bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dedicated Filter for Robust Occupancy Grid Mapping
Authors: Nagla KS , Uddin Moin , Singh Dilbag
Published: February 2021

Sensor based perception of the environment is an emerging area of the mobile robot research where sensors play a pivotal role. For autonomous mobile robots, the fundamental requirement is the convergent of the range information in to high level internal representation. Internal representation in the form of occupancy grid is commonly used in autonomous mobile robots due to its various advantages. There are several sensors such as vision sensor, laser rage finder, and ultrasonic and infrared sensors etc. play roles in mapping. However the sensor information failure, sensor inaccuracies, noise, and slow response are the major causes of an error in the mapping. To improve the reliability of the mobile robot mapping multisensory data fusion is considered as an optimal solution. This paper presents a novel architecture of sensor fusion frame work in which a dedicated filter (DF) is proposed to increase the robustness of the occupancy grid for indoor environment. The technique has been experimentally verified for different indoor test environments. The proposed configuration shows improvement in the occupancy grid with the implementation of dedicated filters.
The Mobile Robot HILARE: Dynamic Modeling and Motion Simulation
Authors: Ghazal M. , Talezadeh A. , Taheri M. , Nazemi-Zade M.
Published: February 2021

To perform mission in variant environment, several types of mobile robot has been developed an implemented. The mobile robot HILARE is a known wheeled mobile robot which has two fixed wheels and an off-entered orientable wheel. Due to extended application of this robot, its dynamic analysis has attracted a great deal of interests. This article investigates dynamic modeling and motion analysis of the mobile robot HILARE. As the wheels of the robot have kinematic constraints, the constraints of wheels are taken into consideration and the matrix form of the kinematic model of the robot is derived. Furthermore, dynamic model of the robot is developed by consideration of kinematic constraints. To derive dynamic equations of the robot, the Lagrange multiplier method is employed and the governing equations of the robot in state-pace form are presented. Then, some simulations are presented to show applicability of the proposed formulation for dynamic analysis of the mobile robot HILARE.
Design and Fabrication of Delta Robot with Voice control
Authors: G.S. Bala Maga Ganapathi
Published: February 2021

The objective of the project is to design and control the Delta robot with voice for pick and place operation using ARM7 processor. Till now there is no implementation of voice recognition and control in Delta robot. The maximum payload of the robot is 200grams-300grams. The robot has been made based on the SEQUENTIAL QUADRATIC PROGRAMMING. Various links of the robot are controlled using the servo motor and the gripper is separately controlled by a servo motor.
PLC based Multi-Floor Elevator Control System
Authors: Gupta Shrey
Published: February 2021

This paper presents programmable logic controller based elevator control system. Primary focus is on using programmable logic controller to build the elevator model. To control the motion of the elevator through various levels DC geared motor is used. Push buttons are used to give signal to the elevator to come to the desired floor, traversing up and down. Moreover DC relays are used as switches, not protective devices, to drive the motor in clockwise and anticlockwise direction. Ladder logic is used for the model implementation.
Implementation of Human Robot Interaction on UDOO Board
Authors: Nepali Min Raj , Karthik Priyanka C , Majumdar Jharna
Published: February 2021

Advanced Robot for Interactive Application (ARIA) is a Humanoid Robotic Head which is capable of mimicking Various Human Facial Expressions. Much work has been done on Implementation of Humanoid Robotic Head with High end systems and Personal Computers (PCs). This paper presents the essential elements necessary for the implementation of Advanced Robot for Interactive Application (ARIA) on UDOO Board. The main aim of the Project was to develop a control system and Graphical User Interface (GUI) for ARIA to deliver real time human facial expressions using embedded board. Humanoid Robotic Head which is capable of mimicking Human Facial Expressions in Real time. Implementation of ARIA   involved careful selection of Embedded Board, actuators, control algorithms, motor drivers, operating system, communication protocols, and programming languages. The Board contains a Quad Core A9 Processor and a Controller embedded on it, which are interconnected. In this project the controller is dedicated to control micro servo motors which are controlling eyes, eyebrows and eyelids movements whereas the Processor Handles the Dynamixel motors, GUI and different communication modules.
Design Analysis of a Fish-Shaped PVDF Compliance Microgripper
Authors: Sahay Neeta
Published: February 2021

In this study the design and analysis of compliance microgripper made of piezoelectric PVDF (Poly Vinylidene Fluoride) material is presented. The inverse piezoelectric effect has been used in which the required amount of voltage has been applied at specific points at the base of the structure to produce the force at the tip and thereby the necessary deflection for gripping. The simulated results of frequency response, force-voltage relationship and displacement analysis are presented.
Self-Corrective Autonomous Systems using Optimization Processes for Detection and Correction of Unexpected Error Conditions
Authors: D. Tam Nicoladie
Published: February 2021

