Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Red Alert: A Cognitive Countermeasure to Mitigate Attentional Tunneling

Attentional tunneling, that is the inability to detect unexpected changes in the environment, has been shown to have critical consequences in air traffic control. The motivation of this study was to assess the design of a cognitive countermeasure dedicated to mitigate such failure of attention. The Red Alert cognitive countermeasure relies on a brief orange-red flash (300 ms) that masks the entire screen with a 15% opacity. Twenty-two air traffic controllers faced two demanding scenarios, with or without the cognitive countermeasure. The volunteers were not told about the Red Alert so as to assess the intuitiveness of the design without prior knowledge. Behavioral results indicated that the cognitive countermeasure reduced reaction time and improved the detection of the notification when compared to the classical operational design. Further analyses showed this effect was even stronger for half of our participants (91.7% detection rate) who intuitively understood the purpose of this design.
Venous Materials: Towards Interactive Fluidic Mechanisms

Venous Materials is a novel concept and approach of an interactive material utilizing fluidic channels. We present a design method for fluidic mechanisms that respond to deformation by mechanical inputs from the user, such as pressure and bending. We designed a set of primitive venous structures that act as embedded analog fluidic sensors, displaying flow and color change. In this paper, we consider the fluid as the medium to drive tangible information triggered by deformation, and at the same time, to function as a responsive display of that information. To provide users with a simple way to create and validate designs of fluidic structures, we built a software platform and design tool UI. This design tool allows users to quickly design the geometry, and simulate the flow with intended mechanical force dynamically. We present a range of applications that demonstrate how Venous Materials can be utilized to augment interactivity of everyday physical objects.
Studies on the origin, evolution and distribution of the Gramineae. I. The tribe Andropogoneae

From a study of the grass flora of some 300 regions, a world distribution map of the grass tribe, Andropogoneae, has been prepared. This map shows that the Indo-Malaysian region is relatively rich in species of the tribe, with zones of high concentration in western India and in southern Indonesia. The relative species density falls off rapidly in passing from the tropical to the temperate zones, and is lower in the western than in the eastern hemisphere. Climatic factors are of major importance in determining the distribution pattern. Winter temperatures are of special significance in temperate regions, while there is a striking relationship between high midsummer rainfall and relative abundance of species of Andropogoneae in the tropics and subtropics. In general, the geographical survey supports conclusions drawn from taxonomic and cytological evidence regarding the origin and evolution of the tribe, but with greater emphasis on climate as a significant factor. The Andropogoneae have had a long evolutionary history in the eastern hemisphere, but have spread more recently to the western hemisphere, where they have not yet attained their full development.
SolutionChat: Real-time Moderator Support for Chat-based Structured Discussion

Online chat is an emerging channel for discussing community problems. It is common practice for communities to assign dedicated moderators to maintain a structured discussion and enhance the problem-solving experience. However, due to the synchronous nature of online chat, moderators face a high managerial overhead in tasks like discussion stage management, opinion summarization, and consensus-building support. To assist moderators with facilitating a structured discussion for community problem-solving, we introduce SolutionChat, a system that (1) visualizes discussion stages and featured opinions and (2) recommends contextually appropriate moderator messages. Results from a controlled lab study (n=55, 12 groups) suggest that participants' perceived discussion trackability was significantly higher with SolutionChat than without. Also, moderators provided better summarization with less effort and better managerial support using system-generated messages with SolutionChat than without. With SolutionChat, we envision untrained moderators to effectively facilitate chat-based discussions of important community matters.
Non-Verbal Auditory Input for Controlling Binary, Discrete, and Continuous Input in Automotive User Interfaces

Using auditory input while driving is becoming increasingly popular for making distraction-free inputs while driving. However, we argue that auditory input is more than just using speech. Thus, in this work, we explore using Non-Verbal Auditory Input (NVAI) for interacting with smart assistants while driving. Through an online study with 100 participants, we initially investigated users' input preferences for binary, discrete, and continuous data types. After identifying the top three modalities for NVAI, we subsequently conducted an in-person study with 16 participants. In our study, the participants tested these input modalities for three different input data types regarding their accuracy, driver-distraction, and social acceptability, while operating a driving simulator. The results reveal that, although clapping hands for making input was initially preferred in our online survey, it is snapping fingers for binary input and discrete input and humming for making continuous input that is the preferred NVAI modality while driving.
ThermalRing: Gesture and Tag Inputs Enabled by a Thermal Imaging Smart Ring

