Public perceptions on artificial intelligence driven disaster management: Evidence from Sydney,Melbourne and Brisbane

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) is being increasingly utilised in disaster management activities. The public is engaged with AI in various ways in these activities. For instance, crowdsourcing applications developed for disaster management to handle the tasks of collecting data through social media platforms, and increasing disaster awareness through serious gaming applications. Nonetheless, there are limited empirical investigations and understanding on public perceptions concerning AI for disaster management. Bridging this knowledge gap is the justification for this paper. The methodological approach adopted involved: Initially, collecting data through an online survey from residents (n = 605) of three major Australian cities; Then, analysis of the data using statistical modelling. The analysis results revealed that: (a) Younger generations have a greater appreciation of opportunities created by AI-driven applications for disaster management; (b) People with tertiary education have a greater understanding of the benefits of AI in managing the pre- and post-disaster phases, and; (c) Public sector administrative and safety workers, who play a vital role in managing disasters, place a greater value on the contributions by AI in disaster management. The study advocates relevant authorities to consider public perceptions in their efforts in integrating AI in disaster management.     

Color determinants of surface stratification

Although color plays a crucial role in the demarcation of surfaces in the visual field, its role in depth perception is not well understood. Certain special effects of color on depth perception that arise from optical factors such as chromatic aberration (chromostereopsis) have been studied, but less is known about the role of perceptual factors of color in determining depth relations. The present study explores the role that the different attributes of color such as hue, chroma, and lightness play in the stratification of surfaces in depth. In two experiments, subjects manipulated specific dimensions of colors (hue, chroma, lightness, and whiteness) while making judgments of coplanarity of either two or more abutting surfaces. The results demonstrate that for surfaces to appear coplanar, their lightness has to be proportional to the natural (intrinsic) lightness of the hues. No meaningful effects of chroma, whiteness, or blackness were found in depth stratification. The results suggest a primary role of the natural lightness of hues in depth perception.     

Cyberbullying: Effect of emergency perception on the helping tendencies of bystanders

The effect of the emergency perception of bystanders of cyberbullying victims on helping behaviors is often neglected in research on cyberbullying. In this study, we explored the influence of this cognitive factor on cyber-bystanders’ helping tendencies as well as elucidated possible underlying processes. The results of two studies were reported. In Study 1, 150 undergraduates read a true case of a girl experiencing cyberbullying. The results indicated that when the participants perceived the victim’s situation to be more critical (i.e., higher emergency perception), their helping tendencies were stronger, partly through increased state empathy followed by feelings of responsibility to help. In Study 2, we randomly assigned 300 undergraduates to two groups. The low emergency group read the same cyberbullying case as Study 1, whereas the cyberbullying case read by the high emergency group contained additional emergency information of the victim. The results indicated that the high emergency group expressed stronger helping tendencies than did the low emergency group. This effect was caused by a stronger perception that the victim was in an emergency situation, which not only strengthened the participants’ helping tendencies directly but also indirectly through increasing their state empathy and feelings of responsibility to help.     

Human responses to high levels of carbon dioxide and air temperature

In this study, 30 subjects were exposed to different combinations of air temperature (T_a: 24, 27, and 30°C) and CO₂ level (8000, 10 000, and 12 000 ppm) in a high-humidity (RH: 85%) underground climate chamber. Subjective assessments, physiological responses, and cognitive performance were investigated. The results showed that as compared with exposure to T_a = 24°C, exposure to 30°C at all CO₂ levels caused subjects to feel uncomfortably warm and experience stronger odor intensity, while increased mental effort and greater intensity of acute health symptoms were reported. However, no significant effects of T_a on task performance or physiological responses were found. This indicated that subjects had to exert more effort to maintain their performance in an uncomfortably warm environment. Increasing CO₂ from 8000 to 12 000 ppm at all T_a caused subjects to report higher rates of headache, fatigue, agitation, and feeling depressed, although the results were statistically significant only at 24 and 27°C. The text typing performance and systolic blood pressure (SBP) decreased significantly at this exposure, whereas diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and thermal discomfort increased significantly. These effects suggest higher arousal/stress. No significant interaction effect of T_a and CO₂ concentration on human responses was identified.     

