Mads Møller Jensen

CPN/Tools: A Post-WIMP Interface for Editing and Simulating Coloured Petri Nets

CPN/Tools is a major redesign of the popular Design/CPN tool from the University of Aarhus CPN group. The new interface is based on advanced, post-WIMP interaction techniques, including bi-manual interaction, toolglasses and marking menus and a new metaphor for managing the workspace. It challenges traditional ideas about user interfaces, getting rid of pull-down menus, scrollbars, and even selection, while providing the same or greater functionality. It also uses the new and much faster CPN simulator and features incremental syntax checking of the nets. CPN/Tools requires an OpenGL graphics accelerator and will run on all major platforms.

Modulation of social influence by methylphenidate

The ability to infer value from the reactions of other people is a common and essential ability with a poorly understood neurobiology. Commonly, social learning matches ones values and behavior to what is perceived as normal for ones social group. This is known as conformity. Conformity of value correlates with neural activity shared by cognitions that depend on optimum catecholamine levels, but catecholamine involvement in conformity has not been tested empirically. Methylphenidate (MPH) is an indirect dopamine and noradrenalin agonist, commonly used for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder for which it reduces undesirable behavior as evaluated by peers and authority figures, indicative of increased conformity. We hypothesized that MPH might increase conformity of value. In all, 38 healthy adult females received either a single oral 20 mg dose of MPH or placebo (PL). Each subject rated 153 faces for trustworthiness followed immediately by the faces mean rating from a group of peers. After 30 min and a 2-back continuous-performance working-memory task, subjects were unexpectedly asked to rate all the faces again. Both the groups tended to change their ratings towards the social norm. The MPH group exhibited twice the conformity effect of the PL group following moderate social conflict, but this did not occur following large conflicts. This suggests that MPH might enhance signals that would otherwise be too weak to evoke conformity. MPH did not affect 2-back performance. We provide a new working hypothesis of a neurocognitive mechanism by which MPH reduces socially disruptive behavior and provides novel evidence of catecholamine mediation of social learning.

ChillFish: A Respiration Game for Children with ADHD

Breathing exercises can help children with ADHD control their stress level, but it can be hard for a child to sustain attention throughout such an exercise. In this paper, we present ChillFish, a breath-controlled biofeedback game designed in collaboration with ADHD professionals to investigate the possibilities of combining breathing exercises and game design. Based on a pilot study with 16 adults, we found that playing ChillFish had a positive effect, helping the participants to reach a relaxed state similar to the one offered by traditional breathing exercises. Further, we analyze the opportunities and challenges of creating a tangible respiration-based controller and use it as a core game mechanic. Finally, we discuss the challenge of balancing engagement and relaxation in physically controlled games for children with ADHD in order to make a game that can be calming and still sustain their attention.

CPN/Tools: A Tool for Editing and Simulating Coloured Petri Nets ETAPS Tool Demonstration Related to TACAS

CPN/Tools is a major redesign of the popular Design/CPN tool for editing, simulation and state space analysis of Coloured Petri Nets. The new interface is based on advanced interaction techniques, including bi-manual interaction, toolglasses and marking menus and a new metaphor for managing the workspace. It challenges traditional ideas about user interfaces, getting rid of pull-down menus, scrollbars, and even selection, while providing the same or greater functionality. CPN/Tools requires an OpenGL graphics accelerator and will run on all major platforms (Windows, Unix/Linux, MacOS).

Exploring Opponent Formats

The recent growth in development and research in computer-supported physical games has sprouted a wide variety of games merging qualities from both computer games and sports. Despite the increasing interest in this type of games, exploration of their specific game mechanics and the understanding of how the opponent format and relationships impact a game are almost absent in current research. Thus, this paper aims to elucidate how the perception of a competition differs, depending on the opponent format, by presenting a game mechanic framework. The paper furthermore presents an interactive football-training platform, as well as games designed to explore the different opponent formats. The games are qualitatively evaluated to illuminate the qualities of and distinctions between different types of opponent formats, proposed by the framework terminology.

Analysis of organic gas phase compounds formed by hydrothermal liquefaction of Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles

This work provides a comprehensive characterization of the gas phase from hydrothermal liquefaction of Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles (DDGS) collected during a 24-h continuous experiment. The gas consisted mainly of CO2, CO, H2, CH4 and C2H6 accounting for 96 v/v% while further analysis by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) showed additionally 62 compounds of which 54 were tentatively identified. These products included methanethiol, dimethyl sulfide, various olefins and several aromatic compounds. The composition provided clear indication of the steady state of the system. Apart from CO2, olefins were the most abundant compound class and could provide a source of revenue.

Evaluating the ChillFish Biofeedback Game with Children with ADHD

Breathing exercises have been shown to have multiple benefits for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, these children can have issues retaining attention to such an exercise. In this paper we present a study of ChillFish, a respiration game for children with ADHD. Our findings show tendencies that the game works in terms of having a calming effect. However, the study also highlighted issues of evaluating biofeedback games with children with ADHD that are not present when evaluating with adults. This work presents an iteration in the ChillFish development cycle that will hopefully result in a stable system that can assist children with ADHD in their everyday life.

Race By Hearts

In this paper, we explore the qualities of sharing biometric data in real-time between athletes, in order to increase two motivational factors for gym-goers: Enjoyment and social interaction. We present a novel smartphone application, called Race By Hearts, which enables competition based on heart rate data sharing between users in real-time. Through an empirical study conducted in the gym, we show that sharing biometric data in real-time can strengthen social relations between participants, increase motivation, and improve the enjoyment of the fitness activity. Nevertheless, we found that introducing competition based on real-time sharing of biometric data can cause exasperation and discouragement for some athletes. Based on our findings from the study, we discuss how technology can facilitate and modify competition in fitness exercises in general.

Designing for social play in co-located mobile games

In this paper we explore how mobile devices and co-location in mobile contexts contribute social play in game design, addressing the limited understanding of social interactivity in mobile games. Using the Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics (MDA) framework, we code four games illustrating effective use of mobile, social, and co-located elements. Subsequently, we analyse and discuss this data to identify generalisability in these games. In our discussion we identify how these findings address game design problems of designing collaborative games. Furthermore, we contribute to theory of designing for social play from the perspectives of co-located mobile contexts in game design by identifying how mobility: (1) affords co-locating with other players in public spaces, (2) supports physical interactions using spatial context and players bodies, extending games beyond their formal system, (3) supports asymmetric design with information and interaction. Finally we contribute the concept of a pocket magic circle, a particular magic circle, to support a focus on game design leveraging these intersecting properties.

Designing training games for soccer

Advancements in wearable and ubiquitous computing have exposed the interaction design community to a new perspective on sports. Football Lab is a public interactive soccer-training system created in cooperation with a Danish soccer academy and Munin Sports, a company that manufactures soccer-training equipment. Four rebounding surfaces, called M-stations are positioned at the center of each of the four sides of the playing field. The M-stations consist of a large frame strung with wire, similar to a tennis racquet, capable of returning a ball with 95 percent of its mostly on sound cues.