Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mindsets Matter: How Beliefs About Facebook Moderate the Association Between Time Spent and Well-Being

“Time spent on platform” is a widely used measure in many studies examining social media use and well-being, yet the current literature presents unresolved findings about the relationship between time on platform and well-being. In this paper, we consider the moderating effect of people’s mindsets about social media — whether they think a platform is good or bad for themselves and for society more generally. Combining survey responses from 29,284 participants in 15 countries with server-logged data of Facebook use, we found that when people thought that Facebook was good for them and for society, time spent on the platform was not significantly associated with well-being. Conversely, when they thought Facebook was bad, greater time spent was associated with lower well-being. On average, there was a small, negative correlation between time spent and well-being and the causal direction is not known. Beliefs had a stronger moderating relationship when time-spent measures were self-reported rather than coming from server logs. We discuss potential mechanisms for these results and implications for future research on well-being and social media use.
Hitting the Triple Bottom Line: Widening the HCI Approach to Sustainability

Sustainable Development (SD) in its dimensions – environment, economy, and society – is a growing area of concern within the HCI community. This paper advances a systematic literature review on sustainability across the Sustainable Human-Computer Interaction (SHCI) body of work. The papers were classified according to the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework to understand how the pillars of SD play into the HCI discourse on sustainability. The economic angle was identified as a gap in SHCI literature. To meet the TBL of SD, however, a balance needs to be sought across all ‘lines’. In this paper, we propose that HCI can advance the discussion and the understanding of the economic concepts around sustainability through taking a sociology perspective on the economic angle of the TBL. We sustain this claim by discussing economic concepts and the role that digital can play in redefining the established foundations of our economic system.
The taxonomic structure but not the functioning of riparian herbaceous communities varies with hydrological conditions on a large, highly regulated river: Evidence from a 2‐year replicated study

Riparian vegetation encompasses dynamic communities structured by strong environmental gradients. Due to anthropogenic changes, a greater uniformity of environmental conditions is observed along local gradients. To maintain diverse and functional communities in regulated rivers, there is an urgent need to finely characterize the factors controlling the spatial and temporal dynamics of riparian vegetation. In the summer of 2017 and 2019, we repeatedly sampled eight gravel bars along the regulated Rhône River. Using a taxonomic and functional approach, we assessed whether the diversity and composition of species and traits varied between the 2 years at the corridor and site scales. Taxonomic diversity decreased and composition changed between years, while functional diversity and composition did not. Specifically, we showed that variation in taxonomic diversity was largely limited to species sharing the same trait values, suggesting some functional resilience of riparian communities to environmental changes. In addition, we found that changes between the 2 years concerned primarily the communities established on low‐lying bars made up of coarse‐grained sediments, more frequently and intensely inundated. Beyond being the most responsive to environmental changes, these riparian communities were also the most diverse in species and trait values. However, by inducing a strong decrease in diversity, fine sedimentation seems to be a major threat to the functional and ecological integrity of gravel bars. Overall, these results highlight the conservation priority of low‐lying gravel surfaces and the need to promote more morphologically complex riparian habitats by renaturalizing flow variability and sediment regimes.
Exploring Open Parliament Initiatives in Ecuador Through Technology

A healthy dialogue between civil society and governments stems from meaningful communication and understanding of political data. Visualization tools have the potential to support this. To contribute to a growing Digital Civics agenda in the Global South, we built an interactive visualization prototype that enables open-ended analysis of legislative roll-call vote data from the Ecuadorian parliament; political actors were interviewed and shown this tool to explore future opportunities for open parliament technologies. This work serves as motivation for the design of open parliament technologies which ought to (i) provide stories and narratives about the parliament’s and legislators’ political history, (ii) support the understanding of how parliamentary bills and resolutions become law, and (iii) grapple with the socio-technical considerations that platforms must undergo in order to make citizen participation an incremental journey rather than a fixed destination.
Structure, agency and community: Using online music gatherings to support social inclusion for people with disabilities in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Introduction In the wake of COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns in the southern states of Australia, many community music and music therapy projects shifted to an online format. This paper discusses the formation and creation of four online music groups aimed at people with disability, including two groups for children and two for adults. The aim of the study was to explore the use of online technologies to support social inclusion and wellbeing when participants were physically isolated. Method This study positioned group participants as co-researchers to recognize the expertise many people with disability hold from being housebound or socially isolated. We adopted an action research framework in which participants provided ongoing reflections on the use of technology, access, musical foci and social interaction to iteratively develop the sessions through cycles of reflexive action. These data were triangulated with data collected through participant observation and individual interviews. Results The structured format of the sessions created online spaces for people with different disability, age and gender identities to explore their creativity together. Far from limiting participants’ autonomy and safety, the structured setting promoted their agency in decision-making and shaping the groups to meet their needs. Discussion Many participants interacted with the group or adapted to the online experiences in ways which the authors had not anticipated. While we were expecting our cohort to have expertise with social isolation, we found that they also had high levels of expertise as passionate musicians, which they used to frame the activities of the online gatherings.
Boosting the choice of energy-efficient home appliances: the effectiveness of two types of decision support