The heterogeneous and ubiquitous input demands in smart spaces call for an input device that can enable rich and spontaneous interactions. We propose ThermalRing, a thermal imaging smart ring using low-resolution thermal camera for identity-anonymous, illumination-invariant, and power-efficient sensing of both dynamic and static gestures. We also design ThermalTag, thin and passive thermal imageable tags that reflect the heat from the human hand. ThermalTag can be easily made and applied onto everyday objects by users. We develop sensing techniques for three typical input demands: drawing gestures for device pairing, click and slide gestures for device control, and tag scan gestures for quick access. The study results show that ThermalRing can recognize nine drawing gestures with an overall accuracy of 90.9%, detect click gestures with an accuracy of 94.9%, and identify among six ThermalTags with an overall accuracy of 95.0%. Finally, we show the versatility and potential of ThermalRing through various applications.
Investigating the Opportunities for Technologies to Enhance QoL with Stroke Survivors and their Families

There are over 80 million stroke survivors globally, making it the main cause of long-term disability worldwide. Not only do the challenges associated with stroke affect the quality of life (QoL) of survivors, but also of their families. To explore these challenges and define design opportunities for technologies to improve the QoL of both stakeholders, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 survivors and one of their family members. We uncovered three major interlinked themes: strategies to cope with technological barriers, the (in)adequacy of assistive technologies, and limitations of the rehabilitation process. Findings highlight multiple design opportunities, including the need for meaningful patient-centered tools and methods to improve rehabilitation effectiveness, emotion-aware computing for family emotional support, and re-thinking the nature of assistive technologies to consider the perception of transitory stroke-related disabilities. We thus argue for a new class of dual-purpose technologies that fit survivors' abilities while promoting the regain of function.
Sensitizing Scenarios: Sensitizing Designer Teams to Theory

Concepts and theories that emerge within the social sciences tend to be nuanced, dealing with complex social phenomena. While their relevance to design could be high, it is difficult to make sense of them in design projects, especially when participants have a variety of backgrounds. We report on our experiences using role-play scenarios as a way to sensitize heterogeneous designer teams to complex theoretical concepts related to museology as social and cultural phenomena. We discuss design requirements on such scenarios, and the importance of connecting their execution closely to the context of the design and the current stage of the design process.
The Seven Year Glitch: Unpacking Beauty and Despair in Malfunction

I(am)MEI: 013709002488246. I was born in many countries - my accelerometer came from Germany, my battery from China, the lithium in my battery was mined in Chile, my gyroscope from Switzerland, my camera. from Japan. I was assembled carefully from these component parts, and had two less than careful owners before R picked me up from a reseller, and brought me back to his house in London, UK. We had a good time together - at first: he revelled in my speed and ability to find things, we viewed the world via a lens with infinite options. But I was not built to last. This is my story.
Manipulation, Learning, and Recall with Tangible Pen-Like Input

We examine two key human performance characteristics of a pen-like tangible input device that executes a different command depending on which corner, edge, or side contacts a surface. The manipulation time when transitioning between contacts is examined using physical mock-ups of three representative device sizes and a baseline pen mock-up. Results show the largest device is fastest overall and minimal differences with a pen for equivalent transitions. Using a hardware prototype able to sense all 26 different contacts, a second experiment evaluates learning and recall. Results show almost all 26 contacts can be learned in a two-hour session with an average of 94% recall after 24 hours. The results provide empirical evidence for the practicality, design, and utility for this type of tangible pen-like input.
FashionQ: An Interactive Tool for Analyzing Fashion Style Trend with Quantitative Criteria

Fashion is one of the areas in which decision-making relies on the subjective experiences of fashion professionals. Fashion style trend analysis is an important process in fashion; however, due to a lack of quantitative style criteria, analysis results tend to vary by fashion professionals, often making it difficult to apply the analysis results to other fashion cases. In this paper, we propose an interface that provides fashion professionals with objective support which can aid in making more generalizable decisions on fashion analysis. Through interviews and interactions with fashion professionals, we identified quantitative-style classification criteria and analysis requirements in decision making. Based on such design guidelines, we introduce FashionQ (Fashion Quant), which provides three main features: A quantitative-based style clustering (FashionQStyle), style trend analysis (FashionQTrend), and style comparison analysis (FashionQMap). Professionals positively evaluated FashionQ, showing its usefulness and feasibility of fashion analysis in the future.
Reflatables: A Tube-based Reconfigurable Fabrication of Inflatable 3D Objects

In this study, we propose a novel fabrication method to create large-scale 3D objects by bending and piling up an inflated single polyethylene tube. A unique point of our method is that we can redo the design and reconfigure it using the same tube after evacuating the air from the object. To provide detachable constraints on the tube for bending, we developed a novel technique with a hook-and-loop fastener attached on the tube. We also designed software to convert 3D targeted object shape to the bending pattern of the tube. Furthermore, we implemented a prototype of a machine for the automation of the attaching process of the fastener on the tube. In this paper, we describe the details of the design, implementation, results and future works.
The Interaction Attention Continuum: An Education Case Study

