Communication in investigative and legal settings:introduction and contexts

Communication in investigative and legal settings is a vitally important area of practice and research. This chapter outlines the significant paradigm shift in interviewing practices, highlighting various studies that have been conducted that have demarked this change. We examine the role of linguistics in this paradigm shift and the importance of training across England and Wales and the Nordic countries in maintaining the professionalization of communication in forensic contexts. The authors outline the significance of maintaining international links across disciplines and summarize the details of each chapter within the book.

Fe-doped and -mediated graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets for enhanced photocatalytic performance under natural sunlight

Herein, we demonstrate the synthesis of highly efficient Fe-doped graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets via a facile and cost effective method. The synthesized Fe-doped g-C3N4 nanosheets were well characterized by various analytical techniques. The results revealed that the Fe exists mainly in the +3 oxidation state in the Fe-doped g-C3N4 nanosheets. Fe doping of g-C3N4 nanosheets has a great influence on the electronic and optical properties. The diffuse reflectance spectra of Fe-doped g-C3N4 nanosheets exhibit red shift and increased absorption in the visible light range, which is highly beneficial for absorbing the visible light in the solar spectrum. More significantly, the Fe-doped g-C3N4 nanosheets exhibit greatly enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Rhodamine B under sunlight irradiation. The photocatalytic activity of 2 mol% Fe-doped g-C3N4 nanosheets is almost 7 times higher than that of bulk g-C3N4 and 4.5 times higher than that of pure g-C3N4 nanosheets. A proposed mechanism for the enhanced photocatalytic activity of Fe-doped g-C3N4 nanosheets was investigated by trapping experiments. The synthesized photocatalysts are highly stable even after five successive experimental runs. The enhanced photocatalytic performance of Fe-doped g-C3N4 nanosheets is due to high visible light response, large surface area, high charge separation and charge transfer. Therefore, the Fe-doped g-C3N4 photocatalyst is a promising candidate for energy conversion and environmental remediation.

The effects of yoked prisms on body posture and egocentric perception in a normal population

The principal theme of this thesis is the effect of yoked prisms on body posture and egocentric perception. Yoked prisms have been clinically used in the management of a variety of visual and neuro-motor dysfunctions. Most studies have been conducted in pathological populations by studying the effects of prismatic adaptation, without distinguishing short and long term effects. In this study, postural and perceptual prismatic effects have been studied by preventing prism adaptation. A healthy population was selected in order to investigate the immediate prismatic effects, when there is no obvious benefit from their use for the individual. Posturography was used to assess changes in weight distribution and shifts in centre of pressure (barycentre). In addition, photographic analyses were used to assess effects on posture on the x and z axis. Experiments with space board and visual midline shift were used for the evaluation of spatial perception and egocentric localisation. One pair of 8 Δ yoked prisms base left (BL) and one pair of 8 Δ yoked prisms base up (BU) were applied randomly and compared to a pair of plano lenses. Results suggest that immediate prismatic effects take place on a perceptual level and are reflected on an altered body posture respectively without significant changes in weight distribution. Yoked prisms BL showed a rightward rotational effect on spatial perception by expanding space on the z axis when viewing through the base of the prism and constricting space through the apex of the prism. Body posture responded respectively to what was visually perceived by altering posture. A rightward shift and tilt of the head was recorded along with the hips shift and shoulders tilt in the dame direction. Additionally, right shoulder shifted backwards and an angular midline shift to the right was recorded. The egocentric localisation was affected by shifting the midline perception to the left. Yoked prisms BU resulted on a head shift forward and a reduction of the head-neck angle by bringing the chin closer to the chest. The egocentric localisation was altered on the vertical axis providing subjects the perception that their eye level was higher during the experiment. In conclusion, yoked prisms seemed to induce changes in body posture, mainly in the upper body and head, without any significant changes in weight distribution. These changes are partially reflected in spatial perception tests and egocentric localisation before any prismatic adaptation takes place.

Can mean shift trackers perform better?

