An ongoing research focus in Augmented Reality (AR) is to improve tracking and display technology in order to minimize registration errors between the graphical display and the physical world. However, registration is not always necessary for users to understand the intent of an augmentation, especially in situations where the user and the system have shared semantic knowledge of the environment. I hypothesize that adding appropriate graphical context to an augmentation can ameliorate the effects of registration errors. I establish a theoretical basis supporting the use of context based on perceptual and cognitive psychology. I introduce the notion of Adaptive Intent-Based Augmented Reality (i.e. augmented reality systems that adapt their augmentations to convey the correct intent in a scene based on an estimate of the registration error in the system.) I extend the idea of communicative intent, developed for desktop graphical explanation systems by Seligmann and Feiner (Seligmann &Feiner, 1991), to include graphical context cues, and use this as the basis for the design of a series of example augmentations demonstrating the concept. I show how semantic knowledge of a scene and the intent of an augmentation can be used to generate appropriate graphical context that counters the effects of registration error. I evaluate my hypothesis in two user studies based on a Lego block-placement task. In both studies, a virtual block rendered on a head-worn display shows where to place the next physical block. In the first study, I demonstrate that a user can perform the task effectively in the presence of registration error when graphical context is included. In the second, I demonstrate that a variety of approaches to displaying graphics outside the task space are possible when sufficient graphical context is added.

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Thirty years ago, research in designing operating systems to defeat malicious software was very popular. The primary technique was to design and implement a small security kernel that could provide security assurances to the rest of the system. However, as operating systems grew in size throughout the 1980's and 1990's, research into security kernels slowly waned. From a security perspective, the story was bleak. Providing security to one of these large operating systems typically required running software within that operating system. This weak security foundation made it relatively easy for attackers to subvert the entire system without detection. The research presented in this thesis aims to reimagine how we design and deploy computer systems. We show that through careful use of virtualization technology, one can effectively isolate the security critical components in a system from malicious software. Furthermore, we can control this isolation to allow the security software a complete view to monitor the running system. This view includes all of the necessary information for implementing useful security applications including the system memory, storage, hardware events, and network traffic. In addition, we show how to perform both passive and active monitoring securely, using this new system architecture. Security applications must be redesigned to work within this new monitoring architecture. The data acquired through our monitoring is typically very low-level and difficult to use directly. In this thesis, we describe work that helps bridge this semantic gap by locating data structures within the memory of a running virtual machine. We also describe work that shows a useful and novel security framework made possible through this new monitoring architecture. This framework correlates human interaction with the system to distinguish legitimate and malicious outgoing network traffic.

For many years, incompatible computer-aided design (CAD) packages that are based on Non-uniform Rational B-Spline (NURBS) technology carried out the exchange of models and data through either neutral file formats (IGES or STEP) or proprietary formats that have been accepted as quasi industry standards. Although it is the only available solution at the current time, the exchange process most often produces unsatisfactory results. Models that are impeccable in the original modeling system usually end up with gaps or intersections between surfaces on another incompatible system. Issues such as loss of information, change of data accuracy, inconsistent tolerance, and misinterpretation of the original design intent are a few examples of problems associated with migrating models between different CAD systems. While these issues and drawbacks are well known and cost the industry billions of dollars every year, a solution to eradicate problems from their sources has not been developed. Meanwhile, researchers along with the industries concerned with these issues have been trying to resolve such problems by finding means to repair the migrated models either manually or by using specialized software. Designing in recent years is becoming more knowledge intensive and it is essential for NURBS to take its share of the ever increasing use of knowledge. NURBS are very powerful modeling tools and have become the de facto standard in modeling. If we stretch their strength and make them knowledge driven, benefits beyond current expectations can be achieved easily. This dissertation introduces knowledge guided NURBS with theoretical and practical foundations for supporting design intent capturing, retrieval, and exchange among dissimilar CAD systems. It shows that if NURBS entities are tagged with some knowledge, we can achieve seamless data exchange, increase robustness, and have more reliable computations, all of which are ultimate objectives many researchers in the field of CAD have been trying to accomplish for decades. Establishing relationships between a NURBS entity and its origin and destinations can aid with seamless CAD model migration. The type of the NURBS entity and the awareness of any irregularities can lead to more intelligent decisions on how to proceed with many computations to increase robustness and achieve a high level of reliability. As a result, instead of having models that are hardly modifiable because of migrating raw numerical data in isolation, the knowledge driven migration process will produce models that are editable and preserve design intent. We have addressed the issues not only theoretically but also by developing a prototype system that can serve as a test bed. The developed system shows that a click of a button can regenerate a migrated model instead of repairing it, avoiding delay and corrective processes that only limit the effective use of such models.

