bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Cinematic Virtual Reality on Viewing Experience and the Recollection of Narrative Elements
Authors: Szita Kata , Gander Pierre , Wallstén David
Published: July 2021

Cinematic virtual reality offers 360-degree moving image experiences that engage a viewer's body as its position defines the momentary perspective over the surrounding simulated space. While a 360-degree narrative space has been demonstrated to provide highly immersive experiences, it may also affect information intake and the recollection of narrative events. The present study hypothesizes that the immersive quality of cinematic VR induces a viewer's first-person perspective in observing a narrative in contrast to a camera perspective. A first-person perspective is associated with increase in emotional engagement, sensation of presence, and a more vivid and accurate recollection of information. To determine these effects, we measured viewing experiences, memory characteristics, and recollection accuracy of participants watching an animated movie either using a VR headset or a stationary screen. The comparison revealed that VR viewers experience a higher level of presence in the displayed environment than screen viewers and that their memories of the movie are more vivid, evoke stronger emotions, and are more likely to be recalled from a first-person perspective. Yet, VR participants can recall fewer details than screen viewers. Overall, these results show that while cinematic virtual reality viewing involves more immersive and intense experiences, the 360-degree composition can negatively impact comprehension and recollection.
Consumption of cultivated subterranean plant organs by chimpanzees in a human-dominated landscape
Authors: McCarthy Maureen S. , Lester Jack D.
Published: July 2021

Although chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are ripe fruit specialists, they sometimes consume other plant parts including subterranean organs like roots and tubers. Such plant parts, which include underground storage organs (USOs), have been found to play a key role in the diets of some chimpanzee populations as well as, potentially, our hominin ancestors. We report the confirmed consumption of subterranean plant organs of three species — sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas), yams (Dioscorea alata) and peanuts (Arachis hypogaea), as well as unconfirmed consumption of cassava (Manihot esculenta) — by chimpanzees in a human-dominated landscape in western Uganda. These observations point toward the dietary flexibility of chimpanzees inhabiting anthropogenic landscapes, though mechanisms of novel food acquisition, particularly for subterranean fruits and tubers, are not well understood. Dietary flexibility may help chimpanzees survive as natural forest resources disappear, but simultaneously may bring them into greater conflict with their human neighbours, thereby further imperilling them.
‘Invisible Worldings’
Authors: Bolotta Giuseppe
Published: July 2021

This article explores the interplay between image and reality in the Thai seafood industry’s humanitarian engagements with migrant labour. Revisiting Aihwa Ong’s notion of ‘worlding’ and Peter Jackson’s discussion of the ‘Thai regime of images’, it examines the situated, informal interactions between migrant rights NGO s, fishing companies and state officials in the Thai port city of Samut Sakhon, on the outskirts of Bangkok. Through ethnographic case studies, this analysis illuminates the ‘invisible worldings’ that regulate spaces of migrant workforce from behind the scenes. As I show, migrant labour NGO s operate in a context-sensitive play of appearances and disappearances, humanitarian aid and migrant forced labour, and need to navigate local hierarchies of power in the service of Thailand’s international ‘image’ (phap-lak). It is argued that ‘invisible worldings’ sustain Thailand’s ongoing leadership in the fish trade and, concomitantly, the Thai military government’s cosmetic attempts to rebuild global reputation amid growing international scrutiny.
Time and the Visibility of Slow Atrocity Violence
Authors: DeFalco Randle C.
Published: July 2021

This article explores the role of time in obfuscating the criminality of international crimes committed through the cumulative effects of various actions that, on their own, appear banal and seemingly non-criminal in nature. It demonstrates how assessments of individual culpability continue to predominantly focus on the identification of discrete transactions that are intuitively recognizable as criminal in nature. This approach helps perpetuate the obfuscation of the criminality of slow, unfamiliar atrocity processes lacking easily identifiable moments of criminality. The selective recognition of atrocity crimes in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge period and post-independence Myanmar are analyzed as examples of this failure to recognize the criminality of international crimes committed through slow, attritive means.
Mapping Innovation Diplomacy in Denmark and Sweden
Authors: Kļaviņš Didzis
Published: July 2021