Many tracking algorithms have difficulties dealing with occlusions and background clutters, and consequently don't converge to an appropriate solution. Tracking based on the mean shift algorithm has shown robust performance in many circumstances but still fails e.g. when encountering dramatic intensity or colour changes in a pre-defined neighbourhood. In this paper, we present a robust tracking algorithm that integrates the advantages of mean shift tracking with those of tracking local invariant features. These features are integrated into the mean shift formulation so that tracking is performed based both on mean shift and feature probability distributions, coupled with an expectation maximisation scheme. Experimental results show robust tracking performance on a series of complicated real image sequences. © 2010 IEEE.

Phonon anharmonicity and negative thermal expansion in SnSe

The anharmonic phonon properties of SnSe in the Pnma phase were investigated with a combination of experiments and first-principles simulations. Using inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and nuclear resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (NRIXS), we have measured the phonon dispersions and density of states (DOS) and their temperature dependence, which revealed a strong, inhomogeneous shift and broadening of the spectrum on warming. First-principles simulations were performed to rationalize these measurements, and to explain the previously reported anisotropic thermal expansion, in particular the negative thermal expansion within the Sn-Se bilayers. Including the anisotropic strain dependence of the phonon free energy, in addition to the electronic ground state energy, is essential to reproduce the negative thermal expansion. From the phonon DOS obtained with INS and additional calorimetry measurements, we quantify the harmonic, dilational, and anharmonic components of the phonon entropy, heat capacity, and free energy. The origin of the anharmonic phonon thermodynamics is linked to the electronic structure.

Analyses of benthic and planktonic foraminifera during Marine Isotope Stage 5 of ODP Hole 172-1058C

Subtropical Gyres are an important constituent of the ocean-atmosphere system due to their capacity to store vast amounts of warm and saline waters. Here we decipher the sensitivity of the (sub)surface North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre with respect to orbital and millennial scale climate variability between ~140 and 70 ka, Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5. Using (isotope)geochemical proxy data from surface and thermocline dwelling foraminifers from Blake Ridge off the west coast of North America (ODP Site 1058) we show that the oceanographic development at subsurface (thermocline) level is substantially different from the surface ocean. Most notably, surface temperatures and salinities peak during the penultimate deglaciation (Termination II) and early MIS 5e, implying that subtropical surface ocean heat and salt accumulation might have resulted from a sluggish northward heat transport. In contrast, maximum thermocline temperatures are reached during late MIS 5e when surface temperatures are already declining. We argue that the subsurface warming originated from intensified Ekman downwelling in the Subtropical Gyre due to enhanced wind stress. During MIS 5a-d a tight interplay of the subtropical upper ocean hydrography to high latitude millennial-scale cold events can be observed. At Blake Ridge, the most pronounced of these high latitude cold events are related to surface warming and salt accumulation in the (sub)surface. Similar to Termination II, heat accumulated in the Subtropical Gyre probably due to a reduced Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Additionally, a southward shift and intensification of the subtropical wind belts lead to a decrease of on-site precipitation and enhanced evaporation, coupled to intensified gyre circulation. Subsequently, the northward advection of these warm and saline water likely contributed to the fast resumption of the overturning circulation at the end of these high latitude cold events.

Reflective judgment vs. investigation of things – a comparative study of Kant and Zhu Xi

This thesis is devoted to studying two historical philosophical events that happened in the West and the East. A metaphysical crisis stimulated Kant’s writings during his late critical period towards the notion of the supersensible. It further motivated a methodological shift and his coining of reflective judgment, which eventually brought about a systemic unfolding of his critical philosophy via Kantian moral teleology. Zhu Xi and his Neo-Confucian contemporaries confronted a transformed intellectual landscape resulting from the Neo-Daoist and Buddhist discourses of “what is beyond the form”. The revival of Confucianism required a method in order to relocate the formless Dao back into daily life and to reconstruct a meta-ethical foundation within a social context. This led to the Neo-Confucian recasting of “investigation of things” from The Great Learning via complex hermeneutic operations. By the respective investigation on, as well as the comparative analysis of the two events, I reveal the convergence and incommensurability between the two distinct cultural traditions concerning the metaphysical quests, the mechanism of intellectual development, and moral teleology, so as to capture the intrinsic characteristics of philosophical research in general.

