According to W. Edwards Deming, American companies require nothing less than a transformation of management style and of governmental relations with industry. In Out of the Crisis, originally published in 1982, Deming offers a theory of management based on his famous 14 Points for Management. Management's failure to plan for the future, he claims, brings about loss of market, which brings about loss of jobs. Management must be judged not only by the quarterly dividend, but by innovative plans to stay in business, protect investment, ensure future dividends, and provide more jobs through improved product and service. In simple, direct language, he explains the principles of management transformation and how to apply them.

Out of the Crisis

This paper provides a tutorial and survey of methods for parameterizing surfaces with a view to applications in geometric modelling and computer graphics. We gather various concepts from differential geometry which are relevant to surface mapping and use them to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the many methods for parameterizing piecewise linear surfaces and their relationship to one another.

/pdf/surface-parameterization-a-tutorial-and-survey-3u3e0o47hm.pdf

Surface Parameterization: a Tutorial and Survey

In this meta-analysis, we systematically reviewed research on digital games and learning for K-16 students. We synthesized comparisons of game versus nongame conditions (i.e., media comparisons) and comparisons of augmented games versus standard game designs (i.e., value-added comparisons). We used random-effects meta-regression models with robust variance estimates to summarize overall effects and explore potential moderator effects. Results from media comparisons indicated that digital games significantly enhanced student learning relative to nongame conditions ([Formula: see text] = 0.33, 95% confidence interval [0.19, 0.48], k = 57, n = 209). Results from value-added comparisons indicated significant learning benefits associated with augmented game designs ([Formula: see text] = 0.34, 95% confidence interval [0.17, 0.51], k = 20, n = 40). Moderator analyses demonstrated that effects varied across various game mechanics characteristics, visual and narrative characteristics, and research quality characteristics. Taken together, the results highlight the affordances of games for learning as well as the key role of design beyond medium.

Digital Games, Design, and Learning A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Parameterization of discrete surfaces is a fundamental and widely-used operation in graphics, required, for instance, for texture mapping or remeshing. As 3D data becomes more and more detailed, there is an increased need for fast and robust techniques to automatically compute least-distorted parameterizations of large meshes. In this paper, we present new theoretical and practical results on the parameterization of triangulated surface patches. Given a few desirable properties such as rotation and translation invariance, we show that the only admissible parameterizations form a two-dimensional set and each parameterization in this set can be computed using a simple, sparse, linear system. Since these parameterizations minimize the distortion of different intrinsic measures of the original mesh, we call them Intrinsic Parameterizations. In addition to this partial theoretical analysis, we propose robust, efficient and tunable tools to obtain least-distorted parameterizations automatically. In particular, we give details on a novel, fast technique to provide an optimal mapping without fixing the boundary positions, thus providing a unique Natural Intrinsic Parameterization. Other techniques based on this parameterization family, designed to ease the rapid design of parameterizations, are also proposed.

Intrinsic Parameterizations of Surface Meshes

Mesh parameterization is a powerful geometry processing tool with numerous computer graphics applications, from texture mapping to animation transfer. This course outlines its mathematical foundations, describes recent methods for parameterizing meshes over various domains, discusses emerging tools like global parameterization and inter-surface mapping, and demonstrates a variety of parameterization applications.

https://hal.inria.fr/inria-00186795/document

Mesh parameterization: theory and practice

Virtual reality (VR) has been used both to simulate situations that are too dangerous to practice in real life and as a tool to help children learn. This study was conducted as part of a larger more comprehensive long-term research project which aims to combine the two techniques and demonstrate a novel application of the result, using immersive VR to help children learn about fire hazards and practice escape techniques. In the current study, a CAVE was used to immerse participants in a fire scene. To improve the children’s motivation for learning over prior VR fire-safety training methods, game-like interface interaction techniques were used and students were encouraged to explore the virtual world. Rather than being passive viewers, as in prior related studies, the children were given full control to navigate through the virtual environment and to interact with virtual objects using a game pad and a 6DOF wand. Students identified home fire hazards with a partner and then practiced escaping from a simulated fire in the virtual environment. To test for improved motivation, a user study was completed. Results indicate that students were more engaged by the new game-like learning environment and that they reported that they found the experience fun and intriguing. Their enhanced enthusiasm for what is relatively standard fire-safety information demonstrates the promise of using game-based virtual environments for vital but otherwise tedious fire-safety skills training for children.

Using immersive game-based virtual reality to teach fire-safety skills to children

This paper presents a method for three-dimensional surface flattening, which can be efficiently used in three-dimensional computer aided garment design. First, a facet model is used to present a complex surface. Then, a spring–mass model based on energy function is used to flatten the 3D mesh surfaces into 2D patterns. The surface elastic deformation energy distribution is depicted by a color graph, which determines a surface cutting line. The method presented here can efficiently solve flattening problems for complex surfaces. The accuracy of a developed surface can easily be controlled locally. Thus, compared to earlier methods, this method provides more flexibility for solving CAD and CAM problems.

Surface flattening based on energy model

Rule-based recursive selective disassembly sequence planning for green design

A systematic review of technologies involving eco-innovation for enterprises moving towards sustainability

Automated assembly planning reduces manufacturing manpower requirements and helps simplify product assembly planning, by clearly defining input data, and input data format, needed to complete an assembly plan. In addition, automation provides the computational power needed to find optimal or near-optimal assembly plans, even for complex mechanical products. As a result, modern manufacturing systems use, to an ever greater extent, automated assembly planning rather than technician-scheduled assembly planning. Thus, many current research reports describe efforts to develop more efficient automated assembly planning algorithms. Genetic algorithms show particular promise for automated assembly planning. As a result, several recent research reports present assembly planners based upon traditional genetic algorithms. Although prior genetic assembly planners find improved assembly plans with some success, they also tend to converge prematurely at local-optimal solutions. Thus, we present an assembly planner, based upon an enhanced genetic algorithm, that demonstrates improved searching characteristics over an assembly planner based upon a traditional genetic algorithm. In particular, our planner finds optimal or near-optimal solutions more reliably and more quickly than an assembly planner that uses a traditional genetic algorithm.

Shana Smith

Papers

Using immersive game-based virtual reality to teach fire-safety skills to children

Surface flattening based on energy model

Rule-based recursive selective disassembly sequence planning for green design

A systematic review of technologies involving eco-innovation for enterprises moving towards sustainability

An enhanced genetic algorithm for automated assembly planning