The aim of this article is to identify and map innovation diplomacy actions in Denmark and Sweden using the ‘functions of innovation systems’ approach. Based on Hekkert et al.’s seven key system functions (Marko P. Hekkert, Roald A. A. Suurs, Simona O. Negro, Stefan Kuhlmann and Ruud E. H. M. Smits, ‘Functions of Innovation Systems: A New Approach for Analysing Technological Change’, Technological Forecasting & Social Change 74 (4) (2007), 413-432), the article assess the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in meeting governments’ innovation targets. The empirical analysis, including twelve semi-structured interviews with seventeen career diplomats, reveals the key initiatives that countries are taking in furthering their homeland’s innovation aims or ambitions. The study also asks whether the ‘diplomacy for innovation’ approach of both Scandinavian MFAs are consistent with the ‘whole-of-government’ and ‘whole-of-society’ approaches.
Introduction: ASIA.LIVE: Inaugurating Livestream Studies in Asia
Authors: Zhang Ge , de Seta Gabriele
Published: July 2021

This introduction to the special issue ‘ASIA.LIVE: Inaugurating Livestream Studies in Asia’ briefly summarizes the virtual workshop at which it originated and describes its contributions to the central concept of liveness. After reflecting on the increasingly constitutive role of liveness in digital media, we argue that research on livestreaming should move beyond its focus on gaming and its Eurocentric approach to platforms, drawing on extensive debates over liveness and expanding its scope to the thriving digital economies in the Asian region. To understand how practices such as livestreaming are changing digital cultures in Asia and beyond, it is necessary to account for the ephemeral phenomena and under-documented practices that emerge from these regional contexts. By bringing together articles about China and Taiwan and relating them to workshop contributions about Hong Kong, Indonesia, and South Korea, we inaugurate livestream studies in Asia and offer some directions for future research in this field.
“Marvel vs. World”
Authors: Mahmutović Adnan
Published: July 2021

Following Eric Hayot’s argument that modernity is a theory of the world as the “universal,” this paper traces the “world concept” in Marvel Comics industry (MC) and its synergy with the film industry of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Speaking from the field of World Literature Studies, I show how superhero comics activate the “world concept” through the global dissemination of the infinitely stretchable Marvel Universe. My argument is that by operating in terms of a universe with moldable diegetic rules, the popular culture of MC and MCU does not merely reflect the current state of the world concept, but also affects its evolution and its spread. The universality of the modern worldview has come to be less concerned with the realist effect and more with increasing all-inclusiveness and infinite stretchability. The increased plasticity of the world concept puts a great pressure on world literary ecologies and increasingly expands and shapes what Beecroft called global literary ecology. What Marvel Comics has done in recent decades, especially through the interplay with the film industry, is to show how the expansion of the world concept entails that however large we imagine the world to be, it is always already too small.
Notes on the spider genus Dysdera Latreille, 1804 (Araneae: Dysderidae) in Central Asia
Authors: FOMICHEV ALEXANDER A. , MARUSIK YURI M.
Published: July 2021

A new species, Dysdera mikhailovi sp. nov. (♀), is described from Tajikistan (nr. Dushanbe). A poorly known species Dysdera subcylindrica Charitonov, 1956 from Central Asia is redescribed based on newly collected material. Dysdera dushengi Lin, Chang et Li, 2020, known from western Xinjiang (China) is reported from Kazakhstan for the first time. (Re)descriptions, figures, diagnoses and distribution maps of all the studied species are provided.
A review of the spider wasp genus Austrosalius Turner, 1917 (Hymenoptera, Pompilidae), with the description of a new species
Authors: LOKTIONOV VALERY M.
Published: July 2021

The Australasian spider wasp genus Austrosalius Turner, 1917 is reviewed for the first time. The genus comprises three species, of them Austrosalius mikhailovi Loktionov, sp. nov. is described and illustrated, based on female specimens from West Papua Province of Indonesia. The genus Austrosalius is newly reported from the island of New Guinea. The generic diagnosis and a key to the species are given.
A new species of Raveniola (Araneae, Nemesiidae) from Western Tien-Shan
Authors: ZONSTEIN SERGEI
Published: July 2021

An illustrated description of Raveniola mikhailovi sp. n. from Chatkal Mt. Ridge is provided. The new taxon resembles R. virgata (Simon, 1891); it differs from the latter species in having a somewhat more compact eye group, combined with a narrower tegulum and a relatively longer embolus, and with noticeably longer inner stalks of the spermathecae.
Ambient Temperature and Food Behavior of Consumer: A Case Study of China
Authors: Zhang Chen , Liao Hua , Wang Fang-Zhi , Li Ru
Published: July 2021

