La communauté de la Visualisation d'Information (Infovis) accorde une importance primordiale à la conception de techniques de visualisation nouvelles, efficaces, ou spécialisées. Alors qu'une technique de visualisation est composée à la fois de techniques de représentation et de techniques d'interaction, la conception de nouvelles techniques d'interaction pour l'Infovis passe souvent au second plan. Dans cette thèse, centrée sur l'interaction en Infovis, j'explore la conception de nouvelles techniques d'interaction afin de rendre des techniques de visualisation existantes plus efficaces, plus adaptées aux tâches utilisateur, et plus engageantes. Afin que ces techniques d'interaction soient efficaces, il est nécessaire d'abandonner les outils interactifs (widgets) standards et proposer des interfaces utilisateur allant au-delà des interfaces à fenêtres, icônes, menus et pointeur connues sous le nom d'interfaces WIMP (Window/Icon/Menu/Pointer).Dans cette thèse, je soutiens que la conception de nouvelles techniques d'interaction pour la visualisation devraient être basée sur le paradigme de la manipulation directe et sur le modèle de l'interaction instrumentale, et s'inspirer de paradigmes d'interaction établis en Interaction Homme-Machine (IHM) mais trop peu connus et reconnus en Infovis. En me basant sur plusieurs projets que j'ai menés au court de ma thèse, je démontre que la conception opportuniste d'interactions nouvelles peut rendre des techniques de visualisation plus efficaces. Ces différents projets soulèvent des problèmes de conception des techniques d'interaction, tels que le compromis entre la congruence cognitive d'une technique d'interaction et sa généricité, le problème de la conception d'interactions engageant l'utilisateur, et les mérites de l'interaction fluide et ininterrompue. Enfin, je propose un ensemble de règles dérivées des différents projets de cette thèse et je soumets des perspectives de travaux futurs, afin de contribuer au grand défi d'établir une théorie de l'interaction pour l'Infovis. / There is a tremendous effort from the information visualization (Infovis) community to design novel, more efficient or more specialized desktop visualization techniques. While visual representations and interactions are combined to create these visualizations, less effort is invested in the design of new interaction techniques for Infovis. In this thesis, I focus on interaction for Infovis and explore how to improve existing visualization techniques through efficient yet simple interactions. To become more efficient, the interaction techniques should reach beyond the standard widgets and Window/Icon/Menu/Pointer (WIMP) user interfaces. In this thesis, I argue that the design of novel interactions for visualization should be based on the direct manipulation paradigm, instrumental interaction, and take inspiration from advanced interactions investigated in HCI research but not well exploited yet in Infovis. I take examples from multiple projects I have designed to illustrate how opportunistic interactions can empower visualizations and I explore design implications raised by novel interaction techniques, such as the tradeoff between cognitive congruence and versatility, the problem of engaging interaction, and the benefits of seamless, fluid interaction. Finally, I provide guidelines and perspectives, addressing the grand challenge of building or consolidating the theory of interaction for Infovis.

Les curseurs sont l'un des widgets les plus utilisés pour contrôler les paramètres continus - par exemple, luminosité, volume sonore, température d'une maison intelligente, etc. Sur les téléphones mobiles, les curseurs sont représentés graphiquement, nécessitant l'attention visuelle de l'utilisateur. Ils sont principalement exploités avec un seul pouce. Alors que les curseurs de grande taille offrent de meilleures performances, ils présentent des zones difficiles à atteindre pour le pouce. Cet article explore différentes conceptions de curseurs tangibles pour offrir une interaction sans yeux et efficace avec le pouce. Les nouveaux concepts que nous avons explorés sont basés sur un espace de conception englobant des solutions graphiques et des solutions tangibles inexplorées. Pour évaluer nos conceptions, nous avons construit des prototypes et les avons testés expérimentalement dans trois expériences. Dans notre première expérience, nous avons analysé l'impact sur la performance de la longueur du curseur tangible: soit dans la zone confortable du pouce ou non. Dans notre deuxième expérience, nous avons analysé la performance d'un design tangible extensible qui permet un fonctionnement dans la zone confortable du pouce. Dans notre troisième expérience, nous avons analysé la performance d'un design tangible bimodal déformable qui permet un fonctionnement dans la zone confortable du pouce, et au-delà de cette zone, avec l'index sur le dos de l'appareil. Ce travail contribue à la littérature en: premièrement, en fournissant un espace de conception pour une interaction à une main avec des éléments tangibles déformables. Deuxièmement, analyser l'impact sur la performance lors de la manipulation de curseurs tangibles en dehors de la zone confortable du pouce. Et troisièmement, analyser l'impact de la déformation lors de la manipulation / Sliders are one of the most used widgets to control continuous parameters - e.g., brightness, sound volume, the temperature of a smart house, etc. On mobile phones, sliders are represented graphically, requiring the user's visual attention. They are mostly operated with a single thumb. While large sliders offer better performance, they present areas difficult for the thumb to reach. This article explores different tangible slider designs to offer eyes-free and efficient interaction with the thumb. The novel designs that we explored are based on a design space encompassing graphical solutions and the unexplored tangible solutions. To evaluate our designs, we built prototypes and experimentally tested them in three experiments. In our first experiment, we analyzed the impact on the performance of the tangible slider's length: either within the thumb's comfortable area or not. In our second experiment, we analyzed the performance of an extensible tangible design that allows operation within the comfortable area of the thumb. In our third experiment, we analyzed the performance of a bi-modal deformable tangible design that allows operation within the comfortable area of the thumb, and beyond this area, with the index finger on the back of the device. This work contributes to the literature by: first, providing a design space for one-handed interaction with deformable tangible elements. Second, analyzing the impact on performance when manipulating tangible sliders outside the thumb's comfortable area. And third, analyzing the impact that deformation has during manipulation.