Regional variation and change in the history of English strong verbs

This thesis investigates how the strong verb system inherited from Old English evolved in the regional dialects of Middle English (ca. 1100-1500). Old English texts preserve a relatively complex system of strong verbs, in which traditionally seven different ablaut classes are distinguished. This system becomes seriously disrupted from the Late Old English and Early Middle English periods onwards. As a result, many strong verbs die out, or have their ablaut patterns affected by sound change and morphological analogy, or transfer to the weak conjugation. In my thesis, I study the beginnings of two of these developments in two strong verb classes to find out what the evidence from Middle English regional dialects can tell us about their origins and diffusion. Chapter 2 concentrates on the strong-to-weak shift in Class III verbs, and investigates to what extent strong, mixed and weak past tense and participle forms vary in Middle English dialects, and whether the variation is more pronounced in the paradigms of specific verbs or sub-classes. Chapter 3 analyses the regional distribution of ablaut levelling in strong Class IV verbs throughout the Middle English period. The Class III and IV data for the Early Middle English period are drawn from A Linguistic Atlas of Early Middle English, and the data for the Late Middle English period from a sub-corpus of files from The Penn-Helsinki Parsed Corpus of Middle English and The Middle English Grammar Corpus. Furthermore, The English Dialect Dictionary and Grammar are consulted as an additional reference point to find out to what extent the Middle English developments are reflected in Late Modern English dialects. Finally, referring to modern insights into language variation and change and linguistic interference, Chapter 4 discusses to what extent intra- and extra-linguistc factors, such as token and type frequency, stem structure and language contact, might correlate with the strong-to-weak shift and ablaut levelling in Class III and IV verbs in the Middle English period. The thesis is accompanied by six appendices that contain further information about my distinction of Middle English dialect areas (Appendix A), historical Class III and IV verbs (B and C) and the text samples and linguistic data from the Middle English text corpora (D, E and F).

The new lows : representing Asian-Australians on television

This project utilises creative practice as research, and involves writing and discussing four sample episodes of a proposed six-part dramatic, black-comedy1 television mini-series titled The New Lows. Combined, the creative project and accompanying exegesis seeks to illuminate and interrogate some of the inherent concerns, pitfalls and politics encountered in writing original Asian-Australian characters for television. Moreover, this thesis seeks to develop and deliberate on characters that would expand, shift and extend concepts of stereotyping and authenticity as they are used in creative writing for television. The protagonists of The New Lows are the contemporary and dysfunctional Asian-Australian Lo family: the Hong Kong immigrants John and Dorothy, and their Australian-born children Wendy, Simon and Tommy. Collectively, they struggle to manage the family business: a decaying suburban Chinese restaurant called Sunny Days, which is stumbling towards imminent commercial death. At the same time, each of the characters must negotiate their own personal catastrophes, which they hide from fellow family members out of shame and fear. Although there is a narrative arc to the series, I have also endeavoured to write each episode as a selfcontained story. Written alongside the creative works is an exegetical component. Through the paradigm of Asian-Australian studies, the exegesis examines the writing process and narrative content of The New Lows, alongside previous representations of Asians on Australian and international television and screen. Concepts discussed include stereotype, ethnicity, otherness, hybridity and authenticity. However, the exegesis also seeks to question the dominant cultural paradigms through which these issues are predominantly discussed. These investigations are particularly relevant, since The New Lows draws upon a suite of characters commonly considered to be stereotypical in Asian-Australian representations.

