Combining cognitive and system-oriented approaches for designing IR user interfaces

Poster at the AIR workshop 2008, London, Englan

Exploring the potential of occupancy modelling using passive acoustics in Coua gigas and Coua coquereli

In highly threatened habitats such as the dry deciduous forests of western Madagascar, it is essential to develop new approaches to detect population changes and evaluate conservation measures. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is such a promising approach. This method has many advantages over conventional methods, such as time efficiency, money savings, and reduced wildlife disturbance. It is especially suitable for studying occupancy and activity patterns of vocalizing species such as birds. Our study analyzed data recorded with autonomous sound recorders in 2018 in Kirindy Forest for the territorial calls of Coua gigas and Coua coquereli. We modeled occupancy and detection probability for both species in the study area. We also examined activity patterns and found that the peak of vocal activity for Coua coquereli is at 0700h and for Coua gigas at 1100h. To also test the value of PAM in relation to ecological factors we modeled occupancy and included logging status as a site covariate. We detected a positive influence of logging in occupancy of Coua gigas. Our study provides guidelines for future occupancy studies using PAM in the two coua species. We conclude that PAM will improve the ecological monitoring of soniferous animals in Madagascar.   RÉSUMÉ Dans les habitats très menacés tels que les forêts sèches à feuilles caduques de l'ouest de Madagascar, il est essentiel de développer de nouvelles approches pour détecter les changements de population et évaluer les mesures de conservation. La surveillance acoustique passive (PAM) est une approche prometteuse. Cette méthode présente de nombreux avantages par rapport aux méthodes conventionnelles, comme le gain de temps, l'économie d'argent et la réduction des perturbations de la faune. Elle est particulièrement adaptée à l'étude des modèles d'occupation et d'activité des espèces vocalisantes telles que les oiseaux. Notre étude a analysé les données enregistrées avec des enregistreurs sonores autonomes en 2018 dans la forêt de Kirindy pour les vocalisations territoriaux de Coua gigas et Coua coquereli. Nous avons modélisé l'occupation et la probabilité de détection des deux espèces dans la zone d'étude. Nous avons également examiné les schémas d'activité et constaté que le pic d'activité vocale de Coua coquereli se situe à 0700h et celui de Coua gigas à 1100h. Pour tester également la valeur de la PAM par rapport aux facteurs écologiques, nous avons modélisé l'occupation et inclus le statut d'exploitation forestière en tant que covariable du site. Nous avons détecté une influence positive de l'exploitation forestière sur l'occupation de Coua gigas. Notre étude fournit des lignes directrices pour les futures études d'occupation utilisant la PAM pour les deux espèces de coua. Nous concluons que la PAM améliorera le suivi écologique des animaux sonifères à Madagascar

