Systems, interactions and macrotheory

A significant proportion of early HCI research was guided by one very clear vision: that the existing theory base in psychology and cognitive science could be developed to yield engineering tools for use in the interdisciplinary context of HCI design. While interface technologies and heuristic methods for behavioral evaluation have rapidly advanced in both capability and breadth of application, progress toward deeper theory has been modest, and some now believe it to be unnecessary. A case is presented for developing new forms of theory, based around generic “systems of interactors.” An overlapping, layered structure of macro- and microtheories could then serve an explanatory role, and could also bind together contributions from the different disciplines. Novel routes to formalizing and applying such theories provide a host of interesting and tractable problems for future basic research in HCI

Harm and Victim Age as Factors in the Determination of Intentionality and Culpability

In the United States criminal justice system, jurors are directed to determine a defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt by establishing both the act of committing a crime (actus reus) and the culpable mental state of the defendant (mens rea), that is, the defendant’s intentionality. The role of a juror in a criminal case is that of a factfinder, deciding whether the two elements of the crime have been met. Criminal cases where jurors are asked to decide the facts vary in the harm that resulted. The more severe the harm, the greater the perceived injustice. This research examines if a motivation to reduce perceived injustice influences determinations of intentionality (mens rea), verdict decisions, and deserved punishment. Lastly, it examines if the court’s suggested remedy to mitigate the effects of biasing information—an instruction to disregard—is an effective solution. This study finds that there is a greater attribution of intentionality to a defendant’s actions when the harm resulting from an alleged crime is more severe. More severe harm also predicts greater belief in guilt, although this is mediated by intentionality. In addition to these findings, more severe harm and greater attribution of intentionality also predict harsher punishment. Whether the victim was an adult or child does not impact the attribution of intentionality, verdict decisions, or punishment. An instruction to disregard biasing information is ineffective. Results are discussed in the context of the just-world theory (Lerner & Miller, 1978) and demonstrate a need in the criminal justice system for an empirically-driven re-examination of the balance between prejudicial versus probative evidence

Development of a portable mechanical hysteresis measurement and imaging system for impact characterization in honeycomb sandwich structures

Honeycomb sandwich materials are commonly used for aero‐structures, but because the outer skins are typically thin, 2–10 plys, the structures are susceptible to impact damage. NDI methods such as tap tests, bond testers and TTU ultrasound are successfully deployed to find impact damage, but identifying the type∕degree of damage is troublesome. As the type∕degree of impact damage guides decisions by the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) community regarding repair, the ability to characterize impacts is of interest. Previous work demonstrated that additional impact characterization may be gleaned from hysteresis loop area, as determined from an out‐of‐plane load‐vs‐displacement plot, where this parameter shows a correlation with impact energy. This presentation reports on current work involving the development of a portable hysteresis measurement and imaging system based on an instrumented tapper. Data processing and analysis methods that allow production of the load∕displacement data from a single accelerometer are discussed, with additional reporting of tests of software to automatically vary pixel size during scanning to decrease C‐scans inspection time

Field and Beta-Site Testing of the Dripless Bubbler Ultrasonic Scanner

The Dripless Bubbler technique [1–4] has demonstrated in both laboratory and field trials the ability to identify adhesive disbonds and quantify the metal loss due to corrosion in aircraft fuselage structures. In the latest round of field trials, this technique was successfully applied to aid in characterizing exfoliation corrosion around fasteners in thick wing skins (0.190 – 0.500 inches). In two Beta-site tests, the technique was used to identify delaminations, verify ply drop-offs and evaluate repairs in aircraft composite structures such as rudders, spoilers and flaps

The Spatial Distribution of Retail Expenditures: Joint Estimation of a Polychotomous Discrete-Continuous Choice System.

