Accessibility Features Research Articles

Post O2 Plasma-Induced Fabrication of 1T-WS2/a-WO3 Heterostructure for Superior Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalysts Via Hydrogen Spillover

2D transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) group has been widely spotlighted as hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts to replace the conventional Pt electrocatalyst due to their distinctive features of robustness, low cost, and accessibility to structural modification. However, the electrochemical activity of TMDC materials is mostly originated from its exposed edge sites, whereas its basal plane is relatively inert. There have been attempts to increase the relative fraction of active edge sites in the basal plane or employ the phase transition from semiconductive 2H phase to metallic 1T phase. The practical uses have been restricted compared to nobel metal Pt.Plasma engineering is a facile method to functionalize their basal plane and generate vacancies into the lattice as active sites to improve electrocatalytic activity. In our previous works, MoS2 and WS2 has been synthesized to have abundant defects with maximized active edge sites to impart superior HER performance by employing Ar+H2S plasma treatment on tungsten (W) thin metal film with a thickness of 1 nm. However, to surpass the intrinsic electrochemical properites, we introduce 1T-WS2/a-WO3 (WSO) heterostructure via post O2 plasma treatment by exploiting a plasma enhanced-chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD). There has been a limitation in obtaining the best electrocatalytic performances from the plasma assisted 1T-WS2 films because of its much lower hydrogen affinity of 1T-WS2. On the contrary, tungsten trioxide (WO3) shows strong hydrophilic property in that W atomic site of WO3 can easily absorb H2O. In this regard, 1T-WS2 with hydrophilic amorphous WO3 (a-WO3) can have the outstanding HER activity by inducing hydrogen spillover effect that is a hydrogen transport phenomenon from a-WO3 to 1T-WS2. a-WO3, which has relatively stronger hydrogen affinity, plays an important role in transferring the absorbed hydrogen to 1T-WS2 as active sites. As a result, the HER performance of WSO thin film can be optimized by means of controlling the amount of a-WO3 depending on the post O2 plasma treatment time. It was also confirmed from density functional theory (DFT) calculation that the hydrogen movement on the WSO surface related to hydrogen absorption energy difference between 1T-WS2 and WO3.

INCLUSION OF HEARING AND VISION IMPAIRMENTS IN COGNITIVE TRAINING INTERVENTIONS WITH OLDER ADULTS

Abstract Cognitive training intervention implementation and efficacy should be evaluated among representative samples, including those at highest risk of cognitive decline. Hearing and vision impairments are prevalent among older adults and confer an increased risk of cognitive decline/dementia. Whether cognitive training interventions enroll and are designed to include this important subgroup is unknown. A scoping review of PubMed and PsycINFO was conducted to examine the inclusion of older adults with hearing and/or vision impairment in cognitive training interventions. Eligible articles included English-language cognitive training randomized controlled trials and a study population that was cognitively unimpaired, aged ≥55-years, and community-dwelling. Among the 130 articles in the review, 103(79%) were cognitive training and 27(21%) were multimodal interventions that included cognitive training. Over half the trials systematically excluded participants with hearing and/or vision impairment (n=60, 58%). Few studies measured and reported participant hearing and/or vision impairment (cognitive: n=16, 16%; multimodal: n=3, 11%) or reported incorporating low hearing/vision accessibility features into intervention design (cognitive: n=7, 7%; multimodal: n=0, 0%). Greater representation of older adults with hearing and/or vision impairment in cognitive training interventions is needed and can be achieved by strengthening measurement and reporting of participant hearing and vision, minimizing barriers to participation by increasing accessibility in recruitment and intervention design, and intentional inclusion of older adults with hearing and/or vision impairment. With greater representation of older adults with hearing and/or vision impairment, studies can better evaluate group-specific differences in training effect and begin to tailor interventions to potentially maximize benefit.