ABSTRACT Consumers’ limitations in assessing the lifetime cost of household appliances may sustain the much-cited energy efficiency gap. We analyse the impact of an individual’s energy and investment literacy and two different types of decision support on the ability to identify the appliance with the lower lifetime cost in an online randomized controlled trial among two independently chosen samples of the Swiss population. In a decision task, participants choose between appliances with different lifetime cost. One treatment offers a short education programme on how to calculate the lifetime cost of an appliance – via a set of information slides. The second treatment provides access to an online lifetime-cost calculator tool. We find that pre-treatment energy and investment literacy are positively associated with the probability of identifying the appliance with the lowest lifetime cost. Evidence in this paper suggest that both decision aids boost identification of energy-efficient appliances. We discuss strategies to scale up these boosters.
Rural E-Commerce Model with Attention Mechanism: Role of Li Ziqi’s Short Videos from the Perspective of Heterogeneous Knowledge Management

ABSTRACT E-commerce has provided ample opportunities for facilitating rural economic development. However, the existing rural e-commerce models are far from enough to reach potential customers and satisfy their heterogeneous needs. To fully leverage the advantages of e-commerce, the rural economy needs innovative business models to sustain its growth. Some rural Internet celebrities, such as Li Ziqi in China, have recognized the values of short videos and used them as a creative entrepreneurial model to promote and sell their products to customers in rural areas. This paper applies the reverse engineering method to study and generalize Li Ziqi’s entrepreneurial process in rural e-commerce based on the information adoption model and attention mechanism. We find that Li Ziqi’s short videos promote rural e-commerce by attracting consumers’ attention through the associated distinctive cultural knowledge. The unique, heterogeneous knowledge of products can boost rural e-commerce via short videos as the intermediaries. Short videos’ attention mechanism facilitates the development of new business models driven by business influences for rural e-commerce. Our research provides valuable insights for rural e-commerce entrepreneurs to promote their products.
A new Approach for Semi-Automated Measurement of PV Inverters, especially MPP Tracking Efficiency, using a Linear PV Array Simulator with High Stability

HTI Burgdorf's PV laboratory has carried out many tests with small grid-connected PV-inverters since 1988. At first the size of the available PV generator was 3 kWp, then since 1994 60kWp. A significant extension of the testing faci- lities was possible with the introduction of suitable PV array simulators. Several linear PV generator simulators up to 25kW with high stability and fast transient response were developed in 1998 to 2000. In 2002 and 2003, a significant improvement of the measuring software was realised which makes possible semi-automated tests of PV inverters including the mea- surement of MPP-tracking efficiency. Only with such semi-automated tests it is possible to perform extended inverter tests under many different operating conditions (e.g. for different DC voltages and on I-V-curves with different fill-factors and shapes) in a reasonable time. Measurement of MPP-tracking efficiency is quite difficult and requires a PV array simulator of high stability and no interaction with the inverter to be tested. In this paper, a new method of extracting MPP-power directly from the measured data points is presented. In many cases, this method allows automatic determination of static and dynamic MPPT-efficiency with no need for time-consuming separate MPP-measurements on each power level with external devices.
Changes in prefrontal GABA and glutamate through adolescence supports excitation/inhibition balance

Animal and human postmortem studies provide evidence for changes in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate in prefrontal cortex (PFC) during adolescence, suggesting shifts in excitation and inhibition balance consistent with critical period plasticity. However, how GABA and glutamate change through adolescence and how the balance of these inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters changes is not well understood in vivo in humans. High field (7 Tesla) Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging was used to investigate age-related changes in the balance of GABA/creatine (Cr) and glutamate/Cr in multiple developmentally-relevant regions of PFC in 144 10 to 30-year-olds. Results indicated a homogenous pattern of age-related Glu/Cr decreases across PFC regions, while age-related changes in GABA/Cr were heterogenous, with a mix of stable and decreasing age effects. Importantly, balance between glutamate/Cr and GABA/Cr in areas of prefrontal cortex increased through adolescence, suggesting the presence of critical period plasticity in PFC at this significant time of development when adult trajectories are established.
Memory loss at sleep onset