This study establishes a link between research on organizational source credibility and the effects of public information campaigns. Research has established that source credibility is one factor audiences evaluate when responding to messages and that credible information sources enhance message acceptance, while untrustworthy sources can interfere with desired message effects. Although source credibility studies have typically focused on the person delivering a message, recent studies indicate that audience perceptions of the organization sponsoring a message has a direct effect on message acceptance as well. Additionally, a few studies indicate that non-profit sources of health information are viewed as more credible, while such messages presented by for-profit organizations are less effective. This study uses an experimental procedure to investigate the relationship between organizational status, source credibility, and two possible effects of public service messages, information seeking and behavioral intent. Based on previous findings, the study hypothesized that the non-profit source would berated as more credible and that as the audiences' perception of source credibility increases so would their willingness to seek additional information or perform the advocated behaviors. Findings indicate, however, that organizational status does not have a significant effect on perceptions of source credibility. Nor does it significantly influence message evaluation, information seeking, or behavioral intent. As predicted, there was a positive correlation between source credibility, message credibility, problem recognition, personal relevance, information seeking, and behavioral intent. The results also indicate that information seeking positively predicts behavioral intent.

The general goal of this dissertation is to highlight the role of discourse pragmatics in the explanation of the use of the indicative and subjunctive moods in Spanish sentential complements. This dissertation examines mood selection in Spanish complements in order to illustrate the shortcomings of the traditional semantic/syntactic approach (Terrell & Hooper (1974), Hooper (1975), P. Klein (1974), Fukushima (1978-79), Bell (1980), and Takagaki (1984)) and to provide within the Information Structure framework (Lambrecht 1994; 2001) a detailed analysis of mood selection in Spanish complement clauses. Considering some existing pragmatic approaches to Spanish mood selection (e.g., Lavandera 1983, Guitart 1991, Mejías-Bikandi 1994, 1998), they are found to be inadequate because they are based on decontextualized sentences. This dissertation considers the context where sentences take place and contributes to our understanding of mood selection in Spanish complements as a formal reflection of the pragmatic properties and relations of the discourse referents that are denoted by noun complements, considering pragmatic notions of presupposition and assertion of propositional referents, their activation, and the pragmatic relations of topic/focus of these referents in the utterances. The notion of pragmatic assertion used in this dissertation is based on the notion of speaker intent, and it is equated with the notion of inactive discourse referents, which are in turn linked to the use of indicative mood in complements of assertive matrices. The notion of pragmatic presupposition is equated with the notion of active referents in the discourse, which are in turn linked to the use of subjunctive mood in complements of doubt/negation and comment matrices. However, this thesis argues that not all uses of subjunctive are motivated by the active status of propositional referents. Volitional and possibility uses of subjunctive are analyzed, similarly to assertive matrices, as activating a discourse referent. Yet, contrary to assertive matrices, and following Fauconnier’s (1985) theory of mental spaces, the referent activated belongs to the domain that represents an individual’s view of reality. This account of mood distribution in complement clauses is eventually extended to adjectival and adverbial subordinates and provides an explanation of mood distribution in all subordinate contexts in Spanish. / text

Tyrimo objektas – darbuotojų lojalumo sporto organizacijai įtaka ketinimui keisti darbą. Tyrimo problema – daugelis autorių tyrė ketinimo keisti darbą ryšį su įmonės įvaizdžiu (Wheeler et al., 2006), profesinio perdegimo sindromu (Lingard, 2003; Hughes, 2001), darbo vertės suvokimu (Van Vianen et al., 2007), darbo krūviu ir santykiais su vadovais (Firth et al., 2004). Taip pat buvo tirtos išėjimo iš darbo sąsajos su patirtu šoku darbe (Morell et al., 2004). Tačiau darbuotojų lojalumo raiškos sporto organizacijose tyrimų aptinkama mažai (Komskienė et al., 2009), ypač sporto organizacijų darbuotojų lojalumo ir ketinimo keisti darbą, todėl manome, kad darbuotojų lojalumo sporto organizacijai įtakos tyrimai ketinimui keisti darbą išlieka aktualūs. Tyrimo tikslas – nustatyti darbuotojų lojalumo sporto organizacijai įtaką ketiniui keisti darbą. Tyrimo uždaviniai: 1. Atskleisti lojalumo sąvoką ir lojalumo naudą organizacijai. 2. Nustatyti darbuotojų lojalumą sporto organizacijai. 3. Atskleisti darbuotojų lojalumo sporto organizacijai įtaką ketinimui keisti darbą. Išvados: 1. Mokslinėje literatūroje organizacinio lojalumo sąvoka apibrėžiama skirtingai ir vis dar kelia daugybę ginčų ir diskusijų, o tiriamuosiuose darbuose nėra vieningos nuomonės apie tai, kas yra organizacinis lojalumas. Visuose lojalumo apibrėžimuose vyrauja du svarbiausi elementai: ištikimybė ir atsidavimas. Žmogus sąmoningai ir racionaliai pasirenka būti ištikimas ir atsidavęs savo lojalumo objektui. Darbuotojų... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Object of study – influence of employees‘ loyalty to sports organization on intent to change a job. Problem of study – many authors have studied relation of intent to change a job with the image of company (Wheeler et al., 2006), with professional burnout syndrome (Lingard, 2003; Hughes, 2001), with realization of work value (Van Vianen et al., 2007), with work load and relationships with the managers (Firth et al., 2004). Also relation between leaving a job and shock at work has been analyzed (Morell et al., 2004). However, there are few studies on expression of sports organization employees‘ loyalty (Komskienė et al., 2009), especially on loyalty and intent to change a job, therefore, we believe studies on influence of employees‘ loyalty to sports organization on intent to change a job remain actual. Aim of study – to determine influence of employees‘ loyalty to sports organization on intent to change a job. Objectives of study: 1. to reveal the concept of loyalty and importance of loyalty to organization; 2. to determine employees‘ loyalty to sports organization; 3. to reveal influence of employees‘ loyalty to sports organization on intent to change a job. Conclusions: 1. in scientific literature, the concept of organizational loyalty has different descriptions and still cause many arguments and discussions; what is more, investigative works do not contain a single opinion on the concept of organizational loyalty. All descriptions of loyalty include two main elements:... [to full text]

