Digital Commons Network^™

Distributed Nfv Orchestration In A Wmn-Based Disaster Network, G Frick, A. Paguem Tchinda, U Trick, A. Lehmann, G Frick, A. Paguem Tchinda, B. Ghita

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

This publication deals with distributed NFV orchestration in a WMN-based disaster network. The NFV orchestrator defined by ETSI is designed as a central unit and therefore includes the possibility of a single point of failure. Due to the environment of a disaster, a WMN node hosting this centralized orchestrator might get destroyed at events such as aftershocks resulting in a breakdown of the NFV infrastructure as it cannot be maintained and orchestrated anymore. To eliminate this aspect, requirements for a distributed NFV orchestration are defined. The requirements are categorized into architectural and orchestration specific aspects and are derived from the …

Improving The Quality Of Cognitive Screening Assessments: Acemobile, An Ipad‐Based Version Of The Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination‐Iii, Cgj Newman, Ad Bevins, Jp Zajicek, Jr Hodges, Et Al

Peninsula Medical School

Introduction Ensuring reliable administration and reporting of cognitive screening tests are fundamental in establishing good clinical practice and research. This study captured the rate and type of errors in clinical practice, using the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-III (ACE-III), and then the reduction in error rate using a computerized alternative, the ACEmobile app. Methods In study 1, we evaluated ACE-III assessments completed in National Health Service (NHS) clinics (n = 87) for administrator error. In study 2, ACEmobile and ACE-III were then evaluated for their ability to capture accurate measurement. Results In study 1, 78% of clinically administered ACE-IIIs were either scored …

Posh-Sharp: A Lightweight Toolkit For Creating Cognitive Agents, Se Gaudl

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Agent design is an intricate process requiring skills from different disciplines. Thus experts in one domain are not necessarily experts in the others. Supporting the design of agents is important and needs to address varying skill and expertise as well as varying handling the design of complex agents. In this paper, a new agent design toolkit –POSH-SHARP– for intelligent virtual agents (IVAs) and cognitive embodied agents is presented. It was designed to address the need for a robust agent development framework in highly restrictive environments such as the web or smartphones while being useful to both novice and expert users. …

Pliocene Stratigraphic Paleobiology In Tuscany And The Fossil Record Of Marine Megafauna, S Dominici, S Danise, M Benvenuti

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Tuscany has a rich Pliocene record of marine megafauna (MM), including mysticetes, odontocetes, sirenians and seals among the mammals, and six orders of sharks among the elasmobranchs. This is reviewed with respect to paleogeography and sequence-stratigraphy in six different basins. Conditions at the ancient seafloor are explored by means of sedimentary facies analysis, taphonomy and multivariate techniques applied to a large quantitative dataset of benthic molluscs. MM is rare or absent in most basins during the Zanclean, except in one basin, and most abundant in Piacenzian deposits in all six basins. MM occurs preferentially in fine-grained, shelfal highstand-deposits of small-scale …

Numerical Analysis Of The Rheological Behaviour Of The Socompa Debris Avalanche, Chile, F Vagnon, M Pirulli, I Manzella, K Kelfoun, Am Ferrero

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Socompa Volcano provides one of the world’s best-exposed example of a sector collapse that generated debris avalanche deposit. The debris avalanche, occurred about 7000 years ago, involved 25 km3 of fragmented rock that formed a thin but widespread (500 km2) deposit. Numerical model of this event was already performed using a shock-capturing method based on double upwind Eulerian scheme in order to provide information for investigating, within realistic geological context, its dynamic and run-out (Kelfoun and Druitt 2005). This paper analyses an important aspect of the continuum numerical modeling of rapid landslides as debris avalanche: the interchangeability of rheological parameter …

From Structure To Activity: Using Centrality Measures To Predict Neuronal Activity, Jack Mc Kay Fletcher, Thomas Wennekers

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

It is clear that the topological structure of a neural network somehow determines the activity of the neurons within it. In the present work, we ask to what extent it is possible to examine the structural features of a network and learn something about its activity? Specifically, we consider how the centrality (the importance of a node in a network) of a neuron correlates with its firing rate. To investigate, we apply an array of centrality measures, including In-Degree, Closeness, Betweenness, Eigenvector, Katz, PageRank, Hyperlink-Induced Topic Search (HITS) and NeuronRank to Leaky-Integrate and Fire neural networks with different connectivity schemes. …

Intermittent Wave Energy Generation System With Hydraulic Energy Storage And Pressure Control For Stable Power Output, Ruiyin Song, Yong Ming Dai, Xiaohua Qian

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Robot Enhanced Therapy For Children With Autism (Dream): A Social Model Of Autism, K Richardson, M Coeckelbergh, K Wakunuma, E Billing, T Ziemke, P Gomez, B Vanderborght, T Belpaeme