A theoretical framework for autonomous self-detection and self-correction of unexpected error conditions is derived by incorporating the principles of operation in autonomous control in biological evolution.  Using the biologically inspired principles, the time-dependent multi-dimensional disparity vector is used as a quantitative metric for detecting unexpected and unforeseeable error conditions without any external assistance.  The disparity vector is a measure of the discrepancy between the expected outcome predicted by the autonomous system and the actual outcome in the real world.  It is used as a measure to detect any unexpected or unforeseeable errors.  The process for autonomous self-correction of the self-discovered errors is an optimization process to minimize the errors represented by the disparity vectors.  The strategies for prioritizing the urgency of corrective actions are also provided in the theoretical derivations.  The criteria for any change in direction of the corrective actions are also provided quantitatively.  The criteria for the detection of the minimization and maximization of errors are also provided in the autonomous optimization process.  The biological correspondences of the emotional responses in relation to the autonomic self-corrective feedback systems are also provided.
MPPT using novel FLC based MPO for photovoltaic system
Authors: Arulmurugan R.
Published: February 2021

In this paper introduces a novel Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) as a Maximum Power Extracting (MPE) of photovoltaic standalone system is proposed, which can handle the uncertainties of the rules under high deviations in climate conditions. Conventional Perturb and Observe (P & O), hill-climbing MPE structures are examined. The MPE employed boost converter controller. The new controller improves P & O based maximum power tracker search method by rules fuzzifying of such method and eliminates the conventional drawback. A new FLC based improved P & O offers an accurate and fast converging to MPE during steady state and changing climatic situation compared to existing P & O and hill climbing method. The performance of the designed MPE is demonstrated in simulation MATLAB at dissimilar operating circumstances.
A new method for handoff target network selection
Authors: Madaan Jyoti , Gupta Sunanda , Manihas Pratima
Published: February 2021

In wireless communications of fourth generation the expectation to assimilate a hypothetically numerous heterogeneous wireless technologies are happened under consideration of a novel step toward worldwide smooth access. The advancement in wireless networks increases the challenges of mobility management as well the challenges of merging a various number of wireless networks. Out of those the main challenge for smooth movement is the accessibility of consistent vertical (intersystem) and horizontal (intra-system) handoff processes. So to improve the quality of service and to provide always best connected services all the time, the handoff decision algorithm must select an optimum target network from the available candidate networks. The purpose of this paper is to provide a mechanism for selecting an optimum target network from the available networks. This method is devised for maximizing the user satisfaction level, by selecting the “best” network as the handover target network among multiple candidate networks.
Intelligent tuned PID controller for wind energy conversion system with permanent magnet synchronous generator and AC-DC-AC converters
Authors: Muthukumari T. , Raghavendiran T. A. , Kalaivani R. , Selvaraj P.
Published: February 2021

This paper presents the intelligent tuned PID controller-based Single Ended Primary Inductor Converter (SEPIC) for Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) operation of Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS). As the voltage and frequency of the Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator (PMSG) varies with the wind speed changes, Intelligent controlled SEPIC is utilized to maintain the constant DC link voltage. The intelligent tuned PID controller combines the advantages of both conventional and soft controllers. The 1.5MW variable speed WECS (VSWECS) with AC-DC-AC converter is developed using MATLAB/Simulink software. PMSG delivers a load/utility grid through an uncontrolled diode rectifier, intelligent controlled SEPIC and three phase inverter. The real time implementation of the proposed system is done by the DSP processor MSP430F5529. The performance of the SEPIC is tested in both simulation and experiment at different wind speed conditions. The performance of the proposed Intelligent MPPT control of SEPIC are compared with the conventional PID controller. Intelligent tuning of PID controller such as Fuzzy-PID, and ANFIS-PID is implemented in the proposed system and results are compared. The simulation and experimental results reveals that the proposed ANFIS method provide improved performance than the conventional PID method in terms of power quality.
Público: a audiência performática em caixas de comentários no YouTube
Authors: Coruja Paula
Published: February 2021

O presente artigo é resultado de parte de uma pesquisa de mestrado, que lança uma mirada para a audiência de canais no YouTube. Aqui, entretanto, expandimos essa reflexão para propor a noção de público ao nos referirmos a estes comentaristas de vídeos, o que se justifica pela dimensão performática que assumem ao marcarem posição, muitas vezes acionada por supertemas. Através da análise dos comentários em vídeos de uma playlist, conseguimos mapear alguns tipos de performances e seus fluxos, que estão apresentados no texto.
Malhação - Viva a diferença: ampliação e ressignificação do shipp Limantha no Twitter
Authors: Borges Gabriela , Sigiliano Daiana
Published: February 2021

Este artigo tem como objetivo analisar as dimensões da literacia midiática propostas por Mihailidis (2014) presentes nos conteúdos compartilhados no Twitter pelos fãs do shipp Limantha, da telenovela infanto-juvenil Malhação – Viva a diferença (2018-2019). Além de serem compostas por diversas camadas interpretativas, as produções criativas ressaltam o domínio e a compreensão crítica dos fãs em relação às nuances narrativas da telenovela e à arquitetura informacional do Twitter, bem como a criação de estratégias de mobilização em torno de tópicos específicos.
Crítica contemporânea da telenovela brasileira
Authors: Lima Mariana Marques de , Lopes Maria Immacolata Vassallo de
Published: February 2021