Human behaviors are believed to be sensitive to environmental conditions. However, little is known about the role of temperature in individual daily behaviors. We examine the links between temperature and food intake using nearly one million purchasing records from China. The results show that a 1-degree Celsius increase in temperature would cause a 0.11% decrease in food intake, which amounts to 4.2 million U.S. dollars of daily food expenditures nationwide. Moreover, females appear to be more sensitive to the temperature in their food intake than males. Besides, we observe a U-shaped relationship between the temperature and the willingness to order a take-out online, and this observation is robust under multiple alternative estimations. Our results indicate that a higher temperature would reduce energy demand for body thermoregulation, resulting in less food intake. Both extreme high and low temperatures can cause disutility. Therefore, the consumers who still want to satisfy their needs for food intake feel compelled to alter their willingness to pay under the extreme temperature events. The quantitative analysis can provide helpful references for modeling the climate-consumer relationship in the IAM model. Thus, it is an interesting avenue for future research to bridge the climate and consumers to identify welfare loss and inequality due to climate change.
Land financialisation, planning informalisation and gentrification as statecraft in Antwerp
Authors: Ward Callum
Published: July 2021

This article offers insight into the role of the state in land financialisation through a reading of urban hegemony. This offers the basis for a conjunctural analysis of the politics of planning within a context in which authoritarian neoliberalism is ascendant across Europe. I explore this through the case of Antwerp as it underwent a hegemonic shift in which the nationalist neoliberal party the New Flemish Alliance (Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie; N-VA) ended 70 years of Socialist Party rule and deregulated the city’s technocratic planning system. However, this unbridling of the free market has led to the creation of high-margin investment products rather than suitable housing for the middle classes, raising concerns about the city’s gentrification strategy. The consequent, politicisation of the city’s planning system led to controversy over clientelism which threatened to undermine the N-VA’s wider hegemonic project. In response, the city has sought to roll out a more formalised system of negotiated developer obligations, so embedding transactional, market-oriented informal governance networks at the centre of the planning system. This article highlights how the literature on land financialisation may incorporate conjunctural analysis, in the process situating recent trends towards the use of land value capture mechanisms within the contradictions and statecraft of contemporary neoliberal urbanism.
Everyday contours and politics of infrastructure: Informal governance of electricity access in urban Ghana
Authors: Amankwaa Ebenezer F , Gough Katherine V
Published: July 2021

This article contributes to shaping the discourse on unequal geographies of infrastructure and governance in the global South, opening up new ways of thinking through politics, practices and modalities of power. Conceptually, informality, governance and everyday urbanism are drawn on to unpack how the formal encounters the informal in ways that (re)configure infrastructure geographies and governance practices. This conceptual framing is empirically employed through an analysis of electricity access in Accra, Ghana, highlighting how residents navigate unequal electricity topographies, engage in self-help initiatives, and negotiate informal networks and formal governance practices. The spatiality of the electricity infrastructure has created inequity and opportunities for exploitation by ‘power-owners’ and ‘power-agents’ who control and manage the electricity distribution network and, in turn, privately supply power. Electricity connections are negotiated, access is monetised and illegality excused on grounds of good-neighbourliness, thereby producing and perpetuating everyday politics of ‘making do’. Community movements, everyday acts of improvisation, and incremental modifications are shown to influence the workings of formal institutions of government and shape uneven power relations and experiences of inequality. Such an understanding of how marginalised residents navigate the electricity topographies of Accra reveals a more nuanced politics of infrastructure access, which reflects the complex realities of hybridised modalities of governance and the multiple everyday dimensions of power that shape urban space. The article concludes that informality should not be recognised as failure but as a sphere of opportunity, innovation and transition.
Serving Multiple Masters? Public Managers’ Role Perceptions in Participatory Budgeting
Authors: Migchelbrink Koen , Van de Walle Steven
Published: July 2021

Participatory budgeting is fast becoming a popular form of public participation. Public managers play an important role in organizing and implementing participatory budgeting. Their role perceptions affect whether they use their discretion to limit or increase residents’ say in participatory processes. However, we know little about public managers’ role perceptions in participatory budgeting. In this study, we develop a typology of public managers’ role perceptions in participatory budgeting using a Q-methodological analysis of public managers in seven municipal participatory budgeting projects in Belgium. We find evidence for four distinct perspectives: a managerial, citizen-centered, technocratic, and skeptical perspective.
Adaptive-based linear active disturbance rejection attitude control for quadrotor with external disturbances
Authors: Wang Zhaoji , Zhao Tong
Published: July 2021

