Fast Hands-free Writing by Gaze Direction

We describe a method for text entry based on inverse arithmetic coding that relies on gaze direction and which is faster and more accurate than using an on-screen keyboard. These benefits are derived from two innovations: the writing task is matched to the capabilities of the eye, and a language model is used to make predictable words and phrases easier to write.Comment: 3 pages. Final versio

Searching for the Semantic Internet

Search engines, directories and web browsers all deal with the Internet at the level of individual web-pages. We argue that this is too low a level of resolution for many, including the non-casual surfer, who has detailed knowledge of his/her topic of interest. We present the shopping-mall metaphor that is based on identifying tightly integrated communities of web pages, where pages procure information from each other via hyperlinks. A search operation identifies these web-page communities, rather that individual web-pages, and the communities are visualised as a Virtual Reality shopping mall - for presentation on a VRML enabled web browser. Each information outlet (shop) can contain multiple information “products” (pages) gathered around a common theme. The metaphor serves to integrate both search and visualisation phases, presenting a coherent information collection to the user - regardless of the search domain

Generating a Topically Focused Virtual-Reality Internet

Surveys highlight that Internet users are frequently frustrated by failing to locate useful information, and by difficulty in browsing anarchically linked web-structures. We present a new Internet browsing application (called VR-net) that addresses these problems. It first identifies semantic domains consisting of tightly interconnected web-page groupings. The second part populates a 3D virtual world with these information sources, representing all relevant pages plus appropriate structural relations. Users can then easily browse through around a semantically focused virtual library

Detection of microbial taxa in complex communities : impacts of relative abundance, gene transfer and persistence of target DNA

The aim of this study was to understand the ecological interactions of B. pseudomallei, a highly pathogenic potential biological warfare agent, in both soils and bio-aerosols. This study examined the impact of DNA persistence on its detection in environmental samples. The potential for members of the Burkholderiaceae to use persistent extracellular DNA in the process of natural transformation was also determined. Lastly, a comparative analysis of methods using 16S rRNA analysis and metagenomics was also undertaken to evaluate their utility for identification of pathogens in complex samples. Soil microcosms were used to determine the impacts of soil mineralogy on DNA persistence using real-time PCR. This study showed that the presence of clay minerals with contrasting adsorption affinities for DNA resulted in significantly different rates of DNA decay in soil. The capacity for Burkholderia sp. to undergo natural transformation was determined through the use of both chromosomal allelic rescue and nonhomologous plasmid uptake strategies. Transformation was suggested as a result of observations of non-homologous plasmid uptake in B. multivorans 13010. However further work is required in this area. The performance of 16S rRNA sequencing using assays targeting the V1-3 and V4-6 variable regions was assessed using soil samples taken from one location that had undergone contrasting application strategies of veterinary antibiotics. This approach was shown to be able to discern subtle shifts in the relative abundances of certain microbial taxa in response to antibiotic application. Outcomes here support previous observations regarding the increased prevalence of mobile genetic elements (integrons) that harbour antibiotic resistance determinants. For bio-aerosols, samples were acquired from regions of known endemicity of B. pseudomallei (N. Australia) and both 16S rRNA and metagenomic analysis methods were used to determine the fluctuations in microbial diversity and the prevalence of this pathogenic organism. The fluctuations of bio-aerosol microbial diversity and in particular B. pseudomallei, within wet and dry seasons of Northern Australia were identifiable using a combination of 16S rRNA and total community DNA metagenomic analyses. The importance of robust bioinformatic analysis is highlighted

Enquiry Pull Research: An Ethnomethodological Approach to Lean Construction Research or a Lean Approach to Ethnomethodological Research

This paper assembles some principals from three strands of thought: lean theory; ethnomethodology; and Wittgensteinian philosophy. These are considered with a view to their impact on research design and used here as a basis for an initial exploration of a candidate research topic, in order to illustrate this impact. Principles of Lean Theory are considered, along with those from Wittgensteinian social enquiry and Ethnomethodology, in order to suggest a strategy for Lean Research. These are applied to the intial consideration of a candidate research topic, in order to illustrate the argument