Gamers never play alone: An interface-centred analysis of online video gaming

Online gaming involves a complex and multidimensional set of practices. This article proposes understanding online video gaming based on an interface-centred approach that goes beyond the classic study of the “graphic user interface”. In this theoretical and analytical framework, the interface is considered the place where human, institutional and technological actors relate to each other and different processes are carried out. The article draws the data from empirical research with teens carried out in eight countries. It analyses the teenagers’ online playing experience as an interface, understood as a ‘network of actors’ that goes beyond the single video gaming device (console, PC, etc.). This work also presents a map of actors, relationships and processes of the online video gaming interface, paying particular attention to the tensions and critical issues that arise, from a perspective that, in further studies, could be expanded to other practices.

Study concerning the thermal energy balance in an internal combustion engine

In this scientific report the steps for achieving the energy balance on a test engine Daewoo 1.6 liter in 4 cylinders, with 4 valves per cylinder, its power being77 kW, are presented. The engine was connected to a hydraulic brake during the tests. The energy balance was established, based on measurements applied on the stand test, focusing to determine the lost heat and to conceive a Sankey diagram, accordingly. Two sets of measurements were performed and based on them the heat losses were determined and two Sankey diagrams were depicted. The lost heat through the cooling fluid is determined by measuring the cooling water flow rate and its inlet and outlet temperature. The lost heat through the exhaust gases is determined by the difference between the enthalpy of the exhaust gases and the enthalpy of fresh air. The lost heat due to incomplete chemical combustion is determined by analyzing the composition of the exhaust gases. The measurements are centralized on a graphic user interface, supported by a NI Compact RIO platform.

TXM-Sandbox: an open-source software for transmission X-ray microscopy data analysis

A transmission X-ray microscope (TXM) can investigate morphological and chemical information of a tens to hundred micrometre-thick specimen on a length scale of tens to hundreds of nanometres. It has broad applications in material sciences and battery research. TXM data processing is composed of multiple steps. A workflow software has been developed that integrates all the tools required for general TXM data processing and visualization. The software is written in Python and has a graphic user interface in Jupyter Notebook. Users have access to the intermediate analysis results within Jupyter Notebook and have options to insert extra data processing steps in addition to those that are integrated in the software. The software seamlessly integrates ImageJ as its primary image viewer, providing rich image visualization and processing routines. As a guide for users, several TXM specific data analysis issues and examples are also presented.

Software complex for aircraft characteristics calculation

The article describes the method of calculating the aerodynamic loads of the aircraft, which can be programmed within the graphic user interface. The method uses statistical data of typical aerodynamic profiles flow in wind tunnels and mathematical expressions that describe the known laws of aerohydromechanics. The graphic user interface is tested by a model of the famous Ukrainian aircraft A32 that manufactured by Aeropract company. A surface model of the aircraft for modeling consists of the theoretical surface for the wing and the fuselage. A comparison of the formula’s calculation in the graphical interface and finite element calculations is given. The software interface is built in C #.

Advanced research directions in gravitational wave detectors

The general principles of gravitational waves detection are considered in this paper. Current gravitational wave detectors represent modernized Michelson interferometer LIGO-detector. Reduction of vibrations in the system and high stabilization of the reflective mirrors is one of the technical problem of the LIGO. It is proposed to study the features of the LIGO-detector with movable mirrors. The software simulating the operation of the LIGO and providing an opportunity to study its characteristics and capacity is developed and named LIGO-RM. The primary goal of the modelling is to study the signal of the gravitational waves detector with oscillating mirrors. The LIGO-RM contains graphic user interface (GUI) that provides interactive control of mirrors movement nature and monitoring of detector signal change. The software simulates the presence of gravitational wave of a requested type and makes it able to monitor its effect on the operation results of the LIGO interferometer in interactive mode or as a numerical outcome. A range of numerical experiments is conducted and the signals on the detector with and without mirrors oscillations are shown. The results of calculations and a possibility of the registration of the gravitational waves using the LIGO-detector with movable mirrors are discussed.

