How Do You Picture It? Suggested Guidelines for Alt-text in Art Books

This document is the result of the 2024 Elspeth McConnell Fine Arts Internship Award undertaken by Mehrnoosh Alborzi, with Concordia University Press. Alborzi spent several months exploring, researching, and engaging in writing alt-text specifically for academic and art-historical books. The internship concluded with a presentation where Alborzi shared these reflections in conversation with CUP's Ryan Van Huijstee in October 2024 at Concordia University’s 4th Space during Open Access Week. A recording of this presentation is available on the 4th Space YouTube channel. The following set of suggested guidelines and practices is a result and summary of the internship and presentation

The case of Zulima: Supporting global equity in documentary heritage with a free, minimal computing solution for creating sustainable and accessible digital exhibitions

The Global South’s documentary heritage is less online than the Global North’s and tools and methods are needed for enhancing the discoverability of collections where resources are constrained. The Zulima collection, late 19th- and early 20th-century documents pertaining to an important female Venezuelan author and playwright is a collection at risk of being lost as there are currently no memory institutions in Venezuela that can safely keep it. This project proposes a way to expand on existing metadata management software, SWALLOW, minimal web templates, a data export to Wikidata, and free asset hosting, to make this collection available online and accessible for future researchers

The Noise Within the Silence

The Noise Within the Silence: A reflection on the implications of hearing differently, and an attempt to transmit what words fail to articulate. Mariana Rocha De Alba This graduate project (non-thesis) document presents the analysis and process behind the production of the film The Noise Within the Silence (2025). This research-creation film explores the emotional and perceptual challenges I have faced due to living with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) and tinnitus through a sensory cinematic experience. Using visual techniques, such as long exposure video, overlays, superimposition, digital animation, and 5.1 surround sound design, the film aims to provide an embodied representation of how it feels to live with SSNHL and tinnitus, with the goal of offering an alternative understanding of these conditions

Domains of Wheelchair Users’ Socio-Emotional Experiences: Design Insights from a Scoping Review

Background Physical accessibility is not the only concern for wheelchair users (WUs); they also face barriers to social presence, such as challenges in social engagement and negative stereotypes. Identifying key domains in the literature that impact their social and emotional experiences is essential to addressing these issues. Objective This scoping review sought to explore the key domains of WUs' socio-emotional experiences, as a foundation for providing design-oriented insights to enhance their social presence. Methods A literature search was conducted using the Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and PsycINFO databases, along with a manual search of three relevant journals. Articles in English, based on original empirical studies that focused on the socio-emotional experiences of adult WUs (>18), were included. Results Of the 48 articles included, most were from Canada (n = 11), Sweden (n = 9), the U.S. (n = 7), and the U.K. (n = 6), with limited studies from other countries. Among the six domains explored, Independence & Autonomy (26 %) was the most frequently reported, while Self-Identity & Body Image (9 %) and Social Stigma & Discrimination (5 %) were the least. Three interconnected themes emerged to guide design insights: Theme I – Foundations: Autonomy & Control, Theme II – Connections: Social Participation & Support, and Theme III – Reflection: Self- & Social-Identity. Conclusion While independence and agency are key concerns, little research has focused on perceptual issues like self- and social-identity, often highlighted in the media. This area can be refined by recognizing the crucial role of design in aesthetically shaping WUs' social representation in public settings

The dynamics of affective experiences with wheelchair use during rehabilitation: A qualitative study through physiotherapists' perspectives

The interaction between users and mobility aids, including emotional attachment and functional expectations, influences their perceptions and decisions on acceptance and continued use during rehabilitation. Tracking interactions during rehabilitation helps identify key intervention points, leading to effective therapeutic relationships and user-centered mobility aid designs. This study aims to track the dynamics of affective experiences (DAE) of wheelchair users (WUs) during a planned rehabilitation timeframe and recommend how to manage these dynamics. To this end, initially, the product experience framework was applied for the development of interview guidelines and analysis. Next, adopting a qualitative approach, semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 12 experienced physiotherapists were conducted in Iran. Transcripts were then analyzed using a thematic analysis framework to identify themes. A total of three themes have been identified which include: 1) Coping in Using the Wheelchair, 2) Reluctant Acceptance of the Wheelchair: Adjusting to the New Normal, and 3) Approaching Recovery: Challenges in Over-reliance. Additionally, two diagrams illustrating the dynamics of the affective experience of WUs and its influencing factors during rehabilitation have been provided. This study shows that the affective experience of WUs is not static and changes through various stages of rehabilitation. This dynamic is influenced by factors of emotional and functional importance, both of which often grow after initial resistance but follow varied patterns. However, emotional attachment can sometimes lead to over-reliance even after recovery, posing challenges in the rehabilitation. Physiotherapists can help balance this attachment, influencing users' affective experiences with their wheelchairs

