Towards memory supporting personal information management tools

In this article we discuss re-retrieving personal information objects and relate the task to recovering from lapse(s) in memory. We propose that fundamentally it is lapses in memory that impede users from successfully re-finding the information they need. Our hypothesis is that by learning more about memory lapses in non-computing contexts and how people cope and recover from these lapses, we can better inform the design of PIM tools and improve the user's ability to re-access and re-use objects. We describe a diary study that investigates the everyday memory problems of 25 people from a wide range of backgrounds. Based on the findings, we present a series of principles that we hypothesize will improve the design of personal information management tools. This hypothesis is validated by an evaluation of a tool for managing personal photographs, which was designed with respect to our findings. The evaluation suggests that users' performance when re-finding objects can be improved by building personal information management tools to support characteristics of human memory

Augmenting human memory using personal lifelogs

Memory is a key human facility to support life activities, including social interactions, life management and problem solving. Unfortunately, our memory is not perfect. Normal individuals will have occasional memory problems which can be frustrating, while those with memory impairments can often experience a greatly reduced quality of life. Augmenting memory has the potential to make normal individuals more effective, and those with significant memory problems to have a higher general quality of life. Current technologies are now making it possible to automatically capture and store daily life experiences over an extended period, potentially even over a lifetime. This type of data collection, often referred to as a personal life log (PLL), can include data such as continuously captured pictures or videos from a first person perspective, scanned copies of archival material such as books, electronic documents read or created, and emails and SMS messages sent and received, along with context data of time of capture and access and location via GPS sensors. PLLs offer the potential for memory augmentation. Existing work on PLLs has focused on the technologies of data capture and retrieval, but little work has been done to explore how these captured data and retrieval techniques can be applied to actual use by normal people in supporting their memory. In this paper, we explore the needs for augmenting human memory from normal people based on the psychology literature on mechanisms about memory problems, and discuss the possible functions that PLLs can provide to support these memory augmentation needs. Based on this, we also suggest guidelines for data for capture, retrieval needs and computer-based interface design. Finally we introduce our work-in-process prototype PLL search system in the iCLIPS project to give an example of augmenting human memory with PLLs and computer based interfaces

Placemaking for Cities : Pilot project on the transfer of good practice in community-led placemaking

This report provides an account of the main outcomes of Placemaking 4 Cities (P4C) project and offers critical evaluation of process as well as content of this pilot project in good practice transfer (GPT). In doing so this report draws together detailed descriptions and assessments of the transfer process from learning logs, the mid-term review and exit interviews with P4C participants. The learning logs and the mid-term review are attached in a separate appendix entitled ‘Supporting Documents’. The first part of the report is concerned with an analysis of the results that were achieved. It begins with a presentation of the good practices and anticipated outcomes defined in the baseline study and compares these to the actual results and outputs achieved. The good practices that were adopted and adapted through the transfer are presented at the end of this section. We then review the methodological approach that was adopted to facilitate the GPT, focusing in particular the preparation and executing of the peer review which was central to the transfer process. This is followed by an attempt to assess the impact of the P4C pilot for participating cities of the medium and longer term and the report concludes with a number of recommendations about the design and delivery of future GPT networks.Final Published versio

Estrategias de comunicación utilizadas por aprendices de español como L2 y los efectos del tipo de tarea

