Multimodal system for public speaking with real time feedback: a positive computing perspective

A multimodal system for public speaking with real time feedback has been developed using the Microsoft Kinect. The system has been developed within the paradigm of positive computing which focuses on designing for user wellbeing. The system detects body pose, facial expressions and voice. Visual feedback is displayed to users on their speaking performance in real time. Users can view statistics on their utilisation of speaking modalities. The system also has a mentor avatar which appears alongside the user avatar to facilitate user training. Autocue mode allows a user to practice with set text from a chosen speech

Practising public speaking: user responses to using a mirror versus a multimodal positive computing system

A multimodal Positive Computing system with real-time feedback for public speaking has been developed. The system uses the Microsoft Kinect to detect voice, body pose, facial expressions and gestures. The system is a real-time system, which gives users feedback on their performance while they are rehearsing a speech. In this study, we wished to compare this system with a traditional method for practising speaking, namely using a mirror. Ten participants practised a speech for sixty seconds using the system and using the mirror. They completed surveys on their experience after each practice session. Data about their performance was recorded while they were speaking. We found that participants found the system less stressful to use than using the mirror. Participants also reported that they were more motivated to use the system in future. We also found that the system made speakers more aware of their body pose, gaze direction and voice

Flandrian sea-level changes on the south coast of England

The South Coast of England is one of the few remaining areas in the British Isles where there is a relatively United knowledge of past sea levels. Five sites were investigated in the present study for evidence of past sea-level movements. These were at The Moors in Dorset, Studland Heath in Dorset, Browndown in Hampshire, Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight and Pett Level in East Sussex. Indications of sea-level movement were gained from the stratigraphic, pollen and diatom analyses at the sites. A series of phases of positive and negative sea-level tendencies, over the last 10,000 years, are presented at each site. These are correlated, within a regional setting, with other sites from the South Coast of England

One-pot synthesis of 5-amino-2,5-dihydro-1-benzoxepines: access to pharmacologically active heterocyclic scaffolds

A one-pot multibond-forming process involving a thermally mediated Overman rearrangement and a ring closing metathesis reaction of allylic trichloroacetimidates bearing a 2-allyloxyaryl group has been developed for the synthesis of 5-amino-substituted 2,5-dihydro-1-benzoxepines. Chemoselective reduction and functionalization of these compounds allowed access to a range of pharmacologically active 5-amino-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1-benzoxepine scaffolds

