Record, Transcribe, Share: An Accessible Open-Source Video Platform for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Viewers

The Italian road network is complex due to the particular orography of the territories crossed, often characterized by areas of high seismicity. In addition, bridges and viaducts present a peculiar state of decay mainly due to their remote period of construction. The situational picture is also difficult to understand due to the absence or non-uniformity of infrastructural safety management systems (SMS). To fill this gap, the Italian Higher Council of Public Works has issued guidelines for risk management, that allow the classification, safety assessment and monitoring of existing bridges. The central focus of the new approach is the identification of the overall attention class, which allows to move from assessments on a territorial scale to safety assessments on a limited number of bridges. This work focuses on the development of a prototype for the automatic calculation of the seismic attention class that has been optimized for cloud computing services. In particular, a standardized procedure has been defined that guides the operator in the evaluation of the seismic attention class. The model also allows to carry out the validation of other software. Finally, the prototype created is easily extensible to other attention classes which are therefore manageable independently in the perspective of modular development of an open access and open source platform.

An open-source and extensible platform for general infrastructure asset management system

In this paper the technical performances and the effectiveness of four open source platforms for online video delivery were evaluated in order to find optimal solution in developing the ICT countries’ market. The paper draws upon literature reviews to address the development trends in online video delivery and presents the advantages of using open source video platforms. In order to reduce the costs of service realization and possibilities for expansion of the system for online video delivery, the four open source video platforms were tested in real test environment and the differences between them were analyzed. The experiment was performed by analyzing the online video advertising as a good example of online information delivery application. The scientific and systematic method for open source video online serving platforms evaluation, that can enable project designers to determine the important factors for the implementation of online video delivery systems, was proposed. Furthermore, this study focuses on the characteristics that open source platforms offer in order to overcome problems related to the development of the ICT countries’ markets.

Touchstone is an open-source experiment design platform designed to help establish a solid research foundation for HCI in the area of novel interaction techniques. Touchstone includes a design platform for exploring alternative designs of controlled laboratory experiments, a run platform for running subjects and a limited analysis platform for advice and access to on-line statistics packages. Designed for HCI researchers and their students, Touchstone facilitates the process of creating new experiments, as well as replicating and extending experiments in the research literature. We tested Touchstone by designing two controlled experiments. One illustrates how to create a new experiment from scratch. The other replicates and extends a previous study of multiscale pointing interaction techniques: OrthoZoom was fastest, followed by bi-manual Pan & Zoom; SDAZ and traditional Pan & Zoom were consistently slower.

NIST DTSA-II is a free, open access, and fully-documented comprehensive software platform for electron-excited X-ray microanalysis with energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), including tools for quantification, measurement optimization, and spectrum simulation. EDS simulation utilizes a Monte Carlo electron trajectory simulation that includes characteristic and continuum X-ray generation, self-absorption, EDS window absorption, and energy-to-charge conversion leading to peak broadening. Spectra are simulated on an absolute basis considering electron dose and spectrometer parameters. Simulated and measured spectra agree within ± 25% relative for K-shell and L-shell characteristic X-ray peaks from 1 to 11 keV, while the predicted M-shell intensity was found to exceed the measured value by a factor of 1.4-2.2 from 1 to 3 keV. The X-ray continuum (bremsstrahlung) intensity agreed within ± 10% over the photon energy range from 1 to 10 keV for elements from boron to bismuth. Simulated spectra can be used to develop analytical strategy, such as assessing detection of trace constituents.

Ancient and medieval period temple ceiling paintings, murals, sculpture, architecture and intangible cultural heritage of the site are considered shared collective heritage to be preserved for future generations. Democratic access to such forms of heritage through open access and open-source interactive digital platforms can serve the dual purpose of preservation and dissemination of tangible and intangible heritage of murals and other related knowledge. Those engaged in the design and development need to collaborate with cultural experts and users in codesigning interactive platforms which not only convey expert knowledge but also are user-friendly and provide more immersive and enriched experiences of the heritage artefacts than a visit to the heritage site would. The aims of this Indian Digital Heritage project were to capture, digitize and archive the tangible and intangible heritage of the ceiling murals in two key sites of Vijayanagara and post-Vijayanagara period—Virupaksha temple at Hampi and Veerabhadraswamy temple at Lepakshi. We present the digitization and archiving of murals along with the methods and tools for capture and development of user-driven, codesigned, web-enabled interactive archives of the ceiling plans of murals in Hampi and Lepakshi with expert knowledge. We project a futuristic plan for the digital archive through innovative digital approaches Tangible Virtuality (TV). This approach can offer our users a rich, layered, immersive, multi-sensory experience thereby enhancing their aesthetic enjoyment of cultural heritage artefacts without actually being present at the physical site.

