Digital Commons Network^™

Diversity Of Endolichenic Fungi Within Lichen Genus Parmotrema From India, Jyotsna Chakarwarti, Sanjeeva Nayaka, Suchi Srivastava

Turkish Journal of Botany

: The lichens serve as an ecological niche for a group of unexplored fungal species residing inside their thallus without causing any noticeable symptoms and such fungi are termed as endolichenic fungi. The objective of the current study is to check the endolichenic fungal diversity within lichen genus Parmotrema. The study resulted in a total of 450 endolichenic fungi (ELF) isolates from 15 species of Parmotrema. Out of these, 73 sporulating isolates were identified using ITS sequences which resulted in 47 species under 23 genera. The phylogenetic assemblage of the fungi comprised Sordariomycetes (84.50%), Dothideomycetes (5.63%), Eurotiomycetes (7.04%), Pezizomycetes (1.40%), …

Hardin-Wilkes Family Papers - Accession 221, Hardin Family, Wilkes Family

Manuscript Collection

The Hardin–Wilkes Family Papers consist of correspondence, financial records, ledgers, newspaper clippings, photographs, and printed materials documenting the Hardin and Wilkes families of Chester County, South Carolina. The collection spans from 1833 to 1973, with the bulk of the material dating from the mid-nineteenth through the early twentieth centuries. The papers provide insight into family life, local business activity, and regional history in and around Chester, South Carolina.

A significant portion of the collection consists of correspondence among members of the Hardin and Wilkes families. Of particular note are the letters of Captain Obadiah Hardin (1827–1862), an officer in Company …

Classifying Recaptured Identity Documents Using The Biomedical Meijering And Sato Algorithms, John Magee, Stephen Sheridan, Christina Thorpe

Academic Posters Collection

Recaptured identity documents are a low-cost, high-risk threat to modern eKYC systems. Bad actors can easily manipulate images and print them. Existing solutions typically demand manual review of remotely captured identity documents, this is expensive and does not scale. In 2022, the UK National Crime Agency estimated fraud cost business hundreds of billion pounds per year and document forgery is an area of investigation by Europol.

Evaluation Of Gender-Based Differences In Primary School Maths Education: The Potential Of Digital Games, Maíra Amaral

Academic Posters Collection

Digital Game-Based Learning is shown to be a more effective instructional method than traditional instruction, however less effective than other technology-supported instruction according to Byun and Joung (2018). Regarding gender aspects, according to findings by Mclaren and colleagues in 2022, girls may learn more mathematics from digital learning games than boys. In their study, even reporting greater behavioural and cognitive engagement, boys did not learn more with the game than girls.

A Mode Sum Regularization Prescription In Quantum Field Theory In Curved Spacetimes In Higher Dimensions And For Charged Scalar Fields, Eoin Scanlon

Academic Posters Collection

Semi-classical gravity combines classical treatment of the gravitational field with quantum mechanical treatment of matter fields. A significant challenge however is the divergence contained within the stress-energy tensor when solving the semi-classical Einstein equations. This work extends to higher dimensions an extremely efficient method for renormalizing the stress-energy tensor of a quantum scalar field in spherically-symmetric black hole spacetimes, thereby removing the divergences. The method applies to a scalar field with arbitrary field parameters. The utility of the method is demonstrated by computing the renormalized stress-energy tensor for a scalar field in the Schwarzschild black hole spacetime for odd dimensions.

Feedback, Learning Outcomes And Mathematics Anxiety In A Digital Game Based Learning Approach In Mathematics Education, André Almo

Academic Posters Collection

Feedback is a crucial part of learning, and an essential element in digital game-based learning approaches, in which digital games - known as 'serious games' - are used to deliver educational content. Feedback features respond to players' actions within the game, providing them with information and guidance, as well as potentially impacting their learning, motivation and engagement. However, these features may be designed differently, since they include various distinct characteristics and dimensions. This work proposes a new taxonomy for feedback features in serious games, with an emphasis in game design aspects, in order to provide clearer descriptions and distinctions of …