Rostering ambulance services

This paper developed a model for rostering ambulance crew in order to maximise the coverage throughout a planning horizon and minimise the number of ambulance crew. Rostering Ambulance Services is a complex task, which considers a large number of conflicting rules related to various aspects such as limits on the number of consecutive work hours, the number of shifts worked by each ambulance staff and restrictions on the type of shifts assigned. The two-stage models are developed using nonlinear integer programming technique to determine the following sub-problems: the shift start times; the number of staff required to work for each shift; and a balanced schedule of ambulance staff. At the first stage, the first two sub-problems have been solved. At the second stage, the third sub-problem has been solved using the first stage outputs. Computational experiments with real data are conducted and the results of the models are presented.

Improved image contrast of the bone-muscle interface with 3T MRI compared to 1.5T MRI [Abstract]

Virtual 3D models of long bones are increasingly being used for implant design and research applications. The current gold standard for the acquisition of such data is Computed Tomography (CT) scanning. Due to radiation exposure, CT is generally limited to the imaging of clinical cases and cadaver specimens. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) does not involve ionising radiation and therefore can be used to image selected healthy human volunteers for research purposes. The feasibility of MRI as alternative to CT for the acquisition of morphological bone data of the lower extremity has been demonstrated in recent studies [1, 2]. Some of the current limitations of MRI are long scanning times and difficulties with image segmentation in certain anatomical regions due to poor contrast between bone and surrounding muscle tissues. Higher field strength scanners promise to offer faster imaging times or better image quality. In this study image quality at 1.5T is quantitatively compared to images acquired at 3T. --------- The femora of five human volunteers were scanned using 1.5T and 3T MRI scanners from the same manufacturer (Siemens) with similar imaging protocols. A 3D flash sequence was used with TE = 4.66 ms, flip angle = 15° and voxel size = 0.5 × 0.5 × 1 mm. PA-Matrix and body matrix coils were used to cover the lower limb and pelvis respectively. Signal to noise ratio (SNR) [3] and contrast to noise ratio (CNR) [3] of the axial images from the proximal, shaft and distal regions were used to assess the quality of images from the 1.5T and 3T scanners. The SNR was calculated for the muscle and bone-marrow in the axial images. The CNR was calculated for the muscle to cortex and cortex to bone marrow interfaces, respectively. --------- Preliminary results (one volunteer) show that the SNR of muscle for the shaft and distal regions was higher in 3T images (11.65 and 17.60) than 1.5T images (8.12 and 8.11). For the proximal region the SNR of muscles was higher in 1.5T images (7.52) than 3T images (6.78). The SNR of bone marrow was slightly higher in 1.5T images for both proximal and shaft regions, while it was lower in the distal region compared to 3T images. The CNR between muscle and bone of all three regions was higher in 3T images (4.14, 6.55 and 12.99) than in 1.5T images (2.49, 3.25 and 9.89). The CNR between bone-marrow and bone was slightly higher in 1.5T images (4.87, 12.89 and 10.07) compared to 3T images (3.74, 10.83 and 10.15). These results show that the 3T images generated higher contrast between bone and the muscle tissue than the 1.5T images. It is expected that this improvement of image contrast will significantly reduce the time required for the mainly manual segmentation of the MR images. Future work will focus on optimizing the 3T imaging protocol for reducing chemical shift and susceptibility artifacts.