DESIGN NEEDS AND PERCEPTIONS OF OLDER ADULTS REGARDING SHARED-USE AUTOMATED VEHICLES

Abstract Many communities struggle to provide safe, accessible, and reliable transportation services for older adults due to high demand, rising costs, driver shortages, and other evolving challenges. Innovative transportation solutions are needed to support the current and future populations of older adults. Low-speed, shared-use, driverless shuttles present an exciting development in automated vehicle (AV) technology with potential to meet mobility needs of older adults in their community. Understanding older adults’ perceptions about and willingness to consider using these emerging modes of transportation is vital to realizing the full potential of these technologies. This presentation summarizes an in-person study conducted with 12 older (average: 66 +/- 4 years of age, range: 60 to 80 years) and 10 younger (average: 44 +/- 11 years) adults that evaluated a stationary, proof-of-concept shared-use AV retrofitted with accessibility features. We will present findings on perceptions regarding accessibility, safety, and willingness to use driverless AVs along with human factors design recommendations. While questionnaire-based studies have been the dominant approach to understanding older adults’ perceptions about shared-use AVs, in-person evaluations even with prototype AVs as described here, provide opportunities to identify goals, needs and preferences of older adults concerning usability and safety in early design stages, and through hands-on exploration help older adults develop good mental models, i.e., understand AV capabilities and limitations, towards building trust and acceptance for these emerging modes of transportation. Research and policy implications will be discussed towards enabling emerging driverless shared-use AV technologies that support safe and independent community mobility for older adults.

"Lala and Lulu" stories: developing android-based social media for autistic children to learn social interaction

Autistic children encounter a distinct difficulty, namely in social contact. As a result, children with autism may face difficulties when participating in social interactions in their society. Thus, it is crucial to implement strategies that might improve the social skills of children with autism. A practical approach entails the application of social storytelling. Furthermore, there is a noticeable rise in the complexity of technological innovations, exemplified by the prevalence of mobile phones. Cell phones, especially those operating on the Android platform, provide many benefits when combined with internet access and various supplementary features. This study aims to develop an Android-based social media platform that enhances social interaction skills for children diagnosed with autism. The study aims to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of this platform. This study entails conducting research and engaging in development activities using the 4D development strategy, which encompasses design stages, definition, development, and dissemination. Questionnaires are utilized as a means of gathering data. The assessment components of material consist of material attributes, language attributes, and implementation attributes. The assessment aspect of media involves both the technical aspects of software engineering and the visual communication parts. The material expert's evaluation of social media platforms based on the Android operating system resulted in a satisfactory classification, with only minimal adjustments needed to ensure precise and reliable information. The media expert's assessment was accurately classified, with ample content requiring minimal modifications. Based on expert assessments, it is recommended to conduct limited testing on students until the shortcomings of Android-based social media have been resolved. The article will comprehensively discuss the analytical method and media development.

Deconstructing Barriers To Access Rapid Public Transportation For Commuters With Visual Impairment: A Study Of Embodied Experiences In Delhi Metro-Train

An inclusive city seeks innovative ways to accommodate diverse interests and practices of people with different needs. It requires that the basic rights of freedom, equality, and condition of justice and dignity of all its citizens (including persons with disabilities) are ensured. Delhi is undoubtedly one of the most diverse urban city centers in India. The Delhi metro train with its many accessibility features seems an archetype of an ideal inclusive and open city for all. Nonetheless, such moves towards disabled-friendliness fail to neutralise all the imperfections in absolute terms. The initiatives oriented to hassle-free travelling could not adequately meet the diverse transport needs of regular commuters with sight disability and do not fully address gaps embedded in metro rail infrastructure. Not with standing these measures to foster seamless journey for the disabled passengers, visually impaired users still come across those barriers which may not be directly apparent in public but are certainly the product of their personally embodied experiences.
 In the wake of Delhi metro assertion for better mobility and accessible transit environment, the present paper pursues deconstructive approach and attempts to figure out the pragmatic challenges encountered by visually impaired commuters that are often left unnoticed. These covert experiential hindrances are normally manifested in the day to day journey of Delhi Metro train. This is an empirical study based on survey findings stemming from Delhi field survey conducted during PhD course (2016-18). It primarily thrives upon qualitative data pertaining to personal narratives of 40 visually impaired respondents belonging to metropolis of Delhi about their everyday perceptions of transit accessibility, while travelling in metro train.

