Establishing gaze markers of perceptual load during multi-target visual search

Highly-automated technologies are increasingly incorporated into existing systems, for instance in advanced car models. Although highly automated modes permit non-driving activities (e.g. internet browsing), drivers are expected to reassume control upon a 'take over' signal from the automation. To assess a person's readiness for takeover, non-invasive eye tracking can indicate their attentive state based on properties of their gaze. Perceptual load is a well-established determinant of attention and perception, however, the effects of perceptual load on a person's ability to respond to a takeover signal and the related gaze indicators are not yet known. Here we examined how load-induced attentional state affects detection of a takeover-signal proxy, as well as the gaze properties that change with attentional state, in an ongoing task with no overt behaviour beyond eye movements (responding by lingering the gaze). Participants performed a multi-target visual search of either low perceptual load (shape targets) or high perceptual load (targets were two separate conjunctions of colour and shape), while also detecting occasional auditory tones (the proxy takeover signal). Across two experiments, we found that high perceptual load was associated with poorer search performance, slower detection of cross-modal stimuli, and longer fixation durations, while saccade amplitude did not consistently change with load. Using machine learning, we were able to predict the load condition from fixation duration alone. These results suggest monitoring fixation duration may be useful in the design of systems to track users' attentional states and predict impaired user responses to stimuli outside of the focus of attention

Developing an alcohol policy assessment toolkit: application in the western pacific

Objective: To demonstrate the development and feasibility of a tool to assess the adequacy of national policies aimed at reducing alcohol consumption and related problems. Methods: We developed a quantitative tool – the Toolkit for Evaluating Alcohol policy Stringency and Enforcement (TEASE-16) – to assess the level of stringency and enforcement of 16 alcohol control policies. TEASE-16 was applied to policy data from nine study areas in the western Pacific: Australia, China excluding Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Viet Nam. Correlation and regression analyses were then used to examine the relationship between alcohol policy scores and income-adjusted levels of alcohol consumption per capita. Findings: Vast differences exist in how alcohol control policies are implemented in the western Pacific. Out of a possible 100 points, the nine study areas achieved TEASE-16 scores that ranged from 24.1 points for the Philippines to 67.5 points for Australia. Study areas with high policy scores – indicating relatively strong alcohol policy frameworks – had lower alcohol consumption per capita. Sensitivity analyses indicated scores and rankings for each study area remained relatively stable across different weighting schemes, indicating that TEASE-16 was robust. Conclusion: TEASE-16 could be used by international and national regulatory bodies and policy-makers to guide the design, implementation, evaluation and refinement of effective policies to reduce alcohol consumption and related problems

Rapid purification of quantum systems by measuring in a feedback-controlled unbiased basis

Rapid-purification by feedback --- specifically, reducing the mean impurity faster than by measurement alone --- can be achieved by making the eigenbasis of the density matrix to be unbiased relative to the measurement basis. Here we further examine the protocol introduced by Combes and Jacobs [Phys.Rev.Lett. {\bf 96}, 010504 (2006)] involving continuous measurement of the observable $J_z$ for a $D$-dimensional system. We rigorously re-derive the lower bound $(2/3)(D+1)$ on the achievable speed-up factor, and also an upper bound, namely $D^2/2$, for all feedback protocols that use measurements in unbiased bases. Finally we extend our results to $n$ independent measurements on a register of $n$ qubits, and derive an upper bound on the achievable speed-up factor that scales linearly with $n$.Comment: v2: published versio

