Who Has The Right of Way, Automated Vehicles or Drivers? Multiple Perspectives in Safety, Negotiation and Trust

Public opinion suggests that it is still unclear how people will react when automated vehicles (AVs) emerge on the roads. Fatal accidents involving AVs have received wide media attention, possibly disproportionate to their frequency. How does the framing of such stories affect public perceptions of AVs? Few drivers have encountered AVs, but how do they imagine interacting with AVs in the near future? This survey study with 600 UK and Hong Kong drivers addressed these two questions. After reading news 'vignettes' reporting an imagined car crash, respondents presented with subjective information perceived AVs as less safe than those presented with factual information. We draw implications for news media framing effects to counter negative newsflow with factual information. Respondents were presented with another imagined interaction with human-driven and AVs and did not differentiate between the two. Results from other variables e.g., first and third person framing, and cultural differences are also reported

Game & Watch: Are "Let's Play" Gaming Videos as Immersive as Playing Games?

Let's Play videos, where players record themselves playing games, are a new and popular way of experiencing game content. To investigate the experience of watching Let's Play videos, we had 40 participants watch a video of someone playing a racing game. The same participants also played the racing game and watched footage of an actual racing event. After each media experience, participants completed a modified version of the Immersive Experience Questionnaire (IEQ). Results show that IEQ scores were highest after participants played the game, and lowest after passively watching the non-gaming content; watching the Let's Play video was in between. When watching the Let's Play video, participants who were familiar with the game had lower IEQ scores than participants who were new to the game. These results show that actively controlling a game generates a deeper immersive experience than passively watching others play - watching is not as immersive as playing

TRIP-1 via AKT modulation drives lung fibroblast/myofibroblast trans-differentiation

Abstract Background Myofibroblasts are the critical effector cells in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis which carries a high degree of morbidity and mortality. We have previously identified Type II TGFβ receptor interacting protein 1 (TRIP-1), through proteomic analysis, as a key regulator of collagen contraction in primary human lung fibroblasts—a functional characteristic of myofibroblasts, and the last, but critical step in the process of fibrosis. However, whether or not TRIP-1 modulates fibroblast trans-differentiation to myofibroblasts is not known. Methods TRIP-1 expression was altered in primary human lung fibroblasts by siRNA and plasmid transfection. Transfected fibroblasts were then analyzed for myofibroblast features and function such as α-SMA expression, collagen contraction ability, and resistance to apoptosis. Results The down-regulation of TRIP-1 expression in primary human lung fibroblasts induces α-SMA expression and enhances resistance to apoptosis and collagen contraction ability. In contrast, TRIP-1 over-expression inhibits α-SMA expression. Remarkably, the effects of the loss of TRIP-1 are not abrogated by blockage of TGFβ ligand activation of the Smad3 pathway or by Smad3 knockdown. Rather, a TRIP-1 mediated enhancement of AKT phosphorylation is the implicated pathway. In TRIP-1 knockdown fibroblasts, AKT inhibition prevents α-SMA induction, and transfection with a constitutively active AKT construct drives collagen contraction and decreases apoptosis. Conclusions TRIP-1 regulates fibroblast acquisition of phenotype and function associated with myofibroblasts. The importance of this finding is it suggests TRIP-1 expression could be a potential target in therapeutic strategy aimed against pathological fibrosis.Peer Reviewe

Ethnobotanical knowledge is vastly under-documented in northwestern South America

A main objective of ethnobotany is to document traditional knowledge about plants before it disappears. However, little is known about the coverage of past ethnobotanical studies and thus about how well the existing literature covers the overall traditional knowledge of different human groups. To bridge this gap, we investigated ethnobotanical data-collecting efforts across four countries (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia), three ecoregions (Amazon, Andes, Chocó), and several human groups (including Amerindians, mestizos, and Afro-Americans). We used palms (Arecaceae) as our model group because of their usefulness and pervasiveness in the ethnobotanical literature. We carried out a large number of field interviews (n = 2201) to determine the coverage and quality of palm ethnobotanical data in the existing ethnobotanical literature (n = 255) published over the past 60 years. In our fieldwork in 68 communities, we collected 87,886 use reports and documented 2262 different palm uses and 140 useful palm species. We demonstrate that traditional knowledge on palm uses is vastly under-documented across ecoregions, countries, and human groups. We suggest that the use of standardized data-collecting protocols in wide-ranging ethnobotanical fieldwork is a promising approach for filling critical information gaps. Our work contributes to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and emphasizes the need for signatory nations to the Convention on Biological Diversity to respond to these information gaps. Given our findings, we hope to stimulate the formulation of clear plans to systematically document ethnobotanical knowledge in northwestern South America and elsewhere before it vanishesThis study was funded by the European Union, 7th Framework Programme (contract no. 212631), the Russel E. Train Education for Nature Program of the WWF (to NPZ), the Anne S. Chatham fellowship of the Garden Club of America (to NPZ), and the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid travel grants programme (to RCL