Stresas darbe apibrėžiamas, kaip emocinė būsena ar nuotaika, kurios priežastis – prieštaravimas tarp darbe keliamų reikalavimų ir asmens sugebėjimo atlikti juos, arba asmens suvokimas, jog nesugebės atlikti darbo pagal keliamus jam reikalavimus. Vyraujanti pakeliamo lygmens įtampa darbe suteikia energijos ir motyvuoja kovoti su iššūkiais, tačiau per dideli reikalavimai ir per didelė įtampa sukelia stresą, kuris turi neigiamą poveikį darbuotojams ir jų organizacijoms. Nustatytos streso darbe, jį sukeliančių veiksnių ir simptomų sąsajos nuo slaugytojų amžiumi, šeimine padėtimi, pamaina. Tikslas – Ištirti slaugytojų su darbu susijusio streso, pasitenkinimo darbu ir ketinimų keisti darbą pasireiškimą bei sąsajas Tyrimo metodas – 2012 m. gegužės mėn. 1-31 d. atlikta anoniminė anketinė apklausa. Tyrime dalyvavo keturių Kauno miesto poliklinikų bendrosios praktikos ir bendruomenės slaugytojai (n=280, atsako dažnis - 87,5 proc.). Visos respondentės buvo moterys. Tyrimui naudota Išplėstinė slaugos streso skalė (56 teiginiai). Tyrimui atlikti Lietuvos Sveikatos mokslų universiteto Medicinos akademijos Bioetikos centras 2012-04-16 išdavė leidimą Nr. BC- KS (M)-260. Rezultatai: Dažniausiai stresą darbe slaugytojams sukelia situacijos, kai jie susiduria su paciento mirtimi ar mirimo procesu bei situacijos, susijusios su pacientų slauga ir bendravimu su pacientų artimaisiais; rečiausiai stresą keliantis veiksnys yra diskriminacija kolektyve. Nustatyta, kad slaugytojos dirba... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Work related stress is described as emotional state or mood, emerging from contradiction between work requirements and personal ability to fullfil them; this is personal perception of inability to perform the work tasks that are expected from him. Moderate strain at work acts as motivator and supply with energy to accept the challenges, although very high expectations and strong pressure results stress that negatively affects personell and organisation. There is the data about relationship of stress, its factors and symptoms with nurses age, family status and shift. The purpose – to investigate nurses‘ work related stress, satisfaction with work and intent to leave, and the relationship between these variables. Methods. Anonymous questionnairing was performed on 1-31 of May, 2012. Nurses of general practice and community care from four primary care centers of Kaunas city participated in the survey (N=280, response rate was 87,5%). All the respondents were females. The Extended Nursing Stress Scale with 56 items was used. Commettee on Bioethics at Lithuanian University of Health Sciences provided permission to perform this survey. Results: The most often stressful situation for nurses are related to patient‘s death and dying, also to situations of patient care and communication with his relatives. Discrimination was the rearest stresfull factor for nurses. Nurses are enthusiastic at work and the negative item that nurses dislike their work was scored with the lowest value... [to full text]

