Effects of noise upon human information processing

Studies of noise effects upon human information processing are described which investigated whether or not effects of noise upon performance are dependent upon specific characteristics of noise stimulation and their interaction with task conditions. The difficulty of predicting noise effects was emphasized. Arousal theory was considered to have explanatory value in interpreting the findings of all the studies. Performance under noise was found to involve a psychophysiological cost, measured by vasoconstriction response, with the degree of response cost being related to scores on a noise annoyance sensitivity scale. Noise sensitive subjects showed a greater autonomic response under noise stimulation

Investigating collaborative annotation on slate PCs

Mobile reading is becoming evermore popular with the introduction of eInk devices such as the Kindle, as well as the many reading applications available on slate PCs and cellular handsets. The portable nature and large storage capacity of these modern mobile devices is making reading a more technology orientated activity. One aspect of mobile reading that has been given surprisingly little attention is collective reading - which is a common activity with paper documents. We investigate the support of group reading using slate PCs, focussing on collective annotation. In the past, desktop PCs have proved inferior in many ways for reading, when compared to paper. Notably, user evaluations of our new system, BuddyBooks, demonstrate that the slate PC form factor can, in contrast, provide advantages for group reading. While annotation practices change with the new format, coordinating within the group can be improved when touch-interaction is carefully exploited

Semi-classical equation of state and specific heats for neutron-star inner crust with proton shell corrections

An approach to the equation of state for the inner crust of neutron stars based on Skyrme-type forces is presented. Working within the Wigner-Seitz picture, the energy is calculated by the TETF (temperature-dependent extended Thomas-Fermi) method, with proton shell corrections added self-consistently by the Strutinsky-integral method. Using a Skyrme force that has been fitted to both neutron matter and to essentially all the nuclear mass data, we find strong proton shell effects: proton numbers $Z$ = 50, 40 and 20 are the only values possible in the inner crust, assuming that nuclear equilibrium is maintained in the cooling neutron star right down to the ambient temperature. Convergence problems with the TETF expansion for the entropy, and our way of handling them, are discussed. Full TETF expressions for the specific heat of inhomogeneous nuclear matter are presented. Our treatment of the electron gas, including its specific heat, is essentially exact, and is described in detail.Comment: 41 pages, 6 figure

Co-reading: investigating collaborative group reading.

Collaborative reading, or co-reading as we call it, is ubiquitous—it occurs, for instance, in classrooms, book-clubs, and in less coordinated ways through mass media. While individual digital reading has been the subject of much investigation, research into co-reading is scarce. We report a two-phase field study of group reading to identify an initial set of user requirements. A co-reading interface is then designed that facilitates the coordination of group reading by providing temporary ‘Point-out’ markers to indicate specific locations within documents. A user study compared this new system with collaborative reading on paper, with a positive outcome; the differences in user behavior between paper and the new interface reveal intriguing insights into user needs and the potential benefits of digital media for co-reading

On the statistical evaluation of dose-response functions

The linear-quadratic dependence of effect on the dose of ionizing radiation and its biophysical implications are considered. The estimation of the parameters of the response function and the derivation of the joint confidence region of the estimates are described. The method is applied to the induction of pink mutations inTradescantia which follows the linear-quadratic model. The statistical procedure is also suitable for other response functions

Structural, Vibrational and Thermodynamic Properties of AgnCu34-n Nanoparticles

We report results of a systematic study of structural, vibrational and thermodynamical properties of 34-atom bimetallic nanoparticles from the AgnCu34-n family using model interaction potentials as derived from the embedded atom method and in the harmonic approximation of lattice dynamics. Systematic trends in the bond length and dynamical properties can be explained largely on arguments based on local coordination and elemental environment. Thus increase in the number of silver atoms in a given neighborhood introduces a monotonic increase in bond length while increase of the copper content does the reverse. Moreover, based on bond lengths of the lowest coordinated (6 and 8) copper atoms with their nearest neighbors (Cu atoms), we find that the nanoparticles divide into two groups with average bond length either close to (~ 2.58 A) or smaller (~ 2.48 A) than that in bulk copper, accompanied by characteristic features in their vibrational density of states. For the entire set of nanoparticles, vibrational modes are found above the bulk bands of copper/silver. Furthermore, a blue shift in the high frequency end with increasing number of copper atoms in the nanoparticles is traced to a shrinkage of bond lengths from bulk values. The vibrational densities of states at the low frequency end of the spectrum scale linearly with frequency as for single element nanoparticles, however, the effect is more pronounced for these nanoalloys. The Debye temperature was found to be about one third of that of the bulk for pure copper and silver nanoparticles with a non-linear increase with increasing number of copper atoms in the nanoalloys.Comment: 37 pages, 12 figure

Control of Raman Lasing in the Nonimpulsive Regime

We explore coherent control of stimulated Raman scattering in the nonimpulsive regime. Optical pulse shaping of the coherent pump field leads to control over the stimulated Raman output. A model of the control mechanism is investigated.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Prickly Pear Eradication and Control.

55 p