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Visual Attention And Object Naming In Humanoid Robots Using A Bio-Inspired Spiking Neural Network, García D Hernández, Samantha Adams, Alex Rast, Thomas Wennekers, Steve Furber, Angelo Cangelosi

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

© 2018 The Authors Recent advances in behavioural and computational neuroscience, cognitive robotics, and in the hardware implementation of large-scale neural networks, provide the opportunity for an accelerated understanding of brain functions and for the design of interactive robotic systems based on brain-inspired control systems. This is especially the case in the domain of action and language learning, given the significant scientific and technological developments in this field. In this work we describe how a neuroanatomically grounded spiking neural network for visual attention has been extended with a word learning capability and integrated with the iCub humanoid robot to demonstrate …

Guidelines For Designing Social Robots As Second Language Tutors, T Belpaeme, P Vogt, Den Berghe R Van, K Bergmann, T Göksun, Haas M De, J Kanero, J Kennedy, Ac Küntay, O Oudgenoeg-Paz, F Papadopoulos, T Schodde, J Verhagen, Cd Wallbridge, B Willemsen, Wit J De, V Geçkin, L Hoffmann, S Kopp, E Krahmer, E Mamus, J-M Montanier, C Oranç, Ak Pandey

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

In recent years, it has been suggested that social robots have potential as tutors and educators for both children and adults. While robots have been shown to be effective in teaching knowledge and skill-based topics, we wish to explore how social robots can be used to tutor a second language to young children. As language learning relies on situated, grounded and social learning, in which interaction and repeated practice are central, social robots hold promise as educational tools for supporting second language learning. This paper surveys the developmental psychology of second language learning and suggests an agenda to study how …

Architecture For A Social Assistive Robot In Cardiac Rehabilitation, J Casas, Nc Gomez, E Senft, B Irfan, Lf Gutierrez, M Rincon, M Munera, T Belpaeme, Ca Cifuentes

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Development And Test Of An Open Source Autonomous Sailing Robot With Accessibility, Generality And Extendability, U Vautier, J Wan, M Dai, C Viel, R Hone

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

This paper introduces the design of an open source autonomous sailing robot with emphasis on its accessibility, generality and extendability. To meet such requirements, a generic control box connecting an Arduino board and a Raspberry Pi computer was tailor-made so as to host the robot operating system (ROS) and to interact with versatile sensors and actuators. The goal of such a project is to create an accessible, generic and expendable platform of autonomous sailboats for wider education and research publicity and engagement. Autonomous sailing test for the developed sailboat was also conducted to validate its design.

Eslicarbazepine Acetate As A Replacement For Levetiracetam In People With Epilepsy Developing Behavioral Adverse Events, Virupakshi Jalihal, Rohit Shankar, William Henley, Mary Parrett, Phil Tittensor, Brendan N. Mclean, Ammad Ahmed, Josemir W. Sander

Peninsula Medical School

Background: Psychiatric and behavioral side effects (PBSEs) are a major cause of antiepileptic drug (AED) withdrawal. Levetiracetam (LEV) is a recognized first-line AED with good seizure outcomes but recognized with PBSEs. Eslicarbazepine (ESL) is considered to function similarly to an active metabolite of the commonly used carbamazepine (CBZ). Carbamazepine is used as psychotropic medication to assist in various psychiatric illnesses such as mood disorders, aggression, and anxiety. Aim: The aim was to evaluate the psychiatric profile of ESL in people who had LEV withdrawn due to PBSEs in routine clinical practice to see if ESL can be used as a …

Increasing Motivation And Engagement In Neurosurgery For Medical Students Through Practical Simulation-Based Learning, John Hanrahan, Michail Sideris, Parmenion P. Tsitsopoulos, Alexios Bimpis, Terouz Pasha, Peter C. Whitfield, Apostolos E. Papalois

Peninsula Medical School

Background: Simulation-based learning (SBL) is an essential adjunct to modern surgical education. Our study aimed to evaluate the educational benefit and motivational impact of a pilot practical neurosurgical module. Materials and methods: 38 clinical medical students from several EU Medical Schools attended an international surgical course focused on teaching and learning basic surgical skills. We designed a pilot neurosurgical workshop instructing students to insert an intracranial pressure bolt using an ex vivo pig model. Each delegate was assessed by two consultant neurosurgeons using a validated assessment tool. Structured questionnaires were distributed on completion of the module. Results: Delegate performance increased …

Allocating Patent Litigation Risk Across The Supply Chain, Michael J. Meurer

Faculty Scholarship

The paradigmatic defendant in a patent lawsuit is a vertically integrated manufacturer. But much economic activity is conducted collaboratively by a supply chain of vertically disintegrated firms, and sometimes multiple firms are implicated in infringing activities, by making, selling, or using patented technology, or by contributing to or inducing another firm’s infringement. Often patent owners have the option of suing some or all of the members of a supply chain who contribute to the design, creation and marketing of a new technology.
/="/">
/="/">Businesses increasingly contemplate the risk of patent infringement when they negotiate contractual relations to form a …

