The International River Interface Cooperative: Public Domain Software for River Flow and Morphodynamics (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, J. M.; Shimizu, Y.; McDonald, R.; Takebayashi, H.

2009-12-01

The International River Interface Cooperative is an informal organization made up of academic faculty and government scientists with the goal of developing, distributing and providing education for a public-domain software interface for modeling river flow and morphodynamics. Formed in late 2007, the group released the first version of this interface (iRIC) in late 2009. iRIC includes models for two and three-dimensional flow, sediment transport, bed evolution, groundwater-surface water interaction, topographic data processing, and habitat assessment, as well as comprehensive data and model output visualization, mapping, and editing tools. All the tools in iRIC are specifically designed for use in river reaches and utilize common river data sets. The models are couched within a single graphical user interface so that a broad spectrum of models are available to users without learning new pre- and post-processing tools. The first version of iRIC was developed by combining the USGS public-domain Multi-Dimensional Surface Water Modeling System (MD_SWMS), developed at the USGS Geomorphology and Sediment Transport Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, with the public-domain river modeling code NAYS developed by the Universities of Hokkaido and Kyoto, Mizuho Corporation, and the Foundation of the River Disaster Prevention Research Institute in Sapporo, Japan. Since this initial effort, other Universities and Agencies have joined the group, and the interface has been expanded to allow users to integrate their own modeling code using Executable Markup Language (XML), which provides easy access and expandability to the iRIC software interface. In this presentation, the current components of iRIC are described and results from several practical modeling applications are presented to illustrate the capabilities and flexibility of the software. In addition, some future extensions to iRIC are demonstrated, including software for Lagrangian particle tracking and the prediction of bedform development and response to time-varying flows. Education and supporting documentation for iRIC, including detailed tutorials, are available at www.i-ric.org. The iRIC model codes, interface, and all supporting documentation are in the public domain.

User-Based Information Retrieval System Interface Evaluation: An Examination of an On-Line Public Access Catalog.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hert, Carol A.; Nilan, Michael S.

1991-01-01

Presents preliminary data that characterizes the relationship between what users say they are trying to accomplish when using an online public access catalog (OPAC) and their perceptions of what input to give the system. Human-machine interaction is discussed, and appropriate methods for evaluating information retrieval systems are considered. (18…

OPACs: The User and Subject Access.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carson, Elizabeth

1985-01-01

This survey of the literature reveals user and professional opinions of changes in subject access features available for online public access catalogs. Highlights include expanded access to fields already incorporated into traditional MARC record, access to context of the record, and design of the user interface. Twenty-four references are cited.…

The MedlinePlus public user interface: studies of design challenges and opportunities.

PubMed

Marill, Jennifer L; Miller, Naomi; Kitendaugh, Paula

2006-01-01

What are the challenges involved in designing, modifying, and improving a major health information portal that serves over sixty million page views a month? MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine's (NLM's) consumer health Website, is examined. Challenges are presented as six "studies," which describe selected design issues and how NLM staff resolved them. Improving MedlinePlus is an iterative process. Changes in the public user interface are ongoing, reflecting Web design trends, usability testing recommendations, user survey results, new technical requirements, and the need to grow the site in an orderly way. Testing and analysis should accompany Website design modifications. New technologies may enhance a site but also introduce problems. Further modifications to MedlinePlus will be informed by the experiences described here.

Public-domain-software solution to data-access problems for numerical modelers

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jenter, Harry; Signell, Richard

1992-01-01

Unidata's network Common Data Form, netCDF, provides users with an efficient set of software for scientific-data-storage, retrieval, and manipulation. The netCDF file format is machine-independent, direct-access, self-describing, and in the public domain, thereby alleviating many problems associated with accessing output from large hydrodynamic models. NetCDF has programming interfaces in both the Fortran and C computer language with an interface to C++ planned for release in the future. NetCDF also has an abstract data type that relieves users from understanding details of the binary file structure; data are written and retrieved by an intuitive, user-supplied name rather than by file position. Users are aided further by Unidata's inclusion of the Common Data Language, CDL, a printable text-equivalent of the contents of a netCDF file. Unidata provides numerous operators and utilities for processing netCDF files. In addition, a number of public-domain and proprietary netCDF utilities from other sources are available at this time or will be available later this year. The U.S. Geological Survey has produced and is producing a number of public-domain netCDF utilities.

Evolview v2: an online visualization and management tool for customized and annotated phylogenetic trees.

PubMed

He, Zilong; Zhang, Huangkai; Gao, Shenghan; Lercher, Martin J; Chen, Wei-Hua; Hu, Songnian

2016-07-08

Evolview is an online visualization and management tool for customized and annotated phylogenetic trees. It allows users to visualize phylogenetic trees in various formats, customize the trees through built-in functions and user-supplied datasets and export the customization results to publication-ready figures. Its 'dataset system' contains not only the data to be visualized on the tree, but also 'modifiers' that control various aspects of the graphical annotation. Evolview is a single-page application (like Gmail); its carefully designed interface allows users to upload, visualize, manipulate and manage trees and datasets all in a single webpage. Developments since the last public release include a modern dataset editor with keyword highlighting functionality, seven newly added types of annotation datasets, collaboration support that allows users to share their trees and datasets and various improvements of the web interface and performance. In addition, we included eleven new 'Demo' trees to demonstrate the basic functionalities of Evolview, and five new 'Showcase' trees inspired by publications to showcase the power of Evolview in producing publication-ready figures. Evolview is freely available at: http://www.evolgenius.info/evolview/. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

The international river interface cooperative: Public domain flow and morphodynamics software for education and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, Jonathan M.; Shimizu, Yasuyuki; Abe, Takaaki; Asahi, Kazutake; Gamou, Mineyuki; Inoue, Takuya; Iwasaki, Toshiki; Kakinuma, Takaharu; Kawamura, Satomi; Kimura, Ichiro; Kyuka, Tomoko; McDonald, Richard R.; Nabi, Mohamed; Nakatsugawa, Makoto; Simões, Francisco R.; Takebayashi, Hiroshi; Watanabe, Yasunori

2016-07-01

This paper describes a new, public-domain interface for modeling flow, sediment transport and morphodynamics in rivers and other geophysical flows. The interface is named after the International River Interface Cooperative (iRIC), the group that constructed the interface and many of the current solvers included in iRIC. The interface is entirely free to any user and currently houses thirteen models ranging from simple one-dimensional models through three-dimensional large-eddy simulation models. Solvers are only loosely coupled to the interface so it is straightforward to modify existing solvers or to introduce other solvers into the system. Six of the most widely-used solvers are described in detail including example calculations to serve as an aid for users choosing what approach might be most appropriate for their own applications. The example calculations range from practical computations of bed evolution in natural rivers to highly detailed predictions of the development of small-scale bedforms on an initially flat bed. The remaining solvers are also briefly described. Although the focus of most solvers is coupled flow and morphodynamics, several of the solvers are also specifically aimed at providing flood inundation predictions over large spatial domains. Potential users can download the application, solvers, manuals, and educational materials including detailed tutorials at www.-i-ric.org. The iRIC development group encourages scientists and engineers to use the tool and to consider adding their own methods to the iRIC suite of tools.

The international river interface cooperative: Public domain flow and morphodynamics software for education and applications

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nelson, Jonathan M.; Shimizu, Yasuyuki; Abe, Takaaki; Asahi, Kazutake; Gamou, Mineyuki; Inoue, Takuya; Iwasaki, Toshiki; Kakinuma, Takaharu; Kawamura, Satomi; Kimura, Ichiro; Kyuka, Tomoko; McDonald, Richard R.; Nabi, Mohamed; Nakatsugawa, Makoto; Simoes, Francisco J.; Takebayashi, Hiroshi; Watanabe, Yasunori

2016-01-01

This paper describes a new, public-domain interface for modeling flow, sediment transport and morphodynamics in rivers and other geophysical flows. The interface is named after the International River Interface Cooperative (iRIC), the group that constructed the interface and many of the current solvers included in iRIC. The interface is entirely free to any user and currently houses thirteen models ranging from simple one-dimensional models through three-dimensional large-eddy simulation models. Solvers are only loosely coupled to the interface so it is straightforward to modify existing solvers or to introduce other solvers into the system. Six of the most widely-used solvers are described in detail including example calculations to serve as an aid for users choosing what approach might be most appropriate for their own applications. The example calculations range from practical computations of bed evolution in natural rivers to highly detailed predictions of the development of small-scale bedforms on an initially flat bed. The remaining solvers are also briefly described. Although the focus of most solvers is coupled flow and morphodynamics, several of the solvers are also specifically aimed at providing flood inundation predictions over large spatial domains. Potential users can download the application, solvers, manuals, and educational materials including detailed tutorials at www.-i-ric.org. The iRIC development group encourages scientists and engineers to use the tool and to consider adding their own methods to the iRIC suite of tools.

Unified Framework for Development, Deployment and Robust Testing of Neuroimaging Algorithms

PubMed Central

Joshi, Alark; Scheinost, Dustin; Okuda, Hirohito; Belhachemi, Dominique; Murphy, Isabella; Staib, Lawrence H.; Papademetris, Xenophon

2011-01-01

Developing both graphical and command-line user interfaces for neuroimaging algorithms requires considerable effort. Neuroimaging algorithms can meet their potential only if they can be easily and frequently used by their intended users. Deployment of a large suite of such algorithms on multiple platforms requires consistency of user interface controls, consistent results across various platforms and thorough testing. We present the design and implementation of a novel object-oriented framework that allows for rapid development of complex image analysis algorithms with many reusable components and the ability to easily add graphical user interface controls. Our framework also allows for simplified yet robust nightly testing of the algorithms to ensure stability and cross platform interoperability. All of the functionality is encapsulated into a software object requiring no separate source code for user interfaces, testing or deployment. This formulation makes our framework ideal for developing novel, stable and easy-to-use algorithms for medical image analysis and computer assisted interventions. The framework has been both deployed at Yale and released for public use in the open source multi-platform image analysis software—BioImage Suite (bioimagesuite.org). PMID:21249532

bioWidgets: data interaction components for genomics.

PubMed

Fischer, S; Crabtree, J; Brunk, B; Gibson, M; Overton, G C

1999-10-01

The presentation of genomics data in a perspicuous visual format is critical for its rapid interpretation and validation. Relatively few public database developers have the resources to implement sophisticated front-end user interfaces themselves. Accordingly, these developers would benefit from a reusable toolkit of user interface and data visualization components. We have designed the bioWidget toolkit as a set of JavaBean components. It includes a wide array of user interface components and defines an architecture for assembling applications. The toolkit is founded on established software engineering design patterns and principles, including componentry, Model-View-Controller, factored models and schema neutrality. As a proof of concept, we have used the bioWidget toolkit to create three extendible applications: AnnotView, BlastView and AlignView.

Visualization techniques and graphical user interfaces in syndromic surveillance systems. Summary from the Disease Surveillance Workshop, Sept. 11-12, 2007; Bangkok, Thailand.

PubMed

Moore, Kieran M; Edge, Graham; Kurc, Andrew R

2008-11-14

Timeliness is a critical asset to the detection of public health threats when using syndromic surveillance systems. In order for epidemiologists to effectively distinguish which events are indicative of a true outbreak, the ability to utilize specific data streams from generalized data summaries is necessary. Taking advantage of graphical user interfaces and visualization capacities of current surveillance systems makes it easier for users to investigate detected anomalies by generating custom graphs, maps, plots, and temporal-spatial analysis of specific syndromes or data sources.

Visualization techniques and graphical user interfaces in syndromic surveillance systems. Summary from the Disease Surveillance Workshop, Sept. 11–12, 2007; Bangkok, Thailand

PubMed Central

Moore, Kieran M; Edge, Graham; Kurc, Andrew R

2008-01-01

Timeliness is a critical asset to the detection of public health threats when using syndromic surveillance systems. In order for epidemiologists to effectively distinguish which events are indicative of a true outbreak, the ability to utilize specific data streams from generalized data summaries is necessary. Taking advantage of graphical user interfaces and visualization capacities of current surveillance systems makes it easier for users to investigate detected anomalies by generating custom graphs, maps, plots, and temporal-spatial analysis of specific syndromes or data sources. PMID:19025683

How to Communicate with a Machine: On Reading a Public Library's OPAC

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saarti, Jarmo; Raivio, Jouko

2011-01-01

This article presents a reading of the user interface in one public library system. Its aim is to find out the frames and competences required and used in the communication between the computer and the patron. The authors see the computer as a text that is to be read by the user who wants to search for information from the library. The transition…

OpenSQUID: A Flexible Open-Source Software Framework for the Control of SQUID Electronics

DOE PAGES

Jaeckel, Felix T.; Lafler, Randy J.; Boyd, S. T. P.

2013-02-06

We report commercially available computer-controlled SQUID electronics are usually delivered with software providing a basic user interface for adjustment of SQUID tuning parameters, such as bias current, flux offset, and feedback loop settings. However, in a research context it would often be useful to be able to modify this code and/or to have full control over all these parameters from researcher-written software. In the case of the STAR Cryoelectronics PCI/PFL family of SQUID control electronics, the supplied software contains modules for automatic tuning and noise characterization, but does not provide an interface for user code. On the other hand, themore » Magnicon SQUIDViewer software package includes a public application programming interface (API), but lacks auto-tuning and noise characterization features. To overcome these and other limitations, we are developing an "open-source" framework for controlling SQUID electronics which should provide maximal interoperability with user software, a unified user interface for electronics from different manufacturers, and a flexible platform for the rapid development of customized SQUID auto-tuning and other advanced features. Finally, we have completed a first implementation for the STAR Cryoelectronics hardware and have made the source code for this ongoing project available to the research community on SourceForge (http://opensquid.sourceforge.net) under the GNU public license.« less

PATIKAweb: a Web interface for analyzing biological pathways through advanced querying and visualization.

PubMed

Dogrusoz, U; Erson, E Z; Giral, E; Demir, E; Babur, O; Cetintas, A; Colak, R

2006-02-01

Patikaweb provides a Web interface for retrieving and analyzing biological pathways in the Patika database, which contains data integrated from various prominent public pathway databases. It features a user-friendly interface, dynamic visualization and automated layout, advanced graph-theoretic queries for extracting biologically important phenomena, local persistence capability and exporting facilities to various pathway exchange formats.

Optimizing the NASA Technical Report Server

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, Michael L.; Maa, Ming-Hokng

1996-01-01

The NASA Technical Report Server (NTRS), a World Wide Web report distribution NASA technical publications service, is modified for performance enhancement, greater protocol support, and human interface optimization. Results include: Parallel database queries, significantly decreasing user access times by an average factor of 2.3; access from clients behind firewalls and/ or proxies which truncate excessively long Uniform Resource Locators (URLs); access to non-Wide Area Information Server (WAIS) databases and compatibility with the 239-50.3 protocol; and a streamlined user interface.

Kernel Ada Programming Support Environment (KAPSE) Interface Team. Volume I. Public Report.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-04-01

productivity. Unfortunately, * command procedures often are needed to insulate the users from a poorly engineered human interface. Bot ~h command...0-MMa CAf- ON OPERaTnS Figu; a~ 0AS.Hs SItraei nemerc ~ nertEvrnet 0 1.--x In the SofTech ALS the user comunicates with the KAPSE rather than with VMS...a close relationship requires the host vendor to disclose all of his plans to the APSE CCB and maintenance comunity . In the commercial world, secrecy

Make Movies out of Your Dynamical Simulations with OGRE!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamayo, Daniel; Douglas, R. W.; Ge, H. W.; Burns, J. A.

2013-10-01

We have developed OGRE, the Orbital GRaphics Environment, an open-source project comprising a graphical user interface that allows the user to view the output from several dynamical integrators (e.g., SWIFT) that are commonly used for academic work. One can interactively vary the display speed, rotate the view and zoom the camera. This makes OGRE a great tool for students or the general public to explore accurate orbital histories that may display interesting dynamical features, e.g. the destabilization of Solar System orbits under the Nice model, or interacting pairs of exoplanets. Furthermore, OGRE allows the user to choreograph sequences of transformations as the simulation is played to generate movies for use in public talks or professional presentations. The graphical user interface is coded using Qt to ensure portability across different operating systems. OGRE will run on Linux and Mac OS X. The program is available as a self-contained executable, or as source code that the user can compile. We are continually updating the code, and hope that people who find it useful will contribute to the development of new features.

Make Movies out of Your Dynamical Simulations with OGRE!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamayo, Daniel; Douglas, R. W.; Ge, H. W.; Burns, J. A.

2014-01-01

We have developed OGRE, the Orbital GRaphics Environment, an open-source project comprising a graphical user interface that allows the user to view the output from several dynamical integrators (e.g., SWIFT) that are commonly used for academic work. One can interactively vary the display speed, rotate the view and zoom the camera. This makes OGRE a great tool for students or the general public to explore accurate orbital histories that may display interesting dynamical features, e.g. the destabilization of Solar System orbits under the Nice model, or interacting pairs of exoplanets. Furthermore, OGRE allows the user to choreograph sequences of transformations as the simulation is played to generate movies for use in public talks or professional presentations. The graphical user interface is coded using Qt to ensure portability across different operating systems. OGRE will run on Linux and Mac OS X. The program is available as a self-contained executable, or as source code that the user can compile. We are continually updating the code, and hope that people who find it useful will contribute to the development of new features.

Research and development of web oriented remote sensing image publication system based on Servlet technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juanle, Wang; Shuang, Li; Yunqiang, Zhu

2005-10-01

According to the requirements of China National Scientific Data Sharing Program (NSDSP), the research and development of web oriented RS Image Publication System (RSIPS) is based on Java Servlet technique. The designing of RSIPS framework is composed of 3 tiers, which is Presentation Tier, Application Service Tier and Data Resource Tier. Presentation Tier provides user interface for data query, review and download. For the convenience of users, visual spatial query interface is included. Served as a middle tier, Application Service Tier controls all actions between users and databases. Data Resources Tier stores RS images in file and relationship databases. RSIPS is developed with cross platform programming based on Java Servlet tools, which is one of advanced techniques in J2EE architecture. RSIPS's prototype has been developed and applied in the geosciences clearinghouse practice which is among the experiment units of NSDSP in China.

A Search Engine Features Comparison.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vorndran, Gerald

Until recently, the World Wide Web (WWW) public access search engines have not included many of the advanced commands, options, and features commonly available with the for-profit online database user interfaces, such as DIALOG. This study evaluates the features and characteristics common to both types of search interfaces, examines the Web search…

TADPLOT program, version 2.0: User's guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hammond, Dana P.

1991-01-01

The TADPLOT Program, Version 2.0 is described. The TADPLOT program is a software package coordinated by a single, easy-to-use interface, enabling the researcher to access several standard file formats, selectively collect specific subsets of data, and create full-featured publication and viewgraph quality plots. The user-interface was designed to be independent from any file format, yet provide capabilities to accommodate highly specialized data queries. Integrated with an applications software network, data can be assessed, collected, and viewed quickly and easily. Since the commands are data independent, subsequent modifications to the file format will be transparent, while additional file formats can be integrated with minimal impact on the user-interface. The graphical capabilities are independent of the method of data collection; thus, the data specification and subsequent plotting can be modified and upgraded as separate functional components. The graphics kernel selected adheres to the full functional specifications of the CORE standard. Both interface and postprocessing capabilities are fully integrated into TADPLOT.

Open Astronomy Catalogs API

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guillochon, James; Cowperthwaite, Philip S.

2018-05-01

We announce the public release of the application program interface (API) for the Open Astronomy Catalogs (OACs), the OACAPI. The OACs serve near-complete collections of supernova, tidal disruption, kilonova, and fast stars data (including photometry, spectra, radio, and X-ray observations) via a user-friendly web interface that displays the data interactively and offers full data downloads. The OACAPI, by contrast, enables users to specifically download particular pieces of the OAC dataset via a flexible programmatic syntax, either via URL GET requests, or via a module within the astroquery Python package.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Damiani, D.; Dubrovin, M.; Gaponenko, I.

Psana(Photon Science Analysis) is a software package that is used to analyze data produced by the Linac Coherent Light Source X-ray free-electron laser at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The project began in 2011, is written primarily in C++ with some Python, and provides user interfaces in both C++ and Python. Most users use the Python interface. The same code can be run in real time while data are being taken as well as offline, executing on many nodes/cores using MPI for parallelization. It is publicly available and installable on the RHEL5/6/7 operating systems.

Secure Encapsulation and Publication of Biological Services in the Cloud Computing Environment

PubMed Central

Zhang, Weizhe; Wang, Xuehui; Lu, Bo; Kim, Tai-hoon

2013-01-01

Secure encapsulation and publication for bioinformatics software products based on web service are presented, and the basic function of biological information is realized in the cloud computing environment. In the encapsulation phase, the workflow and function of bioinformatics software are conducted, the encapsulation interfaces are designed, and the runtime interaction between users and computers is simulated. In the publication phase, the execution and management mechanisms and principles of the GRAM components are analyzed. The functions such as remote user job submission and job status query are implemented by using the GRAM components. The services of bioinformatics software are published to remote users. Finally the basic prototype system of the biological cloud is achieved. PMID:24078906

Secure encapsulation and publication of biological services in the cloud computing environment.

PubMed

Zhang, Weizhe; Wang, Xuehui; Lu, Bo; Kim, Tai-hoon

2013-01-01

Secure encapsulation and publication for bioinformatics software products based on web service are presented, and the basic function of biological information is realized in the cloud computing environment. In the encapsulation phase, the workflow and function of bioinformatics software are conducted, the encapsulation interfaces are designed, and the runtime interaction between users and computers is simulated. In the publication phase, the execution and management mechanisms and principles of the GRAM components are analyzed. The functions such as remote user job submission and job status query are implemented by using the GRAM components. The services of bioinformatics software are published to remote users. Finally the basic prototype system of the biological cloud is achieved.

Development of the FITS tools package for multiple software environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pence, W. D.; Blackburn, J. K.

1992-01-01

The HEASARC is developing a package of general purpose software for analyzing data files in FITS format. This paper describes the design philosophy which makes the software both machine-independent (it runs on VAXs, Suns, and DEC-stations) and software environment-independent. Currently the software can be compiled and linked to produce IRAF tasks, or alternatively, the same source code can be used to generate stand-alone tasks using one of two implementations of a user-parameter interface library. The machine independence of the software is achieved by writing the source code in ANSI standard Fortran or C, using the machine-independent FITSIO subroutine interface for all data file I/O, and using a standard user-parameter subroutine interface for all user I/O. The latter interface is based on the Fortran IRAF Parameter File interface developed at STScI. The IRAF tasks are built by linking to the IRAF implementation of this parameter interface library. Two other implementations of this parameter interface library, which have no IRAF dependencies, are now available which can be used to generate stand-alone executable tasks. These stand-alone tasks can simply be executed from the machine operating system prompt either by supplying all the task parameters on the command line or by entering the task name after which the user will be prompted for any required parameters. A first release of this FTOOLS package is now publicly available. The currently available tasks are described, along with instructions on how to obtain a copy of the software.

The Philosophy of User Interfaces in HELIO and the Importance of CASSIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonnin, X.; Aboudarham, J.; Renié, C.; Csillaghy, A.; Messerotti, M.; Bentley, R. D.

2012-09-01

HELIO is a European project funded under FP7 (Project No. 238969). One of its goals as a Heliospheric Virtual Observatory is to provide an easy access to many datasets scattered all over the world, in the fields of Solar physics, Heliophysics, and Planetary magnetospheres. The efficiency of such a tool is very much related to the quality of the user interface. HELIO infrastructure is based on a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), regrouping a network of standalone components, which allows four main types of interfaces: - HELIO Front End (HFE) is a browser-based user interface, which offers a centralized access to the HELIO main functionalities. Especially, it provides the possibility to reach data directly, or to refine selection by determination of observing characteristics, such as which instrument was observing at that time, which instrument was at this location, etc. - Many services/components provide their own standalone graphical user interface. While one can directly access individually each of these interfaces, they can also be connected together. - Most services also provide direct access for any tools through a public interface. A small java library, called Java API, simplifies this access by providing client stubs for services and shields the user from security, discovery and failover issues. - Workflows capabilities are available in HELIO, allowing complex combination of queries over several services. We want the user to be able to navigate easily, at his needs, through the various interfaces, and possibly use a specific one in order to make much-dedicated queries. We will also emphasize the importance of the CASSIS project (Coordination Action for the integration of Solar System Infrastructure and Science) in encouraging the interoperability necessary to undertake scientific studies that span disciplinary boundaries. If related projects follow the guidelines being developed by CASSIS then using external resources with HELIO will be greatly simplified.

75 FR 25853 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-10

....gov , to submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the docket, and...:8080/glas/login.htm . The Web-site will contain a user-friendly data entry interface for recipients to... series of screens containing pull-down menus and text boxes, where users can enter project specific...

Interface for the documentation and compilation of a library of computer models in physiology.

PubMed Central

Summers, R. L.; Montani, J. P.

1994-01-01

A software interface for the documentation and compilation of a library of computer models in physiology was developed. The interface is an interactive program built within a word processing template in order to provide ease and flexibility of documentation. A model editor within the interface directs the model builder as to standardized requirements for incorporating models into the library and provides the user with an index to the levels of documentation. The interface and accompanying library are intended to facilitate model development, preservation and distribution and will be available for public use. PMID:7950046

PipeCraft: Flexible open-source toolkit for bioinformatics analysis of custom high-throughput amplicon sequencing data.

PubMed

Anslan, Sten; Bahram, Mohammad; Hiiesalu, Indrek; Tedersoo, Leho

2017-11-01

High-throughput sequencing methods have become a routine analysis tool in environmental sciences as well as in public and private sector. These methods provide vast amount of data, which need to be analysed in several steps. Although the bioinformatics may be applied using several public tools, many analytical pipelines allow too few options for the optimal analysis for more complicated or customized designs. Here, we introduce PipeCraft, a flexible and handy bioinformatics pipeline with a user-friendly graphical interface that links several public tools for analysing amplicon sequencing data. Users are able to customize the pipeline by selecting the most suitable tools and options to process raw sequences from Illumina, Pacific Biosciences, Ion Torrent and Roche 454 sequencing platforms. We described the design and options of PipeCraft and evaluated its performance by analysing the data sets from three different sequencing platforms. We demonstrated that PipeCraft is able to process large data sets within 24 hr. The graphical user interface and the automated links between various bioinformatics tools enable easy customization of the workflow. All analytical steps and options are recorded in log files and are easily traceable. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

WASP: a Web-based Allele-Specific PCR assay designing tool for detecting SNPs and mutations

PubMed Central

Wangkumhang, Pongsakorn; Chaichoompu, Kridsadakorn; Ngamphiw, Chumpol; Ruangrit, Uttapong; Chanprasert, Juntima; Assawamakin, Anunchai; Tongsima, Sissades

2007-01-01

Background Allele-specific (AS) Polymerase Chain Reaction is a convenient and inexpensive method for genotyping Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and mutations. It is applied in many recent studies including population genetics, molecular genetics and pharmacogenomics. Using known AS primer design tools to create primers leads to cumbersome process to inexperience users since information about SNP/mutation must be acquired from public databases prior to the design. Furthermore, most of these tools do not offer the mismatch enhancement to designed primers. The available web applications do not provide user-friendly graphical input interface and intuitive visualization of their primer results. Results This work presents a web-based AS primer design application called WASP. This tool can efficiently design AS primers for human SNPs as well as mutations. To assist scientists with collecting necessary information about target polymorphisms, this tool provides a local SNP database containing over 10 million SNPs of various populations from public domain databases, namely NCBI dbSNP, HapMap and JSNP respectively. This database is tightly integrated with the tool so that users can perform the design for existing SNPs without going off the site. To guarantee specificity of AS primers, the proposed system incorporates a primer specificity enhancement technique widely used in experiment protocol. In particular, WASP makes use of different destabilizing effects by introducing one deliberate 'mismatch' at the penultimate (second to last of the 3'-end) base of AS primers to improve the resulting AS primers. Furthermore, WASP offers graphical user interface through scalable vector graphic (SVG) draw that allow users to select SNPs and graphically visualize designed primers and their conditions. Conclusion WASP offers a tool for designing AS primers for both SNPs and mutations. By integrating the database for known SNPs (using gene ID or rs number), this tool facilitates the awkward process of getting flanking sequences and other related information from public SNP databases. It takes into account the underlying destabilizing effect to ensure the effectiveness of designed primers. With user-friendly SVG interface, WASP intuitively presents resulting designed primers, which assist users to export or to make further adjustment to the design. This software can be freely accessed at . PMID:17697334

First Prototype of a Web Map Interface for ESA's Planetary Science Archive (PSA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manaud, N.; Gonzalez, J.

2014-04-01

We present a first prototype of a Web Map Interface that will serve as a proof of concept and design for ESA's future fully web-based Planetary Science Archive (PSA) User Interface. The PSA is ESA's planetary science archiving authority and central repository for all scientific and engineering data returned by ESA's Solar System missions [1]. All data are compliant with NASA's Planetary Data System (PDS) Standards and are accessible through several interfaces [2]: in addition to serving all public data via FTP and the Planetary Data Access Protocol (PDAP), a Java-based User Interface provides advanced search, preview, download, notification and delivery-basket functionality. It allows the user to query and visualise instrument observations footprints using a map-based interface (currently only available for Mars Express HRSC and OMEGA instruments). During the last decade, the planetary mapping science community has increasingly been adopting Geographic Information System (GIS) tools and standards, originally developed for and used in Earth science. There is an ongoing effort to produce and share cartographic products through Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Services, or as standalone data sets, so that they can be readily used in existing GIS applications [3,4,5]. Previous studies conducted at ESAC [6,7] have helped identify the needs of Planetary GIS users, and define key areas of improvement for the future Web PSA User Interface. Its web map interface shall will provide access to the full geospatial content of the PSA, including (1) observation geometry footprints of all remote sensing instruments, and (2) all georeferenced cartographic products, such as HRSC map-projected data or OMEGA global maps from Mars Express. It shall aim to provide a rich user experience for search and visualisation of this content using modern and interactive web mapping technology. A comprehensive set of built-in context maps from external sources, such as MOLA topography, TES infrared maps or planetary surface nomenclature, provided in both simple cylindrical and polar stereographic projections, shall enhance this user experience. In addition, users should be able to import and export data in commonly used open- GIS formats. It is also intended to serve all PSA geospatial data through OGC-compliant Web Services so that they can be captured, visualised and analysed directly from GIS software, along with data from other sources. The following figure illustrates how the PSA web map interface and services shall fit in a typical Planetary GIS user working environment.

How to Display Hazards and other Scientific Data Using Google Maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venezky, D. Y.; Fee, J. M.

2007-12-01

The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Volcano Hazard Program (VHP) is launching a map-based interface to display hazards information using the Google® Map API (Application Program Interface). Map-based interfaces provide a synoptic view of data, making patterns easier to detect and allowing users to quickly ascertain where hazards are in relation to major population and infrastructure centers. Several map-based interfaces are now simple to run on a web server, providing ideal platforms for sharing information with colleagues, emergency managers, and the public. There are three main steps to making data accessible on a map-based interface; formatting the input data, plotting the data on the map, and customizing the user interface. The presentation, "Creating Geospatial RSS and ATOM feeds for Map-based Interfaces" (Fee and Venezky, this session), reviews key features for map input data. Join us for this presentation on how to plot data in a geographic context and then format the display with images, custom markers, and links to external data. Examples will show how the VHP Volcano Status Map was created and how to plot a field trip with driving directions.

The Ocean Observatories Initiative: Data Access and Visualization via the Graphical User Interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garzio, L. M.; Belabbassi, L.; Knuth, F.; Smith, M. J.; Crowley, M. F.; Vardaro, M.; Kerfoot, J.

2016-02-01

The Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), funded by the National Science Foundation, is a broad-scale, multidisciplinary effort to transform oceanographic research by providing users with real-time access to long-term datasets from a variety of deployed physical, chemical, biological, and geological sensors. The global array component of the OOI includes four high latitude sites: Irminger Sea off Greenland, Station Papa in the Gulf of Alaska, Argentine Basin off the coast of Argentina, and Southern Ocean near coordinates 55°S and 90°W. Each site is composed of fixed moorings, hybrid profiler moorings and mobile assets, with a total of approximately 110 instruments at each site. Near real-time (telemetered) and recovered data from these instruments can be visualized and downloaded via the OOI Graphical User Interface. In this Interface, the user can visualize scientific parameters via six different plotting functions with options to specify time ranges and apply various QA/QC tests. Data streams from all instruments can also be downloaded in different formats (CSV, JSON, and NetCDF) for further data processing, visualization, and comparison to supplementary datasets. In addition, users can view alerts and alarms in the system, access relevant metadata and deployment information for specific instruments, and find infrastructure specifics for each array including location, sampling strategies, deployment schedules, and technical drawings. These datasets from the OOI provide an unprecedented opportunity to transform oceanographic research and education, and will be readily accessible to the general public via the OOI's Graphical User Interface.

The APA Style Converter: a Web-based interface for converting articles to APA style for publication.

PubMed

Li, Ping; Cunningham, Krystal

2005-05-01

The APA Style Converter is a Web-based tool with which authors may prepare their articles in APA style according to the APA Publication Manual (5th ed.). The Converter provides a user-friendly interface that allows authors to copy and paste text and upload figures through the Web, and it automatically converts all texts, references, and figures to a structured article in APA style. The output is saved in PDF or RTF format, ready for either electronic submission or hardcopy printing.

Graphical user interface for accessing water-quality data for the Devils Lake basin, North Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ryberg, Karen R.; Damschen, William C.; Vecchia, Aldo V.

2005-01-01

Maintaining the quality of surface waters in the Devils Lake Basin in North Dakota is important for protecting the agricultural resources, fisheries, waterfowl and wildlife habitat, and recreational value of the basin. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with local, State, and Federal agencies, has collected and analyzed water-quality samples from streams and lakes in the basin since 1957, and the North Dakota Department of Health has collected and analyzed water-quality samples from lakes in the basin since 2001. Because water-quality data for the basin are important for numerous reasons, a graphical user interface was developed to access, view, and download the historical data for the basin. The interface is a web-based application that is available to the public and includes data through water year 2003. The interface will be updated periodically to include data for subsequent years.

ALIA 2000. Capitalising on Knowledge: The Information Profession in the 21st Century (Canberra, Australia, October 23-26, 2000).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Australian Library and Information Association, Deakin.

This proceeding of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) 2000 conference contains 64 papers presented at the main conference and 12 papers presented at the fringe conference. Topics covered include: the 21st century information environment; user perspectives of the future of the Internet; the user interface; public libraries in…

User's Manual for the Object User Interface (OUI): An Environmental Resource Modeling Framework

USGS Publications Warehouse

Markstrom, Steven L.; Koczot, Kathryn M.

2008-01-01

The Object User Interface is a computer application that provides a framework for coupling environmental-resource models and for managing associated temporal and spatial data. The Object User Interface is designed to be easily extensible to incorporate models and data interfaces defined by the user. Additionally, the Object User Interface is highly configurable through the use of a user-modifiable, text-based control file that is written in the eXtensible Markup Language. The Object User Interface user's manual provides (1) installation instructions, (2) an overview of the graphical user interface, (3) a description of the software tools, (4) a project example, and (5) specifications for user configuration and extension.

HST archive primer, version 4.1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fruchter, A. (Editor); Baum, S. (Editor)

1994-01-01

This version of the HST Archive Primer provides the basic information a user needs to know to access the HST archive via StarView the new user interface to the archive. Using StarView, users can search for observations interest, find calibration reference files, and retrieve data from the archive. Both the terminal version of StarView and the X-windows version feature a name resolver which simplifies searches of the HST archive based on target name. In addition, the X-windows version of StarView allows preview of all public HST data; compressed versions of public images are displayed via SAOIMAGE, while spectra are plotted using the public plotting package, XMGR. Finally, the version of StarView described here features screens designed for observers preparing Cycle 5 HST proposals.

Website Designs for Communicating About Chemicals in Cigarette Smoke.

PubMed

Lazard, Allison J; Byron, M Justin; Vu, Huyen; Peters, Ellen; Schmidt, Annie; Brewer, Noel T

2017-12-13

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act requires the US government to inform the public about the quantities of toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke. A website can accomplish this task efficiently, but the site's user interface must be usable to benefit the general public. We conducted online experiments with national convenience samples of 1,451 US adult smokers and nonsmokers to examine the impact of four interface display elements: the chemicals, their associated health effects, quantity information, and a visual risk indicator. Outcomes were perceptions of user experience (perceived clarity and usability), motivation (willingness to use), and potential impact (elaboration about the harms of smoking). We found displaying health effects as text with icons, providing quantity information for chemicals (e.g., ranges), and showing a visual risk indicator all improved the user experience of a webpage about chemicals in cigarette smoke (all p < .05). Displaying a combination of familiar and unfamiliar chemicals, providing quantity information for chemicals, and showing a visual risk indicator all improved motivation to use the webpage (all p < .05). Displaying health effects or quantity information increased the potential impact of the webpage (all p < .05). Overall, interface designs displaying health effects of chemicals in cigarette smoke as text with icons and with a visual risk indicator had the greatest impact on the user experience, motivation, and potential impact of the website. Our findings provide guidance for accessible website designs that can inform consumers about the toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke.

User clustering in smartphone applications.

PubMed

Schaefers, Klaus; Ribeiro, David

2012-01-01

In the context of mobile health applications usability is a crucial factor to achieve user acceptance. The successful user interface (UI) design requires a deep understanding of the needs and requirements of the targeted audience. This paper explores the application of the K-Means algorithm on smartphone usage data in order to offer Human Computer Interaction (HCI) specialists a better insight into their user group. Two different feature space representations are introduced and used to identify persona like stereotypes in a real world data set, which was obtained from a public available smartphone application.

Is There a Chance for a Standardised User Interface?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fletcher, Liz

1993-01-01

Issues concerning the implementation of standard user interfaces for CD-ROMs are discussed, including differing perceptions of the ideal interface, graphical user interfaces, user needs, and the standard protocols. It is suggested users should be able to select from a variety of user interfaces on each CD-ROM. (EA)

Development of a User Interface for a Regression Analysis Software Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ulbrich, Norbert Manfred; Volden, Thomas R.

2010-01-01

An easy-to -use user interface was implemented in a highly automated regression analysis tool. The user interface was developed from the start to run on computers that use the Windows, Macintosh, Linux, or UNIX operating system. Many user interface features were specifically designed such that a novice or inexperienced user can apply the regression analysis tool with confidence. Therefore, the user interface s design minimizes interactive input from the user. In addition, reasonable default combinations are assigned to those analysis settings that influence the outcome of the regression analysis. These default combinations will lead to a successful regression analysis result for most experimental data sets. The user interface comes in two versions. The text user interface version is used for the ongoing development of the regression analysis tool. The official release of the regression analysis tool, on the other hand, has a graphical user interface that is more efficient to use. This graphical user interface displays all input file names, output file names, and analysis settings for a specific software application mode on a single screen which makes it easier to generate reliable analysis results and to perform input parameter studies. An object-oriented approach was used for the development of the graphical user interface. This choice keeps future software maintenance costs to a reasonable limit. Examples of both the text user interface and graphical user interface are discussed in order to illustrate the user interface s overall design approach.

Comparing Text-based and Graphic User Interfaces for Novice and Expert Users

PubMed Central

Chen, Jung-Wei; Zhang, Jiajie

2007-01-01

Graphic User Interface (GUI) is commonly considered to be superior to Text-based User Interface (TUI). This study compares GUI and TUI in an electronic dental record system. Several usability analysis techniques compared the relative effectiveness of a GUI and a TUI. Expert users and novice users were evaluated in time required and steps needed to complete the task. A within-subject design was used to evaluate if the experience with either interface will affect task performance. The results show that the GUI interface was not better than the TUI for expert users. GUI interface was better for novice users. For novice users there was a learning transfer effect from TUI to GUI. This means a user interface is user-friendly or not depending on the mapping between the user interface and tasks. GUI by itself may or may not be better than TUI. PMID:18693811

Comparing Text-based and Graphic User Interfaces for novice and expert users.

PubMed

Chen, Jung-Wei; Zhang, Jiajie

2007-10-11

Graphic User Interface (GUI) is commonly considered to be superior to Text-based User Interface (TUI). This study compares GUI and TUI in an electronic dental record system. Several usability analysis techniques compared the relative effectiveness of a GUI and a TUI. Expert users and novice users were evaluated in time required and steps needed to complete the task. A within-subject design was used to evaluate if the experience with either interface will affect task performance. The results show that the GUI interface was not better than the TUI for expert users. GUI interface was better for novice users. For novice users there was a learning transfer effect from TUI to GUI. This means a user interface is user-friendly or not depending on the mapping between the user interface and tasks. GUI by itself may or may not be better than TUI.

TabSQL: a MySQL tool to facilitate mapping user data to public databases.

PubMed

Xia, Xiao-Qin; McClelland, Michael; Wang, Yipeng

2010-06-23

With advances in high-throughput genomics and proteomics, it is challenging for biologists to deal with large data files and to map their data to annotations in public databases. We developed TabSQL, a MySQL-based application tool, for viewing, filtering and querying data files with large numbers of rows. TabSQL provides functions for downloading and installing table files from public databases including the Gene Ontology database (GO), the Ensembl databases, and genome databases from the UCSC genome bioinformatics site. Any other database that provides tab-delimited flat files can also be imported. The downloaded gene annotation tables can be queried together with users' data in TabSQL using either a graphic interface or command line. TabSQL allows queries across the user's data and public databases without programming. It is a convenient tool for biologists to annotate and enrich their data.

TabSQL: a MySQL tool to facilitate mapping user data to public databases

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background With advances in high-throughput genomics and proteomics, it is challenging for biologists to deal with large data files and to map their data to annotations in public databases. Results We developed TabSQL, a MySQL-based application tool, for viewing, filtering and querying data files with large numbers of rows. TabSQL provides functions for downloading and installing table files from public databases including the Gene Ontology database (GO), the Ensembl databases, and genome databases from the UCSC genome bioinformatics site. Any other database that provides tab-delimited flat files can also be imported. The downloaded gene annotation tables can be queried together with users' data in TabSQL using either a graphic interface or command line. Conclusions TabSQL allows queries across the user's data and public databases without programming. It is a convenient tool for biologists to annotate and enrich their data. PMID:20573251

Quantifying medical student clinical experiences via an ICD Code Logging App.

PubMed

Rawlins, Fred; Sumpter, Cameron; Sutphin, Dean; Garner, Harold R

2018-03-01

The logging of ICD Diagnostic, Procedure and Drug codes is one means of tracking the experience of medical students' clinical rotations. The goal is to create a web-based computer and mobile application to track the progress of trainees, monitor the effectiveness of their training locations and be a means of sampling public health status. We have developed a web-based app in which medical trainees make entries via a simple and quick interface optimized for both mobile devices and personal computers. For each patient interaction, users enter ICD diagnostic, procedure, and drug codes via a hierarchical or search entry interface, as well as patient demographics (age range and gender, but no personal identifiers), and free-text notes. Users and administrators can review and edit input via a series of output interfaces. The user interface and back-end database are provided via dual redundant failover Linux servers. Students master the interface in ten minutes, and thereafter complete entries in less than one minute. Five hundred-forty 3rd year VCOM students each averaged 100 entries in the first four week clinical rotation. Data accumulated in various Appalachian clinics and Central American medical mission trips has demonstrated the public health surveillance utility of the application. PC and mobile apps can be used to collect medical trainee experience in real time or near real-time, quickly, and efficiently. This system has collected 75,596 entries to date, less than 2% of trainees have needed assistance to become proficient, and medical school administrators are using the various summaries to evaluate students and compare different rotation sites. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Human factors in technology replacement: a case study in interface design for a public transport monitoring system.

PubMed

Harper, J G; Fuller, R; Sweeney, D; Waldmann, T

1998-04-01

This paper describes ergonomic issues raised during a project to provide a replacement real-time bus route control system to a large public transport company. Task and system analyses highlighted several deficiencies in the original system architecture, the human-machine interfaces and the general approach to system management. The eventual live prototype replaced the existing original system for a trial evaluation period of several weeks. During this period a number of studies was conducted with the system users in order to measure any improvements the new system, with its ergonomic features, produced over the old. Importantly, the results confirmed that (a) general responsiveness and service quality were improved, and (b) users were more comfortable with the new design. We conclude with a number of caveats which we believe will be useful to any group addressing technology impact in a large organisation.

Designing Public Library Websites for Teens: A Conceptual Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naughton, Robin Amanda

2012-01-01

The main goal of this research study was to develop a conceptual model for the design of public library websites for teens (TLWs) that would enable designers and librarians to create library websites that better suit teens' information needs and practices. It bridges a gap in the research literature between user interface design in human-computer…

Participatory interaction design in user requirements specification in healthcare.

PubMed

Martikainen, Susanna; Ikävalko, Pauliina; Korpela, Mikko

2010-01-01

Healthcare information systems are accused of poor usability even in the popular media in Finland. Doctors especially have been very critical and actively expressed their opinions in public. User involvement and user-centered design methods are seen as the key solution to usability problems. In this paper we describe a research case where participatory methods were experimented within healthcare information systems development in medicinal care in a hospital. The study was part of a larger research project on Activity-driven Information Systems Development in healthcare. The study started by finding out about and modeling the present state of medicinal care in the hospital. After that it was important to define and model the goal state. The goal state, facilitated by the would-be software package, was modeled with the help of user interface drawings as one way of prototyping. Traditional usability methods were extended during the study. According to the health professionals' feedback, the use of participatory and user-centered interaction design methods, particularly user interface drawings enabled them to describe their requirements and create common understanding with the system developers.

User interface for a tele-operated robotic hand system

DOEpatents

Crawford, Anthony L

2015-03-24

Disclosed here is a user interface for a robotic hand. The user interface anchors a user's palm in a relatively stationary position and determines various angles of interest necessary for a user's finger to achieve a specific fingertip location. The user interface additionally conducts a calibration procedure to determine the user's applicable physiological dimensions. The user interface uses the applicable physiological dimensions and the specific fingertip location, and treats the user's finger as a two link three degree-of-freedom serial linkage in order to determine the angles of interest. The user interface communicates the angles of interest to a gripping-type end effector which closely mimics the range of motion and proportions of a human hand. The user interface requires minimal contact with the operator and provides distinct advantages in terms of available dexterity, work space flexibility, and adaptability to different users.

Sally Ride EarthKAM - Automated Image Geo-Referencing Using Google Earth Web Plug-In

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Andres, Paul M.; Lazar, Dennis K.; Thames, Robert Q.

2013-01-01

Sally Ride EarthKAM is an educational program funded by NASA that aims to provide the public the ability to picture Earth from the perspective of the International Space Station (ISS). A computer-controlled camera is mounted on the ISS in a nadir-pointing window; however, timing limitations in the system cause inaccurate positional metadata. Manually correcting images within an orbit allows the positional metadata to be improved using mathematical regressions. The manual correction process is time-consuming and thus, unfeasible for a large number of images. The standard Google Earth program allows for the importing of KML (keyhole markup language) files that previously were created. These KML file-based overlays could then be manually manipulated as image overlays, saved, and then uploaded to the project server where they are parsed and the metadata in the database is updated. The new interface eliminates the need to save, download, open, re-save, and upload the KML files. Everything is processed on the Web, and all manipulations go directly into the database. Administrators also have the control to discard any single correction that was made and validate a correction. This program streamlines a process that previously required several critical steps and was probably too complex for the average user to complete successfully. The new process is theoretically simple enough for members of the public to make use of and contribute to the success of the Sally Ride EarthKAM project. Using the Google Earth Web plug-in, EarthKAM images, and associated metadata, this software allows users to interactively manipulate an EarthKAM image overlay, and update and improve the associated metadata. The Web interface uses the Google Earth JavaScript API along with PHP-PostgreSQL to present the user the same interface capabilities without leaving the Web. The simpler graphical user interface will allow the public to participate directly and meaningfully with EarthKAM. The use of similar techniques is being investigated to place ground-based observations in a Google Mars environment, allowing the MSL (Mars Science Laboratory) Science Team a means to visualize the rover and its environment.

Development of an Integrated Package of Physics Models for Scene Simulation Studies to Support Smart Weapons Design Studies

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-03-17

No. 1 Approved for Public Release; Distribution Unlimited PHILLIPS LABORATORY AIR FORCE SYSTEMS COMMAND HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, MASSACHUSETTS 01731...the SWOE thermal models and the design of a new Command Interface System and User Interface System . 14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF PAGES 116 BTI/SWOE...to the 3-D Tree Model 24 4.2.1 Operation Via the SWOE Command Interface System 26 4.2.2 Addition of Radiation Exchange to the Environment 26 4.2.3

Development and implementation of (Q)SAR modeling within the CHARMMing web-user interface.

PubMed

Weidlich, Iwona E; Pevzner, Yuri; Miller, Benjamin T; Filippov, Igor V; Woodcock, H Lee; Brooks, Bernard R

2015-01-05

Recent availability of large publicly accessible databases of chemical compounds and their biological activities (PubChem, ChEMBL) has inspired us to develop a web-based tool for structure activity relationship and quantitative structure activity relationship modeling to add to the services provided by CHARMMing (www.charmming.org). This new module implements some of the most recent advances in modern machine learning algorithms-Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, Stochastic Gradient Descent, Gradient Tree Boosting, so forth. A user can import training data from Pubchem Bioassay data collections directly from our interface or upload his or her own SD files which contain structures and activity information to create new models (either categorical or numerical). A user can then track the model generation process and run models on new data to predict activity. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

ESA's Food Security Thematic Exploitation Platform "Supporting Sustainable Food Production from Space"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilliams, S. J.

2017-12-01

In line with the paradigm shift in Earth Observation of "Bringing the users to the data", ESA provides collaborative, virtual work environments giving access to EO data and tools, processors, and ICT resources through coherent interfaces. These coherent interfaces are categorized thematically, tailored to the related user communities and named Thematic Exploitation Platforms (TEP). The Food Security Thematic Exploitation Platform (FS-TEP) is the youngest out of seven TEPs and is developed in an agile mode in close coordination with its users. It will provide a "one stop platform" for the extraction of information from EO data for services in the food security sector mainly in Europe & Africa, allowing both access to EO data and processing of these data sets. Thereby it will foster smart, data-intensive agricultural and aquacultural applications in the scientific, private and public domain. The FS-TEP builds on a large and heterogeneous user community, spanning from application developers in agriculture to aquaculture, from small-scale farmers to agricultural industry, from public science to the finance and insurance sectors, from local and national administration to international agencies. To meet the requirements of these groups, the FS-TEP will provide different frontend interfaces. Service pilots will demonstrate the platform's ability to support agriculture and aquaculture with tailored EO based information services.The project team developing the FS-TEP and implementing pilot services during a 30 months period (started in April 2017) is led by Vista GmbH, Germany, supported by CGI Italy, VITO, Belgium, and Hatfield Consultants, Canada. It is funded by ESA under contract number 4000120074/17/I-EF.

Recommendations for a service framework to access astronomical archives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Travisano, J. J.; Pollizzi, J.

1992-01-01

There are a large number of astronomical archives and catalogs on-line for network access, with many different user interfaces and features. Some systems are moving towards distributed access, supplying users with client software for their home sites which connects to servers at the archive site. Many of the issues involved in defining a standard framework of services that archive/catalog suppliers can use to achieve a basic level of interoperability are described. Such a framework would simplify the development of client and server programs to access the wide variety of astronomical archive systems. The primary services that are supplied by current systems include: catalog browsing, dataset retrieval, name resolution, and data analysis. The following issues (and probably more) need to be considered in establishing a standard set of client/server interfaces and protocols: Archive Access - dataset retrieval, delivery, file formats, data browsing, analysis, etc.; Catalog Access - database management systems, query languages, data formats, synchronous/asynchronous mode of operation, etc.; Interoperability - transaction/message protocols, distributed processing mechanisms (DCE, ONC/SunRPC, etc), networking protocols, etc.; Security - user registration, authorization/authentication mechanisms, etc.; Service Directory - service registration, lookup, port/task mapping, parameters, etc.; Software - public vs proprietary, client/server software, standard interfaces to client/server functions, software distribution, operating system portability, data portability, etc. Several archive/catalog groups, notably the Astrophysics Data System (ADS), are already working in many of these areas. In the process of developing StarView, which is the user interface to the Space Telescope Data Archive and Distribution Service (ST-DADS), these issues and the work of others were analyzed. A framework of standard interfaces for accessing services on any archive system which would benefit archive user and supplier alike is proposed.

The Galaxy platform for accessible, reproducible and collaborative biomedical analyses: 2018 update.

PubMed

Afgan, Enis; Baker, Dannon; Batut, Bérénice; van den Beek, Marius; Bouvier, Dave; Cech, Martin; Chilton, John; Clements, Dave; Coraor, Nate; Grüning, Björn A; Guerler, Aysam; Hillman-Jackson, Jennifer; Hiltemann, Saskia; Jalili, Vahid; Rasche, Helena; Soranzo, Nicola; Goecks, Jeremy; Taylor, James; Nekrutenko, Anton; Blankenberg, Daniel

2018-05-22

Galaxy (homepage: https://galaxyproject.org, main public server: https://usegalaxy.org) is a web-based scientific analysis platform used by tens of thousands of scientists across the world to analyze large biomedical datasets such as those found in genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and imaging. Started in 2005, Galaxy continues to focus on three key challenges of data-driven biomedical science: making analyses accessible to all researchers, ensuring analyses are completely reproducible, and making it simple to communicate analyses so that they can be reused and extended. During the last two years, the Galaxy team and the open-source community around Galaxy have made substantial improvements to Galaxy's core framework, user interface, tools, and training materials. Framework and user interface improvements now enable Galaxy to be used for analyzing tens of thousands of datasets, and >5500 tools are now available from the Galaxy ToolShed. The Galaxy community has led an effort to create numerous high-quality tutorials focused on common types of genomic analyses. The Galaxy developer and user communities continue to grow and be integral to Galaxy's development. The number of Galaxy public servers, developers contributing to the Galaxy framework and its tools, and users of the main Galaxy server have all increased substantially.

ESAP plus: a web-based server for EST-SSR marker development.

