Facebook3d

INTRODUCTION With the advent of Web 2.0, social networking websites like Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn have become hugely popular. According to (Nilsen, 2009), social networking websites have global1 figures of almost 250 millions unique users among the top five2, with the time people spend on those networks increasing 63% between 2007 and 2008. Facebook alone saw a massive growth of 566% in number of minutes in the same period of time. Furthermore their appeal is clear, they enable users to easily form persistent networks of friends with whom they can interact and share content. Users then use those networks to keep in touch with their current friends and to reconnect with old friends. However, online social network services have rapidly evolved into highly complex systems which contain a large amount of personally salient information derived from large networks of friends. Since that information varies from simple links to music, photos and videos, users not only have to deal with the huge amount of data generated by them and their friends but also with the fact that it‟s composed of many different media forms. Users are presented with increasing challenges, especially as the number of friends on Facebook rises. An example of a problem is when a user performs a simple task like finding a specific friend in a group of 100 or more friends. In that case he would most likely have to go through several pages and make several clicks till he finds the one he is looking for. Another example is a user with more than 100 friends in which his friends make a status update or another action per day, resulting in 10 updates per hour to keep up. That is plausible, especially since the change in direction of Facebook to rival with Twitter, by encouraging users to update their status as they do on Twitter. As a result, to better present the web of information connected to a user the use of better visualizations is essential. The visualizations used nowadays on social networking sites haven‟t gone through major changes during their lifetimes. They have added more functionality and gave more tools to their users, but still the core of their visualization hasn‟t changed. The information is still presented in a flat way in lists/groups of text and images which can‟t show the extra connections pieces of information. Those extra connections can give new meaning and insights to the user, allowing him to more easily see if that content is important to him and the information related to it. However showing extra connections of information but still allowing the user to easily navigate through it and get the needed information with a quick glance is difficult. The use of color coding, clusters and shapes becomes then essential to attain that objective. But taking into consideration the advances in computer hardware in the last decade and the software platforms available today, there is the opportunity to take advantage of 3D. That opportunity comes in because we are at a phase were the hardware and the software available is ready for the use of 3D in the web. With the use of the extra dimension brought by 3D, visualizations can be constructed to show the content and its related information to the user at the same screen and in a clear way. Also it would allow a great deal of interactivity. Another opportunity to create better information‟s visualization presents itself in the form of the open APIs, specifically the ones made available by the social networking sites. Those APIs allow any developers to create their own applications or sites taking advantage of the huge amount of information there is on those networks. Specifically to this case, they open the door for the creation of new social network visualizations. Nevertheless, the third dimension is by itself not enough to create a better interface for a social networking website, there are some challenges to overcome. One of those challenges is to make the user understand what the system is doing during the interaction with the user. Even though that is important in 2D visualizations, it becomes essential in 3D due to the extra dimension. To overcome that challenge it‟s necessary the use of the principles of animations defined by the artists at Walt Disney Studios (Johnston, et al., 1995). By applying those principles in the development of the interface, the actions of the system in response to the user inputs became clear and understandable. Furthermore, a user study needs to be performed so the users‟ main goals and motivations, while navigating the social network, are revealed. Their goals and motivations are important in the construction of an interface that reflects the user expectations for the interface, but also helps in the development of appropriate metaphors. Those metaphors have an important role in the interface, because if correctly chosen they help the user understand the elements of the interface instead of making him memorize it. The last challenge is the use of 3D visualization on the web, since there have been several attempts to bring 3D into it, mainly with the various versions of VRML which were destined to failure due to the hardware limitations at the time. However, in the last couple of years there has been a movement to make the necessary tools to finally allow developers to use 3D in a useful way, using X3D or OpenGL but especially flash. This thesis argues that there is a need for a better social network visualization that shows all the dimensions of the information connected to the user and that allows him to move through it. But there are several characteristics the new visualization has to possess in order for it to present a real gain in usability to Facebook‟s users. The first quality is to have the friends at the core of its design, and the second to make use of the metaphor of circles of friends to separate users in groups taking into consideration the order of friendship. To achieve that several methods have to be used, from the use of 3D to get an extra dimension for presenting relevant information, to the use of direct manipulation to make the interface comprehensible, predictable and controllable. Moreover animation has to be use to make all the action on the screen perceptible to the user. Additionally, with the opportunity given by the 3D enabled hardware, the flash platform, through the use of the flash engine Papervision3D and the Facebook platform, all is in place to make the visualization possible. But even though it‟s all in place, there are challenges to overcome like making the system actions in 3D understandable to the user and creating correct metaphors that would allow the user to understand the information and options available to him. This thesis document is divided in six chapters, with Chapter 2 reviewing the literature relevant to the work described in this thesis. In Chapter 3 the design stage that resulted in the application presented in this thesis is described. In Chapter 4, the development stage, describing the architecture and the components that compose the application. In Chapter 5 the usability test process is explained and the results obtained through it are presented and analyzed. To finish, Chapter 6 presents the conclusions that were arrived in this thesis.