Excavating Race-Based Disadvantage Among Class-Privileged People Of Color, Khiara Bridges

Faculty Scholarship

The aim of this article is to begin to theorize the fraught space within which class-privileged racial minorities exist — the disadvantage within their privilege. The article posits that the invisibility of the racial subordination of wealthier people of color (that is, their marginalization on account of their race) is fertile soil for the germination of post-racialism — the sense that we, as a nation, have overcome our racial problems. The dramatic visibility of the minority poor’s suffering, combined with the relative invisibility of the suffering of those minorities who are not poor, breeds the belief that class is now …

Social Responsibility Resolutions, Scott Hirst

Faculty Scholarship

Shareholders exert significant influence on the social and environmental behavior of U.S. corporations through their votes on social responsibility resolutions. However, the outcomes of many social responsibility resolutions are distorted, because the largest shareholders – institutional investors, such as mutual funds and pension funds – often do not follow the interests or the preferences of their own investors. This paper presents evidence that institutions with similar investors and identical fiduciary duties vote very differently on social responsibility resolutions, suggesting that some institutional votes distort the interests of their investors. Other evidence presented suggests that institutional votes on social responsibility resolutions …

The Case For Investor Ordering, Scott Hirst

Faculty Scholarship

Whether corporate arrangements should be mandated by public law or “privately ordered” by corporations themselves has been a foundational question in corporate law scholarship. State corporation laws are generally privately ordered. But a significant and growing number of arrangements are governed by “corporate regulations” created by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). SEC corporate regulations are invariably mandatory. Whether they should be is the focus of this Article.
/="/">
/="/">This Article contributes to the ongoing debate by showing that whether mandatory or privately-ordered rules are optimal depends on the nature of investors, and their incentives in choosing corporate …

Universal Proxies, Scott Hirst

Faculty Scholarship

Contested director elections are a central feature of the corporate landscape, and underlie shareholder activism. Shareholders vote by unilateral proxies, which prevent them from “mixing and matching” among nominees from either side. The solution is universal proxies. The Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed a universal proxy rule, which has been the subject of heated debate and conflicting claims. This paper provides the first empirical analysis of universal proxies, allowing evaluation of these claims.
/="/">
/="/">The paper’s analysis shows that unilateral proxies can lead to distorted proxy contest outcomes, which disenfranchise shareholders. By removing these distortions, universal proxies would …

Legal Scholarship And External Critique In Eu Law, Daniela Caruso, Fernanda Nicola

Faculty Scholarship

The propensity to engage in a sustained critique of EU law marbles several contributions in this Volume and certainly animates this chapter. This generally critical stance takes the present stage of legal Europeanization as a fact and aims to make full use of the possibilities for political and social justice it can currently support, but at the same time it decries its many structural and dynamic drawbacks. In doing so, this critical project borrows liberally from CLS without fear of misreading or misappropriation. Irreverence in this context is a feature, not a bug. The CLS toolkit is clearly useful to …

Greeted With A Shrug: The Impact Of The Community Design System On United States Law, Stacey Dogan

Faculty Scholarship

In an era of increased harmonization of intellectual property laws worldwide, the United States’ treatment of product design looks like an anomaly. Since the European Community Design System went into effect in 2002, advocates in the US have urged Congress to follow suit and adopt sui generis design protection, particularly for fashion. The US Congress, however, has resisted the call and left design protection to the existing standards of trademark, copyright and design patent law.

This Chapter explores some of the reasons that the Community Design System has had so little purchase in US debates over design. The rejection of …

Twenty Years Of Web Scraping And The Computer Fraud And Abuse Act, Andrew Sellars

Faculty Scholarship

"Web scraping" is a ubiquitous technique for extracting data from the World Wide Web, done through a computer script that will send tailored queries to websites to retrieve specific pieces of content. The technique has proliferated under the ever-expanding shadow of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), which, among other things, prohibits obtaining information from a computer by accessing the computer without authorization or exceeding one's authorized access.