Designing inclusive educational games: accessibility rubric

Accessibility is an essential component of inclusive design. Through accessibility affordances, developers and design teams can allow players with various needs (vision, hearing, motor, and cognitive) to use any given educational game to its fullest purpose while enjoying the experience, and educators can ensure all students engage in digital activities. Despite the recent increase in accessibility efforts, it can still be challenging for design teams to evaluate accessibility quality in digital educational games. Educational games have an extra layer that aims to promote learning of specific content, meaning its accessibility features have to allow learners to receive and process the content of information. This study proposes an applied and research-based rubric to discuss accessibility quality in educational games. The rubric is designed to support the design process with reflective guiding questions to address educational accessibility challenges.

Select or adjust? How information from early treatment stages boosts the prediction of non-response in internet-based depression treatment.

Internet-based interventions produce comparable effectiveness rates as face-to-face therapy in treating depression. Still, more than half of patients do not respond to treatment. Machine learning (ML) methods could help to overcome these low response rates by predicting therapy outcomes on an individual level and tailoring treatment accordingly. Few studies implemented ML algorithms in internet-based depression treatment using baseline self-report data, but differing results hinder inferences on clinical practicability. This work compares algorithms using features gathered at baseline or early in treatment in their capability to predict non-response to a 6-week online program targeting depression. Our training and test sample encompassed 1270 and 318 individuals, respectively. We trained random forest algorithms on self-report and process features gathered at baseline and after 2 weeks of treatment. Non-responders were defined as participants not fulfilling the criteria for reliable and clinically significant change on PHQ-9 post-treatment. Our benchmark models were logistic regressions trained on baseline PHQ-9 sum or PHQ-9 early change, using 100 iterations of randomly sampled 80/20 train-test-splits. Best performances were reached by our models involving early treatment characteristics (recall: 0.75-0.76; AUC: 0.71-0.77). Therapeutic alliance and early symptom change constituted the most important predictors. Models trained on baseline data were not significantly better than our benchmark. Fair accuracies were only attainable by involving information from early treatment stages. In-treatment adaptation, instead of a priori selection, might constitute a more feasible approach for improving response when relying on easily accessible self-report features. Implementation trials are needed to determine clinical usefulness.

A comparative study of disabled people's experiences with the video conferencing tools Zoom, MS Teams, Google Meet and Skype

ABSTRACT The paper presents a comparative mixed methods study of the accessibility and usability for disabled people of four video conferencing tools, Zoom, MS Teams, Google Meet and Skype. Useable responses were obtained from 81 disabled people with diverse characteristics, mainly in the UK, though some groups had low representation. None of the tools was considered fully accessible and useable. Zoom was both the most commonly used and the most frequently preferred (56.1%) tool, with MS Teams second in usage and a trailing second in preferences (15.9%). It was considered to have better captioning, but otherwise to generally be a poor second to Zoom. Skype was the most commonly used before lockdown, but was considered dated and its limited use was mainly social, whereas the other tools were also used in work and education. The results were used to draw up separate lists of recommendations for developers and meeting organisers and hosts, as the study also identified actions for organisers and hosts to improve meeting accessibility. Developer recommendations include several easy to set customisation and user friendly interface features, involving disabled people and specific accessibility features, including compatibility with assistive technology, keyboard shortcuts for all functions and automatically-on high quality captions.

ChatGPT: Early Adopters, Teething Issues and the Way Forward

From one-way communication to two-way communication, text-based to multimedia, unencrypted to end-to-end encrypted chats, computer, computer-to-human chats have evolved over the years to more sophisticated chatbots, mimicking natural human language based on predefined algorithms. ChatGPT is one of the most recent of such tools and, due to its capabilities has grown tremendously in use. Despite the numerous benefits of ChatGPT, some users have raised numerous concerns about its usage. The purpose of this study was to investigate the underlying determinants contributing to the effective adoption of ChatGPT, elicit from users the challenges to the use of ChatGPT, and make recommendations to developers and users on how to sustain ChatGPT. Questionnaires, face-to-face interviews, and focus group discussions were used to collect data for discussion.
 The study revealed very high acceptance rates of the chat tool stemming from its initial wildfire spread of over 1 million users within 5 days of launch to the 85% acceptance or perception among users that ChatGPT has the potential to improve how they perform their own daily professional and personal tasks. 
 Although 90% of users claimed to find the tool relatively easy to understand, navigate and use they also pointed out areas that need upgrading such as inclusion of multimedia and more accessibility features.