PubMed

Ponyared, Piyarat; Ponsawat, Jiradej; Tongsima, Sissades; Seresangtakul, Pusadee; Akkasaeng, Chutipong; Tantisuwichwong, Nathpapat

2016-12-22

Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) have become widely used as molecular markers in plant genetic studies due to their abundance, high allelic variation at each locus and simplicity to analyze using conventional PCR amplification. To study plants with unknown genome sequence, SSR markers from Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs), which can be obtained from the plant mRNA (converted to cDNA), must be utilized. With the advent of high-throughput sequencing technology, huge EST sequence data have been generated and are now accessible from many public databases. However, SSR marker identification from a large in-house or public EST collection requires a computational pipeline that makes use of several standard bioinformatic tools to design high quality EST-SSR primers. Some of these computational tools are not users friendly and must be tightly integrated with reference genomic databases. A web-based bioinformatic pipeline, called EST Analysis Pipeline Plus (ESAP Plus), was constructed for assisting researchers to develop SSR markers from a large EST collection. ESAP Plus incorporates several bioinformatic scripts and some useful standard software tools necessary for the four main procedures of EST-SSR marker development, namely 1) pre-processing, 2) clustering and assembly, 3) SSR mining and 4) SSR primer design. The proposed pipeline also provides two alternative steps for reducing EST redundancy and identifying SSR loci. Using public sugarcane ESTs, ESAP Plus automatically executed the aforementioned computational pipeline via a simple web user interface, which was implemented using standard PHP, HTML, CSS and Java scripts. With ESAP Plus, users can upload raw EST data and choose various filtering options and parameters to analyze each of the four main procedures through this web interface. All input EST data and their predicted SSR results will be stored in the ESAP Plus MySQL database. Users will be notified via e-mail when the automatic process is completed and they can download all the results through the web interface. ESAP Plus is a comprehensive and convenient web-based bioinformatic tool for SSR marker development. ESAP Plus offers all necessary EST-SSR development processes with various adjustable options that users can easily use to identify SSR markers from a large EST collection. With familiar web interface, users can upload the raw EST using the data submission page and visualize/download the corresponding EST-SSR information from within ESAP Plus. ESAP Plus can handle considerably large EST datasets. This EST-SSR discovery tool can be accessed directly from: http://gbp.kku.ac.th/esap_plus/ .

Improving brain computer interface research through user involvement - The transformative potential of integrating civil society organisations in research projects

PubMed Central

Wakunuma, Kutoma; Rainey, Stephen; Hansen, Christian

2017-01-01

Research on Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) often aims to provide solutions for vulnerable populations, such as individuals with diseases, conditions or disabilities that keep them from using traditional interfaces. Such research thereby contributes to the public good. This contribution to the public good corresponds to a broader drive of research and funding policy that focuses on promoting beneficial societal impact. One way of achieving this is to engage with the public. In practical terms this can be done by integrating civil society organisations (CSOs) in research. The open question at the heart of this paper is whether and how such CSO integration can transform the research and contribute to the public good. To answer this question the paper describes five detailed qualitative case studies of research projects including CSOs. The paper finds that transformative impact of CSO integration is possible but by no means assured. It provides recommendations on how transformative impact can be promoted. PMID:28207882

Terminal Ailments Need Not Be Fatal: A Speculative Assessment of the Impact of Online Public Access Catalogs in Academic Settings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandler, Mark

1985-01-01

Discusses several concerns about nature of online public access catalogs (OPAC) that have particular import to reference librarians: user passivity and loss of control growing out of "human-machine interface" and the larger social context; and the tendency of computerized bibliographic systems to obfuscate human origins of library…

SalHUD--A Graphical Interface to Public Health Data in Puerto Rico.

PubMed

Ortiz-Zuazaga, Humberto G; Arce-Corretjer, Roberto; Solá-Sloan, Juan M; Conde, José G

2015-12-22

This paper describes SalHUD, a prototype web-based application for visualizing health data from Puerto Rico. Our initial focus was to provide interactive maps displaying years of potential life lost (YPLL). The public-use mortality file for year 2008 was downloaded from the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics website. Data was processed with R, Python and EpiInfo to calculate years of potential life lost for the leading causes of death on each of the 78 municipalities in the island. Death records were classified according to ICD-10 codes. YPLL for each municipality was integrated into AtlasPR, a D3 Javascript map library. Additional Javascript, HTML and CSS programing was required to display maps as a web-based interface. YPLL for all municipalities are displayed on a map of Puerto Rico for each of the ten leading causes of death and for all causes combined, so users may dynamically explore the impact of premature mortality. This work is the first step in providing the general public in Puerto Rico with user-friendly, interactive, visual access to public health data that is usually published in numerical, text-based media.

Technobabble: Photoshop 6 Converges Web, Print Photograph-Editing Capabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Communication: Journalism Education Today, 2001

2001-01-01

Discusses the newly-released Adobe Photoshop 6, and its use in student publications. Notes its refined text-handling capabilities, a more user-friendly interface, integrated vector functions, easier preparation of Web images, and new and more powerful layer functions. (SR)

HyFinBall: A Two-Handed, Hybrid 2D/3D Desktop VR Interface for Visualization

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

user study . This is done in the context of a rich, visual analytics interface containing coordinated views with 2D and 3D visualizations and...the user interface (hardware and software), the design space, as well as preliminary results of a formal user study . This is done in the context of a ... virtual reality , user interface , two-handed interface , hybrid user interface , multi-touch, gesture,

Graphical user interface simplifies infusion pump programming and enhances the ability to detect pump-related faults.

PubMed

Syroid, Noah; Liu, David; Albert, Robert; Agutter, James; Egan, Talmage D; Pace, Nathan L; Johnson, Ken B; Dowdle, Michael R; Pulsipher, Daniel; Westenskow, Dwayne R

2012-11-01

Drug administration errors are frequent and are often associated with the misuse of IV infusion pumps. One source of these errors may be the infusion pump's user interface. We used failure modes-and-effects analyses to identify programming errors and to guide the design of a new syringe pump user interface. We designed the new user interface to clearly show the pump's operating state simultaneously in more than 1 monitoring location. We evaluated anesthesia residents in laboratory and simulated environments on programming accuracy and error detection between the new user interface and the user interface of a commercially available infusion pump. With the new user interface, we observed the number of programming errors reduced by 81%, the number of keystrokes per task reduced from 9.2 ± 5.0 to 7.5 ± 5.5 (mean ± SD), the time required per task reduced from 18.1 ± 14.1 seconds to 10.9 ± 9.5 seconds and significantly less perceived workload. Residents detected 38 of 70 (54%) of the events with the new user interface and 37 of 70 (53%) with the existing user interface, despite no experience with the new user interface and extensive experience with the existing interface. The number of programming errors and workload were reduced partly because it took less time and fewer keystrokes to program the pump when using the new user interface. Despite minimal training, residents quickly identified preexisting infusion pump problems with the new user interface. Intuitive and easy-to-program infusion pump interfaces may reduce drug administration errors and infusion pump-related adverse events.

Scalable Unix tools on parallel processors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gropp, W.; Lusk, E.

1994-12-31

The introduction of parallel processors that run a separate copy of Unix on each process has introduced new problems in managing the user`s environment. This paper discusses some generalizations of common Unix commands for managing files (e.g. 1s) and processes (e.g. ps) that are convenient and scalable. These basic tools, just like their Unix counterparts, are text-based. We also discuss a way to use these with a graphical user interface (GUI). Some notes on the implementation are provided. Prototypes of these commands are publicly available.

Web-Based Media Contents Editor for UCC Websites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Seoksoo

The purpose of this research is to "design web-based media contents editor for establishing UCC(User Created Contents)-based websites." The web-based editor features user-oriented interfaces and increased convenience, significantly different from previous off-line editors. It allows users to edit media contents online and can be effectively used for online promotion activities of enterprises and organizations. In addition to development of the editor, the research aims to support the entry of enterprises and public agencies to the online market by combining the technology with various UCC items.

User interfaces for computational science: A domain specific language for OOMMF embedded in Python

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beg, Marijan; Pepper, Ryan A.; Fangohr, Hans

2017-05-01

Computer simulations are used widely across the engineering and science disciplines, including in the research and development of magnetic devices using computational micromagnetics. In this work, we identify and review different approaches to configuring simulation runs: (i) the re-compilation of source code, (ii) the use of configuration files, (iii) the graphical user interface, and (iv) embedding the simulation specification in an existing programming language to express the computational problem. We identify the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches and discuss their implications on effectiveness and reproducibility of computational studies and results. Following on from this, we design and describe a domain specific language for micromagnetics that is embedded in the Python language, and allows users to define the micromagnetic simulations they want to carry out in a flexible way. We have implemented this micromagnetic simulation description language together with a computational backend that executes the simulation task using the Object Oriented MicroMagnetic Framework (OOMMF). We illustrate the use of this Python interface for OOMMF by solving the micromagnetic standard problem 4. All the code is publicly available and is open source.

'Fly Like This': Natural Language Interface for UAV Mission Planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chandarana, Meghan; Meszaros, Erica L.; Trujillo, Anna; Allen, B. Danette

2017-01-01

With the increasing presence of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in everyday environments, the user base of these powerful and potentially intelligent machines is expanding beyond exclusively highly trained vehicle operators to include non-expert system users. Scientists seeking to augment costly and often inflexible methods of data collection historically used are turning towards lower cost and reconfigurable UAVs. These new users require more intuitive and natural methods for UAV mission planning. This paper explores two natural language interfaces - gesture and speech - for UAV flight path generation through individual user studies. Subjects who participated in the user studies also used a mouse-based interface for a baseline comparison. Each interface allowed the user to build flight paths from a library of twelve individual trajectory segments. Individual user studies evaluated performance, efficacy, and ease-of-use of each interface using background surveys, subjective questionnaires, and observations on time and correctness. Analysis indicates that natural language interfaces are promising alternatives to traditional interfaces. The user study data collected on the efficacy and potential of each interface will be used to inform future intuitive UAV interface design for non-expert users.

Gala: A Python package for galactic dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Price-Whelan, Adrian M.

2017-10-01

Gala is an Astropy-affiliated Python package for galactic dynamics. Python enables wrapping low-level languages (e.g., C) for speed without losing flexibility or ease-of-use in the user-interface. The API for Gala was designed to provide a class-based and user-friendly interface to fast (C or Cython-optimized) implementations of common operations such as gravitational potential and force evaluation, orbit integration, dynamical transformations, and chaos indicators for nonlinear dynamics. Gala also relies heavily on and interfaces well with the implementations of physical units and astronomical coordinate systems in the Astropy package (astropy.units and astropy.coordinates). Gala was designed to be used by both astronomical researchers and by students in courses on gravitational dynamics or astronomy. It has already been used in a number of scientific publications and has also been used in graduate courses on Galactic dynamics to, e.g., provide interactive visualizations of textbook material.

Profex: a graphical user interface for the Rietveld refinement program BGMN.

PubMed

Doebelin, Nicola; Kleeberg, Reinhard

2015-10-01

Profex is a graphical user interface for the Rietveld refinement program BGMN . Its interface focuses on preserving BGMN 's powerful and flexible scripting features by giving direct access to BGMN input files. Very efficient workflows for single or batch refinements are achieved by managing refinement control files and structure files, by providing dialogues and shortcuts for many operations, by performing operations in the background, and by providing import filters for CIF and XML crystal structure files. Refinement results can be easily exported for further processing. State-of-the-art graphical export of diffraction patterns to pixel and vector graphics formats allows the creation of publication-quality graphs with minimum effort. Profex reads and converts a variety of proprietary raw data formats and is thus largely instrument independent. Profex and BGMN are available under an open-source license for Windows, Linux and OS X operating systems.

Profex: a graphical user interface for the Rietveld refinement program BGMN

PubMed Central

Doebelin, Nicola; Kleeberg, Reinhard

2015-01-01

Profex is a graphical user interface for the Rietveld refinement program BGMN. Its interface focuses on preserving BGMN’s powerful and flexible scripting features by giving direct access to BGMN input files. Very efficient workflows for single or batch refinements are achieved by managing refinement control files and structure files, by providing dialogues and shortcuts for many operations, by performing operations in the background, and by providing import filters for CIF and XML crystal structure files. Refinement results can be easily exported for further processing. State-of-the-art graphical export of diffraction patterns to pixel and vector graphics formats allows the creation of publication-quality graphs with minimum effort. Profex reads and converts a variety of proprietary raw data formats and is thus largely instrument independent. Profex and BGMN are available under an open-source license for Windows, Linux and OS X operating systems. PMID:26500466

Development of a task analysis tool to facilitate user interface design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scholtz, Jean C.

1992-01-01

A good user interface is one that facilitates the user in carrying out his task. Such interfaces are difficult and costly to produce. The most important aspect in producing a good interface is the ability to communicate to the software designers what the user's task is. The Task Analysis Tool is a system for cooperative task analysis and specification of the user interface requirements. This tool is intended to serve as a guide to development of initial prototypes for user feedback.

Formal analysis and automatic generation of user interfaces: approach, methodology, and an algorithm.

PubMed

Heymann, Michael; Degani, Asaf

2007-04-01

We present a formal approach and methodology for the analysis and generation of user interfaces, with special emphasis on human-automation interaction. A conceptual approach for modeling, analyzing, and verifying the information content of user interfaces is discussed. The proposed methodology is based on two criteria: First, the interface must be correct--that is, given the interface indications and all related information (user manuals, training material, etc.), the user must be able to successfully perform the specified tasks. Second, the interface and related information must be succinct--that is, the amount of information (mode indications, mode buttons, parameter settings, etc.) presented to the user must be reduced (abstracted) to the minimum necessary. A step-by-step procedure for generating the information content of the interface that is both correct and succinct is presented and then explained and illustrated via two examples. Every user interface is an abstract description of the underlying system. The correspondence between the abstracted information presented to the user and the underlying behavior of a given machine can be analyzed and addressed formally. The procedure for generating the information content of user interfaces can be automated, and a software tool for its implementation has been developed. Potential application areas include adaptive interface systems and customized/personalized interfaces.

Intelligent user interface concept for space station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Comer, Edward; Donaldson, Cameron; Bailey, Elizabeth; Gilroy, Kathleen

1986-01-01

The space station computing system must interface with a wide variety of users, from highly skilled operations personnel to payload specialists from all over the world. The interface must accommodate a wide variety of operations from the space platform, ground control centers and from remote sites. As a result, there is a need for a robust, highly configurable and portable user interface that can accommodate the various space station missions. The concept of an intelligent user interface executive, written in Ada, that would support a number of advanced human interaction techniques, such as windowing, icons, color graphics, animation, and natural language processing is presented. The user interface would provide intelligent interaction by understanding the various user roles, the operations and mission, the current state of the environment and the current working context of the users. In addition, the intelligent user interface executive must be supported by a set of tools that would allow the executive to be easily configured and to allow rapid prototyping of proposed user dialogs. This capability would allow human engineering specialists acting in the role of dialog authors to define and validate various user scenarios. The set of tools required to support development of this intelligent human interface capability is discussed and the prototyping and validation efforts required for development of the Space Station's user interface are outlined.

Standards for the user interface - Developing a user consensus. [for Space Station Information System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moe, Karen L.; Perkins, Dorothy C.; Szczur, Martha R.

1987-01-01

The user support environment (USE) which is a set of software tools for a flexible standard interactive user interface to the Space Station systems, platforms, and payloads is described in detail. Included in the USE concept are a user interface language, a run time environment and user interface management system, support tools, and standards for human interaction methods. The goals and challenges of the USE are discussed as well as a methodology based on prototype demonstrations for involving users in the process of validating the USE concepts. By prototyping the key concepts and salient features of the proposed user interface standards, the user's ability to respond is greatly enhanced.

Mars Data analysis and visualization with Marsoweb

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gulick, V. G.; Deardorff, D. G.

2003-04-01

Marsoweb is a collaborative web environment that has been developed for the Mars research community to better visualize and analyze Mars orbiter data. Its goal is to enable online data discovery by providing an intuitive, interactive interface to data from the Mars Global Surveyor and other orbiters. Recently Marsoweb has served a prominent role as a resource center for the site selection process for the Mars Explorer Rover 2003 missions. In addition to hosting a repository of landing site memoranda and workshop talks, it includes a Java-based interface to a variety of data maps and images. This interface enables the display and numerical querying of data, and allows data profiles to be rendered from user-drawn cross-sections. High-resolution Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images (currently, over 100,000) can be graphically perused; browser-based image processing tools can be used on MOC images of potential landing sites. An automated VRML atlas allows users to construct "flyovers" of their own regions-of-interest in 3D. These capabilities enable Marsoweb to be used for general global data studies, in addition to those specific to landing site selection. As of December 2002, Marsoweb has been viewed by 88,000 distinct users with a total of 3.3 million hits (801,000 page requests in all) from NASA, USGS, academia, and the general public have accessed Marsoweb. The High Resolution Imaging Experiment team for the Mars 2005 Orbiter (HiRISE, PI Alfred McEwen) plans to cast a wide net to collect targeting suggestions. Members of the general public as well as the broad Mars science community will be able to submit suggestions of high resolution imaging targets. The web-based interface for target suggestion input (HiWeb) will be based upon Marsoweb (http://marsoweb.nas.nasa.gov).

Distributed user interfaces for clinical ubiquitous computing applications.

PubMed

Bång, Magnus; Larsson, Anders; Berglund, Erik; Eriksson, Henrik

2005-08-01

Ubiquitous computing with multiple interaction devices requires new interface models that support user-specific modifications to applications and facilitate the fast development of active workspaces. We have developed NOSTOS, a computer-augmented work environment for clinical personnel to explore new user interface paradigms for ubiquitous computing. NOSTOS uses several devices such as digital pens, an active desk, and walk-up displays that allow the system to track documents and activities in the workplace. We present the distributed user interface (DUI) model that allows standalone applications to distribute their user interface components to several devices dynamically at run-time. This mechanism permit clinicians to develop their own user interfaces and forms to clinical information systems to match their specific needs. We discuss the underlying technical concepts of DUIs and show how service discovery, component distribution, events and layout management are dealt with in the NOSTOS system. Our results suggest that DUIs--and similar network-based user interfaces--will be a prerequisite of future mobile user interfaces and essential to develop clinical multi-device environments.

Neurovascular Network Explorer 1.0: a database of 2-photon single-vessel diameter measurements with MATLAB(®) graphical user interface.

PubMed

Sridhar, Vishnu B; Tian, Peifang; Dale, Anders M; Devor, Anna; Saisan, Payam A

2014-01-01

We present a database client software-Neurovascular Network Explorer 1.0 (NNE 1.0)-that uses MATLAB(®) based Graphical User Interface (GUI) for interaction with a database of 2-photon single-vessel diameter measurements from our previous publication (Tian et al., 2010). These data are of particular interest for modeling the hemodynamic response. NNE 1.0 is downloaded by the user and then runs either as a MATLAB script or as a standalone program on a Windows platform. The GUI allows browsing the database according to parameters specified by the user, simple manipulation and visualization of the retrieved records (such as averaging and peak-normalization), and export of the results. Further, we provide NNE 1.0 source code. With this source code, the user can database their own experimental results, given the appropriate data structure and naming conventions, and thus share their data in a user-friendly format with other investigators. NNE 1.0 provides an example of seamless and low-cost solution for sharing of experimental data by a regular size neuroscience laboratory and may serve as a general template, facilitating dissemination of biological results and accelerating data-driven modeling approaches.

Pulse sequence programming in a dynamic visual environment: SequenceTree.

PubMed

Magland, Jeremy F; Li, Cheng; Langham, Michael C; Wehrli, Felix W

2016-01-01

To describe SequenceTree, an open source, integrated software environment for implementing MRI pulse sequences and, ideally, exporting them to actual MRI scanners. The software is a user-friendly alternative to vendor-supplied pulse sequence design and editing tools and is suited for programmers and nonprogrammers alike. The integrated user interface was programmed using the Qt4/C++ toolkit. As parameters and code are modified, the pulse sequence diagram is automatically updated within the user interface. Several aspects of pulse programming are handled automatically, allowing users to focus on higher-level aspects of sequence design. Sequences can be simulated using a built-in Bloch equation solver and then exported for use on a Siemens MRI scanner. Ideally, other types of scanners will be supported in the future. SequenceTree has been used for 8 years in our laboratory and elsewhere and has contributed to more than 50 peer-reviewed publications in areas such as cardiovascular imaging, solid state and nonproton NMR, MR elastography, and high-resolution structural imaging. SequenceTree is an innovative, open source, visual pulse sequence environment for MRI combining simplicity with flexibility and is ideal both for advanced users and users with limited programming experience. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Web-based OPACs: Between Tradition and Innovation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moscoso, Purificacion; Ortiz-Repiso, Virginia

1999-01-01

Analyzes the change that Internet-based OPACs (Online Public Access Catalogs) have represented to the structure, administration, and maintenance of the catalogs, retrieval systems, and user interfaces. Examines the structure of databases and traditional principles that have governed systems development. Discusses repercussions of the application…

pROC: an open-source package for R and S+ to analyze and compare ROC curves.

PubMed

Robin, Xavier; Turck, Natacha; Hainard, Alexandre; Tiberti, Natalia; Lisacek, Frédérique; Sanchez, Jean-Charles; Müller, Markus

2011-03-17

Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves are useful tools to evaluate classifiers in biomedical and bioinformatics applications. However, conclusions are often reached through inconsistent use or insufficient statistical analysis. To support researchers in their ROC curves analysis we developed pROC, a package for R and S+ that contains a set of tools displaying, analyzing, smoothing and comparing ROC curves in a user-friendly, object-oriented and flexible interface. With data previously imported into the R or S+ environment, the pROC package builds ROC curves and includes functions for computing confidence intervals, statistical tests for comparing total or partial area under the curve or the operating points of different classifiers, and methods for smoothing ROC curves. Intermediary and final results are visualised in user-friendly interfaces. A case study based on published clinical and biomarker data shows how to perform a typical ROC analysis with pROC. pROC is a package for R and S+ specifically dedicated to ROC analysis. It proposes multiple statistical tests to compare ROC curves, and in particular partial areas under the curve, allowing proper ROC interpretation. pROC is available in two versions: in the R programming language or with a graphical user interface in the S+ statistical software. It is accessible at http://expasy.org/tools/pROC/ under the GNU General Public License. It is also distributed through the CRAN and CSAN public repositories, facilitating its installation.

VDJServer: A Cloud-Based Analysis Portal and Data Commons for Immune Repertoire Sequences and Rearrangements.

PubMed

Christley, Scott; Scarborough, Walter; Salinas, Eddie; Rounds, William H; Toby, Inimary T; Fonner, John M; Levin, Mikhail K; Kim, Min; Mock, Stephen A; Jordan, Christopher; Ostmeyer, Jared; Buntzman, Adam; Rubelt, Florian; Davila, Marco L; Monson, Nancy L; Scheuermann, Richard H; Cowell, Lindsay G

2018-01-01

Recent technological advances in immune repertoire sequencing have created tremendous potential for advancing our understanding of adaptive immune response dynamics in various states of health and disease. Immune repertoire sequencing produces large, highly complex data sets, however, which require specialized methods and software tools for their effective analysis and interpretation. VDJServer is a cloud-based analysis portal for immune repertoire sequence data that provide access to a suite of tools for a complete analysis workflow, including modules for preprocessing and quality control of sequence reads, V(D)J gene segment assignment, repertoire characterization, and repertoire comparison. VDJServer also provides sophisticated visualizations for exploratory analysis. It is accessible through a standard web browser via a graphical user interface designed for use by immunologists, clinicians, and bioinformatics researchers. VDJServer provides a data commons for public sharing of repertoire sequencing data, as well as private sharing of data between users. We describe the main functionality and architecture of VDJServer and demonstrate its capabilities with use cases from cancer immunology and autoimmunity. VDJServer provides a complete analysis suite for human and mouse T-cell and B-cell receptor repertoire sequencing data. The combination of its user-friendly interface and high-performance computing allows large immune repertoire sequencing projects to be analyzed with no programming or software installation required. VDJServer is a web-accessible cloud platform that provides access through a graphical user interface to a data management infrastructure, a collection of analysis tools covering all steps in an analysis, and an infrastructure for sharing data along with workflows, results, and computational provenance. VDJServer is a free, publicly available, and open-source licensed resource.

DGIdb 3.0: a redesign and expansion of the drug-gene interaction database.

PubMed

Cotto, Kelsy C; Wagner, Alex H; Feng, Yang-Yang; Kiwala, Susanna; Coffman, Adam C; Spies, Gregory; Wollam, Alex; Spies, Nicholas C; Griffith, Obi L; Griffith, Malachi

2018-01-04

The drug-gene interaction database (DGIdb, www.dgidb.org) consolidates, organizes and presents drug-gene interactions and gene druggability information from papers, databases and web resources. DGIdb normalizes content from 30 disparate sources and allows for user-friendly advanced browsing, searching and filtering for ease of access through an intuitive web user interface, application programming interface (API) and public cloud-based server image. DGIdb v3.0 represents a major update of the database. Nine of the previously included 24 sources were updated. Six new resources were added, bringing the total number of sources to 30. These updates and additions of sources have cumulatively resulted in 56 309 interaction claims. This has also substantially expanded the comprehensive catalogue of druggable genes and anti-neoplastic drug-gene interactions included in the DGIdb. Along with these content updates, v3.0 has received a major overhaul of its codebase, including an updated user interface, preset interaction search filters, consolidation of interaction information into interaction groups, greatly improved search response times and upgrading the underlying web application framework. In addition, the expanded API features new endpoints which allow users to extract more detailed information about queried drugs, genes and drug-gene interactions, including listings of PubMed IDs, interaction type and other interaction metadata.

AGUIA: autonomous graphical user interface assembly for clinical trials semantic data services.

PubMed

Correa, Miria C; Deus, Helena F; Vasconcelos, Ana T; Hayashi, Yuki; Ajani, Jaffer A; Patnana, Srikrishna V; Almeida, Jonas S

2010-10-26

AGUIA is a front-end web application originally developed to manage clinical, demographic and biomolecular patient data collected during clinical trials at MD Anderson Cancer Center. The diversity of methods involved in patient screening and sample processing generates a variety of data types that require a resource-oriented architecture to capture the associations between the heterogeneous data elements. AGUIA uses a semantic web formalism, resource description framework (RDF), and a bottom-up design of knowledge bases that employ the S3DB tool as the starting point for the client's interface assembly. The data web service, S3DB, meets the necessary requirements of generating the RDF and of explicitly distinguishing the description of the domain from its instantiation, while allowing for continuous editing of both. Furthermore, it uses an HTTP-REST protocol, has a SPARQL endpoint, and has open source availability in the public domain, which facilitates the development and dissemination of this application. However, S3DB alone does not address the issue of representing content in a form that makes sense for domain experts. We identified an autonomous set of descriptors, the GBox, that provides user and domain specifications for the graphical user interface. This was achieved by identifying a formalism that makes use of an RDF schema to enable the automatic assembly of graphical user interfaces in a meaningful manner while using only resources native to the client web browser (JavaScript interpreter, document object model). We defined a generalized RDF model such that changes in the graphic descriptors are automatically and immediately (locally) reflected into the configuration of the client's interface application. The design patterns identified for the GBox benefit from and reflect the specific requirements of interacting with data generated by clinical trials, and they contain clues for a general purpose solution to the challenge of having interfaces automatically assembled for multiple and volatile views of a domain. By coding AGUIA in JavaScript, for which all browsers include a native interpreter, a solution was found that assembles interfaces that are meaningful to the particular user, and which are also ubiquitous and lightweight, allowing the computational load to be carried by the client's machine.

Graphical User Interface Programming in Introductory Computer Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skolnick, Michael M.; Spooner, David L.

Modern computing systems exploit graphical user interfaces for interaction with users; as a result, introductory computer science courses must begin to teach the principles underlying such interfaces. This paper presents an approach to graphical user interface (GUI) implementation that is simple enough for beginning students to understand, yet…

User needs analysis and usability assessment of DataMed - a biomedical data discovery index.

PubMed

Dixit, Ram; Rogith, Deevakar; Narayana, Vidya; Salimi, Mandana; Gururaj, Anupama; Ohno-Machado, Lucila; Xu, Hua; Johnson, Todd R

2017-11-30

To present user needs and usability evaluations of DataMed, a Data Discovery Index (DDI) that allows searching for biomedical data from multiple sources. We conducted 2 phases of user studies. Phase 1 was a user needs analysis conducted before the development of DataMed, consisting of interviews with researchers. Phase 2 involved iterative usability evaluations of DataMed prototypes. We analyzed data qualitatively to document researchers' information and user interface needs. Biomedical researchers' information needs in data discovery are complex, multidimensional, and shaped by their context, domain knowledge, and technical experience. User needs analyses validate the need for a DDI, while usability evaluations of DataMed show that even though aggregating metadata into a common search engine and applying traditional information retrieval tools are promising first steps, there remain challenges for DataMed due to incomplete metadata and the complexity of data discovery. Biomedical data poses distinct problems for search when compared to websites or publications. Making data available is not enough to facilitate biomedical data discovery: new retrieval techniques and user interfaces are necessary for dataset exploration. Consistent, complete, and high-quality metadata are vital to enable this process. While available data and researchers' information needs are complex and heterogeneous, a successful DDI must meet those needs and fit into the processes of biomedical researchers. Research directions include formalizing researchers' information needs, standardizing overviews of data to facilitate relevance judgments, implementing user interfaces for concept-based searching, and developing evaluation methods for open-ended discovery systems such as DDIs. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

HeatmapGenerator: high performance RNAseq and microarray visualization software suite to examine differential gene expression levels using an R and C++ hybrid computational pipeline.

PubMed

Khomtchouk, Bohdan B; Van Booven, Derek J; Wahlestedt, Claes

2014-01-01

The graphical visualization of gene expression data using heatmaps has become an integral component of modern-day medical research. Heatmaps are used extensively to plot quantitative differences in gene expression levels, such as those measured with RNAseq and microarray experiments, to provide qualitative large-scale views of the transcriptonomic landscape. Creating high-quality heatmaps is a computationally intensive task, often requiring considerable programming experience, particularly for customizing features to a specific dataset at hand. Software to create publication-quality heatmaps is developed with the R programming language, C++ programming language, and OpenGL application programming interface (API) to create industry-grade high performance graphics. We create a graphical user interface (GUI) software package called HeatmapGenerator for Windows OS and Mac OS X as an intuitive, user-friendly alternative to researchers with minimal prior coding experience to allow them to create publication-quality heatmaps using R graphics without sacrificing their desired level of customization. The simplicity of HeatmapGenerator is that it only requires the user to upload a preformatted input file and download the publicly available R software language, among a few other operating system-specific requirements. Advanced features such as color, text labels, scaling, legend construction, and even database storage can be easily customized with no prior programming knowledge. We provide an intuitive and user-friendly software package, HeatmapGenerator, to create high-quality, customizable heatmaps generated using the high-resolution color graphics capabilities of R. The software is available for Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS X. HeatmapGenerator is released under the GNU General Public License and publicly available at: http://sourceforge.net/projects/heatmapgenerator/. The Mac OS X direct download is available at: http://sourceforge.net/projects/heatmapgenerator/files/HeatmapGenerator_MAC_OSX.tar.gz/download. The Windows OS direct download is available at: http://sourceforge.net/projects/heatmapgenerator/files/HeatmapGenerator_WINDOWS.zip/download.

Building intuitive 3D interfaces for virtual reality systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaidya, Vivek; Suryanarayanan, Srikanth; Seitel, Mathias; Mullick, Rakesh

2007-03-01

An exploration of techniques for developing intuitive, and efficient user interfaces for virtual reality systems. Work seeks to understand which paradigms from the better-understood world of 2D user interfaces remain viable within 3D environments. In order to establish this a new user interface was created that applied various understood principles of interface design. A user study was then performed where it was compared with an earlier interface for a series of medical visualization tasks.

A web based Radiation Oncology Dose Manager with a rich User Interface developed using AJAX, ruby, dynamic XHTML and the new Yahoo/EXT User Interface Library.

PubMed

Vali, Faisal; Hong, Robert

2007-10-11

With the evolution of AJAX, ruby on rails, advanced dynamic XHTML technologies and the advent of powerful user interface libraries for javascript (EXT, Yahoo User Interface Library), developers now have the ability to provide truly rich interfaces within web browsers, with reasonable effort and without third-party plugins. We designed and developed an example of such a solution. The User Interface allows radiation oncology practices to intuitively manage different dose fractionation schemes by helping estimate total dose to irradiated organs.

NASA Earth Observations (NEO): Data Access for Informal Education and Outreach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ward, Kevin; Herring, David

2005-01-01

The NEO (NASA Earth Observations) web space is currently under development with the goal of significantly increasing the demand for NASA remote sensing data while dramatically simplifying public access to georeferenced images. NEO will target the unsophisticated, nontraditional data users who are currently underserved by the existing data ordering systems. These users will include formal and informal educators, museum and science center personnel, professional communicators, and citizen scientists and amateur Earth observers. Users will be able to view and manipulate georeferenced browse imagery and, if they desire, download directly or order the source HDF data from the data provider (e.g., NASA DAAC or science team) via a single, integrated interface. NE0 will accomplish this goal by anticipating users expectations and knowledge level, thus providing an interface that presents material to users in a more simplified manner, without relying upon the jargon/technical terminology that make even the identification of the appropriate data set a significant hurdle. NEO will also act as a gateway that manages users expectations by providing specific details about images and data formats, developing tutorials regarding the manipulation of georeferenced imagery and raw data, links to software tools and ensuring that users are able to get the image they want in the format they want as easily as possible.

Using Twitter to Better Understand the Spatiotemporal Patterns of Public Sentiment: A Case Study in Massachusetts, USA.

PubMed

Cao, Xiaodong; MacNaughton, Piers; Deng, Zhengyi; Yin, Jie; Zhang, Xi; Allen, Joseph G

2018-02-02

Twitter provides a rich database of spatiotemporal information about users who broadcast their real-time opinions, sentiment, and activities. In this paper, we sought to investigate the holistic influence of land use and time period on public sentiment. A total of 880,937 tweets posted by 26,060 active users were collected across Massachusetts (MA), USA, through 31 November 2012 to 3 June 2013. The IBM Watson Alchemy API (application program interface) was employed to quantify the sentiment scores conveyed by tweets on a large scale. Then we statistically analyzed the sentiment scores across different spaces and times. A multivariate linear mixed-effects model was used to quantify the fixed effects of land use and the time period on the variations in sentiment scores, considering the clustering effect of users. The results exposed clear spatiotemporal patterns of users' sentiment. Higher sentiment scores were mainly observed in the commercial and public areas, during the noon/evening and on weekends. Our findings suggest that social media outputs can be used to better understand the spatial and temporal patterns of public happiness and well-being in cities and regions.

Methods for Improving the User-Computer Interface. Technical Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCann, Patrick H.

This summary of methods for improving the user-computer interface is based on a review of the pertinent literature. Requirements of the personal computer user are identified and contrasted with computer designer perspectives towards the user. The user's psychological needs are described, so that the design of the user-computer interface may be…

User interface support

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lewis, Clayton; Wilde, Nick

1989-01-01

Space construction will require heavy investment in the development of a wide variety of user interfaces for the computer-based tools that will be involved at every stage of construction operations. Using today's technology, user interface development is very expensive for two reasons: (1) specialized and scarce programming skills are required to implement the necessary graphical representations and complex control regimes for high-quality interfaces; (2) iteration on prototypes is required to meet user and task requirements, since these are difficult to anticipate with current (and foreseeable) design knowledge. We are attacking this problem by building a user interface development tool based on extensions to the spreadsheet model of computation. The tool provides high-level support for graphical user interfaces and permits dynamic modification of interfaces, without requiring conventional programming concepts and skills.

Interface Metaphors for Interactive Machine Learning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jasper, Robert J.; Blaha, Leslie M.

To promote more interactive and dynamic machine learn- ing, we revisit the notion of user-interface metaphors. User-interface metaphors provide intuitive constructs for supporting user needs through interface design elements. A user-interface metaphor provides a visual or action pattern that leverages a user’s knowledge of another domain. Metaphors suggest both the visual representations that should be used in a display as well as the interactions that should be afforded to the user. We argue that user-interface metaphors can also offer a method of extracting interaction-based user feedback for use in machine learning. Metaphors offer indirect, context-based information that can be usedmore » in addition to explicit user inputs, such as user-provided labels. Implicit information from user interactions with metaphors can augment explicit user input for active learning paradigms. Or it might be leveraged in systems where explicit user inputs are more challenging to obtain. Each interaction with the metaphor provides an opportunity to gather data and learn. We argue this approach is especially important in streaming applications, where we desire machine learning systems that can adapt to dynamic, changing data.« less

Analysis of Sea Level Rise in Action

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gill, K. M.; Huang, T.; Quach, N. T.; Boening, C.

2016-12-01

NASA's Sea Level Change Portal provides scientists and the general public with "one-stop" source for current sea level change information and data. Sea Level Rise research is a multidisciplinary research and in order to understand its causes, scientists must be able to access different measurements and to be able to compare them. The portal includes an interactive tool, called the Data Analysis Tool (DAT), for accessing, visualizing, and analyzing observations and models relevant to the study of Sea Level Rise. Using NEXUS, an open source, big data analytic technology developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the DAT is able provide user on-the-fly data analysis on all relevant parameters. DAT is composed of three major components: A dedicated instance of OnEarth (a WMTS service), NEXUS deep data analytic platform, and the JPL Common Mapping Client (CMC) for web browser based user interface (UI). Utilizing the global imagery, a user is capable of browsing the data in a visual manner and isolate areas of interest for further study. The interfaces "Analysis" tool provides tools for area or point selection, single and/or comparative dataset selection, and a range of options, algorithms, and plotting. This analysis component utilizes the Nexus cloud computing platform to provide on-demand processing of the data within the user-selected parameters and immediate display of the results. A RESTful web API is exposed for users comfortable with other interfaces and who may want to take advantage of the cloud computing capabilities. This talk discuss how DAT enables on-the-fly sea level research. The talk will introduce the DAT with an end-to-end tour of the tool with exploration and animating of available imagery, a demonstration of comparative analysis and plotting, and how to share and export data along with images for use in publications/presentations. The session will cover what kind of data is available, what kind of analysis is possible, and what are the outputs.

Representing Graphical User Interfaces with Sound: A Review of Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ratanasit, Dan; Moore, Melody M.

2005-01-01

The inability of computer users who are visually impaired to access graphical user interfaces (GUIs) has led researchers to propose approaches for adapting GUIs to auditory interfaces, with the goal of providing access for visually impaired people. This article outlines the issues involved in nonvisual access to graphical user interfaces, reviews…

Stand-alone digital data storage control system including user control interface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, Kenneth D. (Inventor); Gray, David L. (Inventor)

1994-01-01

A storage control system includes an apparatus and method for user control of a storage interface to operate a storage medium to store data obtained by a real-time data acquisition system. Digital data received in serial format from the data acquisition system is first converted to a parallel format and then provided to the storage interface. The operation of the storage interface is controlled in accordance with instructions based on user control input from a user. Also, a user status output is displayed in accordance with storage data obtained from the storage interface. By allowing the user to control and monitor the operation of the storage interface, a stand-alone, user-controllable data storage system is provided for storing the digital data obtained by a real-time data acquisition system.

Writing instrument interfaces with xf/tktcl

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henden, A. A.

1992-01-01

Tcl is an embedded control language written in C, running primarily under Unix and with an interpreted C look-and-feel. Tk is an X11 toolkit based on tcl. Xf is an application builder for tk. The entire package is public domain and available from sprite.berkeley.edu. This paper discusses the use of tk to develop a user interface for OSIRIS, an infrared camera/spectrograph now operational on the OSU Perkins 1.8m telescope. The good and bad features of the development process are described.

Comparing two anesthesia information management system user interfaces: a usability evaluation.

PubMed

Wanderer, Jonathan P; Rao, Anoop V; Rothwell, Sarah H; Ehrenfeld, Jesse M

2012-11-01

Anesthesia information management systems (AIMS) have been developed by multiple vendors and are deployed in thousands of operating rooms around the world, yet not much is known about measuring and improving AIMS usability. We developed a methodology for evaluating AIMS usability in a low-fidelity simulated clinical environment and used it to compare an existing user interface with a revised version. We hypothesized that the revised user interface would be more useable. In a low-fidelity simulated clinical environment, twenty anesthesia providers documented essential anesthetic information for the start of the case using both an existing and a revised user interface. Participants had not used the revised user interface previously and completed a brief training exercise prior to the study task. All participants completed a workload assessment and a satisfaction survey. All sessions were recorded. Multiple usability metrics were measured. The primary outcome was documentation accuracy. Secondary outcomes were perceived workload, number of documentation steps, number of user interactions, and documentation time. The interfaces were compared and design problems were identified by analyzing recorded sessions and survey results. Use of the revised user interface was shown to improve documentation accuracy from 85.1% to 92.4%, a difference of 7.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] for the difference 1.8 to 12.7). The revised user interface decreased the number of user interactions by 6.5 for intravenous documentation (95% CI 2.9 to 10.1) and by 16.1 for airway documentation (95% CI 11.1 to 21.1). The revised user interface required 3.8 fewer documentation steps (95% CI 2.3 to 5.4). Airway documentation time was reduced by 30.5 seconds with the revised workflow (95% CI 8.5 to 52.4). There were no significant time differences noted in intravenous documentation or in total task time. No difference in perceived workload was found between the user interfaces. Two user interface design problems were identified in the revised user interface. The usability of anesthesia information management systems can be evaluated using a low-fidelity simulated clinical environment. User testing of the revised user interface showed improvement in some usability metrics and highlighted areas for further revision. Vendors of AIMS and those who use them should consider adopting methods to evaluate and improve AIMS usability.

Network and user interface for PAT DOME virtual motion environment system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Worthington, J. W.; Duncan, K. M.; Crosier, W. G.

1993-01-01

The Device for Orientation and Motion Environments Preflight Adaptation Trainer (DOME PAT) provides astronauts a virtual microgravity sensory environment designed to help alleviate tye symptoms of space motion sickness (SMS). The system consists of four microcomputers networked to provide real time control, and an image generator (IG) driving a wide angle video display inside a dome structure. The spherical display demands distortion correction. The system is currently being modified with a new graphical user interface (GUI) and a new Silicon Graphics IG. This paper will concentrate on the new GUI and the networking scheme. The new GUI eliminates proprietary graphics hardware and software, and instead makes use of standard and low cost PC video (CGA) and off the shelf software (Microsoft's Quick C). Mouse selection for user input is supported. The new Silicon Graphics IG requires an Ethernet interface. The microcomputer known as the Real Time Controller (RTC), which has overall control of the system and is written in Ada, was modified to use the free public domain NCSA Telnet software for Ethernet communications with the Silicon Graphics IG. The RTC also maintains the original ARCNET communications through Novell Netware IPX with the rest of the system. The Telnet TCP/IP protocol was first used for real-time communication, but because of buffering problems the Telnet datagram (UDP) protocol needed to be implemented. Since the Telnet modules are written in C, the Adap pragma 'Interface' was used to interface with the network calls.

Starting Over: Current Issues in Online Catalog User Interface Design.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Walt

1992-01-01

Discussion of online catalogs focuses on issues in interface design. Issues addressed include understanding the user base; common user access (CUA) with personal computers; common command language (CCL); hyperlinks; screen design issues; differences from card catalogs; indexes; graphic user interfaces (GUIs); color; online help; and remote users.…

RESULTS OF QA/QC TESTING OF EPA BENCHMARK DOSE SOFTWARE VERSION 1.2

EPA Science Inventory

EPA is developing benchmark dose software (BMDS) to support cancer and non-cancer dose-response assessments. Following the recent public review of BMDS version 1.1b, EPA developed a Hill model for evaluating continuous data, and improved the user interface and Multistage, Polyno...

The GRIN-Global Information Management System – Public Interface Demonstration and Input Opportunity

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The GRIN-Global (GG) Information Management System, under development for the past three years, provides the world's crop genebanks and plant genetic resource (PGR) users with a powerful, flexible, easy-to-use PGR information management system. Developed jointly by the USDA Agricultural Research Ser...

Dynamic Distribution and Layouting of Model-Based User Interfaces in Smart Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roscher, Dirk; Lehmann, Grzegorz; Schwartze, Veit; Blumendorf, Marco; Albayrak, Sahin

The developments in computer technology in the last decade change the ways of computer utilization. The emerging smart environments make it possible to build ubiquitous applications that assist users during their everyday life, at any time, in any context. But the variety of contexts-of-use (user, platform and environment) makes the development of such ubiquitous applications for smart environments and especially its user interfaces a challenging and time-consuming task. We propose a model-based approach, which allows adapting the user interface at runtime to numerous (also unknown) contexts-of-use. Based on a user interface modelling language, defining the fundamentals and constraints of the user interface, a runtime architecture exploits the description to adapt the user interface to the current context-of-use. The architecture provides automatic distribution and layout algorithms for adapting the applications also to contexts unforeseen at design time. Designers do not specify predefined adaptations for each specific situation, but adaptation constraints and guidelines. Furthermore, users are provided with a meta user interface to influence the adaptations according to their needs. A smart home energy management system serves as running example to illustrate the approach.

Scenarios, personas and user stories: user-centered evidence-based design representations of communicable disease investigations.

PubMed

Turner, Anne M; Reeder, Blaine; Ramey, Judith

2013-08-01

Despite years of effort and millions of dollars spent to create unified electronic communicable disease reporting systems, the goal remains elusive. A major barrier has been a lack of understanding by system designers of communicable disease (CD) work and the public health workers who perform this work. This study reports on the application of user-centered design representations, traditionally used for improving interface design, to translate the complex CD work identified through ethnographic studies to guide designers and developers of CD systems. The purpose of this work is to: (1) better understand public health practitioners and their information workflow with respect to CD monitoring and control at a local health agency, and (2) to develop evidence-based design representations that model this CD work to inform the design of future disease surveillance systems. We performed extensive onsite semi-structured interviews, targeted work shadowing and a focus group to characterize local health agency CD workflow. Informed by principles of design ethnography and user-centered design we created persona, scenarios and user stories to accurately represent the user to system designers. We sought to convey to designers the key findings from ethnographic studies: (1) public health CD work is mobile and episodic, in contrast to current CD reporting systems, which are stationary and fixed, (2) health agency efforts are focused on CD investigation and response rather than reporting and (3) current CD information systems must conform to public health workflow to ensure their usefulness. In an effort to illustrate our findings to designers, we developed three contemporary design-support representations: persona, scenario, and user story. Through application of user-centered design principles, we were able to create design representations that illustrate complex public health communicable disease workflow and key user characteristics to inform the design of CD information systems for public health. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Integrated Model for E-Learning Acceptance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramadiani; Rodziah, A.; Hasan, S. M.; Rusli, A.; Noraini, C.

2016-01-01

E-learning is not going to work if the system is not used in accordance with user needs. User Interface is very important to encourage using the application. Many theories had discuss about user interface usability evaluation and technology acceptance separately, actually why we do not make it correlation between interface usability evaluation and user acceptance to enhance e-learning process. Therefore, the evaluation model for e-learning interface acceptance is considered important to investigate. The aim of this study is to propose the integrated e-learning user interface acceptance evaluation model. This model was combined some theories of e-learning interface measurement such as, user learning style, usability evaluation, and the user benefit. We formulated in constructive questionnaires which were shared at 125 English Language School (ELS) students. This research statistics used Structural Equation Model using LISREL v8.80 and MANOVA analysis.

Nuclear data made easily accessible through the Notre Dame Nuclear Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khouw, Timothy; Lee, Kevin; Fasano, Patrick; Mumpower, Matthew; Aprahamian, Ani

2014-09-01

In 1994, the NNDC revolutionized nuclear research by providing a colorful, clickable, searchable database over the internet. Over the last twenty years, web technology has evolved dramatically. Our project, the Notre Dame Nuclear Database, aims to provide a more comprehensive and broadly searchable interactive body of data. The database can be searched by an array of filters which includes metadata such as the facility where a measurement is made, the author(s), or date of publication for the datum of interest. The user interface takes full advantage of HTML, a web markup language, CSS (cascading style sheets to define the aesthetics of the website), and JavaScript, a language that can process complex data. A command-line interface is supported that interacts with the database directly on a user's local machine which provides single command access to data. This is possible through the use of a standardized API (application programming interface) that relies upon well-defined filtering variables to produce customized search results. We offer an innovative chart of nuclides utilizing scalable vector graphics (SVG) to deliver users an unsurpassed level of interactivity supported on all computers and mobile devices. We will present a functional demo of our database at the conference.

A resource management tool for public health continuity of operations during disasters.

PubMed

Turner, Anne M; Reeder, Blaine; Wallace, James C

2013-04-01

We developed and validated a user-centered information system to support the local planning of public health continuity of operations for the Community Health Services Division, Public Health - Seattle & King County, Washington. The Continuity of Operations Data Analysis (CODA) system was designed as a prototype developed using requirements identified through participatory design. CODA uses open-source software that links personnel contact and licensing information with needed skills and clinic locations for 821 employees at 14 public health clinics in Seattle and King County. Using a web-based interface, CODA can visualize locations of personnel in relationship to clinics to assist clinic managers in allocating public health personnel and resources under dynamic conditions. Based on user input, the CODA prototype was designed as a low-cost, user-friendly system to inventory and manage public health resources. In emergency conditions, the system can run on a stand-alone battery-powered laptop computer. A formative evaluation by managers of multiple public health centers confirmed the prototype design's usefulness. Emergency management administrators also provided positive feedback about the system during a separate demonstration. Validation of the CODA information design prototype by public health managers and emergency management administrators demonstrates the potential usefulness of building a resource management system using open-source technologies and participatory design principles.

A Resource Management Tool for Public Health Continuity of Operations During Disasters

PubMed Central

Turner, Anne M.; Reeder, Blaine; Wallace, James C.

2014-01-01

Objective We developed and validated a user-centered information system to support the local planning of public health continuity of operations for the Community Health Services Division, Public Health - Seattle & King County, Washington. Methods The Continuity of Operations Data Analysis (CODA) system was designed as a prototype developed using requirements identified through participatory design. CODA uses open-source software that links personnel contact and licensing information with needed skills and clinic locations for 821 employees at 14 public health clinics in Seattle and King County. Using a web-based interface, CODA can visualize locations of personnel in relationship to clinics to assist clinic managers in allocating public health personnel and resources under dynamic conditions. Results Based on user input, the CODA prototype was designed as a low-cost, user-friendly system to inventory and manage public health resources. In emergency conditions, the system can run on a stand-alone battery-powered laptop computer. A formative evaluation by managers of multiple public health centers confirmed the prototype design’s usefulness. Emergency management administrators also provided positive feedback about the system during a separate demonstration. Conclusions Validation of the CODA information design prototype by public health managers and emergency management administrators demonstrates the potential usefulness of building a resource management system using open-source technologies and participatory design principles. PMID:24618165

User Interface Technology for Formal Specification Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowry, Michael; Philpot, Andrew; Pressburger, Thomas; Underwood, Ian; Lum, Henry, Jr. (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

Formal specification development and modification are an essential component of the knowledge-based software life cycle. User interface technology is needed to empower end-users to create their own formal specifications. This paper describes the advanced user interface for AMPHION1 a knowledge-based software engineering system that targets scientific subroutine libraries. AMPHION is a generic, domain-independent architecture that is specialized to an application domain through a declarative domain theory. Formal specification development and reuse is made accessible to end-users through an intuitive graphical interface that provides semantic guidance in creating diagrams denoting formal specifications in an application domain. The diagrams also serve to document the specifications. Automatic deductive program synthesis ensures that end-user specifications are correctly implemented. The tables that drive AMPHION's user interface are automatically compiled from a domain theory; portions of the interface can be customized by the end-user. The user interface facilitates formal specification development by hiding syntactic details, such as logical notation. It also turns some of the barriers for end-user specification development associated with strongly typed formal languages into active sources of guidance, without restricting advanced users. The interface is especially suited for specification modification. AMPHION has been applied to the domain of solar system kinematics through the development of a declarative domain theory. Testing over six months with planetary scientists indicates that AMPHION's interactive specification acquisition paradigm enables users to develop, modify, and reuse specifications at least an order of magnitude more rapidly than manual program development.

Marine Web Portal as an Interface between Users and Marine Data and Information Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palazov, A.; Stefanov, A.; Marinova, V.; Slabakova, V.

2012-04-01

Fundamental elements of the success of marine data and information management system and an effective support of marine and maritime economic activities are the speed and the ease with which users can identify, locate, get access, exchange and use oceanographic and marine data and information. There are a lot of activities and bodies have been identified as marine data and information users, such as: science, government and local authorities, port authorities, shipping, marine industry, fishery and aquaculture, tourist industry, environmental protection, coast protection, oil spills combat, Search and Rescue, national security, civil protection, and general public. On other hand diverse sources of real-time and historical marine data and information exist and generally they are fragmented, distributed in different places and sometimes unknown for the users. The marine web portal concept is to build common web based interface which will provide users fast and easy access to all available marine data and information sources, both historical and real-time such as: marine data bases, observing systems, forecasting systems, atlases etc. The service is regionally oriented to meet user needs. The main advantage of the portal is that it provides general look "at glance" on all available marine data and information as well as direct user to easy discover data and information in interest. It is planned to provide personalization ability, which will give the user instrument to tailor visualization according its personal needs.

A study of usability principles and interface design for mobile e-books.

PubMed

Wang, Chao-Ming; Huang, Ching-Hua

2015-01-01

This study examined usability principles and interface designs in order to understand the relationship between the intentions of mobile e-book interface designs and users' perceptions. First, this study summarised 4 usability principles and 16 interface attributes, in order to conduct usability testing and questionnaire survey by referring to Nielsen (1993), Norman (2002), and Yeh (2010), who proposed the usability principles. Second, this study used the interviews to explore the perceptions and behaviours of user operations through senior users of multi-touch prototype devices. The results of this study are as follows: (1) users' behaviour of operating an interactive interface is related to user prior experience; (2) users' rating of the visibility principle is related to users' subjective perception but not related to user prior experience; however, users' ratings of the ease, efficiency, and enjoyment principles are related to user prior experience; (3) the interview survey reveals that the key attributes affecting users' behaviour of operating an interface include aesthetics, achievement, and friendliness. This study conducts experiments to explore the effects of users’ prior multi-touch experience on users’ behaviour of operating a mobile e-book interface and users’ rating of usability principles. Both qualitative and quantitative data analyses were performed. By applying protocol analysis, key attributes affecting users’ behaviour of operation were determined.

