Exploring the utility of giving robots auditory perspective-taking abilities

Presented at the 12th International Conference on Auditory Display (ICAD), London, UK, June 20-23, 2006.This paper reports on work in progress to develop a computational auditory perspective taking system for a robot. Auditory perspective taking is construed as the ability to reason about inferred or posited factors that affect an addressee's perspective as a listener for the purpose of presenting auditory information in an appropriate and effective manner. High-level aspects of this aural interaction skill are discussed, and a prototype adaptive auditory display, implemented in the context of a robotic information kiosk, is described and critiqued. Additionally, a sketch of the design and goals of a user study planned for later this year is given. A demonstration of the prototype system will accompany the presentation of this research in the poster session

Varietal Preferences of Erythroneura Leafhoppers (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) Feeding on Grapes in New York

Species composition of Erythroneura leafhoppers infesting the 3 major classes of grapes grown in New York was investigated. Eastern grape leafhopper, E. comes (Say), comprised 74-100% of populations collected on the native American (Vitis labrusca Bailey) cultivars ‘Concord', ‘Niagara', ‘Catawba' and ‘Delaware'. On interspecific hybrid (Vitis sp.) and Vitis vinifera L. cultivars, E. comes was largely absent, and 97-100% of leafhoppers collected were 2 cryptic species, E. bistrata McAtee and E. vitifex Fitch. On the native American variety ‘Elvira', a V. labrusca X V riparia Michaux hybrid, field populations were 24% E. comes and 74% the E. bistrata/vitifex complex. E. vitis (Harris), E. tricinta Fitch, and E. vulnerata Fitch were also present in commercial grapes, but never exceeded 20% of the populations sampled. Populations on wild V. riparia adjacent to vineyards were comprised of 24% E. comes, 47% E. histrata/vitifex, 19% E. vitis, and 10% E. tricinta. Dissection revealed that proportions of E. bistrata and E. vitifex in field collections, varied from 97% E. bistrata to 61% E. vitifex. Oviposition of E. comes and E. bistrata on V. vinifera, interspecific hybrid, and native American cultivars was compared in greenhouse choice tests and field no-choice tests. In choice tests, E. comes laid more eggs on Concord and Elvira than on the interspecific hybrid ‘Seyval blanc', or the V. vinifera cultivar ‘White Riesling'. E. bistrata did not oviposit on Concord when paired with either Elvira, Seyval blanc or White Riesling. When caged to grape leaves in no-choice tests, E. comes laid the most eggs on native American cultivars and the fewest on V. vinifera and interspecific hybrids; E. bistrata laid the most eggs on hybrid and V. vinifera cultivars, and very few eggs on three native American cultivars. These results show that E. bistrata and E. vitifex are the principal pest species on V. vinifera and many interspecific hybrid cultivars in New York, and that E. comes is the principal leafhopper pest on native American V. labrusca cultivar

Influence of Temperature-Driven Phenology and Photoperiodic Induction of Reproductive Diapause on Population Dynamics of Erythroneura comes (Homoptera: Cicadellidae)

The influence of degree-day accumulations and photoperiodic induction of diapause on the phenology of Erythroneura Comes (Say) was investigated. In growth chamber experiments, nymphs reared at photoperiods of 710 degree days (DD) before 1 August are required to produce a 2nd generation of E. comes under climatic conditions in New York.Variationsin temperature-driven development are hypothesized to strongly influence year-to-year variability in leafhopper abundance. Degree-day accumulations by 30 June correlated well with degree-days by 1 August and may provide a useful early-warningsystem for predicting years in which leafhopper population densities are above averag

Young People as Humans in Family Court Processes: A Child Rights Approach to Legal Representation

The authors, a retired British Columbia Supreme Court judge and a senior member of Ontario’s Office of the Children’s Lawyer, address the important issue of legal representation for children. They are co-chairs of the Steering Committee which guided the development of the Canadian Bar Association’s new and comprehensive Child Rights Toolkit. As such, they are well-placed to discuss how a child rights approach, as required by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child to which Canada is a ratifying party, supports legal representation for children who find themselves caught in contentious family law proceedings before the courts

Phenology, Within-Vineyard Distribution, and Seasonal Movement of Eastern Grape Leafhopper (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) in New York Vineyards

Seasonal changes in within-vineyard distribution and abundance of Erythroneura comes (Say) adults and nymphs were investigated from 1989 to 1992. Trap catches of adults were highest in May and were concentrated in wooded areas next to vineyards. In 1989 and 1990 surveys, nymphal densities did not decline as distance from the vineyard edge increased. In 1991, however, nymphal densities were significantly higher at vineyard edges than in vineyard interiors in July, suggesting that oviposition initially was aggregated at vineyard edges. Subsequently, nymphal densities at vineyard edges and interiors were similar. Cumulative degree days (DD) for mean observation of first nymphs, first-generation, and second-generation peak populations, sampled at 14 vineyards in 1989, 1990, and 1991, were 390 ± 71, 648 ± 86, and 1,190 ± 154 DD (mean ± SD; base 10°C), respectively. Nymphal densities exceeded a provisional threshold of five per leaf in only 2, 25, 13, and 8% of vineyards untreated with insecticides in 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1992, respectively. These results show that leafhoppers do not cause economic injury in most New York vineyards in most years. Reduced insecticide strategies recently implemented for grape berry moth control will not greatly increase the need for insecticide applications directed at leafhoppers in New Yor

Pathoecology of Chiribaya Parasitism

The excavations of Chiribaya culture sites in the Osmore drainage of southern Peru focused on the recovery of information about prehistoric disease, including parasitism. The archaeologists excavated human, dog, guinea pig, and llama mummies. These mummies were analyzed for internal and external parasites. The results of the analysis and reconstruction of prehistoric life from the excavations allows us to interpret the pathoecology of the Chiribaya culture

Active control of fan-generated plane wave noise

Subsonic propulsion systems for future aircraft may incorporate ultra-high bypass ratio ducted fan engines whose dominant noise source is the fan with blade passage frequency less than 1000 Hz. This low frequency combines with the requirement of a short nacelle to diminish the effectiveness of passive duct liners. Active noise control is seen as a viable method to augment the conventional passive treatments. An experiment to control ducted fan noise using a time domain active adaptive system is reported. The control sound source consists of loudspeakers arrayed around the fan duct. The error sensor location is in the fan duct. The purpose of this experiment is to demonstrate that the in-duct error sensor reduces the mode spillover in the far field, thereby increasing the efficiency of the control system. In this first series of tests, the fan is configured so that predominantly zero order circumferential waves are generated. The control system is found to reduce the blade passage frequency tone significantly in the acoustic far field when the mode orders of the noise source and of the control source are the same. The noise reduction is not as great when the mode orders are not the same even though the noise source modes are evanescent, but the control system converges stably and global noise reduction is demonstrated in the far field. Further experimentation is planned in which the performance of the system will be evaluated when higher order radial and spinning modes are generated