Users' Perceptions of Environmental Control Systems

This paper presents users' perceptions of the benefits and challenges of environmental control systems, the data having been collected as part of a project developing a new speech-driven environmental control system. The first stage of this project collected data from existing users of speech-driven environmental control systems and provided information for the specification for the new device. A secondary analysis of this data revealed perceptions about environmental control systems in general and the results are presented here. Independence and control emerged as a key aspect of environmental control systems. In addition it was possible to identify other themes around topics such as perceptions of service delivery and provision. It can be easy for a non disabled person to overlook the importance of being able to independently change the television channel or make a phone call and this data reinforces the importance of this to people who use environmental control systems

Speech-driven environmental control systems - a qualitative analysis of users' perceptions

Purpose. To explore users' experiences and perceptions of speech-driven environmental control systems (SPECS) as part of a larger project aiming to develop a new SPECS. The motivation for this part of the project was to add to the evidence base for the use of SPECS and to determine the key design specifications for a new speech-driven system from a user's perspective. Method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 users of SPECS from around the United Kingdom. These interviews were transcribed and analysed using a qualitative method based on framework analysis. Results. Reliability is the main influence on the use of SPECS. All the participants gave examples of occasions when their speech-driven system was unreliable; in some instances, this unreliability was reported as not being a problem (e.g., for changing television channels); however, it was perceived as a problem for more safety critical functions (e.g., opening a door). Reliability was cited by participants as the reason for using a switch-operated system as back up. Benefits of speech-driven systems focused on speech operation enabling access when other methods were not possible; quicker operation and better aesthetic considerations. Overall, there was a perception of increased independence from the use of speech-driven environmental control. Conclusions. In general, speech was considered a useful method of operating environmental controls by the participants interviewed; however, their perceptions regarding reliability often influenced their decision to have backup or alternative systems for certain functions

Variation in population synchrony in a multi-species seabird community: response to changes in predator abundance

Ecologically similar sympatric species, subject to typical environmental conditions, may be expected to exhibit synchronous temporal fluctuations in demographic parameters, while populations of dissimilar species might be expected to show less synchrony. Previous studies have tested for synchrony in different populations of single species, and those including data from more than one species have compared fluctuations in only one demographic parameter. We tested for synchrony in inter-annual changes in breeding population abundance and productivity among four tern species on Coquet Island, northeast England. We also examined how manipulation of one independent environmental variable (predator abundance) influenced temporal changes in ecologically similar and dissimilar tern species. Changes in breeding abundance and productivity of ecologically similar species (Arctic Sterna paradisaea, Common S. hirundo and Roseate Terns S. dougallii) were synchronous with one another over time, but not with a species with different foraging and breeding behaviour (Sandwich Terns Thalasseus sandvicensis). With respect to changes in predator abundance, there was no clear pattern. Roseate Tern abundance was negatively correlated with that of large gulls breeding on the island from 1975 to 2013, while Common Tern abundance was positively correlated with number of large gulls, and no significant correlations were found between large gull and Arctic and Sandwich Tern populations. Large gull abundance was negatively correlated with productivity of Arctic and Common Terns two years later, possibly due to predation risk after fledging, while no correlation with Roseate Tern productivity was found. The varying effect of predator abundance is most likely due to specific differences in the behaviour and ecology of even these closely-related species. Examining synchrony in multi-species assemblages improves our understanding of how whole communities react to long-term changes in the environment and suggests that changes in predator abundance may differentially affect populations of sympatric seabird species

Sparing Internet Radio from the Real Threat of the Hypothetical Marketplace

In early 2007, the newly minted Copyright Royalty Board(CRB) handed down its first ruling, which set royalty rates for the digital performance of sound recordings. The CRB\u27s ruling ignited a firestorm of concern among Internet radio broadcasters (webcasters) and their listeners. For some webcasters, the change to royalty rates constituted a 300-1200% increase over what was due under the previous scheme. This massive increase in royalties is attributable to the willing buyer/willing seller standard that the CRB is statutorily required to employ. This standard directs the CRB to construct one hypothetical marketplace and establish rates to which most buyers and sellers in the marketplace would agree. The resulting royalties will put many webcasters out of business and hinder the growth of a new, evolving industry. This effect runs counter to the purpose of copyright law, which is to encourage creative output for the public good by awarding temporary monopoly rights to those who produce creative works. For this reason, 17 U.S.C. § 114(f)(2)(B) must be amended to direct the CRB to apply the willing buyer/willing seller standard in a manner that adequately accounts for the varied financial realities facing webcasters and honors the overarching policy of copyright law. This article argues for a standard that expressly directs the CRB to construct a hypothetical marketplace for each actual marketplace. Part I discusses the CRB\u27s application of the willing buyer/willing seller standard. Part II analyzes the shortcomings of the current standard and proposes a revised standard that accounts for the economic realities of the webcasting industry while honoring the objectives of copyright law

