Reporting computing projects through structured abstracts: a quasi-experiment

Previous work has demonstrated that the use of structured abstracts can lead to greater completeness and clarity of information, making it easier for researchers to extract information about a study. In academic year 2007/08, Durham University’s Computer Science Department revised the format of the project report that final year students were required to write, from a ‘traditional dissertation’ format, using a conventional abstract, to that of a 20-page technical paper, together with a structured abstract. This study set out to determine whether inexperienced authors (students writing their final project reports for computing topics) find it easier to produce good abstracts, in terms of completeness and clarity, when using a structured form rather than a conventional form. We performed a controlled quasi-experiment in which a set of ‘judges’ each assessed one conventional and one structured abstract for its completeness and clarity. These abstracts were drawn from those produced by four cohorts of final year students: two preceding the change, and the two following. The assessments were performed using a form of checklist that is similar to those used for previous experimental studies. We used 40 abstracts (10 per cohort) and 20 student ‘judges’ to perform the evaluation. Scored on a scale of 0.1–1.0, the mean for completeness increased from 0.37 to 0.61 when using a structured form. For clarity, using a scale of 1–10, the mean score increased from 5.1 to 7.2. For a minimum goal of scoring 50% for both completeness and clarity, only 3 from 19 conventional abstracts achieved this level, while only 3 from 20 structured abstracts failed to reach it. We conclude that the use of a structured form for organising the material of an abstract can assist inexperienced authors with writing technical abstracts that are clearer and more complete than those produced without the framework provided by such a mechanism.     

Automatically generated parallel treebanks and their exploitability in machine translation

Given much recent discussion and the shift in focus of the field, it is becoming apparent that the incorporation of syntax is the way forward for improvements to the current state-of-the-art in machine translation (MT). Parallel treebanks are a relatively recent innovation and appear to be ideal candidates for MT training material. However, until recently there has been no other means to build them than by hand. In this paper, we describe how we make use of new tools to automatically build a large parallel treebank and extract a set of linguistically-motivated phrase pairs from it. We show that adding these phrase pairs to the translation model of a baseline phrase-based statistical MT (PB-SMT) system leads to significant improvements in translation quality. Following this, we describe experiments in which we exploit the information encoded in the parallel treebank in other areas of the PB-SMT framework, while investigating the conditions under which the incorporation of parallel treebank data performs optimally. Finally, we discuss the possibility of exploiting automatically-generated parallel treebanks further in syntax-aware paradigms of MT.     

It Consumerization: Byod-Program Acceptance and its Impact on Employer Attractiveness

Many firms are considering ‘bring-your-own-device’ (BYOD) programs, under which their employees are allowed to bring their own devices to work and use them for both private and business purposes. This study examines what factors determine an employee's intention to participate in a corporate BYOD program and how such programs affect employer attractiveness. We approach our study of acceptance of corporate BYOD programs from the perspective of technology acceptance research. For this purpose, we propose a modified and extended UTAUT model. The model was tested by surveying students in their final term (n = 444). We show that performance expectancies have the strongest positive effect on intention, while perceived threats negatively impact intention. Finally, behavioural intention was positively associated with employer attractiveness, which leads to clear indications for companies considering establishing corporate BYOD programs. BYOD seems to play an increasingly important role in attracting and retaining future talent.     

Visualising Errors in Animal Pedigree Genotype Data

Genetic analysis of a breeding animal population involves determining the inheritance pattern of genotypes for multiple genetic markers across the individuals in the population pedigree structure. However, experimental pedigree genotype data invariably contains errors in both the pedigree structure and in the associated individual genotypes, introducing inconsistencies into the dataset, rendering them useless for further analysis. The resolution of these errors requires consideration of genotype inheritance patterns in the context of the pedigree structure. Existing pedigree visualisations are typically more suited to human pedigrees and are less suitable for large complex animal pedigrees which may exhibit cross generational inbreeding. Similarly, table‐based viewers of genotype marker data can highlight where errors become apparent but lack the functionality and interactive visual feedback to allow users to locate the origin of errors within the pedigree. In this paper, we detail a design study steered by biologists who work with pedigree data, and describe successive iterations through approaches and prototypes for viewing genotyping errors in the context of a displayed pedigree. We describe how each approach performs with real pedigree genotype data and why eventually we deemed them unsuitable. Finally, a novel prototype visualisation for pedigrees, which we term the ‘sandwich view’, is detailed and we demonstrate how the approach effectively communicates errors in the pedigree context, supporting the biologist in the error identification task.     