Using Machine Learning For Web Accessibility, Tlamelo Makati

Academic Posters Collection

This research will explore the potential of machine learning to enhance web accessibility. Web accessibility is typically defined in terms of Web Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which states that everyone should be able to perceive, operate, understand and interpret the web regardless of disability or use of assistive technology. We would like to consult digital accessibility experts through interviews and focus groups to understand the web accessibility auditing and remediation processes in detail, with a focus on web navigation. An important goal of this work is to establish development processes where all stakeholders can leverage machine-learning tools to produce more accessible …

Detecting Road Intersections From Satellite Images Using Convolutinal Neural Networks, Fatmaelzahraa Eltaher Ph.D, Luis Miralles-Pechuán, Jane Courtney, Susan Mckeever

Academic Posters Collection

The location of intersections is an important consideration for vulnerable road users such as People with Blindness or Visually Impairment (PBVI) or children. Route planning applications, however, do not give information about the location of intersections as this information is not available at scale. In this paper, we propose a deep learning framework to automatically detect the location of intersections from satellite images using convolutional neural networks. For this purpose, we labelled 7,342 Google maps images from Washington, DC, USA to create a dataset. This dataset covers a region of 58.98 km$^{2}$ and has 7,548 intersections. We then applied a …

Application Of The Two-Variable Model To Simulate A Multisensory Reaction-Time Task, Rebecca Brady, John Butler

Academic Posters Collection

To navigate the world in an efficient manner, the brain seamlessly integrates signals received across multiple sensory modalities. Behavioral studies have suggested that multisensory processing is a winner-take-all sensory response mechanism to some optimal combination of sensory signals. In addition, multiple sensory cues are not always beneficial with some studies showing maladaptive multisensory processing as an identifier of older adults prone to falls from age matched healthy controls.

A stalwart of modelling sensory decision-making is the work by (Wong &Wang, 2006) but to date almost all of this research has been focused on unisensory tasks. We extend the reduced two-variable …

Enhancing Health Data Representation For Older Adults: Unlocking Opportunities, Peterson Jean

Academic Posters Collection

The prevalence of off-the-shelf wearable devices increases the monitoring and measurement of critical physiological parameters like activity, sleep, heart rate, and blood pressure. However, the accessibility of health data representations poses challenges for older adults, who often struggle to understand the criticality of their own health data without assistance. This poster highlights the challenges older adults face in accessing their health data from wearable technologies, specifically focusing on data representations.

To address these challenges, it proposes a methodology that involves a heuristic evaluation of existing data representations with experts and accessibility studies with older adults using a mixed methods approach …

Cslinc: A Nationwide Cs Mooc For Second-Level Students, Karen Nolan, Keith Quille, Brett A. Becker

Academic Posters Collection

This poster introduces CSLINC, a free scaffolded MOOC framework tailored to second-level students in Ireland that consists of: an online platform built for accessibility; a suite of modules developed upon international best practices with varying co-creators; and automated assessment and certificates of completion. Its aim is to provide content to promote national CS curricula to all second-level students in Ireland. In September 2021, CSLINC launched to 10,000 students across 100 schools. Future work will include collecting and collating research to validate CSLINC’s goals, scaffolding that will build foundations for national curriculum learning outcomes, and measure its impact on students, their …

Attention-Based Gender-Stereotype Detection, Manuela Nayantara, Sarah Jane Delany

Academic Posters Collection

Gender stereotypes are perceptions about the typical physical, emotional, and social characteristics of individuals. Unlike gender bias which can result in the systematic and unfair treatment of individuals based on their gender, gender stereotypes do not always perpetuate a negative impact. Hence, there is no solid definition that frames what is considered a gender-stereotype in text. In addition, there is also a lack of labelled gender-stereotype datasets. This has led to most of the work in literature being about gender bias and not gender stereotypes. Therefore, in our research, we frame a clear definition of what constitutes a gender-stereotype in …

From Overlay To Interplay - Subverting The Message And Creating The Surreal With Augmented Reality, Nina Lyons

Academic Posters Collection

This proof of concept utilises content creation tools that create diegetic presentation which is not commonly utilised in AR systems. In this study, the virtual overlay that becomes visible through AR displays diegetic content that disrupts the meaning of the poster highlighting the potential for AR as a visual communication medium and the opportunities that AR has, as a medium, for creating narrative.

