Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An arid zone awash with diversity: patterns in the distribution of aquatic invertebrates in the Pilbara region of Western Australia

The Pilbara region of Western Australia is an arid zone with an abundance of wetlands, ranging from springs and river pools to salt marshes, claypans, rockpools and gnammas. The Pilbara is also rich in mineral resources, which are being heavily exploited, and most of the region is under pastoral lease, with both land uses potentially having an impact upon aquatic systems. In order to provide information for improved conservation planning, including environmental impact assessment and reserve system design, a survey of wetland fauna was undertaken as part of a broader biodiversity survey of the region. This paper describes patterns in the distribution of the region's aquatic invertebrate diversity and identifies environmental correlates of those patterns. Invertebrates and environmental variables were surveyed at 100 wetlands in spring and autumn between 2003 and 2006. The Pilbara appears to have a particularly diverse fauna for an arid zone, with just over 1000 species collected, an average of 94 species per sample and a maximum sample richness of 226 species. About a fifth of the fauna is known to date only from the Pilbara. The remaining species are western endemics, occur elsewhere in northern and/or inland Australia, or have continental or wider distributions. Most species seem to be widespread in the Pilbara region but rare and/or restricted elements are present, especially in some permanently flowing springs, including those in Millstream and Karijini National Parks, and in ephemeral wetlands such as Fortescue Marsh and freshwater claypans. Faunal composition was not strongly correlated with season, drainage divides, stream order or previously recognised bioregional boundaries. A number of assemblages of species with common patterns of occurrence were identified, each showing unique associations with measured environmental variables. Flow, turbidity, salinity, sediments, macrophytes and hydrological persistence are among the environmental gradients most strongly correlated with occurrence patterns in the fauna.
genetic Variation for Waterlogging Tolerance in Cotton

in Australia, periodic waterlogging throughout the cotton growing season can cause production losses of up to 10%. There is limited information on the genetic variation in cotton for waterlogging tolerance. The aim of this study was to identify methods to evaluate physiological responses under waterlogging conditions that may lead to identifying waterlogging tolerant and sensitive cotton cultivars. A field experiment was conducted in n arrabri, north-western n ew South Wales using thirteen upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum l.) cultivars (georgia King, mcnair 1032, PD93057, lA 887, Codetec 401, DP 16, DP 90, Coker 315, C im 443, gohar 87, Sicot 71, Sicot 73 and Sicot 80) and one Gossypium barbadense cultivar (Pima A-8) originating from diverse environmental regions. Parameters measured to assess response to waterlogging included: SPAD (leaf colour) readings, leaf nutritional status, leaf photosynthetic rate, plant and root morphology, and final yield. Leaf SPAD readings, nitrogen and potassium concentrations were reduced in waterlogged treatments compared to the respective controls, and varied with cultivar. leaf phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, manganese and sulphur concentrations were reduced in the waterlogged treatment compared to the respective controls in all cultivars. Waterlogging increased leaf total iron concentration in all cultivars. no
EFFECT OF ZINC FERTILIZATION ON GROWTH, YIELD AND QUALITY OF WHEAT GROWN UNDER AGRO-CLIMATIC CONDITION OF KYMORE PLATEAU OF MADHYA PRADESH, INDIA

results revealed that the application of increasing levels of Zn @ 5, 10 and 20 kg ha -1 significantly increased the growth parameters viz., plant height, plant population, number of leaves per plant, dry weight per plant and leaf area index, yield attributing characters like length of earhead, number of grains per ear head, number of effective tillers per meter and 1000-grain weight, grain and straw yields as well as harvest index with the increasing levels of Zn at different growth stages as compared to NPK fertilization alone. Further, the quality parameters like protein (crude and true) in wheat grain were markedly increased by the application of increasing levels of Zn as compared to NPK alone. Thus, the present studies indicated that the application of 10 kg Zn ha-1 with 100 % NPK
Screen Magnification for Readers with Low Vision: A Study on Usability and Performance

We present a study with 20 participants with low vision who operated two types of screen magnification (lens and full) on a laptop computer to read two types of document (text and web page). Our purposes were to comparatively assess the two magnification modalities, and to obtain some insight into how people with low vision use the mouse to control the center of magnification. These observations may inform the design of systems for the automatic control of the center of magnification. Our results show that there were no significant differences in reading performances or in subjective preferences between the two magnification modes. However, when using the lens mode, our participants adopted more consistent and uniform mouse motion patterns, while longer and more frequent pauses and shorter overall path lengths were measured using the full mode. Analysis of the distribution of gaze points (as measured by a gaze tracker) using the full mode shows that, when reading a text document, most participants preferred to move the area of interest to a specific region of the screen.
Multimodal Cross-Lingual Features and Weight Fusion for Cross-Cultural Humor Detection