Indexación: Scopus; Scielo.This study examines the possible effects of the task type on Spanish L2 learners’ strategic communication in face-to-face interactions with other learners and native speakers (NSs) of Spanish. Data was elicited from 36 interactions between Spanish L2 learners and native speakers of Spanish when carrying out two tasks, a jigsaw and a free-conversation activity. The data collection involved video and audio recording, observation of participants’ interactions and stimulated recall methodology. The spoken data was analysed based on Dӧrnyei and Kӧrmos’ taxonomy (1998) and the interactional CSs from Dӧrnyei and Scott's (1997). Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted to determine a possible association between CS use and the task factor as well as to identify the task effects. Findings show that there is an association between the task type and the learners’ use of CSs particularly influenced by the jigsaw. It seems that the task focus influences the use of certain CSs in order to fulfil the demands of each task. It was observed that the linguistic demands of the jigsaw and the cognitive demands of the free-conversation affected more the learners’ use of specific CSs.El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar los efectos del tipo de tarea en las estrategias de comunicación (EsC) que utilizan aprendices de español como L2 al interactuar cara a cara con otros aprendices y hablantes nativos del español. Se recolectó un corpus oral de 36 interacciones entre estos participantes al llevar a cabo dos tareas, una actividad jigsaw y una conversación. La recogida de datos se realizó mediante grabación de video y audio, observación y entrevistas retrospectivas. El análisis de la información se realizó en base a las taxonomías de Dӧrnyei y Kӧrmos (1998) y Dӧrnyei y Scott (1997). Los datos fueron analizados cuantitativa y cualitativamente para determinar una posible asociación entre el uso de EsC y la tarea realizada e identificar los efectos de la tarea. Los resultados indican una asociación entre el tipo de tarea y el uso de EsC, asociación que está particularmente influenciada por la actividad jigsaw. Se observó que el foco de las tareas afecta el uso de ciertas EsC utilizadas para cumplir con las demandas de cada actividad. Las demandas lingüísticas del jigsaw y las cognitivas de la conversación parecen afectar más el uso de ciertas EsC.https://scielo.conicyt.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0718-09342018000100107&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=e

Gender mainstreaming strategies in decent work promotion: Programming tools

[Excerpt] The GEMS Toolkit (Gender mainstreaming strategies: Programming tools) is a set of 12 practical tools to facilitate the implementation of Gender Mainstreaming Strategies (GEMS) in organizations, policies, programmes and projects. The GEMS Toolkit aims to share knowledge, skills and tools with ILO constituents and partners in the Asia-Pacific region and worldwide on how to: • do a gender analysis of their work and their organization • put gender in the mainstream of policies, programmes and projects • carry out gender-specific action to redress inequalities. The tools in the GEMS Toolkit have been designed in the form of quick reference guides, checklists and tips for ease of use. The first tool gives an overview of key concepts and definitions concerning gender equality and gender mainstreaming strategies in the world of work. The other GEMS tools are organized by topic, addressing gender concerns in (country) strategy development on decent work, in organizations, research, the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes and projects, in budgeting, human resource development, media products and processes, meetings and training, and in the working environment. They conclude with a summary of four main international labour standards for gender equality

Transformation from High Density Polyethylene Waste to a Multifunctional Diamond

Plastic is a legendary material with contradictory impacts to the modern world. It consists of great characteristics for an extremely wide range of applications, but it also causes environmental issues. Plastic up-cycling has become a popular solution to these issues. The growing trend of creatively integrating recycled plastic objects with conventional living environment has spread globally. Among a variety of plastic types, the high density polyethylene (HDPE) is mainly discussed in this thesis as an example to show the factors that need to be considered during the design of a recycled plastic product. The adventure goes through a series of studies on environmental condition, existing case studies, material characteristics, and regional recycling capabilities, mainly in the State of Hawai‘i. The thesis involves a constant exchange between problem finding and solving. With the proposed solution, there comes another challenge. Step by step, the thesis goes through a journey that discovers problem, resolves problem, meets challenge, and achieve a possible solution. Therefore, the balance between the pros and cons is the main task in the research and design portions, which presents a process of decision making in the plastic up-cycling

