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Non-Expert Understanding of Hazard Maps: An Eye-Tracking Study
Get PDFMaps are the most commonly used means of visualizing and communicating natural hazard information to support decisions about risk mitigation. They are a product of hazard assessment studies which involve different input parameters with uncertainties relevant to decision making. This process is further complicated by the subjective uncertainties that arise in the audience when confronted with the visualization of hazard information. Natural hazard maps are primarily designed to be used by experts, but they are also used in their unaltered form to communicate with non-experts, many of whom are unfamiliar with the map’s scientific background and implications. Previous studies focus mainly on evaluating such maps with expert groups(e.g., directly involved stakeholders and authorities), with less attention on nonexperts (e.g., the public audiences) who are confronted with these maps before purchasing a house, getting insurance or making other critical decisions. To address this gap, our study investigates how well hazard maps are understood and interpreted by non-expert audiences. We tested two earthquake hazard maps of Germany that differ in color palettes (rainbow vs. colorblind-friendly and perception-optimized yellow-orange-red-brown color palettes) and data classification schemes (algorithmic Fisher vs. quasi-logarithmic classification schemes). We showed both maps to 20 non-expert participants during the 2024 Science & Innovation Days (a public engagement event) in Tübingen, Germany. Participants answered mapreading and hazard perception questions (e.g., participants were asked to read off the hazard level for a given city, and to compare hazard levels between for a pair of cities) while their eye movements were monitored with eye-tracking software. To identify if either map improved map reading and hazard perception, participants’ responses were scored, analyzed and compared using a two-sample Mann–Whitney U and Fisher’s Exact tests. In general, the differences detected in participants’ responses were not statistically significant, perhaps due to the small sample size. Still, we observed that nearly all participants whoused the redesigned map (8 out of 9) correctly read the hazard level for a city while only 33% (3 out of 9 participants) who used the rainbow color map responded correctly. Eye-tracking data were used to analyze focus-metrics. Composite heatmaps accumulating the duration of eye fixations of all participants indicate that their eye movements were focused more on the high hazard zones and the corresponding values shown on map legend when answering questions using a hazard map redesigned to use best practices for hazard perception. To quantify these differences, the ratio of fixations on high-hazard zones to total fixations on the mapwerecalculated for both map versions. The data were tested for normality and the statistical significance of the differences were evaluated using Independent Samples t-tests for equal variances. While the results were not statistically significant, participants viewing the redesigned map showed a greater number of fixations on high-hazard zones compared to the participants viewing the original map, with a moderate effect size. We note tendencies in the data that encourage the repetition of the experiment with a larger sample size
Patterns and drivers of pest and disease occurrence in UK treescapes
Get PDFTree pests and diseases are a key threat to woodland biodiversity and commercial forestry worldwide. In the UK, the ongoing spread of pests and diseases is severely affecting a range of nationally important tree species, resulting in substantial ecological and economic impacts. As the risk posed by pests and diseases varies across the UK's treescapes, understanding the patterns of risk and the factors underlying these patterns is crucial for designing and implementing effective mitigation strategies. To address this challenge, we modelled the distribution of pests and diseases across mainland Great Britain, focusing on the total pest and disease burdens for nine host tree species of particular ecological, economic and cultural importance. Using integrated species distribution models, we combined two datasets—totalling 18,871 pest and disease records across 22 years—to model the spatial patterns of risk. To examine the factors underlying these distributions, we used graph-based causal inference approaches to inform our model design and to explore the robustness of our conclusions to variations in our modelling assumptions. We found that pest and disease burdens for broadleaved host trees exhibited hotspots in England, while burdens for conifer hosts tended to be high in Scotland. We identified urban area, human population density and local recreation as important drivers for several species, mainly native broadleaves. By contrast, woodland connectivity, afforestation and the level of conifer coverage were the most important drivers of pest and disease burdens for conifer hosts. Deforestation was also an important driver, with effects on pest and disease burdens for both conifers and broadleaves. Our findings have implications for the management of the UK's treescapes in the face of continuing threats from tree pests and diseases, including supporting targeted surveillance and the prioritisation of tree species for future planting
Optimising stencil code on FPGAs by trading data movement for compute using compiler rewrite rules
No full textNo abstract available
Clinical Legal Education: Theory and Practice
No full textClinical Legal Education offers a comprehensive introduction to clinical legal education, covering the principles of access to justice, professional legal ethics, and essential practical skills.