Sentiment analysis plays a crucial role in interpreting human interactions across different modalities. This paper addresses the Cross-Cultural Multilingual Humour Detection Sub-Challenge in the MuSe 2023 Multi-modal Sentiment Analysis Challenge, which aims to identify humor instances in cross-cultural situations using multimodal data. In this paper, we explore the unique window length processing of audio data to more accurately and fully capture humor information. Furthermore, we employ a data augmentation technique for text to bridge the gap between the train set and the test set. This augmentation involves converting German and English samples in the database to each other, as well as translating both languages into Chinese. These techniques aim to enhance the model's generalization across different languages and alleviate the scarcity of humor samples. For multimodal fusion, we use the late fusion technique applied to different Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) models with modality-specific weights obtained through gradient descent. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, achieving an Area Under the Curve (AUC) score of 0.872 on the MuSe-Humor test set. This performance ranked second place in the sub-challenge.
Tectonic geomorphology along the eastern margin of Tibet: insights into the pattern and processes of active deformation adjacent to the Sichuan Basin

Abstract We present a review and synthesis of the tectonic geomorphology along the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau adjacent to and north of the Sichuan Basin. Re-evaluation of spatial variations in the form of fluvial longitudinal profiles provides a refined image of the distribution of anomalously steep channels. Three new analyses demonstrate that these variations in channel steepness reflect variations in the locus and rate of differential rock uplift. First, measurements of channel width along trunk streams reveal systematic co-variations in channel hydraulic geometry and slope that suggests channels are dynamically adjusted to spatial variations in erosion rate. Second, recent determinations of the functional relationship between channel steepness indices and erosion rate allow a quantitative estimation of erosion rate from channel profile form. Third, comparison of rock uplift patterns to variations in the distribution of slip associated with the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake confirms that channel gradients reflect differential rock uplift. Our analysis suggests that reactivated fault systems adjacent to the Sichuan Basin are primarily responsible for accommodating differential rock uplift, but that rock uplift northward along the margin is not associated with active faults and is likely sustained by flow and thickening in the deep crust.
Developing and Deploying a Real-World Solution for Accessible Slide Reading and Authoring for Blind Users

Presentation software like Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides remains largely inaccessible for blind users because screen readers are not well suited to 2-D “artboards” that contain different objects in arbitrary arrangements lacking any inherent reading order. To investigate this problem, prior work by Zhang & Wobbrock (2023) developed multimodal interaction techniques in a prototype system called A11yBoard, but their system was limited to a single artboard in a self-contained prototype and was unable to support real-world use. In this work, we present a major extension of A11yBoard that expands upon its initial interaction techniques, addresses numerous real-world issues, and makes it deployable with Google Slides. We describe the new features developed for A11yBoard for Google Slides along with our participatory design process with a blind co-author. We also present two case studies based on real-world deployments showing that participants were able to independently complete slide reading and authoring tasks that were not possible without sighted assistance previously. We conclude with several design guidelines for making accessible digital content creation tools.
Formal Verification of a Mechanical Ventilator using UPPAAL

Mechanical ventilators are increasingly used for life support of critically ill patients. In this sense, despite recent technological advances, the accurate specification of their properties remains challenging, and the use of formal tools is limited. This work focuses on verifying the properties of the architecture of a mechanical ventilator using UPPAAL as a modeling tool. As a result, the system requirements and specification of a functional prototype were verified and improved using the formal model of a mechanical ventilator. This approach provides a valuable means of ensuring the correctness and reliability of mechanical ventilator systems.
Beyond Audio Description: Exploring 360° Video Accessibility with Blind and Low Vision Users Through Collaborative Creation

While audio description (AD) is a standard method for making traditional videos more accessible to blind and low vision (BLV) users, we lack an understanding of how to make 360° videos accessible while preserving their immersive nature. Through individual interviews and collaborative design workshops, we explored ways to improve 360° video accessibility with immersion and engagement in mind. Our design workshops presented a unique opportunity for participants with diverse backgrounds to build on each others’ personal and professional experiences and collaboratively develop accessible 360° video prototypes. Participants included both AD creators and users, with a focus on BLV AD creators as their perspectives are underrepresented in prior work. We found that immersive video accessibility went beyond an extension of traditional video accessibility techniques. Participants valued accurate vocabulary and different points of view for descriptions, preferred a variety of presentation locations for spatialized AD, appreciated sound effects for setting the mood and subtly guiding, and wished to engage multiple senses to boost engagement. We conclude with implications for immersive media accessibility and future research directions to support disabled people as creators of access technology.
Designing a Human-Centered Intelligent System to Monitor & Explain Abnormal Patterns of Older Adults

