EUSci – The Edinburgh University Science Magazine

Electronic voice recognition finds men more difficult to understand

Frustrating automated phone calls may be a thing of the past thanks to a new study lead by researchers at the University of Edinburgh. The work uncovered the most common mistakes made by automated phone systems in the hope of improving speech recognition services.

The study found that computers often have difficulty recognising the first word in a sentence, as well as problems with understanding sentences that contain a lot of ‘umm’ and ‘err’ sounds. The research also found that men are more commonly misunderstood, something that is likely to be due to their more frequent use of these indecisive noises. Words which sounded similar were also often misinterpreted, especially when either word could be used in a similar context. The work came from recording phone conversations between people, then submitting them to an electronic speech recognition programme to observe how it interpreted the conversations.

The unique nature of human voices makes designing a programme suitable for everyone very difficult, but this work, and other studies like it, hope to create a system that will more accurately interpret what is being said.

- Kat Davey

EUSci Podcast #25

Why does everybody want to experiment on this poor fellow?

Hard to believe that this is our 25th podcast already. Thanks to all our loyal listeners! This week, our host Frank Dondelinger guides us through stories about wacky fruitfly research, a new type of solar cells, a tricky virus (no, not HIV this time), and much more. So sit back and enjoy our take on the buzzing power source of science stories that made the headlines (or at least the science pages) of newspapers over the past couple of weeks.

Download Link

What’s in today’s show:

News:

• Why our Bodies Age
• Alzheimers Gene Makes You Clever
• Mystery of Martian Dunes without Wind Explained
• Science Stories are Emailed More Often Than Newspaper Headlines
• Stinky Flowers Kept Warm by Yeast

• You won’t believe it, but obsessive driving fanatics are prone to driving agressively.

Also, please go and sign the national petition for libel reform. Help keep libel law out of science!

You can subscribe to the feed for the podcast here, or by using the podcast button on the sidebar. If you have iTunes, click the iTunes button to subscribe automatically.

Don’t know how to subscribe to podcasts? There’s a tutorial here. And don’t forget that you can also join our Facebook group, or send comments and feedback to podcast@eusci.org.

Scotland’s science and research base ranked among the best in the world

A report just published (January 2010) has found that in terms of citations per paper, Scotland ranks second in the world and, in terms of citations per researcher, third in the world.

The report, commissioned by the Chief Science Advisor for Scotland Professor Anne Glover, compared publication rates and impact of research produced by universities, research institutes, industry and the NHS in Scotland, with those of other countries. The findings were based on 2007, and where possible, 2008 data.

According to the report particularly strong areas of research in Scotland are biological sciences, which contributed 2.4 per cent of all citations, environment (2.2 per cent) and health and medical research (1.8 per cent). It also showed an increasing level of global collaboration with over 50% of Scottish research papers being internationally co-authored.

The report highlighted the fact that as research becomes more expensive other countries research productivity has dropped, whereas Scotland has managed to retain its productivity: per country, publishing the largest amount of papers worldwide.

First Minister Alex Salmond has commented on the report, saying that: “The Scottish Government continues to work with universities, research institutes, industry and community partners to ensure Scotland continues to be a competitive hotbed of ideas and innovation.” And went on to say: “This new report supports the Government’s work to attract new talent and investment to Scotland. It also strongly reinforces the message that Scotland is a world leader in technology, innovation and enterprise.”

To get the full list of results from the report, please visit: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/science/16607/research-1

- James Beggs

EUSciFi Competition First Prize: Like Killing Mice

The winner of the first prize in our EUSciFi competition. This story will be published in the upcoming issue of EUSci.

Like Killing Mice by Adam Wilson

I, Benedict Michael Matthew Hume, Inspector, first class, of the XIXth Moral Enforcement Unit and Inquisition (Electronic Atrocities Division), confirm before almighty God that what follows is a true and accurate account of the events of January the 27th 2110, in my precinct, the city of Edinburgh.

I arrived at Niddry Street at 3.25pm, thirty minutes after receiving the call from Sergeant MacNeil, who greeted me at the cordoned-off area and presented me with a torch and dust mask.
“Dark in there?” I asked him idly.
“Dusty, too,” he said, sneering slightly. “Sir.”
I let it slide, took the torch from him without comment. “What’s all the fuss about, MacNeil? Don’t tell me you got us all out here over a slide rule and a pack of tarot cards.”
“Hardly, sir.” MacNeil indicated, with a nod of his helmeted head, the bustle of activity surrounding the building that had once, presumably, been a pub of some sort. To have attracted such numbers of people, the find must not have been trivial. In fact, it must have been extraordinary. “In the basement, sir. A plaster partition, fairly well-camouflaged but not too strong. When the owners of the place accidentally made a hole in it, they discovered–”
I had already ducked under the line of tape and was marching towards the door. “Come on, walk and talk.”
“Don’t you want your mask, sir?”
“I’m sure I’ll manage.”
“The room is poorly ventilated–”
“Just… tell me what you know. Okay, sergeant?”
“Sir.”

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New links between stress and diabetics’ memory loss

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh have looked at the memory function of more than 900 type-2 diabetics, and found that stress increases the risk of memory loss.

Type-2 diabetes is characterised by high blood glucose levels and tends to be more common after the age of 40. The Edinburgh Type-2 diabetes study was set up in 2006 to identify risk factors for memory, which is a recognised symptom of this type of diabetes.

This study, published by Diabetes Care, examined the mental abilities, intelligence, and vocabulary of individuals to see if brain function had diminished over a period of time. Factors such as cardiovascular disease, smoking and education were taken into consideration. It was found that brain function had slowed in individuals with higher levels of cortisol, thus linking this stress hormone with the memory loss associated with type-2 diabetes.