This paper proposes a linear active disturbance rejection control (LADRC) scheme for a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with external disturbances based on adaptive control to address the attitude control problem. Firstly, the dynamic model of the quadrotor is established, and LADRC is used to control the altitude, yaw angle, pitch angle and roll angle of the quadrotor UAV affected by external disturbances, which enhances the anti-disturbance ability of the system. In addition, adaptive control is introduced to solve the problem of difficult parameter tuning in LADRC. Then, the stability of the system is demonstrated by Lyapunov theory. Finally, the simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme under external disturbances.
Blindness, But Not HMHA Anosmia, Predicts Loneliness: A Psychophysical Study
Authors: Sorokowska Agnieszka , Janczak Anna , Ferdenzi Camille , Baldovini Nicolas , Oleszkiewicz Anna
Published: July 2021

Olfactory deficits can play a detrimental role in everyday social functioning. Perception of 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid (HMHA)—a body odor component—could also be linked to this research area. However, no study so far has addressed the problem of HMHA perception in the context of the previously reported relationship between olfactory abilities and social difficulties. Here, we tested whether HMHA-specific anosmia predicted loneliness understood both as a cognitive evaluation of social participation and as one’s social isolation, and we additionally analyzed the effects and correlates of HMHA perception in relation to sightedness. The study comprised 196 people, of whom 99 were blind. We found that subjects with blindness declared particularly high loneliness, but HMHA anosmia and the interaction of sightedness and HMHA anosmia predicted neither loneliness nor social withdrawal. In addition, HMHA pleasantness was positively associated with social withdrawal of the subjects with blindness and emotional loneliness correlated with HMHA familiarity regardless of sightedness.
Social Categorization Based on Language and Facial Recognition
Authors: Champoux-Larsson Marie-France , Ramström Frida , Costa Albert , Baus Cristina
Published: July 2021

Two experimental studies were conducted to replicate the effect found by Baus et al. where language as a marker of social categories affected recognition of faces in an old/new paradigm. In Study 1, we presented faces along with utterances in Swedish and in English to native Swedish speakers. Faces presented along with Swedish utterances were not recognized better than faces presented along with English utterances. In Study 2, we used another language pair and presented faces along with utterances in Swedish and in Spanish to native Swedish speakers. Faces presented along with Swedish utterances were recognized better than faces presented along with Spanish utterances. Our results suggest that language functions as a marker of social categories and that, similarly to other markers of social categories, it can be modulated by various factors and is not unconditional.
Evaluating E-Book Effectiveness and the Impact on Student Engagement
Authors: Merkle Adam C. , Ferrell Linda K. , Ferrell O. C. , Hair Joe F.
Published: July 2021

Marketing curricula are experiencing a digital disruption as e-books and other electronic educational resources replace print textbooks. This study investigates student perceptions about the effectiveness of print textbooks and e-books. Specifically, we focus on the perceived effectiveness of e-books and the impact on student engagement. A field-based quasi-experiment was conducted with a sample of 259 students in the Fall semester, and a follow-up sample of 395 students in the Spring semester. The results show a diverse impact of e-books on student engagement. Some aspects of engagement are positively affected while other aspects of student engagement exhibit a neutral or negative leaning impact. The findings also reflect significant variation in e-book effectiveness depending on the course. Finally, we find that e-books moderate the relationship between textbook effectiveness and academic performance engagement. Highly effective e-books result in higher levels of academic performance engagement. Collectively these findings shed light on the current situation and provide a foundation for additional research to further our understanding about e-book effectiveness and its relationship to student engagement.
Melatonin Adjusts the Phase of Mouse Circadian Clocks in the Cornea Both Ex Vivo and In Vivo
Authors: Huynh Alex V. , Buhr Ethan D.
Published: July 2021