Being inclusive means being accessible: Problems with digital media for visually impaired consumers

ABSTRACT Over two billion people worldwide and over seven million people in the United States have severe to moderate visual impairment. People with visual impairments rely on inclusive design, which includes alternative text (alt text) to interpret messages, images, and videos digitally. Alt text has many nuances leading to numerous technical inaccuracies and/or inaccurate interpretations of the media. Around the world, the pandemic altered how people conducted simple tasks and interrupted in-person opportunities. It has forced many consumers to work, study, and shop online – creating a large shift to digital experiences. Digital media, including social media platforms and websites, became a major source of information and the gateway to e-commerce. Unfortunately, many consumers with visual impairments who are vulnerable were excluded and unable to learn about products, services, and opportunities due to the lack of accessibility features available and inclusive design. This study explores the difficulties marketing practitioners experience incorporating alt text, thus limiting accessibility and inclusion for vulnerable consumers, specifically visually impaired users. Findings from the current study examining the accuracy of alt text in social media posts indicate that over 95% of the social media posts examined were not inclusive due to either a lack of or inaccurate accessibility usage.

The Built Environment’s Role in Supporting Dementia Inclusive Communities: A Case Study of Canterbury‐Bankstown City

AbstractBackgroundInclusive and enabling cities are fundamental to the wellbeing of people impacted by dementia. How we implement these ideals in multicultural communities through the built environment remains understudied. The experience of place must be considered in the context of dementia‐friendly community (DFC) models to fully enable people experiencing dementia to remain autonomous, integrated, and connected. This study aimed to explore how diverse individuals with dementia perceive the built environment and its impacts on everyday activities using a mixed methods approach.MethodThis study was set in Canterbury‐Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia where a high proportion of people impacted by dementia speak English, Arabic, and/or Vietnamese. Seventeen people experiencing dementia, their care partners, and former carers (English: n = 7; Arabic: n = 5; Vietnamese: n = 5) were recruited for a semi‐structured interview, and two of these dyads (English: n = 1; Vietnamese n = 1) audited a local shopping centre and hospital using the DFC‐environmental assessment tool (DFC‐EAT). Interviews and audits were conducted in‐language with bilingual researchers, who then transcribed the data into English for analysis. Similarities and differences were identified across the interview transcripts and audit data to identify issues with the existing built environment and improvement opportunities.ResultWe found that participants would limit or avoid going outdoors for everyday activities because of safety concerns (especially when using paths and carparks). Furthermore, overwhelming indoor experiences were characterised by unfamiliar designs and fittings (particularly with bathroom facilities), unsupported movement and way‐finding due to excessive or insufficient signage, poor lighting, and high noise. Participants recommended greater access to door‐to‐door transport that caters to people experiencing dementia, establishing quiet resting areas, and improving navigation through signage that uses standardised symbols (e.g., for toilet facilities).ConclusionPeople experiencing dementia and carers reported an array of issues concerning built environment design and accessibility features that excluded them from everyday activities. These findings were translated into an implementation plan that informed the City of Canterbury‐Bankstown Council’s community planning efforts and the shopping centre’s facility operations. Critical areas for improvement in the built environment would benefit from co‐design practices that are inclusive and representative of the community.

An Efficient Gustavson-Based Sparse Matrix–Matrix Multiplication Accelerator on Embedded FPGAs