The Development of Fusimotor Innervation in the Cat: An Ultrastructural Study

1. This study was carried out to investigate if the degree of selectivity of motor innervation to hind limb muscle spindles which occurs in the adult cat is present in the post-natal kitten. Selective axons innervate one type of intrafusal fibre only, while non-selective axons innervate more than one type in the same spindle (Boyd and Gladden 1985). 2. Tenuissimus and peroneal muscle spindle poles from kittens of 50df (n=7, 1 dpn (n=14), 12dpn (n=13), 21 dpn (n=12) and 28dpn (n=13) were serially sectioned for light and electron microscopy. Ultrathin sections were taken every 2-5 pin and semi-thin (1pm) sections collected in-between. If it was suspected that information was lost in the 1pm thick sections these were re-embedded and subsequently ultrathin sectioned. Electron micrographs were taken of the ultrathin sections and from these the spindles were reconstructed so that the lengths of primary and sensory endings, and capsule and intrafusal fibre lengths were estimated. Numbers and degree of myelination of the motor axons were noted. The distribution of motor axons to the intrafusal fibres was determined by following both myelinated and unmyelinated axons through serial sections: this has not been possible previously in such young material. Numbers, lengths, types and distance from the equator of motor endings were calculated. 3. Results of each of the ages studied were compared statistically for each feature studied in order to assess any significant change during this period of development. 4. Bag fibres were distinguished from chain fibres by size and arrangement of central nuclei under the primary sensory endings. The bag fibres were approximately twice the diameter of chain fibres and had their central nuclei arranged in a group whereas the chain fibre nuclei were arranged in a line. Many intrafusal fibres were found to decrease in cross-sectional area in the equatorial region. 5. Bagl fibres were distinguished from bag2 fibres by a) the grouping of the bag2 fibre with chain fibres in the equatorial region, and b) the more granular appearance of the bag2 fibre (due to more mitochondria and glycogen inclusions) than the bagl fibre. Bag fibre cross-sectional area measurements were not consistently different from each other. 6. A formula was constructed in order to determine when any chain fibres should be included as long chain fibres. This was necessary because although the majority of chain fibres were shorter than bag fibres (typical chain fibres), long chain fibres were also found; these can be of a typical chain or bag fibre diameter. Since the total length of spindles increased with age, the absolute length of chain fibres could not be used to discriminate between long and typical chains. 7. Endings were identified as sensory when the muscle basement membrane encompassed the axon terminal. Motor endings were distinguished from sensory endings by the presence of the basement membrane between the axon terminal and muscle surface. Additional features which confirmed the identity were the variety of types of axon terminal vesicle (round, flat, dense cored) found in sensory endings and the position of the endings along the intrafusal fibre. Occasionally the basement membrane was not present between the axon terminals and muscle membrane in motor endings of the 50df spindles. 8. There were 119 motor axons in this study of which 77 were unmyelinated. Of the 59 total spindle poles, 36 were from tenuissimus muscles and 23 from peroneal muscles. Four tandem spindles were present in this material. There were 55 bagl fibre poles, 66 bag2 fibre poles, 240 typical chain poles and 20 long chain poles of either large or thin diameter. In total there were 586 motor endings. 9. The length of the primary and secondary sensory endings, capsule and intrafusal fibres increased with age. 10. Motor axons. It was not possible to categorise the motor axons as gamma or beta. The numbers of motor axons supplying spindle poles was found to be 2-3 for each age group. Numbers of motor axons supplying individual intrafusal fibre poles were, 1-2 for bag fibres and 0-1 for chain fibres, both typical and long. These figures are in the same range as the numbers of ? axons which supply individual fibres of adult spindles. Polyneuronal innervation of the type where many axons supply a single motor endplate therefore does not occur during the period studied, but does in rat spindles, even after birth (Kucera, Walro and Reichler 1988). The distribution of motor axons to the intrafusal fibres, even as late in development as 28dpn, was less selective than in adult spindles. Myelination of motor axons was 92% complete by 28dpn. The selectivity did not depend on myelination prior to 21 dpn but myelinated axons had a smaller proportion of inappropriate innervation by 28dpn. All bag2 fibres, 90% of bagl fibres and 76% of typical chain fibres had some motor innervation by 28dpn. These values were very similar to adult innervation values. The innervation of long chain fibres was more variable in the young but they tended to be innervated when present, whereas only 25% are innervated in the adult. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)

“Body bags ready”: Print media coverage of avian influenza in Australia

In 2006 the avian influenza A (H5N1) virus received considerable media coverage in Australia, as it did in many other countries. It is often argued that the media sensationalizes health crises, and experts cautioned about the risk of panic as a result of fear of avian influenza. The purpose of the present study was to systematically analyze Australian print media coverage of avian influenza in 2006 and to examine whether this coverage served the purpose of informing, rather than alarming, the general public. For the period January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2006, 20 Australian newspaper titles were monitored for coverage of avian influenza. The identified articles were analyzed using aspects of protection motivation theory for theoretical direction to determine whether there were any consistent themes or perspectives in the coverage. A total of 850 articles were identified for analysis. Concerning vulnerability, 46% of articles reported the incidence of human cases, with 24% noting that avian influenza was a potential threat to Australia. The most common severity theme was “deadly” with over 50% of mentions, followed by “pandemic” with 35%. Only 11% of articles referred to any form of self-protection. We found that a considerable proportion of the articles reporting on avian influenza were framed in a way that had the potential to incite fear and panic amongst the public; the intensity of media coverage reduced over time; and, of particular concern, that there was little media coverage that focused on protective or preventative issues. Whether an influenza pandemic eventuates or not, it is prudent for governments and health authorities to continually develop appropriate resources and strategies to prepare the health system and the general public to respond to current, and future, infectious disease risks

Consistency of Urban Background Black Carbon Concentration Measurements by Portable AE51 and Reference AE22 Aethalometers: Effect of Corrections for Filter Loading