Unsurprisingly, many litigants have now turned to the CFAA in attempt to police against unwanted web scraping. Yet despite the rise in both web scraping and lawsuits about web scraping, practical …

What Explains Observed Reluctance To Trade? A Comprehensive Literature Review, Kathryn Zeiler

Faculty Scholarship

Valuation gaps and exchange asymmetries are among the most widely studied phenomena in the field of behavioral economics. The purpose of this chapter is to present the current state of the social science literature related to observed reluctance to trade. Numerous theories have been proposed and only a few might be safe to rule out based on the evidence to date. The chapter begins by describing the standard model of preferences, which generally assumes that valuation is independent of ownership status, and then catalogs early findings that seem to suggest that ownership status influences valuation. Early research tested various potential …

Representative/Senator Trump?, Gary S. Lawson

Faculty Scholarship

The American presidency is a much more powerful office in 2017 than was contemplated by the Constitution of 1788. In large measure, that is because Congress has unconstitutionally subdelegated many of its legislative powers to the President. The President thus effectively functions as the Congress to a significant degree, which not only perverts the constitutional structure but also significantly raises the stakes of presidential elections. There is no good reason to expect Congress or the courts to stem the tide of subdelegation. Presidents, however, have a number of tools available to resist, and even reverse, that tide. While there is …

Extremist Speech, Compelled Conformity, And Censorship Creep, Danielle K. Citron

Faculty Scholarship

Silicon Valley has long been viewed as a full-throated champion of First Amendment values. The dominant online platforms, however, have recently adopted speech policies and processes that depart from the U.S. model. In an agreement with the European Commission, tech companies have pledged to respond to reports of hate speech within twenty-four hours, a hasty process that may trade valuable expression for speedy results. Plans have been announced for an industry database that will allow the same companies to share hashed images of banned extremist content for review and removal elsewhere.

These changes are less the result of voluntary market …

Four Principles For Digital Expression (You Won't Believe #3!), Danielle K. Citron, Neil Richards

Faculty Scholarship

At the dawn of the Internet’s emergence, the Supreme Court rhapsodized about its potential as a tool for free expression and political liberation. In ACLU v. Reno (1997), the Supreme Court adopted a bold vision of Internet expression to strike down a federal law - the Communications Decency Act - that restricted digital expression to forms that were merely “decent.” Far more than the printing press, the Court explained, the mid-90s Internet enabled anyone to become a town crier. Communication no longer required the permission of powerful entities. With a network connection, the powerless had as much luck reaching a …

Saving Face: Unfolding The Screen Of Chinese Privacy Law, Tiffany Li, Jill Bronfman, Zhou Zhou

Faculty Scholarship

Privacy is often a subjective value, taking on meaning from specific social, historical, and cultural contexts. Western privacy scholars have so far generally limited academic study to focus on Western ideals of privacy. However, privacy – or some notion of it – can be found in almost every culture and every nation, including the growing economic powerhouse that is the People’s Republic of China. Focusing on China as a case study of non-Western privacy norms is important today, given the rapid rise of the Chinese economy and its corresponding impact on worldwide cultural norms and law. Simply put, it is …

Abolishing Ius Sanguinis Citizenship: A Proposal Too Restrained And Too Radical, Kristin Collins

Faculty Scholarship

Costica Dumbrava maintains that ius sanguinis citizenship is a historically tainted, outmoded, and unnecessary means of designating political membership. He argues that it is time to abandon it. Dumbrava limits his challenge to ius sanguinis citizenship per se, and even suggests that family-based migration rights could be used to minimise the disruptive effect of abolishing citizenship-by-descent. But his core complaints about ius sanguinis citizenship – the mismatch of biological parentage and political affinity, the difficulties of determining legal parentage – can be, and have been, levied against these various family-based preferences and statuses, which are likely found in every nation’s …

Eyes Wide Open: What Social Science Can Tell Us About The Supreme Court's Use Of Social Science, Jonathan Feingold, Evelyn Carter

Faculty Scholarship

In McCleskey v. Kemp, the Supreme Court rendered statistical evidence of racial disparities doctrinally irrelevant to a criminal defendant’s equal protection claim. Fifteen years later in Grutter v. Bollinger, Chief Justice Rehnquist—part of the McCleskey majority—invoked admissions data to support his conclusion that the University of Michigan Law School had unconstitutionally discriminated against White applicants. This facially inconsistent treatment of statistical data invites the following inquiry: Why do judges (including Supreme Court Justices) rely on social science in some cases, yet reject it in others? We suggest that one answer lies at the intersection of Critical Race Theory and empirical …

Delivering Impact Via Student Research: Sharing Best Practice, Asiya Khan, Richard Pemberton, Priska Schoenborn, Sukrat Honey, Andrew Edwards-Jones

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

The aims of the project were to • collect evidence of success (converting undergraduate projects into peer-reviewed publications) both internally and externally. • redefine undergraduate projects to develop staff-student collaborations that enable final year projects to be converted into peer-reviewed publications. • identify areas of good practice that can encourage cultural change. Background/context to project: This paper reports on a small-scale empirical study stems from the desire of our team of UK university engineering staff to develop our research outputs. We wanted to find ways to capitalise on final year undergraduate dissertations that could result in peer-reviewed publications. The university …