The presence of an endogenous circadian clock within most mammalian cells is associated with the amazing observation that within a given tissue, these clocks are largely in synchrony with each other. Different tissues use a variety of systemic or environmental cues to precisely coordinate the phase of these clocks. The cornea is a unique tissue in that it is largely isolated from the direct blood supply that most tissues experience, it is transparent to visible light, and it is exposed directly to environmental light and temperature. Melatonin is a hormone that has been implicated in regulation of the cornea’s circadian clocks. Here, we analyze the ability of rhythmic melatonin to entrain corneas ex vivo, and analyze the phase of corneal circadian clocks in vivo both in light: dark cycles and in constant darkness. We find that the presence of a retina from a melatonin-proficient mouse strain, C3Sn, can photoentrain the circadian clocks of a co-cultured mouse cornea, but a retina from a melatonin-deficient strain, C57Bl/6, cannot. Furthermore, pharmacologic blockade of melatonin or use of a retina with advanced retinal degeneration, Pde6brd1, blocks the photoentraining effect. Corneal circadian clocks in vivo adopt an advanced phase in C3Sn mice compared with C57Bl/6, but the circadian clocks in the liver are unaffected. This observation is not attributable to a shorter endogenous period of the cornea or behavior between the strains. Some transcripts of circadian genes in the corneas of C3Sn mice also show an advanced phase of expression in a light: dark cycle, while the transcript of Per2 exhibits a light-dependent transient induction at the onset of darkness. We conclude that melatonin acts as a phase modifying factor in a rhythmic manner for the circadian clocks of the cornea.
Optimized loss functions for object detection and application on nighttime vehicle detection
Authors: Jiang Shang , Qin Haoran , Zhang Bingli , Zheng Jieyu
Published: July 2021

The loss function is a crucial factor that affects the detection precision in the object detection task. In this paper, we optimize both two loss functions for classification and localization simultaneously. Firstly, we reconstruct the classification loss function by combining the prediction results of localization, aiming to establish the correlation between localization and classification subnetworks. Compared to the existing studies, in which the correlation is only established among the positive samples and applied to improve the localization accuracy of predicted boxes, this paper utilizes the correlation to define the hard negative samples and then puts emphasis on the classification of them. Thus the whole misclassified rate for negative samples can be reduced. Besides, a novel localization loss named MIoU is proposed by incorporating a Mahalanobis distance between the predicted box and target box, eliminating the gradients inconsistency problem in the DIoU loss, further improving the localization accuracy. Finally, the proposed methods are applied to train the networks for nighttime vehicle detection. Experimental results show that the detection accuracy can be outstandingly improved with our proposed loss functions without hurting the detection speed.
Child Welfare Practice Improvement Efforts: A Descriptive Study of Capacity Building Services Received by Courts, States, and Tribes
Authors: Richards Tammy , DeWolfe Joanna , Sun Jing , Barbee Anita P.
Published: July 2021

The staff practices and organizational processes of child welfare agencies and courts influence families’ experiences and outcomes. Capacity building services have been delivered to improve organizational performance and practices, but studies of their impact are hampered by a lack of data on specific features of services. This study describes services delivered by the Child Welfare Capacity Building Collaborative during 2017–2019 using data from the Collaborative’s service and outcome tracking system. By supporting more rigorous study, these data can promote service improvements. These service data also provide a baseline that can be used to explore how services may change over time in response to federal legislation and social contextual factors such as the coronavirus pandemic.
Primary Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcoma of Urinary Bladder
Authors: Chezar Ksenia , Yilmaz Asli , Auer Iwona , Trpkov Kiril
Published: July 2021

Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma is a rare malignant mesenchymal neoplasm composed of follicular dendritic cells. A subset of cases can be found at extranodal sites. Only 2 follicular dendritic cell sarcomas were previously reported in the urinary bladder. We report a follicular dendritic cell sarcoma that involved the urinary bladder of an 81-year-old woman, who presented with painless gross hematuria. The neoplasm was composed of large epithelioid cells with atypical nuclei, admixed with inflammatory cells. On immunohistochemistry, the neoplastic cells were reactive only for CD21, CD35, and vimentin. The tumor was considered unresectable due to its large size and proximity to the iliac vessels and the patient was treated with bortezomib, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone. Although a full course of chemotherapy was not completed due to adverse side effects, the tumor was reduced in size. A subsequent involved-field radiotherapy was performed. Three years postdiagnosis and 2 years after the radiotherapy treatment, a recurrent tumor was identified on imaging in the left posterolateral bladder wall. However, at that time the patient was found to have a newly developed advanced colonic adenocarcinoma. Three and a half months later she developed a bowel perforation and died.
Diagnostic and Prognostic Significance of miR-675-3p in Patients With Atherosclerosis
Authors: Wang Shuangquan , Shao Wei , Gao Yang , Zhao Hongwei , Du Deyong
Published: July 2021

