A heuristic evaluation of the Facebook's advertising tool beacon

Interface usability is critical to the successful adoption of information systems. The aim of this study is to evaluate interface of Facebook's advertising tool Beacon by using privacy heuristics [4]. Beacon represents an interesting case study because of the negative media and user backlash it received. The findings of heuristic evaluation suggest violation of privacy heuristics [4]. Here, analysis identified concerns about user choice and consent, integrity and security of data, and awareness and notice. Beacon was an innovative tool, therefore, its systematic evaluation was needed in order to identify privacy problems, their causes and subsequent consequences. The study provides useful insights to human computer interaction (HCI) designers of online social networks

Science, Technology, Society, and Law

Law and regulation increasingly interact with science, technology, and medicine in contemporary society. Law and social science (LSS) analyses can therefore benefit from rigorous, nuanced social scientific accounts of the nature of scientific knowledge and practice. Over the past two decades, LSS scholars have increasingly turned for such accounts to the field known as science and technology studies (STS). This article reviews the LSS literature that draws on STS. Our discussion is divided into two primary sections. We first discuss LSS literature that draws on STS because it deals with issues in which law and science interact. We then discuss literature that draws on STS because it sees law as analogous to science as a knowledge-producing institution amenable to social science analysis. We suggest that through both of these avenues STS can encourage a newly critical view within LSS scholarship.</jats:p

The star formation history of the Sculptor Dwarf Irregular Galaxy

[abridged] We study the resolved stellar populations and derive the SFH of the SDIG, a gas-rich dwarf galaxy member of the NGC7793 subgroup in the Sculptor group. We construct a CMD using archival HST observations and examine its stellar content. We derive its SFH using a maximum-likelihood fit to the CMD. The CMD shows that SDIG contains stars from 10Myr to several Gyr old, as revealed from the MS, BL, luminous AGB, and RGB stars. The young stars with ages less than ~250Myr show a spatial distribution confined to its central regions, and additionally the young MS stars exhibit an off-center density peak. The intermediate-age and older stars are more spatially extended. SDIG is dominated by intermediate-age stars with an average age of 6.4Gyr. The average metallicity inferred is [M/H]\approx -1.5dex. Its SFH is consistent with a constant SFR, except for ages younger than ~200Myr. The lifetime average SFR is 1.3x10^{-3} Mo/yr. More recently than 100Myr, there has been a burst of SF at a rate ~2-3 times higher than the average SFR. The inferred recent SFR from CMD modelling is higher than inferred from the Ha flux of the galaxy; we interpret this to mean that the upper end of the IMF is not being fully sampled due to the low SFR. Additionally, an observed lack of bright blue stars in the CMD could indicate a downturn in SFR on 10^7-yr timescales. A previous SF enhancement appears to have occurred between 600-1100Myr ago, with amplitude similar to the most recent 100Myr. Older bursts of similar peak SFR and duration would not be resolvable with these data. The observed enhancements in SF suggest that SDIG is able to sustain a complex SFH without the effect of interactions with its nearest massive galaxy. Integrating the SFR over the entire history of SDIG yields a total stellar mass 1.77x10^{7}Mo, and a current V-band stellar mass-to-light ratio 3.2Mo/Lo.Comment: A&A accepted; 10 pages, 9 figure

Linear response theory of Josephson junction arrays in a microwave cavity

Recent experiments on Josephson junction arrays (JJAs) in microwave cavities have opened up a new avenue for investigating the properties of these devices while minimising the amount of external noise coming from the measurement apparatus itself. These experiments have already shown promise for probing many-body quantum effects in JJAs. In this work, we develop a general theoretical description of such experiments by deriving a quantum phase model for planar JJAs containing quantized vortices. The dynamical susceptibility of this model is calculated for some simple circuits, and signatures of the injection of additional vortices are identified. The effects of decoherence are considered via a Lindblad master equation.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figure

B\"uttiker probes and the Recursive Green's Function; an efficient approach to include dissipation in general configurations

An efficient and compact approach to the inclusion of dissipative effects in Non-Equilibrium Green's Function (NEGF) simulations of electronic systems is introduced. The algorithm is based on two well known methods in the literature, firstly that of the so-called Recursive Green's Function (RGF) and secondly that of B\"uttiker probes. Numerical methods for exact evaluation of the Jacobian are presented by a direct extension to RGF which can be modularly included in any codebase that uses it presently. Then using both physical observations and numerical methods, the computation time of the B\"uttiker probe Jacobian is improved significantly. An improvement to existing phonon models within B\"uttiker probes is then demonstrated in the simulation of fully atomistic graphene nanoribbon based field effect transistors in n-i-n and p-i-n operation.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figure

More than Words: The Impact of Memory on How Undergraduates with Dyslexia Interact with Information

Despite the prevalence of dyslexia and the challenges it poses for seeking, assessing and using information, there has been relatively little research on the challenges people with dyslexia face when interacting with information. What existing research there is has mostly focused on the impact on information comprehension and spelling. However, people with dyslexia often face considerable memory impairment that can affect their learning. This paper reports findings from retrospective think-aloud (RTA) observations with 13 undergraduates with dyslexia, focusing on the memory-related barriers they face and the workarounds they use to overcome these barriers. An enhanced understanding of the full range of barriers faced by information-seekers with dyslexia can inform the design of dyslexia-aware digital information environments and information literacy programs. These can ‘level the information playing field’ by helping to break down barriers to information and, in turn, to knowledge creation