The evolution of a visual-to-auditory sensory substitution device using interactive genetic algorithms

Sensory Substitution is a promising technique for mitigating the loss of a sensory modality. Sensory Substitution Devices (SSDs) work by converting information from the impaired sense (e.g. vision) into another, intact sense (e.g. audition). However, there are a potentially infinite number of ways of converting images into sounds and it is important that the conversion takes into account the limits of human perception and other user-related factors (e.g. whether the sounds are pleasant to listen to). The device explored here is termed “polyglot” because it generates a very large set of solutions. Specifically, we adapt a procedure that has been in widespread use in the design of technology but has rarely been used as a tool to explore perception – namely Interactive Genetic Algorithms. In this procedure, a very large range of potential sensory substitution devices can be explored by creating a set of ‘genes’ with different allelic variants (e.g. different ways of translating luminance into loudness). The most successful devices are then ‘bred’ together and we statistically explore the characteristics of the selected-for traits after multiple generations. The aim of the present study is to produce design guidelines for a better SSD. In three experiments we vary the way that the fitness of the device is computed: by asking the user to rate the auditory aesthetics of different devices (Experiment 1), by measuring the ability of participants to match sounds to images (Experiment 2) and the ability to perceptually discriminate between two sounds derived from similar images (Experiment 3). In each case the traits selected for by the genetic algorithm represent the ideal SSD for that task. Taken together, these traits can guide the design of a better SSD

An exploratory study of the perceptions of U.S. military veterans that have served since the 1993 enactment of Don\u27t ask don\u27t tell (DADT) about the impact of the recent repeal of DADT on veterans

This study was undertaken to explore what U.S. military veterans that have served under the Don\u27t Ask Don\u27t Tell (DADT) policy since 1993 think the potential impact might be regarding the repeal of DADT on LGBT veterans\u27 willingness to disclose their sexual orientation. An online survey was designed and administrated on the website SurveyMonkey.com asking questions about the following issues: 1) Do Veterans think that Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals (LGB) Veterans are willing to disclose their sexual orientation under DADT and after the repeal? 2) Do Veterans think that a LGB Veterans military branch and occupation will have an impact on their willingness to disclose their sexual orientation? The findings in this study found a significant difference in the willingness of service members to disclose their sexual orientation to their other service members and their chain of command between those serving under the DADT policy and since the repeal of DADT. There was no significant difference between those serving in all male units and mixed gender units acceptance of LBG service members and LGB veterans willingness to disclose their sexual orientation. Additionally, LGB service members need to be accepted and supported by the military and military family support groups. These two major findings supported two of the hypotheses in this study

Partisan news versus party cues: the effect of cross-cutting party and partisan network cues on polarization and persuasion

The pervasiveness of partisan media and the 24/7 news cycle allow ample opportunity for partisan-motivated reasoning and selective exposure. Nonetheless, individuals still frequently encounter out-party media outlets and expert pundits through mainstream news and social media. We seek to examine the effects of cross-cutting partisan outlet cues (e.g. Fox News, MSNBC) and direct party cues (e.g. Republican, Democrat) on citizens’ perceptions of ideology, source credibility, and news consumption. Using an experiment that pits outlet cues against direct party cues, we find that cross-cutting outlet and direct party cues lead citizens to perceive pundits as more ideologically moderate. As a result, respondents find out-party pundits on in-party outlets to be less biased, increasing interest in the pundits’ perspectives. However, while cross-cutting pundits gain among the out-party, they lose among the in-party. This trade-off holds important normative implications for individual news consumption and the ability of outlets and pundits to appear unbiased while garnering the largest possible audience

Partisanship now trumps political parties’ ownership of issues among voters, except among independents

Throughout recent US political history, certain issues have been considered to be “owned” by either party, such as national defense for the Republican Party and healthcare and the environment for the Democratic Party. But what does the rise of partisan polarization mean for the importance of issue ownership by the parties? In new survey research, Jamie M. Wright, Scott Clifford and Elizabeth N. Simas find that partisanship now means that highlighting a party’s ownership of an issue is only meaningful to independent voters, with partisans already viewing their party of choice as being more competent on these issues

Understanding How Changes in Disturbance Regimes and Long-Term Climate Shape Ecosystem and Landscape Structure and Function

Long-term and anthropic climatic change intersecting with disturbances alters ecosystem structure and function across spatiotemporal scales. Quantifying ecosystem responses can be convoluted, therefore utilizing multiproxy approaches clarifies consequent responses beyond correlations. Throughout the Holocene, climate continuously changed, contributing to increasing drought duration in some regions, such as the Pacific Northwest (PNW) (early Holocene) of the United States (also late Holocene wetting), and more intense precipitation in others, like South America (mid to late Holocene). A dominant dictating force in terrestrial system compositions is climate (e.g., temperature and precipitation), which is observed through reoccurring biotic patterns existing across the globe (i.e., ‘biomes’). Some biome distribution schematics designate biomes based on a shifting relationship between temperature and precipitation in which biomes can transition into others consequently mirroring climatic change. However, shifts in biomes are instigated on a lower level, such as the ecosystem scale where ecosystems dynamically respond to internal and exogenous forces. Consequently, ecosystems are perpetually fluctuating where multiple regimes can coexist under the same environmental conditions in which feedbacks, perturbations, and regime resiliency can either reinforce ecosystem statuses or contribute to shifts. My dissertation aims to elucidate ecosystem responses to climatic and disturbance changes specifically looking through a lens of carbon sequestration and stability. Understanding the persistence of carbon within an ecosystem is more prudent than ever given our current climate crisis. My research spans different hemispheres and time periods, where I utilize different approaches in each chapter to quantify ecosystem responses from varying angles. In Chapter II, I quantify how forest and savanna ecosystems have changed over the late Holocene across a large ecoregion (i.e., Brazil’s Cerrado) using stable and radiocarbon isotopes within the soil. In Chapter III, I transition to a landscape scale in the PNW where I investigate how fire in tandem with post-fire management influence soil carbon stability and soil fungal community composition. Chapter IV encompasses the ecosystem level within the PNW, where I use a single sediment core and a multiproxy approach to reconstruct biogeochemical shifts throughout the Holocene in response to climatic and disturbance changes. My dissertation possesses previously published and unpublished coauthored research