O presente artigo analisa a crítica de telenovela realizada e veiculada no ambiente digital dos anos de 2012 a 2018, a partir do estudo dos críticos Maurício Stycer e Cristina Padiglione. Nosso objetivo principal é apreender a função dessa crítica de telenovela contemporânea, compreendendo suas características no cenário brasileiro e sua circulação de sentidos. Para isso, analisamos as críticas e entrevistas desses profissionais, entrevendo seus processos de escrita, repertórios e tipos de avaliações. Os resultados mostram que essa crítica atual privilegia análises de caráter estético, reflexões sobre as características da telenovela brasileira e o próprio lugar da crítica; bem como uma pauta de valores, em que emergem os elementos políticos e uma demanda para questões sociais apresentadas nas ficções, evidenciando uma crítica que incide e dialoga com as questões da sociedade.
Narrativa sobre um poder afável: trabalho e racionalidade neoliberal em Estou me guardando para quando o Carnaval chegar
Authors: Serelle Marcio
Published: February 2021

Neste artigo, analiso o documentário Estou me guardando para quando o Carnaval chegar (Brasil, 2019), de Marcelo Gomes, sobre o trabalho na cidade de Toritama, centro de produção de jeans, no agreste pernambucano. A hipótese é de que a narrativa não apenas registra a racionalidade neoliberal que conduz as personagens, mas a desafia por meio da forma fílmica. Logo, ainda que as entrevistas sejam parte importante do documentário, busco examinar outras estratégias audiovisuais que atuam na evidenciação desse poder que autores como Byung-Chul Han e Dardot e Laval consideram afável ou mesmo invisível.
Roda mundo, roda gigante
Authors: Penafieri Vânia
Published: February 2021

Frederico FinchelsteinDo fascismo ao populismo na história
Os locais de sociabilidade da intelectualidade martinfierrista em Buenos Aires (1924-1927)
Authors: Queiroz Helaine Nolasco
Published: February 2021

Este artigo procura mapear e analisar os locais de sociabilidade frequentados pelos intelectuais ligados à revista vanguardista argentina Martín Fierro, que circula entre 1924 e 1927, atingindo 45 números. Buscamos traçar uma espécie de geografia da convivência martinfierrista e compreender como tal agrupamento intelectual demarca espaços específicos de Buenos Aires, dividindo e hierarquizando a cidade. A noção de identidade de grupo se confirma tanto pelo contato pessoal quanto pelo “domínio” de determinados espaços, significados e interpretados segundo uma topografia do poder.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Childhood Primary Hypertension
Authors: Uddin Md Nasir , Tivarus Madalina , Adams Heather , Little Erika , Schifitto Giovanni , Lande Marc B.
Published: February 2021

Primary hypertension in youth and young adulthood is associated with decreased neurocognitive test performance both in midlife and during youth itself, leading to concern of subsequent cognitive decline and dementia in later life. The early vascular effects of hypertension in youth are likely involved in the pathogenesis of hypertensive target organ damage to the brain, but the potential impact of antihypertensive treatment from youth on subsequent cognitive health is not known. This review will highlight the need to answer the question of whether treatment of hypertension from early in life would slow cognitive decline in adulthood, and will then outline, for the nonneurologist, magnetic resonance imaging techniques potentially useful in the study of the pathogenesis of decreased cognition in hypertensive youth and for use as potential biomarkers for early antihypertensive treatment interventions.
Improvement on the association strength: Implementing a probabilistic measure based on combinations without repetition
Authors: Steijn Mathieu P. A.
Published: February 2021

The use of co-occurrence data is common in various domains. Co-occurrence data often needs to be normalized to correct for the size effect. To this end, van Eck and Waltman (2009) recommend a probabilistic measure known as the association strength. However, this formula, based on combinations with repetition, implicitly assumes that observations from the same entity can co-occur even though in the intended usage of the measure these self-co-occurrences are nonexistent. A more accurate measure based on combinations without repetition is introduced here and compared to the original formula in mathematical derivations, simulations, and patent data, which shows that the original formula overestimates the relation between a pair and that some pairs are more overestimated than others. The new measure is available in the EconGeo package for R maintained by Balland (2016).
Towards automated analysis of research methods in library and information science
Authors: Zhang Ziqi , Tam Winnie , Cox Andrew
Published: February 2021