CLAMP - a toolkit for efficiently building customized clinical natural language processing pipelines.

PubMed

Soysal, Ergin; Wang, Jingqi; Jiang, Min; Wu, Yonghui; Pakhomov, Serguei; Liu, Hongfang; Xu, Hua

2017-11-24

Existing general clinical natural language processing (NLP) systems such as MetaMap and Clinical Text Analysis and Knowledge Extraction System have been successfully applied to information extraction from clinical text. However, end users often have to customize existing systems for their individual tasks, which can require substantial NLP skills. Here we present CLAMP (Clinical Language Annotation, Modeling, and Processing), a newly developed clinical NLP toolkit that provides not only state-of-the-art NLP components, but also a user-friendly graphic user interface that can help users quickly build customized NLP pipelines for their individual applications. Our evaluation shows that the CLAMP default pipeline achieved good performance on named entity recognition and concept encoding. We also demonstrate the efficiency of the CLAMP graphic user interface in building customized, high-performance NLP pipelines with 2 use cases, extracting smoking status and lab test values. CLAMP is publicly available for research use, and we believe it is a unique asset for the clinical NLP community. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The New Web-Based Hera Data Processing System at the HEASARC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pence, W.

2011-01-01

The HEASARC at NASA/GSFC has provide an on-line astronomical data processing system called Hera for several years. Hera provides a complete data processing environment, including installed software packages, local data storage, and the CPU resources needed to process the user's data. The original design of Hera, however, has 2 requirements that has limited it's usefulness for some users, namely, that 1) the user must download and install a small helper program on their own computer before using Hera, and 2) Hera requires that several computer ports/sockets be allowed to communicate through any local firewalls on the users machine. Both of these restrictions can be problematic for some users, therefore we are now migrating Hera into a purely Web based environment which only requires a standard Web browser. The first release of Web Hera is now publicly available at http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/webheara/. It currently provides a standard graphical interface for running hundreds of different data processing programs that are available in the HEASARC's ftools software package. Over the next year we to add more features to Web Hera, including an interactive command line interface, and more display and line capabilities.

How to Develop a User Interface That Your Real Users Will Love

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, Donald

2012-01-01

A "user interface" is the part of an interactive system that bridges the user and the underlying functionality of the system. But people sometimes forget that the best interfaces will provide a platform to optimize the users' interactions so that they support and extend the users' activities in effective, useful, and usable ways. To look at it…

Make E-Learning Effortless! Impact of a Redesigned User Interface on Usability through the Application of an Affordance Design Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Hyungjoo; Song, Hae-Deok

2015-01-01

Given that a user interface interacts with users, a critical factor to be considered in improving the usability of an e-learning user interface is user-friendliness. Affordances enable users to more easily approach and engage in learning tasks because they strengthen positive, activating emotions. However, most studies on affordances limit…

Computer-Based Tools for Evaluating Graphical User Interfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Loretta A.

1997-01-01

The user interface is the component of a software system that connects two very complex system: humans and computers. Each of these two systems impose certain requirements on the final product. The user is the judge of the usability and utility of the system; the computer software and hardware are the tools with which the interface is constructed. Mistakes are sometimes made in designing and developing user interfaces because the designers and developers have limited knowledge about human performance (e.g., problem solving, decision making, planning, and reasoning). Even those trained in user interface design make mistakes because they are unable to address all of the known requirements and constraints on design. Evaluation of the user inter-face is therefore a critical phase of the user interface development process. Evaluation should not be considered the final phase of design; but it should be part of an iterative design cycle with the output of evaluation being feed back into design. The goal of this research was to develop a set of computer-based tools for objectively evaluating graphical user interfaces. The research was organized into three phases. The first phase resulted in the development of an embedded evaluation tool which evaluates the usability of a graphical user interface based on a user's performance. An expert system to assist in the design and evaluation of user interfaces based upon rules and guidelines was developed during the second phase. During the final phase of the research an automatic layout tool to be used in the initial design of graphical inter- faces was developed. The research was coordinated with NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's Mission Operations Laboratory's efforts in developing onboard payload display specifications for the Space Station.

Role-Based And Adaptive User Interface Designs In A Teledermatology Consult System: A Way To Secure And A Way To Enhance

PubMed Central

Lin, Yi-Jung; Speedie, Stuart

2003-01-01

User interface design is one of the most important parts of developing applications. Nowadays, a quality user interface must not only accommodate interaction between machines and users, but also needs to recognize the differences and provide functionalities for users from role-to-role or even individual-to-individual. With the web-based application of our Teledermatology consult system, the development environment provides us highly useful opportunities to create dynamic user interfaces, which lets us to gain greater access control and has the potential to increase efficiency of the system. We will describe the two models of user interfaces in our system: Role-based and Adaptive. PMID:14728419

Towards automation of user interface design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gastner, Rainer; Kraetzschmar, Gerhard K.; Lutz, Ernst

1992-01-01

This paper suggests an approach to automatic software design in the domain of graphical user interfaces. There are still some drawbacks in existing user interface management systems (UIMS's) which basically offer only quantitative layout specifications via direct manipulation. Our approach suggests a convenient way to get a default graphical user interface which may be customized and redesigned easily in further prototyping cycles.

RadVel: The Radial Velocity Modeling Toolkit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fulton, Benjamin J.; Petigura, Erik A.; Blunt, Sarah; Sinukoff, Evan

2018-04-01

RadVel is an open-source Python package for modeling Keplerian orbits in radial velocity (RV) timeseries. RadVel provides a convenient framework to fit RVs using maximum a posteriori optimization and to compute robust confidence intervals by sampling the posterior probability density via Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). RadVel allows users to float or fix parameters, impose priors, and perform Bayesian model comparison. We have implemented real-time MCMC convergence tests to ensure adequate sampling of the posterior. RadVel can output a number of publication-quality plots and tables. Users may interface with RadVel through a convenient command-line interface or directly from Python. The code is object-oriented and thus naturally extensible. We encourage contributions from the community. Documentation is available at http://radvel.readthedocs.io.

Designing the user interface: strategies for effective human-computer interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shneiderman, B.

1998-03-01

In revising this popular book, Ben Shneiderman again provides a complete, current and authoritative introduction to user-interface design. The user interface is the part of every computer system that determines how people control and operate that system. When the interface is well designed, it is comprehensible, predictable, and controllable; users feel competent, satisfied, and responsible for their actions. Shneiderman discusses the principles and practices needed to design such effective interaction. Based on 20 years experience, Shneiderman offers readers practical techniques and guidelines for interface design. He also takes great care to discuss underlying issues and to support conclusions with empirical results. Interface designers, software engineers, and product managers will all find this book an invaluable resource for creating systems that facilitate rapid learning and performance, yield low error rates, and generate high user satisfaction. Coverage includes the human factors of interactive software (with a new discussion of diverse user communities), tested methods to develop and assess interfaces, interaction styles such as direct manipulation for graphical user interfaces, and design considerations such as effective messages, consistent screen design, and appropriate color.

An Interactive, Web-based High Performance Modeling Environment for Computational Epidemiology.

PubMed

Deodhar, Suruchi; Bisset, Keith R; Chen, Jiangzhuo; Ma, Yifei; Marathe, Madhav V

2014-07-01

We present an integrated interactive modeling environment to support public health epidemiology. The environment combines a high resolution individual-based model with a user-friendly web-based interface that allows analysts to access the models and the analytics back-end remotely from a desktop or a mobile device. The environment is based on a loosely-coupled service-oriented-architecture that allows analysts to explore various counter factual scenarios. As the modeling tools for public health epidemiology are getting more sophisticated, it is becoming increasingly hard for non-computational scientists to effectively use the systems that incorporate such models. Thus an important design consideration for an integrated modeling environment is to improve ease of use such that experimental simulations can be driven by the users. This is achieved by designing intuitive and user-friendly interfaces that allow users to design and analyze a computational experiment and steer the experiment based on the state of the system. A key feature of a system that supports this design goal is the ability to start, stop, pause and roll-back the disease propagation and intervention application process interactively. An analyst can access the state of the system at any point in time and formulate dynamic interventions based on additional information obtained through state assessment. In addition, the environment provides automated services for experiment set-up and management, thus reducing the overall time for conducting end-to-end experimental studies. We illustrate the applicability of the system by describing computational experiments based on realistic pandemic planning scenarios. The experiments are designed to demonstrate the system's capability and enhanced user productivity.

Context-aware brain-computer interfaces: exploring the information space of user, technical system and environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zander, T. O.; Jatzev, S.

2012-02-01

Brain-computer interface (BCI) systems are usually applied in highly controlled environments such as research laboratories or clinical setups. However, many BCI-based applications are implemented in more complex environments. For example, patients might want to use a BCI system at home, and users without disabilities could benefit from BCI systems in special working environments. In these contexts, it might be more difficult to reliably infer information about brain activity, because many intervening factors add up and disturb the BCI feature space. One solution for this problem would be adding context awareness to the system. We propose to augment the available information space with additional channels carrying information about the user state, the environment and the technical system. In particular, passive BCI systems seem to be capable of adding highly relevant context information—otherwise covert aspects of user state. In this paper, we present a theoretical framework based on general human-machine system research for adding context awareness to a BCI system. Building on that, we present results from a study on a passive BCI, which allows access to the covert aspect of user state related to the perceived loss of control. This study is a proof of concept and demonstrates that context awareness could beneficially be implemented in and combined with a BCI system or a general human-machine system. The EEG data from this experiment are available for public download at www.phypa.org. Parts of this work have already been presented in non-journal publications. This will be indicated specifically by appropriate references in the text.

An Interactive, Web-based High Performance Modeling Environment for Computational Epidemiology

PubMed Central

Deodhar, Suruchi; Bisset, Keith R.; Chen, Jiangzhuo; Ma, Yifei; Marathe, Madhav V.

2014-01-01

We present an integrated interactive modeling environment to support public health epidemiology. The environment combines a high resolution individual-based model with a user-friendly web-based interface that allows analysts to access the models and the analytics back-end remotely from a desktop or a mobile device. The environment is based on a loosely-coupled service-oriented-architecture that allows analysts to explore various counter factual scenarios. As the modeling tools for public health epidemiology are getting more sophisticated, it is becoming increasingly hard for non-computational scientists to effectively use the systems that incorporate such models. Thus an important design consideration for an integrated modeling environment is to improve ease of use such that experimental simulations can be driven by the users. This is achieved by designing intuitive and user-friendly interfaces that allow users to design and analyze a computational experiment and steer the experiment based on the state of the system. A key feature of a system that supports this design goal is the ability to start, stop, pause and roll-back the disease propagation and intervention application process interactively. An analyst can access the state of the system at any point in time and formulate dynamic interventions based on additional information obtained through state assessment. In addition, the environment provides automated services for experiment set-up and management, thus reducing the overall time for conducting end-to-end experimental studies. We illustrate the applicability of the system by describing computational experiments based on realistic pandemic planning scenarios. The experiments are designed to demonstrate the system's capability and enhanced user productivity. PMID:25530914

Developing a smartphone interface for the Florida Environmental Public Health Tracking Web portal.

PubMed

Jordan, Melissa; DuClos, Chris; Folsom, John; Thomas, Rebecca

2015-01-01

As smartphone and tablet devices continue to proliferate, it is becoming increasingly important to tailor information delivery to the mobile device. The Florida Environmental Public Health Tracking Program recognized that the mobile device user needs Web content formatted to smaller screen sizes, simplified data displays, and reduced textual information. The Florida Environmental Public Health Tracking Program developed a smartphone-friendly version of the state Web portal for easier access by mobile device users. The resulting smartphone-friendly portal combines calculated data measures such as inpatient hospitalizations and emergency department visits and presents them grouped by county, along with temporal trend graphs. An abbreviated version of the public health messaging provided on the traditional Web portal is also provided, along with social media connections. As a result of these efforts, the percentage of Web site visitors using an iPhone tripled in just 1 year.

NASA Access Mechanism: Lessons learned document

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burdick, Lisa; Dunbar, Rick; Duncan, Denise; Generous, Curtis; Hunter, Judy; Lycas, John; Taber-Dudas, Ardeth

1994-01-01

The six-month beta test of the NASA Access Mechanism (NAM) prototype was completed on June 30, 1993. This report documents the lessons learned from the use of this Graphical User Interface to NASA databases such as the NASA STI Database, outside databases, Internet resources, and peers in the NASA R&D community. Design decisions, such as the use of XWindows software, a client-server distributed architecture, and use of the NASA Science Internet, are explained. Users' reactions to the interface and suggestions for design changes are reported, as are the changes made by the software developers based on new technology for information discovery and retrieval. The lessons learned section also reports reactions from the public, both at demonstrations and in response to articles in the trade press and journals. Recommendations are included for future versions, such as a World Wide Web (WWW) and Mosaic based interface to heterogeneous databases, and NAM-Lite, a version which allows customization to include utilities provided locally at NASA Centers.

Adaptive Interfaces

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-11-01

to design and implement an adaptive intelligent interface for a command-and-control-style domain. The primary functionality of the resulting...technical tasks, as follows: 1. Analysis of Current Interface Technologies 2. Dejineation of User Roles 3. Development of User Models 4. Design of Interface...Management Association (FEMA). In the initial version of the prototype, two distin-t user models were designed . One type of user modeled by the system is

Customization of user interfaces to reduce errors and enhance user acceptance.

PubMed

Burkolter, Dina; Weyers, Benjamin; Kluge, Annette; Luther, Wolfram

2014-03-01

Customization is assumed to reduce error and increase user acceptance in the human-machine relation. Reconfiguration gives the operator the option to customize a user interface according to his or her own preferences. An experimental study with 72 computer science students using a simulated process control task was conducted. The reconfiguration group (RG) interactively reconfigured their user interfaces and used the reconfigured user interface in the subsequent test whereas the control group (CG) used a default user interface. Results showed significantly lower error rates and higher acceptance of the RG compared to the CG while there were no significant differences between the groups regarding situation awareness and mental workload. Reconfiguration seems to be promising and therefore warrants further exploration. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

epiPATH: an information system for the storage and management of molecular epidemiology data from infectious pathogens.

PubMed

Amadoz, Alicia; González-Candelas, Fernando

2007-04-20

Most research scientists working in the fields of molecular epidemiology, population and evolutionary genetics are confronted with the management of large volumes of data. Moreover, the data used in studies of infectious diseases are complex and usually derive from different institutions such as hospitals or laboratories. Since no public database scheme incorporating clinical and epidemiological information about patients and molecular information about pathogens is currently available, we have developed an information system, composed by a main database and a web-based interface, which integrates both types of data and satisfies requirements of good organization, simple accessibility, data security and multi-user support. From the moment a patient arrives to a hospital or health centre until the processing and analysis of molecular sequences obtained from infectious pathogens in the laboratory, lots of information is collected from different sources. We have divided the most relevant data into 12 conceptual modules around which we have organized the database schema. Our schema is very complete and it covers many aspects of sample sources, samples, laboratory processes, molecular sequences, phylogenetics results, clinical tests and results, clinical information, treatments, pathogens, transmissions, outbreaks and bibliographic information. Communication between end-users and the selected Relational Database Management System (RDMS) is carried out by default through a command-line window or through a user-friendly, web-based interface which provides access and management tools for the data. epiPATH is an information system for managing clinical and molecular information from infectious diseases. It facilitates daily work related to infectious pathogens and sequences obtained from them. This software is intended for local installation in order to safeguard private data and provides advanced SQL-users the flexibility to adapt it to their needs. The database schema, tool scripts and web-based interface are free software but data stored in our database server are not publicly available. epiPATH is distributed under the terms of GNU General Public License. More details about epiPATH can be found at http://genevo.uv.es/epipath.

A Tool and Application Programming Interface for Browsing Historical Geostationary Satellite Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chee, T.; Nguyen, L.; Minnis, P.; Spangenberg, D.; Ayers, J.

2013-12-01

Providing access to information is a key concern for NASA Langley Research Center. We describe a tool and method that allows end users to easily browse and access information that is otherwise difficult to acquire and manipulate. The tool described has as its core the application-programming interface that is made available to the public. One goal of the tool is to provide a demonstration to end users so that they can use the enhanced imagery as an input into their own work flows. This project builds upon NASA Langley Cloud and Radiation Group's experience with making real-time and historical satellite imagery accessible and easily searchable. As we see the increasing use of virtual supply chains that provide additional value at each link there is value in making satellite imagery available through a simple access method as well as allowing users to browse and view that imagery as they need rather than in a manner most convenient for the data provider.

User interface issues in supporting human-computer integrated scheduling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, Lynne P.; Biefeld, Eric W.

1991-01-01

The topics are presented in view graph form and include the following: characteristics of Operations Mission Planner (OMP) schedule domain; OMP architecture; definition of a schedule; user interface dimensions; functional distribution; types of users; interpreting user interaction; dynamic overlays; reactive scheduling; and transitioning the interface.

User-driven Cloud Implementation of environmental models and data for all

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gurney, R. J.; Percy, B. J.; Elkhatib, Y.; Blair, G. S.

2014-12-01

Environmental data and models come from disparate sources over a variety of geographical and temporal scales with different resolutions and data standards, often including terabytes of data and model simulations. Unfortunately, these data and models tend to remain solely within the custody of the private and public organisations which create the data, and the scientists who build models and generate results. Although many models and datasets are theoretically available to others, the lack of ease of access tends to keep them out of reach of many. We have developed an intuitive web-based tool that utilises environmental models and datasets located in a cloud to produce results that are appropriate to the user. Storyboards showing the interfaces and visualisations have been created for each of several exemplars. A library of virtual machine images has been prepared to serve these exemplars. Each virtual machine image has been tailored to run computer models appropriate to the end user. Two approaches have been used; first as RESTful web services conforming to the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Processing Service (WPS) interface standard using the Python-based PyWPS; second, a MySQL database interrogated using PHP code. In all cases, the web client sends the server an HTTP GET request to execute the process with a number of parameter values and, once execution terminates, an XML or JSON response is sent back and parsed at the client side to extract the results. All web services are stateless, i.e. application state is not maintained by the server, reducing its operational overheads and simplifying infrastructure management tasks such as load balancing and failure recovery. A hybrid cloud solution has been used with models and data sited on both private and public clouds. The storyboards have been transformed into intuitive web interfaces at the client side using HTML, CSS and JavaScript, utilising plug-ins such as jQuery and Flot (for graphics), and Google Maps APIs. We have demonstrated that a cloud infrastructure can be used to assemble a virtual research environment that, coupled with a user-driven development approach, is able to cater to the needs of a wide range of user groups, from domain experts to concerned members of the general public.

On Abstractions and Simplifications in the Design of Human-Automation Interfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heymann, Michael; Degani, Asaf; Shafto, Michael; Meyer, George; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

This report addresses the design of human-automation interaction from a formal perspective that focuses on the information content of the interface, rather than the design of the graphical user interface. It also addresses the, issue of the information provided to the user (e.g., user-manuals, training material, and all other resources). In this report, we propose a formal procedure for generating interfaces and user-manuals. The procedure is guided by two criteria: First, the interface must be correct, i.e., that with the given interface the user will be able to perform the specified tasks correctly. Second, the interface should be as succinct as possible. The report discusses the underlying concepts and the formal methods for this approach. Several examples are used to illustrate the procedure. The algorithm for constructing interfaces can be automated, and a preliminary software system for its implementation has been developed.

On Abstractions and Simplifications in the Design of Human-Automation Interfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heymann, Michael; Degani, Asaf; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This report addresses the design of human-automation interaction from a formal perspective that focuses on the information content of the interface, rather than the design of the graphical user interface. It also addresses the issue of the information provided to the user (e.g., user-manuals, training material, and all other resources). In this report, we propose a formal procedure for generating interfaces and user-manuals. The procedure is guided by two criteria: First, the interface must be correct, that is, with the given interface the user will be able to perform the specified tasks correctly. Second, the interface should be succinct. The report discusses the underlying concepts and the formal methods for this approach. Two examples are used to illustrate the procedure. The algorithm for constructing interfaces can be automated, and a preliminary software system for its implementation has been developed.

Influencing governance of a public-private partnership in plant genomics: The societal interface group as a new instrument for public involvement.

PubMed

Hanssen, Lucien; Gremmen, Bart

2013-08-01

The Centre for BioSystems Genomics (CBSG) is a Dutch public-private partnership in plant genomics active in potato and tomato research and exploitation. Its Societal Interface Group (SIG) has been developed to inform its communication strategy and governance practice. This new instrument identifies and discusses early signals from society by bringing together people from different societal backgrounds with members of CBSG management. This interactive learning process facilitates the inclusion of public concerns and needs in scientific developments in the field of plant genomics, and simultaneously enables genomics scientists to search for more societal aims, meanings, and starting points for their research agenda. Analysis of the SIG sessions revealed that the input of public expertise is not threatening or irrational, but provides the opportunity to harness the creative potential of future users highly relevant for the development of societal practices in which plant genomics plays a role.

Bringing a Realistic Global Climate Modeling Experience to a Broader Audience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sohl, L. E.; Chandler, M. A.; Zhou, J.

2010-12-01

EdGCM, the Educational Global Climate Model, was developed with the goal of helping students learn about climate change and climate modeling by giving them the ability to run a genuine NASA global climate model (GCM) on a desktop computer. Since EdGCM was first publicly released in January 2005, tens of thousands of users on seven continents have downloaded the software. EdGCM has been utilized by climate science educators from middle school through graduate school levels, and on occasion even by researchers who otherwise do not have ready access to climate model at national labs in the U.S. and elsewhere. The EdGCM software is designed to walk users through the same process a climate scientist would use in designing and running simulations, and analyzing and visualizing GCM output. Although the current interface design gives users a clear view of some of the complexities involved in using a climate model, it can be daunting for users whose main focus is on climate science rather than modeling per se. As part of the work funded by NASA’s Global Climate Change Education (GCCE) program, we will begin modifications to the user interface that will improve the accessibility of EdGCM to a wider array of users, especially at the middle school and high school levels, by: 1) Developing an automated approach (a “wizard”) to simplify the user experience in setting up new climate simulations; 2) Produce a catalog of “rediscovery experiments” that allow users to reproduce published climate model results, and in some cases compare model projections to real world data; and 3) Enhance distance learning and online learning opportunities through the development of a web-based interface. The prototypes for these modifications will then be presented to educators belonging to an EdGCM Users Group for feedback, so that we can further refine the EdGCM software, and thus deliver the tools and materials educators want and need across a wider range of learning environments.

The AAS Working Group on Accessibility and Disability (WGAD) Year 1 Highlights and Database Access

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knierman, Karen A.; Diaz Merced, Wanda; Aarnio, Alicia; Garcia, Beatriz; Monkiewicz, Jacqueline A.; Murphy, Nicholas Arnold

2017-06-01

The AAS Working Group on Accessibility and Disability (WGAD) was formed in January of 2016 with the express purpose of seeking equity of opportunity and building inclusive practices for disabled astronomers at all educational and career stages. In this presentation, we will provide a summary of current activities, focusing on developing best practices for accessibility with respect to astronomical databases, publications, and meetings. Due to the reliance of space sciences on databases, it is important to have user centered design systems for data retrieval. The cognitive overload that may be experienced by users of current databases may be mitigated by use of multi-modal interfaces such as xSonify. Such interfaces would be in parallel or outside the original database and would not require additional software efforts from the original database. WGAD is partnering with the IAU Commission C1 WG Astronomy for Equity and Inclusion to develop such accessibility tools for databases and methods for user testing. To collect data on astronomical conference and meeting accessibility considerations, WGAD solicited feedback from January AAS attendees via a web form. These data, together with upcoming input from the community and analysis of accessibility documents of similar conferences, will be used to create a meeting accessibility document. Additionally, we will update the progress of journal access guidelines and our social media presence via Twitter. We recommend that astronomical journals form committees to evaluate the accessibility of their publications by performing user-centered usability studies.

SraTailor: graphical user interface software for processing and visualizing ChIP-seq data.

PubMed

Oki, Shinya; Maehara, Kazumitsu; Ohkawa, Yasuyuki; Meno, Chikara

2014-12-01

Raw data from ChIP-seq (chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with massively parallel DNA sequencing) experiments are deposited in public databases as SRAs (Sequence Read Archives) that are publically available to all researchers. However, to graphically visualize ChIP-seq data of interest, the corresponding SRAs must be downloaded and converted into BigWig format, a process that involves complicated command-line processing. This task requires users to possess skill with script languages and sequence data processing, a requirement that prevents a wide range of biologists from exploiting SRAs. To address these challenges, we developed SraTailor, a GUI (Graphical User Interface) software package that automatically converts an SRA into a BigWig-formatted file. Simplicity of use is one of the most notable features of SraTailor: entering an accession number of an SRA and clicking the mouse are the only steps required to obtain BigWig-formatted files and to graphically visualize the extents of reads at given loci. SraTailor is also able to make peak calls, generate files of other formats, process users' own data, and accept various command-line-like options. Therefore, this software makes ChIP-seq data fully exploitable by a wide range of biologists. SraTailor is freely available at http://www.devbio.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp/sra_tailor/, and runs on both Mac and Windows machines. © 2014 The Authors Genes to Cells © 2014 by the Molecular Biology Society of Japan and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Enhancing Image Findability through a Dual-Perspective Navigation Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Yi-Ling

2013-01-01

This dissertation focuses on investigating whether users will locate desired images more efficiently and effectively when they are provided with information descriptors from both experts and the general public. This study develops a way to support image finding through a human-computer interface by providing subject headings and social tags about…

User Perceptions of the Library's Web Pages: A Focus Group Study at Texas A&M University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crowley, Gwyneth H.; Leffel, Rob; Ramirez, Diana; Hart, Judith L.; Armstrong, Tommy S., II

2002-01-01

This focus group study explored library patrons' opinions about Texas A&M library's Web pages. Discusses information seeking behavior which indicated that patrons are confused when trying to navigate the Public Access Menu and suggests the need for a more intuitive interface. (Author/LRW)

Dialogue with an OPAC: How Visionary Was Swanson in 1964?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Su, Shiao-Feng

1994-01-01

Traces the development of online public access catalogs (OPACs) and compares what has occurred with a 1964 article that outlined recommendations for a future card catalog. Subject access is emphasized, including Library of Congress Subject Headings, expansion of OPACs, user-friendly interfaces, new technologies, and current visions of the future…

CALIL.JP, a new web service that provides one-stop searching of Japan-wide libraries' collections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshimoto, Ryuuji

Calil.JP is a new free online service that enables federated searching, marshalling and integration of Web-OPAC data on the collections of libraries from around Japan. It offers the search results through user-friendly interface. Developed with a concept of accelerating discovery of fun-to-read books and motivating users to head for libraries, Calil was initially designed mainly for public library users. It now extends to cover university libraries and special libraries. This article presents the Calil's basic capabilities, concept, progress made thus far, and plan for further development as viewed from an engineering development manager.

RoboJockey: Designing an Entertainment Experience with Robots.

PubMed

Yoshida, Shigeo; Shirokura, Takumi; Sugiura, Yuta; Sakamoto, Daisuke; Ono, Tetsuo; Inami, Masahiko; Igarashi, Takeo

2016-01-01

The RoboJockey entertainment system consists of a multitouch tabletop interface for multiuser collaboration. RoboJockey enables a user to choreograph a mobile robot or a humanoid robot by using a simple visual language. With RoboJockey, a user can coordinate the mobile robot's actions with a combination of back, forward, and rotating movements and coordinate the humanoid robot's actions with a combination of arm and leg movements. Every action is automatically performed to background music. RoboJockey was demonstrated to the public during two pilot studies, and the authors observed users' behavior. Here, they report the results of their observations and discuss the RoboJockey entertainment experience.

E-Control: First Public Release of Remote Control Software for VLBI Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neidhardt, Alexander; Ettl, Martin; Rottmann, Helge; Ploetz, Christian; Muehlbauer, Matthias; Hase, Hayo; Alef, Walter; Sobarzo, Sergio; Herrera, Cristian; Himwich, Ed

2010-01-01

Automating and remotely controlling observations are important for future operations in a Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS). At the Geodetic Observatory Wettzell, in cooperation with the Max-Planck-Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, a software extension to the existing NASA Field System has been developed for remote control. It uses the principle of a remotely accessible, autonomous process cell as a server extension for the Field System. The communication is realized for low transfer rates using Remote Procedure Calls (RPC). It uses generative programming with the interface software generator idl2rpc.pl developed at Wettzell. The user interacts with this system over a modern graphical user interface created with wxWidgets. For security reasons the communication is automatically tunneled through a Secure Shell (SSH) session to the telescope. There are already successful test observations with the telescopes at O Higgins, Concepcion, and Wettzell. At Wettzell the software is already used routinely for weekend observations. Therefore the first public release of the software is now available, which will also be useful for other telescopes.

CARE 3 user-friendly interface user's guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martensen, A. L.

1987-01-01

CARE 3 predicts the unreliability of highly reliable reconfigurable fault-tolerant systems that include redundant computers or computer systems. CARE3MENU is a user-friendly interface used to create an input for the CARE 3 program. The CARE3MENU interface has been designed to minimize user input errors. Although a CARE3MENU session may be successfully completed and all parameters may be within specified limits or ranges, the CARE 3 program is not guaranteed to produce meaningful results if the user incorrectly interprets the CARE 3 stochastic model. The CARE3MENU User Guide provides complete information on how to create a CARE 3 model with the interface. The CARE3MENU interface runs under the VAX/VMS operating system.

AGUIA: autonomous graphical user interface assembly for clinical trials semantic data services

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background AGUIA is a front-end web application originally developed to manage clinical, demographic and biomolecular patient data collected during clinical trials at MD Anderson Cancer Center. The diversity of methods involved in patient screening and sample processing generates a variety of data types that require a resource-oriented architecture to capture the associations between the heterogeneous data elements. AGUIA uses a semantic web formalism, resource description framework (RDF), and a bottom-up design of knowledge bases that employ the S3DB tool as the starting point for the client's interface assembly. Methods The data web service, S3DB, meets the necessary requirements of generating the RDF and of explicitly distinguishing the description of the domain from its instantiation, while allowing for continuous editing of both. Furthermore, it uses an HTTP-REST protocol, has a SPARQL endpoint, and has open source availability in the public domain, which facilitates the development and dissemination of this application. However, S3DB alone does not address the issue of representing content in a form that makes sense for domain experts. Results We identified an autonomous set of descriptors, the GBox, that provides user and domain specifications for the graphical user interface. This was achieved by identifying a formalism that makes use of an RDF schema to enable the automatic assembly of graphical user interfaces in a meaningful manner while using only resources native to the client web browser (JavaScript interpreter, document object model). We defined a generalized RDF model such that changes in the graphic descriptors are automatically and immediately (locally) reflected into the configuration of the client's interface application. Conclusions The design patterns identified for the GBox benefit from and reflect the specific requirements of interacting with data generated by clinical trials, and they contain clues for a general purpose solution to the challenge of having interfaces automatically assembled for multiple and volatile views of a domain. By coding AGUIA in JavaScript, for which all browsers include a native interpreter, a solution was found that assembles interfaces that are meaningful to the particular user, and which are also ubiquitous and lightweight, allowing the computational load to be carried by the client's machine. PMID:20977768

Collaborative Cyberinfrastructure: Crowdsourcing of Knowledge and Discoveries (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gay, P.

2013-12-01

The design and implementation of programs to crowdsource science presents a unique set of challenges to system architects, programmers, and designers. In this presentation, one solution, CosmoQuest's Citizen Science Builder (CSB), will be discussed. CSB combines a clean user interface with a powerful back end to allow the quick design and deployment of citizen science sites that meet the needs of both the random Joe Public, and the detail driven Albert Professional. In this talk, the software will be overviewed, and the results of usability testing and accuracy testing with both citizen and professional scientists will be discussed. The software is designed to run on one or more LINUX systems running Apache webserver with MySQL and PHP. The interface is HTML5 and relies on javascript and AJAX to provide a dynamic interactive experience. CosmoQuest currently runs on Amazon Web Services and uses VBulletin for logins. The public-facing aspects of CSB provide a uniform experience that allows citizen scientists to use a simple set of tools to achieve a diversity of tasks. This interface presents users with a large view window for data, a toolbar reminiscent of MS Word or Adobe Photoshop with tools from drawing circles or segmented lines, flagging features from a dropdown menu, or marking specific objects with a set marker. The toolbar also allows users to select checkboxes describing the image as a whole. In addition to the viewer and toolbar, volunteers can also access tooltips, examples, and a video tutorial. The scientist interface for CSB gives the science team the ability to prioritize images, download results, create comparison data to validate volunteer data, and also provides access to downloadable tools for doing data analysis. Both these interfaces are controlled through a simple set of config files, although some tasks require customization of the controlling javascript. These are used to point the software at YouTube tutorials, graphics, and the correct toolsets. The only part of the interface requiring direct CSB administrator attention is the uploading of new images/movies onto the server and uploading of meta-data about the data into the database. This step must be customized for each unique data set. Initial research shows that professionals using the software to annotate images - marking craters on the moon to be specific - are as accurate with CSB as they are with their favourite professional software. It also shows that the results of members of the public are within error of the results of the professionals, with roughly the same level of error in each group and across many crater scales. Results of interviews with volunteers about their ease moving between interfaces for different projects, and response to the aesthetics of the site will also be discussed during this presentation

List of U.S. Army Research Institute Research and Technical Publications for Public Release/Unlimited Distribution, Fiscal Year 2008

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-11-01

times were shorter, collisions were fewer, and more targets were photographed. Effects of video game experience and spatial ability were also...Control Spatial ability, video game , user-interface, remote control, robot TR 1230 The Perception and Estimation of Egocentric Distance in Real and...development by RDECOM-STTC, and ARI is using the AW-VTT to research challenges in the use of distributed, game -based simulations for training

TangibleCubes — Implementation of Tangible User Interfaces through the Usage of Microcontroller and Sensor Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setscheny, Stephan

The interaction between human beings and technology builds a central aspect in human life. The most common form of this human-technology interface is the graphical user interface which is controlled through the mouse and the keyboard. In consequence of continuous miniaturization and the increasing performance of microcontrollers and sensors for the detection of human interactions, developers receive new possibilities for realising innovative interfaces. As far as this movement is concerned, the relevance of computers in the common sense and graphical user interfaces is decreasing. Especially in the area of ubiquitous computing and the interaction through tangible user interfaces a highly impact of this technical evolution can be seen. Apart from this, tangible and experience able interaction offers users the possibility of an interactive and intuitive method for controlling technical objects. The implementation of microcontrollers for control functions and sensors enables the realisation of these experience able interfaces. Besides the theories about tangible user interfaces, the consideration about sensors and the Arduino platform builds a main aspect of this work.

User interface design principles for the SSM/PMAD automated power system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jakstas, Laura M.; Myers, Chris J.

1991-01-01

Martin Marietta has developed a user interface for the space station module power management and distribution (SSM/PMAD) automated power system testbed which provides human access to the functionality of the power system, as well as exemplifying current techniques in user interface design. The testbed user interface was designed to enable an engineer to operate the system easily without having significant knowledge of computer systems, as well as provide an environment in which the engineer can monitor and interact with the SSM/PMAD system hardware. The design of the interface supports a global view of the most important data from the various hardware and software components, as well as enabling the user to obtain additional or more detailed data when needed. The components and representations of the SSM/PMAD testbed user interface are examined. An engineer's interactions with the system are also described.

Developing a Graphical User Interface for the ALSS Crop Planning Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koehlert, Erik

1997-01-01

The goal of my project was to create a graphical user interface for a prototype crop scheduler. The crop scheduler was developed by Dr. Jorge Leon and Laura Whitaker for the ALSS (Advanced Life Support System) program. The addition of a system-independent graphical user interface to the crop planning tool will make the application more accessible to a wider range of users and enhance its value as an analysis, design, and planning tool. My presentation will demonstrate the form and functionality of this interface. This graphical user interface allows users to edit system parameters stored in the file system. Data on the interaction of the crew, crops, and waste processing system with the available system resources is organized and labeled. Program output, which is stored in the file system, is also presented to the user in performance-time plots and organized charts. The menu system is designed to guide the user through analysis and decision making tasks, providing some help if necessary. The Java programming language was used to develop this interface in hopes of providing portability and remote operation.

UIVerify: A Web-Based Tool for Verification and Automatic Generation of User Interfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shiffman, Smadar; Degani, Asaf; Heymann, Michael

2004-01-01

In this poster, we describe a web-based tool for verification and automatic generation of user interfaces. The verification component of the tool accepts as input a model of a machine and a model of its interface, and checks that the interface is adequate (correct). The generation component of the tool accepts a model of a given machine and the user's task, and then generates a correct and succinct interface. This write-up will demonstrate the usefulness of the tool by verifying the correctness of a user interface to a flight-control system. The poster will include two more examples of using the tool: verification of the interface to an espresso machine, and automatic generation of a succinct interface to a large hypothetical machine.

STORMSeq: an open-source, user-friendly pipeline for processing personal genomics data in the cloud.

PubMed

Karczewski, Konrad J; Fernald, Guy Haskin; Martin, Alicia R; Snyder, Michael; Tatonetti, Nicholas P; Dudley, Joel T

2014-01-01

The increasing public availability of personal complete genome sequencing data has ushered in an era of democratized genomics. However, read mapping and variant calling software is constantly improving and individuals with personal genomic data may prefer to customize and update their variant calls. Here, we describe STORMSeq (Scalable Tools for Open-Source Read Mapping), a graphical interface cloud computing solution that does not require a parallel computing environment or extensive technical experience. This customizable and modular system performs read mapping, read cleaning, and variant calling and annotation. At present, STORMSeq costs approximately $2 and 5-10 hours to process a full exome sequence and $30 and 3-8 days to process a whole genome sequence. We provide this open-access and open-source resource as a user-friendly interface in Amazon EC2.

Distributed On-line Monitoring System Based on Modem and Public Phone Net

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Dandan; Zhang, Qiushi; Li, Guiru

In order to solve the monitoring problem of urban sewage disposal, a distributed on-line monitoring system is proposed. By introducing dial-up communication technology based on Modem, the serial communication program can rationally solve the information transmission problem between master station and slave station. The realization of serial communication program is based on the MSComm control of C++ Builder 6.0.The software includes real-time data operation part and history data handling part, which using Microsoft SQL Server 2000 for database, and C++ Builder6.0 for user interface. The monitoring center displays a user interface with alarm information of over-standard data and real-time curve. Practical application shows that the system has successfully accomplished the real-time data acquisition from data gather station, and stored them in the terminal database.

OceanVideoLab: A Tool for Exploring Underwater Video

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrini, V. L.; Morton, J. J.; Wiener, C.

2016-02-01

Video imagery acquired with underwater vehicles is an essential tool for characterizing seafloor ecosystems and seafloor geology. It is a fundamental component of ocean exploration that facilitates real-time operations, augments multidisciplinary scientific research, and holds tremendous potential for public outreach and engagement. Acquiring, documenting, managing, preserving and providing access to large volumes of video acquired with underwater vehicles presents a variety of data stewardship challenges to the oceanographic community. As a result, only a fraction of underwater video content collected with research submersibles is documented, discoverable and/or viewable online. With more than 1 billion users, YouTube offers infrastructure that can be leveraged to help address some of the challenges associated with sharing underwater video with a broad global audience. Anyone can post content to YouTube, and some oceanographic organizations, such as the Schmidt Ocean Institute, have begun live-streaming video directly from underwater vehicles. OceanVideoLab (oceanvideolab.org) was developed to help improve access to underwater video through simple annotation, browse functionality, and integration with related environmental data. Any underwater video that is publicly accessible on YouTube can be registered with OceanVideoLab by simply providing a URL. It is strongly recommended that a navigational file also be supplied to enable geo-referencing of observations. Once a video is registered, it can be viewed and annotated using a simple user interface that integrates observations with vehicle navigation data if provided. This interface includes an interactive map and a list of previous annotations that allows users to jump to times of specific observations in the video. Future enhancements to OceanVideoLab will include the deployment of a search interface, the development of an application program interface (API) that will drive the search and enable querying of content by other systems/tools, the integration of related environmental data from complementary data systems (e.g. temperature, bathymetry), and the expansion of infrastructure to enable broad crowdsourcing of annotations.

Developing A Web-based User Interface for Semantic Information Retrieval

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berrios, Daniel C.; Keller, Richard M.

2003-01-01

While there are now a number of languages and frameworks that enable computer-based systems to search stored data semantically, the optimal design for effective user interfaces for such systems is still uncle ar. Such interfaces should mask unnecessary query detail from users, yet still allow them to build queries of arbitrary complexity without significant restrictions. We developed a user interface supporting s emantic query generation for Semanticorganizer, a tool used by scient ists and engineers at NASA to construct networks of knowledge and dat a. Through this interface users can select node types, node attribute s and node links to build ad-hoc semantic queries for searching the S emanticOrganizer network.

CLIPS application user interface for the PC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jenkins, Jim; Holbrook, Rebecca; Shewhart, Mark; Crouse, Joey; Yarost, Stuart

1991-01-01

The majority of applications that utilize expert system development programs for their knowledge representation and inferencing capability require some form of interface with the end user. This interface is more than likely an interaction through the computer screen. When building an application the user interface can prove to be the most difficult and time consuming aspect to program. Commercial products currently exist which address this issue. To keep pace C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) will need to find a solution for their lack of an easy to use Application User Interface (AUI). This paper represents a survey of the DoD CLIPS' user community and provides the backbone of a possible solution.

A user interface development tool for space science systems Transportable Applications Environment (TAE) Plus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Szczur, Martha R.

1990-01-01

The Transportable Applications Environment Plus (TAE PLUS), developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, is a portable What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) user interface development and management system. Its primary objective is to provide an integrated software environment that allows interactive prototyping and development that of user interfaces, as well as management of the user interface within the operational domain. Although TAE Plus is applicable to many types of applications, its focus is supporting user interfaces for space applications. This paper discusses what TAE Plus provides and how the implementation has utilized state-of-the-art technologies within graphic workstations, windowing systems and object-oriented programming languages.

Lynx: a database and knowledge extraction engine for integrative medicine.

PubMed

Sulakhe, Dinanath; Balasubramanian, Sandhya; Xie, Bingqing; Feng, Bo; Taylor, Andrew; Wang, Sheng; Berrocal, Eduardo; Dave, Utpal; Xu, Jinbo; Börnigen, Daniela; Gilliam, T Conrad; Maltsev, Natalia

2014-01-01

We have developed Lynx (http://lynx.ci.uchicago.edu)--a web-based database and a knowledge extraction engine, supporting annotation and analysis of experimental data and generation of weighted hypotheses on molecular mechanisms contributing to human phenotypes and disorders of interest. Its underlying knowledge base (LynxKB) integrates various classes of information from >35 public databases and private collections, as well as manually curated data from our group and collaborators. Lynx provides advanced search capabilities and a variety of algorithms for enrichment analysis and network-based gene prioritization to assist the user in extracting meaningful knowledge from LynxKB and experimental data, whereas its service-oriented architecture provides public access to LynxKB and its analytical tools via user-friendly web services and interfaces.

Human/Computer Interfacing in Educational Environments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sarti, Luigi

1992-01-01

This discussion of educational applications of user interfaces covers the benefits of adopting database techniques in organizing multimedia materials; the evolution of user interface technology, including teletype interfaces, analogic overlay graphics, window interfaces, and adaptive systems; application design problems, including the…

Developing the Multimedia User Interface Component (MUSIC) for the Icarus Presentation System (IPS)

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-12-01

AD-A276 341 In-House Report December 1993 DEVELOPING THE MULTIMEDIA USER INTERFACE COMPONENT ( MUSIC ) FOR THE ICARUS PRESENTATION SYSTEM (IPS) Ingrid...DATEs COVERED 7 December 1993 Ina-House Jun - Aug 93 4 TWLE AM SL1sM1E & FUNDING NUMBERS DEVELOPING THE MULTIMEDIA USER INTERFACE COMPONENT ( MUSIC ) PE...the Multimedia User Interface Component ( MUSIC ). This report documents the initial research, design and implementation of a prototype of the MUSIC

A methodology for the design and evaluation of user interfaces for interactive information systems. Ph.D. Thesis Final Report, 1 Jul. 1985 - 31 Dec. 1987

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dominick, Wayne D. (Editor); Farooq, Mohammad U.

1986-01-01

The definition of proposed research addressing the development and validation of a methodology for the design and evaluation of user interfaces for interactive information systems is given. The major objectives of this research are: the development of a comprehensive, objective, and generalizable methodology for the design and evaluation of user interfaces for information systems; the development of equations and/or analytical models to characterize user behavior and the performance of a designed interface; the design of a prototype system for the development and administration of user interfaces; and the design and use of controlled experiments to support the research and test/validate the proposed methodology. The proposed design methodology views the user interface as a virtual machine composed of three layers: an interactive layer, a dialogue manager layer, and an application interface layer. A command language model of user system interactions is presented because of its inherent simplicity and structured approach based on interaction events. All interaction events have a common structure based on common generic elements necessary for a successful dialogue. It is shown that, using this model, various types of interfaces could be designed and implemented to accommodate various categories of users. The implementation methodology is discussed in terms of how to store and organize the information.

Development and evaluation of nursing user interface screens using multiple methods.

PubMed

Hyun, Sookyung; Johnson, Stephen B; Stetson, Peter D; Bakken, Suzanne

2009-12-01

Building upon the foundation of the Structured Narrative Electronic Health Record (EHR) model, we applied theory-based (combined Technology Acceptance Model and Task-Technology Fit Model) and user-centered methods to explore nurses' perceptions of functional requirements for an electronic nursing documentation system, design user interface screens reflective of the nurses' perspectives, and assess nurses' perceptions of the usability of the prototype user interface screens. The methods resulted in user interface screens that were perceived to be easy to use, potentially useful, and well-matched to nursing documentation tasks associated with Nursing Admission Assessment, Blood Administration, and Nursing Discharge Summary. The methods applied in this research may serve as a guide for others wishing to implement user-centered processes to develop or extend EHR systems. In addition, some of the insights obtained in this study may be informative to the development of safe and efficient user interface screens for nursing document templates in EHRs.

Cooperative processing user interfaces for AdaNET

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gutzmann, Kurt M.

1991-01-01

A cooperative processing user interface (CUI) system shares the task of graphical display generation and presentation between the user's computer and a remote host. The communications link between the two computers is typically a modem or Ethernet. The two main purposes of a CUI are reduction of the amount of data transmitted between user and host machines, and provision of a graphical user interface system to make the system easier to use.

DMPTool: New Guidance, Resources, and Outreach for Quality Data Management Plans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruse, P.; Sallans, A.

2013-12-01

A growing number of US federal funding agencies require data management plans (DMP) as part of new research grant proposals. To help researchers with this requirement, several organizations (the California Digital Library, University of Illinois, University of Virginia, Smithsonian Institution, the DataONE consortium and the (UK) Digital Curation Centre) came together to develop the DMPTool in 2011. The goal of the DMPTool is to provide researchers with guidance, links to resources and help with writing data management plans. Thanks to a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, these organizations have been able to develop DMPTool2, adding new features and functionality, while aiming to grow the number of users and funding requirements and build a community around DMP best practices. Researchers create plans in the tool by selecting their desired funding agency. The tool provides specific requirements from the selected agency as well as detailed help with each area of the plan. Users have access to complete DMP life cycle management, tracking changes through creation, editing, submission, evaluation, and publication. They may also perform enhanced keyword searches and view publicly available plans. With role-based user authorization, users may hold various roles within the interface: creators, collaborators, institutional administrators, and tool administrators. Furthermore, partner institutions can add significant value to the process with several special tool features. Along with institutional branding in the interface, they can provide links to resources they provide to users, such as to preservation repositories, consultation services, or news and event items. In addition, partner institutions can provide help with specific plan questions, and even suggest responses. Institutional administrators can also mine data on plans in order to better support researchers. Institutions may be represented in different roles: as a funder, a researcher's affiliate, or as an institution with its own DMP requirements.

Pulse Sequence Programming in a Dynamic Visual Environment: SequenceTree

PubMed Central

Magland, Jeremy F.; Li, Cheng; Langham, Michael C.; Wehrli, Felix W.

2015-01-01

Purpose To describe SequenceTree (ST), an open source. integrated software environment for implementing MRI pulse sequences, and ideally exported them to actual MRI scanners. The software is a user-friendly alternative to vendor-supplied pulse sequence design and editing tools and is suited for non-programmers and programmers alike. Methods The integrated user interface was programmed using the Qt4/C++ toolkit. As parameters and code are modified, the pulse sequence diagram is automatically updated within the user interface. Several aspects of pulse programming are handled automatically allowing users to focus on higher-level aspects of sequence design. Sequences can be simulated using a built-in Bloch equation solver and then exported for use on a Siemens MRI scanner. Ideally other types of scanners will be supported in the future. Results The software has been used for eight years in the authors’ laboratory and elsewhere and has been utilized in more than fifty peer-reviewed publications in areas such as cardiovascular imaging, solid state and non-proton NMR, MR elastography, and high resolution structural imaging. Conclusion ST is an innovative, open source, visual pulse sequence environment for MRI combining simplicity with flexibility and is ideal for both advanced users and those with limited programming experience. PMID:25754837

Multi-modal virtual environment research at Armstrong Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eggleston, Robert G.

1995-01-01

One mission of the Paul M. Fitts Human Engineering Division of Armstrong Laboratory is to improve the user interface for complex systems through user-centered exploratory development and research activities. In support of this goal, many current projects attempt to advance and exploit user-interface concepts made possible by virtual reality (VR) technologies. Virtual environments may be used as a general purpose interface medium, an alternative display/control method, a data visualization and analysis tool, or a graphically based performance assessment tool. An overview is given of research projects within the division on prototype interface hardware/software development, integrated interface concept development, interface design and evaluation tool development, and user and mission performance evaluation tool development.

Interactive Design and the Mythical "Intuitive User Interface."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bielenberg, Daniel R.

1993-01-01

Discusses the design of graphical user interfaces. Highlights include conceptual models, including user needs, content, and what multimedia can do; and tools for building the users' mental models, including metaphor, natural mappings, prompts, feedback, and user testing. (LRW)

CARL Corporation to Market Knight Ridder DIALOG Databases to the Academic and Public Library Market.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Machovec, George S.

1996-01-01

With the advent of CD-ROMs, libraries began to limit online searching via DIALOG. To increase DIALOG's market share, Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries (CARL) Corporation is developing graphical user interfaces using World Wide Web and Windows technology and has reached agreements with Knight Ridder Information and with most of their database…

User Interface Design for Dynamic Geometry Software

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kortenkamp, Ulrich; Dohrmann, Christian

2010-01-01

In this article we describe long-standing user interface issues with Dynamic Geometry Software and common approaches to address them. We describe first prototypes of multi-touch-capable DGS. We also give some hints on the educational benefits of proper user interface design.

The development of an intelligent user interface for NASA's scientific databases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, William J.; Roelofs, Larry H.

1986-01-01

The National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) has initiated an Intelligent Data Management (IDM) research effort which has as one of its components, the development of an Intelligent User Interface (IUI). The intent of the IUI effort is to develop a friendly and intelligent user interface service that is based on expert systems and natural language processing technologies. This paper presents the design concepts, development approach and evaluation of performance of a prototype Intelligent User Interface Subsystem (IUIS) supporting an operational database.

A parallel coordinates style interface for exploratory volume visualization.

PubMed

Tory, Melanie; Potts, Simeon; Möller, Torsten

2005-01-01

We present a user interface, based on parallel coordinates, that facilitates exploration of volume data. By explicitly representing the visualization parameter space, the interface provides an overview of rendering options and enables users to easily explore different parameters. Rendered images are stored in an integrated history bar that facilitates backtracking to previous visualization options. Initial usability testing showed clear agreement between users and experts of various backgrounds (usability, graphic design, volume visualization, and medical physics) that the proposed user interface is a valuable data exploration tool.

Scenarios, personas and user stories from design ethnography: Evidence-based design representations of communicable disease investigations

PubMed Central

Turner, Anne M; Reeder, Blaine; Ramey, Judith

2014-01-01

Purpose Despite years of effort and millions of dollars spent to create a unified electronic communicable disease reporting systems, the goal remains elusive. A major barrier has been a lack of understanding by system designers of communicable disease (CD) work and the public health workers who perform this work. This study reports on the application of User Center Design representations, traditionally used for improving interface design, to translate the complex CD work identified through ethnographic studies to guide designers and developers of CD systems. The purpose of this work is to: (1) better understand public health practitioners and their information workflow with respect to communicable disease (CD) monitoring and control at a local health department, and (2) to develop evidence-based design representations that model this CD work to inform the design of future disease surveillance systems. Methods We performed extensive onsite semi-structured interviews, targeted work shadowing and a focus group to characterize local health department communicable disease workflow. Informed by principles of design ethnography and user-centered design (UCD) we created persona, scenarios and user stories to accurately represent the user to system designers. Results We sought to convey to designers the key findings from ethnographic studies: 1) that public health CD work is mobile and episodic, in contrast to current CD reporting systems, which are stationary and fixed 2) health department efforts are focused on CD investigation and response rather than reporting and 3) current CD information systems must conform to PH workflow to ensure their usefulness. In an effort to illustrate our findings to designers, we developed three contemporary design-support representations: persona, scenario, and user story. Conclusions Through application of user centered design principles, we were able to create design representations that illustrate complex public health communicable disease workflow and key user characteristics to inform the design of CD information systems for public health. PMID:23618996

WHAM!: a web-based visualization suite for user-defined analysis of metagenomic shotgun sequencing data.

PubMed

Devlin, Joseph C; Battaglia, Thomas; Blaser, Martin J; Ruggles, Kelly V

2018-06-25

Exploration of large data sets, such as shotgun metagenomic sequence or expression data, by biomedical experts and medical professionals remains as a major bottleneck in the scientific discovery process. Although tools for this purpose exist for 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing analysis, there is a growing but still insufficient number of user-friendly interactive visualization workflows for easy data exploration and figure generation. The development of such platforms for this purpose is necessary to accelerate and streamline microbiome laboratory research. We developed the Workflow Hub for Automated Metagenomic Exploration (WHAM!) as a web-based interactive tool capable of user-directed data visualization and statistical analysis of annotated shotgun metagenomic and metatranscriptomic data sets. WHAM! includes exploratory and hypothesis-based gene and taxa search modules for visualizing differences in microbial taxa and gene family expression across experimental groups, and for creating publication quality figures without the need for command line interface or in-house bioinformatics. WHAM! is an interactive and customizable tool for downstream metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analysis providing a user-friendly interface allowing for easy data exploration by microbiome and ecological experts to facilitate discovery in multi-dimensional and large-scale data sets.