“This study shows that older people with diabetes who have higher levels of stress hormones in their blood are more likely to have experienced cognitive decline. It may be that by regulating cortisol levels, we could help improve cognitive decline in patients with type-2 diabetes”, said Dr Rebecca Reynolds of the University’s Centre for Cardiovascular Science.

- Katherine Staines

Scientists provide new insights into Rett Syndrome

The biological mechanism behind Rett Syndrome may be less complicated than previously thought, according to scientists at the University of Edinburgh.  Their findings provide insight into the autistic spectrum disorder, which leaves sufferers with severe speech and mobility problems and affects more than 1000 children in the UK.

Rett Syndrome primarily affects girls and is caused by mutations in the X-chromosome gene, MeCP2.  Previously it was thought that MeCP2 protein affected the expression of a handful of genes, but this study, published in the journal Molecular Cell, claims that the protein may act ‘genome-wide’ within brain cells.

Professor Adrian Bird, who led the research team, said: “This debilitating disorder is caused by a protein that is much more abundant in brain cells than we had realised and can therefore interact with the entire human genome, rather than with a few selected genes.”

“It may be that, in Rett patients, many brain cells share a generic defect – which would mean this disease is less complicated than we feared. More work is needed to investigate this possibility.”

- Laura Bailey

Research suggests “bonding hormone”

Working with colleagues in Germany and Japan, scientists at the University of Edinburgh recently demonstrated the role of the hormone vasopressin in scent memory and recognition.

Adult rats were left sniffing youngs to memorise their smell. The adults were later placed in an enclosure containing the previously interacted baby and several unknown young rats. Results of the research indicate that adults whose vasopressin were removed failed to recall the baby, in comprison to normal rats who could.

“(The study shows that) vasopressin may help to filter sensory information according to its emotional significance,” said Professor Mike Ludwig, who led the research. The malfunction of the vasopressin system in the brain may prevent people from forming deep emotional bonds with other individuals, and it might be the underlying cause of conditions such as autism and social phobia.

- Dong Liu

EUSciFi Competition Second Prize: Robo-Rebus

The winner of the second prize in our EUSciFi competition.

Robo-Rebus by Emily Pritchard

The turn-out for the Mark III was less impressive than for the previous models. At the Mark I unveiling the First Minister had given a speech, celebrating a triumph of science in the field of policing. After that disaster, the Mark II had been shown off by the Lord Provost, waxing lyrical about a new era of automated criminology. The Mark III had commanded only Chief Inspector Mohammed Fitzpatrick, of Lothian and Borders Police, some nervous looking Bobbies and a smattering of press.

The Chief Inspector eyed his crowd warily; they were clearly all expecting another disaster. It wasn’t an unreasonable expectation, and all precautions had been taken against it. The army were waiting outside Fettes HQ, armed to the teeth with all the latest equipment, and a squadron of RAF fighters were circling the Edinburgh skies. At the back of the hall was a reinforced bunker, it couldn’t fend off the Mark III indefinitely but at least until the forces could disable it. But despite all doubts, CI Fitzpatrick knew they’d got this one to work, the Mark III was almost human.

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Study predicts speed of female biological clock

95% of women have lost as much as 88% of their original reserve of eggs in their ovaries by the age of 30 new research has shown. Collaborative efforts at the University of Edinburgh and the University of St Andrews employed mathematical models to predict the dynamics of the ovarian egg reserve, and its changes with age.

The human ovary contains a fixed number of eggs which is established before birth. This store declines with age, becoming depleted by the age of 50-51. Analysis using data from women in the UK, US and Europe, shows egg recruitment increases from birth till age 14 afterwhich it declines with age until the menopause. By the age of 40 as little as 3% of the original egg reserve remains.

The study also predicts that 81% of variance between women in their egg reserve is due to age alone, with the remaining 19% resulting from factors other than age e.g. smoking, BMI, and stress. The study, published in PloS One journal, speculates that as age increases, factors other than age become more important in determining the rate of egg loss. “By understanding the dynamics of ovarian reserve, we can predict which children and young people treated for cancer are most at risk of an early menopause,” states Dr. Hamish Wallace, consultant oncologist at the University of Edinburgh. It is hoped that a better understanding of the dynamics of human ovarian reserve will provide a more scientific basis for fertility counselling.

- Sobia Raza

EUSciFi Competition Runner-Up: Technology

One of the three runners-up in our EUSciFi competition.

Technology by Eleanor Horn

Old people just can’t work new technology. It’s a fact of life. No matter who the old person is and no matter what contraption they are trying to manipulate, the result is always the same. A worn mind leads to a lack of understanding, which manifests itself as a general dislike towards technology, and finally the decision not to use technology at all, much to the despair and exacerbation of young people.

It is only now that I am beginning to understand the chain of events being in my middle years and trying to work out how to switch off this ridiculous flashing and noising machine. It was attempting to tell me that I was tired and that I should go to sleep, by measuring serotonin levels or what not. I think, having regulated my sleeping patterns for 65 years, I don’t need a machine to help me. I switched on the TV using the old style remote control (none of this microchip in the head rubbish) and flicked over to BBC1 Scotland, to see Bruce Forsyth, now 135 years old but only 13.5% of his original DNA, showing off as usual with some poor Scottish sidekick outside Edinburgh Castle. At least it is sufficiently distracting to calm me down after having finally taken the batteries out of my ‘SLEEP-O-MATIC SERIES 3.

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