As the Web continues to increase both in size and complexity, Web search is a ubiquitous service that allows users to find all kind of information, resources, and activities. However, as the Web evolves so do the needs of the users. Nowadays, users have more complex interests that go beyond of the traditional informational queries. Thus, it is important for Web-search engines, not only to continue answering effectively informational and navigational queries, but also to be able to identify and provide accurate results for new types of queries. This Ph.D. thesis aims to analyze the impact of the query intent in the search behavior of the users. In order to achieve this, we first study the behavior of users with different types of query intent on search engine result pages (SERP), using eye tracking techniques. Our study shows that the query intent of the user affects all the decision process in the SERP. Users with different query intent prefer different type of search results (organic, sponsored), they attend to different main areas of interest (title, snippet, URL, image) and focus on search results with different ranking position. To be able to accurately identify the intent of the user query is an important issue for search engines, as this will provide useful elements that allow them adapting their results to changing user behaviors and needs. Therefore, in this thesis we propose a method to identify automatically the intent behind user queries. Our hypothesis is that the performance of single-faceted classification of queries can be improved by introducing information of multi-faceted training samples into the learning process. Hence, we study a wide set of facets that can be considered for the characterization of the query intent of the user and we investigate whether combining multiple facets can improve the predictability of these facets. Our experimental results show that this idea can significantly improve the quality of the classification. Since most of previous works in query intent classification are oriented to the study of single facets, these results are a first step to an integrated query intent classification model. / A medida que la Web sigue creciendo, tanto en tamaño como en complejidad, la búsqueda Web llega a ser un servicio ubicuo que permite a los usuarios encontrar todo tipo de información, recursos y actividades. Sin embargo, así como la Web evoluciona también lo hacen las necesidades de los usuarios. Hoy en día, los usuarios tienen intereses más complejos que van más allá de las tradicionales consultas informacionales. Por lo tanto, es importante para los motores de búsqueda Web, no solo continuar respondiendo efectivamente las consultas informacionales y navegacionales, sino también identificar y proveer resultados precisos para los nuevos tipos de consultas. El objetivo de esta tesis es analizar el impacto de la intención de la consulta en el comportamiento de búsqueda de los usuarios. Para lograr esto, primero estudiamos el comportamiento de usuarios con diferentes intenciones en las páginas de resultados de motores de búsqueda (SERP). Nuestro estudio muestra que la intención de la consulta afecta todo el proceso de decisión en la SERP. Los usuarios con diferentes intenciones prefieren resultados de búsqueda diferentes (orgánicos, patrocinados), miran diferentes áreas de interés (título, snippet, URL, imagen) y se concentran en resultados con diferente posición en el ranking. Identificar automáticamente la intención de la consulta aportaría elementos valiosos que permitirán a los sistemas de búsqueda adaptar sus resultados a los comportamientos cambiantes del usuario. Por esto, esta tesis propone un método para identificar automáticamente la intención detrás de la consulta. Nuestra hipótesis es que el rendimiento de la clasificación de consultas basada en facetas simples puede ser mejorado con la introducción de ejemplos multi-faceta en el proceso de aprendizaje. Por lo tanto, estudiamos un grupo amplio de facetas e investigamos si la combinación de facetas puede mejorar su predictibilidad. Nuestros resultados muestran que esta idea puede mejorar significativamente la calidad de la clasificación. Dado que la mayoría de trabajos previos están orientados al estudio de facetas individuales, estos resultados son un primer paso hacia un modelo integrado de clasificación de la intención de la consulta.

This thesis explores the relationship between designer intent and consumer response. A novel approach to evaluate the degree of correspondence between designer intent and consumer perceptions has been proposed. The empirical results have shown the influence of consumers’ cultural backgrounds on the way they perceive semantic and symbolic product personalities (characteristics of a product and its owner, respectively), comparing British and Japanese consumer groups. Semantic product personalities are more likely to be universally perceived and more easily intentionally elicited from consumers than symbolic product personalities. The research project consists of a pilot study (Phases I) and an experiment (Phase II) in which mixed methods of interview and survey are employed. Phase I seeks to explore the in-depth understanding of a designer’s thoughts by interviews, and to develop and test newly elaborated consumer surveys termed Designer-driven semantic differentials and Consumer-driven adjective selection. The findings have been considered to construct an analytical framework, characterised by Agreement among consumer perceptions and Correspondence between designer intent and the consumer perceptions, for evaluation of designers’ elicitation of intended product personalities from consumers. Phase II conducts a statistical examination of the impact of cultural difference on consumer perceptions under experimental conditions. The perception of target and non-target consumer groups as categorised by nationality were gauged by Designer-driven semantic differentials and Personality selection, specifically perception of USB sticks designed by three different designers. The survey results are analysed by using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA and Chi-squared test within the analytical framework. Subsequently, the results from Phase I and II are extensively discussed based on a framework based on brand personality and Affect Control Theory, both of which may involve potential impact on the development of design research into product development with emotional attachment. The scene is set for future research opportunities based on the approach and findings of this study.