A mechatronic approach to supernormal auditory localisation

Remote audio perception is a fundamental requirement for telepresence and teleoperation in applications that range from work in hostile environments to security and entertainment. The following paper presents the use of a mechatronic system to test the efficacy of audio for telepresence. It describes work to determine whether the use of supernormal inter-aural distance is a valid means of approaching an enhanced method of hearing for telepresence. The particular audio variable investigated is the azimuth angle of error and the construction of a dedicated mechatronic test rig is reported and the results obtained. The paper concludes by observing that the combination of the mechatronic system and supernormal audition does enhance the ability to localise sound sources and that further work in this area is justified

The consistency of empirical comparisons of regression and analogy-based software project cost prediction

OBJECTIVE - to determine the consistency within and between results in empirical studies of software engineering cost estimation. We focus on regression and analogy techniques as these are commonly used. METHOD – we conducted an exhaustive search using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria and identified 67 journal papers and 104 conference papers. From this sample we identified 11 journal papers and 9 conference papers that used both methods. RESULTS – our analysis found that about 25% of studies were internally inconclusive. We also found that there is approximately equal evidence in favour of, and against analogy-based methods. CONCLUSIONS – we confirm the lack of consistency in the findings and argue that this inconsistent pattern from 20 different studies comparing regression and analogy is somewhat disturbing. It suggests that we need to ask more detailed questions than just: “What is the best prediction system?

A literature review of expert problem solving using analogy

We consider software project cost estimation from a problem solving perspective. Taking a cognitive psychological approach, we argue that the algorithmic basis for CBR tools is not representative of human problem solving and this mismatch could account for inconsistent results. We describe the fundamentals of problem solving, focusing on experts solving ill-defined problems. This is supplemented by a systematic literature review of empirical studies of expert problem solving of non-trivial problems. We identified twelve studies. These studies suggest that analogical reasoning plays an important role in problem solving, but that CBR tools do not model this in a biologically plausible way. For example, the ability to induce structure and therefore find deeper analogies is widely seen as the hallmark of an expert. However, CBR tools fail to provide support for this type of reasoning for prediction. We conclude this mismatch between experts’ cognitive processes and software tools contributes to the erratic performance of analogy-based prediction

Data quality: Some comments on the NASA software defect datasets

Background-Self-evidently empirical analyses rely upon the quality of their data. Likewise, replications rely upon accurate reporting and using the same rather than similar versions of datasets. In recent years, there has been much interest in using machine learners to classify software modules into defect-prone and not defect-prone categories. The publicly available NASA datasets have been extensively used as part of this research. Objective-This short note investigates the extent to which published analyses based on the NASA defect datasets are meaningful and comparable. Method-We analyze the five studies published in the IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering since 2007 that have utilized these datasets and compare the two versions of the datasets currently in use. Results-We find important differences between the two versions of the datasets, implausible values in one dataset and generally insufficient detail documented on dataset preprocessing. Conclusions-It is recommended that researchers 1) indicate the provenance of the datasets they use, 2) report any preprocessing in sufficient detail to enable meaningful replication, and 3) invest effort in understanding the data prior to applying machine learners

Charting Complex Changes: Application of the eHealth Implementation Toolkit (e-HIT) in the Delivering Assisted Living Lifestyles at Scale (dallas) Programme

The 'dallas' (Delivering Assisted Living Lifestyles at Scale) programme is a UK-wide digital healthcare initiative that has been designed to support independent living, enhance preventative care, and improve lifestyles by harnessing the potential of e-health technologies and digital services. This short paper presents a brief update on one strand of the University of Glasgow evaluation of the dallas programme. We have used the e-Health Implementation Toolkit (e-HIT) to investigate processes involved in the implementation of e-health tools and digital services being developed and deployed across the dallas communities and to assess 'distance travelled' by communities from baseline to midpoint of a three year programme. Qualitative data analysis was guided by the Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) and Framework Analysis. The e-HIT scores indicated that the dallas communities had underestimated the amount of work involved in implementing at scale. Qualitative data analysis showed that communities have successfully navigated barriers in order to make significant progress in strategic areas, including the development of new models of partnership working resulting in brand recognition and agile service design. The dallas communities are now sharing lessons learned and generating new professional knowledge, skills and understanding across several key strategic areas required for operationalising the implementation of e-health technologies and digital services at scale. The new knowledge being generated through the dallas programme will contribute to the ongoing transformation of digitally enabled healthcare based on more personalised flexible models of provision which resonates with the current e-health policy environment

Evaluation of existing and new methods of tracking glacier terminus change

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors thank two anonymous reviewers for constructive comments that helped to improve the manuscript. This research was financially supported by J.M.L.’s PhD funding from UK Natural Environment Research Council grant No. NE/I528742/1.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The embeddedness of social entrepreneurship: Understanding variation across local communities

Social enterprise organizations (SEOs) arise from entrepreneurial activities with the aim of achieving social goals. SEOs have been seen as alternative and/or complementary to the actions of governments and international organizations to address poverty and poverty-related social needs. Using a number of illustrative cases, we explore how variations in local institutional mechanisms shape the local "face of poverty" in different communities and how this relates to variations in the emergence and strategic orientations of SEOs. We develop a model of the productive opportunity space for SEOs as a basis of, and an inspiration for, further scholarly inquiry.social entrepreneurship; Social mechanisms; poverty; opportunity; institutions;

Microspectroscopy and Imaging in the THz Range Using Coherent CW Radiation

A novel THz near-field spectrometer is presented which allows to perform biological and medical studies with high spectral resolution combined with a spatial resolution down to l/100. In the setup an aperture much smaller than the used wavelength is placed in the beam very close to the sample. The sample is probed by the evanescent wave behind the aperture. The distance is measured extremely accurate by a confocal microscope. We use monochromatic sources which provide powerful coherent cw radiation tuneable from 50 GHz up to 1.5 THz. Transmission and reflection experiments can be performed which enable us to study solids and molecules in aqueous solution. Examples for spectroscopic investigations on biological tissues are presented.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, email: [email protected]