Support for Information-Seeking Strategies

Längere Such-Episoden umfassen mehrere Such-Aktionen. Diese Such-Aktionen können in verschiedene Klassen unterteilt werden. Die Klassifikation, die in dieser Arbeit verwendet wird, ist die ISS-Klassifikation von Belkin, Marchetti und Cool, die vier Facetten verwendet (method, goal, mode, resource used), von denen jede zwei Werte hat. Unter der Annahme, dass Support-Mechanismen für jede Klasse bekannt sind, war die Forschungsfrage, ob man jede dieser Klassen durch ein anderes, spezialisiertes Such-Interface unterstützen muss, um eine optimale Unterstützung über unterschiedliche Situationen hinweg zu erreichen, oder ob es reicht, wenn ein einziges Interface Support-Mechanismen für alle denkbaren Such-Aktionen anbietet. Die Forschungsfrage wurde in insgesamt drei Experimenten untersucht. Die ISS-Klassifikation besteht aus 16 Klassen. Da die Untersuchung der Forschungsfrage für jede dieser 16 Klassen zu aufwändig gewesen wäre, wurden zwei Facetten, goal und resource used, ausgeschlossen. Dadurch blieben zwei Facetten, method und mode, mit insgesamt vier Klassen übrig. Support-Mechanismen für die vier Facetten-Werte, scanning, searching, recognition und specification, wurden gesammelt unter der Annahme, dass diese Mechanismen ebenso unabhängig voneinander sind wie die zugrunde liegenden Facetten. Der Facetten-Wert recognition wurde in zwei Experimenten untersucht. Das erste Experiment untersuchte eine Tabellen-basierte Ergebnislisten-Darstellung mit einer Listen-basierten Darstellung mit Highlighting bezüglich ihrer Auswirkung auf den Erfolg bei visueller Suche. Versuchsteilnehmer wurden gebeten, Such-Ziele in vorgefertigten Ergebnislisten mit beiden Darstellungs-Varianten, aber nur unter Verwendung visueller Suche, zu finden (Messwiederholung). Ihr Erfolg wurde gemessen anhand der gefundenen Such-Ziele pro Zeit. Weder Liste noch Tabelle zeigten statistisch signifikante Vorteile gegenüber der jeweils anderen Variante. Das zweite Experiment führte eine Baseline-Variante ein, die aus einer herkömmlichen Listen-basierten Darstellung ohne Highlighting bestand. Von dieser Änderung abgesehen, war das Experiment dem ersten recht ähnlich. Auch in diesem Experiment wurde kein statistisch signifikanter Unterschied zwischen den Darstellungs-Varianten gefunden. Für die anderen Facetten-Werte wurden Support-Mechanismen anhand einer Literatur-Suche identifiziert und im letzten Experiment verwendet. Die Haupt-Forschungsfrage wurde untersucht anhand von drei verschiedenen Such-Systemen, die sich einander ähnelten und auf dem ezDL-System basierten. Die erste Variante (baseline) war eine sehr vereinfachte Variante des ezDL-Systems, das außer einer Übersetzungs-Einrichtung keine Support-Mechanismen enthielt. Das zweite System war ein adaptives System, das Support-Mechanismen passend zur aktuellen Such-Aktion des Teilnehmers anbot. Das dritte System enthielt alle Support-Mechanismen des zweiten Systems für alle ISS-Klassen auf einmal. Versuchsteilnehmer wurden gebeten, Suchaufgaben mit einem der drei Systeme zu bearbeiten (ohne Messwiederholung). Ihr Erfolg wurde gemessen durch die Anzahl der gefundenen Dokumente pro Zeit. Kein statistisch signifikanter Unterschied zwischen den Systemen wurde gefunden.Longer search episodes comprise multiple search actions. These search actions can be grouped into several classes. The classification used in this work is the ISS classification by Belkin, Marchetti and Cool, which uses four facets (method, goal, mode and resource used), each of which has to values. Assuming that support features for each class are known, the research question was whether it is necessary to support each ISS class by a different search user interface in order to optimally help the user across many situations, or if a single interface can offer support mechanisms for any search action the user is being involved in. The research question was examined in three experiments. The ISS classification consists of 16 classes. Since studying the research question for all of these classes would have been too difficult, two facets, resource used and learning, were omitted, leaving the two facets method and mode with a total of four remaining classes for examination. Support mechanisms for each value of the two facets, scanning, searching, recognition, and specification, were gathered, assuming that the support mechanisms are as independent of each other as the underlying facets. Support features for the facet value recognition was examined in two experiments. The first experiment compared a table-based result list presentation with a list-based one using highlighting in terms of their support for visual search. Participants were asked to locate search targets in manufactured result lists using each of the result list variants solely by means of visual search (within-subjects design). Their success was measured by how many search targets they found per time. Neither list nor table provided a statistically significant advantage. The second experiment added a baseline result list without any support for visual search; apart of this, the experiment was very similar to the first one. Again, none of the studied result list variants showed statistically significant differences to any other. For the other facet values, the support mechanisms were gathered in a literature search, which identified some promising mechanisms which were then used in the last experiment. The main research question was examined using three search systems that were similar to each other. The first one (baseline) was a very basic variant of the ezDL system and provided no advanced support features other than a translation feature. The second system was an adaptive interface that provided support features only for the ISS class the user was being engaged in. The third system provided all support features of the second system for all ISS classes at once. Participants were asked to complete search tasks with one of the systems (between-subjects design). Their success was measured by how many of the required documents they could locate per time. None of the systems studied provided any statistically significant benefit over any of the other systems

Distinct ligand binding sites in integrin alpha3beta1 regulate matrix adhesion and cell-cell contact.

