Predicting whether users view dynamic content on the world wide web

Dynamic micro-content—interactive or updating widgets and features—is now widely used on the Web, but there is little understanding of how people allocate attention to it. In this paper we present the results of an eye tracking investigation examining how the nature of dynamic micro-content influences whether or not the user views it. We propose and validate the Dynamic Update Viewing-likelihood (DUV) model, a Chi-Squared Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) model that predicts with around 80 % accuracy whether users view dynamic updates as a function of how they are initiated, their size and their duration. The model is constructed with data from live websites and does not rely on knowledge of the user’s task to make its predictions, giving it a high-level of external validity. We discuss one example of its application: informing how dynamic content should be presented in audio via assistive technology for people with visual impairments

Efficacy of a Workbook to Promote Forgiveness: A Randomized Controlled Trial with University Students

Objective The present study investigated the efficacy of a 6-hour self-directed workbook adapted from the REACH Forgiveness intervention. Method Undergraduates (N = 41) were randomly assigned to either an immediate treatment or waitlist control condition. Participants were assessed across 3 time periods using a variety of forgiveness outcome measures. Results The 6-hour workbook intervention increased forgiveness, as indicated by positive changes in participants’ forgiveness ratings that differed by condition. In addition, benchmarking analysis showed that the self-directed workbook intervention is at least as efficacious as the delivery of the REACH Forgiveness model via group therapy. Conclusion A self-directed workbook intervention adapted from the REACH Forgiveness intervention provides an adjunct to traditional psychotherapy that could assist the mental health community to manage the burden of unforgiveness among victims of interpersonal harm

The social life of the green Mong textile : Commercialisation and alternative discourses of value in Thailand.

This thesis examines how material culture, specifically the Mong textile, is used in society and how an analysis of these uses can inform us of social processes. Discussion takes a contextual approach whereby the object is analysed at different points in its social life, ultimately focusing on alternative discourses of value and the conflict generated between different readings and interpretations. After an introduction to the Mong textile (Chapter One) and the fieldwork community (Chapter Two) the textile is placed in village context. Through a radical analysis of women's position in the village (Chapter Three & Four) and through an examination of the textile in Mong myth and cultural use, the textile is shown to play an important role in legitimising social relations and reproducing social institutions (Chapter Five). Changes in production (Chapter Six) are part of a new commercial trade and in this form the Mong textile provides an income for Mong and specifically for women, who are shown to adopt new patterns of residence and productive relations (Chapter Seven). Varying uses and values of the textile reveal conflict, a result of differences in exposures and knowledge acquired by the Mong. One effect of conflict is fragmentation from within Mong society (Chapter Eight). The social life of the Mong textile outside of the Mong village supports a stereotypic image that is contributing to Mong assimilation in Thailand (Chapter Nine). Although a subordinate group, within Thailand the Mong are not seen to be totally dominated and the Mong textile thus becomes the focus of a battle between the Mong statement and an alternative ideology which attempts to appropriate the symbols of their material culture for a rival interpretation (Chapter Ten). In conclusion it is suggested that we should continue to reassess the place of material culture within anthropological study and learn from the different contexts of production and consumption, and the constantly changing relationship between subject and object

Does descriptive text change how people look at art? A novel analysis of eye-movements using data-driven Units of Interest

Does reading a description of an artwork affect how a person subsequently views it? In a controlled study, we show that in most cases, textual description does not influence how people subsequently view paintings, contrary to participants’ self-report that they believed it did. To examine whether the description affected transition behaviour, we devised a novel analysis method that systematically determines Units of Interest (UOIs), and calculates transitions between these, to quantify the effect of an external factor (a descriptive text) on the viewing pattern of a naturalistic stimulus (a painting). UOIs are defined using a grid-based system, where the cell-size is determined by a clustering algorithm (DBSCAN). The Hellinger distance is computed for the distance between two Markov chains using a permutation test, constructed from the transition matrices (visual shifts between UOIs) of the two groups for each painting. Results show that the description does not affect the way in which people transition between UOIs for all but one of the paintings -- an abstract work -- suggesting that description may play more of a role in determining transition behaviour when a lack of semantic cues means it is unclear how the painting should be interpreted. The contribution is twofold: to the domain of art/curation, we provide evidence that descriptive texts do not effect how people view paintings, with the possible exception of some abstract paintings; to the domain of eye-movement research, we provide a method with the potential to answer questions across multiple research areas, where the goal is to determine whether a particular factor or condition consistently affects viewing behaviour of naturalistic stimuli

