Content enrichment through dynamic annotation

This paper describes a technique for interceding between users and the information that they browse. This facility, that we term 'dynamic annotation', affords a means of editing Web page content 'on-the-fly' between the source Web server and the requesting client. Thereby, we have a generic way of modifying the content displayed to local users by addition, removal or reorganising any information sourced from the World-Wide Web, whether this derives from local or remote pages. For some time, we have been exploring the scope for this device and we believe that it affords many potential worthwhile applications. Here, we describe two varieties of use. The first variety focuses on support for individual users in two contexts (second-language support and second language learning). The second variety of use focuses on support for groups of users. These differing applications have a common goal which is content enrichment of the materials placed before the user. Dynamic annotation provides a potent and flexible means to this end

How culture influences perspective taking: differences in correction, not integration

Individuals from East Asian (Chinese) backgrounds have been shown to exhibit greater sensitivity to a speaker’s perspective than Western (U.S.) participants when resolving referentially ambiguous expressions. We show that this cultural difference does not reflect better integration of social information during language processing, but rather is the result of differential correction: in the earliest moments of referential processing, Chinese participants showed equivalent egocentric interference to Westerners, but managed to suppress the interference earlier and more effectively. A time-series analysis of visual-world eye-tracking data found that the two cultural groups diverged extremely late in processing, between 600 and 1400 ms after the onset of egocentric interference. We suggest that the early moments of referential processing reflect the operation of a universal stratum of processing that provides rapid ambiguity resolution at the cost of accuracy and flexibility. Late components, in contrast, reflect the mapping of outputs from referential processes to decision-making and action planning systems, allowing for a flexibility in responding that is molded by culturally specific demands

Lexical representation explains cortical entrainment during speech comprehension

Results from a recent neuroimaging study on spoken sentence comprehension have been interpreted as evidence for cortical entrainment to hierarchical syntactic structure. We present a simple computational model that predicts the power spectra from this study, even though the model's linguistic knowledge is restricted to the lexical level, and word-level representations are not combined into higher-level units (phrases or sentences). Hence, the cortical entrainment results can also be explained from the lexical properties of the stimuli, without recourse to hierarchical syntax.Comment: Submitted for publicatio

Development of CUiris: A Dark-Skinned African Iris Dataset for Enhancement of Image Analysis and Robust Personal Recognition

Iris recognition algorithms, especially with the emergence of large-scale iris-based identification systems, must be tested for speed and accuracy and evaluated with a wide range of templates – large size, long-range, visible and different origins. This paper presents the acquisition of eye-iris images of dark-skinned subjects in Africa, a predominant case of verydark- brown iris images, under near-infrared illumination. The peculiarity of these iris images is highlighted from the histogram and normal probability distribution of their grayscale image entropy (GiE) values, in comparison to Asian and Caucasian iris images. The acquisition of eye-images for the African iris dataset is ongoing and will be made publiclyavailable as soon as it is sufficiently populated

Counterfeit Detection with Multispectral Imaging

Multispectral imaging is becoming more practical for a variety of applications due to its ability to provide hyper specific information through a non-destructive analysis. Multispectral imaging cameras can detect light reflectance from different spectral bands of visible and nonvisible wavelengths. Based on the different amount of band reflectance, information can be deduced on the subject. Counterfeit detection applications of multispectral imaging will be decomposed and analyzed in this thesis. Relations between light reflectance and objects’ features will be addressed. The process of the analysis will be broken down to show how this information can be used to provide more insight on the object. This technology provides desired and viable information that can greatly improve multiple fields. For this paper, the multispectral imaging research process of element solution concentrations and counterfeit detection applications of multispectral imaging will be discussed. BaySpec’s OCI-M Ultra Compact Multispectral Imager is used for data collection. This camera is capable of capturing light reflectance from wavelengths of 400 – 1000 nm. Further research opportunities of developing self-automated unmanned aerial vehicles for precision agriculture and extending counterfeit detection applications will also be explored

An Investigation of Firm-Level R&D Capabilities in East Asia

This paper uses a survey of 1,826 firms distributed over ten East Asian metropolitan areas – Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Seoul, and five Chinese cities – to investigate the sources of firm-level R&D capabilities. The analysis identifies the impact of 23 survey variables, classified by openness, human capital, R&D network, and institutional quality, on the efficiency of firm R&D operations and on overall firm performance. These firmlevel results are used to construct composite measures R&D capabilities for each of the 10 metropolitan economies. Using the firm samples, returns to R&D are also estimated for each of the metropolitan areas. Where cross economy comparisons are possible, as they are for Seoul and the five Chinese cities, we find a strong association between overall R&D productivity in these city economies and the composite measures of citywide R&D capabilities. In particular, high composite measures in Seoul and Shanghai are associated with high returns to R&D in those cities. The large productivitywage gaps in the Chinese cities appear to be attracting large and visible investment in R&D operations. Whether R&D wages rise to narrow this gap or investment and technology flows continue to sustain the gap will substantially affect the pattern of R&D operations within the Asian region.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/39969/3/wp583.pd

Culture and IS: A criticism of predefined cultural archetypes studies

Although there are many different models of national culture, most IS research has tended to rely almost solely on Hofstede’s cultural model (Keil et al., 2000; Straub, 1994; Tan et al., 1995; Watson et al., 1994; Myers and Tan, 2002; Kirkman et al. 2006).). This is perhaps not surprising, given that Hofstede’s typology of culture has been one of the most popular in many different fields of management (Myers and Tan, 2002). Although, this paper focuses on Hofstede’s model of national culture, but many of the criticisms of Hofstede’s model apply equally well to most of the other predefined cultural models. This paper provides a criticism of predefined cultural archetypes and highlight some recommendations for researchers in the filed of culture and IS discipline