Sparse-matrix sparse-matrix multiplication (SpMM) is an important kernel in multiple areas, e.g., data analytics and machine learning. Due to the low on-chip memory requirement, the consistent data format, and the simplified control logic, the Gustavson’s algorithm is a promising backbone algorithm for SpMM on hardware accelerators. However, the off-chip memory traffic still limits the performance of the algorithm, especially on embedded FPGAs. Previous researchers optimize the Gustavson’s algorithm targeting high bandwidth memory-based architectures and their solutions cannot be directly applied to embedded FPGAs with traditional DDRs. In this work, we propose an efficient Gustavson-based sparse matrix-matrix multiplication accelerator on embedded FPGAs. The proposed design fully considers the feature of off-chip memory access on embedded FPGAs and the dataflow of the Gustavson’s algorithm. At first, we analyze the parallelism of the algorithm and propose to perform the algorithm with element-wise parallelism, which reduces the idle time of processing elements caused by synchronization. Further, we show a counter-intuitive example that the traditional cache leads to worse performance. Then, we propose a novel access pattern-aware cache scheme called SpCache, which provides quick responses to reduce bank conflicts caused by irregular memory accesses and combines streaming and caching to handle requests that access ordered elements of unpredictable length. Moreover, we propose to perform the merge on part of partial results, which removes some redundant merges in the naive implementation and has little postprocessing overhead. Finally, we conduct experiments on the Xilinx Zynq-UltraScale ZCU106 platform with a set of benchmarks from the SuiteSparse matrix collection. The experimental results show that the proposed design achieves an average 1.75x performance speedup compared to the baseline.

Assessment of Design Principles in the Residential Buildings for Disabled Persons: A Case Study of Social Housing in Northern Cyprus

Abstract All human beings in the world; no matter their race, culture, origin and religion have a right to live and access different environments with ease and comfort ability. This includes disabled persons with any type from all types of disability. Hence, we need to ensure that all the buildings that we need to access in our daily lives are designed to accommodate all. One of the most significant buildings that people spend most of their time in and their comfort being most important are residential buildings. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that residential homes incorporate inclusive design principles to accommodate all individuals, particularly those with special needs. This research paper examines residential spaces’ design principles for disabled individuals in Northern Cyprus, focusing on Mağusa and Nicosia's social housing, to assess their suitability. The methodology combines qualitative and quantitative analyses. Qualitatively, it includes a literature review on design principles for disabled access and an overview of residential spaces. Quantitatively, it employs a structured questionnaire with three sections: demographics, accessibility, and housing features, using a 1–5 scale (1 being Very Poor, and 5 being Very Good). Approximately 160 questionnaires were distributed, with 147 used in the study. The findings reveal challenges with sidewalk accessibility and toilet design, indicating dissatisfaction with residential designs. Social housing in Famagusta and Nicosia also falls short of universal design standards for the disabled. Despite these issues, residents are relatively satisfied with the living room and kitchen spaces. Overall, the research concludes that Northern Cyprus residential designs inadequately address the special needs of disabled individuals, particularly regarding circulation spaces and overall quality.

Abstract PR06: Hallmarks of CD8 T cell dysfunction are established within hours of tumor antigen encounter prior to cell division

Abstract Tumor-specific CD8 T cells (TST) found in patients with cancer are dysfunctional and unable to halt cancer progressions. TST dysfunction, also known as T cell exhaustion, is thought to be driven by chronic T cell receptor/antigen stimulation and immunosuppressive factors within the tumor microenvironment. However, we know little about the interplay between CD8 T cell function, cell division, and epigenetic remodeling during the first hours following activation and tumor encounter. Here, we assessed TST differentiation, cell division, chromatin accessibility, and transcription in two clinically-relevant cancer mouse models (autochthonous liver cancer and metastatic melanoma), and we compared TST fate trajectories to those of CD8 T cells differentiating during acute infection. Surprisingly, despite robust activation and proliferation, TST had near complete effector function impairment even prior to undergoing cell division, and had acquired hallmark chromatin accessibility features previously observed in late dysfunctional/exhausted T cells. Moreover, continued tumor/antigen exposure drove progressive epigenetic remodeling, “imprinting” the dysfunctional state. Our study defines for the first time the regulation and kinetics underlying T cell fate choice prior to cell division in the context of tumors versus infection. Citation Format: Mary Philip, Michael W. Rudloff, Paul Zumbo, Doron Betel, Natalie R. Favret, Jessica J. Roetman, Carlos R. Detres Roman, Megan M. Erwin, Kristen A. Murray, Sriya T. Jonnakuti, Friederike Dundar. Hallmarks of CD8 T cell dysfunction are established within hours of tumor antigen encounter prior to cell division [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy; 2023 Oct 1-4; Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2023;11(12 Suppl):Abstract nr PR06.

