Thesis (M. Sc. (Computer Science))--University of Pretoria, 2000. / Summaries in Afrikaans and English. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (MSc (Computer science))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 107-119)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Carleton University, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 148-154). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

A human magician blends science, psychology and performance to create a magical effect. This thesis explores what can be achieved when that human intelligence is replaced or assisted by machine intelligence. Magical effects are all in some form based on hidden mathematical, scientific or psychological principles; the parameters controlling these underpinning techniques are hard for a magician to blend to maximise the magical effect required. The complexity is often caused by interacting and conflicting physical and psychological constraints that need to be optimally balanced. Normally this tuning is done by trial and error, combined with human intuitions. This thesis focuses on applying Artificial Intelligence methods to the creation, and optimisation, of magic tricks exploiting mathematical principles. Experimentally derived, crowd sourced, data about particular perceptual and cognitive features is used, combined with a model of the underlying mathematical process, to provide a psychologically valid metric to allow optimisation of magical impact. The thesis describes an optimisation framework that can be flexibly applied to a range of different types of mathematics based tricks. Three case studies are presented as exemplars of the methodology at work, the outputs of which are: language and image based prediction and mind reading tricks, a magical jigsaw, and a mind reading card trick effect. Each trick created is evaluated through testing at public engagement events, and in a laboratory environment. Further, a demonstration of the real world efficacy of the approach for professional performers is presented in the form of sales of the tricks in a reputable magic shop in London.

Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University of Adelaide Library. / "This thesis investigates how a digital training environment might be contructed to allow humans to study the emergent tactical methods of game-playing artificial systems in an effort to gain new tactical skill. After a theroy-based examination of such typically disparate fields as artificial life, computer animation and educative theory, this thesis suggests that learners might be able to acquire new tactical skills as required by observing suitable artifical intelligences via an interactive environment constructed in accordance with the principles of the non language-based educative methodology of ’reflective learning’." --p. vi. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1278824 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Architecture, 2007

Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University of Adelaide Library. / "This thesis investigates how a digital training environment might be contructed to allow humans to study the emergent tactical methods of game-playing artificial systems in an effort to gain new tactical skill. After a theroy-based examination of such typically disparate fields as artificial life, computer animation and educative theory, this thesis suggests that learners might be able to acquire new tactical skills as required by observing suitable artifical intelligences via an interactive environment constructed in accordance with the principles of the non language-based educative methodology of ’reflective learning’." --p. vi. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1278824 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Architecture, 2007

Thesis (M.Sc.)--Victoria University of Wellington, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis analyzes the relationship between users&rsquo / characteristics and users&rsquo / interface preferences. An online survey is developed for this study. This survey composed of two types of questions: (1) users&rsquo / personal information such as age, gender, country, cognitive structure, and also computer experience and (2) user interface elements. More than 2,500 participants from 120 different countries throughout the world completed our survey. Results were analyzed using cross tables. Our findings show that there is a relationship between users&rsquo / characteristics and users&rsquo / interface preferences. In the presence of this relationship, an artificial neural network model is developed for the estimation of the interface preferences based on the user characteristics.

Lakes present in arid regions of Central Anatolia need further attention with regard to water quality. In most cases, mathematical modeling is a helpful tool that might be used to predict the DO concentration of a lake. Deterministic models are frequently used to describe the system behavior. However most ecological systems are so complex and unstable. In case, the deterministic models have high chance of failure due to absence of priori information. For such cases black box models might be essential. In this study DO in Eymir Lake located in Ankara was modeled by using both Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS). Phosphate, Orthophospate, pH, Chlorophyll-a, Temperature, Alkalinity, Nitrate, Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen, Wind, Precipitation, Air Temperature were the input parameters of ANN and ANFIS. The aims of these modeling studies were: to develop models with ANN to predict DO concentration in Lake Eymir with high fidelity to actual DO data, to compare the success (prediction capacity) of ANN and ANFIS on DO modeling, to determine the degree of dependence of different parameters on DO. For modeling studies &ldquo / Matlab R 2007b&rdquo / software was used. The results indicated that ANN has high prediction capacity of DO and ANFIS has low with respect to ANN. Failure of ANFIS was due to low functionality of Matlab ANFIS Graphical User Interface. For ANN Modeling effect of meteorological data on DO data on surface of the lake was successfully described and summer month super saturation DO concentrations were successfully predicted.

Current activated sludge models are deterministic in character and are constructed by basing on the fundamental biokinetics. However, calibrating these models are extremely time consuming and laborious. An easy-to-calibrate and user friendly computer model, one of the artificial intelligence techniques, Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) were used in this study. These models can be used not only directly as a substitute for deterministic models but also can be plugged into the system as error predictors. Three systems were modeled by using ANN models. Initially, a hypothetical wastewater treatment plant constructed in Simulation of Single-Sludge Processes for Carbon Oxidation, Nitrification &amp / Denitrification (SSSP) program, which is an implementation of Activated Sludge Model No 1 (ASM1), was used as the source of input and output data. The other systems were actual treatment plants, Ankara Central Wastewater Treatment Plant, ACWTP and iskenderun Wastewater Treatment Plant (IskWTP). A sensitivity analysis was applied for the hypothetical plant for both of the model simulation results obtained by the SSSP program and the developed ANN model. Sensitivity tests carried out by comparing the responses of the two models indicated parallel sensitivities. In hypothetical WWTP modeling, the highest correlation coefficient obtained with ANN model versus SSSP was about 0.980. By using actual data from IskWTP the best fit obtained by the ANN model yielded R value of 0.795 can be considered very high with such a noisy data. Similarly, ACWTP the R value obtained was 0.688, where accuracy of fit is debatable.