In recent years, a rising number of studies have confirmed that microRNA (miRNA) plays a prominent role in the early diagnosis and prognostic value assessment of cardiovascular diseases. The current study was conducted to examine the expression of miR-675-3p in atherosclerosis (AS) patients and to evaluate its clinical diagnosis and prognostic value. 110 AS patients and 70 healthy controls were included in the study. Serum miR-675-3p levels were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The clinical diagnostic significance of serum miR-675-3p in AS patients were investigated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The correlation between miRNA and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) was analyzed by the Spearman correlation coefficient. The prognostic significance of serum miR-675-3p was evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis. The patient’s serum miR-675-3p was significantly increased than the healthy individuals ( P < 0.05). An increase of carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) was positively correlated with the promotion of serum miR-675-3p levels. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.918, with high sensitivity and specificity. miR-675-3p is a key independent predictor of cardiovascular adverse events in AS patients (HR = 5.375, 95%CI = 1.590-18.170, P = 0.007), and patients with elevated miR-675-3p were more likely to have cardiovascular adverse events (log-rank P = 0.030). Increased miR-675-3p can be used as a potential marker for the diagnosis of AS, and was associated with the poor prognosis of AS.
Realising embedded stiffness in hydraulic implementations of stiffness-damping-inertance configurations
Authors: Zhang Sara Y , Yuan Hui , Jiang Jason Z , Neild Simon , Ren Wei-Xin
Published: July 2021

The performance benefits of passive vibration suppression with network configurations consisting of stiffness, damping and inertance elements have been demonstrated for a wide range of mechanical systems. Considering physical implementations of these beneficial network configurations, hydraulic realisations have the advantages of durability and simplicity for integration with existing hydraulic dampers. Such designs are exemplified by fluid inerters and fluid-inerter-damper devices. However, in contrast to the convenience of realising inertance and damping elements, realising ‘embedded’ stiffness is very challenging. We use ‘embedded’ to refer to a network element, which is not purely in series or in parallel with the remainder of the network but instead lies within the network layout. In this work, a setup using a rubber membrane to realise such embedded stiffness is proposed, together with a procedure for hydraulic implementations of any stiffness-damping-inertance configurations. The nonlinear properties of the embedded stiffness due to rubber membrane properties are then investigated both theoretically and experimentally. In addition, the effectiveness of both the membrane setup and the design procedure are demonstrated via a case study of suspension design for passenger vehicle ride comfort enhancement.
Predictors of Coping With Expectation Violation: An Integrative Review
Authors: Pinquart Martin , Rothers Adrian , Gollwitzer Mario , Khosrowtaj Zahra , Pietzsch Martin , Panitz Christian
Published: July 2021

The present review investigates factors that predict three processes that lead to persistence versus change of expectations after confrontation with expectation violations, based on the violated expectation (ViolEx) model and related models. We address four groups of predictors: (a) characteristics of the expectation, (b) characteristics of the expectation-violating event(s), (c) broader situational characteristics, and (d) personality characteristics. The bulk of studies conducted in this area looked at expectation change in the direction of the experienced violation (accommodation) as their central dependent variable. The strongest empirical support was found for accommodation being less likely and minimizing of the potential impact of the discrepant information (immunization) being more likely to occur (a) after the reality turns out to be worse rather than better than expected, (b) if disconfirming events are more ambiguous, and (c) if depressed rather than healthy people are confronted with better-than-expected events. Given the high heterogeneity between studies on assessed predictors, we recommend a more comprehensive and unifying approach that tests the relative impact and the interplay of the whole range of predictors across paradigms.
Mechanical performance of sandwich composites with additively manufactured triply periodic minimal surface cellular structured core
Authors: Fashanu O , Rangapuram M , Abutunis A , Newkirk J , Chandrashekhara K , Misak H , Klenosky D
Published: July 2021