The Interaction Attention Continuum (IAC) is a scale for the attention that is required from users while they interact with a product. Research on the IAC has shown that four considerations should be taken into account in its application as a design tool. In this paper, we explore how well the IAC performs in design education. A case study reveals that design students are able to take all four considerations into account in the application of the IAC. However, the fourth consideration - to take contextual considerations into account - poses a significant challenge to them. Our discussion of this finding leads us to two obstacles for the application of the IAC in design education. Based on this discussion, we concluded that the fourth consideration may have to be replaced by the consideration to let the context of use directly inform the design process.
Gut Lactobacillus sp. bacteria as probiotics for Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) larviculture: effects on survival, digestive enzyme activities and water quality

In this study, the effects of indigenous probiotic, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, as an additive to water in Portunus pelagicus larviculture was investigated on survival rate, digestive enzyme activities and water quality. All experiments were triplicated and designed with three different administrations of probiotic 1.0 × 106 cfu mL−1 (T-1), 5.0 × 106 cfu mL−1 (T-2) and 1.0 × 107 cfu mL−1 (T-3) added daily and one control without any probiotic. The supplementation of the probiotic significantly (p < 0.05) increased survival rate for all treatments over the controls. Highest survival rate (10.0 ± 0.9%) of larvae was achieved in T-2. Addition of probiotic bacteria affected the bacterial load (cfu mL−1) in rearing water. The specific activities of protease and amylase enzymes in probiotic treatments were significantly higher (p < 0.05). The highest specific activities of protease (0.17 ± 0.01 U mg−1 protein) and amylase (0.36 ± 0.02 U mg−1 protein) were determined in treated group T-2, respectively. Addition of probiotic affected the pH and nitrogen content of rearing water. The results of this study suggest that the indigenous L. rhamnosus added to rearing water at a certain concentration significantly enhanced survival rate, measured digestive enzyme activities and improved the water quality of P. pelagicus larvae.
JAK1/STAT3 regulatory effect of β-caryophyllene on MG-63 osteosarcoma cells via ROS-induced apoptotic mitochondrial pathway by DNA fragmentation.

Currently, available treatment for osteosarcoma is combinational chemotherapy of doxorubicin, cisplatin, and methotrexate before and after surgery with overall 5-year survival rate of less than 40%. The present study was aimed to assess the anticancer effects of a phytochemical named β-caryophyllene (BCP) in treating osteosarcoma. We assessed the effect of (BCP) on oxidative stress, proliferation, apoptosis, and inflammation in human bone cancer cells MG-63. Our results showed that BCP induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation at 20 µM concentration in MG-63 cells. The same dose was also shown to exhibit proapoptotic and antiproliferative effects in bone cancer cells MG-63. We demonstrated that the treatment of MG-63 cells with BCP prompted mitochondrial apoptosis via upregulation of Bax and caspase-3 and downregulation of Bcl-2 as well as prompted mitochondrial membrane potential. Our results also showed stimulation of Janus kinase 1/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (JAK1/STAT3) signaling pathway in bone cancer MG-63 cells upon BCP treatment along with the induction of proinflammatory genes at the messenger RNA level. Overall results suggest that the treatment of MG-63 cells with BCP promotes apoptosis and inflammation via ROS and JAK1/STAT3 signaling pathway.
Optimization of ultrasound assisted extraction method for polyphenols from Desmodium triquetrum (L.) DC. with response surface methodology (RSM) and in vitro determination of its antioxidant properties

The response surface method was used to study the ultrasonic extraction of traditional Chinese medicine Desmodium triquetrum (L.) DC. phenolic acid. By measuring the total phenolic content, the liquid/solid ratio, ultrasonic power, temperature, time and ethanol solubility were determined to be the significant influencing factors. The total phenolic content reached the highest value (30.3708 mg g–1) under the conditions of the liquid/solid ratio 30%, ultrasonic power 160 w, temperature 40 °C, time 20 min, and ethanol solubility 60%, compared with the traditional boiling method. The total phenolic content was improved, and it was close to the predicted value (29.6548 mg g–1), which proves that the scheme is feasible. After testing, the phenolic acid extracted under these conditions has a good antioxidation effect. The study suggests that ultrasonic extraction methods have the potential to extract antioxidants from traditional Chinese medicines. Also, the influence parameters affecting the process can be further optimized for industrial production.
Expert Advice in Need-based Allocations