Visualizing Travel Accessibility in a Congested City Center: A GIS-Based Isochrone Model and Trip Rate Analysis Considering Sustainable Transportation Solutions

Urban settlements often deal with the massive transportation problems caused by mixed land-use development and improper travel services. This situation propels travel accessibility issues within urban centers. This research is intended to focus on the 3rd largest city of Pakistan’s Sindh province, i.e., Sukkur, where residents were found struggling to reach their desired destinations. The study area has naturally grown without planning guidelines, generating traffic congestion and haphazard land-use patterns. This research aims to measure accessibility within the city center using trip rate analysis and a GIS-based isochrone model (1-km radius). In total, 234 household trips were randomly considered according to Morgan’s sampling standards. The results revealed that scattered locations caused heavy traffic volumes without public transport facilities. The ratio of traveling by bike for shopping was recorded at 17.24%. Commuting by car; home-based, health, and shopping trips were ranked 1st (5.52%), 2nd (2.76%), and 3rd (1.38%), respectively. The isochrone-based maps were delineated to clarify the temporal accessibility features. Only three shopping activities were found to be accessible within 6 min. Most of the banks were found to be highly accessible. None of the health facilities were located within a 0–6 minute isochronal boundary. Two entertainment sites were accessible within 0–6 min. The residential neighborhoods were not close to the city center. Only three parks and six religious facilities were accessible within 6–12 min. The study findings clarified mixed land use activities accessed through multiple travel modes in the city center. Executing traffic management implications is a need of the time to induce sustainable transportation guidelines. Besides, the results may contribute to SDG 11.2, i.e., “affordable and sustainable transport systems” available for local commuters. The findings of this study are also relevant to evaluating the progress of some cities on SDG 11.2 regarding accessing feasible transportation services.

Digital Inclusion: Analyzing Social Media Accessibility Features for Students with Visual Impairments

The present research endeavors to investigate the efficacy and user-friendliness of accessibility functionalities on widely used social media platforms, with a specific focus on their impact on visually impaired students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This research endeavor undertakes a comprehensive quantitative analysis encompassing a sample size of 150 individuals. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the perceptions surrounding the accessibility of three prominent social media platforms, namely Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The results of the study unveil notable disparities in the perceived efficacy ratings, with Facebook emerging as the frontrunner, closely trailed by Instagram, while Twitter falls behind in comparison. The aforementioned disparities serve to highlight the significance of conducting personalized accessibility assessments and implementing ongoing enhancements to foster a more inclusive digital environment. In light of the burgeoning progress in digital inclusion endeavors, this research endeavor serves as a commendable contribution by offering invaluable perspectives to augment the accessibility of social media platforms for individuals with visual impairments.

EPCO-32. DISSECTING THE INTRA- AND INTER-TUMORAL HETEROGENEITY UNDERLYING GLIOBLASTOMA PATHOGENESIS UTILIZING MULTI-OMICS ANALYSIS

Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant brain tumor with a dismal prognosis. Considering its extensive molecular diversity underlies therapeutic resistance to multimodal treatment, it is imperative to reveal intra- and inter-tumoral heterogeneity, leading to further understanding of GBM pathogenesis. We analyzed 289 whole-genome sequencing data (WGS) including 159 unpublished deep WGS (≥ ×120 coverage) along with RNA-seq, DNA methylation array, whole-genome bisulfite sequencing, and assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing (ATAC-seq) to uncover the multi-omics molecular heterogeneity of GBM. Along with inter-tumoral heterogeneity of genetic driver alterations, deep WGS enables us to delineate a fine view of clonal architecture where mutational signatures differ across clonal and subclonal mutations, supporting that different mutational processes contribute to GBM pathogenesis depending on the developmental stage. As well, tumor cell differentiation status detected by transcriptional deconvolution analysis is associated with multi-layer profiles including genome, transcriptome, epigenome, and chromatin status. ATAC-seq demonstrated distinct features of genome-wide chromatin accessibility associated with gene expression subtypes of GBM. Motif enrichment analysis detects the differentially accessible regions where the proneural subtypes are enriched with the SOX10 motif, known as a transcription factor for mesenchymal transition whereas the mesenchymal and classical subtypes are enriched with the CREB/ATF motif, a regulator of TGF beta associated with a poor prognosis. Our findings support a model in which GBM evolves through generating genetic and epigenetic intra-tumoral heterogeneity suggesting that specific cell states may have distinct vulnerability to mutational processes and epigenetic modifications. Our analysis reveals the molecular mechanisms underlying the progression of GBM enhancing our understanding of the pathogenesis.

