New Theories and Methods for Screen-Centred Interfaces: A Pilot Study

There is an urgent need to examine the ways in which screen-centred interfaces present images and encode and decode meaning, identity, and culture. This project is an interdisciplinary collaboration by four researchers at the University of Regina and builds on our work on screen-centred interfaces in our respective disciplines of cognitive psychology, literary studies, media studies, and software systems engineering. The fundamental goals of our collaborative project are to engage interdisciplinary means and perspectives to systematically develop effective methodologies to measure cognitive processes, aesthetic effects, and software and hardware efficacy of the new and developing digital media. In this project/pilot study we intend to select a series of media fragments that include poetic, visual, and language texts, as well as those that combine these features, and present them on a variety of screen-centred interfaces to explore their cognitive and aesthetic effects and features. &nbsp

Harnessing Quantitative Eye Tracking Data to Create Art: Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Data Visualization

Interdisciplinary collaboration in the use of digital tools serves to illuminate new means to employ humanities and social science technology to produce aesthetic objects. Eye tracking technology permits volumes and types of data that were hitherto unimaginable in cognitive science-based methodologies, and the software tools of an eye tracker such as ours allow for interesting and useful empirically-based understandings of the data. Yet, in our explorations of the data we conclude that a purely empirically-based output has limitations: the data can be put to further uses, pushing into the realms of data visualization, art, as well as into epistemological considerations for the processes involved in managing and exploring data. How can eye-tracking data serve both objectively-based aims and artistic ones? Our specific focus in this paper is to document our deliberate move to shift the data toward ‘data art’, ‘mind art’, and other aesthetically-oriented modes as we develop interventions with the large volumes of data that the advanced technology of our eye-tracker produces

Decreased cortical thickness mediates the relationship between premature birth and cognitive performance in adulthood

Cortical thickness (CTh) reflects cortical properties such as dendritic complexity and synaptic density, which are not only vulnerable to developmental disturbances caused by premature birth but also highly relevant for cognitive performance. We tested the hypotheses whether CTh in young adults is altered after premature birth and whether these aberrations are relevant for general cognitive abilities. We investigated CTh based on brain structural magnetic resonance imaging and surface‐based morphometry in a large and prospectively collected cohort of 101 very premature‐born adults (<32 weeks of gestation and/or birth weight [BW] below 1,500 g) and 111 full‐term controls at 26 years of age. Cognitive performance was assessed by full‐scale intelligence quotient (IQ) using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. CTh was reduced in frontal, parietal, and temporal associative cortices predominantly in the left hemisphere in premature‐born adults compared to controls. We found a significant positive association of CTh with both gestational age and BW, particularly in the left hemisphere, and a significant negative association between CTh and intensity of neonatal treatment within limited regions bilaterally. Full‐scale IQ and CTh in the left hemisphere were positively correlated. Furthermore, CTh in the left hemisphere acted as a mediator on the association between premature birth and full‐scale IQ. Results provide evidence that premature born adults have widespread reduced CTh that is relevant for their general cognitive performance. Data suggest lasting reductions in cortical microstructure subserving CTh after premature birth

The consumption of Internet child pornography and violent and sex offending

Background: There is an ongoing debate on whether consumers of child pornography pose a risk for hands-on sex offenses. Up until now, there have been very few studies which have analyzed the association between the consumption of child pornography and the subsequent perpetration of hands-on sex offenses. The aim of this study was to examine the recidivism rates for hands-on and hands-off sex offenses in a sample of child pornography users using a 6 year follow-up design.Methods: The current study population consisted of 231 men, who were subsequently charged with consumption of illegal pornographic material after being detected by a special operation against Internet child pornography, conducted by the Swiss police in 2002. Criminal history, as well as recidivism, was assessed using the criminal records from 2008.Results: 4.8% (n = 11) of the study sample had a prior conviction for a sexual and/or violent offense, 1% (n = 2) for a hands-on sex offense, involving child sexual abuse, 3.3% (n = 8) for a handsoff sex offense and one for a nonsexual violent offense. When applying a broad definition of recidivism, which included ongoing investigations, charges and convictions, 3% (n = 7) of the study sample recidivated with a violent and/or sex offense, 3.9% (n = 9) with a hands-off sex offense and 0.8% (n = 2) with a hands-on sex offense.Conclusion: Consuming child pornography alone is not a risk factor for committing hands-on sex offenses at least not for those subjects who had never committed a hands-on sex offense. The majority of the investigated consumers had no previous convictions for hands-on sex offenses. For those offenders, the prognosis for hands-on sex offenses, as well as for recidivism with child pornography, is favorable

The Mechanistic Classification of Addictive Drugs

The authors review recent research on the molecular mechanisms of addiction and propose a new classification for addictive drugs

Mechanical design of the optical modules intended for IceCube-Gen2

IceCube-Gen2 is an expansion of the IceCube neutrino observatory at the South Pole that aims to increase the sensitivity to high-energy neutrinos by an order of magnitude. To this end, about 10,000 new optical modules will be installed, instrumenting a fiducial volume of about 8 km3. Two newly developed optical module types increase IceCube’s current sensitivity per module by a factor of three by integrating 16 and 18 newly developed four-inch PMTs in specially designed 12.5-inch diameter pressure vessels. Both designs use conical silicone gel pads to optically couple the PMTs to the pressure vessel to increase photon collection efficiency. The outside portion of gel pads are pre-cast onto each PMT prior to integration, while the interiors are filled and cast after the PMT assemblies are installed in the pressure vessel via a pushing mechanism. This paper presents both the mechanical design, as well as the performance of prototype modules at high pressure (70 MPa) and low temperature (−40∘C), characteristic of the environment inside the South Pole ice