The effect of the nutri-score label on consumer’s attitudes,taste perception and purchase intention: An experimental pilot study

A large number of studies has emerged on the environmental impacts of diets, with most studies concluding that a diet rich in plant-based foods, that are low in salt, sugar, and fat, and score high in nutritional values, confers both improved health and environmental benefits. Currently, new interventions are being implemented to improve people’s eating behavior, because most people overconsume unhealthy snacks, containing high proportions of salt, sugar and fat. The purpose of the current pilot study was to investigate the effects of the Nutri-Score label on three different snack bars on consumers’ attitudes, taste perception, and purchase intention towards these food products. An experimental study was conducted with a between subject design (food packaging with Nutri-Score label versus without) among 192 participants (M_age 31.7 years, SD 14.3 years; 63% female). Results showed that there were no effects found for the effect of the Nutri- Score label on consumers’ attitudes, taste perception and purchase intention. Bayesian analyses support the conclusion that the null hypothesis is accepted. These findings show that integrating the Nutri-Score label on food packages did not modify cognitive responses of consumers towards these food products. Changing consumption behaviors is challenging and more empirical and theoretical understanding is needed.     

A lightweight autonomous MAV for indoor search and rescue

Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) have great potentials to be applied for indoor search and rescue missions. In this paper, we propose a modular lightweight design of an autonomous MAV with integrated hardware and software. The MAV is equipped with the 2D laser scanner, camera, mission computer and flight controller, running all the computation onboard in real time. The onboard perception system includes a laser‐based SLAM module and a custom‐designed visual detection module. A dual Kalman filter design provides robust state estimation by multiple sensor fusion. Specifically, the fusion module provides robust altitude measurement in the circumstance of surface changing. In addition, indoor‐outdoor transition is explicitly handled by the fusion module. In order to efficiently navigate through obstacles and adapt to multiple tasks, a task tree‐based mission planning method is seamlessly integrated with path planning and control modules. The MAV is capable of searching and rescuing victims from unknown indoor environments effectively. It was validated by our award‐winning performance at the 2017 International Micro Air Vehicle Competition (IMAV 2017), held in Toulouse, France. The performance video is available on https://youtu.be/8H19ppS_VXM .     

An unsafe behaviour formation mechanism based on risk perception

It is commonly acknowledged that human behaviour is implicated in most safety problems. However, research on the formation mechanism of unsafe behaviour remains incomplete. Risk perception is one of the fundamental issues in risk research, and individual risk perception can be identified as a critical antecedent of human behaviour. This study attempts to construct and test a theoretical model to reveal the formation mechanism of unsafe behaviour based on risk perception. First, to lay a solid foundation for the developed new mechanism, several key concepts about risk perception and unsafe behaviour were explained. Second, the formation mechanism of biases in individual risk perception was developed based on psychological distance theory, and the biases in risk perception were subsequently classified. Lastly, an unsafe behaviour formation mechanism was put forward based on risk perception as an explanatory variable. This study is novel in that it uses psychological distance to explore the formation of biases in individual risk perception. Further, the presented work provides a new approach to understanding and explaining the formation mechanism of human unsafe behaviour.     

旗袍三围规格的优化设计研究

旗袍需要拥有合身的廓形,贴体程度要求高且强调人体曲线美感,而旗袍的松量设计直接影响其外观造型的优美程度及穿着舒适感。文章首先采用正交实验法针对相同款式旗袍设计了9种不同水平组合的三围松量设置方案,并制作成相同款式不同三围规格的旗袍样衣;然后利用心理学标尺,对9件旗袍样衣的静态造型和穿着舒适感分别进行主观评价,并利用直观分析法和方差分析法综合分析主观评价结果;最后对分析结果进行验证,最终找出外观造型优美程度高和穿着舒适感佳的三围松量水平组合,为旗袍三围规格的优化设计提供理论依据。