Minimalistic Design Approach Research Articles

Design principles for cognitively accessible cybersecurity training

Exploiting human behavior to gain unauthorized access to computer systems has become common practice for modern cybercriminals. Users are expected to adopt secure behavior to avoid those attackers. This secure behavior requires cognitive processing and is often seen as a nuisance which could explain why attacks exploiting user behavior continues to be a fruitful approach for attackers. While adopting secure behavior can be difficult for any user, it can be even more difficult for users with cognitive disabilities. This research focuses on users with cognitive disabilities with the intent of developing design principles for the development of cognitively accessible cybersecurity training. The target group is estimated to include almost 10 % of all users but is previously understudied. The results show that the target group experience cybersecurity as cognitively demanding, sometimes to a degree that becomes incapacitating. Participating in cybersecurity training requires cognitive energy which is a finite resource. Cognitively accessible cybersecurity training requires a minimalist design approach and inclusion of accessibility functions. A minimalist design approach, in this case, means that both informative and design elements should be kept to a minimum. The rationale is that all such elements require cognitive processing which should be kept to a minimum.

Simplified Triped Robot for Analysis of Three-Dimensional Gait Generation

[abstFig src='/00290003/08.jpg' width='230' text='The tripedal robot “Martian petit”' ] Significant efforts to simplify the body structure of multi-legged walking robots have been made over the years. Of these, the Spring-Loaded-Inverted-Pendulum (SLIP) model has been very popular, therefore widely employed in the design of walking robots. In this paper, we develop a SLIP-based tripedal walking robot with a focus on the geometric symmetry of the body structure. The proposed robot possesses a compact, light-weight, and compliant leg modules. These modules are controlled by a distributed control law that consists of decoupled oscillators with only local force feedback. As demonstrated through experiments, the simplified design of the robot makes possible the generation of high-speed dynamic locomotion. Despite the structural simplicity of the proposed model, the generation of several gait-patterns is demonstrated. The proposed minimalistic design approach with radial symmetry simplifies the function of each limb in the three-dimensional gait generation of the robot.

Limiting an antimicrobial peptide to the lipid-water interface enhances its bacterial membrane selectivity: a case study of MSI-367.

In a minimalist design approach, a synthetic peptide MSI-367 [(KFAKKFA)(3)-NH(2)] was designed and synthesized with the objective of generating cell-selective nonlytic peptides, which have a significant bearing on cell targeting. The peptide exhibited potent activity against both bacteria and fungi, but no toxicity to human cells at micromolar concentrations. Bacterial versus human cell membrane selectivity of the peptide was determined via membrane permeabilization assays. Circular dichroism investigations revealed the intrinsic helix propensity of the peptide, β-turn structure in aqueous buffer and extended and turn conformations upon binding to lipid vesicles. Differential scanning calorimetry experiments with 1,2-dipalmitoleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylethanolamine bilayers indicated the induction of positive curvature strain and repression of the fluid lamellar to inverted hexagonal phase transition by MSI-367. Results of isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) experiments suggested the possibility of formation of specific lipid-peptide complexes leading to aggregation. (2)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of deuterated 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (POPC) multilamellar vesicles confirmed the limited effect of the membrane-embedded peptide at the lipid-water interface. (31)P NMR data indicated changes in the lipid headgroup orientation of POPC, 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylglycerol, and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylethanolamine lipid bilayers upon peptide binding. Membrane-embedded and membrane-inserted states of the peptide were observed via sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy. Circular dichroism, ITC, and (31)P NMR data for Escherichia coli lipids agree with the hypothesis that strong electrostatic lipid-peptide interactions embrace the peptide at the lipid-water interface and provide the basis for bacterial cell selectivity.