Earthdata User Interface Patterns: Building Usable Web Interfaces Through a Shared UI Pattern Library

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siarto, J.

2014-12-01

As more Earth science software tools and services move to the web--the design and usability of those tools become ever more important. A good user interface is becoming expected and users are becoming increasingly intolerant of websites and web applications that work against them. The Earthdata UI Pattern Library attempts to give these scientists and developers the design tools they need to make usable, compelling user interfaces without the associated overhead of using a full design team. Patterns are tested and functional user interface elements targeted specifically at the Earth science community and will include web layouts, buttons, tables, typography, iconography, mapping and visualization/graphing widgets. These UI elements have emerged as the result of extensive user testing, research and software development within the NASA Earthdata team over the past year.

MOO in Your Face: Researching, Designing, and Programming a User-Friendly Interface.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haas, Mark; Gardner, Clinton

1999-01-01

Suggests the learning curve of a multi-user, object-oriented domain (MOO) blockades effective use. Discusses use of an IBM/PC-compatible interface that allows developers to modify the interface to provide a sense of presence for the user. Concludes that work in programming a variety of interfaces has led to a more intuitive environment for…

GRAMM-X public web server for protein–protein docking

PubMed Central

Tovchigrechko, Andrey; Vakser, Ilya A.

2006-01-01

Protein docking software GRAMM-X and its web interface () extend the original GRAMM Fast Fourier Transformation methodology by employing smoothed potentials, refinement stage, and knowledge-based scoring. The web server frees users from complex installation of database-dependent parallel software and maintaining large hardware resources needed for protein docking simulations. Docking problems submitted to GRAMM-X server are processed by a 320 processor Linux cluster. The server was extensively tested by benchmarking, several months of public use, and participation in the CAPRI server track. PMID:16845016

CHROMA: consensus-based colouring of multiple alignments for publication.

PubMed

Goodstadt, L; Ponting, C P

2001-09-01

CHROMA annotates multiple protein sequence alignments by consensus to produce formatted and coloured text suitable for incorporation into other documents for publication. The package is designed to be flexible and reliable, and has a simple-to-use graphical user interface running under Microsoft Windows. Both the executables and source code for CHROMA running under Windows and Linux (portable command-line only) are freely available at http://www.lg.ndirect.co.uk/chroma. Software enquiries should be directed to CHROMA@lg.ndirect.co.uk.

EEGLAB: an open source toolbox for analysis of single-trial EEG dynamics including independent component analysis.

PubMed

Delorme, Arnaud; Makeig, Scott

2004-03-15

We have developed a toolbox and graphic user interface, EEGLAB, running under the crossplatform MATLAB environment (The Mathworks, Inc.) for processing collections of single-trial and/or averaged EEG data of any number of channels. Available functions include EEG data, channel and event information importing, data visualization (scrolling, scalp map and dipole model plotting, plus multi-trial ERP-image plots), preprocessing (including artifact rejection, filtering, epoch selection, and averaging), independent component analysis (ICA) and time/frequency decompositions including channel and component cross-coherence supported by bootstrap statistical methods based on data resampling. EEGLAB functions are organized into three layers. Top-layer functions allow users to interact with the data through the graphic interface without needing to use MATLAB syntax. Menu options allow users to tune the behavior of EEGLAB to available memory. Middle-layer functions allow users to customize data processing using command history and interactive 'pop' functions. Experienced MATLAB users can use EEGLAB data structures and stand-alone signal processing functions to write custom and/or batch analysis scripts. Extensive function help and tutorial information are included. A 'plug-in' facility allows easy incorporation of new EEG modules into the main menu. EEGLAB is freely available (http://www.sccn.ucsd.edu/eeglab/) under the GNU public license for noncommercial use and open source development, together with sample data, user tutorial and extensive documentation.

Using Twitter to Better Understand the Spatiotemporal Patterns of Public Sentiment: A Case Study in Massachusetts, USA

PubMed Central

MacNaughton, Piers; Deng, Zhengyi; Yin, Jie; Zhang, Xi; Allen, Joseph G.

2018-01-01

Twitter provides a rich database of spatiotemporal information about users who broadcast their real-time opinions, sentiment, and activities. In this paper, we sought to investigate the holistic influence of land use and time period on public sentiment. A total of 880,937 tweets posted by 26,060 active users were collected across Massachusetts (MA), USA, through 31 November 2012 to 3 June 2013. The IBM Watson Alchemy API (application program interface) was employed to quantify the sentiment scores conveyed by tweets on a large scale. Then we statistically analyzed the sentiment scores across different spaces and times. A multivariate linear mixed-effects model was used to quantify the fixed effects of land use and the time period on the variations in sentiment scores, considering the clustering effect of users. The results exposed clear spatiotemporal patterns of users’ sentiment. Higher sentiment scores were mainly observed in the commercial and public areas, during the noon/evening and on weekends. Our findings suggest that social media outputs can be used to better understand the spatial and temporal patterns of public happiness and well-being in cities and regions. PMID:29393869

Command and control interfaces for advanced neuroprosthetic applications.

PubMed

Scott, T R; Haugland, M

2001-10-01

Command and control interfaces permit the intention and situation of the user to influence the operation of the neural prosthesis. The wishes of the user are communicated via command interfaces to the neural prosthesis and the situation of the user by feedback control interfaces. Both these interfaces have been reviewed separately and are discussed in light of the current state of the art and projections for the future. It is apparent that as system functional complexity increases, the need for simpler command interfaces will increase. Such systems will demand more information to function effectively in order not to unreasonably increase user attention overhead. This will increase the need for bioelectric and biomechanical signals in a comprehensible form via elegant feedback control interfaces. Implementing such systems will also increase the computational demand on such neural prostheses.

Two complementary personal medication management applications developed on a common platform: case report.

PubMed

Ross, Stephen E; Johnson, Kevin B; Siek, Katie A; Gordon, Jeffry S; Khan, Danish U; Haverhals, Leah M

2011-07-12

Adverse drug events are a major safety issue in ambulatory care. Improving medication self-management could reduce these adverse events. Researchers have developed medication applications for tethered personal health records (PHRs), but little has been reported about medication applications for interoperable PHRs. Our objective was to develop two complementary personal health applications on a common PHR platform: one to assist children with complex health needs (MyMediHealth), and one to assist older adults in care transitions (Colorado Care Tablet). The applications were developed using a user-centered design approach. The two applications shared a common PHR platform based on a service-oriented architecture. MyMediHealth employed Web and mobile phone user interfaces. Colorado Care Tablet employed a Web interface customized for a tablet PC. We created complementary medication management applications tailored to the needs of distinctly different user groups using common components. Challenges were addressed in multiple areas, including how to encode medication identities, how to incorporate knowledge bases for medication images and consumer health information, how to include supplementary dosing information, how to simplify user interfaces for older adults, and how to support mobile devices for children. These prototypes demonstrate the utility of abstracting PHR data and services (the PHR platform) from applications that can be tailored to meet the needs of diverse patients. Based on the challenges we faced, we provide recommendations on the structure of publicly available knowledge resources and the use of mobile messaging systems for PHR applications.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chao, B.P.

This report presents a historical perspective of the difficulties associated with user interface design and a review of interface design techniques. Included in the report is an application using rapid-interface-prototyping to the development of CAMP's user interface. 24 refs., 2 tabs.

A Question of Interface Design: How Do Online Service GUIs Measure Up?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Head, Alison J.

1997-01-01

Describes recent improvements in graphical user interfaces (GUIs) offered by online services. Highlights include design considerations, including computer engineering capabilities and users' abilities; fundamental GUI design principles; user empowerment; visual communication and interaction; and an evaluation of online search interfaces. (LRW)

The Graphical User Interface: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyd, L. H.; And Others

1990-01-01

This article describes differences between the graphical user interface and traditional character-based interface systems, identifies potential problems posed by graphic computing environments for blind computer users, and describes some programs and strategies that are being developed to provide access to those environments. (Author/JDD)

Eye-gaze and intent: Application in 3D interface control

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schryver, J.C.; Goldberg, J.H.

1993-06-01

Computer interface control is typically accomplished with an input ``device`` such as keyboard, mouse, trackball, etc. An input device translates a users input actions, such as mouse clicks and key presses, into appropriate computer commands. To control the interface, the user must first convert intent into the syntax of the input device. A more natural means of computer control is possible when the computer can directly infer user intent, without need of intervening input devices. We describe an application of eye-gaze-contingent control of an interactive three-dimensional (3D) user interface. A salient feature of the user interface is natural input, withmore » a heightened impression of controlling the computer directly by the mind. With this interface, input of rotation and translation are intuitive, whereas other abstract features, such as zoom, are more problematic to match with user intent. This paper describes successes with implementation to date, and ongoing efforts to develop a more sophisticated intent inferencing methodology.« less

Eye-gaze and intent: Application in 3D interface control

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schryver, J.C.; Goldberg, J.H.

1993-01-01

Computer interface control is typically accomplished with an input device'' such as keyboard, mouse, trackball, etc. An input device translates a users input actions, such as mouse clicks and key presses, into appropriate computer commands. To control the interface, the user must first convert intent into the syntax of the input device. A more natural means of computer control is possible when the computer can directly infer user intent, without need of intervening input devices. We describe an application of eye-gaze-contingent control of an interactive three-dimensional (3D) user interface. A salient feature of the user interface is natural input, withmore » a heightened impression of controlling the computer directly by the mind. With this interface, input of rotation and translation are intuitive, whereas other abstract features, such as zoom, are more problematic to match with user intent. This paper describes successes with implementation to date, and ongoing efforts to develop a more sophisticated intent inferencing methodology.« less

Using Qualitative Methods to Create a Home Health Web Application User Interface for Patients with Low Computer Proficiency.

PubMed

Baier, Rosa R; Cooper, Emily; Wysocki, Andrea; Gravenstein, Stefan; Clark, Melissa

2015-01-01

Despite the investment in public reporting for a number of healthcare settings, evidence indicates that consumers do not routinely use available data to select providers. This suggests that existing reports do not adequately incorporate recommendations for consumer-facing reports or web applications. Healthcentric Advisors and Brown University undertook a multi-phased approach to create a consumer-facing home health web application in Rhode Island. This included reviewing the evidence base review to identify design recommendations and then creating a paper prototype and wireframe. We performed qualitative research to iteratively test our proposed user interface with two user groups, home health consumers and hospital case managers, refining our design to create the final web application. To test our prototype, we conducted two focus groups, with a total of 13 consumers, and 28 case manager interviews. Both user groups responded favorably to the prototype, with the majority commenting that they felt this type of tool would be useful. Case managers suggested revisions to ensure the application conformed to laws requiring Medicare patients to have the freedom to choose among providers and could be incorporated into hospital workflow. After incorporating changes and creating the wireframe, we conducted usability testing interviews with 14 home health consumers and six hospital case managers. We found that consumers needed prompting to navigate through the wireframe; they demonstrated confusion through both their words and body language. As a result, we modified the web application's sequence, navigation, and function to provide additional instructions and prompts. Although we designed our web application for low literacy and low health literacy, using recommendations from the evidence base, we overestimated the extent to which older adults were familiar with using computers. Some of our key learnings and recommendations run counter to general web design principles, leading us to believe that such guidelines need to be adapted for this user group. As web applications proliferate, it is important to ensure those who are most vulnerable-who have the least knowledge and the lowest literacy, health literacy, and computer proficiency-can access, understand, and use them. In order for the investment in public reporting to produce value, consumer-facing web applications need to be designed to address end users' unique strengths and limitations. Our findings may help others to build consumer-facing tools or technology targeted to a predominantly older population. We encourage others designing consumer-facing web technologies to critically evaluate their assumptions about user interface design, particularly if they are designing tools for older adults, and to test products with their end users.

User-Centered Design, Experience, and Usability of an Electronic Consent User Interface to Facilitate Informed Decision-Making in an HIV Clinic.

PubMed

Ramos, S Raquel

2017-11-01

Health information exchange is the electronic accessibility and transferability of patient medical records across various healthcare settings and providers. In some states, patients have to formally give consent to allow their medical records to be electronically shared. The purpose of this study was to apply a novel user-centered, multistep, multiframework approach to design and test an electronic consent user interface, so patients with HIV can make more informed decisions about electronically sharing their health information. This study consisted of two steps. Step 1 was a cross-sectional, descriptive, qualitative study that used user-centric design interviews to create the user interface. This informed Step 2. Step 2 consisted of a one group posttest to examine perceptions of usefulness, ease of use, preference, and comprehension of a health information exchange electronic consent user interface. More than half of the study population had college experience, but challenges remained with overall comprehension regarding consent. The user interface was not independently successful, suggesting that in addition to an electronic consent user interface, human interaction may also be necessary to address the complexities associated with consenting to electronically share health information. Comprehension is key factor in the ability to make informed decisions.

A Prototype Graphical User Interface for Co-op: A Group Decision Support System.

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-03-01

achieve their potential to communicate. Information-oriented, systematic graphic design is the use of typography , symbols, color, and other static and...apphcuittin by reducig Uber ellurt anid enhuncizig Iliteracti. ’Iliis thesis designs and de% elupht Itrututylle Graphical User Interface iGUl i fui Cu f...ORGANIZATION.... .. .. ............ II. INTERFACE DESIGN PRINCIPLES. .............. 7 A. GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACES.............7 1. Design Principles

Pilot-Vehicle Interface

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-11-01

way is to develop a crude but working model of an entire system. The other is by developing a realistic model of the user interface , leaving out most...devices or by incorporating software for a more user -friendly interface . Automation introduces the possibility of making data entry errors. Multimode...across various human- computer interfaces . 127 a Memory: Minimize the amount of information that the user must maintain in short-term memory

BrainIACS: a system for web-based medical image processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kishore, Bhaskar; Bazin, Pierre-Louis; Pham, Dzung L.

2009-02-01

We describe BrainIACS, a web-based medical image processing system that permits and facilitates algorithm developers to quickly create extensible user interfaces for their algorithms. Designed to address the challenges faced by algorithm developers in providing user-friendly graphical interfaces, BrainIACS is completely implemented using freely available, open-source software. The system, which is based on a client-server architecture, utilizes an AJAX front-end written using the Google Web Toolkit (GWT) and Java Servlets running on Apache Tomcat as its back-end. To enable developers to quickly and simply create user interfaces for configuring their algorithms, the interfaces are described using XML and are parsed by our system to create the corresponding user interface elements. Most of the commonly found elements such as check boxes, drop down lists, input boxes, radio buttons, tab panels and group boxes are supported. Some elements such as the input box support input validation. Changes to the user interface such as addition and deletion of elements are performed by editing the XML file or by using the system's user interface creator. In addition to user interface generation, the system also provides its own interfaces for data transfer, previewing of input and output files, and algorithm queuing. As the system is programmed using Java (and finally Java-script after compilation of the front-end code), it is platform independent with the only requirements being that a Servlet implementation be available and that the processing algorithms can execute on the server platform.

National Scale Marine Geophysical Data Portal for the Israel EEZ with Public Access Web-GIS Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ketter, T.; Kanari, M.; Tibor, G.

2017-12-01

Recent offshore discoveries and regulation in the Israel Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) are the driving forces behind increasing marine research and development initiatives such as infrastructure development, environmental protection and decision making among many others. All marine operations rely on existing seabed information, while some also generate new data. We aim to create a single platform knowledge-base to enable access to existing information, in a comprehensive, publicly accessible web-based interface. The Israel EEZ covers approx. 26,000 sqkm and has been surveyed continuously with various geophysical instruments over the past decades, including 10,000 km of multibeam survey lines, 8,000 km of sub-bottom seismic lines, and hundreds of sediment sampling stations. Our database consists of vector and raster datasets from multiple sources compiled into a repository of geophysical data and metadata, acquired nation-wide by several research institutes and universities. The repository will enable public access via a web portal based on a GIS platform, including datasets from multibeam, sub-bottom profiling, single- and multi-channel seismic surveys and sediment sampling analysis. Respective data products will also be available e.g. bathymetry, substrate type, granulometry, geological structure etc. Operating a web-GIS based repository allows retrieval of pre-existing data for potential users to facilitate planning of future activities e.g. conducting marine surveys, construction of marine infrastructure and other private or public projects. User interface is based on map oriented spatial selection, which will reveal any relevant data for designated areas of interest. Querying the database will allow the user to obtain information about the data owner and to address them for data retrieval as required. Wide and free public access to existing data and metadata can save time and funds for academia, government and commercial sectors, while aiding in cooperation and data sharing among the various stakeholders.

Gestures in an Intelligent User Interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fikkert, Wim; van der Vet, Paul; Nijholt, Anton

In this chapter we investigated which hand gestures are intuitive to control a large display multimedia interface from a user's perspective. Over the course of two sequential user evaluations, we defined a simple gesture set that allows users to fully control a large display multimedia interface, intuitively. First, we evaluated numerous gesture possibilities for a set of commands that can be issued to the interface. These gestures were selected from literature, science fiction movies, and a previous exploratory study. Second, we implemented a working prototype with which the users could interact with both hands and the preferred hand gestures with 2D and 3D visualizations of biochemical structures. We found that the gestures are influenced to significant extent by the fast paced developments in multimedia interfaces such as the Apple iPhone and the Nintendo Wii and to no lesser degree by decades of experience with the more traditional WIMP-based interfaces.

Human-computer interface including haptically controlled interactions

DOEpatents

Anderson, Thomas G.

2005-10-11

The present invention provides a method of human-computer interfacing that provides haptic feedback to control interface interactions such as scrolling or zooming within an application. Haptic feedback in the present method allows the user more intuitive control of the interface interactions, and allows the user's visual focus to remain on the application. The method comprises providing a control domain within which the user can control interactions. For example, a haptic boundary can be provided corresponding to scrollable or scalable portions of the application domain. The user can position a cursor near such a boundary, feeling its presence haptically (reducing the requirement for visual attention for control of scrolling of the display). The user can then apply force relative to the boundary, causing the interface to scroll the domain. The rate of scrolling can be related to the magnitude of applied force, providing the user with additional intuitive, non-visual control of scrolling.

Applying Cognitive Psychology to User Interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durrani, Sabeen; Durrani, Qaiser S.

This paper explores some key aspects of cognitive psychology that may be mapped onto user interfaces. Major focus in existing user interface guidelines is on consistency, simplicity, feedback, system messages, display issues, navigation, colors, graphics, visibility and error prevention [8-10]. These guidelines are effective indesigning user interfaces. However, these guidelines do not handle the issues that may arise due to the innate structure of human brain and human limitations. For example, where to place graphics on the screen so that user can easily process them and what kind of background should be given on the screen according to the limitation of human motor system. In this paper we have collected some available guidelines from the area of cognitive psychology [1, 5, 7]. In addition, we have extracted few guidelines from theories and studies of cognitive psychology [3, 11] which may be mapped to user interfaces.

User interface customization on Endoscopy Department Mini-PACS and its impact on examination workflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osada, Masakazu; Kaise, Mitsuru; Ozeki, Takeshi; Tsunakawa, Hirofumi; Tsunakawa, Kiyoshi; Takayanagi, Takashi; Suzuki, Nobuaki; Miwa, Jun; Ohta, Yasuhiko; Kanai, Koichi

1999-07-01

We have proposed a new user interface with workflow customization, implemented and evaluted in Endoscopy Department Mini-PACS that has been introduced and routinely used for two years at Toshiba General Hospital. We have set some task at endoscopy image acquisition units during examinations for two different types of user interfaces and compared performance. One is a command-button based operation using a remote control, and another is that with eight graphic buttons which are displayed on a CRT monitor and can be customized. Results of the two-year study show that mean number of input diagnosis codes per examination with graphic and customized interface is significantly greater than that with conventional interface. Also, mean time to complete one upper gastric endoscopy examination with new user interface is about 17 percent less than that with conventional interface. These result suggest that systems with the visualized and customized operation and feedback encourages physicians to use more functions and to compete tasks more efficiently than systems with conventional command-button based user interfaces.

A case study on better iconographic design in electronic medical records' user interface.

PubMed

Tasa, Umut Burcu; Ozcan, Oguzhan; Yantac, Asim Evren; Unluer, Ayca

2008-06-01

It is a known fact that there is a conflict between what users expect and what user interface designers create in the field of medical informatics along with other fields of interface design. The objective of the study is to suggest, from the 'design art' perspective, a method for improving the usability of an electronic medical record (EMR) interface. The suggestion is based on the hypothesis that the user interface of an EMR should be iconographic. The proposed three-step method consists of a questionnaire survey on how hospital users perceive concepts/terms that are going to be used in the EMR user interface. Then icons associated with the terms are designed by a designer, following a guideline which is prepared according to the results of the first questionnaire. Finally the icons are asked back to the target group for proof. A case study was conducted with 64 medical staff and 30 professional designers for the first questionnaire, and with 30 medical staff for the second. In the second questionnaire 7.53 icons out of 10 were matched correctly with a standard deviation of 0.98. Also, all icons except three were matched correctly in at least 83.3% of the forms. The proposed new method differs from the majority of previous studies which are based on user requirements by leaning on user experiments instead. The study demonstrated that the user interface of EMRs should be designed according to a guideline that results from a survey on users' experiences on metaphoric perception of the terms.

The Distributed Common Ground System-Army User Interface

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-12

its perceived lack of effectiveness. Popular opinion of the DCGS-A user interface within the military is it is unfriendly to use and not intuitive...from members of the United States Congress due to its perceived lack of effectiveness. Popular opinion of the DCGS-A user interface within the

Learning Analytics for Natural User Interfaces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinez-Maldonado, Roberto; Shum, Simon Buckingham; Schneider, Bertrand; Charleer, Sven; Klerkx, Joris; Duval, Erik

2017-01-01

The continuous advancement of natural user interfaces (NUIs) allows for the development\tof novel and creative ways to support collocated collaborative work in a wide range of areas, including teaching and learning. The use of NUIs, such as those based on interactive multi-touch surfaces and tangible user interfaces (TUIs), can offer unique…

User’s Manual for the National Water Information System of the U.S. Geological Survey: Aggregate Water-Use Data System, Version 3.2

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nawyn, John P.; Sargent, B. Pierre; Hoopes, Barbara; Augenstein, Todd; Rowland, Kathleen M.; Barber, Nancy L.

2017-10-06

The Aggregate Water-Use Data System (AWUDS) is the database management system used to enter, store, and analyze state aggregate water-use data. It is part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System. AWUDS has a graphical user interface that facilitates data entry, revision, review, and approval. This document provides information on the basic functions of AWUDS and the steps for carrying out common tasks that are a part of compiling an aggregated dataset. Also included are explanations of terminology and descriptions of user-interface structure, procedures for using the AWUDS operations, and dataset-naming conventions. Information on water-use category definitions, data-collection methods, and data sources are found in the report “Guidelines for preparation of State water-use estimates,” available at https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/ofr20171029.

STORMSeq: An Open-Source, User-Friendly Pipeline for Processing Personal Genomics Data in the Cloud

PubMed Central

Karczewski, Konrad J.; Fernald, Guy Haskin; Martin, Alicia R.; Snyder, Michael; Tatonetti, Nicholas P.; Dudley, Joel T.

2014-01-01

The increasing public availability of personal complete genome sequencing data has ushered in an era of democratized genomics. However, read mapping and variant calling software is constantly improving and individuals with personal genomic data may prefer to customize and update their variant calls. Here, we describe STORMSeq (Scalable Tools for Open-Source Read Mapping), a graphical interface cloud computing solution that does not require a parallel computing environment or extensive technical experience. This customizable and modular system performs read mapping, read cleaning, and variant calling and annotation. At present, STORMSeq costs approximately $2 and 5–10 hours to process a full exome sequence and $30 and 3–8 days to process a whole genome sequence. We provide this open-access and open-source resource as a user-friendly interface in Amazon EC2. PMID:24454756

Experimental Internet Environment Software Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maddux, Gary A.

1998-01-01

Geographically distributed project teams need an Internet based collaborative work environment or "Intranet." The Virtual Research Center (VRC) is an experimental Intranet server that combines several services such as desktop conferencing, file archives, on-line publishing, and security. Using the World Wide Web (WWW) as a shared space paradigm, the Graphical User Interface (GUI) presents users with images of a lunar colony. Each project has a wing of the colony and each wing has a conference room, library, laboratory, and mail station. In FY95, the VRC development team proved the feasibility of this shared space concept by building a prototype using a Netscape commerce server and several public domain programs. Successful demonstrations of the prototype resulted in approval for a second phase. Phase 2, documented by this report, will produce a seamlessly integrated environment by introducing new technologies such as Java and Adobe Web Links to replace less efficient interface software.

Development of a Mobile User Interface for Image-based Dietary Assessment.

PubMed

Kim, Sungye; Schap, Tusarebecca; Bosch, Marc; Maciejewski, Ross; Delp, Edward J; Ebert, David S; Boushey, Carol J

2010-12-31

In this paper, we present a mobile user interface for image-based dietary assessment. The mobile user interface provides a front end to a client-server image recognition and portion estimation software. In the client-server configuration, the user interactively records a series of food images using a built-in camera on the mobile device. Images are sent from the mobile device to the server, and the calorie content of the meal is estimated. In this paper, we describe and discuss the design and development of our mobile user interface features. We discuss the design concepts, through initial ideas and implementations. For each concept, we discuss qualitative user feedback from participants using the mobile client application. We then discuss future designs, including work on design considerations for the mobile application to allow the user to interactively correct errors in the automatic processing while reducing the user burden associated with classical pen-and-paper dietary records.

Spatial issues in user interface design from a graphic design perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marcus, Aaron

1989-01-01

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.

Evaluation and comparison of classical interatomic potentials through a user-friendly interactive web-interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choudhary, Kamal; Congo, Faical Yannick P.; Liang, Tao; Becker, Chandler; Hennig, Richard G.; Tavazza, Francesca

2017-01-01

Classical empirical potentials/force-fields (FF) provide atomistic insights into material phenomena through molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations. Despite their wide applicability, a systematic evaluation of materials properties using such potentials and, especially, an easy-to-use user-interface for their comparison is still lacking. To address this deficiency, we computed energetics and elastic properties of variety of materials such as metals and ceramics using a wide range of empirical potentials and compared them to density functional theory (DFT) as well as to experimental data, where available. The database currently consists of 3248 entries including energetics and elastic property calculations, and it is still increasing. We also include computational tools for convex-hull plots for DFT and FF calculations. The data covers 1471 materials and 116 force-fields. In addition, both the complete database and the software coding used in the process have been released for public use online (presently at http://www.ctcms.nist.gov/˜knc6/periodic.html) in a user-friendly way designed to enable further material design and discovery.

Evaluation and comparison of classical interatomic potentials through a user-friendly interactive web-interface

PubMed Central

Choudhary, Kamal; Congo, Faical Yannick P.; Liang, Tao; Becker, Chandler; Hennig, Richard G.; Tavazza, Francesca

2017-01-01

Classical empirical potentials/force-fields (FF) provide atomistic insights into material phenomena through molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations. Despite their wide applicability, a systematic evaluation of materials properties using such potentials and, especially, an easy-to-use user-interface for their comparison is still lacking. To address this deficiency, we computed energetics and elastic properties of variety of materials such as metals and ceramics using a wide range of empirical potentials and compared them to density functional theory (DFT) as well as to experimental data, where available. The database currently consists of 3248 entries including energetics and elastic property calculations, and it is still increasing. We also include computational tools for convex-hull plots for DFT and FF calculations. The data covers 1471 materials and 116 force-fields. In addition, both the complete database and the software coding used in the process have been released for public use online (presently at http://www.ctcms.nist.gov/∼knc6/periodic.html) in a user-friendly way designed to enable further material design and discovery. PMID:28140407

User interfaces in space science instrumentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCalden, Alec John

This thesis examines user interaction with instrumentation in the specific context of space science. It gathers together existing practice in machine interfaces with a look at potential future usage and recommends a new approach to space science projects with the intention of maximising their science return. It first takes a historical perspective on user interfaces and ways of defining and measuring the science return of a space instrument. Choices of research methodology are considered. Implementation details such as the concepts of usability, mental models, affordance and presentation of information are described, and examples of existing interfaces in space science are given. A set of parameters for use in analysing and synthesizing a user interface is derived by using a set of case studies of diverse failures and from previous work. A general space science user analysis is made by looking at typical practice, and an interview plus persona technique is used to group users with interface designs. An examination is made of designs in the field of astronomical instrumentation interfaces, showing the evolution of current concepts and including ideas capable of sustaining progress in the future. The parameters developed earlier are then tested against several established interfaces in the space science context to give a degree of confidence in their use. The concept of a simulator that is used to guide the development of an instrument over the whole lifecycle is described, and the idea is proposed that better instrumentation would result from more efficient use of the resources available. The previous ideas in this thesis are then brought together to describe a proposed new approach to a typical development programme, with an emphasis on user interaction. The conclusion shows that there is significant room for improvement in the science return from space instrumentation by attention to the user interface.

Lynx: a database and knowledge extraction engine for integrative medicine

PubMed Central

Sulakhe, Dinanath; Balasubramanian, Sandhya; Xie, Bingqing; Feng, Bo; Taylor, Andrew; Wang, Sheng; Berrocal, Eduardo; Dave, Utpal; Xu, Jinbo; Börnigen, Daniela; Gilliam, T. Conrad; Maltsev, Natalia

2014-01-01

We have developed Lynx (http://lynx.ci.uchicago.edu)—a web-based database and a knowledge extraction engine, supporting annotation and analysis of experimental data and generation of weighted hypotheses on molecular mechanisms contributing to human phenotypes and disorders of interest. Its underlying knowledge base (LynxKB) integrates various classes of information from >35 public databases and private collections, as well as manually curated data from our group and collaborators. Lynx provides advanced search capabilities and a variety of algorithms for enrichment analysis and network-based gene prioritization to assist the user in extracting meaningful knowledge from LynxKB and experimental data, whereas its service-oriented architecture provides public access to LynxKB and its analytical tools via user-friendly web services and interfaces. PMID:24270788

Phast4Windows: a 3D graphical user interface for the reactive-transport simulator PHAST.

PubMed

Charlton, Scott R; Parkhurst, David L

2013-01-01

Phast4Windows is a Windows® program for developing and running groundwater-flow and reactive-transport models with the PHAST simulator. This graphical user interface allows definition of grid-independent spatial distributions of model properties-the porous media properties, the initial head and chemistry conditions, boundary conditions, and locations of wells, rivers, drains, and accounting zones-and other parameters necessary for a simulation. Spatial data can be defined without reference to a grid by drawing, by point-by-point definitions, or by importing files, including ArcInfo® shape and raster files. All definitions can be inspected, edited, deleted, moved, copied, and switched from hidden to visible through the data tree of the interface. Model features are visualized in the main panel of the interface, so that it is possible to zoom, pan, and rotate features in three dimensions (3D). PHAST simulates single phase, constant density, saturated groundwater flow under confined or unconfined conditions. Reactions among multiple solutes include mineral equilibria, cation exchange, surface complexation, solid solutions, and general kinetic reactions. The interface can be used to develop and run simple or complex models, and is ideal for use in the classroom, for analysis of laboratory column experiments, and for development of field-scale simulations of geochemical processes and contaminant transport. Published 2012. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Intelligent Context-Aware and Adaptive Interface for Mobile LBS

PubMed Central

Liu, Yanhong

2015-01-01

Context-aware user interface plays an important role in many human-computer Interaction tasks of location based services. Although spatial models for context-aware systems have been studied extensively, how to locate specific spatial information for users is still not well resolved, which is important in the mobile environment where location based services users are impeded by device limitations. Better context-aware human-computer interaction models of mobile location based services are needed not just to predict performance outcomes, such as whether people will be able to find the information needed to complete a human-computer interaction task, but to understand human processes that interact in spatial query, which will in turn inform the detailed design of better user interfaces in mobile location based services. In this study, a context-aware adaptive model for mobile location based services interface is proposed, which contains three major sections: purpose, adjustment, and adaptation. Based on this model we try to describe the process of user operation and interface adaptation clearly through the dynamic interaction between users and the interface. Then we show how the model applies users' demands in a complicated environment and suggested the feasibility by the experimental results. PMID:26457077

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hymel, Ross

The Public Key (PK) FPGA software performs asymmetric authentication using the 163-bit Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) on an embedded FPGA platform. A digital signature is created on user-supplied data, and communication with a host system is performed via a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) bus. Software includes all components necessary for signing, including custom random number generator for key creation and SHA-256 for data hashing.

Bioenergy Knowledge Discovery Framework Fact Sheet

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

The Bioenergy Knowledge Discovery Framework (KDF) supports the development of a sustainable bioenergy industry by providing access to a variety of data sets, publications, and collaboration and mapping tools that support bioenergy research, analysis, and decision making. In the KDF, users can search for information, contribute data, and use the tools and map interface to synthesize, analyze, and visualize information in a spatially integrated manner.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Davis, James J.; Brettin, Thomas; Dietrich, Emily M.

Here, the Pathosystems Resource Integration Center (PATRIC) is the bacterial Bioinformatics Resource Center. Recent changes to PATRIC include a redesign of the web interface and some new services that provide users with a platform that takes them from raw reads to an integrated analysis experience. The redesigned interface allows researchers direct access to tools and data, and the emphasis has changed to user-created genome-groups, with detailed summaries and views of the data that researchers have selected. Perhaps the biggest change has been the enhanced capability for researchers to analyze their private data and compare it to the available public data.more » Researchers can assemble their raw sequence reads and annotate the contigs using RASTtk. PATRIC also provides services for RNA-Seq, variation, model reconstruction and differential expression analysis, all delivered through an updated private workspace. Private data can be compared by `virtual integration' to any of PATRIC's public data. The number of genomes available for comparison in PATRIC has expanded to over 80 000, with a special emphasis on genomes with antimicrobial resistance data. PATRIC uses this data to improve both subsystem annotation and k-mer classification, and tags new genomes as having signatures that indicate susceptibility or resistance to specific antibiotics.« less

iBIOMES Lite: Summarizing Biomolecular Simulation Data in Limited Settings

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

As the amount of data generated by biomolecular simulations dramatically increases, new tools need to be developed to help manage this data at the individual investigator or small research group level. In this paper, we introduce iBIOMES Lite, a lightweight tool for biomolecular simulation data indexing and summarization. The main goal of iBIOMES Lite is to provide a simple interface to summarize computational experiments in a setting where the user might have limited privileges and limited access to IT resources. A command-line interface allows the user to summarize, publish, and search local simulation data sets. Published data sets are accessible via static hypertext markup language (HTML) pages that summarize the simulation protocols and also display data analysis graphically. The publication process is customized via extensible markup language (XML) descriptors while the HTML summary template is customized through extensible stylesheet language (XSL). iBIOMES Lite was tested on different platforms and at several national computing centers using various data sets generated through classical and quantum molecular dynamics, quantum chemistry, and QM/MM. The associated parsers currently support AMBER, GROMACS, Gaussian, and NWChem data set publication. The code is available at https://github.com/jcvthibault/ibiomes. PMID:24830957

The Virtual Tablet: Virtual Reality as a Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chronister, Andrew

2016-01-01

In the field of human-computer interaction, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) have been rapidly growing areas of interest and concerted development effort thanks to both private and public research. At NASA, a number of groups have explored the possibilities afforded by AR and VR technology, among which is the IT Advanced Concepts Lab (ITACL). Within ITACL, the AVR (Augmented/Virtual Reality) Lab focuses on VR technology specifically for its use in command and control. Previous work in the AVR lab includes the Natural User Interface (NUI) project and the Virtual Control Panel (VCP) project, which created virtual three-dimensional interfaces that users could interact with while wearing a VR headset thanks to body- and hand-tracking technology. The Virtual Tablet (VT) project attempts to improve on these previous efforts by incorporating a physical surrogate which is mirrored in the virtual environment, mitigating issues with difficulty of visually determining the interface location and lack of tactile feedback discovered in the development of previous efforts. The physical surrogate takes the form of a handheld sheet of acrylic glass with several infrared-range reflective markers and a sensor package attached. Using the sensor package to track orientation and a motion-capture system to track the marker positions, a model of the surrogate is placed in the virtual environment at a position which corresponds with the real-world location relative to the user's VR Head Mounted Display (HMD). A set of control mechanisms is then projected onto the surface of the surrogate such that to the user, immersed in VR, the control interface appears to be attached to the object they are holding. The VT project was taken from an early stage where the sensor package, motion-capture system, and physical surrogate had been constructed or tested individually but not yet combined or incorporated into the virtual environment. My contribution was to combine the pieces of hardware, write software to incorporate each piece of position or orientation data into a coherent description of the object's location in space, place the virtual analogue accordingly, and project the control interface onto it, resulting in a functioning object which has both a physical and a virtual presence. Additionally, the virtual environment was enhanced with two live video feeds from cameras mounted on the robotic device being used as an example target of the virtual interface. The working VT allows users to naturally interact with a control interface with little to no training and without the issues found in previous efforts.

Integrating Actionable User-defined Faceted Rules into the Hybrid Science Data System for Advanced Rapid Imaging & Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manipon, G. J. M.; Hua, H.; Owen, S. E.; Sacco, G. F.; Agram, P. S.; Moore, A. W.; Yun, S. H.; Fielding, E. J.; Lundgren, P.; Rosen, P. A.; Webb, F.; Liu, Z.; Smith, A. T.; Wilson, B. D.; Simons, M.; Poland, M. P.; Cervelli, P. F.

2014-12-01

The Hybrid Science Data System (HySDS) scalably powers the ingestion, metadata extraction, cataloging, high-volume data processing, and publication of the geodetic data products for the Advanced Rapid Imaging & Analysis for Monitoring Hazard (ARIA-MH) project at JPL. HySDS uses a heterogeneous set of worker nodes from private & public clouds as well as virtual & bare-metal machines to perform every aspect of the traditional science data system. For our science data users, the forefront of HySDS is the facet search interface, FacetView, which allows them to browse, filter, and access the published products. Users are able to explore the collection of product metadata information and apply multiple filters to constrain the result set down to their particular interests. It allows them to download these faceted products for further analysis and generation of derived products. However, we have also employed a novel approach to faceting where it is also used to apply constraints for custom monitoring of products, system resources, and triggers for automated data processing. The power of the facet search interface is well documented across various domains and its usefulness is rooted in the current state of existence of metadata. However, user needs usually extend beyond what is currently present in the data system. A user interested in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data over Kilauea will download them from FacetView but would also want email notification of future incoming scenes. The user may even want that data pushed to a remote workstation for automated processing. Better still, these future products could trigger HySDS to run the user's analysis on its array of worker nodes, on behalf of the user, and ingest the resulting derived products. We will present our findings in integrating an ancillary, user-defined, system-driven processing system for HySDS that allows users to define faceted rules based on facet constraints and triggers actions when new SAR data products arrive that match the constraints. We will discuss use cases where users have defined rules for the automated generation of InSAR derived products: interferograms for California and Kilauea, time-series analyses, and damage proxy maps. These findings are relevant for science data system development of the proposed NASA-ISRO SAR mission.

Transportable Applications Environment Plus, Version 5.1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

Transportable Applications Environment Plus (TAE+) computer program providing integrated, portable programming environment for developing and running application programs based on interactive windows, text, and graphical objects. Enables both programmers and nonprogrammers to construct own custom application interfaces easily and to move interfaces and application programs to different computers. Used to define corporate user interface, with noticeable improvements in application developer's and end user's learning curves. Main components are; WorkBench, What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) software tool for design and layout of user interface; and WPT (Window Programming Tools) Package, set of callable subroutines controlling user interface of application program. WorkBench and WPT's written in C++, and remaining code written in C.

Reasoning about Users' Actions in a Graphical User Interface.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Virvou, Maria; Kabassi, Katerina

2002-01-01

Describes a graphical user interface called IFM (Intelligent File Manipulator) that provides intelligent help to users. Explains two underlying reasoning mechanisms, one an adaptation of human plausible reasoning and one that performs goal recognition based on the effects of users' commands; and presents results of an empirical study that…

Bilinear modeling of EMG signals to extract user-independent features for multiuser myoelectric interface.

PubMed

Matsubara, Takamitsu; Morimoto, Jun

2013-08-01

In this study, we propose a multiuser myoelectric interface that can easily adapt to novel users. When a user performs different motions (e.g., grasping and pinching), different electromyography (EMG) signals are measured. When different users perform the same motion (e.g., grasping), different EMG signals are also measured. Therefore, designing a myoelectric interface that can be used by multiple users to perform multiple motions is difficult. To cope with this problem, we propose for EMG signals a bilinear model that is composed of two linear factors: 1) user dependent and 2) motion dependent. By decomposing the EMG signals into these two factors, the extracted motion-dependent factors can be used as user-independent features. We can construct a motion classifier on the extracted feature space to develop the multiuser interface. For novel users, the proposed adaptation method estimates the user-dependent factor through only a few interactions. The bilinear EMG model with the estimated user-dependent factor can extract the user-independent features from the novel user data. We applied our proposed method to a recognition task of five hand gestures for robotic hand control using four-channel EMG signals measured from subject forearms. Our method resulted in 73% accuracy, which was statistically significantly different from the accuracy of standard nonmultiuser interfaces, as the result of a two-sample t -test at a significance level of 1%.

Use of force feedback to enhance graphical user interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenberg, Louis B.; Brave, Scott

1996-04-01

This project focuses on the use of force feedback sensations to enhance user interaction with standard graphical user interface paradigms. While typical joystick and mouse devices are input-only, force feedback controllers allow physical sensations to be reflected to a user. Tasks that require users to position a cursor on a given target can be enhanced by applying physical forces to the user that aid in targeting. For example, an attractive force field implemented at the location of a graphical icon can greatly facilitate target acquisition and selection of the icon. It has been shown that force feedback can enhance a users ability to perform basic functions within graphical user interfaces.

Influence of Learning Styles on Graphical User Interface Preferences for e-Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dedic, Velimir; Markovic, Suzana

2012-01-01

Implementing Web-based educational environment requires not only developing appropriate architectures, but also incorporating human factors considerations. User interface becomes the major channel to convey information in e-learning context: a well-designed and friendly enough interface is thus the key element in helping users to get the best…

Integrating User Interface and Personal Innovativeness into the TAM for Mobile Learning in Cyber University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joo, Young Ju; Lee, Hyeon Woo; Ham, Yookyoung

2014-01-01

This study aims to add new variables, namely user interface, personal innovativeness, and satisfaction in learning, to Davis's technology acceptance model and also examine whether learners are willing to adopt mobile learning. Thus, this study attempted to explain the structural causal relationships among user interface, personal…

Semantics of User Interface for Image Retrieval: Possibility Theory and Learning Techniques.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crehange, M.; And Others

1989-01-01

Discusses the need for a rich semantics for the user interface in interactive image retrieval and presents two methods for building such interfaces: possibility theory applied to fuzzy data retrieval, and a machine learning technique applied to learning the user's deep need. Prototypes developed using videodisks and knowledge-based software are…

SWATMOD-PREP: Graphical user interface for preparing coupled SWAT-modflow simulations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This paper presents SWATMOD-Prep, a graphical user interface that couples a SWAT watershed model with a MODFLOW groundwater flow model. The interface is based on a recently published SWAT-MODFLOW code that couples the models via mapping schemes. The spatial layout of SWATMOD-Prep guides the user t...

Reflections on Andes' Goal-Free User Interface

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

VanLehn, Kurt

2016-01-01

Although the Andes project produced many results over its 18 years of activity, this commentary focuses on its contributions to understanding how a goal-free user interface impacts the overall design and performance of a step-based tutoring system. Whereas a goal-aligned user interface displays relevant goals as blank boxes or empty locations that…

Business Performer-Centered Design of User Interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sousa, Kênia; Vanderdonckt, Jean

Business Performer-Centered Design of User Interfaces is a new design methodology that adopts business process (BP) definition and a business performer perspective for managing the life cycle of user interfaces of enterprise systems. In this methodology, when the organization has a business process culture, the business processes of an organization are firstly defined according to a traditional methodology for this kind of artifact. These business processes are then transformed into a series of task models that represent the interactive parts of the business processes that will ultimately lead to interactive systems. When the organization has its enterprise systems, but not yet its business processes modeled, the user interfaces of the systems help derive tasks models, which are then used to derive the business processes. The double linking between a business process and a task model, and between a task model and a user interface model makes it possible to ensure traceability of the artifacts in multiple paths and enables a more active participation of business performers in analyzing the resulting user interfaces. In this paper, we outline how a human-perspective is used tied to a model-driven perspective.

A Hybrid 2D/3D User Interface for Radiological Diagnosis.

PubMed

Mandalika, Veera Bhadra Harish; Chernoglazov, Alexander I; Billinghurst, Mark; Bartneck, Christoph; Hurrell, Michael A; Ruiter, Niels de; Butler, Anthony P H; Butler, Philip H

2018-02-01

This paper presents a novel 2D/3D desktop virtual reality hybrid user interface for radiology that focuses on improving 3D manipulation required in some diagnostic tasks. An evaluation of our system revealed that our hybrid interface is more efficient for novice users and more accurate for both novice and experienced users when compared to traditional 2D only interfaces. This is a significant finding because it indicates, as the techniques mature, that hybrid interfaces can provide significant benefit to image evaluation. Our hybrid system combines a zSpace stereoscopic display with 2D displays, and mouse and keyboard input. It allows the use of 2D and 3D components interchangeably, or simultaneously. The system was evaluated against a 2D only interface with a user study that involved performing a scoliosis diagnosis task. There were two user groups: medical students and radiology residents. We found improvements in completion time for medical students, and in accuracy for both groups. In particular, the accuracy of medical students improved to match that of the residents.

Development of public science archive system of Subaru Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baba, Hajime; Yasuda, Naoki; Ichikawa, Shin-Ichi; Yagi, Masafumi; Iwamoto, Nobuyuki; Takata, Tadafumi; Horaguchi, Toshihiro; Taga, Masatochi; Watanabe, Masaru; Okumura, Shin-Ichiro; Ozawa, Tomohiko; Yamamoto, Naotaka; Hamabe, Masaru

2002-09-01

We have developed a public science archive system, Subaru-Mitaka-Okayama-Kiso Archive system (SMOKA), as a successor of Mitaka-Okayama-Kiso Archive (MOKA) system. SMOKA provides an access to the public data of Subaru Telescope, the 188 cm telescope at Okayama Astrophysical Observatory, and the 105 cm Schmidt telescope at Kiso Observatory of the University of Tokyo. Since 1997, we have tried to compile the dictionary of FITS header keywords. The accomplishment of the dictionary enabled us to construct an unified public archive of the data obtained with various instruments at the telescopes. SMOKA has two kinds of user interfaces; Simple Search and Advanced Search. Novices can search data by simply selecting the name of the target with the Simple Search interface. Experts would prefer to set detailed constraints on the query, using the Advanced Search interface. In order to improve the efficiency of searching, several new features are implemented, such as archive status plots, calibration data search, an annotation system, and an improved Quick Look Image browsing system. We can efficiently develop and operate SMOKA by adopting a three-tier model for the system. Java servlets and Java Server Pages (JSP) are useful to separate the front-end presentation from the middle and back-end tiers.

Projection Mapping User Interface for Disabled People

PubMed Central

Simutis, Rimvydas; Maskeliūnas, Rytis

2018-01-01

Difficulty in communicating is one of the key challenges for people suffering from severe motor and speech disabilities. Often such person can communicate and interact with the environment only using assistive technologies. This paper presents a multifunctional user interface designed to improve communication efficiency and person independence. The main component of this interface is a projection mapping technique used to highlight objects in the environment. Projection mapping makes it possible to create a natural augmented reality information presentation method. The user interface combines a depth sensor and a projector to create camera-projector system. We provide a detailed description of camera-projector system calibration procedure. The described system performs tabletop object detection and automatic projection mapping. Multiple user input modalities have been integrated into the multifunctional user interface. Such system can be adapted to the needs of people with various disabilities. PMID:29686827

Human perceptual deficits as factors in computer interface test and evaluation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bowser, S.E.

1992-06-01

Issues related to testing and evaluating human computer interfaces are usually based on the machine rather than on the human portion of the computer interface. Perceptual characteristics of the expected user are rarely investigated, and interface designers ignore known population perceptual limitations. For these reasons, environmental impacts on the equipment will more likely be defined than will user perceptual characteristics. The investigation of user population characteristics is most often directed toward intellectual abilities and anthropometry. This problem is compounded by the fact that some deficits capabilities tend to be found in higher-than-overall population distribution in some user groups. The testmore » and evaluation community can address the issue from two primary aspects. First, assessing user characteristics should be extended to include tests of perceptual capability. Secondly, interface designs should use multimode information coding.« less

Projection Mapping User Interface for Disabled People.

PubMed

Gelšvartas, Julius; Simutis, Rimvydas; Maskeliūnas, Rytis

2018-01-01

Difficulty in communicating is one of the key challenges for people suffering from severe motor and speech disabilities. Often such person can communicate and interact with the environment only using assistive technologies. This paper presents a multifunctional user interface designed to improve communication efficiency and person independence. The main component of this interface is a projection mapping technique used to highlight objects in the environment. Projection mapping makes it possible to create a natural augmented reality information presentation method. The user interface combines a depth sensor and a projector to create camera-projector system. We provide a detailed description of camera-projector system calibration procedure. The described system performs tabletop object detection and automatic projection mapping. Multiple user input modalities have been integrated into the multifunctional user interface. Such system can be adapted to the needs of people with various disabilities.

Development of a graphical user interface for the global land information system (GLIS)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Alstad, Susan R.; Jackson, David A.

1993-01-01

The process of developing a Motif Graphical User Interface for the Global Land Information System (GLIS) involved incorporating user requirements, in-house visual and functional design requirements, and Open Software Foundation (OSF) Motif style guide standards. Motif user interface windows have been developed using the software to support Motif window functions war written using the C programming language. The GLIS architecture was modified to support multiple servers and remote handlers running the X Window System by forming a network of servers and handlers connected by TCP/IP communications. In April 1993, prior to release the GLIS graphical user interface and system architecture modifications were test by developers and users located at the EROS Data Center and 11 beta test sites across the country.

Language workbench user interfaces for data analysis

PubMed Central

Benson, Victoria M.

2015-01-01

Biological data analysis is frequently performed with command line software. While this practice provides considerable flexibility for computationally savy individuals, such as investigators trained in bioinformatics, this also creates a barrier to the widespread use of data analysis software by investigators trained as biologists and/or clinicians. Workflow systems such as Galaxy and Taverna have been developed to try and provide generic user interfaces that can wrap command line analysis software. These solutions are useful for problems that can be solved with workflows, and that do not require specialized user interfaces. However, some types of analyses can benefit from custom user interfaces. For instance, developing biomarker models from high-throughput data is a type of analysis that can be expressed more succinctly with specialized user interfaces. Here, we show how Language Workbench (LW) technology can be used to model the biomarker development and validation process. We developed a language that models the concepts of Dataset, Endpoint, Feature Selection Method and Classifier. These high-level language concepts map directly to abstractions that analysts who develop biomarker models are familiar with. We found that user interfaces developed in the Meta-Programming System (MPS) LW provide convenient means to configure a biomarker development project, to train models and view the validation statistics. We discuss several advantages of developing user interfaces for data analysis with a LW, including increased interface consistency, portability and extension by language composition. The language developed during this experiment is distributed as an MPS plugin (available at http://campagnelab.org/software/bdval-for-mps/). PMID:25755929

Transportable Applications Environment (TAE) Plus: A NASA tool for building and managing graphical user interfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Szczur, Martha R.

1991-01-01

The Transportable Applications Environment (TAE) Plus, developed at GSFC, is an advanced portable user interface development environment which simplifies the process of creating and managing complex application graphical user interfaces (GUI's), supports prototyping, allows applications to be ported easily between different platforms and encourages appropriate levels of user interface consistency between applications. The following topics are discussed: the capabilities of the TAE Plus tool; how the implementation has utilized state-of-the-art technologies within graphic workstations; and how it has been used both within and outside of NASA.

User interface development and metadata considerations for the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) archive

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singley, P. T.; Bell, J. D.; Daugherty, P. F.; Hubbs, C. A.; Tuggle, J. G.

1993-01-01

This paper will discuss user interface development and the structure and use of metadata for the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Archive. The ARM Archive, located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is the data repository for the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) ARM Project. After a short description of the ARM Project and the ARM Archive's role, we will consider the philosophy and goals, constraints, and prototype implementation of the user interface for the archive. We will also describe the metadata that are stored at the archive and support the user interface.

PRince: a web server for structural and physicochemical analysis of protein-RNA interface.

PubMed

Barik, Amita; Mishra, Abhishek; Bahadur, Ranjit Prasad

2012-07-01

We have developed a web server, PRince, which analyzes the structural features and physicochemical properties of the protein-RNA interface. Users need to submit a PDB file containing the atomic coordinates of both the protein and the RNA molecules in complex form (in '.pdb' format). They should also mention the chain identifiers of interacting protein and RNA molecules. The size of the protein-RNA interface is estimated by measuring the solvent accessible surface area buried in contact. For a given protein-RNA complex, PRince calculates structural, physicochemical and hydration properties of the interacting surfaces. All these parameters generated by the server are presented in a tabular format. The interacting surfaces can also be visualized with software plug-in like Jmol. In addition, the output files containing the list of the atomic coordinates of the interacting protein, RNA and interface water molecules can be downloaded. The parameters generated by PRince are novel, and users can correlate them with the experimentally determined biophysical and biochemical parameters for better understanding the specificity of the protein-RNA recognition process. This server will be continuously upgraded to include more parameters. PRince is publicly accessible and free for use. Available at http://www.facweb.iitkgp.ernet.in/~rbahadur/prince/home.html.

Urine collection apparatus. [feminine hygiene

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Michaud, R. B. (Inventor)

1981-01-01

A urine collection device for females comprises an interface body with an interface surface for engagement with the user's body. The interface body comprises a forward portion defining a urine-receiving bore which has an inlet in the interface surface adapted to be disposed in surrounding relation to the urethral opening of the user. The interface body also has a rear portion integrally adjoining the forward portion and a non-invasive vaginal seal on the interface surface for sealing the vagina of the user from communication with the urine-receiving bore. An absorbent pad is removably supported on the interface body and extends laterally therefrom. A garment for supporting the urine collection is also disclosed.