Platform Power and Libraries

Building on research in critical library systems studies, Platform Power and Libraries traverses the divide between library, communication, and cultural policy research in the realm of platform studies. Organized through the model of what Nielsen and Ganter (2022) call “the five most important aspects of platform power” this book dissects the power dynamics inherently embedded to platforms that library practitioners and patrons must navigate. From information asymmetry to the power of making and breaking connections and beyond, this book brings light to the often overlooked and under explored power that platforms can hold in libraries

Influence of an Amino Acid Composition enhanced with Cold Plasma Radiation on Psychological Stress: A Blood Test, Gas Discharge Visualisation and Biofeedback Approach

This study aimed to demonstrate the effect of enhanced amino acid compositions with cold plasma on human psychological stress by using blood tests, biofeedback, and gas discharge visualisation (GDV) techniques for stress measurements. An open, randomised, placebo-controlled trial for 30 days was conducted. 70 healthy people aged 35-65, men and women, were measured initially, randomly divided into three groups (experimental, control, and placebo), and measured 30 days later for changes in stress levels. Twenty people used amino acid composition; 30 used the same amino acid composition processed with cold plasma radiation, while 20 used a placebo. The ethics committee of the Federal State Budget Institution "Saint-Petersburg Scientific-Research Institute for Physical Culture," St. Petersburg, Russia, approved the study protocol. All participants signed an informed consent form, where a written and oral explanation of the research protocol was provided. Blood, biofeedback, and GDV test results were presented to show differences in stress levels during the experiment. After 30 days, results for experimental and control groups were presented. Amino acids processed by the radiation of a cold plasma – enhanced with Igniton particles - had the most significant effect on stress levels. The results suggested that enhanced amino acid compositions significantly affected human stress levels during the longitude period. Stress reduction in humans can significantly influence disease prevention and health maintenance, ultimately extending human life expectancy

Bright Shadows

This graduate project explores the relationship between the body, disability, and printmaking, using the body as both a subject and a matrix for artistic expression. It examines how the body's presence and absence can be visually and physically recorded through tactile processes. By engaging with concepts such as embodiment, sensory perception, and haptic visuality, the research challenges conventional representations of the disabled body. The project investigates how body printing can capture the lived experience of a body that does not conform to normative structures. The impressions left on surfaces serve as traces of movement, memory, and self-perception, transforming personal narratives into tangible forms. By positioning the body as a medium and a subject, this research offers a space for reimagining physicality and difference. It invites a deeper engagement with how bodies, particularly disabled bodies, are perceived, experienced, and understood within social and artistic contexts

Examining the Importance of AI-Based Criteria in the Development of the Digital Economy: A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach

As one of the main pillars of global transformation in the contemporary world, the digital economy helps create new economic and business opportunities through new technologies. In addition to improving efficiency and reducing costs, this transformation plays a vital role in the economic growth and development of various countries. Artificial intelligence, as one of the key technologies in the development of the digital economy, has a profound impact on optimizing processes, increasing productivity, and enhancing customer experience. By processing big data and providing advanced analytics, this technology makes economic decisions faster and more accurately and affects various sectors of the digital economy. In this regard, 20 key AI-based criteria in the development of the digital economy were extracted from a review of previous studies and were placed in four general categories. The four general categories include structural, organizational, technological and economic. Hesitant Fuzzy Best Worst Method (HF-BWM) was used to rank the AI-based criteria in the development of the digital economy. “Investing in innovation (C16)”, “Potent processing capabilities (C1)”, “Process automation and intelligence (C11)”, “Identifying growth opportunities (C6)” and “Adapting business models to changes (C7)” ranked one to five, respectively. Managers in the digital economy should pay attention to investing in innovation and strengthening processing infrastructure to exploit new technologies and make more accurate decisions. Process intelligence, identifying new areas of growth and adapting the business model to market changes also help improve efficiency, reduce costs, exploit new opportunities and make organizations stable in the face of rapid changes and increasing competition