Constructivism, Curiosity, and Metacognitive Bias in the Age of Google

The purpose of this experimental, posttest-only control-group study was to determine if there are differences in levels of metacognitive bias between those who do and do not use Google on a practice activity prior to the administration of a general knowledge test, when controlling for epistemic curiosity. The study seeks to help fill the gap in the literature by examining differences in metacognitive bias across not only the experimental variable of Google access, but also by participant variables, providing a more thorough understanding of how differences in individuals may moderate the relationship between Google use and bias. A sample of 140 participants was selected randomly from a population comprised of the student body of two public high schools, both in the state of South Carolina. The study found that Google access resulted in significantly greater metacognitive bias, even after controlling for epistemic curiosity, indicating that Google, and the internet at large, represent a potentially significant pedagogical threat to the prior knowledge and metacognitive accuracy needed to learn. These results highlight the need for further research into instructional practices which utilize internet search tools, curiosity as a state versus curiosity as a trait, and the societal ramifications of unchecked cognitive offloading

Bridging information gaps between farmers, policy-makers, researchers and development agents

Information is a prerequisite for development. Without the exchange of information, no innovation would be able to spread. If we accept this hypothesis, then information gaps are direct impediments to development and need to be overcome. This may sound simple and straightforward. In reality, it is one of the hardest challenges that anyone involved in development processes has to face. On the other hand, it is not just any kind of information that is required. Information overload is quickly becoming a problem not only for policy-makers and researchers in the North, but to anyone with access to the Internet. To be useful, information has to be relevant, reliable, timely, and delivered via an appropriate medium. Information gaps can be everywhere - between policy-makers, researchers, development agents and farmers, but also among policy-makers (just think of members of different political parties, different ministries, different levels of government), among researchers (bio-physical scientists, social scientists, economists), between rich and poor, young and old, men and women. Why do they exist and why are they so difficult to overcome? This can be due to a whole range of factors - language, literacy, education, physical location (including access to information and communication technologies such as telephones or Internet), economic factors (no money to buy a newspaper, a radio, a TV, a computer), and socio-cultural norms (e.g., information that is traditionally meant for men or women only; male extensionists not being able to talk to female farmers), to name just a few. Given this intimidating array of constraints, what can be done to bridge information gaps between farmers, policy-makers, researchers and development agents in a constructive, appropriate and efficient way? In agricultural research in general, and agroforestry research in particular, a number of promising initiatives have been developed, and examples have been given for successful bridges across the various information divides. However, none of these examples can be taken as a blueprint to be copied elsewhere. The key to successful bridges appears to be a tailor-made approach, combining different, and locally appropriate means of communication. Obviously, this will only work if stakeholders' interests are addressed - collaboration and communication between different stakeholder groups will only work if there is something to be gained by all concerned.Information is a prerequisite for development. Without the exchange of information, no innovation would be able to spread. If we accept this hypothesis, then information gaps are direct impediments to development and need to be overcome

Paralinguistic vocal control of interactive media: how untapped elements of voice might enhance the role of non-speech voice input in the user's experience of multimedia.

Much interactive media development, especially commercial development, implies the dominance of the visual modality, with sound as a limited supporting channel. The development of multimedia technologies such as augmented reality and virtual reality has further revealed a distinct partiality to visual media. Sound, however, and particularly voice, have many aspects which have yet to be adequately investigated. Exploration of these aspects may show that sound can, in some respects, be superior to graphics in creating immersive and expressive interactive experiences. With this in mind, this thesis investigates the use of non-speech voice characteristics as a complementary input mechanism in controlling multimedia applications. It presents a number of projects that employ the paralinguistic elements of voice as input to interactive media including both screen-based and physical systems. These projects are used as a means of exploring the factors that seem likely to affect users’ preferences and interaction patterns during non-speech voice control. This exploration forms the basis for an examination of potential roles for paralinguistic voice input. The research includes the conceptual and practical development of the projects and a set of evaluative studies. The work submitted for Ph.D. comprises practical projects (50 percent) and a written dissertation (50 percent). The thesis aims to advance understanding of how voice can be used both on its own and in combination with other input mechanisms in controlling multimedia applications. It offers a step forward in the attempts to integrate the paralinguistic components of voice as a complementary input mode to speech input applications in order to create a synergistic combination that might let the strengths of each mode overcome the weaknesses of the other