Glaze visualization framework for mobile devices

Supervisor: Ian Oakley

An online platform for real-time sensor data collection, visualization, and sharing

Sharing sensor data between multiple devices and users can be^challenging for naive users, and requires knowledge of programming and use of different communication channels and/or development tools, leading to non uniform solutions. This thesis proposes a system that allows users to access sensors, share sensor data and manage sensors. With this system we intent to manage devices, share sensor data, compare sensor data, and set policies to act based on rules. This thesis presents the design and implementation of the system, as well as three case studies of its use.

tCAD: a 3D modeling application on a depth enhanced tabletop computer

Tabletop computers featuring multi-touch input and object tracking are a common platform for research on Tangible User Interfaces (also known as Tangible Interaction). However, such systems are confined to sensing activity on the tabletop surface, disregarding the rich and relatively unexplored interaction canvas above the tabletop. This dissertation contributes with tCAD, a 3D modeling tool combining fiducial marker tracking, finger tracking and depth sensing in a single system. This dissertation presents the technical details of how these features were integrated, attesting to its viability through the design, development and early evaluation of the tCAD application. A key aspect of this work is a description of the interaction techniques enabled by merging tracked objects with direct user input on and above a table surface.

Quantifying epistemic actions in human-computer interaction

As digital systems move away from traditional desktop setups, new interaction paradigms are emerging that better integrate with users’ realworld surroundings, and better support users’ individual needs. While promising, these modern interaction paradigms also present new challenges, such as a lack of paradigm-specific tools to systematically evaluate and fully understand their use. This dissertation tackles this issue by framing empirical studies of three novel digital systems in embodied cognition – an exciting new perspective in cognitive science where the body and its interactions with the physical world take a central role in human cognition. This is achieved by first, focusing the design of all these systems on a contemporary interaction paradigm that emphasizes physical interaction on tangible interaction, a contemporary interaction paradigm; and second, by comprehensively studying user performance in these systems through a set of novel performance metrics grounded on epistemic actions, a relatively well established and studied construct in the literature on embodied cognition. The first system presented in this dissertation is an augmented Four-in-a-row board game. Three different versions of the game were developed, based on three different interaction paradigms (tangible, touch and mouse), and a repeated measures study involving 36 participants measured the occurrence of three simple epistemic actions across these three interfaces. The results highlight the relevance of epistemic actions in such a task and suggest that the different interaction paradigms afford instantiation of these actions in different ways. Additionally, the tangible version of the system supports the most rapid execution of these actions, providing novel quantitative insights into the real benefits of tangible systems. The second system presented in this dissertation is a tangible tabletop scheduling application. Two studies with single and paired users provide several insights into the impact of epistemic actions on the user experience when these are performed outside of a system’s sensing boundaries. These insights are clustered by the form, size and location of ideal interface areas for such offline epistemic actions to occur, as well as how can physical tokens be designed to better support them. Finally, and based on the results obtained to this point, the last study presented in this dissertation directly addresses the lack of empirical tools to formally evaluate tangible interaction. It presents a video-coding framework grounded on a systematic literature review of 78 papers, and evaluates its value as metric through a 60 participant study performed across three different research laboratories. The results highlight the usefulness and power of epistemic actions as a performance metric for tangible systems. In sum, through the use of such novel metrics in each of the three studies presented, this dissertation provides a better understanding of the real impact and benefits of designing and developing systems that feature tangible interaction.

