Passing crisis and emergency risk communications: the effects of communication channel, information type, and repetition.

Three experiments explore several factors which influence information transmission when warning messages are passed from person to person. In Experiment 1, messages were passed down chains of participants using five different modes of communication. Written communication channels resulted in more accurate message transmission than verbal. In addition, some elements of the message endured further down the chain than others. Experiment 2 largely replicated these effects and also demonstrated that simple repetition of a message eliminated differences between written and spoken communication. In a final field experiment, chains of participants passed information however they wanted to, with the proviso that half of the chains could not use telephones. Here, the lack of ability to use a telephone did not affect accuracy, but did slow down the speed of transmission from the recipient of the message to the last person in the chain. Implications of the findings for crisis and emergency risk communication are discussed

Learning medical alarms whilst performing other tasks.

Two studies are reported which first observe, and then attempt to replicate, the cognitive demands of intensive care unit (ICU) activity whilst concurrently learning audible alarms. The first study, an observational study in an ICU ward, showed that the alarms are very frequent and co-occur with some activities more than others. The three most frequently observed activities observed in the ICU were drugs (calculation, preparation and administration), patient observation and talking. The cognitive demands of these activities were simulated in a second, laboratory-based experiment in which alarms were learned. The results showed that performance in the alarm task generally improved as participants were exposed to more repetitions of those alarms, but that performance decrements were observed in the secondary tasks, particularly when there were two or three of them. Some confusions between the alarms persisted to the end of the study despite prolonged exposure to the alarms, confusions which were likely caused by both acoustic and verbal labelling similarities. PRACTITIONER SUMMARY: The cognitive demands of working in an ICU were observed and simulated whilst alarms were learned. Alarms should generally avoid sharing similar rhythmic (and other) characteristics. The simulation task described here could be used for testing alarm learning without requiring a clinical environment

The metabolic physiology of early stage Argyrosomus japonicus with insight into the potential effects of pCO2 induced ocean acidification

Ocean acidification is a phenomenon associated with global change and anthropogenic CO2 emissions that is changing the chemistry of seawater. These changes result in elevated pCO2 and reduced pH in seawater and this is impacting marine organisms in various ways. Marine fishes are considered generally tolerant to conditions of ocean acidification; however, these assumptions are based on juvenile and adult fish tolerance and the larval stages have not been frequently assessed. Furthermore, it has been suggested that temperate species, particularly those with an estuarine association, may be tolerant to variable CO2 and pH. This study used an eco-physiological approach to understand how the early life stages of Argyrosomus japonicus, an estuarine dependent marine fisheries species found in warm-temperate regions, may be impacted by ocean acidification. The metabolic response of early stage larvae (hatching to early juvenile stage) was assessed under conditions of elevated pCO2 and reduced pH in a controlled laboratory setting. Small volume static respirometry was used to determine the oxygen consumption rate of larvae raised in three pCO2 treatments including a low (pCO2 = 327.50 ± 80.07 µatm at pH 8.15), moderate (pCO2 477.40 ± 59.46 µatm at pH 8.03) and high treatment (PCO2 910.20 ± 136.45 µatm at pH 7.78). These treatment levels were relevant to the present (low) and projected conditions of ocean acidification for the years 2050 (moderate) and 2100 (high). Prior to experimentation with ocean acidification treatments, baseline metabolic rates and diurnal variation in oxygen consumption rates in early stage A. japonicus was determined. Distinct ontogenetic structuring of metabolic rates was observed in early stage A. japonicus, with no cyclical fluctuations in metabolic rate occurring during the 24 hour photoperiodic cycle. Pre-flexion larvae showed no metabolic response to ocean acidification treatments; however post-flexion stage larvae showed metabolic depression of standard metabolic rate in the moderate (32.5%) and high (9.5%) pCO2 treatments (P = 0.02). Larvae raised in the high pCO2 treatment also showed high levels of mortality with no individuals surviving past the post-flexion stage. Larvae raised in the moderate pCO2 treatment were unaffected. This study concluded that ocean acidification conditions expected for the end of the century will have significant impacts on the metabolism of early stage A. japonicus, which may result in reduced growth, retardation of skeletal development and ultimately survival as a result of increased mortality. Furthermore, the timing of reduced metabolic scope will significantly impact the recruitment ability of A. japonicus larvae into estuarine habitats. This could ultimately impact the sustainability of A. japonicus populations. Most importantly, this study highlighted the need to consider the combined effect of ontogeny and life-history strategy when assessing the vulnerability of species to ocean acidification

