Mobile Application Usability: Heuristic Evaluation and Evaluation of Heuristics

Ger Joyce, Mariana Lilley, Trevor Barker, and Amanda Jefferies, 'Mobile Application Usability: Heuristic Evaluation and Evaluation of Heuristics', paper presented at AHFE 2016 International Conference on Human Factors, Software, and Systems Engineering. Walt Disney World, Florida USA, 27-31 July 2016Many traditional usability evaluation methods do not consider mobile-specific issues. This can result in mobile applications that abound in usability issues. We empirically evaluate three sets of usability heuristics for use with mobile applications, including a set defined by the authors. While the set of heuristics defined by the authors surface more usability issues in a mobile application than other sets of heuristics, improvements to the set can be made

Speciation, transport and mobility of metals in pristine watersheds and contaminated soil systems in Alaska

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2016The fate of metal(loid)s in the environment depends on a variety of physical and geochemical factors. Assessing metal(loid) transport in soil solution and surface water requires detailed knowledge of the speciation, which can often control mobility, toxicity and bioavailability of a given element. The present study details the geochemical analyses of two end member types of systems: a 'pristine' Arctic watershed and a military shooting range with an overall focus on understanding lead (Pb) and antimony (Sb) mobility in shooting range soils. The project uses bulk speciation analyses coupled with micro-scale methods to quantify variations in metal(loid) concentration as a function of environmental conditions and characterize metal(loid) speciation and distribution in relation to parent source material in order to understand the impact that metal(loid) retention versus mobilization has on a given system. In the Arctic, stream water concentrations of Al, Ba, Fe, and Mn in Imnavait Creek were highest in the late fall (September and October). This pattern appears to correlate with the depth of the active layer throughout the watershed. Increased water infiltration at the permafrost-active layer boundary could significantly impact stream water trace metal(loid) signatures due to mineral weathering of unfrozen soil. In the central Alaskan shooting range, there were significant contributions of Pb and Sb to both the soil and soil solution as a result of the weathering of fragmented bullets. Aqueous concentrations of Sb were higher than Pb in all soil types, indicating Sb is more mobile, despite the fact that bullets introduce approximately two orders of magnitude more Pb than Sb. We observed an association of both Pb and Sb with Fe in soils, which impacts remediation scenarios for ranges as Fe treatments have potential to be effective for system-wide immobilization of major contaminants. Overall, the results from this study highlight the complexity of metal(loid) speciation, transport and mobility as a function of seasonality, soil type and environmental conditions

Low level Atrazine exposure effects on crayfish development

Undergraduate Applie

Mobile application usability heuristics: Decoupling context-of-use

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights are reserved by the Publisher. This is the accepted manuscript version of a conference paper which has been published in final form at ttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58634-2_30Context-of-use is a vital consideration when evaluating the usability of mobile applications. Thus, when defining sets of heuristics for the usability evaluation of mobile applications, a common practice has been to include one or more heuristics that consider context-of-use. Yet, most evaluations are conducted within usability labs. Consequently, the aim of this research is to question the utility of attempting to include inherently complex areas of context-of-use within limited sets of mobile application usability heuristics. To address this, a mapping study uncovered six sets of heuristics that can be applied to mobile application usability evaluations. A within-subjects empirical test with six Human-Computer Interaction practitioners evaluated a well-known travel mobile application using three sets of the mapped heuristics. The study found that the common practice of including context-of-use within mobile application usability heuristics is an ineffective approach

The Parthenon, January 23, 2019

The Parthenon, Marshall University’s student newspaper, was published by students Monday through Friday during the regular semester and weekly on Thursdays during the summer. Due to budgetary constraints, beginning with the 2018 Fall semester, the newspaper is only published one day a week. The editorial staff is responsible for the news and the editorial content

Short-Term Transport Stress and Supplementation Alter Immune Function in Aged Horses