Implementation of Fuzzy Inference Mamdani System Based on Graphic User Interface for the timing of planting rice on rice plants in traditional farming systems in South Aceh district

The agricultural sector plays an important role in a developing country that covers all economic life because it can become the main source of national income. Efforts that must be avoided are to avoid crop failure, one of the things that cause crop failure is that there is no match with the right planting period at the time of planting. So the purpose of this research is to build a decision-making system in the form of a system for determining planting time based on the traditional Aceh farming system. The process developed with information technology in the decision-making method using Mamdani fuzzy logic based on the Graphic User Interface by involving several criteria including the calculation of the month in the Hijri year, the calculation of days, the calculation of the time of planting, and the level of rainfall. So that when starting the process of planting rice traditionally, farmers with this system can choose the best time to grow crops in rice farming. This study used 40 samples as test data obtained from several villages in South Aceh Regency. The results of the study after testing, several classifications become decisions where the results that show very right are 2 respondents or 5%, exactly 16 respondents or 40%, less precise as many as 10 people or 25% and inaccurate as many as 12 people or 30%. This study used 40 samples as test data obtained from several villages in South Aceh Regency. The results of the study after testing, several classifications become decisions where the results that show very right are 2 respondents or 5%, exactly 16 respondents or 40%, less precise as many as 10 people or 25% and inaccurate as many as 12 people or 30%. This study used 40 samples as test data obtained from several villages in South Aceh Regency. The results of the study after testing, several classifications become decisions where the results that show very right are 2 respondents or 5%, exactly 16 respondents or 40%, less precise as many as 10 people or 25% and inaccurate as many as 12 people or 30%.

Hybrid Control of a Segway Platform Developed in MRDS

<p>A Segway RMP200 has been bought by Victoria University for the purpose of making an autonomous robot. The focus of this project was to create reusable services that use existing navigation algorithms to control the Segway within an indoor environment. A SICK LMS100 laser rangefinder was added to detect obstacles and allow localization of the Segway within a known map. A hybrid navigation algorithm consisting of an A* path planner with a dynamic window is used for motion planning and obstacle avoidance. The control system followed a Service Oriented Architecture implemented in Microsoft Robotics Studio using the C# .NET programming language. Four services were created during the project to interface with the SICK LMS100 scanner, control the Segway RMP200, implement the hybrid navigation algorithm and provide a graphic user interface for the system. Tests show that the Segway is able to navigate and maintain localisation within the operating environment by identifying and associating corner and door landmarks within the environment.</p>

Hybrid Control of a Segway Platform Developed in MRDS

<p>A Segway RMP200 has been bought by Victoria University for the purpose of making an autonomous robot. The focus of this project was to create reusable services that use existing navigation algorithms to control the Segway within an indoor environment. A SICK LMS100 laser rangefinder was added to detect obstacles and allow localization of the Segway within a known map. A hybrid navigation algorithm consisting of an A* path planner with a dynamic window is used for motion planning and obstacle avoidance. The control system followed a Service Oriented Architecture implemented in Microsoft Robotics Studio using the C# .NET programming language. Four services were created during the project to interface with the SICK LMS100 scanner, control the Segway RMP200, implement the hybrid navigation algorithm and provide a graphic user interface for the system. Tests show that the Segway is able to navigate and maintain localisation within the operating environment by identifying and associating corner and door landmarks within the environment.</p>

Automated Negative Lightning Return Strokes Classification System

Over the years, many studies have been conducted to measure and classify the lightning-generated electric field waveform for a better understanding of the lightning physics phenomenon. Through measurement and classification, the features of the negative lightning return strokes can be accessed and analysed. In most studies, the classification of negative lightning return strokes was performed using a conventional approach based on manual visual inspection. Nevertheless, this traditional method could compromise the accuracy of data analysis due to human error, which also required a longer processing time. Hence, this study developed an automated negative lightning return strokes classification system using MATLAB software. In this study, a total of 115 return strokes was recorded and classified automatically by using the developed system. The data comparison with the Tenaga Nasional Berhad Research (TNBR) lightning report showed a good agreement between the lightning signal detected from this study with those signals recorded from the report. Apart from that, the developed automated system was successfully classified the negative lightning return strokes which this parameter was also illustrated on Graphic User Interface (GUI). Thus, the proposed automatic system could offer a practical and reliable approach by reducing human error and the processing time while classifying the negative lightning return strokes.

Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation of Self-Driving Electric Vehicles by Dynamic Path Planning and Model Predictive Control

This paper applies a dynamic path planning and model predictive control (MPC) to simulate self-driving and parking for an electric van on a hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) platform. The hardware platform is a simulator which consists of an electric power steering system, accelerator and brake pedals, and an Nvidia drive PX2 with a robot operating system (ROS). The vehicle dynamics model, sensors, controller, and test field map are virtually built with the PreScan simulation platform. Both manual and autonomous driving modes can be simulated, and a graphic user interface allows a test driver to select a target parking space on a display screen. Three scenarios are demonstrated: forward parking, reverse parking, and obstacle avoidance. When the vehicle perceives an obstacle, the map is updated and the route is adaptively planned. The effectiveness of the proposed MPC is verified in experiments and proved to be superior to a traditional proportional–integral–derivative controller with regards to safety, energy-saving, comfort, and agility.