Evaluating semi-automatic annotation of domestic energy consumption as a memory aid

Frequent feedback about energy consumption can help conservation, one of the current global challenges. Such feedback is most helpful if users can relate it to their own day-to-day activities. In earlier work we showed that manual annotation of domestic energy consumption logs aids users to make such connection and discover patterns they were not aware of. In this poster we report how we augmented manual annotation with machine learning classification techniques. We propose the design of a lab study to evaluate the system, extending methods used to evaluate context aware memory aids, and we present the results of a pilot with 5 participants

Influential Publications in Ecological Economics: A Citation Analysis

We assessed the degree of influence of selected papers and books in ecological economics using citation analysis. We looked at both the internal influence of publications on the field of ecological economics and the external influence of those same publications on the broader academic community. We used four lists of papers and books for the analysis: (1) 92 papers nominated by the Ecological Economics (EE) Editorial Board; (2) 71 papers that were published in EE and that received 15 or more citations in all journals included in the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Citation Index; (3) 57 papers that had been cited in EE 15 or more times; and (4) 77 monographs and edited books that had been cited in EE 15 or more times. For each publication we counted the total number of ISI citations as well as the total number of citations in EE. We calculated the average number of citations/yr to each paper since its publication in both the ISI database and in EE, along with the percentage of the total ISI citations that were in EE. Ranking the degree of influence of the publications can be done in several ways, including using the number of ISI citations, the number of EE citations or both. We discuss both the internal and external influence of publications and show how these influences might be considered jointly. We display and analyze the results in several ways. By plotting the ISI citations against the EE citations we can identify those papers that are mainly influential in EE with some broader influence, those that are mainly influential in the broader literature but have also had influence on EE, and other patterns of influence. There are both overlaps and interesting lacunae among the four lists that give us a better picture of the real influence of publications in ecological economics versus perceptions of those publications' importance. By plotting the number of citations vs. date of publication, we can identify those publications that are projected to be most influential. Plots of the time series of citations over the 1990-2003 period show a generally increasing trend (contrary to what one would expect for an "average" paper) for the top papers. We suggest that this pattern of increasing citations (and thus influence) over time is one hallmark of a "foundational" paper.

Damage Intensity of Clove (Syzygium aromaticum L.) Due to Pests And Diseases In Hitu Lama Village, Lehitu District, Central Maluku Regency

This study aims to determine the main pests and diseases of tuni and forest clove and to get data of the damage intensity caused by them in clove plantation (“dusung”) in Hitu Lama village, Leihitu District, Central Maluku Regency. The method used is a survey method in four dusung of each tuni clove and forest clove. The observation of plant damage was done on 10% of plants in each dusung. The results showed that the main pest on tuni clove is stem borer (Nothopeus sp.) while on forest clove is a leaf eater. The main diseases found on both cloves plants is leaf spot disease (Cylindrocladium quinguseptatum and Pestalotia palmarum). The damage intensity of stem borer on tuni clove was 31.76% (moderate category) and leaf eaters on forest clove was 12.11% (mild category). The intensity of damage due to leaf spot disease on tuni and forest cloves was 23.39% and 20.76% respectively, both are mild category

The Efficacy of the Tabby Improved Prevention and Intervention Program in Reducing Cyberbullying and Cybervictimization among Students.

Background. This article presents results from the evaluation of the Tabby Improved Prevention and Intervention Program (TIPIP) for cyberbullying and cybervictimization. TIPIP is theoretically designed to address cyberbullying and cybervictimization. It is the first program in this field developed combining the Ecological System Theory and the Threat Assessment Approach. Method. The Tabby Improved program was evaluated using an experimental design with 759 Italian students (aged 10⁻17 years) randomly allocated via their classes to either the Experimental or Control Group. Results. Repeated measures ANOVAs showed a significant decrease both in cyberbullying and cybervictimization among students who received the intervention with a follow-up period of six months. The program was more effective for boys than for girls. Conclusions. Because cyberbullying is a cruel problem negatively affecting those involved, validated interventions that prove their efficacy in reducing the problem using experimental designs should be widely tested and promoted, paying particular attention to implementing a program fully to increase and guarantee its effectiveness

Education and training in I-O Psychology: Leaving the Psychology tower: Nontraditional programs in I/O Psychology

The need for programs that accommodate diverse types of students and adopt an interdisciplinary approach to the study of organizations has led universities with traditional I-O programs to also offer nontraditional programs. Nontraditional programs tend to attract highly heterogeneous sets of students in terms of age and academic and professional backgrounds or may be tailored for special types of students. Due to the mixed student population and high percentage of working adults, nontraditional programs tend to be more application and applied-research oriented than their traditional program counterparts. Faculty, students, and administrators of nontraditional programs face a variety of challenges. In this column, we explore and address these challenges based on our experiences in running and teaching in such programs. We hope this column will provide the impetus for open dialogue among I-O psychologist educators regarding how to diversify educational opportunities in I-O psychology