Gait analysis can be described as a study of human walking patterns. This is very useful in health care, since gait analysis can reveal important information about a patient, and be an aid in diagnosis and rehabilitation. Today gait analysis is done either by qualitative visual observation of the patient, or in resource demanding and advanced laboratory settings. Many studies have been done in the search for new technical solutions that enables quantitative gait analysis outside of the laboratory. The goal of this thesis was to evaluate the usability of a new gait analysis system and to find out how the user interface could be better adapted to the end user’s needs and goals. This was done by defining and using suitable methods for learning about the users, evaluating the system and by defining usability in a clinical setting. A redesigned prototype was then developed and tested. It was found that the original user interface had many usability issues and was in need of better adaption to the intended user group. Through user research personas and key user needs could be determined that became the basis for the design work, along with guidelines from previous studies within the field. The redesigned prototype was tested on potential end users. It was in this study determined that semi-structured interviews are suitable for learning about the users. Usability evaluation should preferably be done using a combination of evaluation that involves real end users and evaluation by usability experts. Guidelines for usability in clinical systems could also be defined. Considering the redesigned prototype, the users saw a great potential, and could see themselves using it in the future. The testing determined that the redesigned prototype managed to solve many of the usability issues found in the original design.

Plant lipoxygenases (LOX) are non-heme iron containing dioxygenases that catalyze the hydroperoxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids resulting in the synthesis of a large number of functionally diverse oxylipins. Although the physiological functions of jasmonate-producing 13-LOXs in dicots have been reported and highlighted in host defenses to pathogens and insects, the functions of 9-LOXs and 9-LOX derived oxylipins remain obscure for both monocots and dicots. The objective of this study was to elucidate the biochemical, molecular and physiological roles of a segmentaly duplicated pair of 9-LOXs, ZmLOX4 and ZmLOX5, in host defenses to diverse stresses. Despite of their extreme similarities at the sequence levels, the ZmLOX4 was preferentially expressed in underground organs, whereas ZmLOX5 was stress-induced in aboveground organs. Both genes were highly induced by exogenous jasmonic acid (JA) but transcripts of ZmLOX5 only were strongly induced in wounded leaves as well as in response to insect infestation, suggesting the role of ZmLOX5 in plant resistance response against insect herbivory. To test potential function of ZmLOX4 and ZmLOX5, near-isogenic wild-type and mutants were generated. In this study, I provided genetic evidence that ZmLOX5 is involved in host defense against insect herbivores via the regulation of wound-induced JA biosynthesis. Contrary to the role in insect defenses, ZmLOX5 mediated metabolism contributes to enhanced susceptibility to a leaf fungal pathogen, Colletotricum graminicola. ZmLOX4 appears to have evolved a defense function against C. graminicola. In addition, lox4 and lox5 mutants have opposite phenotypes in their ability to support production of conidia and to facilitate colonization of kernels in response to Aspergillus flavus. However, the two mutants were similar to each other in their enhanced susceptibility to kernel colonization and conidia production of Fusarium verticillioides. In conclusion, the data suggest that these two 9-LOXs, ZmLOX4 and ZmLOX5 and their metabolites have distinct roles in plant-insect and plant-pathogen interactions.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Rhode Island, 2003. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 211-224).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes vita. Title from PDF of title page. Document formatted into pages; contains 119 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Team coordination is vital to the success of team missions. On the battlefield and in other hazardous environments, mission outcomes are often very unpredictable because of unforeseen circumstances and complications encountered that adversely affect team coordination. In addition, the battlefield is constantly evolving as new technology, such as context-aware systems and unmanned drones, becomes available to assist teams in coordinating team efforts. As a result, we must re-evaluate the dynamics of teams that operate in high-stress, hazardous environments in order to learn how to use technology to enhance team coordination within this new context. In dangerous environments where multi-tasking is critical for the safety and success of the team operation, it is important to know what forms of interaction are most conducive to team tasks. We have explored interaction methods, including various types of user input and data feedback mediums that can assist teams in performing unified tasks on the battlefield. We’ve conducted an ethnographic analysis of Soldiers and researched technologies such as sketch recognition, physiological data classification, augmented reality, and haptics to come up with a set of core principles to be used when de- signing technological tools for these teams. This dissertation provides support for these principles and addresses outstanding problems of team connectivity, mobility, cognitive load, team awareness, and hands-free interaction in mobile military applications. This research has resulted in the development of a multimodal solution that enhances team coordination by allowing users to synchronize their tasks while keeping an overall awareness of team status and their environment. The set of solutions we’ve developed utilizes optimal interaction techniques implemented and evaluated in related projects; the ultimate goal of this research is to learn how to use technology to provide total situational awareness and team connectivity on the battlefield. This information can be used to aid the research and development of technological solutions for teams that operate in hazardous environments as more advanced resources become available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1996. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [154]-162).

