Direct Manipulation-like Tools for Designing Intelligent Virtual Agents

If intelligent virtual agents are to become widely adopted it is vital that they can be designed using the user friendly graphical tools that are used in other areas of graphics. However, extending this sort of tool to autonomous, interactive behaviour, an area with more in common with artificial intelligence, is not trivial. This paper discusses the issues involved in creating user-friendly design tools for IVAs and proposes an extension of the direct manipulation methodology to IVAs. It also presents an initial implementation of this methodology

"Talk" about male suicide? Learning from community programmes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the contribution of public awareness campaigning in developing community capacity toward preventing male suicide and explores emerging considerations for suicide prevention programme development. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on campaign evaluation data, specifically qualitative discussion groups with the general public, to report results concerning campaign processes, and “interim” effectiveness in changing public awareness and attitudes, and then discusses how progress is to be lasting and transformational. Findings – The campaign raised the awareness of a substantial proportion of those targeted, and affected attitudes and behaviour of those who were highly aware. The community settings approach was effective in reaching younger men, but there were challenges targeting the public more selectively, and engaging communities in a sustained way. Practical implications – The paper discusses emerging considerations for suicide prevention, focusing on gender and approaches and materials for engaging with the public as “influencers”. There are challenges to target audiences more specifically, provide a clear call to action, and engage the public in a sustained way. Social implications – The paper discusses emerging considerations for suicide prevention, focusing on gender and approaches and materials for engaging with the public as “influencers”. There are challenges to target audiences more specifically, provide a clear call to action, and engage the public in a sustained way. Originality/value – The paper adds fresh evidence of gendered communication processes, including their effects on public awareness, attitudes and engagement. Application of a theory of change model leads to systems level findings for sustaining programme gains

Evaluation of the Choose Life North Lanarkshire Awareness Programme: Final Report

The Centre for Men’s Health at Leeds Metropolitan University, with consultants from MRC Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, Glasgow, and Men’s Health Forum, Scotland (MHFS), were appointed to conduct the Choose Life (North Lanarkshire) evaluation, beginning in March 2011. The key evaluation questions are: 1. How has the social marketing approach to increase awareness of crisis service numbers and de-stigmatise understandings and attitudes about suicide worked? 2. Has the programme as implemented been effective? Which aspects of the programme have been particularly effective? 3. Has this programme been of benefit to the community, in particular young men aged 16-35? 4. What contribution has the community made to the effectiveness of the programme

Gas chromatograph injection port protective device

To prevent samples containing foreign matter from poisoning the gas chromatographic columns, a pre-filter insertion is placed in the injection port. The packing becomes a variable reactant, for example, acids are removed by using an alkaline liquid

Higher cyclic operads

We introduce a convenient definition for weak cyclic operads, which is based on unrooted trees and Segal conditions. More specifically, we introduce a category $\Xi$ of trees, which carries a tight relationship to the Moerdijk-Weiss category of rooted trees $\Omega$. We prove a nerve theorem exhibiting colored cyclic operads as presheaves on $\Xi$ which satisfy a Segal condition. Finally, we produce a Quillen model category whose fibrant objects satisfy a weak Segal condition, and we consider these objects as an up-to-homotopy generalization of the concept of cyclic operad

Influencing public awareness to prevent male suicide

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report findings from a formative evaluation of a suicide prevention public awareness campaign – Choose Life, North Lanarkshire. The focus is on preventing male suicide. The paper explores how the public campaign supports a co-ordinated and community-based direction for suicide prevention work, and examines how good practice can be identified, spread, and sustained. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on data collected from March to November 2011, using mixed primary research methods, including a quota survey, discussion groups with the general public, and stakeholder interviews. Findings – The campaign effectively raised the suicide awareness of a substantial proportion of those targeted, but with regional variations. It also affected the attitudes and behaviour of those who were highly aware. However, men and women engaged somewhat differently with the campaign. The sports and leisure settings approach was effective in reaching younger men. Practical implications – The paper discusses emerging considerations for suicide prevention, focusing on gender and approaches and materials for engaging with the public as “influencers”. There are challenges to target audiences more specifically, provide a clear call to action, and engage the public in a sustained way. Originality/value – This paper reflects on insights from a complex programme, exceptional in its focus on targeted sections of the public, especially young males. The paper indicates the importance for research and practice of intersecting dimensions of male identity, stigma and mental health, and other risk and protective factors which can inform campaigns highlighting talk about suicide among men

Synchronizing Sequencing Software to a Live Drummer

Copyright 2013 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT allows authors to archive published versions of their articles after an embargo period. The article is available at

Novel Sub-Harmonic Injection-Locked Balanced Oscillator

A novel sub-harmonic injection-locked balanced oscillator is proposed. The circuit provides two outputs with a 180° ° phase difference by employing a transmission line section for impedance transformation to meet the oscillation conditions. A coupling network is connected at the mid-point of the transmission line to inject the sub-harmonic frequency. This eliminates the need for a circulator or balun. The circuit is small and consumes low DC power. Under the locking state, the circuit provides double the injection frequency and also the phase noise of the two outputs is substantially improved

A Platform Independent Architecture for Virtual Characters and Avatars

We have developed a Platform Independent Architecture for Virtual Characters and Avatars (PIAVCA), a character animation system that aims to be independent of any underlying graphics framework and so be easily portable. PIAVCA supports body animation based on a skeletal representation and facial animation based on morph targets