Teleoperation of Robonaut Using Finger Tracking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Champoux, Rachel G.; Luo, Victor

2012-01-01

With the advent of new finger tracking systems, the idea of a more expressive and intuitive user interface is being explored and implemented. One practical application for this new kind of interface is that of teleoperating a robot. For humanoid robots, a finger tracking interface is required due to the level of complexity in a human-like hand, where a joystick isn't accurate. Moreover, for some tasks, using one's own hands allows the user to communicate their intentions more effectively than other input. The purpose of this project was to develop a natural user interface for someone to teleoperate a robot that is elsewhere. Specifically, this was designed to control Robonaut on the international space station to do tasks too dangerous and/or too trivial for human astronauts. This interface was developed by integrating and modifying 3Gear's software, which includes a library of gestures and the ability to track hands. The end result is an interface in which the user can manipulate objects in real time in the user interface. then, the information is relayed to a simulator, the stand in for Robonaut, at a slight delay.

Finding and Exploring Health Information with a Slider-Based User Interface.

PubMed

Pang, Patrick Cheong-Iao; Verspoor, Karin; Pearce, Jon; Chang, Shanton

2016-01-01

Despite the fact that search engines are the primary channel to access online health information, there are better ways to find and explore health information on the web. Search engines are prone to problems when they are used to find health information. For instance, users have difficulties in expressing health scenarios with appropriate search keywords, search results are not optimised for medical queries, and the search process does not account for users' literacy levels and reading preferences. In this paper, we describe our approach to addressing these problems by introducing a novel design using a slider-based user interface for discovering health information without the need for precise search keywords. The user evaluation suggests that the interface is easy to use and able to assist users in the process of discovering new information. This study demonstrates the potential value of adopting slider controls in the user interface of health websites for navigation and information discovery.

Interoperable and accessible census and survey data from IPUMS.

PubMed

Kugler, Tracy A; Fitch, Catherine A

2018-02-27

The first version of the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) was released to users in 1993, and since that time IPUMS has come to stand for interoperable and accessible census and survey data. Initially created to harmonize U.S. census microdata over time, IPUMS now includes microdata from the U.S. and international censuses and from surveys on health, employment, and other topics. IPUMS also provides geo-spatial data, aggregate population data, and environmental data. IPUMS supports ten data products, each disseminating an integrated data collection with a set of tools that make complex data easy to find, access, and use. Key features are record-level integration to create interoperable datasets, user-friendly interfaces, and comprehensive metadata and documentation. The IPUMS philosophy aligns closely with the FAIR principles of findability, accessibility, interoperability, and re-usability. IPUMS data have catalyzed knowledge generation across a wide range of social science and other disciplines, as evidenced by the large volume of publications and other products created by the vast IPUMS user community.

Using Public Input to Create a Better Online Flood Mapping Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eubanks, K. E.; Jackson, C.; Carlberg, B.; Cohen, S.

2017-12-01

One topic of consistent relevance in flooding research is how best to provide information and communicate risk from scientists and researchers to the general public. Additionally, communicators face challenges on how to fully convey the dangers flooding poses in a manner that the public comprehends and will apply to reactions to flooding. Many of the inundation and hazard maps currently in use are highly technical, making it difficult for the average person, without formal education in flooding, to glean valuable information and insight from the intended tools. Working with the public, a set of three surveys were administered via social media to gain insight into public understanding of floods and flooding risk. The surveys indicated that the general population does not have a firm understanding of basic flooding terms or how to navigate current, technical flood inundation maps. The surveys also suggested that those surveyed desire a simpler interface for flood maps that also relates a sense of varying risk. Using the feedback from each survey, a conceptual framework was produced for a set of inundation maps, including more relatable terms and educational components within a user-friendly web interface. Goals for the website, shaped by survey feedback, included simple, readable map layers that convey a sense of uncertainty, a clear and detailed legend, the ability show or hide components of the map, and the option to learn more about flood terminology on the site or via links to outside resources. The public indicated that the final map interface was more concise and simplified than the current inundation map platforms they navigated as part of the first survey, and that the proposed interface was overall more likely to be used. Using public input is one way to bridge the gap between scientific data and predictions to the general public, who need this information. It is vital to provide accurate data in a form that is relatable, and therefore helpful, to the members of the community trying to make educated decisions. The findings on gearing inundation map web interfaces to the public are being used to create tools that are more usable, therefore hopefully saving lives by better informing those in danger of their risk.

Rapid Prototyping of Hydrologic Model Interfaces with IPython

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farthing, M. W.; Winters, K. D.; Ahmadia, A. J.; Hesser, T.; Howington, S. E.; Johnson, B. D.; Tate, J.; Kees, C. E.

2014-12-01

A significant gulf still exists between the state of practice and state of the art in hydrologic modeling. Part of this gulf is due to the lack of adequate pre- and post-processing tools for newly developed computational models. The development of user interfaces has traditionally lagged several years behind the development of a particular computational model or suite of models. As a result, models with mature interfaces often lack key advancements in model formulation, solution methods, and/or software design and technology. Part of the problem has been a focus on developing monolithic tools to provide comprehensive interfaces for the entire suite of model capabilities. Such efforts require expertise in software libraries and frameworks for creating user interfaces (e.g., Tcl/Tk, Qt, and MFC). These tools are complex and require significant investment in project resources (time and/or money) to use. Moreover, providing the required features for the entire range of possible applications and analyses creates a cumbersome interface. For a particular site or application, the modeling requirements may be simplified or at least narrowed, which can greatly reduce the number and complexity of options that need to be accessible to the user. However, monolithic tools usually are not adept at dynamically exposing specific workflows. Our approach is to deliver highly tailored interfaces to users. These interfaces may be site and/or process specific. As a result, we end up with many, customized interfaces rather than a single, general-use tool. For this approach to be successful, it must be efficient to create these tailored interfaces. We need technology for creating quality user interfaces that is accessible and has a low barrier for integration into model development efforts. Here, we present efforts to leverage IPython notebooks as tools for rapid prototyping of site and application-specific user interfaces. We provide specific examples from applications in near-shore environments as well as levee analysis. We discuss our design decisions and methodology for developing customized interfaces, strategies for delivery of the interfaces to users in various computing environments, as well as implications for the design/implementation of simulation models.

Weather information network including graphical display

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leger, Daniel R. (Inventor); Burdon, David (Inventor); Son, Robert S. (Inventor); Martin, Kevin D. (Inventor); Harrison, John (Inventor); Hughes, Keith R. (Inventor)

2006-01-01

An apparatus for providing weather information onboard an aircraft includes a processor unit and a graphical user interface. The processor unit processes weather information after it is received onboard the aircraft from a ground-based source, and the graphical user interface provides a graphical presentation of the weather information to a user onboard the aircraft. Preferably, the graphical user interface includes one or more user-selectable options for graphically displaying at least one of convection information, turbulence information, icing information, weather satellite information, SIGMET information, significant weather prognosis information, and winds aloft information.

Docker Container Manager: A Simple Toolkit for Isolated Work with Shared Computational, Storage, and Network Resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polyakov, S. P.; Kryukov, A. P.; Demichev, A. P.

2018-01-01

We present a simple set of command line interface tools called Docker Container Manager (DCM) that allow users to create and manage Docker containers with preconfigured SSH access while keeping the users isolated from each other and restricting their access to the Docker features that could potentially disrupt the work of the server. Users can access DCM server via SSH and are automatically redirected to DCM interface tool. From there, they can create new containers, stop, restart, pause, unpause, and remove containers and view the status of the existing containers. By default, the containers are also accessible via SSH using the same private key(s) but through different server ports. Additional publicly available ports can be mapped to the respective ports of a container, allowing for some network services to be run within it. The containers are started from read-only filesystem images. Some initial images must be provided by the DCM server administrators, and after containers are configured to meet one’s needs, the changes can be saved as new images. Users can see the available images and remove their own images. DCM server administrators are provided with commands to create and delete users. All commands were implemented as Python scripts. The tools allow to deploy and debug medium-sized distributed systems for simulation in different fields on one or several local computers.

User interface issues in supporting human-computer integrated scheduling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, Lynne P.; Biefeld, Eric W.

1991-01-01

Explored here is the user interface problems encountered with the Operations Missions Planner (OMP) project at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). OMP uses a unique iterative approach to planning that places additional requirements on the user interface, particularly to support system development and maintenance. These requirements are necessary to support the concepts of heuristically controlled search, in-progress assessment, and iterative refinement of the schedule. The techniques used to address the OMP interface needs are given.

The PMDB Protein Model Database

PubMed Central

Castrignanò, Tiziana; De Meo, Paolo D'Onorio; Cozzetto, Domenico; Talamo, Ivano Giuseppe; Tramontano, Anna

2006-01-01

The Protein Model Database (PMDB) is a public resource aimed at storing manually built 3D models of proteins. The database is designed to provide access to models published in the scientific literature, together with validating experimental data. It is a relational database and it currently contains >74 000 models for ∼240 proteins. The system is accessible at and allows predictors to submit models along with related supporting evidence and users to download them through a simple and intuitive interface. Users can navigate in the database and retrieve models referring to the same target protein or to different regions of the same protein. Each model is assigned a unique identifier that allows interested users to directly access the data. PMID:16381873

The User Interface: How Does Your Product Look and Feel?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strukhoff, Roger

1987-01-01

Discusses the importance of user cordial interfaces to the successful marketing of optical data disk products, and describes features of several online systems. The topics discussed include full text searching, indexed searching, menu driven interfaces, natural language interfaces, computer graphics, and possible future developments. (CLB)

ORBIT: an integrated environment for user-customized bioinformatics tools.

PubMed

Bellgard, M I; Hiew, H L; Hunter, A; Wiebrands, M

1999-10-01

There are a large number of computational programs freely available to bioinformaticians via a client/server, web-based environment. However, the client interface to these tools (typically an html form page) cannot be customized from the client side as it is created by the service provider. The form page is usually generic enough to cater for a wide range of users. However, this implies that a user cannot set as 'default' advanced program parameters on the form or even customize the interface to his/her specific requirements or preferences. Currently, there is a lack of end-user interface environments that can be modified by the user when accessing computer programs available on a remote server running on an intranet or over the Internet. We have implemented a client/server system called ORBIT (Online Researcher's Bioinformatics Interface Tools) where individual clients can have interfaces created and customized to command-line-driven, server-side programs. Thus, Internet-based interfaces can be tailored to a user's specific bioinformatic needs. As interfaces are created on the client machine independent of the server, there can be different interfaces to the same server-side program to cater for different parameter settings. The interface customization is relatively quick (between 10 and 60 min) and all client interfaces are integrated into a single modular environment which will run on any computer platform supporting Java. The system has been developed to allow for a number of future enhancements and features. ORBIT represents an important advance in the way researchers gain access to bioinformatics tools on the Internet.

The effect of two different electronic health record user interfaces on intensive care provider task load, errors of cognition, and performance.

PubMed

Ahmed, Adil; Chandra, Subhash; Herasevich, Vitaly; Gajic, Ognjen; Pickering, Brian W

2011-07-01

The care of critically ill patients generates large quantities of data. Increasingly, these data are presented to the provider within an electronic medical record. The manner in which data are organized and presented can impact on the ability of users to synthesis that data into meaningful information. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that novel user interfaces, which prioritize the display of high-value data to providers within system-based packages, reduce task load, and result in fewer errors of cognition compared with established user interfaces that do not. Randomized crossover study. Academic tertiary referral center. Attending, resident and fellow critical care physicians. Novel health care record user interface. Subjects randomly assigned to either a standard electronic medical record or a novel user interface, were asked to perform a structured task. The task required the subjects to use the assigned electronic environment to review the medical record of an intensive care unit patient said to be actively bleeding for data that formed the basis of answers to clinical questions posed in the form of a structured questionnaire. The primary outcome was task load, measured using the paper version of the NASA-task load index. Secondary outcome measures included time to task completion, number of errors of cognition measured by comparison of subject to post hoc gold standard questionnaire responses, and the quantity of information presented to subjects by each environment. Twenty subjects completed the task on eight patients, resulting in 160 patient-provider encounters (80 in each group). The standard electronic medical record contained a much larger data volume with a median (interquartile range) number of data points per patient of 1008 (895-1183) compared with 102 (77-112) contained within the novel user interface. The median (interquartile range) NASA-task load index values were 38.8 (32-45) and 58 (45-65) for the novel user interface compared with the standard electronic medical record (p < .001). The median (interquartile range) times in seconds taken to complete the task for four consecutive patients were 93 (57-132), 60 (48-71), 68 (48-80), and 54 (42-64) for the novel user interface compared with 145 (109-201), 125 (113-162), 129 (100-145), and 112 (92-123) for the standard interface (p < .0001), respectively. The median (interquartile range) number of errors per provider was 0.5 (0-1) and two (0.25-3) for the novel user interface and standard electronic medical record interface, respectively (p = .007). A novel user interface was designed based on the information needs of intensive care unit providers with a specific goal of development being the reduction of task load and errors of cognition associated with filtering, extracting, and using medical data contained within a comprehensive electronic medical record. The results of this simulated clinical experiment suggest that the configuration of the intensive care unit user interface contributes significantly to the task load, time to task completion, and number of errors of cognition associated with the identification, and subsequent use, of relevant patient data. Task-specific user interfaces, developed from an understanding of provider information requirements, offer advantages over interfaces currently available within a standard electronic medical record.

U.S. Geological Survey archived data recovery in Texas, 2008-11

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wehmeyer, Loren L.; Reece, Brian D.

2011-01-01

The 2008–11 data rescue and recovery efforts by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Texas Water Science Center resulted in an efficient workflow process, database, and Web user interface for scientists and citizens to access archived environmental information with practical applications. Much of this information is unique and has never been readily available to the public. The methods developed and lessons learned during this effort are now being applied to facilitate recovering archived information requested by USGS scientists, cooperators, and the general public.

Minimum Hamiltonian ascent trajectory evaluation (MASTRE) program (update to automatic flight trajectory design, performance prediction, and vehicle sizing for support of shuttle and shuttle derived vehicles) users manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lyons, J. T.; Borchers, William R.

1993-01-01

Documentation for the User Interface Program for the Minimum Hamiltonian Ascent Trajectory Evaluation (MASTRE) is provided. The User Interface Program is a separate software package designed to ease the user input requirements when using the MASTRE Trajectory Program. This document supplements documentation on the MASTRE Program that consists of the MASTRE Engineering Manual and the MASTRE Programmers Guide. The User Interface Program provides a series of menus and tables using the VAX Screen Management Guideline (SMG) software. These menus and tables allow the user to modify the MASTRE Program input without the need for learning the various program dependent mnemonics. In addition, the User Interface Program allows the user to modify and/or review additional input Namelist and data files, to build and review command files, to formulate and calculate mass properties related data, and to have a plotting capability.

Development of a Mobile User Interface for Image-based Dietary Assessment

PubMed Central

Kim, SungYe; Schap, TusaRebecca; Bosch, Marc; Maciejewski, Ross; Delp, Edward J.; Ebert, David S.; Boushey, Carol J.

2011-01-01

In this paper, we present a mobile user interface for image-based dietary assessment. The mobile user interface provides a front end to a client-server image recognition and portion estimation software. In the client-server configuration, the user interactively records a series of food images using a built-in camera on the mobile device. Images are sent from the mobile device to the server, and the calorie content of the meal is estimated. In this paper, we describe and discuss the design and development of our mobile user interface features. We discuss the design concepts, through initial ideas and implementations. For each concept, we discuss qualitative user feedback from participants using the mobile client application. We then discuss future designs, including work on design considerations for the mobile application to allow the user to interactively correct errors in the automatic processing while reducing the user burden associated with classical pen-and-paper dietary records. PMID:24455755

A method of designing smartphone interface based on the extended user's mental model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Wei; Li, Fengmin; Bian, Jiali; Pan, Juchen; Song, Song

2017-01-01

The user's mental model is the core guiding theory of product design, especially practical products. The essence of practical product is a tool which is used by users to meet their needs. Then, the most important feature of a tool is usability. The design method based on the user's mental model provides a series of practical and feasible theoretical guidance for improving the usability of the product according to the user's awareness of things. In this paper, we propose a method of designing smartphone interface based on the extended user's mental model according to further research on user groups. This approach achieves personalized customization of smartphone application interface and enhance application using efficiency.

Integrated Information Support System (IISS). Volume 8. User Interface Subsystem. Part 3. User Interface Services Product Specification.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-11-01

User Interface that consists of a set of callable execution time routines available to an application program for form processing . IISS Function Screen...provisions for test consists of the normal testing techniques that are accomplished during the construction process . They consist of design and code...application presents a form * to the user which must be filled in with information for processing by that application. The application then

An Object-Oriented Graphical User Interface for a Reusable Rocket Engine Intelligent Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Litt, Jonathan S.; Musgrave, Jeffrey L.; Guo, Ten-Huei; Paxson, Daniel E.; Wong, Edmond; Saus, Joseph R.; Merrill, Walter C.

1994-01-01

An intelligent control system for reusable rocket engines under development at NASA Lewis Research Center requires a graphical user interface to allow observation of the closed-loop system in operation. The simulation testbed consists of a real-time engine simulation computer, a controls computer, and several auxiliary computers for diagnostics and coordination. The system is set up so that the simulation computer could be replaced by the real engine and the change would be transparent to the control system. Because of the hard real-time requirement of the control computer, putting a graphical user interface on it was not an option. Thus, a separate computer used strictly for the graphical user interface was warranted. An object-oriented LISP-based graphical user interface has been developed on a Texas Instruments Explorer 2+ to indicate the condition of the engine to the observer through plots, animation, interactive graphics, and text.

The design and evaluation of an activity monitoring user interface for people with stroke.

PubMed

Hart, Phil; Bierwirth, Rebekah; Fulk, George; Sazonov, Edward

2014-01-01

Usability is an important topic in the field of telerehabilitation research. Older users with disabilities in particular, present age-related and disability-related challenges that should be accommodated for in the design of a user interface for a telerehabilitation system. This paper describes the design, implementation, and assessment of a telerehabilitation system user interface that tries to maximize usability for an elderly user who has experienced a stroke. An Internet-connected Nintendo(®) Wii™ gaming system is selected as a hardware platform, and a server and website are implemented to process and display the feedback information. The usability of the interface is assessed with a trial consisting of 18 subjects: 10 healthy Doctor of Physical Therapy students and 8 people with a stroke. Results show similar levels of usability and high satisfaction with the gaming system interface from both groups of subjects.

An Efficient User Interface Design for Nursing Information System Based on Integrated Patient Order Information.

PubMed

Chu, Chia-Hui; Kuo, Ming-Chuan; Weng, Shu-Hui; Lee, Ting-Ting

2016-01-01

A user friendly interface can enhance the efficiency of data entry, which is crucial for building a complete database. In this study, two user interfaces (traditional pull-down menu vs. check boxes) are proposed and evaluated based on medical records with fever medication orders by measuring the time for data entry, steps for each data entry record, and the complete rate of each medical record. The result revealed that the time for data entry is reduced from 22.8 sec/record to 3.2 sec/record. The data entry procedures also have reduced from 9 steps in the traditional one to 3 steps in the new one. In addition, the completeness of medical records is increased from 20.2% to 98%. All these results indicate that the new user interface provides a more user friendly and efficient approach for data entry than the traditional interface.

Emotion scents: a method of representing user emotions on GUI widgets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cernea, Daniel; Weber, Christopher; Ebert, Achim; Kerren, Andreas

2013-01-01

The world of desktop interfaces has been dominated for years by the concept of windows and standardized user interface (UI) components. Still, while supporting the interaction and information exchange between the users and the computer system, graphical user interface (GUI) widgets are rather one-sided, neglecting to capture the subjective facets of the user experience. In this paper, we propose a set of design guidelines for visualizing user emotions on standard GUI widgets (e.g., buttons, check boxes, etc.) in order to enrich the interface with a new dimension of subjective information by adding support for emotion awareness as well as post-task analysis and decision making. We highlight the use of an EEG headset for recording the various emotional states of the user while he/she is interacting with the widgets of the interface. We propose a visualization approach, called emotion scents, that allows users to view emotional reactions corresponding to di erent GUI widgets without in uencing the layout or changing the positioning of these widgets. Our approach does not focus on highlighting the emotional experience during the interaction with an entire system, but on representing the emotional perceptions and reactions generated by the interaction with a particular UI component. Our research is motivated by enabling emotional self-awareness and subjectivity analysis through the proposed emotionenhanced UI components for desktop interfaces. These assumptions are further supported by an evaluation of emotion scents.

Gromita: a fully integrated graphical user interface to gromacs 4.

PubMed

Sellis, Diamantis; Vlachakis, Dimitrios; Vlassi, Metaxia

2009-09-07

Gromita is a fully integrated and efficient graphical user interface (GUI) to the recently updated molecular dynamics suite Gromacs, version 4. Gromita is a cross-platform, perl/tcl-tk based, interactive front end designed to break the command line barrier and introduce a new user-friendly environment to run molecular dynamics simulations through Gromacs. Our GUI features a novel workflow interface that guides the user through each logical step of the molecular dynamics setup process, making it accessible to both advanced and novice users. This tool provides a seamless interface to the Gromacs package, while providing enhanced functionality by speeding up and simplifying the task of setting up molecular dynamics simulations of biological systems. Gromita can be freely downloaded from http://bio.demokritos.gr/gromita/.

A study of the influence of task familiarity on user behaviors and performance with a MeSH term suggestion interface for PubMed bibliographic search.

PubMed

Tang, Muh-Chyun; Liu, Ying-Hsang; Wu, Wan-Ching

2013-09-01

Previous research has shown that information seekers in biomedical domain need more support in formulating their queries. A user study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a metadata based query suggestion interface for PubMed bibliographic search. The study also investigated the impact of search task familiarity on search behaviors and the effectiveness of the interface. A real user, user search request and real system approach was used for the study. Unlike tradition IR evaluation, where assigned tasks were used, the participants were asked to search requests of their own. Forty-four researchers in Health Sciences participated in the evaluation - each conducted two research requests of their own, alternately with the proposed interface and the PubMed baseline. Several performance criteria were measured to assess the potential benefits of the experimental interface, including users' assessment of their original and eventual queries, the perceived usefulness of the interfaces, satisfaction with the search results, and the average relevance score of the saved records. The results show that, when searching for an unfamiliar topic, users were more likely to change their queries, indicating the effect of familiarity on search behaviors. The results also show that the interface scored higher on several of the performance criteria, such as the "goodness" of the queries, perceived usefulness, and user satisfaction. Furthermore, in line with our hypothesis, the proposed interface was relatively more effective when less familiar search requests were attempted. Results indicate that there is a selective compatibility between search familiarity and search interface. One implication of the research for system evaluation is the importance of taking into consideration task familiarity when assessing the effectiveness of interactive IR systems. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

SUGAR: graphical user interface-based data refiner for high-throughput DNA sequencing.

PubMed

Sato, Yukuto; Kojima, Kaname; Nariai, Naoki; Yamaguchi-Kabata, Yumi; Kawai, Yosuke; Takahashi, Mamoru; Mimori, Takahiro; Nagasaki, Masao

2014-08-08

Next-generation sequencers (NGSs) have become one of the main tools for current biology. To obtain useful insights from the NGS data, it is essential to control low-quality portions of the data affected by technical errors such as air bubbles in sequencing fluidics. We develop a software SUGAR (subtile-based GUI-assisted refiner) which can handle ultra-high-throughput data with user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) and interactive analysis capability. The SUGAR generates high-resolution quality heatmaps of the flowcell, enabling users to find possible signals of technical errors during the sequencing. The sequencing data generated from the error-affected regions of a flowcell can be selectively removed by automated analysis or GUI-assisted operations implemented in the SUGAR. The automated data-cleaning function based on sequence read quality (Phred) scores was applied to a public whole human genome sequencing data and we proved the overall mapping quality was improved. The detailed data evaluation and cleaning enabled by SUGAR would reduce technical problems in sequence read mapping, improving subsequent variant analysis that require high-quality sequence data and mapping results. Therefore, the software will be especially useful to control the quality of variant calls to the low population cells, e.g., cancers, in a sample with technical errors of sequencing procedures.

Development of a simulated smart pump interface.

PubMed

Elias, Beth L; Moss, Jacqueline A; Shih, Alan; Dillavou, Marcus

2014-01-01

Medical device user interfaces are increasingly complex, resulting in a need for evaluation in clinicallyaccurate settings. Simulation of these interfaces can allow for evaluation, training, and use for research without the risk of harming patients and with a significant cost reduction over using the actual medical devices. This pilot project was phase 1 of a study to define and evaluate a methodology for development of simulated medical device interface technology to be used for education, device development, and research. Digital video and audio recordings of interface interactions were analyzed to develop a model of a smart intravenous medication infusion pump user interface. This model was used to program a high-fidelity simulated smart intravenous medication infusion pump user interface on an inexpensive netbook platform.

Transportable Applications Environment (TAE) Plus: A NASA user interface development and management system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Szczur, Martha R.

1991-01-01

The transportable Applications Environment Plus (TAE Plus), developed at the NASA Goddard Space FLight Center, is a portable, What you see is what you get (WYSIWYG) user interface development and management system. Its primary objective is to provide an integrated software environment that allows interactive prototyping and development of graphical user interfaces, as well as management of the user interface within the operational domain. TAE Plus is being applied to many types of applications, and what TAE Plus provides, how the implementation has utilizes state-of-the-art technologies within graphic workstations, and how it has been used both within and without NASA are discussed.

MuSim, a Graphical User Interface for Multiple Simulation Programs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roberts, Thomas; Cummings, Mary Anne; Johnson, Rolland

2016-06-01

MuSim is a new user-friendly program designed to interface to many different particle simulation codes, regardless of their data formats or geometry descriptions. It presents the user with a compelling graphical user interface that includes a flexible 3-D view of the simulated world plus powerful editing and drag-and-drop capabilities. All aspects of the design can be parametrized so that parameter scans and optimizations are easy. It is simple to create plots and display events in the 3-D viewer (with a slider to vary the transparency of solids), allowing for an effortless comparison of different simulation codes. Simulation codes: G4beamline, MAD-X,more » and MCNP; more coming. Many accelerator design tools and beam optics codes were written long ago, with primitive user interfaces by today's standards. MuSim is specifically designed to make it easy to interface to such codes, providing a common user experience for all, and permitting the construction and exploration of models with very little overhead. For today's technology-driven students, graphical interfaces meet their expectations far better than text-based tools, and education in accelerator physics is one of our primary goals.« less

Creating Mobile and Web Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for NASA Science Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oostra, D.; Chambers, L. H.; Lewis, P. M.; Moore, S. W.

2011-12-01

The Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC) at the NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia houses almost three petabytes of data, a collection that increases every day. To put it into perspective, it is estimated that three petabytes of data storage could store a digitized copy of all printed material in U.S. research libraries. There are more than ten other NASA data centers like the ASDC. Scientists and the public use this data for research, science education, and to understand our environment. Most importantly these data provide the potential for all of us make new discoveries. NASA is about making discoveries. Galileo was quoted as saying, "All discoveries are easy to understand once they are discovered. The point is to discover them." To that end, NASA stores vast amounts of publicly available data. This paper examines an approach to create web applications that serve NASA data in ways that specifically address the mobile web application technologies that are quickly emerging. Mobile data is not a new concept. What is new, is that user driven tools have recently become available that allow users to create their own mobile applications. Through the use of these cloud-based tools users can produce complete native mobile applications. Thus, mobile apps can now be created by everyone, regardless of their programming experience or expertise. This work will explore standards and methods for creating dynamic and malleable application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow users to access and use NASA science data for their own needs. The focus will be on experiences that broaden and increase the scope and usage of NASA science data sets.

Fast and accurate semantic annotation of bioassays exploiting a hybrid of machine learning and user confirmation.

PubMed

Clark, Alex M; Bunin, Barry A; Litterman, Nadia K; Schürer, Stephan C; Visser, Ubbo

2014-01-01

Bioinformatics and computer aided drug design rely on the curation of a large number of protocols for biological assays that measure the ability of potential drugs to achieve a therapeutic effect. These assay protocols are generally published by scientists in the form of plain text, which needs to be more precisely annotated in order to be useful to software methods. We have developed a pragmatic approach to describing assays according to the semantic definitions of the BioAssay Ontology (BAO) project, using a hybrid of machine learning based on natural language processing, and a simplified user interface designed to help scientists curate their data with minimum effort. We have carried out this work based on the premise that pure machine learning is insufficiently accurate, and that expecting scientists to find the time to annotate their protocols manually is unrealistic. By combining these approaches, we have created an effective prototype for which annotation of bioassay text within the domain of the training set can be accomplished very quickly. Well-trained annotations require single-click user approval, while annotations from outside the training set domain can be identified using the search feature of a well-designed user interface, and subsequently used to improve the underlying models. By drastically reducing the time required for scientists to annotate their assays, we can realistically advocate for semantic annotation to become a standard part of the publication process. Once even a small proportion of the public body of bioassay data is marked up, bioinformatics researchers can begin to construct sophisticated and useful searching and analysis algorithms that will provide a diverse and powerful set of tools for drug discovery researchers.

Fast and accurate semantic annotation of bioassays exploiting a hybrid of machine learning and user confirmation

PubMed Central

Bunin, Barry A.; Litterman, Nadia K.; Schürer, Stephan C.; Visser, Ubbo

2014-01-01

Bioinformatics and computer aided drug design rely on the curation of a large number of protocols for biological assays that measure the ability of potential drugs to achieve a therapeutic effect. These assay protocols are generally published by scientists in the form of plain text, which needs to be more precisely annotated in order to be useful to software methods. We have developed a pragmatic approach to describing assays according to the semantic definitions of the BioAssay Ontology (BAO) project, using a hybrid of machine learning based on natural language processing, and a simplified user interface designed to help scientists curate their data with minimum effort. We have carried out this work based on the premise that pure machine learning is insufficiently accurate, and that expecting scientists to find the time to annotate their protocols manually is unrealistic. By combining these approaches, we have created an effective prototype for which annotation of bioassay text within the domain of the training set can be accomplished very quickly. Well-trained annotations require single-click user approval, while annotations from outside the training set domain can be identified using the search feature of a well-designed user interface, and subsequently used to improve the underlying models. By drastically reducing the time required for scientists to annotate their assays, we can realistically advocate for semantic annotation to become a standard part of the publication process. Once even a small proportion of the public body of bioassay data is marked up, bioinformatics researchers can begin to construct sophisticated and useful searching and analysis algorithms that will provide a diverse and powerful set of tools for drug discovery researchers. PMID:25165633

Workshop AccessibleTV "Accessible User Interfaces for Future TV Applications"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hahn, Volker; Hamisu, Pascal; Jung, Christopher; Heinrich, Gregor; Duarte, Carlos; Langdon, Pat

Approximately half of the elderly people over 55 suffer from some type of typically mild visual, auditory, motor or cognitive impairment. For them interaction, especially with PCs and other complex devices is sometimes challenging, although accessible ICT applications could make much of a difference for their living quality. Basically they have the potential to enable or simplify participation and inclusion in their surrounding private and professional communities. However, the availability of accessible user interfaces being capable to adapt to the specific needs and requirements of users with individual impairments is very limited. Although there are a number of APIs [1, 2, 3, 4] available for various platforms that allow developers to provide accessibility features within their applications, today none of them provides features for the automatic adaptation of multimodal interfaces being capable to automatically fit the individual requirements of users with different kinds of impairments. Moreover, the provision of accessible user interfaces is still expensive and risky for application developers, as they need special experience and effort for user tests. Today many implementations simply neglect the needs of elderly people, thus locking out a large portion of their potential users. The workshop is organized as part of the dissemination activity for the European-funded project GUIDE "Gentle user interfaces for elderly people", which aims to address this situation with a comprehensive approach for the realization of multimodal user interfaces being capable to adapt to the needs of users with different kinds of mild impairments. As application platform, GUIDE will mainly target TVs and Set-Top Boxes, such as the emerging Connected-TV or WebTV platforms, as they have the potential to address the needs of the elderly users with applications such as for home automation, communication or continuing education.

The Clue to Minimizing the Developer-User Divide by Good Practice in Earth and Space Science Informatics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Messerotti, M.

2009-04-01

Earth and Space Science research, as well as many other disciplines, can nowadays benefit from advanced data handling techniques and tools capable to significantly relieve the scientist of the burden of data search, retrieval, visualization and manipulation, and to exploit the data information content. Some typical examples are Virtual Observatories (VO) specific to a variety of sub-disciplines but anyway interlinked, a feature intrinsic to the VO architecture, Virtual Globes as advanced 3D selection and visualization interfaces to distributed data repositories, and the Global Earth Observation System of Systems. These information systems are proving also effective in education and outreach activities as they are usable via web interfaces to give access to, to display and to download nonhomogeneous datasets in order to raise the awareness of the students and the public on the relevant disciplines. Despite of that, all of this effective machineries are still poorly used both by the scientific community and by the community active in education and outreach. All such infrastructures are designed and developed according to the state-of-the-art information and computer engineering techniques and are provided with top features such as ontology- and semantics-based data management, and advanced unified web-based interfaces. Anyway, a careful analysis of the issue mentioned above indicates a key aspect that play a major role, i.e., the inadequate interaction with the users' communities during the design, the development, the deployment and the test phases. Even the best technical tool can appear inadequate to the final user when it does not meet the user's requirements in terms of achievable goals and use friendliness. In this work, we consider the user-side features to be taken into account for the optimum exploitation of an information system in the framework of the interaction among the design engineers and the target communities towards the setting of a good practice for minimizing the developer-user divide.

An integrated WebGIS framework for volunteered geographic information and social media in soil and water conservation.

PubMed

Werts, Joshua D; Mikhailova, Elena A; Post, Christopher J; Sharp, Julia L

2012-04-01

Volunteered geographic information and social networking in a WebGIS has the potential to increase public participation in soil and water conservation, promote environmental awareness and change, and provide timely data that may be otherwise unavailable to policymakers in soil and water conservation management. The objectives of this study were: (1) to develop a framework for combining current technologies, computing advances, data sources, and social media; and (2) develop and test an online web mapping interface. The mapping interface integrates Microsoft Silverlight, Bing Maps, ArcGIS Server, Google Picasa Web Albums Data API, RSS, Google Analytics, and Facebook to create a rich user experience. The website allows the public to upload photos and attributes of their own subdivisions or sites they have identified and explore other submissions. The website was made available to the public in early February 2011 at http://www.AbandonedDevelopments.com and evaluated for its potential long-term success in a pilot study.

An Integrated WebGIS Framework for Volunteered Geographic Information and Social Media in Soil and Water Conservation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Werts, Joshua D.; Mikhailova, Elena A.; Post, Christopher J.; Sharp, Julia L.

2012-04-01

Volunteered geographic information and social networking in a WebGIS has the potential to increase public participation in soil and water conservation, promote environmental awareness and change, and provide timely data that may be otherwise unavailable to policymakers in soil and water conservation management. The objectives of this study were: (1) to develop a framework for combining current technologies, computing advances, data sources, and social media; and (2) develop and test an online web mapping interface. The mapping interface integrates Microsoft Silverlight, Bing Maps, ArcGIS Server, Google Picasa Web Albums Data API, RSS, Google Analytics, and Facebook to create a rich user experience. The website allows the public to upload photos and attributes of their own subdivisions or sites they have identified and explore other submissions. The website was made available to the public in early February 2011 at http://www.AbandonedDevelopments.com and evaluated for its potential long-term success in a pilot study.

Improved usability of a multi-infusion setup using a centralized control interface: A task-based usability test

PubMed Central

Cnossen, Fokie; Dieperink, Willem; Bult, Wouter; de Smet, Anne Marie; Touw, Daan J.; Nijsten, Maarten W.

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to assess the usability benefits of adding a bedside central control interface that controls all intravenous (IV) infusion pumps compared to the conventional individual control of multiple infusion pumps. Eighteen dedicated ICU nurses volunteered in a between-subjects task-based usability test. A newly developed central control interface was compared to conventional control of multiple infusion pumps in a simulated ICU setting. Task execution time, clicks, errors and questionnaire responses were evaluated. Overall the central control interface outperformed the conventional control in terms of fewer user actions (40±3 vs. 73±20 clicks, p<0.001) and fewer user errors (1±1 vs. 3±2 errors, p<0.05), with no difference in task execution times (421±108 vs. 406±119 seconds, not significant). Questionnaires indicated a significant preference for the central control interface. Despite being novice users of the central control interface, ICU nurses displayed improved performance with the central control interface compared to the conventional interface they were familiar with. We conclude that the new user interface has an overall better usability than the conventional interface. PMID:28800617

Improved usability of a multi-infusion setup using a centralized control interface: A task-based usability test.

PubMed

Doesburg, Frank; Cnossen, Fokie; Dieperink, Willem; Bult, Wouter; de Smet, Anne Marie; Touw, Daan J; Nijsten, Maarten W

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to assess the usability benefits of adding a bedside central control interface that controls all intravenous (IV) infusion pumps compared to the conventional individual control of multiple infusion pumps. Eighteen dedicated ICU nurses volunteered in a between-subjects task-based usability test. A newly developed central control interface was compared to conventional control of multiple infusion pumps in a simulated ICU setting. Task execution time, clicks, errors and questionnaire responses were evaluated. Overall the central control interface outperformed the conventional control in terms of fewer user actions (40±3 vs. 73±20 clicks, p<0.001) and fewer user errors (1±1 vs. 3±2 errors, p<0.05), with no difference in task execution times (421±108 vs. 406±119 seconds, not significant). Questionnaires indicated a significant preference for the central control interface. Despite being novice users of the central control interface, ICU nurses displayed improved performance with the central control interface compared to the conventional interface they were familiar with. We conclude that the new user interface has an overall better usability than the conventional interface.

Supporting openEHR Java desktop application developers.

PubMed

Kashfi, Hajar; Torgersson, Olof

2011-01-01

The openEHR community suggests that an appropriate approach for creating a graphical user interface for an openEHR-based application is to generate forms from the underlying archetypes and templates. However, current generation techniques are not mature enough to be able to produce high quality interfaces with good usability. Therefore, developing efficient ways to combine manually designed and developed interfaces to openEHR backends is an interesting alternative. In this study, a framework for binding a pre-designed graphical user interface to an openEHR-based backend is proposed. The proposed framework contributes to the set of options available for developers. In particular we believe that the approach of combining user interface components with an openEHR backend in the proposed way might be useful in situations where the quality of the user interface is essential and for creating small scale and experimental systems.

Research on digital city geographic information common services platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Dequan; Wu, Qunyong; Wang, Qinmin

2008-10-01

Traditional GIS (Geographic Information System) software development mode exposes many defects that will largely slow down the city informational progress. It is urgent need to build a common application infrastructure for informational project to speed up the development pace of digital city. The advent of service-oriented architecture (SOA) has motivated the adoption of GIS functionality portals that can be executed in distributed computing environment. According to the SOA principle, we bring forward and design a digital city geographic information common services platform which provides application development service interfaces for field users that can be further extended relevant business application. In the end, a public-oriented Web GIS is developed based on the platform for helping public users to query geographic information in their daily life. It indicates that our platform have the capacity that can be integrated by other applications conveniently.

Concepts and implementations of natural language query systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dominick, Wayne D. (Editor); Liu, I-Hsiung

1984-01-01

The currently developed user language interfaces of information systems are generally intended for serious users. These interfaces commonly ignore potentially the largest user group, i.e., casual users. This project discusses the concepts and implementations of a natural query language system which satisfy the nature and information needs of casual users by allowing them to communicate with the system in the form of their native (natural) language. In addition, a framework for the development of such an interface is also introduced for the MADAM (Multics Approach to Data Access and Management) system at the University of Southwestern Louisiana.

AQBE — QBE Style Queries for Archetyped Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sachdeva, Shelly; Yaginuma, Daigo; Chu, Wanming; Bhalla, Subhash

Large-scale adoption of electronic healthcare applications requires semantic interoperability. The new proposals propose an advanced (multi-level) DBMS architecture for repository services for health records of patients. These also require query interfaces at multiple levels and at the level of semi-skilled users. In this regard, a high-level user interface for querying the new form of standardized Electronic Health Records system has been examined in this study. It proposes a step-by-step graphical query interface to allow semi-skilled users to write queries. Its aim is to decrease user effort and communication ambiguities, and increase user friendliness.

fgui: A Method for Automatically Creating Graphical User Interfaces for Command-Line R Packages

PubMed Central

Hoffmann, Thomas J.; Laird, Nan M.

2009-01-01

The fgui R package is designed for developers of R packages, to help rapidly, and sometimes fully automatically, create a graphical user interface for a command line R package. The interface is built upon the Tcl/Tk graphical interface included in R. The package further facilitates the developer by loading in the help files from the command line functions to provide context sensitive help to the user with no additional effort from the developer. Passing a function as the argument to the routines in the fgui package creates a graphical interface for the function, and further options are available to tweak this interface for those who want more flexibility. PMID:21625291

The Johnson Space Center management information systems: User's guide to JSCMIS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bishop, Peter C.; Erickson, Lloyd

1990-01-01

The Johnson Space Center Management Information System (JSCMIS) is an interface to computer data bases at the NASA Johnson Space Center which allows an authorized user to browse and retrieve information from a variety of sources with minimum effort. The User's Guide to JSCMIS is the supplement to the JSCMIS Research Report which details the objectives, the architecture, and implementation of the interface. It is a tutorial on how to use the interface and a reference for details about it. The guide is structured like an extended JSCMIS session, describing all of the interface features and how to use them. It also contains an appendix with each of the standard FORMATs currently included in the interface. Users may review them to decide which FORMAT most suits their needs.

Human-telerobot interactions - Information, control, and mental models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Randy L.; Gillan, Douglas J.

1987-01-01

A part of the NASA's Space Station will be a teleoperated robot (telerobot) with arms for grasping and manipulation, feet for holding onto objects, and television cameras for visual feedback. The objective of the work described in this paper is to develop the requirements and specifications for the user-telerobot interface and to determine through research and testing that the interface results in efficient system operation. The focus of the development of the user-telerobot interface is on the information required by the user, the user inputs, and the design of the control workstation. Closely related to both the information required by the user and the user's control of the telerobot is the user's mental model of the relationship between the control inputs and the telerobot's actions.

A Proposed Intelligent Policy-Based Interface for a Mobile eHealth Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tavasoli, Amir; Archer, Norm

Users of mobile eHealth systems are often novices, and the learning process for them may be very time consuming. In order for systems to be attractive to potential adopters, it is important that the interface should be very convenient and easy to learn. However, the community of potential users of a mobile eHealth system may be quite varied in their requirements, so the system must be able to adapt easily to suit user preferences. One way to accomplish this is to have the interface driven by intelligent policies. These policies can be refined gradually, using inputs from potential users, through intelligent agents. This paper develops a framework for policy refinement for eHealth mobile interfaces, based on dynamic learning from user interactions.

Three-dimensional user interfaces for scientific visualization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vandam, Andries

1995-01-01

The main goal of this project is to develop novel and productive user interface techniques for creating and managing visualizations of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) datasets. We have implemented an application framework in which we can visualize computational fluid dynamics user interfaces. This UI technology allows users to interactively place visualization probes in a dataset and modify some of their parameters. We have also implemented a time-critical scheduling system which strives to maintain a constant frame-rate regardless of the number of visualization techniques. In the past year, we have published parts of this research at two conferences, the research annotation system at Visualization 1994, and the 3D user interface at UIST 1994. The real-time scheduling system has been submitted to SIGGRAPH 1995 conference. Copies of these documents are included with this report.

Graphical user interfaces for symbol-oriented database visualization and interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brinkschulte, Uwe; Siormanolakis, Marios; Vogelsang, Holger

1997-04-01

In this approach, two basic services designed for the engineering of computer based systems are combined: a symbol-oriented man-machine-service and a high speed database-service. The man-machine service is used to build graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for the database service; these interfaces are stored using the database service. The idea is to create a GUI-builder and a GUI-manager for the database service based upon the man-machine service using the concept of symbols. With user-definable and predefined symbols, database contents can be visualized and manipulated in a very flexible and intuitive way. Using the GUI-builder and GUI-manager, a user can build and operate its own graphical user interface for a given database according to its needs without writing a single line of code.

BioCarian: search engine for exploratory searches in heterogeneous biological databases.

PubMed

Zaki, Nazar; Tennakoon, Chandana

2017-10-02

There are a large number of biological databases publicly available for scientists in the web. Also, there are many private databases generated in the course of research projects. These databases are in a wide variety of formats. Web standards have evolved in the recent times and semantic web technologies are now available to interconnect diverse and heterogeneous sources of data. Therefore, integration and querying of biological databases can be facilitated by techniques used in semantic web. Heterogeneous databases can be converted into Resource Description Format (RDF) and queried using SPARQL language. Searching for exact queries in these databases is trivial. However, exploratory searches need customized solutions, especially when multiple databases are involved. This process is cumbersome and time consuming for those without a sufficient background in computer science. In this context, a search engine facilitating exploratory searches of databases would be of great help to the scientific community. We present BioCarian, an efficient and user-friendly search engine for performing exploratory searches on biological databases. The search engine is an interface for SPARQL queries over RDF databases. We note that many of the databases can be converted to tabular form. We first convert the tabular databases to RDF. The search engine provides a graphical interface based on facets to explore the converted databases. The facet interface is more advanced than conventional facets. It allows complex queries to be constructed, and have additional features like ranking of facet values based on several criteria, visually indicating the relevance of a facet value and presenting the most important facet values when a large number of choices are available. For the advanced users, SPARQL queries can be run directly on the databases. Using this feature, users will be able to incorporate federated searches of SPARQL endpoints. We used the search engine to do an exploratory search on previously published viral integration data and were able to deduce the main conclusions of the original publication. BioCarian is accessible via http://www.biocarian.com . We have developed a search engine to explore RDF databases that can be used by both novice and advanced users.

CDROM User Interface Evaluation: The Appropriateness of GUIs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bosch, Victoria Manglano; Hancock-Beaulieu, Micheline

1995-01-01

Assesses the appropriateness of GUIs (graphical user interfaces), more specifically Windows-based interfaces for CD-ROM. An evaluation model is described that was developed to carry out an expert evaluation of the interfaces of seven CD-ROM products. Results are discussed in light of HCI (human-computer interaction) usability criteria and design…

Cross-Cultural Interface Design and the Classroom-Learning Environment in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Chia-Lin; Su, Yelin

2012-01-01

This study examined whether using localized interface designs would make a difference in users' learning results and their perceptions of the interface design in a classroom learning environment. This study also sought to learn more about users' attitudes toward the localized interface features. To assess the impact of using localized interfaces…

Railroad track inspection interface demonstration : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-01-01

This project developed a track data user interface utilizing the Google Glass optical display device. The interface allows the user : to recall data stored remotely and view the data on the Google Glass. The technical effort required developing a com...

Study on user interface of pathology picture archiving and communication system.

PubMed

Kim, Dasueran; Kang, Peter; Yun, Jungmin; Park, Sung-Hye; Seo, Jeong-Wook; Park, Peom

2014-01-01

It is necessary to improve the pathology workflow. A workflow task analysis was performed using a pathology picture archiving and communication system (pathology PACS) in order to propose a user interface for the Pathology PACS considering user experience. An interface analysis of the Pathology PACS in Seoul National University Hospital and a task analysis of the pathology workflow were performed by observing recorded video. Based on obtained results, a user interface for the Pathology PACS was proposed. Hierarchical task analysis of Pathology PACS was classified into 17 tasks including 1) pre-operation, 2) text, 3) images, 4) medical record viewer, 5) screen transition, 6) pathology identification number input, 7) admission date input, 8) diagnosis doctor, 9) diagnosis code, 10) diagnosis, 11) pathology identification number check box, 12) presence or absence of images, 13) search, 14) clear, 15) Excel save, 16) search results, and 17) re-search. And frequently used menu items were identified and schematized. A user interface for the Pathology PACS considering user experience could be proposed as a preliminary step, and this study may contribute to the development of medical information systems based on user experience and usability.

Introduction of knowledge bases in patient's data management system: role of the user interface.

PubMed

Chambrin, M C; Ravaux, P; Jaborska, A; Beugnet, C; Lestavel, P; Chopin, C; Boniface, M

1995-02-01

As the number of signals and data to be handled grows in intensive care unit, it is necessary to design more powerful computing systems that integrate and summarize all this information. The manual input of data as e.g. clinical signs and drug prescription and the synthetic representation of these data requires an ever more sophisticated user interface. The introduction of knowledge bases in the data management allows to conceive contextual interfaces. The objective of this paper is to show the importance of the design of the user interface, in the daily use of clinical information system. Then we describe a methodology that uses the man-machine interaction to capture the clinician knowledge during the clinical practice. The different steps are the audit of the user's actions, the elaboration of statistic models allowing the definition of new knowledge, and the validation that is performed before complete integration. A part of this knowledge can be used to improve the user interface. Finally, we describe the implementation of these concepts on a UNIX platform using OSF/MOTIF graphical interface.

A review of existing and potential computer user interfaces for modern radiology.

PubMed

Iannessi, Antoine; Marcy, Pierre-Yves; Clatz, Olivier; Bertrand, Anne-Sophie; Sugimoto, Maki

2018-05-16

The digitalization of modern imaging has led radiologists to become very familiar with computers and their user interfaces (UI). New options for display and command offer expanded possibilities, but the mouse and keyboard remain the most commonly utilized, for usability reasons. In this work, we review and discuss different UI and their possible application in radiology. We consider two-dimensional and three-dimensional imaging displays in the context of interventional radiology, and discuss interest in touchscreens, kinetic sensors, eye detection, and augmented or virtual reality. We show that UI design specifically for radiologists is key for future use and adoption of such new interfaces. Next-generation UI must fulfil professional needs, while considering contextual constraints. • The mouse and keyboard remain the most utilized user interfaces for radiologists. • Touchscreen, holographic, kinetic sensors and eye tracking offer new possibilities for interaction. • 3D and 2D imaging require specific user interfaces. • Holographic display and augmented reality provide a third dimension to volume imaging. • Good usability is essential for adoption of new user interfaces by radiologists.

Inclusive Smartphone Interface Design in Context: Co(Re)designing the PIS.

PubMed

Magee, Paul; Ward, Gillian; Moody, Louise; Roebuck, Annette

2017-01-01

User-context optimises smartphone interface-design. Neglect of user-context during development, delays or prevents marginalised-consumer benefit. Working with People with Learning Disability (PWLD) to develop interfaces refined by communication-need will improve User-Experience (UX). In research, a Participant Information Sheet (PIS) discloses planned study-activity. This paper explains co-creation of a PIS based on communication-need of PWLD.

Co-Evolution of User and Organizational Interfaces: A Longitudinal Case Study of WWW Dissemination of National Statistics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marchionini, Gary

2002-01-01

Describes how user interfaces for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) web site evolved over a 5-year period along with the larger organizational interface and how this co-evolution has influenced the institution. Interviews with BLS staff and transaction log analysis are the foci of this study, as well as user information-seeking studies and user…

Graphical Requirements for Force Level Planning. Volume 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-09-01

technology review includes graphics algorithms, computer hardware, computer software, and design methodologies. The technology can either exist today or...level graphics language. 7.4 User Interface Design Tools As user interfaces have become more sophisticated, they have become harder to develop. Xl...Setphen M. Pizer, editors. Proceedings 1986 Workshop on Interactive 31) Graphics , October 1986. 18 J. S. Dumas. Designing User Interface Software. Prentice

The Role of Perceived User-Interface Design in Continued Usage Intention of Self-Paced E-Learning Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cho, Vincent; Cheng, T. C. Edwin; Lai, W. M. Jennifer

2009-01-01

While past studies on user-interface design focused on a particular system or application using the experimental approach, we propose a theoretical model to assess the impact of perceived user-interface design (PUID) on continued usage intention (CUI) of self-paced e-learning tools in general. We argue that the impact of PUID is mediated by two…

Image Understanding and Intelligent Parallel Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-05-09

a common user interface for the interactive , graphical manipulation of those histories, and...Circuits and Systems, August 1987. Yap, S.-K. and M.L. Scott, "PenGuin: A language for reactive graphical user interface programming," to appear, INTERACT 󈨞, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 1990. 74 ...of up to a factor of 100 over single-workstation implementations. User interfaces to large multiprocessor computers are a difficult issue addressed

PANEL LIBRARY AND EDITOR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raible, E.

1994-01-01

The Panel Library and Editor is a graphical user interface (GUI) builder for the Silicon Graphics IRIS workstation family. The toolkit creates "widgets" which can be manipulated by the user. Its appearance is similar to that of the X-Windows System. The Panel Library is written in C and is used by programmers writing user-friendly mouse-driven applications for the IRIS. GUIs built using the Panel Library consist of "actuators" and "panels." Actuators are buttons, dials, sliders, or other mouse-driven symbols. Panels are groups of actuators that occupy separate windows on the IRIS workstation. The application user can alter variables in the graphics program, or fire off functions with a click on a button. The evolution of data values can be tracked with meters and strip charts, and dialog boxes with text processing can be built. Panels can be stored as icons when not in use. The Panel Editor is a program used to interactively create and test panel library interfaces in a simple and efficient way. The Panel Editor itself uses a panel library interface, so all actions are mouse driven. Extensive context-sensitive on-line help is provided. Programmers can graphically create and test the user interface without writing a single line of code. Once an interface is judged satisfactory, the Panel Editor will dump it out as a file of C code that can be used in an application. The Panel Library (v9.8) and Editor (v1.1) are written in C-Language (63%) and Scheme, a dialect of LISP, (37%) for Silicon Graphics 4D series workstations running IRIX 3.2 or higher. Approximately 10Mb of disk space is required once compiled. 1.5Mb of main memory is required to execute the panel editor. This program is available on a .25 inch streaming magnetic tape cartridge in UNIX tar format for an IRIS, and includes a copy of XScheme, the public-domain Scheme interpreter used by the Panel Editor. The Panel Library Programmer's Manual is included on the distribution media. The Panel Library and Editor were released to COSMIC in 1991. Silicon Graphics, IRIS, and IRIX are trademarks of Silicon Graphics, Inc. X-Window System is a trademark of Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Seeing the System through the End Users' Eyes: Shadow Expert Technique for Evaluating the Consistency of a Learning Management System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holzinger, Andreas; Stickel, Christian; Fassold, Markus; Ebner, Martin

Interface consistency is an important basic concept in web design and has an effect on performance and satisfaction of end users. Consistency also has significant effects on the learning performance of both expert and novice end users. Consequently, the evaluation of consistency within a e-learning system and the ensuing eradication of irritating discrepancies in the user interface redesign is a big issue. In this paper, we report of our experiences with the Shadow Expert Technique (SET) during the evaluation of the consistency of the user interface of a large university learning management system. The main objective of this new usability evaluation method is to understand the interaction processes of end users with a specific system interface. Two teams of usability experts worked independently from each other in order to maximize the objectivity of the results. The outcome of this SET method is a list of recommended changes to improve the user interaction processes, hence to facilitate high consistency.

