A Study of Non-Linguistic Utterances for Social Human-Robot Interaction

The world of animation has painted an inspiring image of what the robots of the future could be. Taking the robots R2D2 and C3PO from the Star Wars films as representative examples, these robots are portrayed as being more than just machines, rather, they are presented as intelligent and capable social peers, exhibiting many of the traits that people have also. These robots have the ability to interact with people, understand us, and even relate to us in very personal ways through a wide repertoire of social cues. As robotic technologies continue to make their way into society at large, there is a growing trend toward making social robots. The field of Human-Robot Interaction concerns itself with studying, developing and realising these socially capable machines, equipping them with a very rich variety of capabilities that allow them to interact with people in natural and intuitive ways, ranging from the use of natural language, body language and facial gestures, to more unique ways such as expression through colours and abstract sounds. This thesis studies the use of abstract, expressive sounds, like those used iconically by the robot R2D2. These are termed Non-Linguistic Utterances (NLUs) and are a means of communication which has a rich history in film and animation. However, very little is understood about how such expressive sounds may be utilised by social robots, and how people respond to these. This work presents a series of experiments aimed at understanding how NLUs can be utilised by a social robot in order to convey affective meaning to people both young and old, and what factors impact on the production and perception of NLUs. Firstly, it is shown that not all robots should use NLUs. The morphology of the robot matters. People perceive NLUs differently across different robots, and not always in a desired manner. Next it is shown that people readily project affective meaning onto NLUs though not in a coherent manner. Furthermore, people's affective inferences are not subtle, rather they are drawn to well established, basic affect prototypes. Moreover, it is shown that the valence of the situation in which an NLU is made, overrides the initial valence of the NLU itself: situational context biases how people perceive utterances made by a robot, and through this, coherence between people in their affective inferences is found to increase. Finally, it is uncovered that NLUs are best not used as a replacement to natural language (as they are by R2D2), rather, people show a preference for them being used alongside natural language where they can play a supportive role by providing essential social cues

Comparison‐specific preferences:The attentional dilution effect for delay and risk

In cross-modal decisions, the options differ on many attributes, and in uni-modal decisions, they differ on few. We supply new theory and data to understand how discounting for both delay and risk differs between cross-modal and uni-modal decisions. We propose the attentional dilution effect in decision making in which (a) allocation of limited attention to an attribute determines that attribute's decision weight and (b) the attention an attribute receives is increasing in the difference between options on that attribute and decreasing in the number of other attributes that differ between options. We introduce the random order delayed compensation method and conduct two experiments focusing on delayed and risky receipt of consumer goods. Consistent with the attentional dilution effect, we find that in this domain, patience and risk tolerance are generally higher in cross-modal than uni-modal decisions. We suggest that, since many real-world choices are cross-modal, people may be more patient and risk-tolerant in their everyday life than is suggested by standard lab experiments

Structural basis for the specificity of renin-mediated angiotensinogen cleavage.

The renin-angiotensin cascade is a hormone system that regulates blood pressure and fluid balance. Renin-mediated cleavage of the angiotensin I peptide from the N terminus of angiotensinogen (AGT) is the rate-limiting step of this cascade; however, the detailed molecular mechanism underlying this step is unclear. Here, we solved the crystal structures of glycosylated human AGT (2.30 Å resolution), its encounter complex with renin (2.55 Å), AGT cleaved in its reactive center loop (RCL; 2.97 Å), and spent AGT from which the N-terminal angiotensin peptide was removed (2.63 Å). These structures revealed that AGT undergoes profound conformational changes and binds renin through a tail-into-mouth allosteric mechanism that inserts the N terminus into a pocket equivalent to a hormone-binding site on other serpins. These changes fully extended the N-terminal tail, with the scissile bond for angiotensin release docked in renin's active site. Insertion of the N terminus into this pocket accompanied a complete unwinding of helix H of AGT, which, in turn, formed key interactions with renin in the complementary binding interface. Mutagenesis and kinetic analyses confirmed that renin-mediated production of angiotensin I is controlled by interactions of amino acid residues and glycan components outside renin's active-site cleft. Our findings indicate that AGT adapts unique serpin features for hormone delivery and binds renin through concerted movements in the N-terminal tail and in its main body to modulate angiotensin release. These insights provide a structural basis for the development of agents that attenuate angiotensin release by targeting AGT's hormone binding pocket

“The Problem from Hell”: Examining the Role of Peace and Conflict Studies for Genocide Intervention and Prevention

Genocide is one of the most challenging problems of our age. In her book, “A Problem from Hell:” America and the Age of Genocide, Samantha Power (2002) argues that the United States, while in a position to intervene in genocide, has lacked the will to do so, and therefore it is incumbent on the U.S. citizenry to pressure their government to act. This article reviews how the topic of genocide raises questions along the fault lines of the field of Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS). In this article, a framework is provided to examine genocide and responses to it. This includes a review of a multiplicity of factors that (a) facilitate genocide, (b) constrain action in the face of it, and (c) facilitate intervention. In this analysis, further consideration is given to the location of the actor either within the region of the conflict or external to it. Our goal is to situate the study of genocide in the PACS field and promote to the articulation of possibilities for intervention by individuals, organizations, and policymakers

Temperature-responsive release of thyroxine and its environmental adaptation in Australians.