Older adult care technologies are increasingly explored to support the independent living of older adults by monitoring their abnormal activities and informing caregivers to provide intervention if necessary. However, the adoption of these technologies remains challenging due to several factors (e.g. lack of usability). In this work, we present a human-centered, intelligent system for older adult care. Our proposed designs of the system were created based on the findings from a focus group session with caregivers. This system monitors the abnormal activities of an older adult using wireless motion sensors and machine learning models. In addition, unlike previous work that only notifies an outcome of activity recognition and abnormal detection models to a caregiver, the system supports interactive dialogue responses to explain the abnormal activities of an older adult to a caregiver and allow the caregiver to elicit additional information about the older adult and the older adult to proactively share his/her status with the caregiver for an adequate intervention.
Dyadic advance care planning: systematic review of patient–caregiver interventions and effects

Familycaregiver’s involvement in advance care planning (ACP) is essential to provide high-quality end-of-life (EOL) care and to ease the surrogate decision-making burden. However, no systematic review has focused on existing ACP interventions involving patients and their families. The aim of this study is to systematically summarise current ACP interventions involving patients and their families. Five English and two Chinese databases were searched from inception to September 2022. The eligible studies were experimental studies describing original data. The Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools assessed the methodological quality. Narrative synthesis was conducted for data analysis. In total, twenty-eight articles were included. Fifteen studies were randomised controlled trials, and the rest 13 studies were quasi-experimental studies. The data synthesis identified: (1) Key intervention components: strategies to promote ACP, ACP discussion and follow-up, as well as the role of family caregivers and (2) Effects on intended outcomes: interventions have shown benefit on completion of ACP actions, while inconsistent findings were found on the process outcomes and quality of EOL care. In addition, a logic model for patient–caregiver dyadic ACP was created, and the underlying mechanisms of action included well-preparation, open discussion and adequate support for plan/action. This review provides comprehensive evidence about patient–caregiver dyadic ACP, a promising intervention to better prepare for EOL communication and decision-making. A logic model has been mapped to give a preliminary indication for future implementation. More empirical studies are needed to improve this model and culturally adapt it in a real-world setting.
Investigating short-stay admission to a neonatal intensive care unit as a risk factor for reduced breast feeding at discharge in infants ≥36 weeks’ gestation: a retrospective cohort study

Objective This study aims to determine the effect of infant–mother separation following a short-stay (≤72 hours) admission to a Level 5 neonatal unit versus no admission on infant-feeding outcomes at hospital discharge. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting An Australian Level 5 neonatal unit within a tertiary referral hospital. Participants Mothers and their infants born between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2020 had a short-stay admission to the neonatal unit or no admission. All participants met admission criteria to the postnatal ward and were discharged home at ≤72 hours (n=12 540). Postnatal ward admission criteria included ≥36 weeks’ gestation and birth weight ≥2.2 kg. Main outcome measures Infant feeding at discharge from hospital. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted, adjusting for confounders associated with known breastfeeding issues. These included age, ethnicity, parity, obesity, socioeconomic score, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, diabetes, infant gestation and birthweight centile, caesarean section birth, postpartum haemorrhage and skin-to-skin contact. Results Of the 12 540 live births meeting inclusion criteria, 1000 (8%) infants were admitted to the neonatal unit. The primary reasons for admission were suspicion of sepsis (24%), maternal diabetes (19%) and jaundice (16%). We found a reduction in full breast feeding at hospital discharge in cases of a short admission to the neonatal unit compared with no admission (aOR 0.40; 95% CI 0.34 to 0.47; p<0.001). We identified that women of different ethnicities had differing levels of risk for formula supplementation at hospital discharge. The ethnic grouping least likely to be fully breast feeding at discharge was Southeast Asian women (aOR 0.47; 95% CI 0.39 to 0.57; p<0.001). Conclusions Identifying mother–infant dyads at risk of non-exclusive breast feeding at hospital discharge will help target resources for practice improvement.
A Multifaceted Memory Analysis of Java Benchmarks