Previous studies of research methods in Library and Information Science (LIS) lack consensus in how to define or classify research methods, and there have been no studies on automated recognition of research methods in the scientific literature of this field. This work begins to fill these gaps by studying how the scope of “research methods” in LIS has evolved, and the challenges in automatically identifying the usage of research methods in LIS literature. We collected 2,599 research articles from three LIS journals. Using a combination of content analysis and text mining methods, a sample of this collection is coded into 29 different concepts of research methods and is then used to test a rule-based automated method for identifying research methods reported in the scientific literature. We show that the LIS field is characterized by the use of an increasingly diverse range of methods, many of which originate outside the conventional boundaries of LIS. This implies increasing complexity in research methodology and suggests the need for a new approach towards classifying LIS research methods to capture the complex structure and relationships between different aspects of methods. Our automated method is the first of its kind in LIS, and sets an important reference for future research.
Description of Basilaphelenchus pedrami n. sp. (Tylenchomorpha: Aphelenchoididae) isolated from Kyoto, Japan
Authors: Kanzaki Natsumi
Published: February 2021

An undescribed Basilaphelenchus species was isolated from the dead and decaying wood of an unidentified broad-leaved tree in Kyoto, Japan. The species was cultured on a lawn of Botrytis cinerea after many attempts and kept as a laboratory strain. The nematode is characterised by the position of its secretory-excretory pore, which differs between males (anterior to median bulb) and females (overlapping or posterior to median bulb), the tail morphology of males (conical with very short mucron) and females (smoothly tapering conical with various shapes at terminus) and male spicule morphology, with spicules possessing a smoothly curved blade (calomus-lamina complex) and a shallow capitulum depression. In addition, the new species is differentiated from other members of the genus by the molecular sequences of its ribosomal RNA region. Phylogenetically, the new species is close to two Iranian species, B. brevicaudatus and B. gorganensis, but can be distinguished from them based upon its separated phylogenetic status. The genus contains five species that were described from Chile and Iran. Thus, the isolation of a species from this genus in Kyoto, Japan, represents the first record of the genus from East Asia. The new species is described and illustrated herein as B. pedrami n. sp.
The Relationship Between Multisensory Temporal Processing and Schizotypal Traits
Authors: Dalal Tyler C. , Muller Anne-Marie , Stevenson Ryan A.
Published: February 2021

Recent literature has suggested that deficits in sensory processing are associated with schizophrenia (SCZ), and more specifically hallucination severity. The DSM-5’s shift towards a dimensional approach to diagnostic criteria has led to SCZ and schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) being classified as schizophrenia spectrum disorders. With SCZ and SPD overlapping in aetiology and symptomatology, such as sensory abnormalities, it is important to investigate whether these deficits commonly reported in SCZ extend to non-clinical expressions of SPD. In this study, we investigated whether levels of SPD traits were related to audiovisual multisensory temporal processing in a non-clinical sample, revealing two novel findings. First, less precise multisensory temporal processing was related to higher overall levels of SPD symptomatology. Second, this relationship was specific to the cognitive–perceptual domain of SPD symptomatology, and more specifically, the Unusual Perceptual Experiences and Odd Beliefs or Magical Thinking symptomatology. The current study provides an initial look at the relationship between multisensory temporal processing and schizotypal traits. Additionally, it builds on the previous literature by suggesting that less precise multisensory temporal processing is not exclusive to SCZ but may also be related to non-clinical expressions of schizotypal traits in the general population.
Gastrodia qingyunshanensis (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae)—a new holomycotrophic orchid from Guangdong, China
Authors: SHI SHI , YANG HAIJUN , WEI XUEFEN , LIANG QIANYU , YANG XINDONG , ZENG XIANXING , XIE CHONGLIN , CHEN LIUBAO , HUANG QINGHUA , ZENG GUOHONG , JIANG ZHURONG , XU HAN , HUANG JIUXIANG
Published: February 2021

A new species of Gastrodia (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae, Gastrodieae), G. qingyunshanensis, is described and illustrated from Guangdong, China. It is closely related to G. appendiculata C. S. Leou & N. J. Chung but can be distinguished by an urceolate (vs bell-like) and dark brown (vs pale greenish brown) perianth tube, the smaller petals (2.5 × 1.6 mm vs 4–5 × 5–6 mm), the shape of lip (oblong, 3×1.6mm vs ovate, 6–7×5mm), lack of elevated calli at the base of petal (vs having calli), and an appendage shorter than column (vs equal to column). The new species is only reported to occur on Qingyunshan Nature Reserve, Wengyuan County, China, and it is proposed to be Vulnerable (VU) according to the IUCN criteria.
Pseudolagarobasidium baiyunshanense sp. nov. from China inferred from morphological and sequence analyses
Authors: HAN MEI-LING , BIAN LU-SEN , ZHANG YUXIN , ZHU MINGCUI , AN QI
Published: February 2021

A new species, Pseudolagarobasidium baiyunshanense, is described and illustrated based on morphological characters and molecular evidences. It is characterized by subcretaceous, odontioid to raduloid, white, grayish violet when fresh, cream, olivaceous buff when dry basidioma (at first deep olive in KOH then fading), short aculei (up to 1.8 mm long), monomitic hyphal system with clamped generative hyphae, ellipsoid to broadly ellipsoid basidiospores (4–6.1 × 2.9–3.9 µm). Phylogenetic analysis based on ITS+nLSU rRNA gene regions supported P. baiyunshanense as a distinctive species belonging to Pseudolagarobasidium.
The larvae of Chinese Hydropsychidae (Insecta: Trichoptera), Part II: Potamyia chinensis and Cheumatopsyche trifascia
Authors: ZHANG AO , ZHOU XIN
Published: February 2021