Plane detection from monocular image sequences

AIRES, Kelson R. T. ; ARAÚJO, Hélder J. ; MEDEIROS, Adelardo A. D. . Plane Detection from Monocular Image Sequences. In: VISUALIZATION, IMAGING AND IMAGE PROCESSING, 2008, Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Proceedings..., Palma de Mallorca: VIIP, 2008

Effects of discontinuous Percoll gradient centrifugation on the quality of bovine spermatozoa evaluated with computer-assisted semen analysis and fluorescent probes association

The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of bovine frozen-thawed sperm cells after Percoll gradient centrifugation. Frozen semen doses were obtained from six bulls of different breeds, including three taurine and three Zebu animals. Four ejaculates per bull were evaluated before and after discontinuous Percoll gradient centrifugation. Sperm motility was assessed by computer-assisted semen analysis and the integrity of the plasma and acrosomal membranes, as well as mitochondrial function, were evaluated using a combination of fluorescent probes propidium iodide, fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated Pisum sativum agglutinin and 5,5',6,6'-tetrachloro-1,1',3,3'-tetraethylbenzimidazolcarbocyanine iodide. The procedure of Percoll gradient centrifugation increased the percentage of total and progressive sperm motility, beat frequency, rectilinear motility, linearity and rapidly moving cells. In addition, the percentage of cells with intact plasma membrane and mitochondrial membrane potential was increased in post-centrifugation samples. However, the percentage of sperm cells with intact acrosomal membrane was markedly reduced. The method used selected the motile cells with intact plasma membrane and higher mitochondrial functionality in frozen-thawed bull semen, but processing, centrifugation and/or the Percoll medium caused damage to the acrosomal membrane.

Simulador computacional para poços de petróleo com método de elevação artificial por bombeio mecânico

This work proposes a computer simulator for sucker rod pumped vertical wells. The simulator is able to represent the dynamic behavior of the systems and the computation of several important parameters, allowing the easy visualization of several pertinent phenomena. The use of the simulator allows the execution of several tests at lower costs and shorter times, than real wells experiments. The simulation uses a model based on the dynamic behavior of the rod string. This dynamic model is represented by a second order partial differencial equation. Through this model, several common field situations can be verified. Moreover, the simulation includes 3D animations, facilitating the physical understanding of the process, due to a better visual interpretation of the phenomena. Another important characteristic is the emulation of the main sensors used in sucker rod pumping automation. The emulation of the sensors is implemented through a microcontrolled interface between the simulator and the industrial controllers. By means of this interface, the controllers interpret the simulator as a real well. A "fault module" was included in the simulator. This module incorporates the six more important faults found in sucker rod pumping. Therefore, the analysis and verification of these problems through the simulator, allows the user to identify such situations that otherwise could be observed only in the field. The simulation of these faults receives a different treatment due to the different boundary conditions imposed to the numeric solution of the problem. Possible applications of the simulator are: the design and analysis of wells, training of technicians and engineers, execution of tests in controllers and supervisory systems, and validation of control algorithms

CAD e engenharia reversa como ferramentas de auxílio na fabricação de cartuchos para próteses ortopédicas