A less‐is‐more approach to geovisualization – enhancing knowledge construction across multidisciplinary teams

The ‘less‐is‐more’ concept in interface design for computer applications has recently gained ground. In this article, the concept is adopted for a user‐centered design of geovisualization application. The premise is that using simple and clear design can lead to successful applications with improved ease of use. Over the last three decades, the development of GIS and geovisualization has seen a marked increase in the levels of interaction between the user, the system and the information. However, these enthusiastic advances in technology have not resulted in a significant increase in the number of users. This article suggests that types of user interaction should not simply emphasize traditional GIS functions such as zooming and panning but move towards interaction based on facilitating the knowledge construction process. Considerations are made for the complexity of the system, the task at hand and the skills and limitations of the users. These elements are particularly important when maps act as the mediators in collaboration with users across disciplinary backgrounds. In such cases, the emphasis on simplicity and usability becomes as important as functionality. In these situations a geovisualization application designed for specific uses can maximize effective development of geographic knowledge. In this article, a minimalistic design approach to geovisualization is adopted by creating a geographic profiling tool which shifts the emphasis from technological advances or interaction with the map to the interaction elements key to building the spatial knowledge of GIS experts and non‐experts alike. To evaluate this notion of ‘less‐is‐more geovisualization’ the profiling tool is evaluated according to usability matrices: efficiency, effectiveness and learnability. How well the Suburban Profiler contributes to these elements is assessed by conducting a video analysis of the types and forms of user interaction available. The video analysis demonstrates the usefulness and usability of the Suburban Profiler, providing proof of concept for ‘less‐is‐more geovisualization’.

A Minimalist Design Approach to Antimicrobial Agents Based on a Thionin Template

Numerous studies have been devoted to the stabilization of secondary structure elements to improve receptor-ligand recognition. We report a novel application of this principle to create new antimicrobial agents using the highly folded thionin from Pyrularia puberaas a template. Non-native disulfide bonds have been used to induce two short linear segments of the protein into an amphipathic helix. The resulting 13- and 9-residue peptides are significantly more active than their linear counterparts and have an activity similar to that of native thionin.

Embryonic object versus mature object

Traditional approaches to object-oriented style emphasize classes with a basic set of constructors and a minimal set of methods that when combined permit the full potential of the instance objects to be realized. This object-oriented style is probably modeled on the style used in mathematics and logic to develop a system based on a minimal set of axioms and operations. The consequences of this style both in practice and in pedagogy are that objects enter into existence in an embryonic state and must be nurtured to maturity by a sequence of method calls that tweak behavior and/or add data. Although this minimalist approach is useful in the first stages of teaching objects and in exploratory design, we suggest that most designs should evolve towards building classes with a rich set of constructors and methods so that the instance objects may be born mature , that is, ready to use in the program without further tweaking. In particular, we believe that if students are taught to design in this manner, then they will be more effective both as students and as computing professionals.The ideas in this article have developed from our experience in designing the Java Power Tools (JPT) and in applying these tools to build many labs and demo programs. We found that using the traditional minimalist design approach hindered our ability to rapidly develop interesting applications. Gradually, we evolved both the tools and the examples to be far richer and have found that our development time has been dramatically reduced. We believe that those who teach objects may be interested in these principles even if they choose to work with entirely different tools and examples.

Dynamic analysis of mobility and graspability of general manipulation systems

We present a geometric approach to the analysis of manipulation systems of a rather general class, including some important types of manipulators as, e.g., cooperating, super-articulated, and whole-arm manipulators. The focus is in particular on simple industry-oriented devices, for which a minimalistic design approach requires a clear understanding of mobility and graspability properties in the presence of kinematic defectivity. The paper discusses the dynamics of these systems, and considers how their structural properties (in the classical system-theoretic sense, i.e., stability, controllability, observability, etc.) are related to frequently used concepts in robotics such as redundancy, mobility, and indeterminacy. Less common or novel concepts, such as those of defectivity, hyperstaticity, and dynamic graspability, are elicited and/or enlightened by this study. Some important practical consequences of the limited control possibilities of defective systems are thus put into evidence. Finally, a standard form of the dynamics of general manipulation systems is provided as a compact and readable synopsis of the structure. The form is a valuable tool for synthesizing controllers for such systems, especially suited to geometric control design methods.