Computational Social Creativity

This article reviews the development of computational models of creativity where social interactions are central. We refer to this area as computational social creativity. Its context is described, including the broader study of creativity, the computational modeling of other social phenomena, and computational models of individual creativity. Computational modeling has been applied to a number of areas of social creativity and has the potential to contribute to our understanding of creativity. A number of requirements for computational models of social creativity are common in artificial life and computational social science simulations. Three key themes are identified: (1) computational social creativity research has a critical role to play in understanding creativity as a social phenomenon and advancing computational creativity by making clear epistemological contributions in ways that would be challenging for other approaches; (2) the methodologies developed in artificial life and computational social science carry over directly to computational social creativity; and (3) the combination of computational social creativity with individual models of creativity presents significant opportunities and poses interesting challenges for the development of integrated models of creativity that have yet to be realized

A win-win for legume mixtures

The inter-relationship between food production and biodiversity is now well established. The ecosystem services provided by the organisms within the environment include, for example, nutrient cycling, pest regulation and pollination, to name but a few. However, perhaps the greatest challenge now facing agricultural production is to find ways of enhancing these ecosystem services, while at the same time increasing food production – particularly in light of food security issues. A range of farm and landscape management options include ‘setting aside’ land for wildlife. However, some proponents argue that such land should be used for food production. While the debate continues, there is no doubt that a large body of scientific evidence from the last three decades highlights the wildlife benefits of organic farming. This article will describe how the Legume LINK project has identified a win-win system for biodiversity conservation and increased productivity through legume-base fertility building. Although this project has focused on organic farming systems, it is of direct relevance to non-organic production, particularly with the increasing interest in legumes across the industry

Development and testing of a risk indexing framework to determine field-scale critical source areas of faecal bacteria on grassland.

This paper draws on lessons from a UK case study in the management of diffuse microbial pollution from grassland farm systems in the Taw catchment, south west England. We report on the development and preliminary testing of a field-scale faecal indicator organism risk indexing tool (FIORIT). This tool aims to prioritise those fields most vulnerable in terms of their risk of contributing FIOs to water. FIORIT risk indices were related to recorded microbial water quality parameters (faecal coliforms [FC] and intestinal enterococci [IE]) to provide a concurrent on-farm evaluation of the tool. There was a significant upward trend in Log[FC] and Log[IE] values with FIORIT risk score classification (r2 =0.87 and 0.70, respectively and P<0.01 for both FIOs). The FIORIT was then applied to 162 representative grassland fields through different seasons for ten farms in the case study catchment to determine the distribution of on-farm spatial and temporal risk. The high risk fields made up only a small proportion (1%, 2%, 2% and 3% for winter, spring, summer and autumn, respectively) of the total number of fields assessed (and less than 10% of the total area), but the likelihood of the hydrological connection of high FIO source areas to receiving watercourses makes them a priority for mitigation efforts. The FIORIT provides a preliminary and evolving mechanism through which we can combine risk assessment with risk communication to end-users and provides a framework for prioritising future empirical research. Continued testing of FIORIT across different geographical areas under both low and high flow conditions is now needed to initiate its long term development into a robust indexing tool

A comparison of recall methods for high-stress critical incidents in police training

Police officers often face critical incidents involving armed offenders, requiring the use of force to ensure safety. Eyewitness accounts, including those from officers, are crucial in the justice system but can be unreliable. Techniques such as self-authored statements and structured interviews are used to gather information, but their efficacy in high-stress situations is unclear. Previousresearch suggests that heightened arousal during memory encoding enhances recall, particularly for central details. This study compares recall methods (statements vs. interviews) for police officers in high-stress versus no-stress situations, focusing on central and peripheral event details. Officers participated in a simulated high-stress incident, providing memory data through both methods. Overall, no significant difference was found in memory scores between the techniques. However, analysis revealed significant differences favoring structured interviews for peripheral information. Recall that central information remained consistent across methods. These findings highlight the need for careful methodology when examining memories formed in stressful contexts

Improving species distribution models for invasive non‐native species with biologically informed pseudo‐absence selection