The modulation of outdoor running speed : the influence of gradient

This thesis aimed to investigate the way in which distance runners modulate their speed in an effort to understand the key processes and determinants of speed selection when encountering hills in natural outdoor environments. One factor which has limited the expansion of knowledge in this area has been a reliance on the motorized treadmill which constrains runners to constant speeds and gradients and only linear paths. Conversely, limits in the portability or storage capacity of available technology have restricted field research to brief durations and level courses. Therefore another aim of this thesis was to evaluate the capacity of lightweight, portable technology to measure running speed in outdoor undulating terrain. The first study of this thesis assessed the validity of a non-differential GPS to measure speed, displacement and position during human locomotion. Three healthy participants walked and ran over straight and curved courses for 59 and 34 trials respectively. A non-differential GPS receiver provided speed data by Doppler Shift and change in GPS position over time, which were compared with actual speeds determined by chronometry. Displacement data from the GPS were compared with a surveyed 100m section, while static positions were collected for 1 hour and compared with the known geodetic point. GPS speed values on the straight course were found to be closely correlated with actual speeds (Doppler shift: r = 0.9994, p < 0.001, Δ GPS position/time: r = 0.9984, p < 0.001). Actual speed errors were lowest using the Doppler shift method (90.8% of values within ± 0.1 m.sec -1). Speed was slightly underestimated on a curved path, though still highly correlated with actual speed (Doppler shift: r = 0.9985, p < 0.001, Δ GPS distance/time: r = 0.9973, p < 0.001). Distance measured by GPS was 100.46 ± 0.49m, while 86.5% of static points were within 1.5m of the actual geodetic point (mean error: 1.08 ± 0.34m, range 0.69-2.10m). Non-differential GPS demonstrated a highly accurate estimation of speed across a wide range of human locomotion velocities using only the raw signal data with a minimal decrease in accuracy around bends. This high level of resolution was matched by accurate displacement and position data. Coupled with reduced size, cost and ease of use, the use of a non-differential receiver offers a valid alternative to differential GPS in the study of overground locomotion. The second study of this dissertation examined speed regulation during overground running on a hilly course. Following an initial laboratory session to calculate physiological thresholds (VO2 max and ventilatory thresholds), eight experienced long distance runners completed a self- paced time trial over three laps of an outdoor course involving uphill, downhill and level sections. A portable gas analyser, GPS receiver and activity monitor were used to collect physiological, speed and stride frequency data. Participants ran 23% slower on uphills and 13.8% faster on downhills compared with level sections. Speeds on level sections were significantly different for 78.4 ± 7.0 seconds following an uphill and 23.6 ± 2.2 seconds following a downhill. Speed changes were primarily regulated by stride length which was 20.5% shorter uphill and 16.2% longer downhill, while stride frequency was relatively stable. Oxygen consumption averaged 100.4% of runner’s individual ventilatory thresholds on uphills, 78.9% on downhills and 89.3% on level sections. Group level speed was highly predicted using a modified gradient factor (r2 = 0.89). Individuals adopted distinct pacing strategies, both across laps and as a function of gradient. Speed was best predicted using a weighted factor to account for prior and current gradients. Oxygen consumption (VO2) limited runner’s speeds only on uphill sections, and was maintained in line with individual ventilatory thresholds. Running speed showed larger individual variation on downhill sections, while speed on the level was systematically influenced by the preceding gradient. Runners who varied their pace more as a function of gradient showed a more consistent level of oxygen consumption. These results suggest that optimising time on the level sections after hills offers the greatest potential to minimise overall time when running over undulating terrain. The third study of this thesis investigated the effect of implementing an individualised pacing strategy on running performance over an undulating course. Six trained distance runners completed three trials involving four laps (9968m) of an outdoor course involving uphill, downhill and level sections. The initial trial was self-paced in the absence of any temporal feedback. For the second and third field trials, runners were paced for the first three laps (7476m) according to two different regimes (Intervention or Control) by matching desired goal times for subsections within each gradient. The fourth lap (2492m) was completed without pacing. Goals for the Intervention trial were based on findings from study two using a modified gradient factor and elapsed distance to predict the time for each section. To maintain the same overall time across all paced conditions, times were proportionately adjusted according to split times from the self-paced trial. The alternative pacing strategy (Control) used the original split times from this initial trial. Five of the six runners increased their range of uphill to downhill speeds on the Intervention trial by more than 30%, but this was unsuccessful in achieving a more consistent level of oxygen consumption with only one runner showing a change of more than 10%. Group level adherence to the Intervention strategy was lowest on downhill sections. Three runners successfully adhered to the Intervention pacing strategy which was gauged by a low Root Mean Square error across subsections and gradients. Of these three, the two who had the largest change in uphill-downhill speeds ran their fastest overall time. This suggests that for some runners the strategy of varying speeds systematically to account for gradients and transitions may benefit race performances on courses involving hills. In summary, a non – differential receiver was found to offer highly accurate measures of speed, distance and position across the range of human locomotion speeds. Self-selected speed was found to be best predicted using a weighted factor to account for prior and current gradients. Oxygen consumption limited runner’s speeds only on uphills, speed on the level was systematically influenced by preceding gradients, while there was a much larger individual variation on downhill sections. Individuals were found to adopt distinct but unrelated pacing strategies as a function of durations and gradients, while runners who varied pace more as a function of gradient showed a more consistent level of oxygen consumption. Finally, the implementation of an individualised pacing strategy to account for gradients and transitions greatly increased runners’ range of uphill-downhill speeds and was able to improve performance in some runners. The efficiency of various gradient-speed trade- offs and the factors limiting faster downhill speeds will however require further investigation to further improve the effectiveness of the suggested strategy.