Every night, we pass through a transitory zone at the borderland between wakefulness and sleep, named the first stage of non-rapid eye movement sleep (N1). N1 sleep is associated with an increased hippocampal activity and dreamlike experiences that incorporate recent wake materials, suggesting that it may be associated with memory processing. Here, we investigated the specific contribution of N1 sleep in the processing of memory traces. Participants were asked to learn the precise locations of 48 objects on a grid and were then tested on their memory for these items before and after a 30-minute rest during which participants either stayed fully awake, transitioned toward N1 or deeper (N2) sleep. We showed that memory recall was lower (10% forgetting) after a resting period including only N1 sleep compared to N2 sleep. Furthermore, the ratio of alpha/theta power (an EEG marker of the transition towards sleep) correlated negatively with the forgetting rate when taking into account all sleepers (N1 and N2 groups combined), suggesting a physiological index for memory loss that transcends sleep stages. Our findings suggest that interrupting sleep onset at N1 may alter sleep-dependent memory consolidation and promote forgetting.
Hydro-aerodynamic mathematical model and multi-objective optimization of wing-in-ground effect craft in take-off

Hydro-aerodynamic mathematical model and multi-objective optimization of a popular wing-in-ground effect craft are presented in this research using a hydro-aerodynamic practical method and the genetic algorithm. The primary components of the wing-in-ground effect craft configuration include a compound wing, catamaran hull form and a power-augmented ram platform. The hydro-aerodynamic practical method with low computational time and high accuracy is performed by coupling hydrodynamic and aerodynamic considerations using the potential flow theory in ground effect and the semi-empirical equations proposed for high-speed marine vehicles. The trade-off between hydrodynamic and aerodynamic characteristics makes it difficult to simultaneously satisfy the design requirements of high hydro-aerodynamic performance. In this article, three goals—reduced hump resistance, increased compound wing lift-to-drag ratio and reduced take-off speed—are selected as the objective functions. The longitudinal position of center of gravity, position of outer wing with respect to main wing, power augmented ram platform angle to horizontal and flap angle are also adopted as design variables. Static height stability and the location of the center of gravity with respect to the aerodynamics centers are considered as constraints for the stable flight in ground effect. The optimal solutions of the multi-objective optimization were not unique, rather a set of non-dominated optima, called the Pareto sets, are obtained. As a result of the multi-objective optimization, 25 Pareto individuals are obtained that the naval architects can use in designing wing-in-ground crafts.
The whole blood microbiome of Indonesians reveals that environmental differences shape immune gene expression signatures

Pathogens found within local environments are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. This is particularly true in Indonesia, where infectious diseases such as malaria or dengue are a significant part of the disease burden within the country. One way to strengthen the control of infectious diseases is through better surveillance, however unequal investment in medical funding throughout Indonesia, particularly in rural areas, has resulted in under-reporting of cases. Here, we use transcriptome data from 117 healthy individuals living on the islands of Mentawai, Sumba, and the Indonesian side of New Guinea Island to explore which pathogens are present within whole blood. We are able to detect a broad range of taxa within RNA-sequencing data generated from whole blood, including bacteria, viruses, archaea, and eukaryotes. Using independent component analysis, we find that two of these pathogens—Flaviviridae and Plasmodium—have the most noticeable effects on expression profiles. We also identify specific genes linked with Plasmodium and Flavivirus abundance and find that both of these infections are most pronounced in the easternmost island within our Indonesian dataset. This study provides a framework for novel applications of RNA-seq as surveillance and a better understanding of environmental contributors affecting gene expression within Indonesia.
Determining the Lines of System Maturity, System Readiness and Capability Readiness in the System Development Lifecycle.