Continuous Snow Water Equivalent Measurements with Ultra-Wideband Radar: \u3cem\u3eTowards a New Generation of Real-Time Automated Snow Sensor Arrays\u3c/em\u3e

Snow accounts for the majority of precipitation in many areas of the Western United States, and accurate measurements of the amount of water contained in the snowpack, known as snow water equivalent (SWE), are therefore important for water resource managers. The National Resources Conservation Service Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) sites are the current standard remote measurement of SWE, with approximately 800 sites across the Western United States. Measurements at these sites are made by snow pillows, which weigh the overburden pressure of a snowpack, and are relatively expensive to install and maintain. Spring runoff is modeled using a 30-year average of SNOTEL SWE values, and recent years are increasingly diverging from the historical record as climate change impacts both the timing and amount of runoff. Additional measurements of in-situ SWE would increase model performance, but the current technology is several decades old and has limited range for site expansion. Radar has been proven to effectively measure SWE since the 1970s, but has not been developed as an operational sensor because the technology has been expensive and the data processing has not been developed for real-time applications necessary for remote sites. This study applies a novel automatic processing algorithm, which inputs raw radar data and outputs SWE values available for transmission, to newly available hardware. The combination of automatic processing and new, high-resolution hardware allows radar to continuously measure SWE at remote sites, which have the potential to make radar the next generation of SWE sensor technology. The accuracy of the radar was first determined by a series of focused, 1-2m radar profiles over subsequently excavated manual snow pits, with accuracy of 7% in SWE compared to manual measurements. A network of eight radars was deployed at remote sites in Idaho, Montana and Colorado. Three of the eight remotely deployed radars were located at sites with independent SWE or precipitation measurements: Bogus Basin SNOTEL, Banner Summit SNOTEL and Garden Mountain weather station. Automatically processed radar SWE values are compared to the traditional snow pillow SWE values at the Bogus Basin and Banner Summit SNOTEL sites, and to a precipitation gauge at the Garden Mountain weather station. Radar-derived SWE values were highly correlated with SNOTEL SWE values, as well as with the precipitation gauge values of water equivalent. The combination of new hardware and an automatic processing algorithm has proven that radar can be an effective sensor for remotely measuring SWE in a range of alpine snowpacks

Alemtuzumab for multiple sclerosis

Alemtuzumab is a humanised anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody approved for use in active, relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). Administration results in a rapid depletion of circulating lymphocytes with a subsequent beneficial immune reconstitution. Early open-label experience and recent clinical trials have demonstrated a dramatic effect on relapse rates as well as a positive effect on radiological disease outcomes and disability measures. Despite a mechanism of action that results in profound lymphopaenia, opportunistic infections are rarely seen and no excess association with malignancy has been identified. However, acquired autoimmune disease (AID) is a common adverse event following treatment, necessitating rigorous monitoring in order to facilitate prompt detection and management. Despite this issue, a unique dosing schedule and durability of effect make alemtuzumab a welcome addition to currently available treatment options for MS

Fractal Properties of the Distribution of Earthquake Hypocenters

We investigate a recent suggestion that the spatial distribution of earthquake hypocenters makes a fractal set with a structure and fractal dimensionality close to those of the backbone of critical percolation clusters, by analyzing four different sets of data for the hypocenter distributions and calculating the dynamical properties of the geometrical distribution such as the spectral dimension $d_s$. We find that the value of $d_s$ is consistent with that of the backbone, thus supporting further the identification of the hypocenter distribution as having the structure of the percolation backbone.Comment: 11 pages, LaTeX, HLRZ 68/9