Authored by experts with extensive experience in legal clinics, this text supports students and lecturers in three parts: Access to Justice, Legal Professionalism, and Legal Skills. The book skilfully blends theoretical and practical content, supported by case studies, reflective examples, and practical exercises. Engaging feature boxes such as 'Taking Stock', 'Stop and Think', and 'Reflection' encourage critical thinking and self-assessment. Sections on legal skills and professionalism align with the SRA Statement of solicitor competence, preparing students for success in their future careers
A model-independent measurement of the CKM angle γ in the decays B± → [K+K−π+π−]Dh± and B± → [π+π−π+π−]Dh± (h = K, π)
Get PDFA model-independent determination of the CKM angle γ is presented, using the B ± → [ K + K − π + π − ] D h ± and B ± → [ π + π − π + π − ] D h ± decays, with h = K, π . This measurement is the first phase-space binned study of these decay modes, and uses a sample of proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 fb − 1 . The phase-space bins are optimised for sensitivity to γ , and in each bin external inputs from the BESIII experiment are used to constrain the charm strong-phase parameters. The result of this binned analysis is γ = 53 . 9 − 8.9 + 9.5 ° , where the uncertainty includes both statistical and systematic contributions. Furthermore, when combining with existing phase-space integrated measurements of the same decay modes, a value of γ = 52 . 6 − 6.4 + 8.5 ° is obtained, which is one of the most precise determinations of γ to date
Design and demonstration of a visible light based semantic communication system
Get PDFWhile visible light communication (VLC) is emerging as a crucial technology for meeting high traffic demand in future network, the intrinsically limited modulation bandwidth of light-emitting-diodes (LEDs) necessitates innovative approaches to enhance data throughput. Semantic communication (SemCom), which focuses on transmitting the meaning of data rather than raw bits, is a perfect candidate to overcome this bottleneck in VLC. In this paper, we investigate how to build a visible light based SemCom (VL-SemCom) system, where non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) is leveraged to accommodate multiple users. First, we mathematically characterize the model of a VL-SemCom system, which simultaneously takes into account the SemCom transmission features, the NOMA multi-user access principle, and the physical layer constraints of VLC. Second, we address the core issue of power allocation in the VL-SemCom system with the aim to maximize the semantic throughput while considering user fairness and practical constraints of VLC. Finally, we build a preliminary hardware demonstration platform to achieve SemCom with the proposed power allocation strategy over real VLC links. The simulation and preliminary demo results together validate that our proposed power allocation strategy can effectively improve the performance of semantic throughput while satisfying the VLC constraints, and provide a valuable reference for the future practical deployment of VL-SemCom networks
Quiet Sun impulsive events observed with NuSTAR during solar minimum
No full textThe investigation of small-scale energy release in the Sun’s atmosphere is important in understanding how the corona is heat ed. Previous w ork has been able t o study small e xtr eme ultr aviolet and soft X-r ay brightenings outside of active regions (i.e. the quiet Sun), but with hard X-rays (HXRs) this has mostly focused on active region transients/microflares due to the sensitivity of available telescopes. In this paper, we present observations of the quiet Sun with the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), an X-ray imaging spectrometer with much greater sensitivity than previous instruments, allowing the observation of faint events. During the recent solar minimum, NuS TAR captur ed seven quiet Sun flares/impulsiv e bright enings, three on 2020 February 21, and four on 2020 September 12–13. F rom fit ting their NuSTAR HXR spectra, w e find t emperatures of 3.1–4.0 MK and emission measures between (0.75–17.0) × 10 43 cm −3 , which gives thermal energies between (2.5–8.9) × 10 26 erg. Only one event, a mini-filament eruption, showed evidence of slightly higher temperature emissions, confirmed through differential emission measure analysis. None of the events showed evidence of non-thermal emission in their NuSTAR spectra, and we placed upper limits to the accelerated electron population. The thermal parameters for these quiet Sun events seem to scale differently to previously studied active region f lar es, suggesting a differ ent energy r elease pr ocess might be dominating. How ev er, this conclusion is affect ed by the different sensitivity and biases introduced by the various instruments and analysis approaches used
Bronze Age béton brut: the display and interpretation of Cairnpapple Hill, West Lothian, Scotland
No full textA study of the 20th century life history of the prehistoric monument Cairnpapple Hill in West Lothian, Scotland, a rare example of an exploded diagram form of heritage presentation from the middle of the century
A dynamic path planning and tracking control of autonomous vehicles: an integrated approach using improved A*, fuzzy DWA, and fuzzy PID
No full textThis paper presents a systematic investigation into path planning and trajectory tracking for autonomous vehicles. By integrating an improved A* algorithm, a fuzzy dynamic window approach, and a Fuzzy PID control strategy, the proposed method enables effective driving of an autonomous vehicle. Firstly, in the global path planning phase, to address the issues of low computational efficiency and suboptimal path quality in traditional A* algorithms for large-scale map searches, an improved A* algorithm incorporating an enhanced heuristic function, redundant node removal strategy, and path smoothing approach is introduced, significantly increasing search efficiency and optimizing path quality. Secondly, in the local path planning phase, the dynamic adjustment of vehicle speed and steering is achieved by combining fuzzy logic control with the dynamic window approach. This allows for smooth obstacle avoidance in dynamic environments. Furthermore, a path smoothing algorithm is integrated to refine the generated trajectory, ensuring its continuity and smoothness. Finally, a Fuzzy PID control algorithm is integrated into the trajectory tracking controller. By introducing fuzzy logic, the PID parameters are adaptively adjusted to ensure precise vehicle following of the planned path, improving path tracking stability and response speed. The proposed method is validated and evaluated in a variety of complex road scenarios using a real vehicle based on ROS. The simulation and real-world experimental results clearly illustrate that the proposed method achieves substantially better performance than conventional approaches with regard to path planning efficiency, obstacle avoidance success rate, and path smoothness
Six institutional intervention areas to support ethical and effective student use of generative AI in higher education: a narrative review
Get PDFThe integration of generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and DeepSeek, into higher education offers transformative opportunities for personalised learning and academic productivity. However, their unregulated use raises concerns about academic integrity, critical thinking, and educational equity. This systematic review synthesises insights from 96 peer-reviewed articles, identifying six key intervention themes, namely, curriculum integration, policy and governance, faculty development, student-centred strategies, assessment adaptation, and technological infrastructure. Together, these themes form a comprehensive intervention framework designed to guide students’ ethical and effective engagement with AI. This review highlights the need for institutions to move beyond fragmented policies, fostering systemic cultural and pedagogical change to align AI use with authentic learning outcomes. By bridging theoretical gaps and providing actionable strategies, this framework equips educators and policymakers to scaffold responsible AI integration across diverse higher education contexts
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