The influence of auditory feedback on speed choice, violations and comfort in a driving simulation game

Two experiments are reported which explore the relationships between auditory feedback (engine noise), speed choice, driving violations and driver comfort. Participants played a driving simulation game with different levels of auditory feedback in the form of engine noise. In Experiment 1, a between-subjects design revealed that no noise and low levels of engine noise (65 dB(A)) resulted in participants driving at faster speeds than in the medium (75 dB(A)) and high (85 dB(A)) levels of engine noise conditions. The low noise feedback conditions were also associated with decreases in driver comfort. Experiment 2 also demonstrated that low levels of engine noise feedback (no feedback and 70 dB(A)) were associated with increases in driving speed, and driving violations relative to higher levels of feedback (75 dB(A) and 80 dB(A)). Implications exist for current car manufacturing trends which emphasise a growing increase in noise insulation for the driver. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

The effects of label design characteristics on perceptions of genetically modified food

Objective. To explore the effects on perceptions of labelling food for genetically modified content. Background: there is increasing public pressure for the compulsory labelling of genetically modified food content on all food products, and yet little is known about how the design and content of such food labels will influence product perceptions. The current research draws upon warning label research - a field in which the effect of label design manipulations on perceptions of, and responses to, potential or perceived risks is well documented. Method. Two experiments are reported that investigate how label design features influence the perception of genetically modified foods. The effects of label colour (red, blue and green), wording style (definitive vs. probabilistic and explicit vs. non-explicit) and information source (government agency, consumer group and manufacturer) on hazard perceptions and purchase intentions were measured. Results. Hazard perceptions and purchase intentions were both influenced by label design characteristics in predictable ways. Any reference to genetic modification, even if the label is stating that the product is free of genetically modified ingredients, increased hazard perception, and decreased purchase intentions, relative to a no-label condition. Conclusion. Label design effects generalise from warning label research to influence the perception of genetically modified foods in predictable ways. Application. The design of genetically modified food labels. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

Segregación de hábitat en juveniles de peces en una región de cría de un estuario templado, Sudáfrica

Multiple habitats were investigated in a known fish nursery area to further understand habitat partitioning among juveniles in the lower reaches of the warm temperate, permanently open Swartkops Estuary, South Africa. Fishes were collected using a 30-m seine net with a mesh size of 10 mm in sand, mud, creek and vegetated habitat types. Each habitat type was sampled in two locations twice per season from February 2013 to January 2014. Shallow-water creeks and vegetated habitats with coverage of Zostera capensis and Spartina maritima were found to be important use areas for numerous solely estuarine and marine estuarine-dependent species. This was evidenced by the high species diversity, abundance and size range per species occurring in these habitats. Seasonal trends were similar to those in previous studies worldwide, where higher abundances of juveniles of marine estuarine-dependent species coincided with summer recruitment into estuarine nurseries. However, recruitment appears to begin as early as late winter in some species, a phenomenon probably linked to a warming climate. Both resident species and those utilizing the area as a nursery area show a large degree of plasticity in habitat use in the lower reaches of the estuary, which became apparent when multiple habitats were compared. The drivers of these patterns involve a complex interaction of species, habitat type, behaviour, feeding, predator avoidance and physico-chemical factors occurring in the estuary.Con objeto de entender mejor la segregación de hábitats en juveniles de peces se investigaron múltiples hábitats en una zona de cría en la parte baja del estuario del Swartkops (Sudáfrica) (de tipo templado-cálido y abierto permanentemente). Los peces fueron recolectados con una red de cerco de 30 m, con malla de 10 mm de abertura, sobre fondos de arena, barro, arroyos yhábitats con vegetación. Cada tipo de hábitat se muestreó en dos lugares, dos veces por estación, de febrero 2013 a enero 2014. Se observó que los arroyos de aguas poco profundas y los hábitats con cobertura de Zostera capensis y Spartina maritima eran áreas importantes para numerosas especies exclusivamente estuáricas y para especies marinas dependientes de los estuarios. Esto se evidenció por la gran diversidad de especies, abundancia y rango de tallas de las especies que aparecieron. Las tendencias estacionales fueron similares a los de estudios anteriores en todo el mundo, donde las más altas abundancias de juveniles de las especies marinas que dependen de los estuarios coincidieron con el reclutamiento de verano dentro del estuario. Sin embargo, en algunas especies el reclutamiento parece comenzar más pronto, a finales del invierno, un fenómeno probablemente ligado al calentamiento climático. Tanto las especies residentes en el estuario como las que lo utilizan como área de cría muestran un alto grado de plasticidad en el uso del hábitat en la parte baja del estuario, que resulta evidente cuando se compararon varios hábitats. Los mecanismos impulsores de estos patrones implican una compleja interacción de especies, tipo de hábitat, comportamiento, alimentación, evasión de depredadores, y los factores físico-químicos del estuario