Java benchmarking suites like Dacapo and Renaissance are employed by the research community to evaluate the performance of novel features in managed runtime systems. These suites encompass various applications with diverse behaviors in order to stress test different subsystems of a managed runtime. Therefore, understanding and characterizing the behavior of these benchmarks is important when trying to interpret experimental results. This paper presents an in-depth study of the memory behavior of 30 Dacapo and Renaissance applications. To realize the study, a characterization methodology based on a two-faceted profiling process of the Java applications is employed. The two-faceted profiling offers comprehensive insights into the memory behavior of Java applications, as it is composed of high-level and low-level metrics obtained through a Java object profiler (NUMAProfiler) and a microarchitectural event profiler (PerfUtil) of MaxineVM, respectively. By using this profiling methodology we classify the Dacapo and Renaissance applications regarding their intensity in object allocations, object accesses, LLC, and main memory pressure. In addition, several other aspects such as the JVM impact on the memory behavior of the application are discussed.
Experiments with RouteNav, A Wayfinding App for Blind Travelers in a Transit Hub

RouteNav is an iOS app designed to support wayfinding for blind travelers in an indoor/outdoor transit hub. It doesn’t rely on external infrastructure (such as BLE beacons); instead, localization is obtained by fusing spatial information from inertial dead reckoning and GPS (when available) via particle filtering. Routes are expressed as sequences of “tiles”, where each tile may contain relevant points of interest. Redundant modalities are used to guide users to switching goalposts within tiles. In this paper, we describe the different components of RouteNav, and report on a user study with seven blind participants, who traversed three challenging routes in a transit hub while receiving input from the app.
Variability of scan quality and perfusion density in longitudinal optical coherence tomography angiography imaging

Background/aims Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) images are subject to variability, but the extent to which learning impacts OCT-A measurements is unknown. We determined whether there is a learning effect in glaucoma patients and healthy controls imaged with OCT-A. Methods Ninety-one open-angle glaucoma patients and 54 healthy controls were imaged every 4 months over a period of approximately 1 year in this longitudinal cohort study. We analysed 15°×15° scans, centred on the fovea, in one eye of each participant. Two-dimensional projection images for the superficial, intermediate and deep vascular plexuses were exported and binarised after which perfusion density was calculated. Linear mixed-effects models were used to investigate the association between perfusion density and follow-up time. Results The mean (SD) age of glaucoma patients and healthy controls was 67.3 (8.1) years and 62.1 (9.0) years, respectively. There was a significant correlation between perfusion density and scan quality in both glaucoma patients (r=0.50 (95% CI 0.42 to 0.58); p<0.05) and healthy controls (r=0.41 (95% CI 0.29 to 0.52); p<0.05). An increase in perfusion density occurred over time and persisted, even after adjustment for scan quality (1.75% per year (95% CI 1.14 to 2.37), p<0.01). Conclusions Perfusion density measurements are subject to increasing experience of either the operator or participant, or a combination of both. These findings have implications for the interpretation of longitudinal measurements with OCT-A.
Depression and anxiety-related disorders and suicide among Swedish male elite football players: a nationwide cohort study

Objective To assess whether male elite football players, during and after their active career, were at increased risk of depression and anxiety-related disorders and suicide, as compared with the general male population. Methods We included male football players active in the Swedish top division 1924–2019 and general male population (matched to football players based on age and region of residence) aged <65 years in 1997. Using nationwide registers, we followed the football players from their first season in the top division (or the date of their first registered residency in Sweden) or 1 January 1997, and compared the risk of depression and anxiety-related disorders (captured through diagnoses from hospital admissions and outpatient visits, and use of prescription drugs) among football players versus controls. In a secondary analysis using data from death certificates, we compared the risk of suicide between football players and general population males who were alive in 1969 (when cause of death became available) . Results During follow-up through 31 December 2020, 504 (13.6%) of 3719 football players and 7455 (22.3%) of 33 425 general population males had a depression or anxiety-related disorder. In analyses accounting for age, region of residence and calendar time, the risk of anxiety and depression-related disorders was lower among football players versus general population males (HR 0.61, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.66). The protective association was attenuated with increasing age, and from around age 70 years the risk was similar in the two groups. The risk of suicide was lower among football players versus general population males (HR 0.48, 95% CI 0.32 to 0.72). Conclusions In this nationwide cohort study in Sweden, elite male football players had a lower risk of depression and anxiety-related disorders and suicide as compared with the general population.