Specification Techniques for Multi-Modal Dialogues in the U-Wish Project

In this paper we describe the development of a specification\ud technique for specifying interactive web-based services. We\ud wanted to design a language that can be a means of\ud communication between designers and developers of interactive services, that makes it easier to develop web-based services fitted to the users and that shortens the pathway from design to implementation. The language, still under development, is based on process algebra and can be\ud connected to the results of task analysis. We have been\ud working on the automatic generation of executable prototypes\ud out of the specifications. In this way the specification\ud language can establish a connection between users, design\ud and implementation. A first version of this language is\ud available as well as prototype tools for executing the specifications. Ideas will be given as to how to make the connection between specifications and task analysis

St. Lawrence River

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay\u27s first paragraph. The boat thrust forward under the power of his arms as he pulled back the oars. Smoother, harder, faster as he went. He had no intention of stopping. He was in his own head now. Harder, faster, the oars back and forth, harder, faster. In his own head not seeing, not hearing. The ripples and the waves that he created were crying out to him, Stop! The river helplessly cried out for his attention but the river\u27s concerns were not his. Not now

Prioritized Selection in Visual Search through Onset Capture and Color Inhibition: Evidence from a Probe-Dot Detection Task.

Observers performed a preview search task in which, on some trials, they had to indicate the presence of a briefly presented probe-dot. Probes could be presented on locations corresponding to old or new elements and prior to or after the presentation of the new elements. After the presentation of the new elements, probes were generally detected faster on new than on old locations, indicating prioritized selection of new elements. Prior to the presentation of the new elements, probes were detected faster on new than on old locations only when old and new elements differed in color. These results suggest that prioritized selection of new elements is mediated not by visual marking but by onset capture. Additionally, observers may apply color-based inhibition. Copyright 2005 by the American Psychological Association

Buyer focus: evaluation of a new concept for supply chain integration

The goal of integrated supply chains is to remove barriers to ease the flow of materials and information. This article concentrates on an important barrier: shared resources in a supply chain. The removal of these shared resources is closely related to the recently introduced concept of buyer focus. Buyer focus is described as the singling out of resources in order to supply one buyer along the whole range of its products. The value of buyer focus for supply chain integration is evaluated and in two cases illustrated. This article suggests that there are two extreme configurations in supply chains. On the one hand, suppliers with buyer-focused operations to enable high levels of integration in order to cope with uncertainty in volume, mix and leadtime. On the other hand, shared resources and low levels of integration, which are more likely in supply chains that are dominantly cost driven.

Modelling of silicon condenser microphones

Several models concerning the sensitivity of capacitive pressure sensors have been presented in the past. Modelling of condenser microphones, which can be considered to be a special type of capacitive pressure sensor, usually requires a more complicated analysis of the sensitivity, because they have a strong electric field in the air gap. It is found that the mechanical sensitivity of condenser microphones with a circular diaphragm, either with a large initial tension or without any initial tension, increases with increasing bias voltage (and the corresponding static deflection), whereas the mechanical sensitivity of other capacitive pressure sensors does not depend on the static deflection. It is also found that the mechanical sensitivity increases with increasing input capacitance of a preamplifier. In addition, the open-circuit electrical sensitivity and, consequently, the total sensitivity too, also increases with increasing bias voltage (or static deflection). However, the maximum allowable sound pressure at which the diaphragm collapses, an effect that has to be taken into account, decreases with increasing static deflection in most cases, ulthnately resulting in an optimum value for the bias voltage. The model for microphones with a circular highly tensioned diaphragm has been verified successfully for two microphone types

Kairomones: Finding the fish factor

The water flea Daphnia moves to deeper waters to avoid predators when it detects a chemical produced by fish

Irrigation-Yield Production Functions and Irrigation Water Use Effciency Response of Drought-Tolerant and Non-Drought-Tolerant Maize Hybrids under Different Irrigation Levels, Population Densities, and Environments

Irrigation-yield production functions (IYPFs), irrigation water use effciency (IWUE), and grain production per unit of applied irrigation of non-drought-tolerant (NDT) and drought-tolerant (DT) maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids were quantified in four locations with different climates in Nebraska [Concord (sub-humid), Clay Center (transition zone between sub-humid and semi-arid); North Platte (semi-arid); and, Scottsbluff (semi-arid)] during three growing seasons (2010, 2011, and 2012) at three irrigation levels (fully-irrigated treatment (FIT), early cut-off (ECOT), and rainfed (RFT)) under two plant population densities (PPDs) (low-PPD; 59,300 plants ha-1; and, high-PPD, 84,000 plants ha-1). Overall, DT hybrids’ performance was superior to NDT hybrid at RFT, ECT, and FIT conditions, as confirmed by the yield response, IYPF and IWUE when all locations, years, and PPDs were averaged. The yield response to water was greater with the high-PPD than the low-PPD in most cases. The magnitude of the highest yields for DT hybrids ranged from 7.3 (low-PPD) to 8.5% (high-PPD) under RFT, 3.7 (low-PPD) to 9.6% (high-PPD) under ECOT, and 3.9% (high-PPD) under FIT higher than NDT hybrid. Relatively, DT hybrids can resist drought-stress conditions longer than NDT hybrid with fewer penalties in yield reduction and maintain comparable or even higher yield production at non-stress-water conditions

Illusory conjunctions are an illusion: The effects of target-nontarget similarity on conjunction and feature errors.

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Prioritizing selection of new elements: on the time-course of the preview effect.

The preview effect demonstrates that if observers in a visual search task are allowed a preview of a subset of elements before another subset of new elements is added, the first subset of elements does no longer compete for attentional selection. The aim of the present study was to investigate how long after the presentation of the new elements the preview effect can be preserved. Observers were presented with displays containing one set of elements (old elements) followed after a certain time interval by a second set of elements (new elements). Observers searched for the presence of a target among the new elements. The target appeared through an equiluminant colour change at varying intervals after the presentation of the new elements. The results indicated that the preview effect disappears beyond 200 ms after the presentation of the new elements. The results are discussed in terms of visual marking, temporal segregation, and onset capture. In everyday life, we are confronted with an enormous amount of visual infor-mation. Yet, our information processing capacity is limited. To behave effi-ciently, the visual system must select only that information that is relevant to th