Commentary on David Huron's "On the Role of Embellishment Tones in the Perceptual Segregation of Concurrent Musical Parts"

In his article ‘On the Role of Embellishment Tones in the Perceptual Segregation of Concurrent Musical Parts’, David Huron (2007) takes four metrics known in the psychological literature to affect perceptual segregation and applies them to embellished versus unembellished versions of 50 of Bach’s chorales. In all cases he argues and demonstrates that the embellished versions of the chorales are more likely to induce segregation than the unembellished versions. This commentary concurs with his view, with the possible exception of co-modulation, for which we argue the data and analysis is both rather weak and somewhat unclear in its detail. It is argued in the commentary also that although the data do largely support the view, it is the only conclusion possible as the unembellished chorales are simple monodic devices, of which almost any type of development or embellishment is almost bound to increase the ability of a listener to segregate the parts. We also provide some background historical and cultural context as the use of the chorale in Bach’s time, particularly the fact that they were generally sung rather than played or listened to outside a religious setting, has an important bearing on the way they were written

The design of sonically-enhanced widgets

This paper describes the design of user-interface widgets that include non-speech sound. Previous research has shown that the addition of sound can improve the usability of human–computer interfaces. However, there is little research to show where the best places are to add sound to improve usability. The approach described here is to integrate sound into widgets, the basic components of the human–computer interface. An overall structure for the integration of sound is presented. There are many problems with current graphical widgets and many of these are difficult to correct by using more graphics. This paper presents many of the standard graphical widgets and describes how sound can be added. It describes in detail usability problems with the widgets and then the non-speech sounds to overcome them. The non-speech sounds used are earcons. These sonically-enhanced widgets allow designers who are not sound experts to create interfaces that effectively improve usability and have coherent and consistent sounds

Development and use of avian pneumovirus reverse genetics systems

Avian pneumovirus (APV) has remained an important pathogen of domestic fowl since its isolation in the 1970s. A reverse genetics system for APV was developed that affords direct manipulation and analysis of the molecular biology, pathogenicity, and tropism of APV. Using a synthetic minigenome system, the M2-1 protein was found to enhance transcription but not be essential for replication and the APV M2-2 protein was shown to inhibit transcription of a reporter gene. The viral cis-acting sequences were mutated to determine their role in transcription. Initially, a series of mutations originating from vaccine candidates were introduced into the gene end sequence of the LUC gene. The levels of LUC reporter protein expression in the mutants was 40-70% of normal, thus demonstrating a mechanism for reduction of virus immunogenicity as the result of a single point mutation. Heterologous rescue of the APV minigenome was carried out using plasmids expressing the RSV, PVM and hMPV proteins and showed that homologous protein: protein interactions were necessary for minigenome transcription. An APV cloned virus rescue system (Naylor et al., 2004) was used to create APV viruses which contained the gene encoding enhanced green florescent protein (eGFP) either within intact APV, or in mutants lacking the SH and G genes or lacking the SH gene alone. It was demonstrated that the SH and G genes are not essential for APV replication in vitro and in vivo and that the APV genome is capable of accepting insertions of foreign material. Expression of eGFP from the recombinant viruses was investigated in vivo in turkeys at 3 and 5 days post infection. eGFP was found in the sinus tissue of the birds infected with the virus containing the full complement of virus genes in addition to that encoding eGFP