The larvae of Chinese caddisflies Potamyia chinensis and Cheumatopsyche trifascia were successfully associated with identifiable adults using independent DNA markers, mitochondrial COI barcodes and nuclear ribosomal 28S D2 genes. A total of 49 specimens collected in China were employed in the molecular analyses. The two markers were congruent on species boundaries for 11 distinctive haplogroups, while D2 failed in differentiating two closely related species. A brief summary for larval studies of both genera is given, followed by an introduction to the generic morphological characteristics, and detailed morphological descriptions and illustrations for the two successfully associated species. The larva of P. chinensis is re-described here based on Chinese materials, following the previous larval description for P. echigoensis, which was recently synonymized with P. chinensis.
Revision of the New Guinean genus Zophiuma (Hemiptera, Lophopidae)
Authors: SOULIER-PERKINS ADELINE , CESNE MAXIME LE
Published: February 2021

The lophopid genus Zophiuma Fennah, 1955 is revised with two new species described, Z. gitauae sp. nov. and Z. torricelli sp. nov. and Z. doreyensis (Distant, 1906) is placed in synonymy with Z. pupillata (Stål, 1863). A key to the species for the genus, distribution map and the male genitalia illustrations are provided.
Two new species of the genus Thubdora Park and a new species of Ptilothyris Walsingham (Lepidoptera, Gelechioidea, Lecithoceridae) from Uganda
Authors: PARK KYU-TEK , AARVIK LEIF
Published: February 2021

Two species of Thubdora Park (T. onsemiro Park, sp. nov. and T. elgozmanyi Park, sp. nov.) and one species of Ptilothyris Walsingham (P. galbiplatella Park, sp. nov.) are described from Uganda.
COVID-19 Communication Ecologies: Using Interpersonal, Organizational, and Mediated Communication Resources to Cope With a Pandemic
Authors: Houston J. Brian
Published: February 2021

Information and communication resources are needed for individuals to cope with a public health emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic. These resources include interpersonal, organizational, and mediated communication, which collectively constitute a communication ecology. This interdisciplinary special issue of American Behavioral Scientist focuses on applications of a communication ecology perspective to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each article in this issue examines one or more specific aspect of COVID-19 communication ecologies to expand understanding of how a variety of communication resources can foster individual and collective coping with a global public health crisis. Insights from this issue can inform ongoing response to COVID-19 and planning for future public health crises.
Efficacy of Distal Pancreatectomy Combined With Modified DuVal Procedure in Patients With a High Risk of Postoperative Pancreatic Fistula
Authors: Mori Yasuhisa , Nakata Kohei , Ideno Noboru , Ikenaga Naoki , Okabe Yasuhiro , Nakamura Masafumi
Published: February 2021

Background

The incidence of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) after distal pancreatectomy (DP) remains high. The present study aimed to clarify the efficacy of our modified DuVal (mDuVal) pancreatojejunostomy following DP in patients with a high risk of POPF.

Methods

The medical records of 346 consecutive patients who underwent DP between 2006 and 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Perioperative features were compared between 24 patients undergoing mDuVal (mDuVal group) and 322 patients undergoing standard DP (standard DP group).

Results

Preoperative American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status 1 was more frequent in the standard group than in the mDuVal group ( P = .02). The start of a solid diet after operation was significantly earlier in the mDuVal group than in the standard DP group ( P = .01), while there were no significant differences between the groups for clinically relevant POPF, amylase concentration in the drainage fluid on postoperative day 1 and days 3-5, time to drain removal, additional intervention for POPF, overall complications, or postoperative hospital stay.

Discussion

The mDuVal procedure could be an option for patients with a high risk of POPF to improve the outcomes after DP. Further investigation involving large study populations is necessary to clarify the efficacy of this procedure.
Best practice in statistics: Use the Welch t-test when testing the difference between two groups
Authors: West Robert M
Published: February 2021

Clinical biochemists often wish to compare two groups of measurements. In order to do so, they must be familiar with Student's t-test. This article provides guidance for the use of the Welch t-test, with subtle but important differences and validity in a broader range of settings: advises the use of the Welch t-test rather than Student's t-test.
Rileggere De Sanctis con “forza allegra” e spirito ribelle
Authors: Tavella Chiara
Published: February 2021

Le recenti Celebrazioni del Bicentenario della nascita di Francesco De Sanctis hanno consentito di restituire una visione completa e articolata della figura e dell’opera del letterato e politico irpino, attraverso numerose attività di studio e di divulgazione. Tra le pubblicazioni più recenti si segnala il volume Una vita di avventure di fede e di passione. Nuovi saggi critici su Francesco De Sanctis, in cui Iermano offre un’importante occasione per riscoprire la straordinaria modernità della lezione morale, intellettuale e civile desanctisiana.
Book review: Rao V.B.J. Chelikani, Civics of Human Relations
Authors: Vishandass Ashok
Published: February 2021