Aim: We present a novel strategy for species distribution models (SDMs) aimed at predicting the potential distributions of range‐expanding invasive non‐native species (INNS). The strategy combines two established perspectives on defining the background region for sampling “pseudo‐absences” that have hitherto only been applied separately. These are the accessible area, which accounts for dispersal constraints, and the area outside the environmental range of the species and therefore assumed to be unsuitable for the species. We tested an approach to combine these by fitting SDMs using background samples (pseudo‐absences) from both types of background. Location: Global. Taxon: Invasive non‐native plants: Humulus scandens, Lygodium japonicum, Lespedeza cuneata, Triadica sebifera, Cinnamomum camphora. Methods: Presence‐background (or presence‐only) SDMs were developed for the potential global distributions of five plant species native to Asia, invasive elsewhere and prioritised for risk assessment as emerging INNS in Europe. We compared models where the pseudo‐absences were selected from the accessible background, the unsuitable background (defined using biological knowledge of the species’ key limiting factors) or from both types of background. Results: Combining the unsuitable and accessible backgrounds expanded the range of environments available for model fitting and caused biological knowledge about ecological unsuitability to influence the fitted species‐environment relationships. This improved the realism and accuracy of distribution projections globally and, generally, within the species’ ranges. Main conclusions: Correlative SDMs remain valuable for INNS risk mapping and management, but are often criticised for a lack of biological underpinning. Our approach partly addresses this concern by using prior knowledge of species’ requirements or tolerances to define the unsuitable background for modelling, while also accommodating dispersal constraints through considerations of accessibility. It can be implemented with current SDM software and results in more accurate and realistic distribution projections. As such, wider adoption has potential to improve SDMs that support INNS risk assessment

Asymmetry During Maximal Sprint Performance in 11- to 16-Year-Old Boys

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the influence of age and maturation upon magnitude of asymmetry in the force, stiffness and the spatiotemporal determinants of maximal sprint speed in a large cohort of boys. Methods: 344 boys between the ages of 11 and 16 years completed an anthropometric assessment and a 35 m sprint test, during which sprint performance was recorded via a ground-level optical measurement system. Maximal sprint velocity, as well as asymmetry in spatiotemporal variables, modeled force and stiffness data were established for each participant. For analysis, participants were grouped into chronological age, maturation and percentile groups. Results: The range of mean asymmetry across age groups and variables was 2.3–12.6%. The magnitude of asymmetry in all the sprint variables was not significantly different across age and maturation groups (p > .05), except relative leg stiffness (p < .05). No strong relationships between asymmetry in sprint variables and maximal sprint velocity were evident (rs < .39). Conclusion: These results provide a novel benchmark for the expected magnitude of asymmetry in a large cohort of uninjured boys during maximal sprint performance. Asymmetry in sprint performance is largely unaffected by age or maturation and no strong relationships exist between the magnitude of asymmetry and maximal sprint velocity

Maximal sprint speed in boys of increasing maturity

The purpose of this study was to examine the natural development of the mechanical features of sprint performance in relation to maturation within a large cohort of boys. Three hundred and thirty-six boys (11–15 years) were analyzed for sprint performance and maturation. Maximal speed, stride length (SL), stride frequency (SF), flight time (FT) and contact time (CT) were assessed during a 30m sprint. Five maturation groups (G1–5) were established based on age from peak height velocity (PHV) where G1=>2.5years pre-PHV, G2 = 2.49–1.5years pre-PHV, G3 = 1.49–0.5years pre-PHV, G4 = 0.49years pre- to 0.5years post-PHV and G5 = 0.51–1.5years post-PHV. There was no difference in maximal speed between G1, G2 and G3 but those in G4 and G5 were significantly faster (p .05). SF decreased while CT increased (both p .05) were observed for either variable between G3, G4 and G5. While G1–3 increased their SL, concomitant decreases in SF and increases in CT prevented them from improving maximal speed. Maximal sprint speed appears to develop around and post-PHV as SF and CT begin to stabilize, with increases in maximal sprint speed in maturing boys being underpinned by increasing SL

System for Faulty Battery Identification and Control

This publication describes systems and techniques to identify a faulty battery pack in a portable electronic device. Portable electronic devices, such as video game controllers and smartphones, are often powered by rechargeable lithium-ion or lithium-ion polymer battery packs. These battery packs must comply with various safety standards and regulations. As one example, one industry standard requires identification of a faulty battery pack and termination or non-initiation of battery charging. In some portable electronic devices, compliance with this standard (and other standards and regulations) requires additional or specialized hardware components that increase the cost of the electronic device and take up extra internal space. Disclosed in this publication is a portable electronic device that, during charging or initiation of charging, utilizes software logic to identify a faulty battery pack and take appropriate actions without additional or specialized hardware

Planning and 3D Spatial Media: Progress, Prospects, and the Knowledge and Experiences of Local Government Planners in Ireland

For three decades the case has been made for the development and adoption of digital tools that better support spatial decision-making in planning using 3D information. Here we report on a study that interviewed planners from local authorities in Ireland concerning their knowledge and experience of 3D spatial media. We consider the potential uses of these tools in planning, and the prospects for their adoption within local government planning departments. The interviews reveal that the planning system, as currently resourced and operated in Ireland, provides significant challenges and few incentives for the adoption of 3D spatial media