Consumer Personality and Increase in Sales Volume

The concept of consumer personality is an important area of research for consideration because it brings to the fore, the thoughts and motives why customers make certain choice in their purchase decisions. Sales personnel have increasingly found it difficult to understand factors consumers put into consideration in their purchase decisions, hence, it is expedient to investigate this, because if salespeople are not able to connect with certain elite clientele due to personality conflicts, the resources invested in them will likely yield an undesirable return. Some studies found that consumer personality is an important factor to increase sales volume of firms. As a result of this, firms are able to attain set objectives in areas of profit maximization, employee welfare, social welfare of the community and efficiency in day to day operations. The main objective of this study is to find out how consumer personality result to increase in sales of blackberry brands in Nigeria. This study adopts a quantitative approach to data collection through a structured questionnaire design. The sample population used were 100 students randomly selected among the entire population in Covenant University. The data collected were subjected to the Statistical Product for Social Scientist (SPSS Version 16). Descriptive and Regression Analysis was carried out and Pearson’s Product Correlation used to test the hypothesis. The result of the hypothesis shows that consumer personality is an attributing factor to increase in sales volume. This study finds that consumer personality has a positive impact on sales volume of blackberry brand. This study recommends that policy designers in the manufacturing and service sector could consider personality of consumers when determining their marketing mix elements

Consumer Personality and Increase in Sales Volume

The concept of consumer personality is an important area of research for consideration because it brings to the fore, the thoughts and motives why customers make certain choice in their purchase decisions. Sales personnel have increasingly found it difficult to understand factors consumers put into consideration in their purchase decisions, hence, it is expedient to investigate this, because if salespeople are not able to connect with certain elite clientele due to personality conflicts, the resources invested in them will likely yield an undesirable return. Some studies found that consumer personality is an important factor to increase sales volume of firms. As a result of this, firms are able to attain set objectives in areas of profit maximization, employee welfare, social welfare of the community and efficiency in day to day operations. The main objective of this study is to find out how consumer personality result to increase in sales of blackberry brands in Nigeria. This study adopts a quantitative approach to data collection through a structured questionnaire design. The sample population used were 100 students randomly selected among the entire population in Covenant University. The data collected were subjected to the Statistical Product for Social Scientist (SPSS Version 16). Descriptive and Regression Analysis was carried out and Pearson’s Product Correlation used to test the hypothesis. The result of the hypothesis shows that consumer personality is an attributing factor to increase in sales volume. This study finds that consumer personality has a positive impact on sales volume of blackberry brand. This study recommends that policy designers in the manufacturing and service sector could consider personality of consumers when determining their marketing mix elements

The Elliptic Hall algebra and the deformed Khovanov Heisenberg category

We give an explicit description of the trace, or Hochschild homology, of the quantum Heisenberg category defined by Licata and Savage. We also show that as an algebra, it is isomorphic to "half" of a central extension of the elliptic Hall algebra of Burban and Schiffmann, specialized at $\sigma = \bar\sigma^{-1} = q$. A key step in the proof may be of independent interest: we show that the sum (over $n$) of the Hochschild homologies of the positive affine Hecke algebras $\mathrm{AH}_n^+$ is again an algebra, and that this algebra injects into both the elliptic Hall algebra and the trace of the $q$-Heisenberg category. Finally, we show that a natural action of the trace algebra on the space of symmetric functions agrees with the specialization of an action constructed by Schiffmann and Vasserot using Hilbert schemes.Comment: 49 pages, numerous figure

Assessing Upper Tropospheric Jet Streak Proximity Using the Rossby Radius of Deformation

The Rossby radius of deformation is a parameter that describes the relative role of buoyant and inertial forces for atmospheric phenomena in a flow regime. It will be demonstrated that it can also be used to determine whether or not forcing for vertical motions in the region between upper level tropospheric jet streaks overlaps or interacts. Using predefined points in the entrance and exit regions of neighboring upper level jet streaks, the distance between them is calculated for each event. If they are closer than twice the Rossby radius of deformation, the resulting region affected by both streaks is termed the Rossby Radius of Deformation Overlap Zone (RRDOZ). Plan-view and cross-sectional analysis shows that ageostrophic transverse circulations within the RRDOZ led to enhanced upward vertical velocities as predicted in prior research. Lastly, a short-term climatology for overlap events in North America is derived, and these are classified according to three proposed archetypes