Monitoring exposure to black carbon with portable devices is an important part of researching the health impacts of combustion-related air pollutants. We collected 786 hourly averaged equivalent black carbon (eBC) measurements from co-located duplicate portable AE51 Aethalometers and a UK Government reference AE22 Aethalometer (the data for the latter were corrected for filter darkening effects using a standard procedure), at an urban background site in Glasgow, UK. The AE51 and the reference concentrations were highly correlated (R 2 ≥ 0.87) for the combined deployment periods. The application of a previously reported method for correcting the AE51’s underestimation of concentrations, associated with filter loading, generally led to an overestimation of values (specifically, the normalised mean bias values for the two AE51s increased from –2% and +3% to +14% and +25% across the full range of measurements after correction). We found only limited and inconsistent evidence that the AE51 Aethalometers (attenuation [AE51_ATN] ≤ ~52) underestimated the eBC concentrations compared to the reference measurements. Thus, our observations indicate that the AE51 can achieve close agreement with the reference AE22 monitor without applying corrections for filter loading at relatively low AE51_ATN values in environments with low eBC concentrations

Integrated farm management for sustainable agriculture:lessons for knowledge exchange and policy

As a response to the environmentally and socially destructive practices of post-war mechanization and intensification, the concept of sustainable agriculture has become prominent in research, policy, and practice. Sustainable agriculture aims to balance the economic, environmental, and social aspects of farming, creating a resilient farming system in the long-term. Over the last few decades, various concepts have been used in research and policy to encourage the adoption of sustainable practices. Within such a congested space, this paper assesses the value of ‘integrated farm management’ as a concept for the promotion of sustainable agriculture. The concept is the subject of renewed policy interest in England and Wales and it is also being promoted in Europe. Previous research, however, has suggested that integrated farm management may not be well understood or widely practised. There are also criticisms that it can be impractical and poorly differentiated from similar ideas. As such, renewed insights are required into how useful the concept might be for encouraging sustainable agriculture. Using a mixed methods approach, we gathered the views of farmers, farm advisors, and industry representatives about integrated farm management in England and Wales, and interpreted these through a theoretical framework to judge the strength of the concept. Overall, the general principles of Integrated Farm Management were found to be coherent and familiar to most of our respondents. However, the concept performed poorly in terms of its resonance, simplicity of message, differentiation from other similar terms and theoretical utility. We reflect on our findings in the context of other ways to promote sustainable agriculture, drawing out messages for policy and knowledge exchange in England and Wales, as well as elsewhere.This research was funded as part of Defra's Sustainable Intensification Platform (Project Code LM0201). In addition, WJS was funded by Arcadia, LVD was funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council partly under the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) programme, grant codes NE/K015419/1 and NE/N014472/1

Identifying the science and technology dimensions of emerging public policy issues through horizon scanning

Public policy requires public support, which in turn implies a need to enable the public not just to understand policy but also to be engaged in its development. Where complex science and technology issues are involved in policy making, this takes time, so it is important to identify emerging issues of this type and prepare engagement plans. In our horizon scanning exercise, we used a modified Delphi technique [1]. A wide group of people with interests in the science and policy interface (drawn from policy makers, policy adviser, practitioners, the private sector and academics) elicited a long list of emergent policy issues in which science and technology would feature strongly and which would also necessitate public engagement as policies are developed. This was then refined to a short list of top priorities for policy makers. Thirty issues were identified within broad areas of business and technology; energy and environment; government, politics and education; health, healthcare, population and aging; information, communication, infrastructure and transport; and public safety and national security.Public policy requires public support, which in turn implies a need to enable the public not just to understand policy but also to be engaged in its development. Where complex science and technology issues are involved in policy making, this takes time, so it is important to identify emerging issues of this type and prepare engagement plans. In our horizon scanning exercise, we used a modified Delphi technique [1]. A wide group of people with interests in the science and policy interface (drawn from policy makers, policy adviser, practitioners, the private sector and academics) elicited a long list of emergent policy issues in which science and technology would feature strongly and which would also necessitate public engagement as policies are developed. This was then refined to a short list of top priorities for policy makers. Thirty issues were identified within broad areas of business and technology; energy and environment; government, politics and education; health, healthcare, population and aging; information, communication, infrastructure and transport; and public safety and national security