Spoken Language To Irish Sign Language Machine Translation: A Linguistically Informed Approach, Jesus Aguilar Lopez, Irene Murtagh, Sheila Castilho

Academic Posters Collection

Many deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals rely on sign language (SL) on a daily basis as a preferred language. Although nowadays there are significant advances on spoken language research, current approaches are often neither linguistically motivated nor tailored to the unique features of SLs. Further research and development are necessary to enhance Sign Language Machine Translation (SLMT) and bring it to a similar level as spoken language MT. This research will endeavour to improve the accuracy and efficiency of SLMT systems, making them more accessible to the Deaf community and empowering deaf and hard of hearing individuals to communicate more effectively …

A Framework For Confusion Mitigation In Task-Oriented Interactions, Na Li, Robert J. Ross

Academic Posters Collection

Confusion is a mental state that can be triggered in task-oriented interactions and which can if left unattended lead to boredom, frustration, or disengagement from the task at hand. Previous work has demonstrated that confusion can be detected in situated human-robot interactions from visual and auditory cues. Therefore, in the next step, we propose appropriate interaction structures in this study, which should be used to mitigate confusion. We motivate and describe this dialogue mechanism through an information state-style dialogue framework and policies, and also outline the approach we are taking to integrate such a meta-conversational goal alongside core task-oriented considerations …

Dataset For Gendered Language, Shweta Soundararajan

Datasets

Gendered language is the use of words that denote an individual’s gender. This can be explicit where the gender is evident in the actual word used, e.g. mother, she, man, but it can also be implicit where social roles or behaviours can signal an individual’s gender - for example, expectations that women display communal traits (e.g., affectionate, caring, gentle) and men display agentic traits (e.g., assertive, competitive, decisive). The use of gendered language in NLP systems can perpetuate gender stereotypes and bias. This paper proposes an approach to generating gendered language datasets using ChatGPT which will provide data for data-driven …

The European Commission And Ai: Guidelines, Acts And Plans Impacting The Teaching Of Ai And Teaching With Ai, Keith Quille, Brett A. Becker, Lidia Vidal-Meliá

Academic Posters Collection

Recent developments, guidelines, and acts by the European Commission have started to frame policy for AI and related areas such as ML and data, not only for the broader community, but in the context of education specifically. This poster presents a succinct overview of these developments. Specifically, we look to bring together all publications that might impact the teaching of AI (for example, teacher expectations in the coming years around AI competencies) and publications that affect the use of AI in the classroom. We mean using tools and systems that incorporate both ‘Good Old Fashioned’ AI and those that can …

Co-Design Of An Interactive Wellness Park: Exploring Design Requirements For A Multimodal Outdoor Physical Web Installation With Older Adults, Fatima Badmos

Academic Posters Collection

The global demographic landscape is experiencing a notable shift, characterised by a growing proportion of adults over 60. According to projections, the proportion of individuals aged 60 and above is expected to reach one-sixth of the global population by 2030. Furthermore, by 2050, this demographic is projected to exceed a staggering two billion people. Amidst this shift, there is an urgent need to develop interactive and innovative solutions to address older adults' unique challenges, particularly in outdoor physical activity.

A co-design methodology involving older adults’ participation from the idea generation to the application development process will be adopted to address …

Techmate: A Research-Driven Toolkit To Enhance Gender Balance In Computing Education, Alina Berry, Sarah Jane Delany

Academic Posters Collection

This poster presents a toolkit of practical initiatives and guidance on how to enhance gender balance in computing higher education. The suggested initiatives are designed in the way that could be adapted for a use in a local context, especially in universities in the UK or in Ireland. The initiatives are categorised under four main areas: Policy, Pedagogy, Influence & Support and Promotion & Engagement. Additionally, guidance is given on mechanisms to evaluate the impact of these initiatives. This work will be of interest to champions looking to enhance gender balance in their computing courses.