The integrin alpha3beta1 mediates cellular adhesion to the matrix ligand laminin-5. A second integrin ligand, the urokinase receptor (uPAR), associates with alpha3beta1 via a surface loop within the alpha3 beta-propeller (residues 242-246) but outside the laminin binding region, suggesting that uPAR-integrin interactions could signal differently from matrix engagement. To explore this, alpha3-/- epithelial cells were reconstituted with wild-type (wt) alpha3 or alpha3 with Ala mutations within the uPAR-interacting loop (H245A or R244A). Wt or mutant-bearing cells showed comparable expression and adhesion to laminin-5. Cells expressing wt alpha3 and uPAR dissociated in culture, with increased Src activity, up-regulation of SLUG, and down-regulation of E-cadherin and gamma-catenin. Src kinase inhibition or expression of Src 1-251 restored the epithelial phenotype. The H245A and R244A mutants were unaffected by coexpression of uPAR. We conclude that alpha3beta1 regulates both cell-cell contact and matrix adhesion, but through distinct protein interaction sites within its beta-propeller. These studies reveal an integrin- and Src-dependent pathway for SLUG expression and mesenchymal transition

Simulation of Relativistic Electrons Through a Magnetic Chicane

Poster describing the path length differences for two relativistic electrons going through a series of four dipoles. This preliminary work will lead to full simulation of electron beam being compressed for use in an X-Ray Free Electron Laser in conjunction with magnetic quadruple lenses to create a small electron beam

Simulation of Relativistic Electrons Through a Magnetic Chicane

Poster describing the path length differences for two relativistic electrons going through a series of four dipoles. This preliminary work will lead to full simulation of electron beam being compressed for use in an X-Ray Free Electron Laser in conjunction with magnetic quadruple lenses to create a small electron beam

Manipulation of Beams of Ultra-relativistic Electrons to Create Femtosecond X-ray Pulses

The research proposed here is expected to result in a crucial component used in a next-generation X-ray source. Typical conventional high-brightness X-ray sources (so-called synchrotron lightsources) are up to 30 football fields in size. Our group uses a novel technique based on ultrahigh-power lasers to develop a similar source that can readily fit into a single, university-scale laboratory. More specifically, the research conducted within this proposal will be concerned with the manipulation of beams of ultra-relativistic electrons, (electrons that move with almost the speed of light) with the goal to focus the particles into an area that is smaller than the diameter of a human hair. X-ray sources are commonly used to resolve the molecular constituents of matter on the atomic-scale (i.e. to spatially resolve molecular structures and dynamics on their natural length and time scale). This requires X-ray pulses with Angström wavelengths (less than a billionth meter, 10^(-10) m) and femtosecond (a millionth of a billionth second, 10^(-15) s) duration

Manipulation of Beams of Ultra-relativistic Electrons to Create Femtosecond X-ray Pulses

The research proposed here is expected to result in a crucial component used in a next-generation X-ray source. Typical conventional high-brightness X-ray sources (so-called synchrotron lightsources) are up to 30 football fields in size. Our group uses a novel technique based on ultrahigh-power lasers to develop a similar source that can readily fit into a single, university-scale laboratory. More specifically, the research conducted within this proposal will be concerned with the manipulation of beams of ultra-relativistic electrons, (electrons that move with almost the speed of light) with the goal to focus the particles into an area that is smaller than the diameter of a human hair. X-ray sources are commonly used to resolve the molecular constituents of matter on the atomic-scale (i.e. to spatially resolve molecular structures and dynamics on their natural length and time scale). This requires X-ray pulses with Angström wavelengths (less than a billionth meter, 10^(-10) m) and femtosecond (a millionth of a billionth second, 10^(-15) s) duration

Multivariate Nonlinear Regression with Semiparametric Latent Factor Models

We propose a semiparametric model for regression problems involving multiple response variables. Conditional dependencies between the responses are represented through a linear mixture of Gaussian processes. We propose an efficient approximate inference scheme for this semiparametric model whose complexity is linear in the number of training data points, and show how the mixing matrix and kernel parameters can be learned by empirical Bayesian techniques. Our inference technique exploits conditional independencies between the latent variables and can be seen as a variant of belief propagation with nonparametric messages. We present experimental results on a meteorological task