Most cities are car-centric, allocating a privileged amount of urban space to cars at the expense of sustainable mobility like cycling. Simultaneously, privately owned vehicles are vastly underused, wasting valuable opportunities for accommodating more people in a livable urban environment by occupying spacious parking areas. Since a data-driven quantification and visualization of such urban mobility space inequality is lacking, here we explore how crowdsourced data can help to advance its understanding. In particular, we describe how the open-source online platform What the Street!? uses massive user-generated data from OpenStreetMap for the interactive exploration of city-wide mobility spaces. Using polygon packing and graph algorithms, the platform rearranges all parking and mobility spaces of cars, rails, and bicycles of a city to be directly comparable, making mobility space inequality accessible to a broad public. This crowdsourced method confirms a prevalent imbalance between modal share and space allocation in 23 cities worldwide, typically discriminating bicycles. Analyzing the guesses of the platform’s visitors about mobility space distributions, we find that this discrimination is consistently underestimated in the public opinion. Finally, we discuss a visualized scenario in which extensive parking areas are regained through fleets of shared, autonomous vehicles. We outline how such accessible visualization platforms can facilitate urban planners and policy makers to reclaim road and parking space for pushing forward sustainable transport solutions.

Despite the widespread popularity of the ‘scratch assay’, where a pipette is dragged through cultured tissue to create an injury gap to study cell migration and healing, the manual nature of the assay carries significant drawbacks. So much of the process depends on individual manual technique, which can complicate quantification, reduce throughput, and limit the versatility and reproducibility of the approach. Here, we present a truly open-source, low-cost, accessible, and robotic scratching platform that addresses all of the core issues. Compatible with nearly all standard cell culture dishes and usable directly in a sterile culture hood, our robot makes highly reproducible scratches in a variety of complex cultured tissues with high throughput. Moreover, we demonstrate how scratching can be programmed to precisely remove areas of tissue to sculpt arbitrary tissue and wound shapes, as well as enable truly complex co-culture experiments. This system significantly improves the usefulness of the conventional scratch assay, and opens up new possibilities in complex tissue engineering and cell biological assays for realistic wound healing and migration research.

A geospatial model of nature-based recreation for urban planning: Case study of Paris, France

The unique properties of graphene have allowed for the development of graphene-based field-effect transistors (GFETs) for applications in biosensors and chemical devices. However, the modeling and optimization of GFET performance exhibit great challenges. Herein, we propose a quantum transport simulation model for graphene-based field-effect transistors (GFETs) implemented in the open-source Octave programming language. The proposed simulation model (named SimQ) combines the Landauer–Büttiker formalism with self-consistent Schrödinger–Poisson solutions, enabling reliable simulations of transport phenomena. Our approach agrees well with established models, achieving Landauer–Büttiker transmission and tunneling transmission of 0.28 and 0.92, respectively, which are validated against experimental data. The model can predict key GFET characteristics, including carrier mobilities (500–4000 cm2/V·s), quantum capacitance effects, and high-frequency operation (80–100 GHz). SimQ offers detailed insights into charge distribution and wave function evolution, achieving an enhanced computational efficiency through optimized algorithms. Our work contributes to the modeling of graphene-based field-effect transistors, providing a flexible and accessible simulation platform for designing and optimizing GFETs with potential applications in the next generation of electronic devices.

Understanding molecular structures is a fundamental aspect of learning chemistry, as it forms the basis for grasping concepts such as functional groups, stereochemistry, and chemical reactivity. Traditional teaching tools often rely on static textbook images or proprietary software that may limit user accessibility and interaction. Many users, particularly beginners, may struggle with drawing complex molecules or interpreting structural representations without guided support. To address this challenge, this research introduces MolEdu, an open-source educational application that enables users to input chemical formulas or SMILES strings and receive immediate visual feedback in both two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) formats. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of MolEdu in supporting molecular visualization and conceptual understanding in chemistry education. The application automatically retrieves molecular data, generates the corresponding structural representation, and displays key molecular properties such as IUPAC name, molecular formula, and molecular weight. Through the integration of interactive visualization and automated chemical analysis, users can explore molecular geometry without the need to manually sketch structures. The results indicate that MolEdu enhances user engagement, improves accuracy in interpreting molecular structures, and supports inquiry-based learning. Additionally, MolEdu provides a scalable, accessible, and interactive platform that empowers users to explore and understand chemical structures, promoting a deeper appreciation for molecular science in educational contexts.