Rao V.B.J. Chelikani, Civics of Human Relations. Chennai: Notion Press, 2019, pp. 506, ₹515.00 (Paperback). ISBN- 978-1-64546-579-9.
Study on the influence of middle school students’ self-efficacy on the willingness to use online learning platform
Authors: Chen Guomin , Jin Yingwei , Liang Wang , Liu Yang
Published: February 2021

People’s learning style is constantly changing together with the rapid development of information technology. Nowadays, online learning has become a common learning style, but online learning resource providers are also faced with the charging issue. Besides, a large number of studies have been made by scholars at home and abroad in this field. In this paper, the influence of middle school students’ self-efficacy on online learning resource purchase intention is analyzed, and the study comprises two stages. To be specific, in the first stage, the interview method is adopted to acquire related materials, and the grounded theory is also followed to reconstruct the theoretical research framework; in the second stage, the theoretical framework is empirically verified by the questionnaire. Then, it is found that middle school students’ self-efficacy affects the identity about online learning resources’ perceived quality and their purchase intention for online learning resources. At the same time, the teacher-student relation may also reinforce students’ purchase intention for online learning resources. Thus, it can be seen that online learning resources’ perceived quality and the intimate teacher-student relation have significant influence on middle school students’ purchase intention.
Marketers Project Their Personal Preferences onto Consumers: Overcoming the Threat of Egocentric Decision Making
Authors: Herzog Walter , Hattula Johannes D. , Dahl Darren W.
Published: February 2021

This research explores how marketers can avoid the so-called “false consensus effect”—the egocentric tendency to project personal preferences onto consumers. Two pilot studies show that most marketers have a surprisingly strong lay intuition about the existence of this inference bias, admit that they are frequently affected by it, and try to avoid it when predicting consumer preferences. Moreover, the pilot studies indicate that most marketers use a very natural and straightforward approach to avoid the false consensus effect in practice, that is, they simply try to “suppress” (i.e., ignore) their personal preferences when predicting consumer preferences. Ironically, four subsequent studies show that this frequently used tactic can backfire and increase marketers’ susceptibility to the false consensus effect. Specifically, the results suggest that these backfire effects are most likely to occur for marketers with a low level of preference certainty. In contrast, the results imply that preference suppression does not backfire but instead decreases the false consensus effect for marketers with a high level of preference certainty. Finally, the studies explore the mechanism behind these results and show how marketers can ultimately avoid the false consensus effect—regardless of their level of preference certainty and without risking backfire effects.
Suicide in China: Community Attitudes and Stigma
Authors: Gearing Robin E. , Brewer Kathryne B. , Cheung Monit , Leung Patrick , Chen Wanzhen , He Xuesong
Published: February 2021

China accounts for an estimated third of the world’s suicides, yet individuals experiencing suicidality typically do not seek out or receive treatment. This study examines community perceptions and public stigma toward suicide. In Shanghai, China 186 adults were recruited to participate in a survey with an experimental vignette describing a suicidal individual, manipulated on gender and age, followed by questions eliciting attitudes toward suicide. Most participants agreed that the suicidal subject had a serious problem, with seriousness of the problem decreasing with participant’s age. Participants reported moderate levels of public stigma. More stigma was found toward adolescent subjects rather than adult. Male subjects were perceived as being more likely to change than females. The public’s accurate view of suicide without biases could help prevent suicide from getting worse. Public perceptions regarding a suicidal individual’s likelihood to change could lead to stigma reduction, which can subsequently help with effective crisis intervention.
The Effect of a Brief-Mindfulness Intervention on Psychophysiological Exertion and Flow-State Among Sedentary Adults
Authors: Meggs Jennifer , Chen Mark
Published: February 2021

Mindfulness-acceptance commitment interventions in sport and exercise contexts have been helpful to increasing a positive psycho-physiological state among competitive athletes and recreational exercise participants. In the current study, we sought to extend research in this area by identifying the effect of a brief-mindfulness intervention on psychophysiological functioning among healthy but sedentary young adults. Our mixed gender sample (n = 42) of inactive individuals performed a brief cycling task without training (control condition) followed by task completion with brief mindfulness training (15-minute audio engagement with mindfulness techniques and specific present moment 'anchors'). We found that participants self-reported more accurate ratings of perceived exertion (i.e., self-ratings better matched actual physiological indices of exertion) following the mindfulness intervention, suggesting that mindfulness techniques can increase bodily awareness. Better body awareness may be useful to helping sedentary participants appreciate physiological changes experienced through exercise. The mindfulness manipulation also increased participants’ absorption into the activity, suggesting greater attentiveness to the exercise task with less distraction from irrelevant external and internal cues. In sum, mindfulness may be a complementary psychological training tool for inactive, sedentary young adults attempting to re-engage with exercise. We provide recommendations for future research.
Short and Long-Term Effects of Whole-Body Vibration on Spasticity and Motor Performance in Children With Hemiparetic Cerebral Palsy
Authors: Tekin Fatih , Kavlak Erdoğan
Published: February 2021