Structural imaging biomarkers of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy is a major cause of premature death in people with epilepsy. We aimed to assess whether structural changes potentially attributable to sudden death pathogenesis were present on magnetic resonance imaging in people who subsequently died of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy. In a retrospective, voxel-based analysis of T1 volume scans, we compared grey matter volumes in 12 cases of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (two definite, 10 probable; eight males), acquired 2 years [median, interquartile range (IQR) 2.8] before death [median (IQR) age at scanning 33.5 (22) years], with 34 people at high risk [age 30.5 (12); 19 males], 19 at low risk [age 30 (7.5); 12 males] of sudden death, and 15 healthy controls [age 37 (16); seven males]. At-risk subjects were defined based on risk factors of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy identified in a recent combined risk factor analysis. We identified increased grey matter volume in the right anterior hippocampus/amygdala and parahippocampus in sudden death cases and people at high risk, when compared to those at low risk and controls. Compared to controls, posterior thalamic grey matter volume, an area mediating oxygen regulation, was reduced in cases of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy and subjects at high risk. The extent of reduction correlated with disease duration in all subjects with epilepsy. Increased amygdalo-hippocampal grey matter volume with right-sided changes is consistent with histo-pathological findings reported in sudden infant death syndrome. We speculate that the right-sided predominance reflects asymmetric central influences on autonomic outflow, contributing to cardiac arrhythmia. Pulvinar damage may impair hypoxia regulation. The imaging findings in sudden unexpected death in epilepsy and people at high risk may be useful as a biomarker for risk-stratification in future studies

"Business as usual": Drilling predation across the K-Pg mass extinction event in Antarctica

A survey of 759 predatory drill holes in Late Cretaceous and Paleogene molluscan and serpulid worm prey from Seymour Island (Antarctica) has allowed exploration of the effects of the K-Pg mass extinction on predator-prey dynamics at this high latitude site. Circular holes (0.62 - 6.41 mm in diameter), suggesting a large gastropod predator, most probably “Vanikoropsis” arktowskiana, occur throughout the study interval. Analysis suggests that the driller was a catholic predator capable of attacking a range of prey types, showing some degree of size and stereotypic handling behaviour. Although there were changes in prey choice across the extinction event, these reflect changes in available prey, and in particular limited options immediately post extinction. There were no significant changes in failure rate (Prey Effectiveness) over the mass extinction. Our findings suggest that at this site, for this particular predator, aside from menu choice, predation dynamics post-extinction was ‘business as usual’

Early identification of students at risk using online learning activities

As students embark on their learning journey, feedback can have a powerful effect on their progress. Feedback is part of a cycle of learning, providing information about goals, how to achieve these goals and whether these goals have been achieved. Many students use and adapt learning techniques, where they have received regular feedback, from their secondary education. As the students start their tertiary learning, without feedback information during the first few weeks, many students are uncertain whether they are on track for success as they progress to their first major assessments. This study describes how online practice activities provided an opportunity to measure student response patterns which were then used to indicate if students were “on track”. Erratic response patterns reflect student uncertainty in answering assessment items. Traditionally scores from these practice activities were used to indicate success. However, scores often mask uncertainty in response patterns, where two students seemingly achieving the same score early in the semester may have marked divergence in their performance later in the course. The response data was turned into real time alerts and provided feedback to teachers and students. These alerts were shown to be 80% more predictive of exam scores than the traditional scores achieved during the online activities. Students received alerts about their progress during the semester. After each alert was sent, students were surveyed to find out if they agreed with the information about their learning progress and whether they made adjustments to their learning techniques. This project demonstrated how it is possible to use real time data to identify students who are “off track” and potentially at risk. This early warning indicator to learners and teachers allows for appropriate support to be provided by teachers as just-in-time instruction. Students are also able to reconsider the learning techniques they were using and make adjustments. It is then possible for students to get on track for success