2,922 research outputs found
Sonically-enhanced widgets: comments on Brewster and Clarke, ICAD 1997
This paper presents a review of the research surrounding the paper âThe Design and Evaluation of a Sonically Enhanced Tool Paletteâ by Brewster and Clarke from ICAD 1997. A historical perspective is given followed by a discussion of how this work has fed into current developments in the area
Connecting elders by facilitating mobility
A key aspect of staying connected is the ability to travel and visit friends and family, yet mobile situations often pose difficulties for the older population. In this paper, we discuss how technology can support older people on the move, describing work which we have done and are doing in this area and outlining some of the challenges that lie ahead. We focus on providing support for navigation, which is a key part of travel, and outline some of the results of our work, showing that electronic aids can effectively help older people with this activity
A toolkit of mechanism and context independent widgets
Most human-computer interfaces are designed to run on a static platform (e.g. a workstation with a monitor) in a static environment (e.g. an office). However, with mobile devices becoming ubiquitous and capable of running applications similar to those found on static devices, it is no longer valid to design static interfaces. This paper describes a user-interface architecture which allows interactors to be flexible about the way they are presented. This flexibility is defined by the different input and output mechanisms used. An interactor may use different mechanisms depending upon their suitability in the current context, user preference and the resources available for presentation using that mechanism
Rheology and Contact Lifetime Distribution in Dense Granular Flows
We study the rheology and distribution of interparticle contact lifetimes for
gravity-driven, dense granular flows of non-cohesive particles down an inclined
plane using large-scale, three dimensional, granular dynamics simulations.
Rather than observing a large number of long-lived contacts as might be
expected for dense flows, brief binary collisions predominate. In the hard
particle limit, the rheology conforms to Bagnold scaling, where the shear
stress is quadratic in the strain rate. As the particles are made softer,
however, we find significant deviations from Bagnold rheology; the material
flows more like a viscous fluid. We attribute this change in the collective
rheology of the material to subtle changes in the contact lifetime distribution
involving the increasing lifetime and number of the long-lived contacts in the
softer particle systems.Comment: 4 page
Comparative assessment of young learners' foreign language competence in three Eastern European countries
This paper concerns teacher practices in, and beliefs about, the assessment of young learners' progress in English in three Eastern European countries (Slovenia, Croatia, and the Czech Republic). The central part of the paper focuses on an international project involving empirical research into assessment of young learners' foreign language competence in Slovenia, Croatia and the Czech Republic. With the help of an adapted questionnaire, we collected data from a non-random sample of primary and foreign language teachers who teach foreign languages at the primary level in these countries. The research shows that English as a foreign language is taught mostly by young teachers either primary specialists or foreign language teachers. These teachers most frequently use oral assessment/interviews or self-developed tests. Other more authentic types of assessment, such as language portfolios, are rarely used. The teachers most frequently assess speaking and listening skills, and they use assessment involving vocabulary the most frequently of all. However, there are significant differences in practice among the three countries
Plug flow and the breakdown of Bagnold scaling in cohesive granular flows
Cohesive granular media flowing down an inclined plane are studied by
discrete element simulations. Previous work on cohesionless granular media
demonstrated that within the steady flow regime where gravitational energy is
balanced by dissipation arising from intergrain forces, the velocity profile in
the flow direction scales with depth in a manner consistent with the
predictions of Bagnold. Here we demonstrate that this Bagnold scaling does not
hold for the analogous steady-flows in cohesive granular media. We develop a
generalization of the Bagnold constitutive relation to account for our
observation and speculate as to the underlying physical mechanisms responsible
for the different constitutive laws for cohesive and noncohesive granular
media.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figure
Incidence of malignant neoplasms among HIV-infected persons in Scotland
Among 2574 persons diagnosed with HIV throughout Scotland and observed over the period 1981-1996, cancer incidence compared to the general population was 11 times higher overall; among homosexual/bisexual males, it was 21 times higher and among injecting drug users, haemophiliacs and heterosexuals it was five times higher, mostly due to AIDS-defining neoplasms. However, liver, lung and skin cancers (all non-AIDS-defining) were also significantly increased
The âexpat factorâ: the influence of working time on women's decisions to undertake international assignments in the oil and gas industry
This article examines the effect of working time on womenâs willingness to go on expatriate assignments in the oil and gas exploration and production sector. The research draws upon an analysis of two case study firmsâ international assignment and working time policies, semi-structured interviews with 14 Human Resource staff responsible for policy design and implementation, and a survey of the views of 71 women expatriates, supported by in-depth interviews with 26 of the survey respondents. The research identifies an âexpat factorâ: assignees state that long hours are inherent in expatriation and necessary to further their careers. However in practice, working time is not excessive and flexible working practices are utilised. Hours of work have little effect on womenâs decisions to undertake long-term assignments but alternatives such as short-term and commuter assignments are unpopular as their working patterns are disruptive to family life. This article contributes to theory development by linking two discrete frameworks that explain womenâs career choices when they strive to balance their career goals with their families and by identifying a career compromise threshold when expatriation is rejected in favour of family considerations. A model is proposed to link working time/patterns to womenâs international assignment participation
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