The hormone thyroxine that regulates mammalian metabolism is carried and stored in the blood by thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG). We demonstrate here that the release of thyroxine from TBG occurs by a temperature-sensitive mechanism and show how this will provide a homoeostatic adjustment of the concentration of thyroxine to match metabolic needs, as with the hypothermia and torpor of small animals. In humans, a rise in temperature, as in infections, will trigger an accelerated release of thyroxine, resulting in a predictable 23% increase in the concentration of free thyroxine at 39°C. The in vivo relevance of this fever-response is affirmed in an environmental adaptation in aboriginal Australians. We show how two mutations incorporated in their TBG interact in a way that will halve the surge in thyroxine release, and hence the boost in metabolic rate that would otherwise occur as body temperatures exceed 37°C. The overall findings open insights into physiological changes that accompany variations in body temperature, as notably in fevers

Time matters less when outcomes differ: uni-modal versus cross-modal comparisons in intertemporal choice

Uni-modal intertemporal decisions involve comparing options of the same type (e.g. apples now versus apples later), and cross-modal decisions involve comparing options of different types (e.g. a car now versus a vacation later). As we explain, existing models of intertemporal choice do not allow time preference to depend on whether the comparisons to be made are uni-modal or cross-modal. We test this restriction in an experiment using the delayed-compensation method, a new extension of the standard method of eliciting intertemporal preferences that allows for assessment of time preference for non-monetary and discrete outcomes, as well as for both cross-modal and uni-modal comparisons. Participants were much more averse to delay for uni-modal than cross-modal decisions. We provide two potential explanations for this effect: one drawing on multi-attribute choice, the other drawing on construal level theory

Keanekaragaman Manusia

Manusia adalah makhluk dengan segala keunikan dan keistimewaan, yang senantiasa memiliki kemampuan dalam cipta, rasa, dan karsa. Sejak lahir manusia dibekali dengan panca indera dan akal budi sebagai cara untuk menikmati, menyentuh setiap fenomena kehidupan yang senantiasa merasuk dalam pikiran dan menjadi bahan untuk direnungkan dalam upaya menjawab berbagai macam persoalan. Otak pada setiap manusia tidak hanya dipenuhi dengan pikiran semata, melainkan merupakan rangkaian memori yang mengisahkan tentang kenangan dan pengalaman pada masa lalu, baik yang bersinggungan secara langsung ataupun yang berasal dari manusia lainnya. Pengalaman di masa lalu pastinya menyisakan kesan tersendiri yang kemudian menjadi potensi untuk mengolah sebuah gagasan dengan daya imajinasi dan kreatifitas sehingga gagasan tersebut bisa diekspresikan dan dikomunikasikan kepada manusia lainnya. Pengalaman tentang keanekaragaman manusia tidak habisnya menghadirkan berbagai macam persoalan yang menyita perhatian untuk direnungkan. Kali ini persoalan tersebut menjadi gagasan yang akan dikembangkan dengan imajinasi dan kreativitas menjadi sebuah ide penciptaan karya seni grafis. Pada konsep visual, secara kuat menampikan figur-figur manusia yang divisualkan dengan berbagai macam bentuk fisik yang beragam antara figur satu dengan lainnya sebagai representasi dari keanekaragaman manusia. Secara teknik, karya tersebut menggunakan cetak tinggi (hardboardcut) dengan menggunakan berbagai macam warna sehingga konsep tentang keanekaragaman manusia bisa tersampaikan

Reproductive Failure in UK Harbour Porpoises Phocoena phocoena : Legacy of Pollutant Exposure?

This research was supported by a Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship within the Seventh European Community Framework Programme (Project Cetacean-stressors, PIOF-GA-2010-276145 to PDJ and SM). Additional funding was provided through the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS) (Grants SSFA/2008 and SSFA / ASCOBANS / 2010 / 5 to SM). Analysis of Scottish reproductive and teeth samples was funded by the EC-funded BIOCET project (BIOaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants in small CETaceans in European waters: transport pathways and impact on reproduction, grant EVK3-2000-00027 to GJP), and Marine Scotland (GJP). Samples examined in this research were collected under the collaborative Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (http://ukstrandings.org/), which is funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the UK’s Devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales (http://sciencesearch.defra.gov.uk/Defaul​t.aspx?Menu=Menu&Module=More&Location=No​ne&Completed=0&ProjectID=15331) (grants to PDJ, RD). UK Defra also funded the chemical analysis under a service-level agreement with the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (grants to RJL, JB). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Comparison‐specific preferences: The attentional dilution effect for delay and risk

In cross‐modal decisions, the options differ on many attributes, and in uni‐modal decisions, they differ on few. We supply new theory and data to understand how discounting for both delay and risk differs between cross‐modal and uni‐modal decisions. We propose the attentional dilution effect in decision making in which (a) allocation of limited attention to an attribute determines that attribute's decision weight and (b) the attention an attribute receives is increasing in the difference between options on that attribute and decreasing in the number of other attributes that differ between options. We introduce the random order delayed compensation method and conduct two experiments focusing on delayed and risky receipt of consumer goods. Consistent with the attentional dilution effect, we find that in this domain, patience and risk tolerance are generally higher in cross‐modal than uni‐modal decisions. We suggest that, since many real‐world choices are cross‐modal, people may be more patient and risk‐tolerant in their everyday life than is suggested by standard lab experiments

Turbulence, waves, and jets in a differentially heated rotating annulus experiment

We report an analog laboratory study of planetary-scale turbulence and jet formation. A rotating annulus was cooled and heated at its inner and outer walls, respectively, causing baroclinic instability to develop in the fluid inside. At high rotation rates and low temperature differences, the flow became chaotic and ultimately fully turbulent. The inclusion of sloping top and bottom boundaries caused turbulenteddies to behave like planetary waves at large scales, and eddy interaction with the zonal flow then led to the formation of several alternating jets at mid-depth. The jets did not scale with the Rhines length, and spectral analysis of the flow indicated a distinct separation between jets and eddies in wavenumber space, with direct energy transfer occurring nonlocally between them. Our results suggest that the traditional “turbulent cascade” picture of zonal jet formation may be an inappropriate one in the geophysically important case of large-scale flows forced by differential solar heating.Engineering and Applied Science