They Followed The Cheese - Visual Web-Based Experiments Showcasing The Opportunities Available For The Presentation Of Information In Ar, Nina Lyons

Academic Posters Collection

The desktop paradigm bridged a sizeable usability gap at a time before the term “usability” became a conscious objective goal of developers. Mapping the capabilities of the computer to how a user understands their work desk, helped users understand how to interact with a computer. The paradigm has evolved and continues to evolve and reshape itself in different platforms. However, the UIs still rely heavily on established laws and principles that suit the conditions of screens. AR has the opportunity to leverage Semiotic Extension to create context relevant UIs that rely on the focus of the real-time view to inform …

Enhancing Early-Stage Xai Projects Through Designer-Led Visual Ideation Of Ai Concepts, Helen Sheridan, Emma Murphy, Dympna O'Sullivan

Academic Posters Collection

The pervasive use of artificial intelligence (AI) in processing users’ data is well documented with the use of AI believed to profoundly change users’ way of life in the near future. However, there still exists a sense of mistrust among users who engage with AI systems some of this stemming from lack of transparency, including users failing to understand what AI is, what it can do and its impact on society. From this, the emerging discipline of explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) has emerged, a method of designing and developing AI where a systems decisions, processes and outputs are explained and …

Unlocking The Black Box: Evaluating Xai Through A Mixed Methods Approach Combining Quantitative Standardised Scales And Qualitative Techniques, Helen Sheridan, Dympna O'Sullivan, Emma Murphy

Academic Posters Collection

In 1950 when Alan Turing first published his groundbreaking paper, computing machinery and intelligence and asked “Can machines think?” a new era of research exploring the intelligence of digital computers and their ability to deceive and/or imitate a human was ignited. From these first explorations of AI to modern day artificial intelligence and machine learning systems many advances, breakthroughs and improved algorithms have been developed usually advancing at an exponential pace. This has resulted in the pervasive use of AI systems in the processing of data. Concerns have been expressed related to biased decisions by AI systems around the processing …

New Triassic Finding In Andız Peninsula (İzmir, Western Turkey) And Comparison Of Pre-Neogene Sequences Of Andız And Karaburun Peninsulas: Stratigraphic And Tectonic Implications, İsmai̇l İşi̇ntek

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

This study aims to review the geology of the Andız Peninsula and compare the pre-Neogene Andız succession with the middle part of the Karaburun Peninsula to discuss the nature of the Paleozoic-Mesozoic boundary in the Karaburun Peninsula. The pre-Neogene units of the Andız Peninsula are represented by the Paleozoic Dikendağı, Triassic Gu?vercinlik, and Jurassic Nohutalan Formations. In this study, the Triassic carbonate rocks in the Andız Peninsula are paleontologically defined for the first time. The Megalodont-bearing Gu?vercinlik Formation contains a late Norian-Rhaetian characteristic foraminiferal assemblage consisting of Aulotortus gr. sinuosus, A. tenuis, A. friedli, A. impressus, and Triasina hantkeni. The …

Foraminiferal Micropaleontology Of The Harami Formation (Elazığ, Eastern Turkey), And Reassessment Of Its Age Based On Larger Benthic Foraminifera, Si̇bel Kayğili

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The age and depositional environment of the Harami Formation were reevaluated based on the new larger benthic foraminiferal (LBF) data. LBF assemblage including Orbitoides medius (d'Archiac), O. megaloformis Papp and Küpper, O. gruenbachensis Papp, Pseudomphalocyclus blumenthali Meriç, Omphalocyclus macroporus (Lamarck), Sirtina cf. orbitoidiformis Brönnimann and Wirz, Hellenocyclina beotica Reichel, Lepidorbitoides campaniensis Van Gorsel, L. bisambergensis (Jaeger), L. cf. minor (Schlumberger), Pseudosiderolites vidali (Douville), and Siderolites gr. calcitrapoides Lamarck were determined in the formation. Based on this LBF assemblage data, the late Campanian-Maastrichtian age was assigned to the formation. The paleontological and sedimentological data indicate that the Harami Formation was deposited …

Update For Reactive Transport Modeling Of The Kızıldere Geothermal Field To Reduce Uncertainties In The Early Inspections, Selçuk Erol, Taylan Akin, Serhat Akin