Generative Artificial Intelligence: Implications and Considerations for Higher Education Practice

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) has emerged as a transformative force in higher education, offering both challenges and opportunities. This paper explores the multifaceted impact of GAI on academic work, with a focus on student life and, in particular, the implications for international students. While GAI, exemplified by models like ChatGPT, has the potential to revolutionize education, concerns about academic integrity have arisen, leading to debates on the use of AI detection tools. This essay highlights the difficulties in reliably detecting AI-generated content, raising concerns about potential false accusations against students. It also discusses biases within AI models, emphasizing the need for fairness and equity in AI-based assessments with a particular emphasis on the disproportionate impact of GAI on international students, who already face biases and discrimination. It also highlights the potential for AI to mitigate some of these challenges by providing language support and accessibility features. Finally, this essay acknowledges the disruptive potential of GAI in higher education and calls for a balanced approach that addresses both the challenges and opportunities it presents by emphasizing the importance of AI literacy and ethical considerations in adopting AI technologies to ensure equitable access and positive outcomes for all students. We offer a coda to Ng et al.’s AI competency framework, mapped to the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy, through a lens of cultural competence with AI as a means of supporting educators to use these tools equitably in their teaching.

Updating the Foodbot Factory serious game with new interactive engaging features and enhanced educational content.

Serious games (i.e., digital games designed for educational purposes) can foster positive learning attitudes and are increasingly used as educational tools. Foodbot Factory is a serious game application (app) that helps children learn about healthy eating based on Canada's Food Guide principles and has demonstrated to increase nutrition knowledge among this group. This paper describes the process followed to expand Foodbot Factory's educational content and integrate immersive technologies and innovative features into the app. The revision process, which was guided by the Obesity-Related Behavioral Intervention Trials model, included the following phases: first, an interdisciplinary team of nutrition scientists, education experts, and computer scientists analyzed data from the original pilot study, recently published literature, and feedback from stakeholders to define areas to improve Foodbot Factory. The five original Foodbot Factory modules were evaluated by the team during weekly meetings, where the educational content, interactive features, and other elements that required updates (e.g., aesthetics and accessibility) were identified. Second, prototypes were created and refined until a final version of Foodbot Factory was approved. Nineteen children tested the updated Foodbot Factory and found it "easy to use" (89%) and "fun" (95%). The new version of Foodbot Factory contains 19 learning objectives, including 13 original and six new objectives. Interactive engagement features in the updated Foodbot Factory included augmented reality incorporated into two learning modules; new mini-games were created, including a memory game; an overhaul of the aesthetics; (e.g., new food images); and accessibility features were included to support users with cognitive and vision disabilities.

An overview of video recommender systems: state-of-the-art and research issues.

Video platforms have become indispensable components within a diverse range of applications, serving various purposes in entertainment, e-learning, corporate training, online documentation, and news provision. As the volume and complexity of video content continue to grow, the need for personalized access features becomes an inevitable requirement to ensure efficient content consumption. To address this need, recommender systems have emerged as helpful tools providing personalized video access. By leveraging past user-specific video consumption data and the preferences of similar users, these systems excel in recommending videos that are highly relevant to individual users. This article presents a comprehensive overview of the current state of video recommender systems (VRS), exploring the algorithms used, their applications, and related aspects. In addition to an in-depth analysis of existing approaches, this review also addresses unresolved research challenges within this domain. These unexplored areas offer exciting opportunities for advancements and innovations, aiming to enhance the accuracy and effectiveness of personalized video recommendations. Overall, this article serves as a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders in the video domain. It offers insights into cutting-edge algorithms, successful applications, and areas that merit further exploration to advance the field of video recommendation.