Many systems suffer from major problems with implementation, integration, performance and other lifecycle problems and unexpected and unacceptable behaviour often arises when they are introduced into the real world, yet the systems were believed to be “ready” for use. Often, certain aspects about the real world context are not always appreciated until surprise problems arise when the system is introduced and used. This could be thought of as a failure in “systems understanding”. We are not good enough at understanding system implementation and integration issues (in their widest sense) and the associated Risk issues in assessing a System‟s Maturity and Readiness within a development programme and overall lifecycle. This challenge is increasing interest and emphasis on System Maturity assessments and in the use of System Readiness Levels and on achieving the overall Capability of a system in its intended operational environment. In this paper, we investigate the issues by addressing the following key questions: Why are “Maturity” and “Readiness” important in Systems Engineering (SE)? Is there a sufficiently clear distinction between „System Maturity‟ (SM) and „System Readiness‟ (SR)? What do we mean by SM and SR? How is the term „Capability‟ currently being used in SE? Why do we need to assess the Capability of the system? What do we mean by „Capability Readiness‟ (CR)? We define SM, SR and CR and map these to the System Development and overall Lifecycle and then provide recommendations for further research.
Education is Experience

ONE of the things most devastating to human personality is that characteristic of our modern world which has deprived individuals of their prerogative to have something to say about what happens to them. The extent of the organization of society and the high degree of specialization in our technological age so dominate human life that a large proportion of adults are little more than automatons reacting to forces and controls inherent in the present day, but beyond their reach. Adults have the feel of this situation though they may not be articulate about it. Housman spoke from the depths of human experience when he wrote:
Implementation and Validation of a Self-Consumption Maximization Energy Management Strategy in a Vanadium Redox Flow BIPV Demonstrator

This paper presents the results of the implementation of a self-consumption maximization strategy tested in a real-scale Vanadium Redox Flow Battery (VRFB) (5 kW, 60 kWh) and Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) demonstrator (6.74 kWp). The tested energy management strategy aims to maximize the consumption of energy generated by a BIPV system through the usage of a battery. Whenever possible, the residual load is either stored in the battery to be used later or is supplied by the energy stored previously. The strategy was tested over seven days in a real-scale VRF battery to assess the validity of this battery to implement BIPV-focused energy management strategies. The results show that it was possible to obtain a self-consumption ratio of 100.0%, and that 75.6% of the energy consumed was provided by PV power. The VRFB was able to perform the strategy, although it was noticed that the available power (either to charge or discharge) varied with the state of charge.
Empirical Study of BIM Implementation–Based Perceptions among Chinese Practitioners

The global movement of building information modeling (BIM) is spreading the implementation of BIM from developed countries to other developing countries. Practitioners’ perceptions of BIM implementation in these developing countries, such as China, a giant building market that is increasing the application of BIM in the industry, have not been thoroughly understood. This research used the questionnaire method to survey 94 randomly recruited Chinese BIM professionals to investigate BIM practice and its related perceptions. Reductions in design errors and resultant construction rework were considered the top benefits of using BIM. The most important factor in achieving BIM value was noted as interoperability among various BIM tools. A comprehensive evaluation of BIM at the company level was considered a major difficulty of implementing BIM. The owner was considered the party that received the most benefits from BIM. Subgroup differences based on two major categories (i.e., participants’ profession and BIM proficiency level) were analyzed in the survey sections related to BIM implementation. Statistical analysis revealed that, generally, neither the profession nor BIM proficiency level affected participants’ perceptions of the benefits, factors, challenges, or benefited parties in BIM implementation.
The language network reliably ‘tracks’ naturalistic meaningful non-verbal stimuli

The language network, comprised of brain regions in the left frontal and temporal cortex, responds robustly and reliably during language comprehension but shows little or no response during many non-linguistic cognitive tasks (e.g., Fedorenko & Blank, 2020). However, one domain whose relationship with language remains debated is semantics—our conceptual knowledge of the world. Given that the language network responds strongly to meaningful linguistic stimuli, could some of this response be driven by the presence of rich conceptual representations encoded in linguistic inputs? In this study, we used a naturalistic cognition paradigm to test whether the cognitive and neural resources that are responsible for language processing are also recruited for processing semantically rich non-verbal stimuli. To do so, we measured BOLD responses to a set of ∼5-minute-long video and audio clips that consisted of meaningful event sequences but did not contain any linguistic content. We then used the inter-subject correlation (ISC) approach (Hasson et al., 2004) to examine the extent to which the language network ‘tracks’ these stimuli, i.e. exhibits stimulus-related variation. Across all the regions of the language network, meaningful non-verbal stimuli elicited reliable ISCs. These ISCs were higher than the ISCs elicited by semantically impoverished non-verbal stimuli (e.g., a music clip), but substantially lower than the ISCs elicited by linguistic stimuli. Our results complement earlier findings from controlled experiments (e.g., Ivanova et al., 2021) in providing further evidence that the language network shows some sensitivity to semantic content in non-verbal stimuli.