This study aimed to investigate the short and long-term effects of Whole-Body Vibration (WBV) therapy on spasticity and motor performance in children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy. We recruited 26 patient participants from among children undergoing conventional physiotherapy in a private rehabilitation center. We randomly assigned 22 participants to equally sized treatment (n = 11) and control (n = 11) groups. We evaluated the participants at the beginning of the study with the Gross Motor Function Measure-88, LEGSys™ Spatio-Temporal Gait Analyzer, SportKAT550™ Portable Computerized Kinesthetic Balance Device and the Modified Ashworth Scale. While children in the treatment group were treated with Compex-Winplate™ to administer WBV in three 15-minute sessions per week for eight weeks, children in the control group received continued conventional physiotherapy during this period. We then re-evaluated all participants both immediately after the treatment and again 12 weeks after the treatment. Following WBV, both gross motor functions and gait and balance skills were significantly improved ( p < 0.05), and spasticity in lower and upper extremity muscles was significantly inhibited ( p < 0.05). These improvements were preserved even after 12 weeks. We conclude that WBV is an effective incremental approach to conventional physiotherapy in children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy for inhibiting spasticity and improving motor performance.
From Big Bang to Brexit: The City of London and the Discursive Power of Finance
Authors: James Scott , Kassim Hussein , Warren Thomas
Published: February 2021

This article aims to generate new insights into the City’s influence during the Brexit negotiations. Integrating theories of discursive institutionalism and business power, we set out to analyse the dynamic ‘discursive power’ of finance. From this perspective, a key source of the City’s influence historically has been a powerful strategic discourse about London’s role as Europe’s leading global financial centre. This was strengthened following the financial crisis to emphasise its contribution to the ‘real’ economy and emerging regulatory threats from the EU. We argue that Brexit challenges the City’s discursive power by removing ‘ideational constraints’ on acceptable policy discourse, and undermining the ‘discursive co-production’ of financial power by government and industry. By encouraging financial actors to re-evaluate their interests, this has contributed to increasing discursive fragmentation and incoherence. Evidence for this comes from the City’s ambiguous policy preferences on Brexit, and the emergence of a rival pro-Brexit ‘discursive coalition’.
The Safe Standing movement: Vectors in the post-Hillsborough timescape of English football
Authors: Turner Mark
Published: February 2021

This article draws upon archival and fieldwork research to analyse the longer-term impact which all-seated stadia have had on football supporters’ consumption of the game in England. Consequently, 26 supporter activists identified as important in building a rich social history of activism were interviewed as a type of activist life story. By analysing empirical snapshots of a 30-year social movement against all-seated stadia, the article cross-pollinates ideas from sociology and social movement studies on eventful protests and temporality, to show how events and ruptures shape the dynamics of a social movement, and secondly, to show how discursive vectors indicate the developing understanding, by networked actors, of the stakes of a movement’s core conflict. In English football, historically significant events like the Hillsborough disaster continue to shape many of the key mobilisations of supporter networks, and their collective, but also complex and contradictory consumption of the game. This movement, Safe Standing, is sociologically important, because it evidences the complex interplay of cultural and technological vectors and their manifestation across the compelling timeframes and orientations which make up the consumption of English football in a post-Hillsborough timescape. By engaging in a 30-year struggle over Hillsborough as a restlessness event, Safe Standing sought to gain control over the interpretation of this timescape and is characterised by the complex struggle supporters face over the ritualistic expression of identity and solidarity.
Context in Mechanism-Based Explanation
Authors: Pozzoni Gianluca , Kaidesoja Tuukka
Published: February 2021

In this article, we discuss the issue of context-dependence of mechanism-based explanation in the social sciences. The different ways in which the context-dependence and context-independence of mechanism-based explanation have been understood in the social sciences are often motivated by different and apparently incompatible understandings of what explanatory mechanisms are. Instead, we suggest that the different varieties of context-dependence are best seen as corresponding to different research goals. Rather than conflicting with one another, these goals are complementary to each other and therefore pave the way to a methodologically more cooperative approach to mechanism-based explanation in the social sciences.
The community of Black women physicians, 1864–1941: Trends in background, education, and training
Authors: Vigil-Fowler Margaret , Desai Sukumar
Published: February 2021

We identified nearly 180 Black women who earned medical degrees prior to the start of the Second World War and found information regarding their family and social connections, premedical and medical educations, and internship experience or lack thereof for many of these women. Through their collective history, we observed large-scale trends, especially regarding the importance of “separatist” medical education and declining medical school attendance among African American women in the 1910s as medicine became an increasingly exclusionary profession. While our research uncovered trends specific to Black women physicians, the implications of our research can be applied far more widely to other historically marginalized scientific practitioners. This research reminds us of the longstanding and shifting presence of Black women in science and medicine, despite the enduring popular belief that white men represent who participates in science, both historically and today.
Towards an AIDS-free generation by 2030: how are South African children, adolescents, caregivers and health care workers coping with HIV?
Authors: Pillay Yogan
Published: February 2021