Adaptive interface for personalizing information seeking.

PubMed

Narayanan, S; Koppaka, Lavanya; Edala, Narasimha; Loritz, Don; Daley, Raymond

2004-12-01

An adaptive interface autonomously adjusts its display and available actions to current goals and abilities of the user by assessing user status, system task, and the context. Knowledge content adaptability is needed for knowledge acquisition and refinement tasks. In the case of knowledge content adaptability, the requirements of interface design focus on the elicitation of information from the user and the refinement of information based on patterns of interaction. In such cases, the emphasis on adaptability is on facilitating information search and knowledge discovery. In this article, we present research on adaptive interfaces that facilitates personalized information seeking from a large data warehouse. The resulting proof-of-concept system, called source recommendation system (SRS), assists users in locating and navigating data sources in the repository. Based on the initial user query and an analysis of the content of the search results, the SRS system generates a profile of the user tailored to the individual's context during information seeking. The user profiles are refined successively and are used in progressively guiding the user to the appropriate set of sources within the knowledge base. The SRS system is implemented as an Internet browser plug-in to provide a seamless and unobtrusive, personalized experience to the users during the information search process. The rationale behind our approach, system design, empirical evaluation, and implications for research on adaptive interfaces are described in this paper.

A mobile phone user interface for image-based dietary assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, Ziad; Khanna, Nitin; Kerr, Deborah A.; Boushey, Carol J.; Delp, Edward J.

2014-02-01

Many chronic diseases, including obesity and cancer, are related to diet. Such diseases may be prevented and/or successfully treated by accurately monitoring and assessing food and beverage intakes. Existing dietary assessment methods such as the 24-hour dietary recall and the food frequency questionnaire, are burdensome and not generally accurate. In this paper, we present a user interface for a mobile telephone food record that relies on taking images, using the built-in camera, as the primary method of recording. We describe the design and implementation of this user interface while stressing the solutions we devised to meet the requirements imposed by the image analysis process, yet keeping the user interface easy to use.

TAE Plus: Transportable Applications Environment Plus tools for building graphic-oriented applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Szczur, Martha R.

1989-01-01

The Transportable Applications Environment Plus (TAE Plus), developed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, is a portable User Interface Management System (UIMS), which provides an intuitive WYSIWYG WorkBench for prototyping and designing an application's user interface, integrated with tools for efficiently implementing the designed user interface and effective management of the user interface during an application's active domain. During the development of TAE Plus, many design and implementation decisions were based on the state-of-the-art within graphics workstations, windowing system and object-oriented programming languages. Some of the problems and issues experienced during implementation are discussed. A description of the next development steps planned for TAE Plus is also given.

A Mobile Phone User Interface for Image-Based Dietary Assessment

PubMed Central

Ahmad, Ziad; Khanna, Nitin; Kerr, Deborah A.; Boushey, Carol J.; Delp, Edward J.

2016-01-01

Many chronic diseases, including obesity and cancer, are related to diet. Such diseases may be prevented and/or successfully treated by accurately monitoring and assessing food and beverage intakes. Existing dietary assessment methods such as the 24-hour dietary recall and the food frequency questionnaire, are burdensome and not generally accurate. In this paper, we present a user interface for a mobile telephone food record that relies on taking images, using the built-in camera, as the primary method of recording. We describe the design and implementation of this user interface while stressing the solutions we devised to meet the requirements imposed by the image analysis process, yet keeping the user interface easy to use. PMID:28572696

A Mobile Phone User Interface for Image-Based Dietary Assessment.

PubMed

Ahmad, Ziad; Khanna, Nitin; Kerr, Deborah A; Boushey, Carol J; Delp, Edward J

2014-02-02

Many chronic diseases, including obesity and cancer, are related to diet. Such diseases may be prevented and/or successfully treated by accurately monitoring and assessing food and beverage intakes. Existing dietary assessment methods such as the 24-hour dietary recall and the food frequency questionnaire, are burdensome and not generally accurate. In this paper, we present a user interface for a mobile telephone food record that relies on taking images, using the built-in camera, as the primary method of recording. We describe the design and implementation of this user interface while stressing the solutions we devised to meet the requirements imposed by the image analysis process, yet keeping the user interface easy to use.

The Rise of the Graphical User Interface.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Alastair D. N.

1996-01-01

Discusses the history of the graphical user interface (GUI) and the growing realization that adaptations must be made to it lest its visual nature discriminate against nonsighted or sight-impaired users. One of the most popular commercially developed adaptations is to develop sounds that signal the location of icons or menus to mouse users.…

Effective Levels of Adaptation to Different Types of Users in Interactive Museum Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paterno, F.; Mancini, C.

2000-01-01

Discusses user interaction with museum application interfaces and emphasizes the importance of adaptable and adaptive interfaces to meet differing user needs. Considers levels of support that can be given to different users during navigation of museum hypermedia information, using examples from the Web site for the Marble Museum (Italy).…

Personalization of XML Content Browsing Based on User Preferences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Encelle, Benoit; Baptiste-Jessel, Nadine; Sedes, Florence

2009-01-01

Personalization of user interfaces for browsing content is a key concept to ensure content accessibility. In this direction, we introduce concepts that result in the generation of personalized multimodal user interfaces for browsing XML content. User requirements concerning the browsing of a specific content type can be specified by means of…

Space Segment (SS) and the Navigation User Segment (US) Interface Control Document (ICD)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1993-10-10

This Interface Control Document (ICD) defines the requirements related to the interface between the Space Segment (SS) of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the Navigation Users Segment of the GPS. 2880k, 154p.

National Geothermal Data System: Open Access to Geoscience Data, Maps, and Documents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caudill, C. M.; Richard, S. M.; Musil, L.; Sonnenschein, A.; Good, J.

2014-12-01

The U.S. National Geothermal Data System (NGDS) provides free open access to millions of geoscience data records, publications, maps, and reports via distributed web services to propel geothermal research, development, and production. NGDS is built on the US Geoscience Information Network (USGIN) data integration framework, which is a joint undertaking of the USGS and the Association of American State Geologists (AASG), and is compliant with international standards and protocols. NGDS currently serves geoscience information from 60+ data providers in all 50 states. Free and open source software is used in this federated system where data owners maintain control of their data. This interactive online system makes geoscience data easily discoverable, accessible, and interoperable at no cost to users. The dynamic project site http://geothermaldata.org serves as the information source and gateway to the system, allowing data and applications discovery and availability of the system's data feed. It also provides access to NGDS specifications and the free and open source code base (on GitHub), a map-centric and library style search interface, other software applications utilizing NGDS services, NGDS tutorials (via YouTube and USGIN site), and user-created tools and scripts. The user-friendly map-centric web-based application has been created to support finding, visualizing, mapping, and acquisition of data based on topic, location, time, provider, or key words. Geographic datasets visualized through the map interface also allow users to inspect the details of individual GIS data points (e.g. wells, geologic units, etc.). In addition, the interface provides the information necessary for users to access the GIS data from third party software applications such as GoogleEarth, UDig, and ArcGIS. A redistributable, free and open source software package called GINstack (USGIN software stack) was also created to give data providers a simple way to release data using interoperable and shareable standards, upload data and documents, and expose those data as a node in the NGDS or any larger data system through a CSW endpoint. The easy-to-use interface is supported by back-end software including Postgres, GeoServer, and custom CKAN extensions among others.

Classification of video sequences into chosen generalized use classes of target size and lighting level.

PubMed

Leszczuk, Mikołaj; Dudek, Łukasz; Witkowski, Marcin

The VQiPS (Video Quality in Public Safety) Working Group, supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has been developing a user guide for public safety video applications. According to VQiPS, five parameters have particular importance influencing the ability to achieve a recognition task. They are: usage time-frame, discrimination level, target size, lighting level, and level of motion. These parameters form what are referred to as Generalized Use Classes (GUCs). The aim of our research was to develop algorithms that would automatically assist classification of input sequences into one of the GUCs. Target size and lighting level parameters were approached. The experiment described reveals the experts' ambiguity and hesitation during the manual target size determination process. However, the automatic methods developed for target size classification make it possible to determine GUC parameters with 70 % compliance to the end-users' opinion. Lighting levels of the entire sequence can be classified with an efficiency reaching 93 %. To make the algorithms available for use, a test application has been developed. It is able to process video files and display classification results, the user interface being very simple and requiring only minimal user interaction.

mirEX: a platform for comparative exploration of plant pri-miRNA expression data.

PubMed

Bielewicz, Dawid; Dolata, Jakub; Zielezinski, Andrzej; Alaba, Sylwia; Szarzynska, Bogna; Szczesniak, Michal W; Jarmolowski, Artur; Szweykowska-Kulinska, Zofia; Karlowski, Wojciech M

2012-01-01

mirEX is a comprehensive platform for comparative analysis of primary microRNA expression data. RT-qPCR-based gene expression profiles are stored in a universal and expandable database scheme and wrapped by an intuitive user-friendly interface. A new way of accessing gene expression data in mirEX includes a simple mouse operated querying system and dynamic graphs for data mining analyses. In contrast to other publicly available databases, the mirEX interface allows a simultaneous comparison of expression levels between various microRNA genes in diverse organs and developmental stages. Currently, mirEX integrates information about the expression profile of 190 Arabidopsis thaliana pri-miRNAs in seven different developmental stages: seeds, seedlings and various organs of mature plants. Additionally, by providing RNA structural models, publicly available deep sequencing results, experimental procedure details and careful selection of auxiliary data in the form of web links, mirEX can function as a one-stop solution for Arabidopsis microRNA information. A web-based mirEX interface can be accessed at http://bioinfo.amu.edu.pl/mirex.

1DTempPro: analyzing temperature profiles for groundwater/surface-water exchange.

PubMed

Voytek, Emily B; Drenkelfuss, Anja; Day-Lewis, Frederick D; Healy, Richard; Lane, John W; Werkema, Dale

2014-01-01

A new computer program, 1DTempPro, is presented for the analysis of vertical one-dimensional (1D) temperature profiles under saturated flow conditions. 1DTempPro is a graphical user interface to the U.S. Geological Survey code Variably Saturated 2-Dimensional Heat Transport (VS2DH), which numerically solves the flow and heat-transport equations. Pre- and postprocessor features allow the user to calibrate VS2DH models to estimate vertical groundwater/surface-water exchange and also hydraulic conductivity for cases where hydraulic head is known. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

An overview of the EOSDIS V0 information management system: Lessons learned from the implementation of a distributed data system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryan, Patrick M.

1994-01-01

The EOSDIS Version 0 system, released in July, 1994, is a working prototype of a distributed data system. One of the purposes of the V0 project is to take several existing data systems and coordinate them into one system while maintaining the independent nature of the original systems. The project is a learning experience and the lessons are being passed on to the architects of the system which will distribute the data received from the planned EOS satellites. In the V0 system, the data resides on heterogeneous systems across the globe but users are presented with a single, integrated interface. This interface allows users to query the participating data centers based on a wide set of criteria. Because this system is a prototype, we used many novel approaches in trying to connect a diverse group of users with the huge amount of available data. Some of these methods worked and others did not. Now that V0 has been released to the public, we can look back at the design and implementation of the system and also consider some possible future directions for the next generation of EOSDIS.

Flexible software architecture for user-interface and machine control in laboratory automation.

PubMed

Arutunian, E B; Meldrum, D R; Friedman, N A; Moody, S E

1998-10-01

We describe a modular, layered software architecture for automated laboratory instruments. The design consists of a sophisticated user interface, a machine controller and multiple individual hardware subsystems, each interacting through a client-server architecture built entirely on top of open Internet standards. In our implementation, the user-interface components are built as Java applets that are downloaded from a server integrated into the machine controller. The user-interface client can thereby provide laboratory personnel with a familiar environment for experiment design through a standard World Wide Web browser. Data management and security are seamlessly integrated at the machine-controller layer using QNX, a real-time operating system. This layer also controls hardware subsystems through a second client-server interface. This architecture has proven flexible and relatively easy to implement and allows users to operate laboratory automation instruments remotely through an Internet connection. The software architecture was implemented and demonstrated on the Acapella, an automated fluid-sample-processing system that is under development at the University of Washington.

Assisted navigation based on shared-control, using discrete and sparse human-machine interfaces.

PubMed

Lopes, Ana C; Nunes, Urbano; Vaz, Luis; Vaz, Luís

2010-01-01

This paper presents a shared-control approach for Assistive Mobile Robots (AMR), which depends on the user's ability to navigate a semi-autonomous powered wheelchair, using a sparse and discrete human-machine interface (HMI). This system is primarily intended to help users with severe motor disabilities that prevent them to use standard human-machine interfaces. Scanning interfaces and Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI), characterized to provide a small set of commands issued sparsely, are possible HMIs. This shared-control approach is intended to be applied in an Assisted Navigation Training Framework (ANTF) that is used to train users' ability in steering a powered wheelchair in an appropriate manner, given the restrictions imposed by their limited motor capabilities. A shared-controller based on user characterization, is proposed. This controller is able to share the information provided by the local motion planning level with the commands issued sparsely by the user. Simulation results of the proposed shared-control method, are presented.

Experimental setup for evaluating an adaptive user interface for teleoperation control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wijayasinghe, Indika B.; Peetha, Srikanth; Abubakar, Shamsudeen; Saadatzi, Mohammad Nasser; Cremer, Sven; Popa, Dan O.

2017-05-01

A vital part of human interactions with a machine is the control interface, which single-handedly could define the user satisfaction and the efficiency of performing a task. This paper elaborates the implementation of an experimental setup to study an adaptive algorithm that can help the user better tele-operate the robot. The formulation of the adaptive interface and associate learning algorithms are general enough to apply when the mapping between the user controls and the robot actuators is complex and/or ambiguous. The method uses a genetic algorithm to find the optimal parameters that produce the input-output mapping for teleoperation control. In this paper, we describe the experimental setup and associated results that was used to validate the adaptive interface to a differential drive robot from two different input devices; a joystick, and a Myo gesture control armband. Results show that after the learning phase, the interface converges to an intuitive mapping that can help even inexperienced users drive the system to a goal location.

AutoCellSeg: robust automatic colony forming unit (CFU)/cell analysis using adaptive image segmentation and easy-to-use post-editing techniques.

PubMed

Khan, Arif Ul Maula; Torelli, Angelo; Wolf, Ivo; Gretz, Norbert

2018-05-08

In biological assays, automated cell/colony segmentation and counting is imperative owing to huge image sets. Problems occurring due to drifting image acquisition conditions, background noise and high variation in colony features in experiments demand a user-friendly, adaptive and robust image processing/analysis method. We present AutoCellSeg (based on MATLAB) that implements a supervised automatic and robust image segmentation method. AutoCellSeg utilizes multi-thresholding aided by a feedback-based watershed algorithm taking segmentation plausibility criteria into account. It is usable in different operation modes and intuitively enables the user to select object features interactively for supervised image segmentation method. It allows the user to correct results with a graphical interface. This publicly available tool outperforms tools like OpenCFU and CellProfiler in terms of accuracy and provides many additional useful features for end-users.

User productivity as a function of AutoCAD interface design.

PubMed

Mitta, D A; Flores, P L

1995-12-01

Increased operator productivity is a desired outcome of user-CAD interaction scenarios. Two objectives of this research were to (1) define a measure of operator productivity and (2) empirically investigate the potential effects of CAD interface design on operator productivity, where productivity is defined as the percentage of a drawing session correctly completed per unit time. Here, AutoCAD provides the CAD environment of interest. Productivity with respect to two AutoCAD interface designs (menu, template) and three task types (draw, dimension, display) was investigated. Analysis of user productivity data revealed significantly higher productivity under the menu interface condition than under the template interface condition. A significant effect of task type was also discovered, where user productivity under display tasks was higher than productivity under the draw and dimension tasks. Implications of these results are presented.

Flight Telerobotic Servicer prototype simulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schein, Rob; Krauze, Linda; Hartley, Craig; Dickenson, Alan; Lavecchia, Tom; Working, Bob

A prototype simulator for the Flight Telerobotic Servicer (FTS) system is described for use in the design development of the FTS, emphasizing the hand controller and user interface. The simulator utilizes a graphics workstation based on rapid prototyping tools for systems analyses of the use of the user interface and the hand controller. Kinematic modeling, manipulator-control algorithms, and communications programs are contained in the software for the simulator. The hardwired FTS panels and operator interface for use on the STS Orbiter are represented graphically, and the simulated controls function as the final FTS system configuration does. The robotic arm moves based on the user hand-controller interface, and the joint angles and other data are given on the prototype of the user interface. This graphics simulation tool provides the means for familiarizing crewmembers with the FTS system operation, displays, and controls.

Real-Time Distributed Algorithms for Visual and Battlefield Reasoning

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-01

High-Level Task Definition Language, Graphical User Interface (GUI), Story Analysis, Story Interpretation, SensIT Nodes 16. SECURITY...or more actions to be taken in the event the conditions are satisfied. We developed graphical user interfaces that may be used to express such...actions to be taken in the event the conditions are satisfied. We developed graphical user interfaces that may be used to express such task

Representation-based user interfaces for the audiovisual library of the year 2000

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aigrain, Philippe; Joly, Philippe; Lepain, Philippe; Longueville, Veronique

1995-03-01

The audiovisual library of the future will be based on computerized access to digitized documents. In this communication, we address the user interface issues which will arise from this new situation. One cannot simply transfer a user interface designed for the piece by piece production of some audiovisual presentation and make it a tool for accessing full-length movies in an electronic library. One cannot take a digital sound editing tool and propose it as a means to listen to a musical recording. In our opinion, when computers are used as mediations to existing contents, document representation-based user interfaces are needed. With such user interfaces, a structured visual representation of the document contents is presented to the user, who can then manipulate it to control perception and analysis of these contents. In order to build such manipulable visual representations of audiovisual documents, one needs to automatically extract structural information from the documents contents. In this communication, we describe possible visual interfaces for various temporal media, and we propose methods for the economically feasible large scale processing of documents. The work presented is sponsored by the Bibliotheque Nationale de France: it is part of the program aiming at developing for image and sound documents an experimental counterpart to the digitized text reading workstation of this library.

User interface and patient involvement.

PubMed

Andreassen, Hege Kristin; Lundvoll Nilsen, Line

2013-01-01

Increased patient involvement is a goal in contemporary health care, and of importance to the development of patient oriented ICT. In this paper we discuss how the design of patient-user interfaces can affect patient involvement. Our discussion is based on 12 semi-structured interviews with patient users of a web-based solution for patient--doctor communication piloted in Norway. We argue ICT solutions offering a choice of user interfaces on the patient side are preferable to ensure individual accommodation and a high degree of patient involvement. When introducing web-based tools for patient--health professional communication a free-text option should be provided to the patient users.

EvolView, an online tool for visualizing, annotating and managing phylogenetic trees.

PubMed

Zhang, Huangkai; Gao, Shenghan; Lercher, Martin J; Hu, Songnian; Chen, Wei-Hua

2012-07-01

EvolView is a web application for visualizing, annotating and managing phylogenetic trees. First, EvolView is a phylogenetic tree viewer and customization tool; it visualizes trees in various formats, customizes them through built-in functions that can link information from external datasets, and exports the customized results to publication-ready figures. Second, EvolView is a tree and dataset management tool: users can easily organize related trees into distinct projects, add new datasets to trees and edit and manage existing trees and datasets. To make EvolView easy to use, it is equipped with an intuitive user interface. With a free account, users can save data and manipulations on the EvolView server. EvolView is freely available at: http://www.evolgenius.info/evolview.html.

EvolView, an online tool for visualizing, annotating and managing phylogenetic trees

PubMed Central

Zhang, Huangkai; Gao, Shenghan; Lercher, Martin J.; Hu, Songnian; Chen, Wei-Hua

2012-01-01

EvolView is a web application for visualizing, annotating and managing phylogenetic trees. First, EvolView is a phylogenetic tree viewer and customization tool; it visualizes trees in various formats, customizes them through built-in functions that can link information from external datasets, and exports the customized results to publication-ready figures. Second, EvolView is a tree and dataset management tool: users can easily organize related trees into distinct projects, add new datasets to trees and edit and manage existing trees and datasets. To make EvolView easy to use, it is equipped with an intuitive user interface. With a free account, users can save data and manipulations on the EvolView server. EvolView is freely available at: http://www.evolgenius.info/evolview.html. PMID:22695796

Health Terrain: Visualizing Large Scale Health Data

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

Text mining ; Data mining . 16. SECURITY  CLASSIFICATION  OF: 17... text   mining  algorithms  to  construct  a  concept  space.  A   browser-­‐based  user  interface  is  developed  to...Public  health  data,  Notifiable  condition  detector,   Text   mining ,  Data   mining   4 of 29 Disease Patient Location Term

Concept Mapping as a Support for Mars Landing-Site Selection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cabrol, Nathalie A.; Briggs, Geoffrey A.

1999-01-01

The NASA Ames' Center for Mars Exploration (CMEX) serves to coordinate Mars programmatic research at ARC in the sciences, in information technology and in aero-assist and other technologies. Most recently, CMEX has been working with the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition at the University of West Florida to develop a new kind of web browser based on the application of concept maps. These Cmaps, which are demonstrably effective in science teaching, can be used to provide a new kind of information navigation tool that can make web or CD based information more meaningful and more easily navigable. CMEX expects that its 1999 CD-ROM will have this new user interface. CMEX is also engaged with the Mars Surveyor Project Office at JPL in developing an Internet-based source of materials to support the process of selecting landing sites for the next series of Mars landers. This activity -- identifying the most promising sites from which to return samples relevant to the search for evidence of life -- is one that is expected to engage the general public as well as the science community. To make the landing site data easily accessible and meaningful to the public, CMEX is planning to use the IHMC Cmap browser as its user interface.

Design, implementation and practice of JBEI-ICE: an open source biological part registry platform and tools.

PubMed

Ham, Timothy S; Dmytriv, Zinovii; Plahar, Hector; Chen, Joanna; Hillson, Nathan J; Keasling, Jay D

2012-10-01

The Joint BioEnergy Institute Inventory of Composable Elements (JBEI-ICEs) is an open source registry platform for managing information about biological parts. It is capable of recording information about 'legacy' parts, such as plasmids, microbial host strains and Arabidopsis seeds, as well as DNA parts in various assembly standards. ICE is built on the idea of a web of registries and thus provides strong support for distributed interconnected use. The information deposited in an ICE installation instance is accessible both via a web browser and through the web application programming interfaces, which allows automated access to parts via third-party programs. JBEI-ICE includes several useful web browser-based graphical applications for sequence annotation, manipulation and analysis that are also open source. As with open source software, users are encouraged to install, use and customize JBEI-ICE and its components for their particular purposes. As a web application programming interface, ICE provides well-developed parts storage functionality for other synthetic biology software projects. A public instance is available at public-registry.jbei.org, where users can try out features, upload parts or simply use it for their projects. The ICE software suite is available via Google Code, a hosting site for community-driven open source projects.

The Jupyter/IPython architecture: a unified view of computational research, from interactive exploration to communication and publication.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ragan-Kelley, M.; Perez, F.; Granger, B.; Kluyver, T.; Ivanov, P.; Frederic, J.; Bussonnier, M.

2014-12-01

IPython has provided terminal-based tools for interactive computing in Python since 2001. The notebook document format and multi-process architecture introduced in 2011 have expanded the applicable scope of IPython into teaching, presenting, and sharing computational work, in addition to interactive exploration. The new architecture also allows users to work in any language, with implementations in Python, R, Julia, Haskell, and several other languages. The language agnostic parts of IPython have been renamed to Jupyter, to better capture the notion that a cross-language design can encapsulate commonalities present in computational research regardless of the programming language being used. This architecture offers components like the web-based Notebook interface, that supports rich documents that combine code and computational results with text narratives, mathematics, images, video and any media that a modern browser can display. This interface can be used not only in research, but also for publication and education, as notebooks can be converted to a variety of output formats, including HTML and PDF. Recent developments in the Jupyter project include a multi-user environment for hosting notebooks for a class or research group, a live collaboration notebook via Google Docs, and better support for languages other than Python.

Improvements to PATRIC, the all-bacterial Bioinformatics Database and Analysis Resource Center

DOE PAGES

Davis, James J.; Brettin, Thomas; Dietrich, Emily M.; ...

2016-11-28

Here, the Pathosystems Resource Integration Center (PATRIC) is the bacterial Bioinformatics Resource Center. Recent changes to PATRIC include a redesign of the web interface and some new services that provide users with a platform that takes them from raw reads to an integrated analysis experience. The redesigned interface allows researchers direct access to tools and data, and the emphasis has changed to user-created genome-groups, with detailed summaries and views of the data that researchers have selected. Perhaps the biggest change has been the enhanced capability for researchers to analyze their private data and compare it to the available public data.more » Researchers can assemble their raw sequence reads and annotate the contigs using RASTtk. PATRIC also provides services for RNA-Seq, variation, model reconstruction and differential expression analysis, all delivered through an updated private workspace. Private data can be compared by `virtual integration' to any of PATRIC's public data. The number of genomes available for comparison in PATRIC has expanded to over 80 000, with a special emphasis on genomes with antimicrobial resistance data. PATRIC uses this data to improve both subsystem annotation and k-mer classification, and tags new genomes as having signatures that indicate susceptibility or resistance to specific antibiotics.« less

Improvements to PATRIC, the all-bacterial Bioinformatics Database and Analysis Resource Center

PubMed Central

Wattam, Alice R.; Davis, James J.; Assaf, Rida; Boisvert, Sébastien; Brettin, Thomas; Bun, Christopher; Conrad, Neal; Dietrich, Emily M.; Disz, Terry; Gabbard, Joseph L.; Gerdes, Svetlana; Henry, Christopher S.; Kenyon, Ronald W.; Machi, Dustin; Mao, Chunhong; Nordberg, Eric K.; Olsen, Gary J.; Murphy-Olson, Daniel E.; Olson, Robert; Overbeek, Ross; Parrello, Bruce; Pusch, Gordon D.; Shukla, Maulik; Vonstein, Veronika; Warren, Andrew; Xia, Fangfang; Yoo, Hyunseung; Stevens, Rick L.

2017-01-01

The Pathosystems Resource Integration Center (PATRIC) is the bacterial Bioinformatics Resource Center (https://www.patricbrc.org). Recent changes to PATRIC include a redesign of the web interface and some new services that provide users with a platform that takes them from raw reads to an integrated analysis experience. The redesigned interface allows researchers direct access to tools and data, and the emphasis has changed to user-created genome-groups, with detailed summaries and views of the data that researchers have selected. Perhaps the biggest change has been the enhanced capability for researchers to analyze their private data and compare it to the available public data. Researchers can assemble their raw sequence reads and annotate the contigs using RASTtk. PATRIC also provides services for RNA-Seq, variation, model reconstruction and differential expression analysis, all delivered through an updated private workspace. Private data can be compared by ‘virtual integration’ to any of PATRIC's public data. The number of genomes available for comparison in PATRIC has expanded to over 80 000, with a special emphasis on genomes with antimicrobial resistance data. PATRIC uses this data to improve both subsystem annotation and k-mer classification, and tags new genomes as having signatures that indicate susceptibility or resistance to specific antibiotics. PMID:27899627

JAIL: a structure-based interface library for macromolecules.

PubMed

Günther, Stefan; von Eichborn, Joachim; May, Patrick; Preissner, Robert

2009-01-01

The increasing number of solved macromolecules provides a solid number of 3D interfaces, if all types of molecular contacts are being considered. JAIL annotates three different kinds of macromolecular interfaces, those between interacting protein domains, interfaces of different protein chains and interfaces between proteins and nucleic acids. This results in a total number of about 184,000 database entries. All the interfaces can easily be identified by a detailed search form or by a hierarchical tree that describes the protein domain architectures classified by the SCOP database. Visual inspection of the interfaces is possible via an interactive protein viewer. Furthermore, large scale analyses are supported by an implemented sequential and by a structural clustering. Similar interfaces as well as non-redundant interfaces can be easily picked out. Additionally, the sequential conservation of binding sites was also included in the database and is retrievable via Jmol. A comprehensive download section allows the composition of representative data sets with user defined parameters. The huge data set in combination with various search options allow a comprehensive view on all interfaces between macromolecules included in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). The download of the data sets supports numerous further investigations in macromolecular recognition. JAIL is publicly available at http://bioinformatics.charite.de/jail.

The Planck Legacy Archive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dupac, X.; Arviset, C.; Fernandez Barreiro, M.; Lopez-Caniego, M.; Tauber, J.

2015-12-01

The Planck Collaboration has released in 2015 their second major dataset through the Planck Legacy Archive (PLA). It includes cosmological, Extragalactic and Galactic science data in temperature (intensity) and polarization. Full-sky maps are provided with unprecedented angular resolution and sensitivity, together with a large number of ancillary maps, catalogues (generic, SZ clusters and Galactic cold clumps), time-ordered data and other information. The extensive cosmological likelihood package allows cosmologists to fully explore the plausible parameters of the Universe. A new web-based PLA user interface is made public since Dec. 2014, allowing easier and faster access to all Planck data, and replacing the previous Java-based software. Numerous additional improvements to the PLA are also being developed through the so-called PLA Added-Value Interface, making use of an external contract with the Planetek Hellas and Expert Analytics software companies. This will allow users to process time-ordered data into sky maps, separate astrophysical components in existing maps, simulate the microwave and infrared sky through the Planck Sky Model, and use a number of other functionalities.

Dealing with the Data Deluge: Handling the Multitude Of Chemical Biology Data Sources

PubMed Central

Guha, Rajarshi; Nguyen, Dac-Trung; Southall, Noel; Jadhav, Ajit

2012-01-01

Over the last 20 years, there has been an explosion in the amount and type of biological and chemical data that has been made publicly available in a variety of online databases. While this means that vast amounts of information can be found online, there is no guarantee that it can be found easily (or at all). A scientist searching for a specific piece of information is faced with a daunting task - many databases have overlapping content, use their own identifiers and, in some cases, have arcane and unintuitive user interfaces. In this overview, a variety of well known data sources for chemical and biological information are highlighted, focusing on those most useful for chemical biology research. The issue of using multiple data sources together and the associated problems such as identifier disambiguation are highlighted. A brief discussion is then provided on Tripod, a recently developed platform that supports the integration of arbitrary data sources, providing users a simple interface to search across a federated collection of resources. PMID:26609498

A Secure Web Application Providing Public Access to High-Performance Data Intensive Scientific Resources - ScalaBLAST Web Application

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Curtis, Darren S.; Peterson, Elena S.; Oehmen, Chris S.

2008-05-04

This work presents the ScalaBLAST Web Application (SWA), a web based application implemented using the PHP script language, MySQL DBMS, and Apache web server under a GNU/Linux platform. SWA is an application built as part of the Data Intensive Computer for Complex Biological Systems (DICCBS) project at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). SWA delivers accelerated throughput of bioinformatics analysis via high-performance computing through a convenient, easy-to-use web interface. This approach greatly enhances emerging fields of study in biology such as ontology-based homology, and multiple whole genome comparisons which, in the absence of a tool like SWA, require a heroicmore » effort to overcome the computational bottleneck associated with genome analysis. The current version of SWA includes a user account management system, a web based user interface, and a backend process that generates the files necessary for the Internet scientific community to submit a ScalaBLAST parallel processing job on a dedicated cluster.« less

Sputnik: ad hoc distributed computation.

PubMed

Völkel, Gunnar; Lausser, Ludwig; Schmid, Florian; Kraus, Johann M; Kestler, Hans A

2015-04-15

In bioinformatic applications, computationally demanding algorithms are often parallelized to speed up computation. Nevertheless, setting up computational environments for distributed computation is often tedious. Aim of this project were the lightweight ad hoc set up and fault-tolerant computation requiring only a Java runtime, no administrator rights, while utilizing all CPU cores most effectively. The Sputnik framework provides ad hoc distributed computation on the Java Virtual Machine which uses all supplied CPU cores fully. It provides a graphical user interface for deployment setup and a web user interface displaying the current status of current computation jobs. Neither a permanent setup nor administrator privileges are required. We demonstrate the utility of our approach on feature selection of microarray data. The Sputnik framework is available on Github http://github.com/sysbio-bioinf/sputnik under the Eclipse Public License. hkestler@fli-leibniz.de or hans.kestler@uni-ulm.de Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Leveraging Social Media to Promote Public Health Knowledge: Example of Cancer Awareness via Twitter

PubMed Central

Costello, Kaitlin L; Xing, Cathleen Y; Demissie, Kitaw

2016-01-01

Background As social media becomes increasingly popular online venues for engaging in communication about public health issues, it is important to understand how users promote knowledge and awareness about specific topics. Objective The aim of this study is to examine the frequency of discussion and differences by race and ethnicity of cancer-related topics among unique users via Twitter. Methods Tweets were collected from April 1, 2014 through January 21, 2015 using the Twitter public streaming Application Programming Interface (API) to collect 1% of public tweets. Twitter users were classified into racial and ethnic groups using a new text mining approach applied to English-only tweets. Each ethnic group was then analyzed for frequency in cancer-related terms within user timelines, investigated for changes over time and across groups, and measured for statistical significance. Results Observable usage patterns of the terms "cancer", "breast cancer", "prostate cancer", and "lung cancer" between Caucasian and African American groups were evident across the study period. We observed some variation in the frequency of term usage during months known to be labeled as cancer awareness months, particularly September, October, and November. Interestingly, we found that of the terms studied, "colorectal cancer" received the least Twitter attention. Conclusions The findings of the study provide evidence that social media can serve as a very powerful and important tool in implementing and disseminating critical prevention, screening, and treatment messages to the community in real-time. The study also introduced and tested a new methodology of identifying race and ethnicity among users of the social media. Study findings highlight the potential benefits of social media as a tool in reducing racial and ethnic disparities. PMID:27227152

Leveraging Social Media to Promote Public Health Knowledge: Example of Cancer Awareness via Twitter.

PubMed

Xu, Songhua; Markson, Christopher; Costello, Kaitlin L; Xing, Cathleen Y; Demissie, Kitaw; Llanos, Adana Am

2016-01-01

As social media becomes increasingly popular online venues for engaging in communication about public health issues, it is important to understand how users promote knowledge and awareness about specific topics. The aim of this study is to examine the frequency of discussion and differences by race and ethnicity of cancer-related topics among unique users via Twitter. Tweets were collected from April 1, 2014 through January 21, 2015 using the Twitter public streaming Application Programming Interface (API) to collect 1% of public tweets. Twitter users were classified into racial and ethnic groups using a new text mining approach applied to English-only tweets. Each ethnic group was then analyzed for frequency in cancer-related terms within user timelines, investigated for changes over time and across groups, and measured for statistical significance. Observable usage patterns of the terms "cancer", "breast cancer", "prostate cancer", and "lung cancer" between Caucasian and African American groups were evident across the study period. We observed some variation in the frequency of term usage during months known to be labeled as cancer awareness months, particularly September, October, and November. Interestingly, we found that of the terms studied, "colorectal cancer" received the least Twitter attention. The findings of the study provide evidence that social media can serve as a very powerful and important tool in implementing and disseminating critical prevention, screening, and treatment messages to the community in real-time. The study also introduced and tested a new methodology of identifying race and ethnicity among users of the social media. Study findings highlight the potential benefits of social media as a tool in reducing racial and ethnic disparities.

Use of Design Patterns According to Hand Dominance in a Mobile User Interface

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Samarraie, Hosam; Ahmad, Yusof

2016-01-01

User interface (UI) design patterns for mobile applications provide a solution to design problems and can improve the usage experience for users. However, there is a lack of research categorizing the uses of design patterns according to users' hand dominance in a learning-based mobile UI. We classified the main design patterns for mobile…

Hypertext-based design of a user interface for scheduling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woerner, Irene W.; Biefeld, Eric

1993-01-01

Operations Mission Planner (OMP) is an ongoing research project at JPL that utilizes AI techniques to create an intelligent, automated planning and scheduling system. The information space reflects the complexity and diversity of tasks necessary in most real-world scheduling problems. Thus the problem of the user interface is to present as much information as possible at a given moment and allow the user to quickly navigate through the various types of displays. This paper describes a design which applies the hypertext model to solve these user interface problems. The general paradigm is to provide maps and search queries to allow the user to quickly find an interesting conflict or problem, and then allow the user to navigate through the displays in a hypertext fashion.

CERESVis: A QC Tool for CERES that Leverages Browser Technology for Data Validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, C.; Sun-Mack, S.; Heckert, E.; Chen, Y.; Doelling, D.

2015-12-01

In this poster, we are going to present three user interfaces that CERES team uses to validate pixel-level data. Besides our home grown tools, we will aslo present the browser technology that we use to provide interactive interfaces, such as jquery, HighCharts and Google Earth. We pass data to the users' browsers and use the browsers to do some simple computations. The three user interfaces are: Thumbnails -- it displays hundrends images to allow users to browse 24-hour data files in few seconds. Multiple-synchronized cursors -- it allows users to compare multiple images side by side. Bounding Boxes and Histograms -- it allows users to draw multiple bounding boxes on an image and the browser computes/display the histograms.

Speech-recognition interfaces for music information retrieval

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goto, Masataka

2005-09-01

This paper describes two hands-free music information retrieval (MIR) systems that enable a user to retrieve and play back a musical piece by saying its title or the artist's name. Although various interfaces for MIR have been proposed, speech-recognition interfaces suitable for retrieving musical pieces have not been studied. Our MIR-based jukebox systems employ two different speech-recognition interfaces for MIR, speech completion and speech spotter, which exploit intentionally controlled nonverbal speech information in original ways. The first is a music retrieval system with the speech-completion interface that is suitable for music stores and car-driving situations. When a user only remembers part of the name of a musical piece or an artist and utters only a remembered fragment, the system helps the user recall and enter the name by completing the fragment. The second is a background-music playback system with the speech-spotter interface that can enrich human-human conversation. When a user is talking to another person, the system allows the user to enter voice commands for music playback control by spotting a special voice-command utterance in face-to-face or telephone conversations. Experimental results from use of these systems have demonstrated the effectiveness of the speech-completion and speech-spotter interfaces. (Video clips: http://staff.aist.go.jp/m.goto/MIR/speech-if.html)

Novel Scientific Visualization Interfaces for Interactive Information Visualization and Sharing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demir, I.; Krajewski, W. F.

2012-12-01

As geoscientists are confronted with increasingly massive datasets from environmental observations to simulations, one of the biggest challenges is having the right tools to gain scientific insight from the data and communicate the understanding to stakeholders. Recent developments in web technologies make it easy to manage, visualize and share large data sets with general public. Novel visualization techniques and dynamic user interfaces allow users to interact with data, and modify the parameters to create custom views of the data to gain insight from simulations and environmental observations. This requires developing new data models and intelligent knowledge discovery techniques to explore and extract information from complex computational simulations or large data repositories. Scientific visualization will be an increasingly important component to build comprehensive environmental information platforms. This presentation provides an overview of the trends and challenges in the field of scientific visualization, and demonstrates information visualization and communication tools in the Iowa Flood Information System (IFIS), developed within the light of these challenges. The IFIS is a web-based platform developed by the Iowa Flood Center (IFC) to provide access to and visualization of flood inundation maps, real-time flood conditions, flood forecasts both short-term and seasonal, and other flood-related data for communities in Iowa. The key element of the system's architecture is the notion of community. Locations of the communities, those near streams and rivers, define basin boundaries. The IFIS provides community-centric watershed and river characteristics, weather (rainfall) conditions, and streamflow data and visualization tools. Interactive interfaces allow access to inundation maps for different stage and return period values, and flooding scenarios with contributions from multiple rivers. Real-time and historical data of water levels, gauge heights, and rainfall conditions are available in the IFIS. 2D and 3D interactive visualizations in the IFIS make the data more understandable to general public. Users are able to filter data sources for their communities and selected rivers. The data and information on IFIS is also accessible through web services and mobile applications. The IFIS is optimized for various browsers and screen sizes to provide access through multiple platforms including tablets and mobile devices. Multiple view modes in the IFIS accommodate different user types from general public to researchers and decision makers by providing different level of tools and details. River view mode allows users to visualize data from multiple IFC bridge sensors and USGS stream gauges to follow flooding condition along a river. The IFIS will help communities make better-informed decisions on the occurrence of floods, and will alert communities in advance to help minimize damage of floods.

A Graphical-User Interface for the U. S. Geological Survey's SUTRA Code using Argus ONE (for simulation of variable-density saturated-unsaturated ground-water flow with solute or energy transport)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Voss, Clifford I.; Boldt, David; Shapiro, Allen M.

1997-01-01

This report describes a Graphical-User Interface (GUI) for SUTRA, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) model for saturated-unsaturated variable-fluid-density ground-water flow with solute or energy transport,which combines a USGS-developed code that interfaces SUTRA with Argus ONE, a commercial software product developed by Argus Interware. This product, known as Argus Open Numerical Environments (Argus ONETM), is a programmable system with geographic-information-system-like (GIS-like) functionality that includes automated gridding and meshing capabilities for linking geospatial information with finite-difference and finite-element numerical model discretizations. The GUI for SUTRA is based on a public-domain Plug-In Extension (PIE) to Argus ONE that automates the use of ArgusONE to: automatically create the appropriate geospatial information coverages (information layers) for SUTRA, provide menus and dialogs for inputting geospatial information and simulation control parameters for SUTRA, and allow visualization of SUTRA simulation results. Following simulation control data and geospatial data input bythe user through the GUI, ArgusONE creates text files in a format required for normal input to SUTRA,and SUTRA can be executed within the Argus ONE environment. Then, hydraulic head, pressure, solute concentration, temperature, saturation and velocity results from the SUTRA simulation may be visualized. Although the GUI for SUTRA discussed in this report provides all of the graphical pre- and post-processor functions required for running SUTRA, it is also possible for advanced users to apply programmable features within Argus ONE to modify the GUI to meet the unique demands of particular ground-water modeling projects.

Improved Functionality and Curation Support in the ADS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Accomazzi, Alberto; Kurtz, Michael J.; Henneken, Edwin A.; Grant, Carolyn S.; Thompson, Donna; Chyla, Roman; Holachek, Alexandra; Sudilovsky, Vladimir; Murray, Stephen S.

2015-01-01

In this poster we describe the developments of the new ADS platform over the past year, focusing on the functionality which improves its discovery and curation capabilities.The ADS Application Programming Interface (API) is being updated to support authenticated access to the entire suite of ADS services, in addition to the search functionality itself. This allows programmatic access to resources which are specific to a user or class of users.A new interface, built directly on top of the API, now provides a more intuitive search experience and takes into account the best practices in web usability and responsive design. The interface now incorporates in-line views of graphics from the AAS Astroexplorer and the ADS All-Sky Survey image collections.The ADS Private Libraries, first introduced over 10 years ago, are now being enhanced to allow the bookmarking, tagging and annotation of records of interest. In addition, libraries can be shared with one or more ADS users, providing an easy way to collaborate in the curation of lists of papers. A library can also be explicitly made public and shared at large via the publishing of its URL.In collaboration with the AAS, the ADS plans to support the adoption of ORCID identifiers by implementing a plugin which will simplify the import of papers in ORCID via a query to the ADS API. Deeper integration between the two systems will depend on available resources and feedback from the community.

SPIKY: a graphical user interface for monitoring spike train synchrony

PubMed Central

Mulansky, Mario; Bozanic, Nebojsa

2015-01-01

Techniques for recording large-scale neuronal spiking activity are developing very fast. This leads to an increasing demand for algorithms capable of analyzing large amounts of experimental spike train data. One of the most crucial and demanding tasks is the identification of similarity patterns with a very high temporal resolution and across different spatial scales. To address this task, in recent years three time-resolved measures of spike train synchrony have been proposed, the ISI-distance, the SPIKE-distance, and event synchronization. The Matlab source codes for calculating and visualizing these measures have been made publicly available. However, due to the many different possible representations of the results the use of these codes is rather complicated and their application requires some basic knowledge of Matlab. Thus it became desirable to provide a more user-friendly and interactive interface. Here we address this need and present SPIKY, a graphical user interface that facilitates the application of time-resolved measures of spike train synchrony to both simulated and real data. SPIKY includes implementations of the ISI-distance, the SPIKE-distance, and the SPIKE-synchronization (an improved and simplified extension of event synchronization) that have been optimized with respect to computation speed and memory demand. It also comprises a spike train generator and an event detector that makes it capable of analyzing continuous data. Finally, the SPIKY package includes additional complementary programs aimed at the analysis of large numbers of datasets and the estimation of significance levels. PMID:25744888

SPIKY: a graphical user interface for monitoring spike train synchrony.

PubMed

Kreuz, Thomas; Mulansky, Mario; Bozanic, Nebojsa

2015-05-01

Techniques for recording large-scale neuronal spiking activity are developing very fast. This leads to an increasing demand for algorithms capable of analyzing large amounts of experimental spike train data. One of the most crucial and demanding tasks is the identification of similarity patterns with a very high temporal resolution and across different spatial scales. To address this task, in recent years three time-resolved measures of spike train synchrony have been proposed, the ISI-distance, the SPIKE-distance, and event synchronization. The Matlab source codes for calculating and visualizing these measures have been made publicly available. However, due to the many different possible representations of the results the use of these codes is rather complicated and their application requires some basic knowledge of Matlab. Thus it became desirable to provide a more user-friendly and interactive interface. Here we address this need and present SPIKY, a graphical user interface that facilitates the application of time-resolved measures of spike train synchrony to both simulated and real data. SPIKY includes implementations of the ISI-distance, the SPIKE-distance, and the SPIKE-synchronization (an improved and simplified extension of event synchronization) that have been optimized with respect to computation speed and memory demand. It also comprises a spike train generator and an event detector that makes it capable of analyzing continuous data. Finally, the SPIKY package includes additional complementary programs aimed at the analysis of large numbers of datasets and the estimation of significance levels. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Student Preferences toward Microcomputer User Interfaces.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hazari, Sunil I.; Reaves, Rita R.

1994-01-01

Describes a study of undergraduates that was conducted to determine students' preferences toward Graphical User Interface versus Command Line Interface during computer-assisted instruction. Previous experience, comfort level, performance scores, and student attitudes are examined and compared, and the computer use survey is appended. (Contains 13…

Querying Event Sequences by Exact Match or Similarity Search: Design and Empirical Evaluation

PubMed Central

Wongsuphasawat, Krist; Plaisant, Catherine; Taieb-Maimon, Meirav; Shneiderman, Ben

2012-01-01

Specifying event sequence queries is challenging even for skilled computer professionals familiar with SQL. Most graphical user interfaces for database search use an exact match approach, which is often effective, but near misses may also be of interest. We describe a new similarity search interface, in which users specify a query by simply placing events on a blank timeline and retrieve a similarity-ranked list of results. Behind this user interface is a new similarity measure for event sequences which the users can customize by four decision criteria, enabling them to adjust the impact of missing, extra, or swapped events or the impact of time shifts. We describe a use case with Electronic Health Records based on our ongoing collaboration with hospital physicians. A controlled experiment with 18 participants compared exact match and similarity search interfaces. We report on the advantages and disadvantages of each interface and suggest a hybrid interface combining the best of both. PMID:22379286

Iterative User Interface Design for Automated Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score Calculator in Sepsis Detection

PubMed Central

Herasevich, Vitaly

2017-01-01

Background The new sepsis definition has increased the need for frequent sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score recalculation and the clerical burden of information retrieval makes this score ideal for automated calculation. Objective The aim of this study was to (1) estimate the clerical workload of manual SOFA score calculation through a time-motion analysis and (2) describe a user-centered design process for an electronic medical record (EMR) integrated, automated SOFA score calculator with subsequent usability evaluation study. Methods First, we performed a time-motion analysis by recording time-to-task-completion for the manual calculation of 35 baseline and 35 current SOFA scores by 14 internal medicine residents over a 2-month period. Next, we used an agile development process to create a user interface for a previously developed automated SOFA score calculator. The final user interface usability was evaluated by clinician end users with the Computer Systems Usability Questionnaire. Results The overall mean (standard deviation, SD) time-to-complete manual SOFA score calculation time was 61.6 s (33). Among the 24% (12/50) usability survey respondents, our user-centered user interface design process resulted in >75% favorability of survey items in the domains of system usability, information quality, and interface quality. Conclusions Early stakeholder engagement in our agile design process resulted in a user interface for an automated SOFA score calculator that reduced clinician workload and met clinicians’ needs at the point of care. Emerging interoperable platforms may facilitate dissemination of similarly useful clinical score calculators and decision support algorithms as “apps.” A user-centered design process and usability evaluation should be considered during creation of these tools. PMID:28526675

Iterative User Interface Design for Automated Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score Calculator in Sepsis Detection.

PubMed

Aakre, Christopher Ansel; Kitson, Jaben E; Li, Man; Herasevich, Vitaly

2017-05-18

The new sepsis definition has increased the need for frequent sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score recalculation and the clerical burden of information retrieval makes this score ideal for automated calculation. The aim of this study was to (1) estimate the clerical workload of manual SOFA score calculation through a time-motion analysis and (2) describe a user-centered design process for an electronic medical record (EMR) integrated, automated SOFA score calculator with subsequent usability evaluation study. First, we performed a time-motion analysis by recording time-to-task-completion for the manual calculation of 35 baseline and 35 current SOFA scores by 14 internal medicine residents over a 2-month period. Next, we used an agile development process to create a user interface for a previously developed automated SOFA score calculator. The final user interface usability was evaluated by clinician end users with the Computer Systems Usability Questionnaire. The overall mean (standard deviation, SD) time-to-complete manual SOFA score calculation time was 61.6 s (33). Among the 24% (12/50) usability survey respondents, our user-centered user interface design process resulted in >75% favorability of survey items in the domains of system usability, information quality, and interface quality. Early stakeholder engagement in our agile design process resulted in a user interface for an automated SOFA score calculator that reduced clinician workload and met clinicians' needs at the point of care. Emerging interoperable platforms may facilitate dissemination of similarly useful clinical score calculators and decision support algorithms as "apps." A user-centered design process and usability evaluation should be considered during creation of these tools. ©Christopher Ansel Aakre, Jaben E Kitson, Man Li, Vitaly Herasevich. Originally published in JMIR Human Factors (http://humanfactors.jmir.org), 18.05.2017.

MetaboID: a graphical user interface package for assignment of 1H NMR spectra of bodyfluids and tissues.

PubMed

MacKinnon, Neil; Somashekar, Bagganahalli S; Tripathi, Pratima; Ge, Wencheng; Rajendiran, Thekkelnaycke M; Chinnaiyan, Arul M; Ramamoorthy, Ayyalusamy

2013-01-01

Nuclear magnetic resonance based measurements of small molecule mixtures continues to be confronted with the challenge of spectral assignment. While multi-dimensional experiments are capable of addressing this challenge, the imposed time constraint becomes prohibitive, particularly with the large sample sets commonly encountered in metabolomic studies. Thus, one-dimensional spectral assignment is routinely performed, guided by two-dimensional experiments on a selected sample subset; however, a publicly available graphical interface for aiding in this process is currently unavailable. We have collected spectral information for 360 unique compounds from publicly available databases including chemical shift lists and authentic full resolution spectra, supplemented with spectral information for 25 compounds collected in-house at a proton NMR frequency of 900 MHz. This library serves as the basis for MetaboID, a Matlab-based user interface designed to aid in the one-dimensional spectral assignment process. The tools of MetaboID were built to guide resonance assignment in order of increasing confidence, starting from cursory compound searches based on chemical shift positions to analysis of authentic spike experiments. Together, these tools streamline the often repetitive task of spectral assignment. The overarching goal of the integrated toolbox of MetaboID is to centralize the one dimensional spectral assignment process, from providing access to large chemical shift libraries to providing a straightforward, intuitive means of spectral comparison. Such a toolbox is expected to be attractive to both experienced and new metabolomic researchers as well as general complex mixture analysts. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Training leads to increased auditory brain-computer interface performance of end-users with motor impairments.

PubMed

Halder, S; Käthner, I; Kübler, A

2016-02-01

Auditory brain-computer interfaces are an assistive technology that can restore communication for motor impaired end-users. Such non-visual brain-computer interface paradigms are of particular importance for end-users that may lose or have lost gaze control. We attempted to show that motor impaired end-users can learn to control an auditory speller on the basis of event-related potentials. Five end-users with motor impairments, two of whom with additional visual impairments, participated in five sessions. We applied a newly developed auditory brain-computer interface paradigm with natural sounds and directional cues. Three of five end-users learned to select symbols using this method. Averaged over all five end-users the information transfer rate increased by more than 1800% from the first session (0.17 bits/min) to the last session (3.08 bits/min). The two best end-users achieved information transfer rates of 5.78 bits/min and accuracies of 92%. Our results show that an auditory BCI with a combination of natural sounds and directional cues, can be controlled by end-users with motor impairment. Training improves the performance of end-users to the level of healthy controls. To our knowledge, this is the first time end-users with motor impairments controlled an auditory brain-computer interface speller with such high accuracy and information transfer rates. Further, our results demonstrate that operating a BCI with event-related potentials benefits from training and specifically end-users may require more than one session to develop their full potential. Copyright © 2015 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interface design and human factors considerations for model-based tight glycemic control in critical care.