Person-independent facial expression detection using constrained local models

In automatic facial expression detection, very accurate registration is desired which can be achieved via a deformable model approach where a dense mesh of 60-70 points on the face is used, such as an active appearance model (AAM). However, for applications where manually labeling frames is prohibitive, AAMs do not work well as they do not generalize well to unseen subjects. As such, a more coarse approach is taken for person-independent facial expression detection, where just a couple of key features (such as face and eyes) are tracked using a Viola-Jones type approach. The tracked image is normally post-processed to encode for shift and illumination invariance using a linear bank of filters. Recently, it was shown that this preprocessing step is of no benefit when close to ideal registration has been obtained. In this paper, we present a system based on the Constrained Local Model (CLM) which is a generic or person-independent face alignment algorithm which gains high accuracy. We show these results against the LBP feature extraction on the CK+ and GEMEP datasets.

Who wants to work in childcare? Pre-service early childhood teachers' consideration of work in the child care sector

Australia is currently witnessing considerable change in conceptualisation of the role of child care. This is a response to the strong evidence from developmental science that demonstrates the lifelong impact of early experiences. The recent commitment made by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) (Communiqué, December 2009a) to improved qualifications and quality of those working in child care is a manifestation of this shift and highlights the importance of the childcare workforce. This study focused on the considerations of a third year cohort of B.Ed (EC) pre-service teachers (n = 55), about entering the childcare workforce. It examines their willingness to work in child care and identifies barriers and incentives for so doing. Our results indicate that, although attitudes to maternal work and child care were largely positive, few would prefer to work in child care under the current conditions. Key barriers were the pay and work conditions, particularly as they compare to other forms of potential employment. Incentives were the opportunity for leadership, creativity and a commitment to advocate for the rights of children. Those more willing to consider work in child care were distinguished from those less willing by altruism—foregoing personal gain to advocate for improved quality as a child’s right.

Cognitive shifts related to interactive information retrieval

Purpose – Interactive information retrieval (IR) involves many human cognitive shifts at different information behaviour levels. Cognitive science defines a cognitive shift or shift in cognitive focus as triggered by the brain's response and change due to some external force. This paper aims to provide an explication of the concept of “cognitive shift” and then report results from a study replicating Spink's study of cognitive shifts during interactive IR. This work aims to generate promising insights into aspects of cognitive shifts during interactive IR and a new IR evaluation measure – information problem shift. Design/methodology/approach – The study participants (n=9) conducted an online search on an in-depth personal medical information problem. Data analysed included the pre- and post-search questionnaires completed by each study participant. Implications for web services and further research are discussed. Findings – Key findings replicated the results in Spink's study, including: all study participants reported some level of cognitive shift in their information problem, information seeking and personal knowledge due to their search interaction; and different study participants reported different levels of cognitive shift. Some study participants reported major cognitive shifts in various user-based variables such as information problem or information-seeking stage. Unlike Spink's study, no participant experienced a negative shift in their information problem stage or level of information problem understanding. Originality/value – This study builds on the previous study by Spink using a different dataset. The paper provides valuable insights for further research into cognitive shifts during interactive IR.