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The development of carbon capture and storage techniques has become essential to reduce and mitigating CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. CarbFix1 and CarbFix2 projects carried out in Iceland demonstrated that the emissions of waste CO2 gas from geothermal power plants can be captured and mixed with the effluent geofluid and subsequently injected back into the geothermal reservoir. This experience gained in the CarbFix projects expanded into other geothermal fields around Europe, and one of the demonstration sites is the geothermal field in Turkey, Kızıldere. This paper focuses on the results of an updated study on early field evaluations with reactive …

Fired Shards From Selected Ancient Anatolian Ceramics: A Brief Review Of Their Mineralogical Nature And Pedological?Microstructural Evolution, Seli̇m Kapur, Selahatti̇n Kadi̇r, Gilbert Kelling, Erhan Akça, Mustafa Topaksu, Necdet Sakarya, Zehra Yeği̇ngi̇l, Muhsi̇n Eren, Ewart Adsil Fitzpatrick

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

This review is concerned with some key features observed within grouped samples of ancient ceramics that provide important evidence concerning the selection of appropriate raw materials and the evolution of the firing technologies employed in their production. It also demonstrates the importance of distinguishing and accounting for the mineralogical and microstructural attributes and identifying the processes responsible for the microstructural evolution of these ancient ceramics. The mineralogy largely reflects both the nature of the raw materials used and the maximum temperatures achieved during firing, deduced from the presence of specific high temperature minerals (HTMs). The microstructural evolution processes, deduced by …

Climate Change As A Social Determinant Of Health: An Interactive Case-Based Learning Activity, Arindam Sarkar, Nital P Appelbaum, Rathi Asaithambi, Connie Tran, Doris Lin, Anjali Aggarwal, Stephanie Nguyen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

INTRODUCTION: Despite consensus on climate change's impact on humans, medical schools have not widely adopted inclusion of environmental topics into their mandatory curriculum. This educational activity explicitly addresses climate change as one of the environmental determinants of health (EDH).

METHODS: We developed a required, 1-hour module for all first-year medical students. This interactive, case-based, small-group activity was incorporated into a curriculum within an advising program but could be run independently. Before and after the session, participants completed evaluations assessing knowledge gains and attitude shifts.

RESULTS: Of 183 first-year students, 155 completed both pre- and postmodule surveys. Participants' rating increased on …

Trends In Cigarette Smoking Among United States Adolescents, Maria C Mejia, Adedamola Adele, Robert S Levine, Charles H Hennekens, Panagiota Kitsantas

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Cigarette smoking remains the leading avoidable cause of premature death in the United States, accounting for approximately 500,000, or 1 in 5, deaths annually. We explored trends in cigarette smoking among US adolescents.

Methods: We used data for adolescents in grades 9 through 12 from 1991 to 2021 from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We explored trends overall as well as by sex, race/ethnicity, and school grade.

Results: All cigarette use—assessed as ever, occasional, frequent, or daily—among adolescents declined markedly from 1991 to 2021. Specifically, ever use significantly decreased …

Nonconsensual Family Obligations, Emily Stolzenberg

Faculty Publications

Even as the pandemic has both highlighted and compounded the challenges many U.S. families face in meeting their members’ basic needs, efforts to expand public subsidies for caretaking have gained little traction. Scholars have identified many historical and practical reasons for Americans’ entrenched skepticism toward the welfare state. Ideas matter, too, and this Article uncovers and critiques one that works to limit collective financial responsibility for families: the conviction that family support obligations must be legitimated through consent.

In family law, as in liberal political theory, consent works to reconcile state regulation with individual freedom. But because consent is a …

Advances In Prosthetic Technology: A Perspective On Ethical Considerations For Development And Clinical Translation, Hayden Gavette, Cody L Mcdonald, Kristin Kostick-Quenet, Ashley Mullen, Bijan Najafi, M G Finco

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Technological advancements of prostheses in recent years, such as haptic feedback, active power, and machine learning for prosthetic control, have opened new doors for improved functioning, satisfaction, and overall quality of life. However, little attention has been paid to ethical considerations surrounding the development and translation of prosthetic technologies into clinical practice. This article, based on current literature, presents perspectives surrounding ethical considerations from the authors' multidisciplinary views as prosthetists (HG, AM, CLM, MGF), as well as combined research experience working directly with people using prostheses (AM, CLM, MGF), wearable technologies for rehabilitation (MGF, BN), machine learning and artificial intelligence …