Deployment of solar sails by joule effect: thermal analysis and experimental results

Space vehicles may be propelled by solar sails exploiting the radiation pressure coming from the sun and applied on their surfaces. This work deals with the adoption of Nickel-Titanium Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) elements in the sail deployment mechanism activated by the Joule Effect, i.e., using the same SMA elements as a resistance within suitable designed electrical circuits. Mathematical models were analyzed for the thermal analysis by implementing algorithms for the evaluation of the temperature trend depending on the design parameters. Several solar sail prototypes were built up and tested with different number, size, and arrangement of the SMA elements, as well as the type of the selected electrical circuit. The main parameters were discussed in the tested configurations and advantages discussed as well

Experimental Tests of Conduction/Convection Heat Transfer in Very High Porosity Foams with Lattice Structures, Immersed in Different Fluids

This experimental work presents the results of measurements of thermal conductivity lambda and convection heat transfer coefficient h on regular structure PLA and aluminium foams with low density ratio (similar to 0.15), carried out with a TCP (thermal conductivity probe), built by the authors' laboratory. Measurements were performed with two fluids, water and air: pure fluids, and samples with the PLA and aluminium foams immersed in both fluids have been tested. Four temperatures (10, 20, 30, 40 degrees C) and various temperature differences during the tests Delta T (between 0.35 and 9 degrees C) were applied. Also, tests in water mixed with 0.5% of a gel (agar agar) have been run in order to increase the water viscosity and to avoid convection starting. For these tests, at the end of the heating, the temperature of the probe reaches steady-state values, when all the thermal power supplied by the probe is transferred to the cooled cell wall; thermal conductivity was also evaluated through the guarded hot ring (GHR) method. A difference was found between the results of lambda in steady-state and transient regimes, likely due to the difference of the sample volume interested by heating during the tests. Also, the effect of the temperature difference Delta T on the behaviour of the pure fluid and foams was outlined. The mutual effect of thermal conductivity and free convection heat transfer results in being extremely important to describe the behaviour of such kinds of composites when they are used to increase or to reduce the heat transfer, as heat conductors or insulators. Very few works are present in the literature about this subject, above all, ones regarding low-density regular structures

The use of platelet-rich plasma for treatment of tenodesmic lesions in horses: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical and experimental data

The use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to enhance tenodesmic lesion healing has been questioned over the years. The aim of this study was to evaluate current literature to establish the effectiveness of PRP for treating tenodesmic lesions through a systematic review, in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines, and a meta-analysis. Studies comparing PRP with placebo or other treatments for horses with tenodesmic injuries or evaluated PRP effect on tendon and ligament explants were included. Outcomes were clinical, ultrasound, histologic, molecular evaluation, and adverse effects. Two authors independently extracted data and assessed each study’s risk of bias. Treatment effects were evaluated using risk ratios for dichotomous data, together with 95% CI. Data were pooled using the random-effects model. The quality of the evidence for each outcome was assessed using GRADE criteria. Twenty-four trials met inclusion criteria for systematic review, while fifteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. Results showed no significant differences in the outcomes between PRP and control groups. Finally, there is no definitive evidence that PRP enhances tendons and ligaments healing. Therefore, there is a need for more controlled trials to draw a firmer conclusion about the efficacy of PRP as a treatment for tenodesmic lesions in the horse

The Straw Tube Trackers of the PANDA Experiment

The PANDA experiment will be built at the FAIR facility at Darmstadt (Germany) to perform accurate tests of the strong interaction through bar pp and bar pA annihilation's studies. To track charged particles, two systems consisting of a set of planar, closed-packed, self-supporting straw tube layers are under construction. The PANDA straw tubes will have also unique characteristics in term of material budget and performance. They consist of very thin mylar-aluminized cathodes which are made self-supporting by means of the operation gas-mixture over-pressure. This solution allows to reduce at maximum the weight of the mechanical support frame and hence the detector material budget. The PANDA straw tube central tracker will not only reconstruct charged particle trajectories, but also will help in low momentum (< 1 GeV) particle identification via dE/dx measurements. This is a quite new approach that PANDA tracking group has first tested with detailed Monte Carlo simulations, and then with experimental tests of detector prototypes. This paper addresses the design issues of the PANDA straw tube trackers and the performance obtained in prototype tests.Comment: 7 pages,16 figure