<p class="VARKeywords">Data sharing is a fundamental process for the advancement of both natural and social sciences. Starting from the idea that computers and the internet have drastically changed the world in the last decades, this paper advocates for the creation of a space where archaeologists from around the world can share information about maritime history and exchange data with colleagues. Following the principles of open access, we argue that raw data publication is necessary and significant for the development and democratization of the discipline. This study explains the fundamental aspects of the Nautical Archaeology Digital Library (NADL) and its efforts to standardize information collection for shipwrecks and related sites, so that scholars can create a community to disseminate both raw data and complete information in the field of maritime archaeology. To achieve this, our purpose is to facilitate the development of common-ground methodology and terminology that promotes an intelligible dialogue within the global community of nautical archaeologists. This paper addresses some considerations on terminology and systematization in scientific disciplines and discusses the theoretical and methodological issues linked to the process of making a template for recording shipwrecks. Furthermore, this article analyses some of the problems related to the standardization of description processes and the necessity to create a flexible system that accounts for data diversity. The third section discusses how science is greatly enhanced by publishing information in open access platforms.</p><p>Highlights:</p><p>• Standardization of data allows robust comparative and inter-subjective analysis of coastal and maritime projects, shipwrecks and nautical technology.<br />• Research is strongly benefited by sharing information underlying publications and raw data generated within a project in open source platforms.<br />• Digital databases such as NADL enhance cooperative research, as well as teaching and outreach strategies.</p>

In this paper, we study, analyze, and validate some important zero-dimensional physics-based models for vanadium redox batch cell (VRBC) systems and formulate an adequate physics-based model that can predict the battery performance accurately. In the model formulation process, a systems approach to multiple parameters estimation has been conducted using VRBC systems at low C-rates (∼C/30). In this batch cell system, the effect of ions' crossover through the membrane is dominant, and therefore, the capacity loss phenomena can be explicitly observed. Paradoxically, this means that using the batch system might be a better approach for identifying a more suitable model describing the effect of ions transport. Next, we propose an efficient systems approach, which enables to help understand the battery performance quickly by estimating all parameters of the battery system. Finally, open source codes, executable files, and experimental data are provided to enable people's access to robust and accurate models and optimizers. In battery simulations, different models and optimizers describing the same systems produce different values of the estimated parameters. Providing an open access platform can accelerate the process to arrive at robust models and optimizers by continuous modification from the users' side.

Social media is a rapidly growing phenomenon, not only a growing phenomenon in Indonesia. This development is certainly accompanied by the enthusiasm of the community and the existence of social media as a place of self-expression which is increasingly popular and easier to utilize. One of the most popular social media is YouTube. Youtube is a platform where users can upload, watch and share videos. This easily accessible social media platform makes its users come from all ages. This phenomenon is an opportunity for YouTube content creators to make self-disclosure or self-use which is often personal. Self-disclosure plays an important role in life and in the daily life of an individual does not escape the activity of self-disclosure. Researchers want to see the extent to which youtube users use social media as a means of self-disclosure. This research was conducted based on previous studies with similar cases.

This report has been developed as an integral part of the PVMapper project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s SunShot program. The objective of the SunShot program is to reduce the total costs of solar energy systems. The scope of PVMapper is to develop a geographic information system (GIS) based project planning tool to identify optimal utility-scale solar facility sites. The specific objectives of the project are to 1) develop the software on an open-source platform; 2) integrate the appropriate data sets and GIS layers; 3) include a measure of social risk and public acceptance; 4) enable customization of variable weights; 5) provide a free and accessible platform for software download; and 6) provide a sustainability plan to ensure future relevance of the software. When completed, PVMapper is intended to be used by solar developers, Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs), and other interested parties. This project supports SunShot’s objective by reducing the non-hardware balance of system costs (“soft costs”) for utility-scale solar project development. In order to accomplish the third project objective – including a measure of social risk and public acceptance within PVMapper – the project team has developed a time-series public opinion survey, administered yearly over the course of the three-year project. This report highlights the results and preliminary analyses from the second survey in this series. While the results of this survey are valuable to both PVMapper and future utility-scale solar development, the time-series design is extremely important. The completion of the series enables the extension of the dataset to much richer information. For example, the research team altered this iteration to sharpen the focus on specific topics (those posing potentially higher risks) and target specific locations in the oversample (such as communities near existing facilities). Using similar approaches for each iteration leads to an increasingly greater amount of detail regarding siting risks. The need for this extended dataset to aid in siting utility-scale solar projects is evident, as developers continue to scale back initial plans due to unidentified or incorrectly quantified social risks. It should be noted that this report provides the complete dataset from the survey, encompassing the wide-ranging responses from all of the survey questions. Although the methods used to integrate these data into PVMapper’s siting algorithms is not the purpose of this report, allusions to integration can be found in the discussions surrounding the design of questions and types of data to be used.