PubMed

Ward, Logan; Steel, James; Le Compte, Aaron; Evans, Alicia; Tan, Chia-Siong; Penning, Sophie; Shaw, Geoffrey M; Desaive, Thomas; Chase, J Geoffrey

2012-01-01

Tight glycemic control (TGC) has shown benefits but has been difficult to implement. Model-based methods and computerized protocols offer the opportunity to improve TGC quality and compliance. This research presents an interface design to maximize compliance, minimize real and perceived clinical effort, and minimize error based on simple human factors and end user input. The graphical user interface (GUI) design is presented by construction based on a series of simple, short design criteria based on fundamental human factors engineering and includes the use of user feedback and focus groups comprising nursing staff at Christchurch Hospital. The overall design maximizes ease of use and minimizes (unnecessary) interaction and use. It is coupled to a protocol that allows nurse staff to select measurement intervals and thus self-manage workload. The overall GUI design is presented and requires only one data entry point per intervention cycle. The design and main interface are heavily focused on the nurse end users who are the predominant users, while additional detailed and longitudinal data, which are of interest to doctors guiding overall patient care, are available via tabs. This dichotomy of needs and interests based on the end user's immediate focus and goals shows how interfaces must adapt to offer different information to multiple types of users. The interface is designed to minimize real and perceived clinical effort, and ongoing pilot trials have reported high levels of acceptance. The overall design principles, approach, and testing methods are based on fundamental human factors principles designed to reduce user effort and error and are readily generalizable. © 2012 Diabetes Technology Society.

Interface Design and Human Factors Considerations for Model-Based Tight Glycemic Control in Critical Care

PubMed Central

Ward, Logan; Steel, James; Le Compte, Aaron; Evans, Alicia; Tan, Chia-Siong; Penning, Sophie; Shaw, Geoffrey M; Desaive, Thomas; Chase, J Geoffrey

2012-01-01

Introduction Tight glycemic control (TGC) has shown benefits but has been difficult to implement. Model-based methods and computerized protocols offer the opportunity to improve TGC quality and compliance. This research presents an interface design to maximize compliance, minimize real and perceived clinical effort, and minimize error based on simple human factors and end user input. Method The graphical user interface (GUI) design is presented by construction based on a series of simple, short design criteria based on fundamental human factors engineering and includes the use of user feedback and focus groups comprising nursing staff at Christchurch Hospital. The overall design maximizes ease of use and minimizes (unnecessary) interaction and use. It is coupled to a protocol that allows nurse staff to select measurement intervals and thus self-manage workload. Results The overall GUI design is presented and requires only one data entry point per intervention cycle. The design and main interface are heavily focused on the nurse end users who are the predominant users, while additional detailed and longitudinal data, which are of interest to doctors guiding overall patient care, are available via tabs. This dichotomy of needs and interests based on the end user's immediate focus and goals shows how interfaces must adapt to offer different information to multiple types of users. Conclusions The interface is designed to minimize real and perceived clinical effort, and ongoing pilot trials have reported high levels of acceptance. The overall design principles, approach, and testing methods are based on fundamental human factors principles designed to reduce user effort and error and are readily generalizable. PMID:22401330

User acquaintance with mobile interfaces.

PubMed

Ehrler, Frederic; Walesa, Magali; Sarrey, Evelyne; Wipfli, Rolf; Lovis, Christian

2013-01-01

Handheld technology finds slowly its place in the healthcare world. Some clinicians already use intensively dedicated mobile applications to consult clinical references. However, handheld technology hasn't still broadly embraced to the core of the healthcare business, the hospitals. The weak penetration of handheld technology in the hospitals can be partly explained by the caution of stakeholders that must be convinced about the efficiency of these tools before going forward. In a domain where temporal constraints are increasingly strong, caregivers cannot loose time on playing with gadgets. All users are not comfortable with tactile manipulations and the lack of dedicated peripheral complicates entering data for novices. Stakeholders must be convinced that caregivers will be able to master handheld devices. In this paper, we make the assumption that the proper design of an interface may influence users' performances to record information. We are also interested to find out whether users increase their efficiency when using handheld tools repeatedly. To answer these questions, we have set up a field study to compare users' performances on three different user interfaces while recording vital signs. Some user interfaces were familiar to users, and others were totally innovative. Results showed that users' familiarity with smartphone influences their performances and that users improve their performances by repeating a task.

INL Multi-Robot Control Interface

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

2005-03-30

The INL Multi-Robot Control Interface controls many robots through a single user interface. The interface includes a robot display window for each robot showing the robot’s condition. More than one window can be used depending on the number of robots. The user interface also includes a robot control window configured to receive commands for sending to the respective robot and a multi-robot common window showing information received from each robot.

Putting Home Data Management into Perspective

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

approaches. However, users of home and personal storage live it. Popular interfaces (e.g., iTunes , iPhoto, and even drop-down lists of recently...users of home and personal storage live it. Popular interfaces (e.g., iTunes , iPhoto, and even drop-down lists of recently-opened Word documents...live it. Popular interfaces (e.g., iTunes , iPhoto, and even drop- down lists of recently-opened Word documents) allow users to navigate file

"I'm Keeping Those There, Are You?": The Role of a New User Interface Paradigm--Separate Control of Shared Space (SCOSS)--in the Collaborative Decision-Making Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerawalla, Lucinda; Pearce, Darren; Yuill, Nicola; Luckin, Rosemary; Harris, Amanda

2008-01-01

We take a socio-cultural approach to comparing how dual control of a new user interface paradigm--Separate Control of Shared Space (SCOSS)--and dual control of a single user interface can work to mediate the collaborative decision-making process between pairs of children carrying out a multiple categorisation word task on a shared computer.…

MethLAB: a graphical user interface package for the analysis of array-based DNA methylation data.

PubMed

Kilaru, Varun; Barfield, Richard T; Schroeder, James W; Smith, Alicia K; Conneely, Karen N

2012-03-01

Recent evidence suggests that DNA methylation changes may underlie numerous complex traits and diseases. The advent of commercial, array-based methods to interrogate DNA methylation has led to a profusion of epigenetic studies in the literature. Array-based methods, such as the popular Illumina GoldenGate and Infinium platforms, estimate the proportion of DNA methylated at single-base resolution for thousands of CpG sites across the genome. These arrays generate enormous amounts of data, but few software resources exist for efficient and flexible analysis of these data. We developed a software package called MethLAB (http://genetics.emory.edu/conneely/MethLAB) using R, an open source statistical language that can be edited to suit the needs of the user. MethLAB features a graphical user interface (GUI) with a menu-driven format designed to efficiently read in and manipulate array-based methylation data in a user-friendly manner. MethLAB tests for association between methylation and relevant phenotypes by fitting a separate linear model for each CpG site. These models can incorporate both continuous and categorical phenotypes and covariates, as well as fixed or random batch or chip effects. MethLAB accounts for multiple testing by controlling the false discovery rate (FDR) at a user-specified level. Standard output includes a spreadsheet-ready text file and an array of publication-quality figures. Considering the growing interest in and availability of DNA methylation data, there is a great need for user-friendly open source analytical tools. With MethLAB, we present a timely resource that will allow users with no programming experience to implement flexible and powerful analyses of DNA methylation data.

Avatars and virtual agents – relationship interfaces for the elderly

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

In the Digital Era, the authors witness a change in the relationship between the patient and the care-giver or Health Maintenance Organization's providing the health services. Another fact is the use of various technologies to increase the effectiveness and quality of health services across all primary and secondary users. These technologies range from telemedicine systems, decision making tools, online and self-services applications and virtual agents; all providing information and assistance. The common thread between all these digital implementations, is they all require human machine interfaces. These interfaces must be interactive, user friendly and inviting, to create user involvement and cooperation incentives. The challenge is to design interfaces which will best fit the target users and enable smooth interaction especially, for the elderly users. Avatars and Virtual Agents are one of the interfaces used for both home care monitoring and companionship. They are also inherently multimodal in nature and allow an intimate relation between the elderly users and the Avatar. This study discusses the need and nature of these relationship models, the challenges of designing for the elderly. The study proposes key features for the design and evaluation in the area of assistive applications using Avatar and Virtual agents for the elderly users. PMID:28706725

Transportable Applications Environment (TAE) Plus - A NASA productivity tool used to develop graphical user interfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Szczur, Martha R.

1991-01-01

The Transportable Applications Environment (TAE) Plus, developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, is an advanced portable user interface development environment which simplifies the process of creating and managing complex application graphical user interfaces (GUIs), supports prototyping, allows applications to be oported easily between different platforms, and encourages appropriate levels of user interface consistency between applications. This paper discusses the capabilities of the TAE Plus tool, and how it makes the job of designing and developing GUIs easier for the application developers. The paper also explains how tools like TAE Plus provide for reusability and ensure reliability of UI software components, as well as how they aid in the reduction of development and maintenance costs.

A data mining technique for discovering distinct patterns of hand signs: implications in user training and computer interface design.

PubMed

Ye, Nong; Li, Xiangyang; Farley, Toni

2003-01-15

Hand signs are considered as one of the important ways to enter information into computers for certain tasks. Computers receive sensor data of hand signs for recognition. When using hand signs as computer inputs, we need to (1) train computer users in the sign language so that their hand signs can be easily recognized by computers, and (2) design the computer interface to avoid the use of confusing signs for improving user input performance and user satisfaction. For user training and computer interface design, it is important to have a knowledge of which signs can be easily recognized by computers and which signs are not distinguishable by computers. This paper presents a data mining technique to discover distinct patterns of hand signs from sensor data. Based on these patterns, we derive a group of indistinguishable signs by computers. Such information can in turn assist in user training and computer interface design.

A novel graphical user interface for ultrasound-guided shoulder arthroscopic surgery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tyryshkin, K.; Mousavi, P.; Beek, M.; Pichora, D.; Abolmaesumi, P.

2007-03-01

This paper presents a novel graphical user interface developed for a navigation system for ultrasound-guided computer-assisted shoulder arthroscopic surgery. The envisioned purpose of the interface is to assist the surgeon in determining the position and orientation of the arthroscopic camera and other surgical tools within the anatomy of the patient. The user interface features real time position tracking of the arthroscopic instruments with an optical tracking system, and visualization of their graphical representations relative to a three-dimensional shoulder surface model of the patient, created from computed tomography images. In addition, the developed graphical interface facilitates fast and user-friendly intra-operative calibration of the arthroscope and the arthroscopic burr, capture and segmentation of ultrasound images, and intra-operative registration. A pilot study simulating the computer-aided shoulder arthroscopic procedure on a shoulder phantom demonstrated the speed, efficiency and ease-of-use of the system.

Human-computer interface incorporating personal and application domains

DOEpatents

Anderson, Thomas G [Albuquerque, NM

2011-03-29

The present invention provides a human-computer interface. The interface includes provision of an application domain, for example corresponding to a three-dimensional application. The user is allowed to navigate and interact with the application domain. The interface also includes a personal domain, offering the user controls and interaction distinct from the application domain. The separation into two domains allows the most suitable interface methods in each: for example, three-dimensional navigation in the application domain, and two- or three-dimensional controls in the personal domain. Transitions between the application domain and the personal domain are under control of the user, and the transition method is substantially independent of the navigation in the application domain. For example, the user can fly through a three-dimensional application domain, and always move to the personal domain by moving a cursor near one extreme of the display.

Human-computer interface incorporating personal and application domains

DOEpatents

Anderson, Thomas G.

2004-04-20

The present invention provides a human-computer interface. The interface includes provision of an application domain, for example corresponding to a three-dimensional application. The user is allowed to navigate and interact with the application domain. The interface also includes a personal domain, offering the user controls and interaction distinct from the application domain. The separation into two domains allows the most suitable interface methods in each: for example, three-dimensional navigation in the application domain, and two- or three-dimensional controls in the personal domain. Transitions between the application domain and the personal domain are under control of the user, and the transition method is substantially independent of the navigation in the application domain. For example, the user can fly through a three-dimensional application domain, and always move to the personal domain by moving a cursor near one extreme of the display.

Determinants of user acceptance of a specific social platform for older adults: An empirical examination of user interface characteristics and behavioral intention.

PubMed

Tsai, Tsai-Hsuan; Chang, Hsien-Tsung; Chen, Yan-Jiun; Chang, Yung-Sheng

2017-01-01

The use of the Internet and social applications has many benefits for the elderly, but numerous investigations have shown that the elderly do not perceive online social networks as a friendly social environment. Therefore, TreeIt, a social application specifically designed for the elderly, was developed for this study. In the TreeIt application, seven mechanisms promoting social interaction were designed to allow older adults to use social networking sites (SNSs) to increase social connection, maintain the intensity of social connections and strengthen social experience. This study's main objective was to investigate how user interface design affects older people's intention and attitude related to using SNSs. Fourteen user interface evaluation heuristics proposed by Zhang et al. were adopted as the criteria to assess user interface usability and further grouped into three categories: system support, user interface design and navigation. The technology acceptance model was adopted to assess older people's intention and attitude related to using SNSs. One hundred and one elderly persons were enrolled in this study as subjects, and the results showed that all of the hypotheses proposed in this study were valid: system support and perceived usefulness had a significant effect on behavioral intention; user interface design and perceived ease of use were positively correlated with perceived usefulness; and navigation exerted an influence on perceived ease of use. The results of this study are valuable for the future development of social applications for the elderly.

A graphical user interface for RAId, a knowledge integrated proteomics analysis suite with accurate statistics.

PubMed

Joyce, Brendan; Lee, Danny; Rubio, Alex; Ogurtsov, Aleksey; Alves, Gelio; Yu, Yi-Kuo

2018-03-15

RAId is a software package that has been actively developed for the past 10 years for computationally and visually analyzing MS/MS data. Founded on rigorous statistical methods, RAId's core program computes accurate E-values for peptides and proteins identified during database searches. Making this robust tool readily accessible for the proteomics community by developing a graphical user interface (GUI) is our main goal here. We have constructed a graphical user interface to facilitate the use of RAId on users' local machines. Written in Java, RAId_GUI not only makes easy executions of RAId but also provides tools for data/spectra visualization, MS-product analysis, molecular isotopic distribution analysis, and graphing the retrieval versus the proportion of false discoveries. The results viewer displays and allows the users to download the analyses results. Both the knowledge-integrated organismal databases and the code package (containing source code, the graphical user interface, and a user manual) are available for download at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/CBBresearch/Yu/downloads/raid.html .

The development of a prototype intelligent user interface subsystem for NASA's scientific database systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, William J.; Roelofs, Larry H.; Short, Nicholas M., Jr.

1987-01-01

The National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) has initiated an Intelligent Data Management (IDM) research effort which has as one of its components the development of an Intelligent User Interface (IUI).The intent of the latter is to develop a friendly and intelligent user interface service that is based on expert systems and natural language processing technologies. The purpose is to support the large number of potential scientific and engineering users presently having need of space and land related research and technical data but who have little or no experience in query languages or understanding of the information content or architecture of the databases involved. This technical memorandum presents prototype Intelligent User Interface Subsystem (IUIS) using the Crustal Dynamics Project Database as a test bed for the implementation of the CRUDDES (Crustal Dynamics Expert System). The knowledge base has more than 200 rules and represents a single application view and the architectural view. Operational performance using CRUDDES has allowed nondatabase users to obtain useful information from the database previously accessible only to an expert database user or the database designer.

A Randomized Trial Comparing Classical Participatory Design to VandAID, an Interactive CrowdSourcing Platform to Facilitate User-centered Design.

PubMed

Dufendach, Kevin R; Koch, Sabine; Unertl, Kim M; Lehmann, Christoph U

2017-10-26

Early involvement of stakeholders in the design of medical software is particularly important due to the need to incorporate complex knowledge and actions associated with clinical work. Standard user-centered design methods include focus groups and participatory design sessions with individual stakeholders, which generally limit user involvement to a small number of individuals due to the significant time investments from designers and end users. The goal of this project was to reduce the effort for end users to participate in co-design of a software user interface by developing an interactive web-based crowdsourcing platform. In a randomized trial, we compared a new web-based crowdsourcing platform to standard participatory design sessions. We developed an interactive, modular platform that allows responsive remote customization and design feedback on a visual user interface based on user preferences. The responsive canvas is a dynamic HTML template that responds in real time to user preference selections. Upon completion, the design team can view the user's interface creations through an administrator portal and download the structured selections through a REDCap interface. We have created a software platform that allows users to customize a user interface and see the results of that customization in real time, receiving immediate feedback on the impact of their design choices. Neonatal clinicians used the new platform to successfully design and customize a neonatal handoff tool. They received no specific instruction and yet were able to use the software easily and reported high usability. VandAID, a new web-based crowdsourcing platform, can involve multiple users in user-centered design simultaneously and provides means of obtaining design feedback remotely. The software can provide design feedback at any stage in the design process, but it will be of greatest utility for specifying user requirements and evaluating iterative designs with multiple options.

The Johnson Space Center Management Information Systems (JSCMIS): An interface for organizational databases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bishop, Peter C.; Erickson, Lloyd

1990-01-01

The Management Information and Decision Support Environment (MIDSE) is a research activity to build and test a prototype of a generic human interface on the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Information Network (CIN). The existing interfaces were developed specifically to support operations rather than the type of data which management could use. The diversity of the many interfaces and their relative difficulty discouraged occasional users from attempting to use them for their purposes. The MIDSE activity approached this problem by designing and building an interface to one JSC data base - the personnel statistics tables of the NASA Personnel and Payroll System (NPPS). The interface was designed against the following requirements: generic (use with any relational NOMAD data base); easy to learn (intuitive operations for new users); easy to use (efficient operations for experienced users); self-documenting (help facility which informs users about the data base structure as well as the operation of the interface); and low maintenance (easy configuration to new applications). A prototype interface entitled the JSC Management Information Systems (JSCMIS) was produced. It resides on CIN/PROFS and is available to JSC management who request it. The interface has passed management review and is ready for early use. Three kinds of data are now available: personnel statistics, personnel register, and plan/actual cost.

Computer systems and methods for the query and visualization of multidimensional databases

DOEpatents

Stolte, Chris; Tang, Diane L; Hanrahan, Patrick

2014-04-29

In response to a user request, a computer generates a graphical user interface on a computer display. A schema information region of the graphical user interface includes multiple operand names, each operand name associated with one or more fields of a multi-dimensional database. A data visualization region of the graphical user interface includes multiple shelves. Upon detecting a user selection of the operand names and a user request to associate each user-selected operand name with a respective shelf in the data visualization region, the computer generates a visual table in the data visualization region in accordance with the associations between the operand names and the corresponding shelves. The visual table includes a plurality of panes, each pane having at least one axis defined based on data for the fields associated with a respective operand name.

Computer systems and methods for the query and visualization of multidimensional databases

DOEpatents

Stolte, Chris [Palo Alto, CA; Tang, Diane L [Palo Alto, CA; Hanrahan, Patrick [Portola Valley, CA

2011-02-01

In response to a user request, a computer generates a graphical user interface on a computer display. A schema information region of the graphical user interface includes multiple operand names, each operand name associated with one or more fields of a multi-dimensional database. A data visualization region of the graphical user interface includes multiple shelves. Upon detecting a user selection of the operand names and a user request to associate each user-selected operand name with a respective shelf in the data visualization region, the computer generates a visual table in the data visualization region in accordance with the associations between the operand names and the corresponding shelves. The visual table includes a plurality of panes, each pane having at least one axis defined based on data for the fields associated with a respective operand name.

Computer systems and methods for the query and visualization of multidimensional databases

DOEpatents

Stolte, Chris [Palo Alto, CA; Tang, Diane L [Palo Alto, CA; Hanrahan, Patrick [Portola Valley, CA

2012-03-20

In response to a user request, a computer generates a graphical user interface on a computer display. A schema information region of the graphical user interface includes multiple operand names, each operand name associated with one or more fields of a multi-dimensional database. A data visualization region of the graphical user interface includes multiple shelves. Upon detecting a user selection of the operand names and a user request to associate each user-selected operand name with a respective shelf in the data visualization region, the computer generates a visual table in the data visualization region in accordance with the associations between the operand names and the corresponding shelves. The visual table includes a plurality of panes, each pane having at least one axis defined based on data for the fields associated with a respective operand name.

WIFIP: a web-based user interface for automated synchrotron beamlines.

PubMed

Sallaz-Damaz, Yoann; Ferrer, Jean Luc

2017-09-01

The beamline control software, through the associated graphical user interface (GUI), is the user access point to the experiment, interacting with synchrotron beamline components and providing automated routines. FIP, the French beamline for the Investigation of Proteins, is a highly automatized macromolecular crystallography (MX) beamline at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. On such a beamline, a significant number of users choose to control their experiment remotely. This is often performed with a limited bandwidth and from a large choice of computers and operating systems. Furthermore, this has to be possible in a rapidly evolving experimental environment, where new developments have to be easily integrated. To face these challenges, a light, platform-independent, control software and associated GUI are required. Here, WIFIP, a web-based user interface developed at FIP, is described. Further than being the present FIP control interface, WIFIP is also a proof of concept for future MX control software.

Cognition-based development and evaluation of ergonomic user interfaces for medical image processing and archiving systems.

PubMed

Demiris, A M; Meinzer, H P

1997-01-01

Whether or not a computerized system enhances the conditions of work in the application domain, very much demands on the user interface. Graphical user interfaces seem to attract the interest of the users but mostly ignore some basic rules of visual information processing thus leading to systems which are difficult to use, lowering productivity and increasing working stress (cognitive and work load). In this work we present some fundamental ergonomic considerations and their application to the medical image processing and archiving domain. We introduce the extensions to an existing concept needed to control and guide the development of GUIs with respect to domain specific ergonomics. The suggested concept, called Model-View-Controller Constraints (MVCC), can be used to programmatically implement ergonomic constraints, and thus has some advantages over written style guides. We conclude with the presentation of existing norms and methods to evaluate user interfaces.

An electronic laboratory notebook based on HTML forms

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marstaller, J.E.; Zorn, M.D.

The electronic notebook records information that has traditionally been kept in handwritten laboratory notebooks. It keeps detailed information about the progress of the research , such as the optimization of primers, the screening of the primers and, finally, the mapping of the probes. The notebook provides two areas of services: Data entry, and reviewing of data in all stages. The World wide Web browsers, with HTML based forms provide a fast and easy mechanism to create forms-based user interfaces. The computer scientist can sit down with the biologist and rapidly make changes in response to the user`s comments. Furthermore themore » HTML forms work equally well on a number of different hardware platforms; thus the biologists may continue using their Macintosh computers and find a familiar interface if they have to work on a Unix workstation. The web browser can be run from any machine connected to the Internet: thus the users are free to enter or view information even away from their labs at home or while on travel. Access can be restricted by password and other means to secure the confidentiality of the data. A bonus that is hard to implement otherwise is the facile connection to outside resources. Linking local information to data in public databases is only a hypertext link away with little or no additional programming efforts.« less

Discrete Abstractions of Hybrid Systems: Verification of Safety and Application to User-Interface Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oishi, Meeko; Tomlin, Claire; Degani, Asaf

2003-01-01

Human interaction with complex hybrid systems involves the user, the automation's discrete mode logic, and the underlying continuous dynamics of the physical system. Often the user-interface of such systems displays a reduced set of information about the entire system. In safety-critical systems, how can we identify user-interface designs which do not have adequate information, or which may confuse the user? Here we describe a methodology, based on hybrid system analysis, to verify that a user-interface contains information necessary to safely complete a desired procedure or task. Verification within a hybrid framework allows us to account for the continuous dynamics underlying the simple, discrete representations displayed to the user. We provide two examples: a car traveling through a yellow light at an intersection and an aircraft autopilot in a landing/go-around maneuver. The examples demonstrate the general nature of this methodology, which is applicable to hybrid systems (not fully automated) which have operational constraints we can pose in terms of safety. This methodology differs from existing work in hybrid system verification in that we directly account for the user's interactions with the system.

Computerized procedures system

DOEpatents

Lipner, Melvin H.; Mundy, Roger A.; Franusich, Michael D.

2010-10-12

An online data driven computerized procedures system that guides an operator through a complex process facility's operating procedures. The system monitors plant data, processes the data and then, based upon this processing, presents the status of the current procedure step and/or substep to the operator. The system supports multiple users and a single procedure definition supports several interface formats that can be tailored to the individual user. Layered security controls access privileges and revisions are version controlled. The procedures run on a server that is platform independent of the user workstations that the server interfaces with and the user interface supports diverse procedural views.

A Prototype Lisp-Based Soft Real-Time Object-Oriented Graphical User Interface for Control System Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Litt, Jonathan; Wong, Edmond; Simon, Donald L.

1994-01-01

A prototype Lisp-based soft real-time object-oriented Graphical User Interface for control system development is presented. The Graphical User Interface executes alongside a test system in laboratory conditions to permit observation of the closed loop operation through animation, graphics, and text. Since it must perform interactive graphics while updating the screen in real time, techniques are discussed which allow quick, efficient data processing and animation. Examples from an implementation are included to demonstrate some typical functionalities which allow the user to follow the control system's operation.

Traffic Generator (TrafficGen) Version 1.4.2: Users Guide

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-01

events, the user has to enter them manually . We will research and implement a way to better define and organize the multicast addresses so they can be...the network with Transmission Control Protocol and User Datagram Protocol Internet Protocol traffic. Each node generating network traffic in an...TrafficGen Graphical User Interface (GUI) 3 3.1 Anatomy of the User Interface 3 3.2 Scenario Configuration and MGEN Files 4 4. Working with

Modeling Goal-Directed User Exploration in Human-Computer Interaction

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-02-01

scent, other factors including the layout position and grouping of options in the user-interface also affect user exploration and the likelihood of...grouping of options in the user-interface also affect user exploration and the likelihood of success. This dissertation contributes a new model of goal...better inform UI design. 1.1 RESEARCH GAPS IN MODELING In addition to infoscent, the layout of the UI also affects the choices made during

myChEMBL: a virtual machine implementation of open data and cheminformatics tools.

PubMed

Ochoa, Rodrigo; Davies, Mark; Papadatos, George; Atkinson, Francis; Overington, John P

2014-01-15

myChEMBL is a completely open platform, which combines public domain bioactivity data with open source database and cheminformatics technologies. myChEMBL consists of a Linux (Ubuntu) Virtual Machine featuring a PostgreSQL schema with the latest version of the ChEMBL database, as well as the latest RDKit cheminformatics libraries. In addition, a self-contained web interface is available, which can be modified and improved according to user specifications. The VM is available at: ftp://ftp.ebi.ac.uk/pub/databases/chembl/VM/myChEMBL/current. The web interface and web services code is available at: https://github.com/rochoa85/myChEMBL.

XTALOPT version r11: An open-source evolutionary algorithm for crystal structure prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avery, Patrick; Falls, Zackary; Zurek, Eva

2018-01-01

Version 11 of XTALOPT, an evolutionary algorithm for crystal structure prediction, has now been made available for download from the CPC library or the XTALOPT website, http://xtalopt.github.io. Whereas the previous versions of XTALOPT were published under the Gnu Public License (GPL), the current version is made available under the 3-Clause BSD License, which is an open source license that is recognized by the Open Source Initiative. Importantly, the new version can be executed via a command line interface (i.e., it does not require the use of a Graphical User Interface). Moreover, the new version is written as a stand-alone program, rather than an extension to AVOGADRO.

Social image quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, Guoping; Kheiri, Ahmed

2011-01-01

Current subjective image quality assessments have been developed in the laboratory environments, under controlledconditions, and are dependent on the participation of limited numbers of observers. In this research, with the help of Web 2.0 and social media technology, a new method for building a subjective image quality metric has been developed where the observers are the Internet users. A website with a simple user interface that enables Internet users from anywhere at any time to vote for a better quality version of a pair of the same image has been constructed. Users' votes are recorded and used to rank the images according to their perceived visual qualities. We have developed three rank aggregation algorithms to process the recorded pair comparison data, the first uses a naive approach, the second employs a Condorcet method, and the third uses the Dykstra's extension of Bradley-Terry method. The website has been collecting data for about three months and has accumulated over 10,000 votes at the time of writing this paper. Results show that the Internet and its allied technologies such as crowdsourcing offer a promising new paradigm for image and video quality assessment where hundreds of thousands of Internet users can contribute to building more robust image quality metrics. We have made Internet user generated social image quality (SIQ) data of a public image database available online (http://www.hdri.cs.nott.ac.uk/siq/) to provide the image quality research community with a new source of ground truth data. The website continues to collect votes and will include more public image databases and will also be extended to include videos to collect social video quality (SVQ) data. All data will be public available on the website in due course.

Galaxy Zoo: An Experiment in Public Science Participation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raddick, Jordan; Lintott, C. J.; Schawinski, K.; Thomas, D.; Nichol, R. C.; Andreescu, D.; Bamford, S.; Land, K. R.; Murray, P.; Slosar, A.; Szalay, A. S.; Vandenberg, J.; Galaxy Zoo Team

2007-12-01

An interesting question in modern astrophysics research is the relationship between a galaxy's morphology (appearance) and its formation and evolutionary history. Research into this question is complicated by the fact that to get a study sample, researchers must first assign a shape to a large number of galaxies. Classifying a galaxy by shape is nearly impossible for a computer, but easy for a human - however, looking at one million galaxies, one at a time, would take an enormous amount of time. To create such a research sample, we turned to citizen science. We created a web site called Galaxy Zoo (www.galaxyzoo.org) that invites the public to classify the galaxies. New members see a short tutorial and take a short skill test where they classify galaxies of known types. Once they pass the test, they begin to work with the entire sample. The site's interface shows the user an image of a single galaxy from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The user clicks a button to classify it. Each classification is stored in a database, associated with the galaxy that it describes. The site has become enormously popular with amateur astronomers, teachers, and others interested in astronomy. So far, more than 110,000 users have joined. We have started a forum where users share images of their favorite galaxies, ask science questions of each other and the "zookeepers," and share classification advice. In a separate poster, we will share science results from the site's first six months of operation. In this poster, we will describe the site as an experiment in public science outreach. We will share user feedback, discuss our plans to study the user community more systematically, and share advice on how to work with citizen science projects to the mutual benefit of both professional and citizen scientists.

A Graphical Database Interface for Casual, Naive Users.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burgess, Clifford; Swigger, Kathleen

1986-01-01

Describes the design of a database interface for infrequent users of computers which consists of a graphical display of a model of a database and a natural language query language. This interface was designed for and tested with physicians at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Dallas. (LRW)

Physician acceptance of the IRIS user interface during a clinical trial at the Ottawa Civic Hospital

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coristine, Marjorie; Beeton, Carolyn; Tombaugh, Jo W.; Ahuja, J.; Belanger, Garry; Dillon, Richard F.; Currie, Shawn; Hind, E.

1990-07-01

During a clinical trial, emergency physicians and radiologists at the Ottawa Civic Hospital used IRIS (Integrated Radiological Information System) to process patients' x-rays, requisitions, and reports, and to have consultations, for 319 active cases. This paper discusses IRIS user interface issues raised during the clinical trial. The IRIS workstation consists of three major system components: 1) an image screen for viewing and enhancing images; 2) a control screen for presenting patient information, selecting images, and executing commands; and 3) a hands-free telephone for reporting activities and consultations. The control screen and hands-free telephone user interface allow physicians to navigate through patient files, select images and access reports, enter new reports, and perform remote consultations. Physicians were observed using the system during the trial and responded to questions about the user interface on an extensive debriefing interview after the trial. Overall, radiologists and emergency physicians were satisfied with IRIS control screen functionality and user interface. In a number of areas radiologists and emergency physicians differed in their user interface needs. Some features were found to be acceptable to one group of physicians but required modification to meet the needs of the other physician group. The data from the interviews, along with the comments from radiologists and emergency physicians provided important information for the revision of some features, and for the evolution of new features.

Allowing the Advantaged User in a Network Centric System to Get Through the Disadvantaged Interface

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

ADVANTAGED USER IN A NETWORK CENTRIC SYSTEM TO GET THROUGH THE DISADVANTAGED INTERFACE by Lawrence Brandon September 2009 Thesis Advisor...Through the Disadvantaged Interface 6. AUTHOR(S) Lawrence Brandon 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) Naval...identify those factors that cause disadvantaged interfaces within network centric systems and provides recommendations to these challenges so that

Support of surgical process modeling by using adaptable software user interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neumuth, T.; Kaschek, B.; Czygan, M.; Goldstein, D.; Strauß, G.; Meixensberger, J.; Burgert, O.

2010-03-01

Surgical Process Modeling (SPM) is a powerful method for acquiring data about the evolution of surgical procedures. Surgical Process Models are used in a variety of use cases including evaluation studies, requirements analysis and procedure optimization, surgical education, and workflow management scheme design. This work proposes the use of adaptive, situation-aware user interfaces for observation support software for SPM. We developed a method to support the modeling of the observer by using an ontological knowledge base. This is used to drive the graphical user interface for the observer to restrict the search space of terminology depending on the current situation. In the evaluation study it is shown, that the workload of the observer was decreased significantly by using adaptive user interfaces. 54 SPM observation protocols were analyzed by using the NASA Task Load Index and it was shown that the use of the adaptive user interface disburdens the observer significantly in workload criteria effort, mental demand and temporal demand, helping him to concentrate on his essential task of modeling the Surgical Process.

The Euler’s Graphical User Interface Spreadsheet Calculator for Solving Ordinary Differential Equations by Visual Basic for Application Programming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaik Tay, Kim; Cheong, Tau Han; Foong Lee, Ming; Kek, Sie Long; Abdul-Kahar, Rosmila

2017-08-01

In the previous work on Euler’s spreadsheet calculator for solving an ordinary differential equation, the Visual Basic for Application (VBA) programming was used, however, a graphical user interface was not developed to capture users input. This weakness may make users confuse on the input and output since those input and output are displayed in the same worksheet. Besides, the existing Euler’s spreadsheet calculator is not interactive as there is no prompt message if there is a mistake in inputting the parameters. On top of that, there are no users’ instructions to guide users to input the derivative function. Hence, in this paper, we improved previous limitations by developing a user-friendly and interactive graphical user interface. This improvement is aimed to capture users’ input with users’ instructions and interactive prompt error messages by using VBA programming. This Euler’s graphical user interface spreadsheet calculator is not acted as a black box as users can click on any cells in the worksheet to see the formula used to implement the numerical scheme. In this way, it could enhance self-learning and life-long learning in implementing the numerical scheme in a spreadsheet and later in any programming language.

Public service user terminus study compendium of terminus equipment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

General descriptions and specifications are given for equipments which facilitate satellite and terrestrial communications delivery by acting as interfaces between a human, mechanical, or electrical information generator (or source) and the communication system. Manufactures and suppliers are given as well as the purchase, service, or lease costs of various products listed under the following cateories: voice/telephony/facsimile equipment; data/graphics terminals; full motion and processes video equipment; and multiple access equipment.

Information Interface Related Standards, Guidelines, and Recommended Practices.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-07-01

Application Workshop, IEEE, October 1984 (11) Software Portability and Standards, by Ingemar Dahlstrand, Ellis Horwood Ltd., 1984 (12) World of EDP...March 29, 1985, p. 42-48 * 9. "IBM’s Topview Plays to Poor Reviews of Early Users," Computer World , March 4, 1985, p. 5 10. "Lack of Software Standards...Information Symbols ISOiTR 7239-1984 - Development and Principles for Application of Public Information Symbols ISO/TR 8545 -1984 - Technical Drawings

User`s and reference guide to the INEL RML/analytical radiochemistry sample tracking database version 1.00

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Femec, D.A.

This report discusses the sample tracking database in use at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) by the Radiation Measurements Laboratory (RML) and Analytical Radiochemistry. The database was designed in-house to meet the specific needs of the RML and Analytical Radiochemistry. The report consists of two parts, a user`s guide and a reference guide. The user`s guide presents some of the fundamentals needed by anyone who will be using the database via its user interface. The reference guide describes the design of both the database and the user interface. Briefly mentioned in the reference guide are the code-generating tools, CREATE-SCHEMAmore » and BUILD-SCREEN, written to automatically generate code for the database and its user interface. The appendices contain the input files used by the these tools to create code for the sample tracking database. The output files generated by these tools are also included in the appendices.« less

Strategic Help in User Interfaces for Information Retrieval.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brajnik, Giorgio; Mizzaro, Stefano; Tasso, Carlo; Venuti, Fabio

2002-01-01

Discussion of search strategy in information retrieval by end users focuses on the role played by strategic reasoning and design principles for user interfaces. Highlights include strategic help based on collaborative coaching; a conceptual model for strategic help; and a prototype knowledge-based system named FIRE. (Author/LRW)

Enabling Accessibility Through Model-Based User Interface Development.

PubMed

Ziegler, Daniel; Peissner, Matthias

2017-01-01

Adaptive user interfaces (AUIs) can increase the accessibility of interactive systems. They provide personalized display and interaction modes to fit individual user needs. Most AUI approaches rely on model-based development, which is considered relatively demanding. This paper explores strategies to make model-based development more attractive for mainstream developers.

User interface development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aggrawal, Bharat

1994-01-01

This viewgraph presentation describes the development of user interfaces for OS/2 versions of computer codes for the analysis of seals. Current status, new features, work in progress, and future plans are discussed.

14 CFR § 1215.102 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., and the necessary TDRSS operational areas, interface devices, and NASA communication circuits that... interface. (c) Bit stream. The electronic signals acquired by TDRSS from the user craft or the user...

Netlib services and resources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Browne, S.V.; Green, S.C.; Moore, K.

1994-04-01

The Netlib repository, maintained by the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, contains freely available software, documents, and databases of interest to the numerical, scientific computing, and other communities. This report includes both the Netlib User`s Guide and the Netlib System Manager`s Guide, and contains information about Netlib`s databases, interfaces, and system implementation. The Netlib repository`s databases include the Performance Database, the Conferences Database, and the NA-NET mail forwarding and Whitepages Databases. A variety of user interfaces enable users to access the Netlib repository in the manner most convenient and compatible with their networking capabilities. These interfaces includemore » the Netlib email interface, the Xnetlib X Windows client, the netlibget command-line TCP/IP client, anonymous FTP, anonymous RCP, and gopher.« less

Hyperspectral Soil Mapper (HYSOMA) software interface: Review and future plans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chabrillat, Sabine; Guillaso, Stephane; Eisele, Andreas; Rogass, Christian

2014-05-01

With the upcoming launch of the next generation of hyperspectral satellites that will routinely deliver high spectral resolution images for the entire globe (e.g. EnMAP, HISUI, HyspIRI, HypXIM, PRISMA), an increasing demand for the availability/accessibility of hyperspectral soil products is coming from the geoscience community. Indeed, many robust methods for the prediction of soil properties based on imaging spectroscopy already exist and have been successfully used for a wide range of soil mapping airborne applications. Nevertheless, these methods require expert know-how and fine-tuning, which makes them used sparingly. More developments are needed toward easy-to-access soil toolboxes as a major step toward the operational use of hyperspectral soil products for Earth's surface processes monitoring and modelling, to allow non-experienced users to obtain new information based on non-expensive software packages where repeatability of the results is an important prerequisite. In this frame, based on the EU-FP7 EUFAR (European Facility for Airborne Research) project and EnMAP satellite science program, higher performing soil algorithms were developed at the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences as demonstrators for end-to-end processing chains with harmonized quality measures. The algorithms were built-in into the HYSOMA (Hyperspectral SOil MApper) software interface, providing an experimental platform for soil mapping applications of hyperspectral imagery that gives the choice of multiple algorithms for each soil parameter. The software interface focuses on fully automatic generation of semi-quantitative soil maps such as soil moisture, soil organic matter, iron oxide, clay content, and carbonate content. Additionally, a field calibration option calculates fully quantitative soil maps provided ground truth soil data are available. Implemented soil algorithms have been tested and validated using extensive in-situ ground truth data sets. The source of the HYSOMA code was developed as standalone IDL software to allow easy implementation in the hyperspectral and non-hyperspectral communities. Indeed, within the hyperspectral community, IDL language is very widely used, and for non-expert users that do not have an ENVI license, such software can be executed as a binary version using the free IDL virtual machine under various operating systems. Based on the growing interest of users in the software interface, the experimental software was adapted for public release version in 2012, and since then ~80 users of hyperspectral soil products downloaded the soil algorithms at www.gfz-potsdam.de/hysoma. The software interface was distributed for free as IDL plug-ins under the IDL-virtual machine. Up-to-now distribution of HYSOMA was based on a close source license model, for non-commercial and educational purposes. Currently, the HYSOMA is being under further development in the context of the EnMAP satellite mission, for extension and implementation in the EnMAP Box as EnSoMAP (EnMAP SOil MAPper). The EnMAP Box is a freely available, platform-independent software distributed under an open source license. In the presentation we will focus on an update of the HYSOMA software interface status and upcoming implementation in the EnMAP Box. Scientific software validation, associated publication record and users responses as well as software management and transition to open source will be discussed.

Independent Verification and Validation of Complex User Interfaces: A Human Factors Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitmore, Mihriban; Berman, Andrea; Chmielewski, Cynthia

1996-01-01

The Usability Testing and Analysis Facility (UTAF) at the NASA Johnson Space Center has identified and evaluated a potential automated software interface inspection tool capable of assessing the degree to which space-related critical and high-risk software system user interfaces meet objective human factors standards across each NASA program and project. Testing consisted of two distinct phases. Phase 1 compared analysis times and similarity of results for the automated tool and for human-computer interface (HCI) experts. In Phase 2, HCI experts critiqued the prototype tool's user interface. Based on this evaluation, it appears that a more fully developed version of the tool will be a promising complement to a human factors-oriented independent verification and validation (IV&V) process.

Personalization in E-Government: An Approach that Combines Semantics and Web 2.0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, Kay-Uwe; Stojanovic, Ljiljana; Stojanovic, Nenad; Thomas, Susan

In Europe, large parts of the population use the Internet in their daily life: at work, during their leisure time, or for accessing information, purchasing goods or communication. They now expect public administrations to provide the same level of service that they are accustomed to when using online banking, flight booking or electronic shops. Increasingly, they also expect the types of personalization and user adaptation offered by such commercial services.1 The current norm for e-government portals, which is to confront different citizens with a one-size-fits-all Web interface, is not the optimum way to deliver public sector services because every person is an individual with different knowledge, abilities, skills and preferences. The conventional brick-and-mortar office has a more human face because the clerk can respond to different people in different manners. That is why people tend to use the conventional office rather than the e-government services. To transfer some of the humanity to e-government portals, it is necessary to build adaptive portals for public services. Such user-adaptive portals will increase the usability, and, thus, the acceptance of e-government, enabling administrations to achieve the, as yet, elusive efficiency gains and user satisfaction, which are the primary goals of e-government projects.

Turning publicly available gene expression data into discoveries using gene set context analysis.

PubMed

Ji, Zhicheng; Vokes, Steven A; Dang, Chi V; Ji, Hongkai

2016-01-08

Gene Set Context Analysis (GSCA) is an open source software package to help researchers use massive amounts of publicly available gene expression data (PED) to make discoveries. Users can interactively visualize and explore gene and gene set activities in 25,000+ consistently normalized human and mouse gene expression samples representing diverse biological contexts (e.g. different cells, tissues and disease types, etc.). By providing one or multiple genes or gene sets as input and specifying a gene set activity pattern of interest, users can query the expression compendium to systematically identify biological contexts associated with the specified gene set activity pattern. In this way, researchers with new gene sets from their own experiments may discover previously unknown contexts of gene set functions and hence increase the value of their experiments. GSCA has a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI makes the analysis convenient and customizable. Analysis results can be conveniently exported as publication quality figures and tables. GSCA is available at https://github.com/zji90/GSCA. This software significantly lowers the bar for biomedical investigators to use PED in their daily research for generating and screening hypotheses, which was previously difficult because of the complexity, heterogeneity and size of the data. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Recommending personally interested contents by text mining, filtering, and interfaces

DOEpatents

Xu, Songhua

2015-10-27

A personalized content recommendation system includes a client interface device configured to monitor a user's information data stream. A collaborative filter remote from the client interface device generates automated predictions about the interests of the user. A database server stores personal behavioral profiles and user's preferences based on a plurality of monitored past behaviors and an output of the collaborative user personal interest inference engine. A programmed personal content recommendation server filters items in an incoming information stream with the personal behavioral profile and identifies only those items of the incoming information stream that substantially matches the personal behavioral profile. The identified personally relevant content is then recommended to the user following some priority that may consider the similarity between the personal interest matches, the context of the user information consumption behaviors that may be shown by the user's content consumption mode.

Research and Development for an Operational Information Ecology: The User-System Interface Agent Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srivastava, Sadanand; deLamadrid, James

1998-01-01

The User System Interface Agent (USIA) is a special type of software agent which acts as the "middle man" between a human user and an information processing environment. USIA consists of a group of cooperating agents which are responsible for assisting users in obtaining information processing services intuitively and efficiently. Some of the main features of USIA include: (1) multiple interaction modes and (2) user-specific and stereotype modeling and adaptation. This prototype system provides us with a development platform towards the realization of an operational information ecology. In the first phase of this project we focus on the design and implementation of prototype system of the User-System Interface Agent (USIA). The second face of USIA allows user interaction via a restricted query language as well as through a taxonomy of windows. In third phase the USIA system architecture was revised.

EUCANEXT: an integrated database for the exploration of genomic and transcriptomic data from Eucalyptus species

PubMed Central

Nascimento, Leandro Costa; Salazar, Marcela Mendes; Lepikson-Neto, Jorge; Camargo, Eduardo Leal Oliveira; Parreiras, Lucas Salera; Carazzolle, Marcelo Falsarella

2017-01-01

Abstract Tree species of the genus Eucalyptus are the most valuable and widely planted hardwoods in the world. Given the economic importance of Eucalyptus trees, much effort has been made towards the generation of specimens with superior forestry properties that can deliver high-quality feedstocks, customized to the industrýs needs for both cellulosic (paper) and lignocellulosic biomass production. In line with these efforts, large sets of molecular data have been generated by several scientific groups, providing invaluable information that can be applied in the development of improved specimens. In order to fully explore the potential of available datasets, the development of a public database that provides integrated access to genomic and transcriptomic data from Eucalyptus is needed. EUCANEXT is a database that analyses and integrates publicly available Eucalyptus molecular data, such as the E. grandis genome assembly and predicted genes, ESTs from several species and digital gene expression from 26 RNA-Seq libraries. The database has been implemented in a Fedora Linux machine running MySQL and Apache, while Perl CGI was used for the web interfaces. EUCANEXT provides a user-friendly web interface for easy access and analysis of publicly available molecular data from Eucalyptus species. This integrated database allows for complex searches by gene name, keyword or sequence similarity and is publicly accessible at http://www.lge.ibi.unicamp.br/eucalyptusdb. Through EUCANEXT, users can perform complex analysis to identify genes related traits of interest using RNA-Seq libraries and tools for differential expression analysis. Moreover, all the bioinformatics pipeline here described, including the database schema and PERL scripts, are readily available and can be applied to any genomic and transcriptomic project, regardless of the organism. Database URL: http://www.lge.ibi.unicamp.br/eucalyptusdb PMID:29220468

Automatic User Interface Generation for Visualizing Big Geoscience Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, H.; Wu, J.; Zhou, Y.; Tang, Z.; Kuo, K. S.

2016-12-01

Along with advanced computing and observation technologies, geoscience and its related fields have been generating a large amount of data at an unprecedented growth rate. Visualization becomes an increasingly attractive and feasible means for researchers to effectively and efficiently access and explore data to gain new understandings and discoveries. However, visualization has been challenging due to a lack of effective data models and visual representations to tackle the heterogeneity of geoscience data. We propose a new geoscience data visualization framework by leveraging the interface automata theory to automatically generate user interface (UI). Our study has the following three main contributions. First, geoscience data has its unique hierarchy data structure and complex formats, and therefore it is relatively easy for users to get lost or confused during their exploration of the data. By applying interface automata model to the UI design, users can be clearly guided to find the exact visualization and analysis that they want. In addition, from a development perspective, interface automaton is also easier to understand than conditional statements, which can simplify the development process. Second, it is common that geoscience data has discontinuity in its hierarchy structure. The application of interface automata can prevent users from suffering automation surprises, and enhance user experience. Third, for supporting a variety of different data visualization and analysis, our design with interface automata could also make applications become extendable in that a new visualization function or a new data group could be easily added to an existing application, which reduces the overhead of maintenance significantly. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our framework using real-world applications.

iSeq: Web-Based RNA-seq Data Analysis and Visualization.

PubMed

Zhang, Chao; Fan, Caoqi; Gan, Jingbo; Zhu, Ping; Kong, Lei; Li, Cheng

2018-01-01

Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) is becoming a standard experimental methodology for genome-wide characterization and quantification of transcripts at single base-pair resolution. However, downstream analysis of massive amount of sequencing data can be prohibitively technical for wet-lab researchers. A functionally integrated and user-friendly platform is required to meet this demand. Here, we present iSeq, an R-based Web server, for RNA-seq data analysis and visualization. iSeq is a streamlined Web-based R application under the Shiny framework, featuring a simple user interface and multiple data analysis modules. Users without programming and statistical skills can analyze their RNA-seq data and construct publication-level graphs through a standardized yet customizable analytical pipeline. iSeq is accessible via Web browsers on any operating system at http://iseq.cbi.pku.edu.cn .

Three-dimensional user interfaces for scientific visualization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

VanDam, Andries (Principal Investigator)

1996-01-01

The focus of this grant was to experiment with novel user interfaces for scientific visualization applications using both desktop and virtual reality (VR) systems, and thus to advance the state of the art of user interface technology for this domain. This technology has been transferred to NASA via periodic status reports and papers relating to this grant that have been published in conference proceedings. This final report summarizes the research completed over the past three years, and subsumes all prior reports.

The intelligent user interface for NASA's advanced information management systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, William J.; Short, Nicholas, Jr.; Rolofs, Larry H.; Wattawa, Scott L.

1987-01-01

NASA has initiated the Intelligent Data Management Project to design and develop advanced information management systems. The project's primary goal is to formulate, design and develop advanced information systems that are capable of supporting the agency's future space research and operational information management needs. The first effort of the project was the development of a prototype Intelligent User Interface to an operational scientific database, using expert systems and natural language processing technologies. An overview of Intelligent User Interface formulation and development is given.

ASV3 dial-in interface recommendation for the Repository Based Software Engineering (RBSE) program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The purpose of this report is to provide insight into the approach and design of the Cooperative User Interface (CUI). The CUI is being developed based on Hypercard technology and will provide the same look and feel as is provided by the NASA Electronic Library System (NELS) X-Window interface. The interaction between the user and ASCII-LIB is presented as well as the set of Hypercard Cards with which the user will work.

Expandable Grids: A User Interface Visualization Technique and a Policy Semantics to Support Fast, Accurate Security and Privacy Policy Authoring

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-07-01

dropout rate amongst Grid participants suggests participants found the Grid more frustrating to use, and subjective satisfaction scores show... learned more than N years of graduate school could ever teach me, and my sister, who was always there for me when my Black Friday letters came. Abstract...greatly affect whether policies match their authors’ intentions ; a bad user interface can lead to policies with many errors, while a good user interface

An open experimental database for exploring inorganic materials

DOE PAGES

Zakutayev, Andriy; Wunder, Nick; Schwarting, Marcus; ...

2018-04-03

The use of advanced machine learning algorithms in experimental materials science is limited by the lack of sufficiently large and diverse datasets amenable to data mining. If publicly open, such data resources would also enable materials research by scientists without access to expensive experimental equipment. Here, we report on our progress towards a publicly open High Throughput Experimental Materials (HTEM) Database (htem.nrel.gov). This database currently contains 140,000 sample entries, characterized by structural (100,000), synthetic (80,000), chemical (70,000), and optoelectronic (50,000) properties of inorganic thin film materials, grouped in >4,000 sample entries across >100 materials systems; more than a half ofmore » these data are publicly available. This article shows how the HTEM database may enable scientists to explore materials by browsing web-based user interface and an application programming interface. This paper also describes a HTE approach to generating materials data, and discusses the laboratory information management system (LIMS), that underpin HTEM database. Finally, this manuscript illustrates how advanced machine learning algorithms can be adopted to materials science problems using this open data resource.« less

An open experimental database for exploring inorganic materials.

PubMed

Zakutayev, Andriy; Wunder, Nick; Schwarting, Marcus; Perkins, John D; White, Robert; Munch, Kristin; Tumas, William; Phillips, Caleb

2018-04-03

The use of advanced machine learning algorithms in experimental materials science is limited by the lack of sufficiently large and diverse datasets amenable to data mining. If publicly open, such data resources would also enable materials research by scientists without access to expensive experimental equipment. Here, we report on our progress towards a publicly open High Throughput Experimental Materials (HTEM) Database (htem.nrel.gov). This database currently contains 140,000 sample entries, characterized by structural (100,000), synthetic (80,000), chemical (70,000), and optoelectronic (50,000) properties of inorganic thin film materials, grouped in >4,000 sample entries across >100 materials systems; more than a half of these data are publicly available. This article shows how the HTEM database may enable scientists to explore materials by browsing web-based user interface and an application programming interface. This paper also describes a HTE approach to generating materials data, and discusses the laboratory information management system (LIMS), that underpin HTEM database. Finally, this manuscript illustrates how advanced machine learning algorithms can be adopted to materials science problems using this open data resource.

An open experimental database for exploring inorganic materials

PubMed Central

Zakutayev, Andriy; Wunder, Nick; Schwarting, Marcus; Perkins, John D.; White, Robert; Munch, Kristin; Tumas, William; Phillips, Caleb

2018-01-01

The use of advanced machine learning algorithms in experimental materials science is limited by the lack of sufficiently large and diverse datasets amenable to data mining. If publicly open, such data resources would also enable materials research by scientists without access to expensive experimental equipment. Here, we report on our progress towards a publicly open High Throughput Experimental Materials (HTEM) Database (htem.nrel.gov). This database currently contains 140,000 sample entries, characterized by structural (100,000), synthetic (80,000), chemical (70,000), and optoelectronic (50,000) properties of inorganic thin film materials, grouped in >4,000 sample entries across >100 materials systems; more than a half of these data are publicly available. This article shows how the HTEM database may enable scientists to explore materials by browsing web-based user interface and an application programming interface. This paper also describes a HTE approach to generating materials data, and discusses the laboratory information management system (LIMS), that underpin HTEM database. Finally, this manuscript illustrates how advanced machine learning algorithms can be adopted to materials science problems using this open data resource. PMID:29611842

An open experimental database for exploring inorganic materials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zakutayev, Andriy; Wunder, Nick; Schwarting, Marcus

The use of advanced machine learning algorithms in experimental materials science is limited by the lack of sufficiently large and diverse datasets amenable to data mining. If publicly open, such data resources would also enable materials research by scientists without access to expensive experimental equipment. Here, we report on our progress towards a publicly open High Throughput Experimental Materials (HTEM) Database (htem.nrel.gov). This database currently contains 140,000 sample entries, characterized by structural (100,000), synthetic (80,000), chemical (70,000), and optoelectronic (50,000) properties of inorganic thin film materials, grouped in >4,000 sample entries across >100 materials systems; more than a half ofmore » these data are publicly available. This article shows how the HTEM database may enable scientists to explore materials by browsing web-based user interface and an application programming interface. This paper also describes a HTE approach to generating materials data, and discusses the laboratory information management system (LIMS), that underpin HTEM database. Finally, this manuscript illustrates how advanced machine learning algorithms can be adopted to materials science problems using this open data resource.« less

The effects of time delays on a telepathology user interface.