The manufacturing of above and below-knee prosthesis starts by taking surfac measurements of the patient s residual limb. This demands the making of a cartridg with appropriate fitting and customized to the profile of each patient. The traditiona process in public hospitals in Brazil begins with the completion of a record file (according to law nº388, of July 28, 1999 by the ministry of the health) for obtaining o the prosthesis, where it is identified the amputation level, equipment type, fitting type material, measures etc. Nowadays, that work is covered by the Brazilian Nationa Health Service (SUS) and is accomplished in a manual way being used commo measuring tapes characterizing a quite rudimentary, handmade work and without an accuracy.In this dissertation it is presented the development of a computer integrate tool that it include CAD theory, for visualization of both above and below-knee prosthesis in 3D (i.e. OrtoCAD), as well as, the design and the construction a low cos electro-mechanic 3D scanner (EMS). This apparatus is capable to automatically obtain geometric information of the stump or of the healthy leg while ensuring smalle uncertainty degree for all measurements. The methodology is based on reverse engineering concepts so that the EMS output is fed into the above mentioned academi CAD software in charge of the 3D computer graphics reconstruction of the residualimb s negative plaster cast or even the healthy leg s mirror image. The obtained results demonstrate that the proposed model is valid, because it allows the structura analysis to be performed based on the requested loads, boundary conditions, material chosen and wall thickness. Furthermore it allows the manufacturing of a prosthesis cartridge meeting high accuracy engineering patterns with consequent improvement in the quality of the overall production process

Desenvolvimento de um núcleo versátil e integrado de ferramentas CAD/CAE para a modelagem e simulação de peças mecânicas

Currently there is still a high demand for quality control in manufacturing processes of mechanical parts. This keeps alive the need for the inspection activity of final products ranging from dimensional analysis to chemical composition of products. Usually this task may be done through various nondestructive and destructive methods that ensure the integrity of the parts. The result generated by these modern inspection tools ends up not being able to geometrically define the real damage and, therefore, cannot be properly displayed on a computing environment screen. Virtual 3D visualization may help identify damage that would hardly be detected by any other methods. One may find some commercial softwares that seek to address the stages of a design and simulation of mechanical parts in order to predict possible damages trying to diminish potential undesirable events. However, the challenge of developing softwares capable of integrating the various design activities, product inspection, results of non-destructive testing as well as the simulation of damage still needs the attention of researchers. This was the motivation to conduct a methodological study for implementation of a versatile CAD/CAE computer kernel capable of helping programmers in developing softwares applied to the activities of design and simulation of mechanics parts under stress. In this research it is presented interesting results obtained from the use of the developed kernel showing that it was successfully applied to case studies of design including parts presenting specific geometries, namely: mechanical prostheses, heat exchangers and piping of oil and gas. Finally, the conclusions regarding the experience of merging CAD and CAE theories to develop the kernel, so as to result in a tool adaptable to various applications of the metalworking industry are presented

Detection of glucose and triglycerides using information visualization methods to process impedance spectroscopy data

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Toward the Optimization of an e-Tongue System Using Information Visualization: A Case Study with Perylene Tetracarboxylic Derivative Films in the Sensing Units

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Information Visualization to Enhance Sensitivity and Selectivity in Biosensing

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Infografia interativa na redação: o processo de produção no Diário do Nordeste à luz da teoria do jornalismo

The infographics historically experience the process of evolution of journalism, from the incipient models handmade in the eighteenth century to the inclusion of computers and sophisticated software today. In order to face the advent of TV against of the partiality readers of the printed newspaper, or to represent the Gulf War, where not allowed photography, infographics reaches modern levels of production and publication. The technical devices which enabled the infographics to evolve the environment of the internet, with conditions for the manipulation of the reader, incorporating video, audio and animations, so styling of interactive infographics. These digital models of information visualization recently arrived daily in the northeast and on their respective web sites with features regionalized. This paper therefore proposes to explore and describe the processes of producing the interactive infographics, taking the example of the Diário do Nordeste, Fortaleza, Ceará, whose department was created one year ago. Therefore, based on aspects that guide the theory of journalism, as newsmaking, filters that focus on productive routine (gatekeeping) and the construction stages of the news. This research also draws on the theoretical framework on the subject, in concepts essential characteristics of computer graphics, as well as the methodological procedures and systematic empirical observations in production routines of the newsroom who can testify limitations and / or advances