Long-distance transport is associated with stress-related changes in equine immune function, and shipping-associated illnesses are often reported. Horses are frequently transported short distances, yet the effects of short-term transport on immune function remain largely unknown. Twelve horses, aged 15–30 yr, were assigned to either the control (n = 6) or treatment (n = 6) groups; treatment horses received a daily antioxidant supplement 3 weeks before and after transport. All horses were transported for approximately 1.5–2 hr on Day 0. Blood was collected via jugular venipuncture at 15-min pre- and post-transport and on Days –21, 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21. Body temperature, heart rate, body weight, total cortisol, and gene expression of IFNγ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12α, IL-17α, SAA1, and TNFα in whole blood were measured. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated, stimulated with PMA/ionomycin, and stained for IFNγ and TNFα before analysis via flow cytometry. Statistical analyses were performed with significance set at P \u3c 0.05 (SAS 9.4). Transport and supplementation did not appear to affect body weight, heart rate, IL-4, IL-8, IL-12α, IL-17α, change (Δ) in the % and mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of IFNγ+ lymphocytes after stimulation, or Δ in the % and MFI of TNFα+ lymphocytes after stimulation. Supplementation decreased IL-1β and SAA1 expression. Transport increased total cortisol concentration, body temperature, and IL-2, IL-6, and IL-10 expression but decreased IL-1β, TNFα, and IFNγ expression. Short-term transportation affected physiological, endocrine, and immune responses; supplementation may ameliorate inflammation in aged horses. Immune responses were most altered at 15-min post-transport and typically recovered by Day 1, suggesting that horses may be vulnerable to disease during and almost immediately after short-term transport

THE NATURE OF KNOWLEDGE, EVIDENCE AND HOW TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

It is suggested that humans have a basic need for knowledge and a thirst to know how things work and why things happen. Parahoo (2014) proposed that knowledge is essential for human survival, and central to decision making about daily life and achieving change in both people and the environment in which they live. Prior to the 18th century much of people’s understanding of the world and how it worked was based on beliefs related to superstitions and organised religions. However, the 18th century ushered in what we know as the era of ‘Enlightenment’ and the ‘Age of Reason’ which promoted different ways of thinking and knowing the world. The work of encyclopaedists (generally the leading philosophers of the day) and the publication of the Encyclopedie in the period from 1751 to 1772 together advocated scientific knowledge. This type of knowledge influenced thinking about the nature of humans and their ways of understanding the world and from this came an opening of the debate about what knowledge is and how humans can ‘know’ things. Knowledge and evidence are inextricably linked – evidence provides support to the usefulness of certain types of knowledge and knowledge gives reason and value to different forms of evidence. Therefore as with knowledge there are many different forms of evidence, each of which will be valued in different ways according to context. This chapter will consider the issues surrounding the nature of knowledge, the different forms of evidence and how it is possible to identify what knowledge is needed to ensure practice is evidence-based

Inhibition of alpha oscillations through serotonin-2A receptor activation underlies the visual effects of ayahuasca in humans

Ayahuasca is an Amazonian psychotropic plant tea typically obtained from two plants, Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis. It contains the psychedelic 5-HT2A and sigma-1 agonist N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) plus ß-carboline alkaloids with monoamine-oxidase (MAO)-inhibiting properties. Although the psychoactive effects of ayahuasca have commonly been attributed solely to agonism at the 5-HT2A receptor, the molecular target of classical psychedelics, this has not been tested experimentally. Here we wished to study the contribution of the 5-HT2A receptor to the neurophysiological and psychological effects of ayahuasca in humans. We measured drug-induced changes in spontaneous brain oscillations and subjective effects in a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study involving the oral administration of ayahuasca (0.75 mg DMT/kg body weight) and the 5-HT2A antagonist ketanserin (40 mg). Twelve healthy, experienced psychedelic users (5 females) participated in four experimental sessions in which they received the following drug combinations: placebo+placebo, placebo+ayahuasca, ketanserin+placebo and ketanserin+ayahuasca. Ayahuasca induced EEG power decreases in the delta, theta and alpha frequency bands. Current density in alpha-band oscillations in parietal and occipital cortex was inversely correlated with the intensity of visual imagery induced by ayahuasca. Pretreatment with ketanserin inhibited neurophysiological modifications, reduced the correlation between alpha and visual effects, and attenuated the intensity of the subjective experience. These findings suggest that despite the chemical complexity of ayahuasca, 5-HT2A activation plays a key role in the neurophysiological and visual effects of ayahuasca in humans.Postprint (published version

Development of a minimal KASP marker panel for distinguishing genotypes in apple collections

Accurate identification of named accessions in germplasm collections is extremely important, especially for vegetatively propagated crops which are expensive to maintain.  Thus, an inexpensive, reliable, and rapid genotyping method is essential because it avoids the need for laborious and time-consuming morphological comparisons.  Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) marker panels containing large numbers of SNPs have been developed for many crop species, but such panels are much too large for basic cultivar identification.  Here, we have identified a minimum set of SNP markers sufficient to distinguish apple cultivars held in the English and Welsh national collections providing a cheaper and automatable alternative to the markers currently used by the community.  We show that SNP genotyping with a small set of well selected markers is equally efficient as microsatellites for the identification of apple cultivars and has the added advantage of automation and reduced cost when screening large numbers of sample