PubMed Central

Carr, D.; Hasegawa, H.; Lemmon, D.; Plaisant, C.

1992-01-01

Telepathology enables a pathologist to examine physically distant tissue samples by microscope operation over a communication link. Communication links can impose time delays which cause difficulties in controlling the remote device. Such difficulties were found in a microscope teleoperation system. Since the user interface is critical to pathologist's acceptance of telepathology, we redesigned the user interface for this system, built two different versions (a keypad whose movement commands operated by specifying a start command followed by a stop command and a trackball interface whose movement commands were incremental and directly proportional to the rotation of the trackball). We then conducted a pilot study to determine the effect of time delays on the new user interfaces. In our experiment, the keypad was the faster interface when the time delay is short. There was no evidence to favor either the keypad or trackball when the time delay was longer. Inexperienced participants benefitted by allowing them to move long distances over the microscope slide by dragging the field-of-view indicator on the touchscreen control panel. The experiment suggests that changes could be made to the trackball interface which would improve its performance. PMID:1482878

Oyster Fisheries App

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perez Guerrero, Geraldo A.; Armstrong, Duane; Underwood, Lauren

2015-01-01

This project is creating a cloud-enabled, HTML 5 web application to help oyster fishermen and state agencies apply Earth science to improve the management of this important natural and economic resource. The Oyster Fisheries app gathers and analyzes environmental and water quality information, and alerts fishermen and resources managers about problems in oyster fishing waters. An intuitive interface based on Google Maps displays the geospatial information and provides familiar interactive controls to the users. Alerts can be tailored to notify users when conditions in specific leases or public fishing areas require attention. The app is hosted on the Amazon Web Services cloud. It is being developed and tested using some of the latest web development tools such as web components and Polymer.

Design and implementation considerations of a MSAT packet data network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karam, Fouad G.; Hearn, Terry; Rohr, Doug; Guibord, Arthur F.

1993-01-01

The Mobile Data System, which is intended to provide for packet switched data services is currently under development. The system is based on a star network topology consisting of a centralized Data Hub (DH) serving a large number of mobile terminals. Through the Data Hub, end-to-end connections can be established between terrestrial users on public or private data networks and mobile users. The MDS network will be capable of offering a variety of services some of which are based on the standard X.25 network interface protocol, and others optimized for short messages and broadcast messages. A description of these services and the trade-offs in the DH design are presented.

Automatic generation of randomized trial sequences for priming experiments.

PubMed

Ihrke, Matthias; Behrendt, Jörg

2011-01-01

In most psychological experiments, a randomized presentation of successive displays is crucial for the validity of the results. For some paradigms, this is not a trivial issue because trials are interdependent, e.g., priming paradigms. We present a software that automatically generates optimized trial sequences for (negative-) priming experiments. Our implementation is based on an optimization heuristic known as genetic algorithms that allows for an intuitive interpretation due to its similarity to natural evolution. The program features a graphical user interface that allows the user to generate trial sequences and to interactively improve them. The software is based on freely available software and is released under the GNU General Public License.

Chromothripsis Detection and Characterization Using the CTLPScanner Web Server.

PubMed

Yang, Jian; Liu, Bo; Cai, Haoyang

2018-01-01

Accurate detection of chromothripsis event is important to study the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. CTLPScanner ( http://cgma.scu.edu.cn/CTLPScanner/ ) is a web-based tool for identification and annotation of chromothripsis-like pattern (CTLP) in genomic array data. In this chapter, we illustrate the utility of CTLPScanner for screening chromosome pulverization regions and give interpretation of the results. The web interface offers a set of parameters and thresholds for customized screening. We also provide practical recommendations for effective chromothripsis detection. In addition to the user data processing module, CTLPScanner contains more than 50,000 preprocessed oncogenomic arrays, which allow users to explore the presence of chromothripsis signatures from public data resources.

Determinants of user acceptance of a specific social platform for older adults: An empirical examination of user interface characteristics and behavioral intention

PubMed Central

Chang, Hsien-Tsung; Chen, Yan-Jiun; Chang, Yung-Sheng

2017-01-01

The use of the Internet and social applications has many benefits for the elderly, but numerous investigations have shown that the elderly do not perceive online social networks as a friendly social environment. Therefore, TreeIt, a social application specifically designed for the elderly, was developed for this study. In the TreeIt application, seven mechanisms promoting social interaction were designed to allow older adults to use social networking sites (SNSs) to increase social connection, maintain the intensity of social connections and strengthen social experience. This study’s main objective was to investigate how user interface design affects older people’s intention and attitude related to using SNSs. Fourteen user interface evaluation heuristics proposed by Zhang et al. were adopted as the criteria to assess user interface usability and further grouped into three categories: system support, user interface design and navigation. The technology acceptance model was adopted to assess older people’s intention and attitude related to using SNSs. One hundred and one elderly persons were enrolled in this study as subjects, and the results showed that all of the hypotheses proposed in this study were valid: system support and perceived usefulness had a significant effect on behavioral intention; user interface design and perceived ease of use were positively correlated with perceived usefulness; and navigation exerted an influence on perceived ease of use. The results of this study are valuable for the future development of social applications for the elderly. PMID:28837566

MTVis: tree exploration using a multitouch interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrews, David; Teoh, Soon Tee

2010-01-01

We present MTVis, a multi-touch interactive tree visualization system. The multi-touch interface display hardware is built using the LED-LP technology, and the tree layout is based on RINGS, but enhanced with multitouch interactions. We describe the features of the system, and how the multi-touch interface enhances the user's experience in exploring the tree data structure. In particular, the multi-touch interface allows the user to simultaneously control two child nodes of the root, and rotate them so that some nodes are magnified, while preserving the layout of the tree. We also describe the other meaninful touch screen gestures the users can use to intuitively explore the tree.

More than Just a Pretty (Inter) Face: The Role of the Graphical User Interface in Engaging Elearners.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Metros, Susan E.; Hedberg, John G.

2002-01-01

Examines the relationship between the graphical user interface (GUI) and the cognitive demands placed on the learner in eLearning (electronic learning) environments. Describes ways educators can design appropriate interfaces to facilitate meaningful interactions with educational content; and examines learner engagement and engagement theory using…

Designing a Humane Multimedia Interface for the Visually Impaired.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ghaoui, Claude; Mann, M.; Ng, Eng Huat

2001-01-01

Promotes the provision of interfaces that allow users to access most of the functionality of existing graphical user interfaces (GUI) using speech. Uses the design of a speech control tool that incorporates speech recognition and synthesis into existing packaged software such as Teletext, the Internet, or a word processor. (Contains 22…

A Framework and Implementation of User Interface and Human-Computer Interaction Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peslak, Alan

2005-01-01

Researchers have suggested that up to 50 % of the effort in development of information systems is devoted to user interface development (Douglas, Tremaine, Leventhal, Wills, & Manaris, 2002; Myers & Rosson, 1992). Yet little study has been performed on the inclusion of important interface and human-computer interaction topics into a current…

An EMG-based robot control scheme robust to time-varying EMG signal features.

PubMed

Artemiadis, Panagiotis K; Kyriakopoulos, Kostas J

2010-05-01

Human-robot control interfaces have received increased attention during the past decades. With the introduction of robots in everyday life, especially in providing services to people with special needs (i.e., elderly, people with impairments, or people with disabilities), there is a strong necessity for simple and natural control interfaces. In this paper, electromyographic (EMG) signals from muscles of the human upper limb are used as the control interface between the user and a robot arm. EMG signals are recorded using surface EMG electrodes placed on the user's skin, making the user's upper limb free of bulky interface sensors or machinery usually found in conventional human-controlled systems. The proposed interface allows the user to control in real time an anthropomorphic robot arm in 3-D space, using upper limb motion estimates based only on EMG recordings. Moreover, the proposed interface is robust to EMG changes with respect to time, mainly caused by muscle fatigue or adjustments of contraction level. The efficiency of the method is assessed through real-time experiments, including random arm motions in the 3-D space with variable hand speed profiles.

Advanced Query and Data Mining Capabilities for MaROS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Paul; Wallick, Michael N.; Allard, Daniel A.; Gladden, Roy E.; Hy, Franklin H.

2013-01-01

The Mars Relay Operational Service (MaROS) comprises a number of tools to coordinate, plan, and visualize various aspects of the Mars Relay network. These levels include a Web-based user interface, a back-end "ReSTlet" built in Java, and databases that store the data as it is received from the network. As part of MaROS, the innovators have developed and implemented a feature set that operates on several levels of the software architecture. This new feature is an advanced querying capability through either the Web-based user interface, or through a back-end REST interface to access all of the data gathered from the network. This software is not meant to replace the REST interface, but to augment and expand the range of available data. The current REST interface provides specific data that is used by the MaROS Web application to display and visualize the information; however, the returned information from the REST interface has typically been pre-processed to return only a subset of the entire information within the repository, particularly only the information that is of interest to the GUI (graphical user interface). The new, advanced query and data mining capabilities allow users to retrieve the raw data and/or to perform their own data processing. The query language used to access the repository is a restricted subset of the structured query language (SQL) that can be built safely from the Web user interface, or entered as freeform SQL by a user. The results are returned in a CSV (Comma Separated Values) format for easy exporting to third party tools and applications that can be used for data mining or user-defined visualization and interpretation. This is the first time that a service is capable of providing access to all cross-project relay data from a single Web resource. Because MaROS contains the data for a variety of missions from the Mars network, which span both NASA and ESA, the software also establishes an access control list (ACL) on each data record in the database repository to enforce user access permissions through a multilayered approach.

NGDS User Centered Design Meeting the Needs of the Geothermal Community

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boyd, Suzanne; Zheng, Sam; Patten, Kim

2013-10-15

In order to ensure the widest and greatest utility of IT and software projects designed for geothermal reservoir engineer- ing the full consideration of end users’ task and workflow needs must be evaluated. This paper describes the user-centered design (UCD) approach taken in the development of a user interface (UI) solution for the National Geothermal Data System (NGDS). This development process has been research based, highly collabora- tive, and incorporates state-of-the-art practices to ensure a quality user experience. Work is continuing on the interface, including future usability tests to further refine the interfaces as the overall system is developed.

NGDS USER CENTERED DESIGN MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE GEOTHERMAL COMMUNITY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boyd, Suzanne; Zheng, Sam Xianjun; Patten, Kim

In order to ensure the widest and greatest utility of IT and software projects designed for geothermal reservoir engineering the full consideration of end users’ task and workflow needs must be evaluated. This paper describes the user-centered design (UCD) approach taken in the development of a user interface (UI) solution for the National Geothermal Data System (NGDS). This development process has been researched based, highly collaborative, and incorporates state-of-the-art practices to ensure a quality user experience. Work is continuing on the interface, including future usability tests to further refine the interfaces as the overall system is developed.

System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses (SAGA) v. 2.1.4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conrad, O.; Bechtel, B.; Bock, M.; Dietrich, H.; Fischer, E.; Gerlitz, L.; Wehberg, J.; Wichmann, V.; Böhner, J.

2015-07-01

The System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses (SAGA) is an open source geographic information system (GIS), mainly licensed under the GNU General Public License. Since its first release in 2004, SAGA has rapidly developed from a specialized tool for digital terrain analysis to a comprehensive and globally established GIS platform for scientific analysis and modeling. SAGA is coded in C++ in an object oriented design and runs under several operating systems including Windows and Linux. Key functional features of the modular software architecture comprise an application programming interface for the development and implementation of new geoscientific methods, a user friendly graphical user interface with many visualization options, a command line interpreter, and interfaces to interpreted languages like R and Python. The current version 2.1.4 offers more than 600 tools, which are implemented in dynamically loadable libraries or shared objects and represent the broad scopes of SAGA in numerous fields of geoscientific endeavor and beyond. In this paper, we inform about the system's architecture, functionality, and its current state of development and implementation. Furthermore, we highlight the wide spectrum of scientific applications of SAGA in a review of published studies, with special emphasis on the core application areas digital terrain analysis, geomorphology, soil science, climatology and meteorology, as well as remote sensing.

Who's Zooming Whom? Attunement to Animation in the Interface.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chui, Michael; Dillon, Andrew

1997-01-01

Two controlled experiments examined whether the animated zooming effect accompanying the opening or closing of a folder in the Apple Macintosh graphical user interface aids in the user's perception of which window corresponds to which folder. Results suggest users may become attuned to the informational content of the zooming effect with…

Human Systems Integration Competency Development for Navy Systems Commands

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

cognizance of Applied Engineering /Psychology relative to knowledge engineering, training, teamwork, user interface design and decision sciences. KSA...cognizance of Applied Engineering /Psychology relative to knowledge engineering, training, teamwork, user interface design and decision sciences...requirements (as required). Fundamental cognizance of Applied Engineering / Psychology relative to knowledge engineering, training, team work, user

Advanced Displays and Natural User Interfaces to Support Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin-SanJose, Juan-Fernando; Juan, M. -Carmen; Mollá, Ramón; Vivó, Roberto

2017-01-01

Advanced displays and natural user interfaces (NUI) are a very suitable combination for developing systems to provide an enhanced and richer user experience. This combination can be appropriate in several fields and has not been extensively exploited. One of the fields that this combination is especially suitable for is education. Nowadays,…

Earthdata Search Summer ESIP Usability Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reese, Mark; Sirato, Jeff

2017-01-01

The Earthdata Search Client has undergone multiple rounds of usability testing during 2017 and the user feedback received has resulted in an enhanced user interface. This session will showcase the new Earthdata Search Client user interface and provide hands-on experience for participants to learn how to search, visualize and download data in the desired format.

Considerations for Developing Interfaces for Collecting Patient-Reported Outcomes That Allow the Inclusion of Individuals With Disabilities

PubMed Central

Harniss, Mark; Amtmann, Dagmar; Cook, Debbie; Johnson, Kurt

2010-01-01

PROMIS (Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System) is developing a set of tools for collecting patient reported outcomes, including computerized adaptive testing that can be administered using different modes, such as computers or phones. The user interfaces for these tools will be designed using the principles of universal design to ensure that it is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. We review the rationale for making health assessment instruments accessible to users with disabilities, briefly review the standards and guidelines that exist to support developers in the creation of user interfaces with accessibility in mind, and describe the usability and accessibility testing PROMIS will conduct with content experts and users with and without disabilities. Finally, we discuss threats to validity and reliability presented by universal design principles. We argue that the social and practical benefits of interfaces designed to include a broad range of potential users, including those with disabilities, seem to outweigh the need for standardization. Suggestions for future research are also included. PMID:17443119

The SHIP: A SIP to HTTP Interaction Protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeiß, Joachim; Gabner, Rene; Bessler, Sandford; Happenhofer, Marco

IMS is capable of providing a wide range of services. As a result, terminal software becomes more and more complex to deliver network intelligence to user applications. Currently mobile terminal software needs to be permanently updated so that the latest network services and functionality can be delivered to the user. In the Internet, browser based user interfaces assure that an interface is made available to the user which offers the latest services in the net immediately. Our approach combines the benefits of the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and those of the HTTP protocol to bring the same type of user interfacing to IMS. SIP (IMS) realizes authentication, session management, charging and Quality of Service (QoS), HTTP provides access to Internet services and allows the user interface of an application to run on a mobile terminal while processing and orchestration is done on the server. A SHIP enabled IMS client only needs to handle data transport and session management via SIP, HTTP and RTP and render streaming media, HTML and Javascript. SHIP allows new kinds of applications, which combine audio, video and data within a single multimedia session.

Nencki Genomics Database--Ensembl funcgen enhanced with intersections, user data and genome-wide TFBS motifs.

PubMed

Krystkowiak, Izabella; Lenart, Jakub; Debski, Konrad; Kuterba, Piotr; Petas, Michal; Kaminska, Bozena; Dabrowski, Michal

2013-01-01

We present the Nencki Genomics Database, which extends the functionality of Ensembl Regulatory Build (funcgen) for the three species: human, mouse and rat. The key enhancements over Ensembl funcgen include the following: (i) a user can add private data, analyze them alongside the public data and manage access rights; (ii) inside the database, we provide efficient procedures for computing intersections between regulatory features and for mapping them to the genes. To Ensembl funcgen-derived data, which include data from ENCODE, we add information on conserved non-coding (putative regulatory) sequences, and on genome-wide occurrence of transcription factor binding site motifs from the current versions of two major motif libraries, namely, Jaspar and Transfac. The intersections and mapping to the genes are pre-computed for the public data, and the result of any procedure run on the data added by the users is stored back into the database, thus incrementally increasing the body of pre-computed data. As the Ensembl funcgen schema for the rat is currently not populated, our database is the first database of regulatory features for this frequently used laboratory animal. The database is accessible without registration using the mysql client: mysql -h database.nencki-genomics.org -u public. Registration is required only to add or access private data. A WSDL webservice provides access to the database from any SOAP client, including the Taverna Workbench with a graphical user interface.

Nencki Genomics Database—Ensembl funcgen enhanced with intersections, user data and genome-wide TFBS motifs

PubMed Central

Krystkowiak, Izabella; Lenart, Jakub; Debski, Konrad; Kuterba, Piotr; Petas, Michal; Kaminska, Bozena; Dabrowski, Michal

2013-01-01

We present the Nencki Genomics Database, which extends the functionality of Ensembl Regulatory Build (funcgen) for the three species: human, mouse and rat. The key enhancements over Ensembl funcgen include the following: (i) a user can add private data, analyze them alongside the public data and manage access rights; (ii) inside the database, we provide efficient procedures for computing intersections between regulatory features and for mapping them to the genes. To Ensembl funcgen-derived data, which include data from ENCODE, we add information on conserved non-coding (putative regulatory) sequences, and on genome-wide occurrence of transcription factor binding site motifs from the current versions of two major motif libraries, namely, Jaspar and Transfac. The intersections and mapping to the genes are pre-computed for the public data, and the result of any procedure run on the data added by the users is stored back into the database, thus incrementally increasing the body of pre-computed data. As the Ensembl funcgen schema for the rat is currently not populated, our database is the first database of regulatory features for this frequently used laboratory animal. The database is accessible without registration using the mysql client: mysql –h database.nencki-genomics.org –u public. Registration is required only to add or access private data. A WSDL webservice provides access to the database from any SOAP client, including the Taverna Workbench with a graphical user interface. Database URL: http://www.nencki-genomics.org. PMID:24089456

Toward visual user interfaces supporting collaborative multimedia content management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Husein, Fathi; Leissler, Martin; Hemmje, Matthias

2000-12-01

Supporting collaborative multimedia content management activities, as e.g., image and video acquisition, exploration, and access dialogues between naive users and multi media information systems is a non-trivial task. Although a wide variety of experimental and prototypical multimedia storage technologies as well as corresponding indexing and retrieval engines are available, most of them lack appropriate support for collaborative end-user oriented user interface front ends. The development of advanced user adaptable interfaces is necessary for building collaborative multimedia information- space presentations based upon advanced tools for information browsing, searching, filtering, and brokering to be applied on potentially very large and highly dynamic multimedia collections with a large number of users and user groups. Therefore, the development of advanced and at the same time adaptable and collaborative computer graphical information presentation schemes that allow to easily apply adequate visual metaphors for defined target user stereotypes has to become a key focus within ongoing research activities trying to support collaborative information work with multimedia collections.

AXAF user interfaces for heterogeneous analysis environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mandel, Eric; Roll, John; Ackerman, Mark S.

1992-01-01

The AXAF Science Center (ASC) will develop software to support all facets of data center activities and user research for the AXAF X-ray Observatory, scheduled for launch in 1999. The goal is to provide astronomers with the ability to utilize heterogeneous data analysis packages, that is, to allow astronomers to pick the best packages for doing their scientific analysis. For example, ASC software will be based on IRAF, but non-IRAF programs will be incorporated into the data system where appropriate. Additionally, it is desired to allow AXAF users to mix ASC software with their own local software. The need to support heterogeneous analysis environments is not special to the AXAF project, and therefore finding mechanisms for coordinating heterogeneous programs is an important problem for astronomical software today. The approach to solving this problem has been to develop two interfaces that allow the scientific user to run heterogeneous programs together. The first is an IRAF-compatible parameter interface that provides non-IRAF programs with IRAF's parameter handling capabilities. Included in the interface is an application programming interface to manipulate parameters from within programs, and also a set of host programs to manipulate parameters at the command line or from within scripts. The parameter interface has been implemented to support parameter storage formats other than IRAF parameter files, allowing one, for example, to access parameters that are stored in data bases. An X Windows graphical user interface called 'agcl' has been developed, layered on top of the IRAF-compatible parameter interface, that provides a standard graphical mechanism for interacting with IRAF and non-IRAF programs. Users can edit parameters and run programs for both non-IRAF programs and IRAF tasks. The agcl interface allows one to communicate with any command line environment in a transparent manner and without any changes to the original environment. For example, the authors routinely layer the GUI on top of IRAF, ksh, SMongo, and IDL. The agcl, based on the facilities of a system called Answer Garden, also has sophisticated support for examining documentation and help files, asking questions of experts, and developing a knowledge base of frequently required information. Thus, the GUI becomes a total environment for running programs, accessing information, examining documents, and finding human assistance. Because the agcl can communicate with any command-line environment, most projects can make use of it easily. New applications are continually being found for these interfaces. It is the authors' intention to evolve the GUI and its underlying parameter interface in response to these needs - from users as well as developers - throughout the astronomy community. This presentation describes the capabilities and technology of the above user interface mechanisms and tools. It also discusses the design philosophies guiding the work, as well as hopes for the future.

Advanced display object selection methods for enhancing user-computer productivity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Osga, Glenn A.

1993-01-01

The User-Interface Technology Branch at NCCOSC RDT&E Division has been conducting a series of studies to address the suitability of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) graphic user-interface (GUI) methods for efficiency and performance in critical naval combat systems. This paper presents an advanced selection algorithm and method developed to increase user performance when making selections on tactical displays. The method has also been applied with considerable success to a variety of cursor and pointing tasks. Typical GUI's allow user selection by: (1) moving a cursor with a pointing device such as a mouse, trackball, joystick, touchscreen; and (2) placing the cursor on the object. Examples of GUI objects are the buttons, icons, folders, scroll bars, etc. used in many personal computer and workstation applications. This paper presents an improved method of selection and the theoretical basis for the significant performance gains achieved with various input devices tested. The method is applicable to all GUI styles and display sizes, and is particularly useful for selections on small screens such as notebook computers. Considering the amount of work-hours spent pointing and clicking across all styles of available graphic user-interfaces, the cost/benefit in applying this method to graphic user-interfaces is substantial, with the potential for increasing productivity across thousands of users and applications.

Bioclipse: an open source workbench for chemo- and bioinformatics.

PubMed

Spjuth, Ola; Helmus, Tobias; Willighagen, Egon L; Kuhn, Stefan; Eklund, Martin; Wagener, Johannes; Murray-Rust, Peter; Steinbeck, Christoph; Wikberg, Jarl E S

2007-02-22

There is a need for software applications that provide users with a complete and extensible toolkit for chemo- and bioinformatics accessible from a single workbench. Commercial packages are expensive and closed source, hence they do not allow end users to modify algorithms and add custom functionality. Existing open source projects are more focused on providing a framework for integrating existing, separately installed bioinformatics packages, rather than providing user-friendly interfaces. No open source chemoinformatics workbench has previously been published, and no successful attempts have been made to integrate chemo- and bioinformatics into a single framework. Bioclipse is an advanced workbench for resources in chemo- and bioinformatics, such as molecules, proteins, sequences, spectra, and scripts. It provides 2D-editing, 3D-visualization, file format conversion, calculation of chemical properties, and much more; all fully integrated into a user-friendly desktop application. Editing supports standard functions such as cut and paste, drag and drop, and undo/redo. Bioclipse is written in Java and based on the Eclipse Rich Client Platform with a state-of-the-art plugin architecture. This gives Bioclipse an advantage over other systems as it can easily be extended with functionality in any desired direction. Bioclipse is a powerful workbench for bio- and chemoinformatics as well as an advanced integration platform. The rich functionality, intuitive user interface, and powerful plugin architecture make Bioclipse the most advanced and user-friendly open source workbench for chemo- and bioinformatics. Bioclipse is released under Eclipse Public License (EPL), an open source license which sets no constraints on external plugin licensing; it is totally open for both open source plugins as well as commercial ones. Bioclipse is freely available at http://www.bioclipse.net.

Brain-computer interface technology: a review of the first international meeting.

PubMed

Wolpaw, J R; Birbaumer, N; Heetderks, W J; McFarland, D J; Peckham, P H; Schalk, G; Donchin, E; Quatrano, L A; Robinson, C J; Vaughan, T M

2000-06-01

Over the past decade, many laboratories have begun to explore brain-computer interface (BCI) technology as a radically new communication option for those with neuromuscular impairments that prevent them from using conventional augmentative communication methods. BCI's provide these users with communication channels that do not depend on peripheral nerves and muscles. This article summarizes the first international meeting devoted to BCI research and development. Current BCI's use electroencephalographic (EEG) activity recorded at the scalp or single-unit activity recorded from within cortex to control cursor movement, select letters or icons, or operate a neuroprosthesis. The central element in each BCI is a translation algorithm that converts electrophysiological input from the user into output that controls external devices. BCI operation depends on effective interaction between two adaptive controllers, the user who encodes his or her commands in the electrophysiological input provided to the BCI, and the BCI which recognizes the commands contained in the input and expresses them in device control. Current BCI's have maximum information transfer rates of 5-25 b/min. Achievement of greater speed and accuracy depends on improvements in signal processing, translation algorithms, and user training. These improvements depend on increased interdisciplinary cooperation between neuroscientists, engineers, computer programmers, psychologists, and rehabilitation specialists, and on adoption and widespread application of objective methods for evaluating alternative methods. The practical use of BCI technology depends on the development of appropriate applications, identification of appropriate user groups, and careful attention to the needs and desires of individual users. BCI research and development will also benefit from greater emphasis on peer-reviewed publications, and from adoption of standard venues for presentations and discussion.

MaROS Strategic Relay Planning and Coordination Interfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allard, Daniel A.

2010-01-01

The Mars Relay Operations Service (MaROS) is designed to provide planning and analysis tools in support of ongoing Mars Network relay operations. Strategic relay planning requires coordination between lander and orbiter mission ground data system (GDS) teams to schedule and execute relay communications passes. MaROS centralizes this process, correlating all data relevant to relay coordination to provide a cohesive picture of the relay state. Service users interact with the system through thin-layer command line and web user interface client applications. Users provide and utilize data such as lander view periods of orbiters, Deep Space Network (DSN) antenna tracks, and reports of relay pass performance. Users upload and download relevant relay data via formally defined and documented file structures including some described in Extensible Markup Language (XML). Clients interface with the system via an http-based Representational State Transfer (ReST) pattern using Javascript Object Notation (JSON) formats. This paper will provide a general overview of the service architecture and detail the software interfaces and considerations for interface design.

The Diamond Beamline Controls and Data Acquisition Software Architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rees, N.

2010-06-01

The software for the Diamond Light Source beamlines[1] is based on two complementary software frameworks: low level control is provided by the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) framework[2][3] and the high level user interface is provided by the Java based Generic Data Acquisition or GDA[4][5]. EPICS provides a widely used, robust, generic interface across a wide range of hardware where the user interfaces are focused on serving the needs of engineers and beamline scientists to obtain detailed low level views of all aspects of the beamline control systems. The GDA system provides a high-level system that combines an understanding of scientific concepts, such as reciprocal lattice coordinates, a flexible python syntax scripting interface for the scientific user to control their data acquisition, and graphical user interfaces where necessary. This paper describes the beamline software architecture in more detail, highlighting how these complementary frameworks provide a flexible system that can accommodate a wide range of requirements.

JAliEn - A new interface between the AliEn jobs and the central services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grigoras, A. G.; Grigoras, C.; Pedreira, M. M.; Saiz, P.; Schreiner, S.

2014-06-01

Since the ALICE experiment began data taking in early 2010, the amount of end user jobs on the AliEn Grid has increased significantly. Presently 1/3 of the 40K CPU cores available to ALICE are occupied by jobs submitted by about 400 distinct users, individually or in organized analysis trains. The overall stability of the AliEn middleware has been excellent throughout the 3 years of running, but the massive amount of end-user analysis and its specific requirements and load has revealed few components which can be improved. One of them is the interface between users and central AliEn services (catalogue, job submission system) which we are currently re-implementing in Java. The interface provides persistent connection with enhanced data and job submission authenticity. In this paper we will describe the architecture of the new interface, the ROOT binding which enables the use of a single interface in addition to the standard UNIX-like access shell and the new security-related features.

NLEdit: A generic graphical user interface for Fortran programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Curlett, Brian P.

1994-01-01

NLEdit is a generic graphical user interface for the preprocessing of Fortran namelist input files. The interface consists of a menu system, a message window, a help system, and data entry forms. A form is generated for each namelist. The form has an input field for each namelist variable along with a one-line description of that variable. Detailed help information, default values, and minimum and maximum allowable values can all be displayed via menu picks. Inputs are processed through a scientific calculator program that allows complex equations to be used instead of simple numeric inputs. A custom user interface is generated simply by entering information about the namelist input variables into an ASCII file. There is no need to learn a new graphics system or programming language. NLEdit can be used as a stand-alone program or as part of a larger graphical user interface. Although NLEdit is intended for files using namelist format, it can be easily modified to handle other file formats.

Concurrent Image Processing Executive (CIPE). Volume 3: User's guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Meemong; Cooper, Gregory T.; Groom, Steven L.; Mazer, Alan S.; Williams, Winifred I.; Kong, Mih-Seh

1990-01-01

CIPE (the Concurrent Image Processing Executive) is both an executive which organizes the parameter inputs for hypercube applications and an environment which provides temporary data workspace and simple real-time function definition facilities for image analysis. CIPE provides two types of user interface. The Command Line Interface (CLI) provides a simple command-driven environment allowing interactive function definition and evaluation of algebraic expressions. The menu interface employs a hierarchical screen-oriented menu system where the user is led through a menu tree to any specific application and then given a formatted panel screen for parameter entry. How to initialize the system through the setup function, how to read data into CIPE symbols, how to manipulate and display data through the use of executive functions, and how to run an application in either user interface mode, are described.

Spatial Modeling Tools for Cell Biology

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-10-01

multiphysics modeling expertise. A graphical user interface (GUI) for CoBi, JCoBi, was written in Java and interactive 3D graphics. CoBi has been...tools (C++ and Java ) to simulate complex cell and organ biology problems. CoBi has been designed to interact with the other Bio-SPICE software...fall of 2002. VisIt supports C++, Python and Java interfaces. The C++ and Java interfaces make it possible to provide alternate user interfaces for

Four principles for user interface design of computerised clinical decision support systems.

PubMed

Kanstrup, Anne Marie; Christiansen, Marion Berg; Nøhr, Christian

2011-01-01

The paper presents results from a design research project of a user interface (UI) for a Computerised Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS). The ambition has been to design Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) that can minimise medication errors. Through an iterative design process a digital prototype for prescription of medicine has been developed. This paper presents results from the formative evaluation of the prototype conducted in a simulation laboratory with ten participating physicians. Data from the simulation is analysed by use of theory on how users perceive information. The conclusion is a model, which sum up four principles of interaction for design of CDSS. The four principles for design of user interfaces for CDSS are summarised as four A's: All in one, At a glance, At hand and Attention. The model emphasises integration of all four interaction principles in the design of user interfaces for CDSS, i.e. the model is an integrated model which we suggest as a guide for interaction design when working with preventing medication errors.

Refactoring DIRT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amarnath, N. S.; Pound, M. W.; Wolfire, M. G.

The Dust InfraRed ToolBox (DIRT - a part of the Web Infrared ToolShed, or WITS, located at http://dustem.astro.umd.edu) is a Java applet for modeling astrophysical processes in circumstellar shells around young and evolved stars. DIRT has been used by the astrophysics community for about 4 years. DIRT uses results from a number of numerical models of astrophysical processes, and has an AWT based user interface. DIRT has been refactored to decouple data representation from plotting and curve fitting. This makes it easier to add new kinds of astrophysical models, use the plotter in other applications, migrate the user interface to Swing components, and modify the user interface to add functionality (for example, SIRTF tools). DIRT is now an extension of two generic libraries, one of which manages data representation and caching, and the second of which manages plotting and curve fitting. This project is an example of refactoring with no impact on user interface, so the existing user community was not affected.

A meta-analysis of human-system interfaces in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarm management.

PubMed

Hocraffer, Amy; Nam, Chang S

2017-01-01

A meta-analysis was conducted to systematically evaluate the current state of research on human-system interfaces for users controlling semi-autonomous swarms composed of groups of drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). UAV swarms pose several human factors challenges, such as high cognitive demands, non-intuitive behavior, and serious consequences for errors. This article presents findings from a meta-analysis of 27 UAV swarm management papers focused on the human-system interface and human factors concerns, providing an overview of the advantages, challenges, and limitations of current UAV management interfaces, as well as information on how these interfaces are currently evaluated. In general allowing user and mission-specific customization to user interfaces and raising the swarm's level of autonomy to reduce operator cognitive workload are beneficial and improve situation awareness (SA). It is clear more research is needed in this rapidly evolving field. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

MailMinder: taming DHCP's mailman interface.

PubMed

Shultz, E K; Brown, R; Kotta, G

1992-01-01

While the Department of Veteran's Affairs Decentralized Hospital Computer Program (DHCP) is one of the most widely disseminated and successful hospital information systems in existence, it currently is accessed through a user interface which is not as mature as the rest of the system. This interface is a VT-100 compatible, character oriented interface using menus accessed by typed commands for feature access. This project demonstrated that a mature graphical user interface (MailMinder) can be successfully used as a "front-end" to DHCP. MailMinder is completely compatible with the existing unmodified DHCP electronic mail program, Mailman. MailMinder allows the user to be more efficient than the current interface and offers additional features over the current mail system. The program has undergone evaluation and limited deployment at five separate sites. The feature set of this program and its operation will be shown at this demonstration. The demonstration has implications for all current hospital information systems.

MailMinder: taming DHCP's mailman interface.

PubMed Central

Shultz, E. K.; Brown, R.; Kotta, G.

1992-01-01

While the Department of Veteran's Affairs Decentralized Hospital Computer Program (DHCP) is one of the most widely disseminated and successful hospital information systems in existence, it currently is accessed through a user interface which is not as mature as the rest of the system. This interface is a VT-100 compatible, character oriented interface using menus accessed by typed commands for feature access. This project demonstrated that a mature graphical user interface (MailMinder) can be successfully used as a "front-end" to DHCP. MailMinder is completely compatible with the existing unmodified DHCP electronic mail program, Mailman. MailMinder allows the user to be more efficient than the current interface and offers additional features over the current mail system. The program has undergone evaluation and limited deployment at five separate sites. The feature set of this program and its operation will be shown at this demonstration. The demonstration has implications for all current hospital information systems. PMID:1482995

T-LECS: The Control Software System for MOIRCS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshikawa, T.; Omata, K.; Konishi, M.; Ichikawa, T.; Suzuki, R.; Tokoku, C.; Katsuno, Y.; Nishimura, T.

2006-07-01

MOIRCS (Multi-Object Infrared Camera and Spectrograph) is a new instrument for the Subaru Telescope. We present the system design of the control software system for MOIRCS, named T-LECS (Tohoku University - Layered Electronic Control System). T-LECS is a PC-Linux based network distributed system. Two PCs equipped with the focal plane array system operate two HAWAII2 detectors, respectively, and another PC is used for user interfaces and a database server. Moreover, these PCs control various devices for observations distributed on a TCP/IP network. T-LECS has three interfaces; interfaces to the devices and two user interfaces. One of the user interfaces is to the integrated observation control system (Subaru Observation Software System) for observers, and another one provides the system developers the direct access to the devices of MOIRCS. In order to help the communication between these interfaces, we employ an SQL database system.

Requirements Document for Development of a Livermore Tomography Tools Interface

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Seetho, I. M.

In this document, we outline an exercise performed at LLNL to evaluate the user interface deficits of a LLNL-developed CT reconstruction software package, Livermore Tomography Tools (LTT). We observe that a difficult-to-use command line interface and the lack of support functions compound to generate a bottleneck in the CT reconstruction process when input parameters to key functions are not well known. Through the exercise of systems engineering best practices, we generate key performance parameters for a LTT interface refresh, and specify a combination of back-end (“test-mode” functions) and front-end (graphical user interface visualization and command scripting tools) solutions to LTT’smore » poor user interface that aim to mitigate issues and lower costs associated with CT reconstruction using LTT. Key functional and non-functional requirements and risk mitigation strategies for the solution are outlined and discussed.« less

Software interface verifier

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soderstrom, Tomas J.; Krall, Laura A.; Hope, Sharon A.; Zupke, Brian S.

1994-01-01

A Telos study of 40 recent subsystem deliveries into the DSN at JPL found software interface testing to be the single most expensive and error-prone activity, and the study team suggested creating an automated software interface test tool. The resulting Software Interface Verifier (SIV), which was funded by NASA/JPL and created by Telos, employed 92 percent software reuse to quickly create an initial version which incorporated early user feedback. SIV is now successfully used by developers for interface prototyping and unit testing, by test engineers for formal testing, and by end users for non-intrusive data flow tests in the operational environment. Metrics, including cost, are included. Lessons learned include the need for early user training. SIV is ported to many platforms and can be successfully used or tailored by other NASA groups.

A method and tool for combining differential or inclusive measurements obtained with simultaneously constrained uncertainties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kieseler, Jan

2017-11-01

A method is discussed that allows combining sets of differential or inclusive measurements. It is assumed that at least one measurement was obtained with simultaneously fitting a set of nuisance parameters, representing sources of systematic uncertainties. As a result of beneficial constraints from the data all such fitted parameters are correlated among each other. The best approach for a combination of these measurements would be the maximization of a combined likelihood, for which the full fit model of each measurement and the original data are required. However, only in rare cases this information is publicly available. In absence of this information most commonly used combination methods are not able to account for these correlations between uncertainties, which can lead to severe biases as shown in this article. The method discussed here provides a solution for this problem. It relies on the public result and its covariance or Hessian, only, and is validated against the combined-likelihood approach. A dedicated software package implementing this method is also presented. It provides a text-based user interface alongside a C++ interface. The latter also interfaces to ROOT classes for simple combination of binned measurements such as differential cross sections.

Improving the Usability of the User Interface for a Digital Textbook Platform for Elementary-School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lim, Cheolil; Song, Hae-Deok; Lee, Yekyung

2012-01-01

Usability is critical to the development of a user-friendly digital textbook platform interface, yet thorough research on interface development based on usability principles is in short supply. This study addresses that need by looking at usability attributes and corresponding design elements from a learning perspective. The researchers used a…

Beyond qualitative and subjective techniques to assess usability of banking interfaces for senior citizens.

PubMed

Laparra-Hernández, José; Medina, Enric; Sancho, María; Soriano, Carolina; Durá, Juanvi; Barberà-Guillem, Ricard; Poveda-Puente, Rakel

2015-01-01

Senior citizens can benefit from banking services but the lack of usability hampers this possibility. New approaches based on physiological response, eye tracking and user movement analysis can provide more information during interface interaction. This research shows the differences depending on user knowledge and use of technology, gender and type of interface.

"I Want My Robot to Look for Food": Comparing Kindergartner's Programming Comprehension Using Tangible, Graphic, and Hybrid User Interfaces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strawhacker, Amanda; Bers, Marina U.

2015-01-01

In recent years, educational robotics has become an increasingly popular research area. However, limited studies have focused on differentiated learning outcomes based on type of programming interface. This study aims to explore how successfully young children master foundational programming concepts based on the robotics user interface (tangible,…

UManSysProp v1.0: an online and open-source facility for molecular property prediction and atmospheric aerosol calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Topping, David; Barley, Mark; Bane, Michael K.; Higham, Nicholas; Aumont, Bernard; Dingle, Nicholas; McFiggans, Gordon

2016-03-01

In this paper we describe the development and application of a new web-based facility, UManSysProp (http://umansysprop.seaes.manchester.ac.uk), for automating predictions of molecular and atmospheric aerosol properties. Current facilities include pure component vapour pressures, critical properties, and sub-cooled densities of organic molecules; activity coefficient predictions for mixed inorganic-organic liquid systems; hygroscopic growth factors and CCN (cloud condensation nuclei) activation potential of mixed inorganic-organic aerosol particles; and absorptive partitioning calculations with/without a treatment of non-ideality. The aim of this new facility is to provide a single point of reference for all properties relevant to atmospheric aerosol that have been checked for applicability to atmospheric compounds where possible. The group contribution approach allows users to upload molecular information in the form of SMILES (Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry System) strings and UManSysProp will automatically extract the relevant information for calculations. Built using open-source chemical informatics, and hosted at the University of Manchester, the facilities are provided via a browser and device-friendly web interface, or can be accessed using the user's own code via a JSON API (application program interface). We also provide the source code for all predictive techniques provided on the site, covered by the GNU GPL (General Public License) license to encourage development of a user community. We have released this via a Github repository (doi:10.5281/zenodo.45143). In this paper we demonstrate its use with specific examples that can be simulated using the web-browser interface.

Next generation tools for genomic data generation, distribution, and visualization

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background With the rapidly falling cost and availability of high throughput sequencing and microarray technologies, the bottleneck for effectively using genomic analysis in the laboratory and clinic is shifting to one of effectively managing, analyzing, and sharing genomic data. Results Here we present three open-source, platform independent, software tools for generating, analyzing, distributing, and visualizing genomic data. These include a next generation sequencing/microarray LIMS and analysis project center (GNomEx); an application for annotating and programmatically distributing genomic data using the community vetted DAS/2 data exchange protocol (GenoPub); and a standalone Java Swing application (GWrap) that makes cutting edge command line analysis tools available to those who prefer graphical user interfaces. Both GNomEx and GenoPub use the rich client Flex/Flash web browser interface to interact with Java classes and a relational database on a remote server. Both employ a public-private user-group security model enabling controlled distribution of patient and unpublished data alongside public resources. As such, they function as genomic data repositories that can be accessed manually or programmatically through DAS/2-enabled client applications such as the Integrated Genome Browser. Conclusions These tools have gained wide use in our core facilities, research laboratories and clinics and are freely available for non-profit use. See http://sourceforge.net/projects/gnomex/, http://sourceforge.net/projects/genoviz/, and http://sourceforge.net/projects/useq. PMID:20828407

[Development of an ophthalmological clinical information system for inpatient eye clinics].

PubMed

Kortüm, K U; Müller, M; Babenko, A; Kampik, A; Kreutzer, T C

2015-12-01

In times of increased digitalization in healthcare, departments of ophthalmology are faced with the challenge of introducing electronic clinical health records (EHR); however, specialized software for ophthalmology is not available with most major EHR sytems. The aim of this project was to create specific ophthalmological user interfaces for large inpatient eye care providers within a hospitalwide EHR. Additionally the integration of ophthalmic imaging systems, scheduling and surgical documentation should be achieved. The existing EHR i.s.h.med (Siemens, Germany) was modified using advanced business application programming (ABAP) language to create specific ophthalmological user interfaces for reproduction and moreover optimization of the clinical workflow. A user interface for documentation of ambulatory patients with eight tabs was designed. From June 2013 to October 2014 a total of 61,551 patient contact details were documented. For surgical documentation a separate user interface was set up. Digital clinical orders for documentation of registration and scheduling of operations user interfaces were also set up. A direct integration of ophthalmic imaging modalities could be established. An ophthalmologist-orientated EHR for outpatient and surgical documentation for inpatient clinics was created and successfully implemented. By incorporation of imaging procedures the foundation of future smart/big data analyses was created.

Mining microarray data at NCBI's Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO)*.

PubMed

Barrett, Tanya; Edgar, Ron

2006-01-01

The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) has emerged as the leading fully public repository for gene expression data. This chapter describes how to use Web-based interfaces, applications, and graphics to effectively explore, visualize, and interpret the hundreds of microarray studies and millions of gene expression patterns stored in GEO. Data can be examined from both experiment-centric and gene-centric perspectives using user-friendly tools that do not require specialized expertise in microarray analysis or time-consuming download of massive data sets. The GEO database is publicly accessible through the World Wide Web at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo.

Informing, reminding, nagging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ehlert, Iris

2016-04-01

I want to discuss the challenges I am facing by running the Contact Point for Copernicus National Marine Services in Germany, a project that aims to improve the integration of the marine sector of the European Copernicus program by serving as an interface between German users and European Copernicus institutions and activities. To establish a national user network covering public users, industry, research institutions and governmental entities, an indispensable necessity is to understand the different user-group requirements and interests. Hence, key actions are both to conduct own research, i.e., to work with, e.g., Sentinel and in-situ data, and to offer a platform like user workshops on a regular basis to discuss new product developments and user requirements. Through the close cooperation with the German Fachkoordinator for the Monitoring of the Marine Environment, the outcomes of those workshops, and the results of additional, independent user surveys, are transferred directly to national and European policy makers. However, to find the right balance between informing or reminding users on the one hand, and nagging them on the other hand, is challenging. A solution could be the right combination of newsletters, general information on a website, and user workshops and surveys. And how this "right combination" should look like, I would like to discuss with the audience in this session.

Exploratory Usability Testing of User Interface Options in LibGuides 2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thorngate, Sarah; Hoden, Allison

2017-01-01

Online research guides offer librarians a way to provide digital researchers with point-of-need support. If these guides are to support student learning well, it is critical that they provide an effective user experience. This article details the results of an exploratory comparison study that tested three key user interface options in LibGuides…

The Design and Evaluation of a Front-End User Interface for Energy Researchers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borgman, Christine L.; And Others

1989-01-01

Reports on the Online Access to Knowledge (OAK) Project, which developed software to support end user access to a Department of Energy database based on the skill levels and needs of energy researchers. The discussion covers issues in development, evaluation, and the study of user behavior in designing an interface tailored to a special…

Preparing for Future Learning with a Tangible User Interface: The Case of Neuroscience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schneider, B.; Wallace, J.; Blikstein, P.; Pea, R.

2013-01-01

In this paper, we describe the development and evaluation of a microworld-based learning environment for neuroscience. Our system, BrainExplorer, allows students to discover the way neural pathways work by interacting with a tangible user interface. By severing and reconfiguring connections, users can observe how the visual field is impaired and,…

Software Engineering for User Interfaces. Technical Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Draper, Stephen W.; Norman, Donald A.

The discipline of software engineering can be extended in a natural way to deal with the issues raised by a systematic approach to the design of human-machine interfaces. The user should be treated as part of the system being designed and projects should be organized to take into account the current lack of a priori knowledge of user interface…

Multi-robot control interface

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bruemmer, David J; Walton, Miles C

Methods and systems for controlling a plurality of robots through a single user interface include at least one robot display window for each of the plurality of robots with the at least one robot display window illustrating one or more conditions of a respective one of the plurality of robots. The user interface further includes at least one robot control window for each of the plurality of robots with the at least one robot control window configured to receive one or more commands for sending to the respective one of the plurality of robots. The user interface further includes amore » multi-robot common window comprised of information received from each of the plurality of robots.« less

Computer Assistance in Information Work. Part I: Conceptual Framework for Improving the Computer/User Interface in Information Work. Part II: Catalog of Acceleration, Augmentation, and Delegation Functions in Information Work.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paisley, William; Butler, Matilda

This study of the computer/user interface investigated the role of the computer in performing information tasks that users now perform without computer assistance. Users' perceptual/cognitive processes are to be accelerated or augmented by the computer; a long term goal is to delegate information tasks entirely to the computer. Cybernetic and…

Lamprey: tracking users on the World Wide Web.

PubMed

Felciano, R M; Altman, R B

1996-01-01

Tracking individual web sessions provides valuable information about user behavior. This information can be used for general purpose evaluation of web-based user interfaces to biomedical information systems. To this end, we have developed Lamprey, a tool for doing quantitative and qualitative analysis of Web-based user interfaces. Lamprey can be used from any conforming browser, and does not require modification of server or client software. By rerouting WWW navigation through a centralized filter, Lamprey collects the sequence and timing of hyperlinks used by individual users to move through the web. Instead of providing marginal statistics, it retains the full information required to recreate a user session. We have built Lamprey as a standard Common Gateway Interface (CGI) that works with all standard WWW browsers and servers. In this paper, we describe Lamprey and provide a short demonstration of this approach for evaluating web usage patterns.

Systems Engineering Model and Training Application for Desktop Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

May, Jeffrey T.

2010-01-01

Provide a graphical user interface based simulator for desktop training, operations and procedure development and system reference. This simulator allows for engineers to train and further understand the dynamics of their system from their local desktops. It allows the users to train and evaluate their system at a pace and skill level based on the user's competency and from a perspective based on the user's need. The simulator will not require any special resources to execute and should generally be available for use. The interface is based on a concept of presenting the model of the system in ways that best suits the user's application or training needs. The three levels of views are Component View, the System View (overall system), and the Console View (monitor). These views are portals into a single model, so changing the model from one view or from a model manager Graphical User Interface will be reflected on all other views.

US NDC Modernization Iteration E2 Prototyping Report: User Interface Framework

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lewis, Jennifer E.; Palmer, Melanie A.; Vickers, James Wallace

2014-12-01

During the second iteration of the US NDC Modernization Elaboration phase (E2), the SNL US NDC Modernization project team completed follow-on Rich Client Platform (RCP) exploratory prototyping related to the User Interface Framework (UIF). The team also developed a survey of browser-based User Interface solutions and completed exploratory prototyping for selected solutions. This report presents the results of the browser-based UI survey, summarizes the E2 browser-based UI and RCP prototyping work, and outlines a path forward for the third iteration of the Elaboration phase (E3).

New ergonomic headset for Tongue-Drive System with wireless smartphone interface.

PubMed

Park, Hangue; Kim, Jeonghee; Huo, Xueliang; Hwang, In-O; Ghovanloo, Maysam

2011-01-01

Tongue Drive System (TDS) is a wireless tongue-operated assistive technology (AT), developed for people with severe physical disabilities to control their environment using their tongue motion. We have developed a new ergonomic headset for the TDS with a user-friendly smartphone interface, through which users will be able to wirelessly control various devices, access computers, and drive wheelchairs. This headset design is expected to act as a flexible and multifunctional communication interface for the TDS and improve its usability, accessibility, aesthetics, and convenience for the end users.

Passive sensor technology interface to assess elder activity in independent living.

PubMed

Alexander, Gregory L; Wakefield, Bonnie J; Rantz, Marilyn; Skubic, Marjorie; Aud, Myra A; Erdelez, Sanda; Ghenaimi, Said Al

2011-01-01

The effectiveness of clinical information systems to improve nursing and patient outcomes depends on human factors, including system usability, organizational workflow, and user satisfaction. The aim of this study was to examine to what extent residents, family members, and clinicians find a sensor data interface used to monitor elder activity levels usable and useful in an independent living setting. Three independent expert reviewers conducted an initial heuristic evaluation. Subsequently, 20 end users (5 residents, 5 family members, 5 registered nurses, and 5 physicians) participated in the evaluation. During the evaluation, each participant was asked to complete three scenarios taken from three residents. Morae recorder software was used to capture data during the user interactions. The heuristic evaluation resulted in 26 recommendations for interface improvement; these were classified under the headings content, aesthetic appeal, navigation, and architecture, which were derived from heuristic results. Total time for elderly residents to complete scenarios was much greater than for other users. Family members spent more time than clinicians but less time than residents did to complete scenarios. Elder residents and family members had difficulty interpreting clinical data and graphs, experienced information overload, and did not understand terminology. All users found the sensor data interface useful for identifying changing resident activities. Older adult users have special needs that should be addressed when designing clinical interfaces for them, especially information as important as health information. Evaluating human factors during user interactions with clinical information systems should be a requirement before implementation.

The Ultracool Typing Kit - An Open-Source, Qualitative Spectral Typing GUI for L Dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwab, Ellianna; Cruz, Kelle; Núñez, Alejandro; Burgasser, Adam J.; Rice, Emily; Reid, Neill; Faherty, Jacqueline K.; BDNYC

2018-01-01

The Ultracool Typing Kit (UTK) is an open-source graphical user interface for classifying the NIR spectral types of L dwarfs, including field and low-gravity dwarfs spanning L0-L9. The user is able to input an NIR spectrum and qualitatively compare the input spectrum to a full suite of spectral templates, including low-gravity beta and gamma templates. The user can choose to view the input spectrum as both a band-by-band comparison with the templates and a full bandwidth comparison with NIR spectral standards. Once an optimal qualitative comparison is selected, the user can save their spectral type selection both graphically and to a database. Using UTK to classify 78 previously typed L dwarfs, we show that a band-by-band classification method more accurately agrees with optical spectral typing systems than previous L dwarf NIR classification schemes. UTK is written in python, released on Zenodo with a BSD-3 clause license and publicly available on the BDNYC Github page.

Downsizer - A Graphical User Interface-Based Application for Browsing, Acquiring, and Formatting Time-Series Data for Hydrologic Modeling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ward-Garrison, Christian; Markstrom, Steven L.; Hay, Lauren E.

2009-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey Downsizer is a computer application that selects, downloads, verifies, and formats station-based time-series data for environmental-resource models, particularly the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System. Downsizer implements the client-server software architecture. The client presents a map-based, graphical user interface that is intuitive to modelers; the server provides streamflow and climate time-series data from over 40,000 measurement stations across the United States. This report is the Downsizer user's manual and provides (1) an overview of the software design, (2) installation instructions, (3) a description of the graphical user interface, (4) a description of selected output files, and (5) troubleshooting information.