Thesis (M.T.S.)--Catholic Theological Union, 1986. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-77).

Les magazines féminins offrent un univers de signification construit à partir des régimes d’interaction. Par interaction, nous entendons un ensemble de logiques sémiotiques, des discours programmés, des manipulations des sujets manipulateur/manipulé, des ajustements stratégiques dotés de sensibilité et des accidents caractérisés par l’aléa et dépourvu de compétence. Notre recherche articulée autour de trois composantes fondamentales, le titre-logo, la photographie et les énoncés textuels, vise à lire la première de couverture à la lumière des méthodes de la vitrine. Ces pratiques de vitrine magazine fondées sur la volonté de séduire son lectorat en tant que médiation entre deux espaces, marques commerciales, identité rédactionnelle, associées aux sémiotiques du corps, des vêtements et des passions, nous interpellent particulièrement.Notre objectif est de mettre l’accent sur les ensembles signifiant qui font sens en première de couverture et participent à la construction d’une forme de vie de vitrine, à partir des pratiques spécifiques. Nous proposons les régimes d’interaction comme le noyau organisateur des situations sémiotiques du magazine. En tant grandeur discursive du fait de son hétérogénéité, la question est celle d’une pratique de lecture spécifique inscrit une pratique spécifique sémiotique liée à l’action. Dès lors, les composantes fondamentales, les valeurs sémiotiques du magazine, les instances de médiation entre deux espaces, les types de valorisation, les opérations cognitives liées au corps, au vêtement, aux motions passionnelles, permettent d’établir la vitrine comme l’instrument de reconnaissance même d’une pratique de lecture spécifique aux supports médiatiques. Pour ce faire nous avons sélectionné quelques «Unes» de magazine que nous avons analysées qui nous ont servi à présenter le magazine comme une forme de vie de vitrine. / Women's magazines offer a universe of meaning built from interaction regimes. By interaction we mean a set of semiotic logics, programmed speeches, manipulations of manipulative / manipulated subjects, strategic adjustments with sensitivity and accidents characterized by randomness and lacking in competence. Our research based on three fundamental components, title-logo, photography and textual statements, aims to read the first cover in light of the showcase methods. These magazines practices based on the desire to seduce readership as a mediation between two spaces, trademarks, editorial identity, associated with the semiotics of body, clothes and passions, are particularly appealing to us. Our goal is to focus on the meaningful sets that make sense in front cover and participate in the construction of a showcase life form, based on specific practices. We propose the interaction regimes as the organizing nucleus of the semiotic situations of the magazine. As a discursive quantity because of its heterogeneity, the question is that of a specific reading practice inscribes a specific semiotic practice linked to action. Consequently, the fundamental components, the semiotic values of the magazine, the instances of mediation between two spaces, the types of valorisation, the cognitive operations linked to the body, the clothing, the passional motions, make it possible to establish the showcase as the instrument recognition even of a reading practice specific to media. To do this we have selected some of the first covers we have analyzed that have served us to present the common magazine life form showcase.