A polychotomous discrete-continuous choice system of the spatial distribution of retail expenditures is jointly estimated which allows the imposition of cross-equation restrictions between functions describing discrete and continuous choices as implied by economic theory. The empirical model fuses the shopping destination choices made by individuals with shopping expenditure decisions. The econometric and empirical model offers a rich insight into shopping behaviour and demonstrates the benefits of joint estimation of discrete-continuous choices in contrast to sequential estimation. The approach has wide applicability to many problems involving discrete and continuous choices which are jointly determined

Law, Narrative, and the Continuing Colonist Oppression of Native Hawaiians

The article does three things. First, and for the first time, it brings to bear the perspectives of critical race theory, postcolonial theory, and narrative theory on the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2000 decision in Rice v. Cayetano, which dealt a severe blow to Native Hawaiians’ struggles for redress and reparations for a century of dispossession and impoverishment at the hands of the United States. Second, it demonstrates in the concrete case of Hawaii the power of a particular historical narrative—when it is accepted uncritically by the Supreme Court—to render the law itself into an instrument of colonial domination. Third, it links important postcolonial writers—Edward Said, Albert Memmi, and Ngugi wa Thiong’o—to contemporary discourse in critical race theory and the narrative aspects of law. The history of the Hawaiian Islands is a far cry from the idyllic, palm fringed beaches of the travel posters. It is a story of domination and dispossession of an indigenous society. The article shows how Western historians have tried to erase this story, and put in its place a story of the civilizing influences of Western missionaries and traders, who brought modern technology and democratic government to a primitive people. This story played a pivotal role in the Rice opinion, enabling the Supreme Court to ignore and evade the U.S. government’s own apology to the Native Hawaiians for the loss of their sovereignty as a result of colonialist policies of the United States. The article further demonstrates how the Court, in addition to suppressing the historical record, adhered woodenly to the fiction of the colorblindness of American law to find that the requirement of Native Hawaiian ancestry to vote for the trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs violated the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The article concludes with three strategies of resistance to law as an instrument of colonial power that apply in the Hawaiian case. These are: to reclaim the native voice in the law at both the trial and appellate level; to deepen and extend criticism of “the law is colorblind”; and to pursue Native Hawaiian self-determination through mechanisms of international law

The Schistosoma mansoni Cytochrome P450 (CYP3050A1) Is Essential for Worm Survival and Egg Development.

Schistosomiasis affects millions of people in developing countries and is responsible for more than 200,000 deaths annually. Because of toxicity and limited spectrum of activity of alternatives, there is effectively only one drug, praziquantel, available for its treatment. Recent data suggest that drug resistance could soon be a problem. There is therefore the need to identify new drug targets and develop drugs for the treatment of schistosomiasis. Analysis of the Schistosoma mansoni genome sequence for proteins involved in detoxification processes found that it encodes a single cytochrome P450 (CYP450) gene. Here we report that the 1452 bp open reading frame has a characteristic heme-binding region in its catalytic domain with a conserved heme ligating cysteine, a hydrophobic leader sequence present as the membrane interacting region, and overall structural conservation. The highest sequence identity to human CYP450s is 22%. Double stranded RNA (dsRNA) silencing of S. mansoni (Sm)CYP450 in schistosomula results in worm death. Treating larval or adult worms with antifungal azole CYP450 inhibitors results in worm death at low micromolar concentrations. In addition, combinations of SmCYP450-specific dsRNA and miconazole show additive schistosomicidal effects supporting the hypothesis that SmCYP450 is the target of miconazole. Treatment of developing S. mansoni eggs with miconazole results in a dose dependent arrest in embryonic development. Our results indicate that SmCYP450 is essential for worm survival and egg development and validates it as a novel drug target. Preliminary structure-activity relationship suggests that the 1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-2-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)ethan-1-ol moiety of miconazole is necessary for activity and that miconazole activity and selectivity could be improved by rational drug design

EU Privacy seals project: Inventory and analysis of privacy certification schemes

The objective of this report is to comprehensively inventory and analyse privacy and related certification schemes in the European Union and, where relevant, at the international level. The report will provide insights into the importance of privacy seal schemes and present information on the operational aspects of these schemes. The report will also help understand the privacy and data protection elements of the analysed schemes and provide and initial analysis of their shortcomings. The report specifically aims to understand whether (if at all) the analysed schemes address the requirements proposed under the GDPR. It will highlight the main convergences and differences between the schemes, who benefits from such schemes and what the impact of such schemes is.JRC.G.7-Digital Citizen Securit