Sandwich composite structures are comprised of a low-density core (commonly honeycomb) and facesheets. They are typically used in applications that require lightweight for efficient design, such as in the marine and aerospace industries. This work investigates the feasibility of adopting triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) cellular structures as the core for sandwich composites. Sandwich structures were manufactured using a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) facesheet and three different 304 L stainless steel core structures (honeycomb, gyroid TPMS, and diamond TPMS). Three mechanical tests, namely edgewise compression, three-point bend, and impact test, were carried out to evaluate the performance of each sandwich configuration. The experimental results of the non-traditional sandwich configurations were compared against those of a honeycomb core sandwich composite. The edgewise compression test showed that the ultimate edgewise compressive strength increased by 7% when the honeycomb core was replaced by the gyroid core and reduced by 2% when the diamond core replaced the honeycomb core. The three-point bend test showed that the traditional honeycomb core sandwich configuration had a higher shear yield stress when compared to the non-traditional sandwich structures. The shear yield stress was reduced by 54% when non-traditional sandwich cores were used. The shear ultimate stress was reduced by 41% and 37% when the honeycomb core was replaced by the gyroid and diamond structure, respectively. Impact test results, on the other hand, showed that the peak force recorded during the impact event was reduced, while the absorbed energy was increased when non-traditional cores were used. Peak force was reduced by 28% and 39%, while the absorbed energy was increased by 9% and 16% when the honeycomb core was replaced by the gyroid and diamond cores, respectively.
Basics for performing a high-quality color Doppler sonography of the vascular access
Authors: Meola Mario , Ibeas Jose , Lasalle Gianfranco , Petrucci Ilaria
Published: July 2021

In the last years, the systematic use of ultrasound mapping of the upper limb vascular network before the arteriovenous fistula (AVF) implantation, access maturation, and clinical management of late complications is widespread and expanding. Therefore, a good knowledge of theoretical outlines, instrumentation, and operative settings is undoubtedly required for a thorough examination. In this review, the essential Doppler parameters, B-Mode setting, and Doppler applications are considered. Basic concepts on the Doppler shift equation, angle correction, settings on pulse repetition frequency, operative Doppler frequency, gain are reported to ensure adequate and correct sampling of blood flow velocity. A brief analysis of the Doppler inherent artefacts (as random noise, blooming, aliasing, and motion artefacts) and the adjustment setting to minimize or eliminate the confounding artefacts are also considered. Doppler aliasing occurs when the pulse repetition frequency is set too low. This artefact is particularly frequent in vascular access sampling due to the high velocities range registered in the fistula’s different segments. Aliasing should be recognized because its correction is crucial to analyse the Doppler signals correctly. Recent advances in instrumentation are also considered about a potential purchase of a portable ultrasound machine or a top-of-line, high-end, or mid-range ultrasound system. Last, the pulse wave Doppler setting for vascular access B-Mode and Doppler assessment is summarized.
The SIC protocol: A seven-step strategy to minimize complications potentially related to the insertion of centrally inserted central catheters
Authors: Brescia Fabrizio , Pittiruti Mauro , Ostroff Matthew , Spencer Timothy R , Dawson Robert B
Published: July 2021

Insertion of central venous catheters in the cervico-thoracic area is potentially associated with the risk of immediate/early untoward events, some of them negligible (repeated punctures), some relevant (accidental arterial puncture), and some severe (pneumothorax). Furthermore, different strategies adopted during insertion may reduce or increase the incidence of late catheter-related complications (infection, venous thrombosis, dislodgment). This paper describes a standardized protocol (S.I.C.: Safe Insertion of Centrally Inserted Central Catheters) for the systematic application of seven basic beneficial strategies to be adopted during insertion of central venous catheters in the cervico-thoracic region, aiming to minimize immediate, early, or late insertion-related complications. These strategies include: preprocedural evaluation, appropriate aseptic technique, ultrasound guided insertion, intra-procedural assessment of the tip position, adequate protection of the exit site, proper securement of the catheter, and adequate coverage of the exit site.
Translation and Examination of the Reliability and Validity of the Spanish Version of the Smoking Self-Efficacy Questionnaire Among Latino Smokers
Authors: Cartujano-Barrera Francisco , McIntosh Scott , Cox Lisa Sanderson , Arana-Chicas Evelyn , Catley Delwyn , Ellerbeck Edward F , Ossip Deborah J , Cupertino Ana Paula
Published: July 2021

The 12-item Smoking Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (SEQ-12) is a valid and reliable instrument to assess confidence in one’s ability to refrain from smoking in a variety of different situations. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the 12-item Smoking Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (SEQ-12) among a sample of Spanish-speaking Latino smokers engaged in a smoking cessation research study. A forward-backward translation procedure guided the translation of the SEQ-12 into Spanish. The Spanish version of the SEQ-12 showed promising internal consistency reliability and construct validity among Latino smokers, with potential applications in both research and clinical settings.
The memory of perfection: Digital faces and nostalgic franchise cinema
Authors: Golding Dan
Published: July 2021