Competitive intelligence programmes at French Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Over the last ten years France has implemented regional programmes to increase the awareness of, and change attitudes towards, the Competitive Intelligence (CI) practices of enterprises. The emphasis has been on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) with the Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CCI) playing a central role. This is an important part of a national state effort to improve and focus a company’s strategic management of information in both defensive and offensive modes. This report is a summary of 15 semi-structured interviews undertaken with French Chambers of Commerce and Industry in 2009. These form the foundation for future work on identifying the roles of awarenessand attitudes as influence drivers in the competitive intelligence processes of SMEs in France

BCRP (ABCG2) expression, function and regulation in model and intestinal epithelial cells

The breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP, ABCG2) is a member of the ATP binding cassette transporters (ABC transporters) that functions as an efflux transporter alongside other family members such as MDR1 and MRP2 to remove foreign entities from the cell. These efflux transporters often have overlapping substrate specificity that together comprise a formidable barrier in preventing cell exposure to foreign compounds, but in doing so inevitably influence drug absorption, elimination and distribution of a significant number of prescribed drugs. This thesis has used established in vitro epithelial cell models such as MDCKII and Caco-2 cells to examine the function and regulation of the less characterised of the three main efflux transporters, BCRP, in the context of epithelial expression with particular focus on human intestinal cells. Several complementary techniques have been used including cellular accumulation of Hoechst 33342, a known MDR1/BCRP bi-substrate in the presence of selective pharmacological inhibitors, together with immunocytochemistry, immunoblotting and PCR techniques. Of most importance were functional assays of transepithelial substrate flux measured across reconstituted epithelial layers. BCRP substrates were identified by comparing bi-directional transport directly across native MDCKII monolayers to hBCRP/mBcrp and MDR1 transfected MDCKII cell layers in a high throughput assay. This technique identified several BCRP substrates including the selective BCRP agent nitrofurantoin. The human intestinal Caco-2 cell system was used as a model for BCRP mediated transport and induction of ABC transport activity. BCRP is expressed at differing levels in 2 cell-strains; saturable nitrofurantoin transport was evident in the high-expressing strain. Ko143, a specific BCRP inhibitor, inhibited nitrofurantoin secretion by this Caco-2 cell strain and allowed partition of BCRP mediated secretory flux from MDR1 for bi-substrates. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonist β-naphthoflavone (BNF) and the peroxisome proliferator receptor gamma (PPARγ) agonist rosiglitazone increased the BCRP mediated net flux of the selective substrate, nitrofurantoin and this correlated with an increase in both BCRP mRNA and protein expression. BCRP regulation in Caco-2 cells is likely to be controlled by more than one pathway and it appears that in the human gut a complex network of distinct nuclear receptors regulate the expression of BCRP. The present work suggests that the Caco-2 cell model together with nitrofurantoin as a substrate could serve as a screen for potential inducers of BCRP.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Measuring Information Leakage in Website Fingerprinting Attacks and Defenses

Tor provides low-latency anonymous and uncensored network access against a local or network adversary. Due to the design choice to minimize traffic overhead (and increase the pool of potential users) Tor allows some information about the client's connections to leak. Attacks using (features extracted from) this information to infer the website a user visits are called Website Fingerprinting (WF) attacks. We develop a methodology and tools to measure the amount of leaked information about a website. We apply this tool to a comprehensive set of features extracted from a large set of websites and WF defense mechanisms, allowing us to make more fine-grained observations about WF attacks and defenses.Comment: In Proceedings of the 2018 ACM SIGSAC Conference on Computer and Communications Security (CCS '18

Global assessment of exposure to faecal contamination through drinking water based on a systematic review

Objectives: To estimate exposure to faecal contamination through drinking water as indicated by levels of Escherichia coli (E. coli) or thermotolerant coliform (TTC) in water sources. Methods: We estimated coverage of different types of drinking water source based on household surveys and censuses using multilevel modelling. Coverage data were combined with water quality studies that assessed E. coli or TTC including those identified by a systematic review (n = 345). Predictive models for the presence and level of contamination of drinking water sources were developed using random effects logistic regression and selected covariates. We assessed sensitivity of estimated exposure to study quality, indicator bacteria and separately considered nationally randomised surveys. Results: We estimate that 1.8 billion people globally use a source of drinking water which suffers from faecal contamination, of these 1.1 billion drink water that is of at least 'moderate' risk (>10 E. coli or TTC per 100 ml). Data from nationally randomised studies suggest that 10% of improved sources may be 'high' risk, containing at least 100 E. coli or TTC per 100 ml. Drinking water is found to be more often contaminated in rural areas (41%, CI: 31%-51%) than in urban areas (12%, CI: 8-18%), and contamination is most prevalent in Africa (53%, CI: 42%-63%) and South-East Asia (35%, CI: 24%-45%). Estimates were not sensitive to the exclusion of low quality studies or restriction to studies reporting E. coli. Conclusions: Microbial contamination is widespread and affects all water source types, including piped supplies. Global burden of disease estimates may have substantially understated the disease burden associated with inadequate water services