Ethnomedicinal landscape: distribution of used medicinal plant species in Nepal

Background The risk of losing traditional knowledge of medicinal plants and their use and conservation is very high. Documenting knowledge on distribution and use of medicinal plants by different ethnic groups and at spatial scale on a single platform is important from a conservation planning and management perspective. The sustainable use, continuous practice, and safeguarding of traditional knowledge are essential. Communication of such knowledge among scientists and policy makers at local and global level is equally important, as the available information at present is limited and scattered in Nepal. Methods In this paper, we aimed to address these shortcomings by cataloguing medicinal plants used by indigenous ethnic groups in Nepal through a systematic review of over 275 pertinent publications published between 1975 and July 2021. The review was complemented by field visits made in 21 districts. We determined the ethnomedicinal plants hotspots across the country and depicted them in heatmaps. Results The heatmaps show spatial hotspots and sites of poor ethnomedicinal plant use documentation, which is useful for evaluating the interaction of geographical and ethnobotanical variables. Mid-hills and mountainous areas of Nepal hold the highest number of medicinal plant species in use, which could be possibly associated with the presence of higher human population and diverse ethnic groups in these areas. Conclusion Given the increasing concern about losing medicinal plants due to changing ecological, social, and climatic conditions, the results of this paper may be important for better understanding of how medicinal plants in use are distributed across the country and often linked to specific ethnic groups.</p

The career youth pastor: A contemporary reflection

There has been an increase of discussion and focus on matters of theological significance in the area of youth ministry. An area that remains neglected concerns the professional youth worker in Southern Africa. This focus on professional youth work has gained a great amount of urgency from the office of the presidency of Southern Africa, who in collaboration with the Commonwealth desk have prioritised the focus on youth work in South Africa. Unfortunately, the focus on the professional youth worker, the career youth pastor, within the church in Southern Africa fails to receive a similar amount of attention. The article will highlight the need to pursue a theological articulation around the office of the career youth pastor by building a practical theological argument for the office of career youth pastor. The article will address a case study of a mainline evangelical denomination regarding its theological articulation of the career youth pastor

An adaptive leakage signal canceller for a CW radar

Adaptive signal cancellation has been a topic of interest in many applications such as preventing radar jamming and cancelling noise and distortion in amplifiers. This work focuses on using adaptive signal cancellation to cancel the direct path signal straight from a transmitting antenna to a receiving antenna in a radar system. The theory, simulation, and design of a 2.4GHz cancellation scheme are presented, and it is shown that 45.84dB of attenuation is possible. The design is based on analog components, which sets it apart from many systems based on digital signal processors. System issues that limit the possible attenuation are discussed, and possible future work based on this project is also presented.Electrical and Computer Engineerin

Strategies for saving: identifying strategies for the future of the national parks

Master of Landscape ArchitectureDepartment of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community PlanningTimothy KeaneWhen visiting a national park, what do you expect to see? Beautiful views of scenery, or long lines for crowded overlooks and massive parking lots overflowing with people? With the current state of most national parks, you will most likely be in for all three. Within the last hundred years, the national parks have offered visitors a chance to escape the hustle and bustle of life by offering a place outside of crowded cities and sprawling suburbs. But the increasing popularity of the National Parks comes with a cost: a decline in the nature experience as parks become more crowded and parking lots become more sprawling. What are the impacts of visitors on the national parks, and how can the NPS reduce these impacts? This report begins with background research to determine what impacts visitors have on the National Parks, as well as the strategies and practices park management uses to help combat the negative impacts of visitors. Next, park profiles of 8 of the top visited parks in the nation were developed to understand more about the history of each park, and what impact mitigation practices they have used in the past. Using Manning and Anderson’s matrix for identifying and organizing information about the issues in the national parks and the management strategies and solutions an online survey and a phone interview were developed to gather information on current conditions in the most visited parks (Manning and Anderson 2012). With the information gathered from the interviews, surveys, and park profiles, a set of recommendations for the future of the national parks was identified. The objective of this research was to determine what options are available for national parks to preserve these relaxing vacation destinations for future generations