We study the interplay of transparency and expertise in the collective recognition of needs in distributive decisions in a laboratory experiment. Groups of three players have to decide by majority vote on the distribution of a collective endowment under the condition of exogenously given, heterogeneous need levels. Earnings are only paid out if a threshold of minimum earnings is passed. Transparency of need levels is operationalized by the source of information: players learn about the others’ need levels either by public information or by individually stated claims. Expertise is operationalized by a fourth player who is publicly known to have correct information about the need levels and who makes a distributional proposal to the group. The private information setting puts players in a problem-solving mode of negotiations and the expert’s proposal serves as a coordinating device that overcomes uncertainty, given that individual need claims are unprovable. In the public information setting, the expert’s proposal does not add information. The proposal only serves as a potential reference for bargaining under complete information and may even cause reactance against its assumed moral superiority. The experimental findings tend to support these expectations.
Direct and indirect CeO2 nanoparticles toxicity for Escherichia coli and Synechocystis

Abstract Physico-chemical interactions between nanoparticles and cell membranes play a crucial role in determining the cytotoxicity of nanoparticles, which may thereby vary depending on the nature of the target microorganisms. We investigated the responses of two different models of unicellular bacteria to cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles. These organisms are: Synechocystis PCC6803 a representative of environmentally important cyanobacterial organisms (producer of biomass for aquatic food chains), and Escherichia coli a representative of intestine-colonizing bacteria. Coupling physico-chemical (adsorption isotherms and electrophoretic mobility), biological (survival tests), microscopical (SEM, TEM and EDS) and spectroscopic (XANES) methods, we enlightened two distinct mechanisms for the CeO2 nanoparticles toxicological impact: A ‘direct’ mechanism that requires a close contact between nanoparticles and cell membranes, and an ‘indirect’ influence elicited by the acidity of nanoparticles stabilizing agents. We showed that E. coli is sensitive to the ‘direct’ effects of nanoparticles, whereas Synechocystis being protected by extracellular polymeric substances preventing direct cellular contacts is sensitive only to the ‘indirect’ mechanism. Consequently, our findings demonstrate the importance of the ‘direct/indirect’ effects of nanoparticles on cell fitness, a phenomenon that should be systematically investigated with appropriate techniques and dose metrics to make meaningful environmental and/or health recommendations.
SCAMIT Newsletter Vol. 19 No. 11 2001 March

For the next meeting,bring specimens of the as yet unfinished groups, Oweniidae, Trichobranchidae, and Terebellidae (in part), and any problematic specimens of other polychaete families. As usual, the polychaete type resources of the Allan Hancock Foundation, now at the Natural History Museum, will be available for consultation. The meeting will actually be held in the Collections Room, so late arrivers should go directly there (turn to the right at the “T” hallway intersection rather than to the left).
TROPICAL COUNTRYSIDE BIRD ASSEMBLAGES: RICHNESS, COMPOSITION, AND FORAGING DIFFER BY LANDSCAPE CONTEXT

In tropical regions worldwide, large tracts of native rain forest have been replaced by agricultural systems. Appropriate management of these systems may contribute to biodiversity conservation, but we have limited knowledge of the effect of different management strategies on species persistence. We examined the capacity of tropical coun- tryside in southern Costa Rica to provide resources for avian frugivores. Bird assemblages visiting fruiting Miconia trees were recorded in five landscape contexts: sites near (<2 km from) a large (227-ha) rain forest remnant, split between high and low agricultural intensity; sites far (5-8 km) from the remnant, similarly split; and the remnant itself. Across all landscape contexts, 73 native bird species were observed taking fruit from Miconia. The composition of frugivore assemblages differed significantly among agricultural landscape contexts. Species richness was highest in near, low-intensity sites (21.5 ? 1.79, mean ? 1 SE) and lowest in far, high-intensity sites (14.1 ? 0.89). The visitation rates of frugivores did not differ among landscape contexts for all species combined, but there were significant differences in the frequency of visits for 10 individual species. Large, socially dominant frugivores were common visitors to trees in far, high-intensity agricultural sites, whereas the visitation rates of many smaller, subordinate frugivores (e.g., small tanagers) declined with distance from the large rain forest remnant or in high-intensity sites. Also, some forest- dependent species (e.g., White-ruffed Manakin, Corapipo altera) were infrequently re- corded at fruiting trees in high-intensity and far sites. However, trees in far sites provided resources to species that use both forest and agricultural habitats. Isolated fruiting trees in our study area appear to be an important resource for many avian frugivores. Use of these trees by a wide range of species is enhanced by their proximity to relatively large areas of native rain forest. Low-intensity agriculture that incorporates fruiting trees as part of live fences, windbreaks, or shade and allows for the preservation of rain forest remnants, would be beneficial to biodiversity conservation in the tropics and may facilitate the regeneration of bird-dispersed rain forest plants.
Tree growth and climate in the Pacific Northwest, North America: a broad‐scale analysis of changing growth environments

Climate change in the 21st century will affect tree growth in the Pacific Northwest region of North America, although complex climate–growth relationships make it difficult to identify how radial growth will respond across different species distributions. We used a novel method to examine potential growth responses to climate change at a broad geographical scale with a focus on visual inspection of patterns and applications beyond sampled areas.