The experience of enchantment in human–computer interaction

Improving user experience is becoming something of a rallying call in human–computer interaction but experience is not a unitary thing. There are varieties of experiences, good and bad, and we need to characterise these varieties if we are to improve user experience. In this paper we argue that enchantment is a useful concept to facilitate closer relationships between people and technology. But enchantment is a complex concept in need of some clarification. So we explore how enchantment has been used in the discussions of technology and examine experiences of film and cell phones to see how enchantment with technology is possible. Based on these cases, we identify the sensibilities that help designers design for enchantment, including the specific sensuousness of a thing, senses of play, paradox and openness, and the potential for transformation. We use these to analyse digital jewellery in order to suggest how it can be made more enchanting. We conclude by relating enchantment to varieties of experience.An earlier version of this paper was presented at Chi’2004 Fringe.     

Tracer studies on an aerated lagoon

The city of Palmerston North, New Zealand, has two aerated lagoons as its secondary treatment facility. Interest about treatment efficiency led to an investigation into the hydraulics in the second lagoon to determine if further optimisation was viable. A tracer study using rhodamine WT was undertaken to ascertain the stimulus response output. Samples were also taken at 24 points within the lagoon to determine the tracer concentration profile throughout the lagoon. The mean residence time was determined to be 39.9 h compared with a theoretical residence time of 55.4 h. Peak concentration of the tracer at the outlet occurred at 0.44 of the mean residence time. The results of the tracer study pointed to 28% of volume being dead space. A subsequent sludge survey indicated that 26% of the design volume of the lagoon was filled with sludge. While the curved geometry of the lagoon did not appear to impact the hydraulics the fact that the first aerator is confined in a relatively smaller area will have locally boosted the mixing energy input in this inlet zone. From interpretation of the tracer response and the tracer distribution profiles it appears that the aerators are mixing the influent into the bulk flow effectively in the front end of the lagoon and that there was no evidence of any substantive short-circuiting path of concentrated tracer around to the outlet. The tracer distribution profiles gave direct insight as to how the tracer was being transported within the pond and should be used more often when conducting tracer studies. Comparison with the literature indicated that the lagoon's hydraulic efficiency was on par with a baffled pond system and it would be expected that addition of several baffles to the lagoon would provide minimal further improvement.     

Acoustic evaluation and adjustment of an open-plan office through architectural design and noise control

Arranging office space into a single open room offers advantages in terms of easy exchange of information and interaction among coworkers, but reduces privacy and acoustic comfort. Thus, the purpose of this work was to evaluate the acoustic quality of a real open-plan office and to propose changes in the room to improve the acoustic conditioning of this office. The computational model of the office under study was calibrated based on RT and STI measurements. Predictions were made of the RT and STI, which generated the radius of distraction r(D), and the rate of spatial decay of sound pressure levels per distance doubling DL(2) in the real conditions of the office and after modifications of the room. The insertion of dividers between work stations and an increase in the ceiling's sound absorption improved the acoustic conditions in the office under study.     

Carbon dioxide—new uses for an old refrigerant

Carbon dioxide has been used as a refrigerant in vapour compression systems of many types for over 130 years, but it is only in the last decade that inventive minds and modern techniques have found new ways to exploit the uniquely beneficial properties of this remarkable substance. This paper traces the development of the old carbon dioxide systems, considers the technical, commercial and social reasons for their slow development and subsequent decline and examines the recent renaissance across a surprisingly broad range of applications, from trans-critical car air conditioners to low temperature industrial freezer plants. The paper then concentrates on industrial refrigeration systems, which were the basis of early developments in the period 1865–1885, but which have been somewhat overlooked in the current renaissance. The paper concludes with a review of possible future developments, indicating the areas of research and product development required to maximise the potential of the only non-toxic, non-flammable, non-ozone-depleting, non-global-warming refrigerant available for Rankine cycle vapour compression systems in the 21st century.