y) = 120.0, A(z) = 240.0 x 10(-4) cm(-1) requires a SOPHE grid size of N = 400 (to produce a good signal to noise ratio) and takes 229.47 s. In contrast the use of either the SOPHE interpolation scheme or the mosaic misorientation linewidth model requires a SOPHE grid size of only N = 18 and takes 44.08 and 0.79 s, respectively. Results from Sophe are transferred via the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) to XSophe and subsequently to XeprView((R)) where the simulated CW EPR spectra (1D and 2D) can be compared to the experimental spectra. Energy level diagrams, transition roadmaps and transition surfaces aid the interpretation of complicated randomly oriented CW EPR spectra and can be viewed with a web browser and an OpenInventor scene graph viewer.

Using visual spatial search interface for WWW applications

Most Internet search engines are keyword-based. They are not efficient for the queries where geographical location is important, such as finding hotels within an area or close to a place of interest. A natural interface for spatial searching is a map, which can be used not only to display locations of search results but also to assist forming search conditions. A map-based search engine requires a well-designed visual interface that is intuitive to use yet flexible and expressive enough to support various types of spatial queries as well as aspatial queries. Similar to hyperlinks for text and images in an HTML page, spatial objects in a map should support hyperlinks. Such an interface needs to be scalable with the size of the geographical regions and the number of websites it covers. In spite of handling typically a very large amount of spatial data, a map-based search interface should meet the expectation of fast response time for interactive applications. In this paper we discuss general requirements and the design for a new map-based web search interface, focusing on integration with the WWW and visual spatial query interface. A number of current and future research issues are discussed, and a prototype for the University of Queensland is presented. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.

Discovering user access pattern based on probabilistic latent factor model

There has been an increased demand for characterizing user access patterns using web mining techniques since the informative knowledge extracted from web server log files can not only offer benefits for web site structure improvement but also for better understanding of user navigational behavior. In this paper, we present a web usage mining method, which utilize web user usage and page linkage information to capture user access pattern based on Probabilistic Latent Semantic Analysis (PLSA) model. A specific probabilistic model analysis algorithm, EM algorithm, is applied to the integrated usage data to infer the latent semantic factors as well as generate user session clusters for revealing user access patterns. Experiments have been conducted on real world data set to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The results have shown that the presented method is capable of characterizing the latent semantic factors and generating user profile in terms of weighted page vectors, which may reflect the common access interest exhibited by users among same session cluster.

A web recommendation technique based on probabilistic latent semantic analysis

Web transaction data between Web visitors and Web functionalities usually convey user task-oriented behavior pattern. Mining such type of click-stream data will lead to capture usage pattern information. Nowadays Web usage mining technique has become one of most widely used methods for Web recommendation, which customizes Web content to user-preferred style. Traditional techniques of Web usage mining, such as Web user session or Web page clustering, association rule and frequent navigational path mining can only discover usage pattern explicitly. They, however, cannot reveal the underlying navigational activities and identify the latent relationships that are associated with the patterns among Web users as well as Web pages. In this work, we propose a Web recommendation framework incorporating Web usage mining technique based on Probabilistic Latent Semantic Analysis (PLSA) model. The main advantages of this method are, not only to discover usage-based access pattern, but also to reveal the underlying latent factor as well. With the discovered user access pattern, we then present user more interested content via collaborative recommendation. To validate the effectiveness of proposed approach, we conduct experiments on real world datasets and make comparisons with some existing traditional techniques. The preliminary experimental results demonstrate the usability of the proposed approach.

Making Fedora easier to implement with Fez: A free open source content model and workflow management front-end to Fedora

The University of Queensland, Australia has developed Fez, a world-leading user-interface and management system for Fedora-based institutional repositories, which bridges the gap between a repository and users. Christiaan Kortekaas, Andrew Bennett and Keith Webster will review this open source software that gives institutions the power to create a comprehensive repository solution without the hassle..

A model of specification-based testing of interactive systems

In this paper we present a model of specification-based testing of interactive systems. This model provides the basis for a framework to guide such testing. Interactive systems are traditionally decomposed into a functionality component and a user interface component; this distinction is termed dialogue separation and is the underlying basis for conceptual and architectural models of such systems. Correctness involves both proper behaviour of the user interface and proper computation by the underlying functionality. Specification-based testing is one method used to increase confidence in correctness, but it has had limited application to interactive system development to date.

A framework for table driven testing of Java classes

With the advent of object-oriented languages and the portability of Java, the development and use of class libraries has become widespread. Effective class reuse depends on class reliability which in turn depends on thorough testing. This paper describes a class testing approach based on modeling each test case with a tuple and then generating large numbers of tuples to thoroughly cover an input space with many interesting combinations of values. The testing approach is supported by the Roast framework for the testing of Java classes. Roast provides automated tuple generation based on boundary values, unit operations that support driver standardization, and test case templates used for code generation. Roast produces thorough, compact test drivers with low development and maintenance cost. The framework and tool support are illustrated on a number of non-trivial classes, including a graphical user interface policy manager. Quantitative results are presented to substantiate the practicality and effectiveness of the approach. Copyright (C) 2002 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.

Infusing the use of seasonal climate forecasting into crop management practice in North East Australia using discussion support software

Seasonal climate forecasting offers potential for improving management of crop production risks in the cropping systems of NE Australia. But how is this capability best connected to management practice? Over the past decade, we have pursued participative systems approaches involving simulation-aided discussion with advisers and decision-makers. This has led to the development of discussion support software as a key vehicle for facilitating infusion of forecasting capability into practice. In this paper, we set out the basis of our approach, its implementation and preliminary evaluation. We outline the development of the discussion support software Whopper Cropper, which was designed for, and in close consultation with, public and private advisers. Whopper Cropper consists of a database of simulation output and a graphical user interface to generate analyses of risks associated with crop management options. The charts produced provide conversation pieces for advisers to use with their farmer clients in relation to the significant decisions they face. An example application, detail of the software development process and an initial survey of user needs are presented. We suggest that discussion support software is about moving beyond traditional notions of supply-driven decision support systems. Discussion support software is largely demand-driven and can compliment participatory action research programs by providing cost-effective general delivery of simulation-aided discussions about relevant management actions. The critical role of farm management advisers and dialogue among key players is highlighted. We argue that the discussion support concept, as exemplified by the software tool Whopper Cropper and the group processes surrounding it, provides an effective means to infuse innovations, like seasonal climate forecasting, into farming practice. Crown Copyright (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

The design and implementation of a repository for the management of spatial data integrity constraints

This paper reviews the key features of an environment to support domain users in spatial information system (SIS) development. It presents a full design and prototype implementation of a repository system for the storage and management of metadata, focusing on a subset of spatial data integrity constraint classes. The system is designed to support spatial system development and customization by users within the domain that the system will operate.

A case study in specification and implementation testing

Achieving consistency between a specification and its implementation is an important part of software development In previous work, we have presented a method and tool support for testing a formal specification using animation and then verifying an implementation of that specification. The method is based on a testgraph, which provides a partial model of the application under test. The testgraph is used in combination with an animator to generate test sequences for testing the formal specification. The same testgraph is used during testing to execute those same sequences on the implementation and to ensure that the implementation conforms to the specification. So far, the method and its tool support have been applied to software components that can be accessed through an application programmer interface (API). In this paper, we use an industrially-based case study to discuss the problems associated with applying the method to a software system with a graphical user interface (GUI). In particular, the lack of a standardised interface, as well as controllability and observability problems, make it difficult to automate the testing of the implementation. The method can still be applied, but the amount of testing that can be carried on the implementation is limited by the manual effort involved.