Lessons from Oz: Design Guidelines for Automotive Conversational User Interfaces

This paper draws from literature and our experience of conducting Wizard-of-Oz (WoZ) studies using natural language, conversational user interfaces (CUIs) in the automotive domain. These studies have revealed positive effects of using in-vehicle CUIs on issues such as: cognitive demand/workload, passive task-related fatigue, trust, acceptance and environment engagement. A nascent set of human-centred design guidelines that have emerged is presented. These are based on the analysis of users' behaviour and the positive benefits observed, and aim to make interactions with an in-vehicle agent interlocutor safe, effective, engaging and enjoyable, while confirming with users' expectations. The guidelines can be used to inform the design of future in-vehicle CUIs or applied experimentally using WoZ methodology, and will be evaluated and refined in ongoing work.Comment: Accepted to the 11th International ACM Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications (AutomotiveUI '19

Faraday Rotation as a diagnostic of Galactic foreground contamination of CMB maps

The contribution from the residuals of the foreground can have a significant impact on the temperature maps of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Mostly, the focus has been on the galactic plane, when foreground cleaning has taken place. However, in this paper, we will investigate the possible foreground contamination, from sources outside the galactic plane in the CMB maps. We will analyze the correlation between the Faraday rotation map and the CMB temperature map. The Faraday rotation map is dependent on the galactic magnetic field, as well as the thermal electron density, and both may contribute to the CMB temperature. We find that the standard deviation for the mean cross correlation deviate from that of simulations at the 99.9% level. Additionally, a comparison between the CMB temperature extrema and the extremum points of the Faraday rotation is also performed, showing a general overlap between the two. Also we find that the CMB Cold Spot is located at an area of strong negative cross correlation, meaning that it may be explained by a galactic origin. Further, we investigate nearby supernova remnants in the galaxy, traced by the galactic radio loops. These super nova remnants are located at high and low galactic latitude, and thus well outside the galactic plane. We find some correlation between the Faraday Rotation and the CMB temperature, at select radio loops. This indicate, that the galactic foregrounds may affect the CMB, at high galactic latitudesComment: 13 pages, 22 figures, 6 table

Entrainment: A domain general cognitive timing mechanism?

From an early age onwards we tend to synchronize to temporally regular and rhythmic stimuli, such as the beat in music, which inevitably leads to movement. Recently, such basic mapping of temporally regular sound and motor behavior has been critically discussed and the four speakers of this symposium will address extensions of a basic sensorimotor conceptualization of entrainment in their talks. M. Henry and colleagues discuss oscillatory entrainment in perception only, while E. Large puts to test whether oscillatory entrainment simply mirrors stimulus frequency when movement is coupled with syncopated rhythm. J. Grahn explores whether non-beat related factors impact synchronization in movement, while S. Dalla-Bella confers how stimulus complexity affects people's capacity to synchronize finger tapping but also perception. The symposium will be discussed by V. Penhune

Identification of typical ecohydrological behaviours using InSAR allows landscape-scale mapping of peatland condition

Better tools for rapid and reliable assessment of global peatland extent and condition are urgently needed to support action to prevent further decline of peatlands. Peatland surface motion is a response to changes in the water and gas content of a peat body regulated by the ecology and hydrology of a peatland system. Surface motion is therefore a sensitive measure of ecohydrological condition but has traditionally been impossible to measure at the landscape scale. Here we examine the potential of surface motion metrics derived from satellite interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) to map peatland condition in a blanket bog landscape. We show that the timing of maximum seasonal swelling of the peat is characterised by a bimodal distribution. The first maximum, usually in autumn, is typical of "stiffer"peat associated with steeper topographic gradients, peatland margins, and degraded peatland and more often associated with "shrub"-dominated vegetation communities. The second maximum, usually in winter, is typically associated with "softer"peat typically found in low topographic gradients often featuring pool systems and Sphagnum-dominated vegetation communities. Specific conditions of "soft"and "stiff"peats are also determined by the amplitude of swelling and multi-annual average motion. Peatland restoration currently follows a re-wetting strategy; however, our approach highlights that landscape setting appears to determine the optimal endpoint for restoration. Aligning the expectation for restoration outcomes with landscape setting might optimise peatland stability and carbon storage. Importantly, deployment of this approach, based on surface motion dynamics, could support peatland mapping and management on a global scale

Catalog of Radio Galaxies with z>0.3. I:Construction of the Sample

The procedure of the construction of a sample of distant ($z>0.3$) radio galaxies using NED, SDSS, and CATS databases for further application in statistical tests is described. The sample is assumed to be cleaned from objects with quasar properties. Primary statistical analysis of the list is performed and the regression dependence of the spectral index on redshift is found.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, 2 table

A Radio Survey of Seven Southern X-ray Luminous Clusters of Galaxies

The Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) has been used at 1.38 and 2.38 GHz to survey seven southern Abell clusters of galaxies with high X-ray luminosities: A2746, A2837, A3126, A3216, A3230, A3827 and A3836. The clusters have also been surveyed at 0.843 GHz with the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope (MOST). We have listed a complete 1.38-GHz sample of 149 radio sources within the Abell circles centred on their X-ray centroids. We compare their identification fractions, emitted 1.38-GHz and optical powers, radio spectral indices and radial variation in projected source density with those of the radio-selected samples of Slee et al. (1998). We compare our fractional radio luminosity function with that of the radio-selected samples of Ledlow and Owen (1996) and Slee et al. (1998). Three significant differences are noted between X-ray and radio-selected samples of clusters; (1) the X-ray sample has an excess of flat-spectrum radio sources; (2) the fractional radio luminosity function for the FR I sources in the X-ray selected sample is much steeper, implying that fewer of their cluster galaxies become hosts for the stronger FR I radio galaxies; (3) a complete absence of FR II radio galaxies in the X-ray selected sample. The average excess projected density of radio sources near our cluster centres is approx. 5 times the background source density.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures, plus 6 figures to be published online only; accepted to appear in MNRA

Stringent neutron-star limits on large extra dimensions

Supernovae (SNe) are copious sources for Kaluza-Klein gravitons which are generic for theories with large extra dimensions. These massive particles are produced with average velocities ~0.5 c so that many of them are gravitationally retained by the SN core. Every neutron star thus has a halo of KK gravitons which decay into nu bar-nu, e^+e^- and gamma gamma on time scales \~10^9 years. The EGRET gamma-flux limits (E_gamma ~ 100 MeV) for nearby neutron stars constrain the fundamental scale for n=2 extra dimensions to M >500 TeV, and M>30 TeV for n=3. The upcoming GLAST satellite is a factor ~30 more sensitive and thus may detect KK decays, for example at the nearby neutron star RX J185635--3754. The requirement that neutron stars are not excessively heated by KK decays implies M>1700 TeV for n=2, and M>60 TeV for n=3.Comment: Minor changes, matches version to appear in PR