We are committed to an AIDS free generation by 2030 – nine short years away. This article reflects on the global and South African data on new infections, total number of children and adolescents living with HIV as well as data on vertical transmission. The article includes the voices of key stakeholders in the quest to end HIV in children so that lessons from their experiences can be used by policy makers in strengthening services.
The Expanded Core Curriculum Areas Experienced by Campers during Camp Abilities: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Lieberman Lauren J. , Ericson Katie , Lepore-Stevens Maria , Wolffe Karen
Published: February 2021

Introduction:

The expanded core curriculum (ECC) refers to the generally accepted nine areas of instruction that children who are visually impaired (i.e., those who are blind or have low vision) must learn through explicit instruction in order to live independently as adults. Children with visual impairments must experience immersion in the ECC in their daily lives throughout the year rather than only being taught these skills during the school year by teachers of students with visual impairments. Therefore, this research was undertaken to determine whether athletes attending Camp Abilities, a sports camp for children with visual impairments, experienced new ECC skills or practiced previously learned ECC skills and if so, how.

Method:

Researchers chose to interview 10 athletes from a purposeful sample of 30 children who had previously attended camp. The 10 coaches who worked with these athletes one-on-one participated in focus group discussions at the end of the weeklong camp. In addition, all athletes and coaches attending camp listed their thoughts on posters describing how all athletes attending experienced areas of the ECC. Finally, researchers documented observations of athletes’ opportunities to practice ECC content throughout the weeklong program. Researchers transcribed interviews and focus group discussions and reviewed for themes relating to ECC areas that were part of the students’ lived experience during camp.

Results:

Three major conclusions emerged from reviews of the interviews, discussion group transcripts, posters, and observations: (1) athletes and coaches were initially unclear about what the ECC areas were and how the athletes experienced the ECC in their everyday academic and home activities; (2) following clarification of the ECC areas, the athletes came to recognize how they learned and applied ECC skills during the camp experience; and (3) a more structured instructional approach to applying the ECC at camp may further enhance their experiences.

Discussion:

The youth participants were not able to list and describe all of the ECC areas when interviewed at the end of camp. However, adult participants (coaches) listed most ECC areas and described how athletes experienced the ECC during camp in their focus group discussions. Once researchers clarified ECC areas for athletes, they identified self-determination, recreation and leisure, social interaction, and independent living as the areas of the ECC most often experienced during camp.

Implications for practitioners:

Practitioners need to pay attention to structured learning of the ECC areas and consider articulating for students which areas overlap in their everyday lives, so that they are fully aware of the multiple skills they are acquiring. Camp Abilities is a functional way for youths with visual impairments to experience all areas of the ECC.
Difference-Education Improves First-Generation Students’ Grades Throughout College and Increases Comfort With Social Group Difference
Authors: Townsend Sarah S. M. , Stephens Nicole M. , Hamedani MarYam G.
Published: February 2021

Difference-education interventions teach people a contextual theory of difference: that social group difference comes from participating in and adapting to diverse sociocultural contexts. At two universities, we delivered difference-education interventions during the college transition and examined long-term academic and intergroup outcomes. Nearly 4 years later, first-generation students who received a difference-education intervention earned higher grades and were more likely to attain honors standing than those in the control condition. Based on an end-of-college survey with students at one of the two universities, both first-generation and continuing-generation students showed greater comfort with social group difference compared with students in the control condition. Our results demonstrate for the first time that teaching first-generation students a contextual theory of difference can lead to long-term academic benefits that persist until graduation. This work also provides new evidence that difference-education can improve comfort with social group difference.
The Implicit Component of Moral Disengagement: Applying the Relational Responding Task to Investigate Its Relationship With Cheating Behavior
Authors: Fida R. , Ghezzi V. , Paciello M. , Tramontano C. , Dentale F. , Barbaranelli C.
Published: February 2021

This article aims to conceptualize, for the first time, an implicit form of moral disengagement and investigate its role in relation to cheating behavior. In line with the implicit social-cognition models, we argue that the implicit moral disengagement would represent an unintentional, automatic, and less accessible form of the mechanisms bypassing the moral self-regulatory system. We anticipate that in situations implying on-the-spot decisions and where individuals might suffer no consequences for the misconduct, the implicit moral disengagement would predict the actual behavior while the explicit moral disengagement would predict self-reported conduct. The results of three empirical studies provide support for the theorization of an implicit moral disengagement and its assessment through a newly developed implicit measurement procedure using the relational responding task. Results of the structural equation models, including both implicit and explicit moral disengagement, demonstrated that only the implicit one was associated with the actual misconduct.