Different realities: a comparison of augmented and virtual reality for the sensemaking process

Analysts perform sensemaking on large complex multimedia datasets in order to extract concepts, themes, and other kinds of insights from them. Immersive analytics, in particular, puts users in virtual environments that allow them to explore data in a unique way where they can interact and move through the data. Previous research using virtual reality immersive analytics tools found users wanting to refer to real-world objects or understand the physical world around them while continuing to perform their analysis. Therefore, we designed and ran a comparative study looking at the tradeoffs between virtual and augmented reality for our immersive analytics approach: Immersive Space to Think. Through two mixed-methods studies we found that virtual reality affords users a space where users can focus more on their task, but augmented reality allows them to use various real-world tools that can increase user satisfaction. In future immersive analytics tools, we recommend a blend of the two—augmented virtuality—with pass-through portals which allow users to see various real-world tools, such as whiteboards or desks and keyboards, while still giving themselves a space to focus

Fungicide resistance management in Australian grain crops

Fungicide resistance is a serious and increasing problem in cropping systems worldwide. Fungicides are an important component of integrated disease management strategies for the protection of crops from the impacts of fungal diseases. However, as their use has increased, the effectiveness of some fungicides has been reduced by the development of fungicide resistant pathogen populations. Without intervention, more fungicides are likely to become ineffective

Large expert-curated database for benchmarking document similarity detection in biomedical literature search

Document recommendation systems for locating relevant literature have mostly relied on methods developed a decade ago. This is largely due to the lack of a large offline gold-standard benchmark of relevant documents that cover a variety of research fields such that newly developed literature search techniques can be compared, improved and translated into practice. To overcome this bottleneck, we have established the RElevant LIterature SearcH consortium consisting of more than 1500 scientists from 84 countries, who have collectively annotated the relevance of over 180 000 PubMed-listed articles with regard to their respective seed (input) article/s. The majority of annotations were contributed by highly experienced, original authors of the seed articles. The collected data cover 76% of all unique PubMed Medical Subject Headings descriptors. No systematic biases were observed across different experience levels, research fields or time spent on annotations. More importantly, annotations of the same document pairs contributed by different scientists were highly concordant. We further show that the three representative baseline methods used to generate recommended articles for evaluation (Okapi Best Matching 25, Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency and PubMed Related Articles) had similar overall performances. Additionally, we found that these methods each tend to produce distinct collections of recommended articles, suggesting that a hybrid method may be required to completely capture all relevant articles. The established database server located at https://relishdb.ict.griffith.edu.au is freely available for the downloading of annotation data and the blind testing of new methods. We expect that this benchmark will be useful for stimulating the development of new powerful techniques for title and title/abstract-based search engines for relevant articles in biomedical research.Peer reviewe

Psychosocial impact of undergoing prostate cancer screening for men with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations.

OBJECTIVES: To report the baseline results of a longitudinal psychosocial study that forms part of the IMPACT study, a multi-national investigation of targeted prostate cancer (PCa) screening among men with a known pathogenic germline mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. PARTICPANTS AND METHODS: Men enrolled in the IMPACT study were invited to complete a questionnaire at collaborating sites prior to each annual screening visit. The questionnaire included sociodemographic characteristics and the following measures: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Impact of Event Scale (IES), 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36), Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer, Cancer Worry Scale-Revised, risk perception and knowledge. The results of the baseline questionnaire are presented. RESULTS: A total of 432 men completed questionnaires: 98 and 160 had mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, respectively, and 174 were controls (familial mutation negative). Participants' perception of PCa risk was influenced by genetic status. Knowledge levels were high and unrelated to genetic status. Mean scores for the HADS and SF-36 were within reported general population norms and mean IES scores were within normal range. IES mean intrusion and avoidance scores were significantly higher in BRCA1/BRCA2 carriers than in controls and were higher in men with increased PCa risk perception. At the multivariate level, risk perception contributed more significantly to variance in IES scores than genetic status. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to report the psychosocial profile of men with BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations undergoing PCa screening. No clinically concerning levels of general or cancer-specific distress or poor quality of life were detected in the cohort as a whole. A small subset of participants reported higher levels of distress, suggesting the need for healthcare professionals offering PCa screening to identify these risk factors and offer additional information and support to men seeking PCa screening

Lucid Dreaming

Concert of contemporary music following a theme of metaphors from architecture and landscape. The prevailing aesthetic is one of hybridity, mixing genres and approaches in search of individual innovation and audience engagement

North of the Border

Musical examination of Queensland's political history, with a focus on maverick figures and music hidden in speech intonation, and recontextualisation of popular music history in Queensland

Spirit dancing

A curated concert of new music with a focus on notions of spirituality. The works include a variety of perspectives, including responses to the natural environment, engagement with life changes, grief, transcendence and ecstatic states. Compositions: Lynette Lancini, Sapphire; Terry Riley, Salome's Excellent Extension; Robert Davidson, Sweet Spring; Robert Davidson, Judith Wright's Night; Ross Edwards, White Cockatoo Spirit Dance; Gavin Bryars, The Old Tower of Löbenicht; Robert Davidson, Stooping to Drink; Robert Davidson, Stars; John Babbage, The Last Visit; Michael Nyman, Shaping the Curv

The Seven-headed Music Machine

Cross-genre collaboration between two leading Australian ensembles Topology and Clocked Out Duo. Composed music is juxtaposed with group collaborations, spatial explorations and sound sculptures

Implementation and evaluation of a community-based treatment for late-life hoarding

ObjectivesThe objective of this paper was to examine the implementation and effectiveness of a community-based intervention for hoarding disorder (HD) using Cognitive Rehabilitation and Exposure/Sorting Therapy (CREST).DesignThis was a mixed-method, pre-post quasi-experimental study informed by the Practical, Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model for implementation science.SettingProgram activities took place in San Diego County, mainly within clients' homes or community, with some activities in-office.ParticipantsParticipants were aged 60 years or older, met eligibility for Medi-Cal or were uninsured, and met criteria for HD.InterventionA manualized, mobile protocol that incorporated CREST was utilized.MeasurementsThe Clutter Image Rating and Hoarding Rating Scale were used as effectiveness outcomes. An investigator-created staff questionnaire was used to evaluate implementation.ResultsThirty-seven clients were reached and enrolled in treatment and 15 completed treatment during the initial 2 years of the program. There were significant changes in hoarding severity and clutter volume. Based on the initial 2 years of the program, funding was provided for expansion to cover additional San Diego County regions and hire more staff clinicians in year three.ConclusionPreliminary data suggest that the CREST intervention can be successfully implemented in a community setting with positive results for older adults with HD

Fungicide resistance management in Australian grain crops

Fungicide resistance is a serious and increasing problem in cropping systems worldwide. Fungicides are an important component of integrated disease management strategies for the protection of crops from the impacts of fungal diseases. However, as their use has increased, the effectiveness of some fungicides has been reduced by the development of fungicide resistant pathogen populations. Without intervention, more fungicides are likely to become ineffective