This article is concerned with the intersection of digitally augmented performance and nostalgia in contemporary Hollywood franchise cinema. The practice of ‘de-ageing’ or even resurrecting actors following their real-life deaths in films like Tron: Legacy (Joseph Kosinski, 2010), Terminator Genysis (Alan Taylor, 2015), Rogue One (Gareth Edwards, 2016), Blade Runner 2049 (Denis Villeneuve, 2017), Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (J.J. Abrams, 2019), and a large number of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, is now commonplace. Though such digital faces are primarily still found in franchise cinema, some exceptions ( The Irishman, Martin Scorsese, 2019; Gemini Man, Ang Lee, 2019) are telling in their franchise-like appeals to cinematic nostalgia. In particular, the digital face is most commonly aligned with the ‘legacy film’ (Golding, 2019), resurrected franchises interested in transferring franchise protagonists, themes and fandom across generations. The digital face therefore is an expression of the convergence of the digital with film, with the franchise, with the past and with memory. For these films, memory and nostalgia are meticulous exercises involving thousands of work hours of highly skilled CGI workers and cutting-edge technology. These highly technical, virtuosic digital faces are quite literally the face of this kind of nostalgia, and as Ndalianis observes, position the face ‘as façade that opens up a time-travel passageway between past and present’, inviting a seam-spotting game between audience and filmmaker (2014). Even if the digital face is perfect in its recreation, the audience’s knowledge of the impossibility of the performance leaves a trace of artistry. Accordingly, digital faces are creative, technical and financial decisions above all. This article outlines the uses of the digital face for memory, nostalgia and seriality in contemporary Hollywood franchise cinema, with a focus on representation and death.
Keeping up with the evidence base: Survey of behavior professionals about Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions
Authors: Hampton Lauren H , Sandbank Micheal P
Published: July 2021

Professionals who primarily deliver services to children on the autism spectrum employ a range of techniques and supports that are colloquially known as applied behavior analysis therapy. The landscape of evidence supporting interventions for children on the autism spectrum has vastly transformed in the last decade. A substantial, relatively high-quality literature base supports the effectiveness of Naturalistic Developmental Behavior Interventions for supporting development in children on the autism spectrum, yet few professionals serving this population receive training in this category of interventions. Board Certified Behavior Analysts and related professionals are the primary service providers for this population. The purpose of this survey study is to describe and understand the knowledge and beliefs that Behavior Analyst Certification Board certificants have around Naturalistic Developmental Behavior Interventions, and the implications for training the professionals most likely to serve young children on the autism spectrum. A total of 901 respondents completed the survey. Respondents indicated, on average, little to no knowledge of Naturalistic Developmental Behavior Intervention practices and that few believe these practices to be effective or appropriate for the field. We discuss the implications and needs for future training and research in this area.

Lay abstract

Primary service providers for young children on the autism spectrum and developmentally delayed children use many strategies under the umbrella of applied behavior analysis therapy. The evidence supporting interventions for children on the autism spectrum has changed last decade, and powerful research supports the relative effectiveness of Naturalistic Developmental Behavior Interventions, yet a few professionals serving young children on the autism spectrum receive training in this category of interventions. Board Certified Behavior Analysts and related professionals are the primary service providers for this population. The purpose of this survey study is to describe and understand the knowledge and beliefs that Behavior Analyst Certification Board certificants have around Naturalistic Developmental Behavior Interventions. The survey was completed by 901 respondents. Respondents indicated, on average, little to no knowledge of Naturalistic Developmental Behavior Intervention practices and few believe that these practices are effective or appropriate for the field. Recommendations include increasing training opportunities for related professionals, and changing certification requirements to match the current evidence.
Low-frequency broadband vibration attenuation of sandwich plate-type metastructures with periodic thin-wall tube cores
Authors: Zi Huan , Li Yinggang
Published: July 2021

Sandwich structures are widely applied in modern industry such as aerospace, automobile as well as marine structures. However, the vibroacoustic properties of sandwich structures are adversely influenced by low effective mass. In this study, the flexural wave propagation characteristics and vibration mitigation performances of the periodic sandwich plate-type metastructures are investigated. The proposed sandwich plate-type metastructures are constituted of a sandwich plate with periodic thin-wall circular tube cores and periodically attached local stepped resonators. A finite element method combining Solid-Shell coupling numerical method and Bloch theory is presented to calculate the dispersion relations and the displacement fields of the eigenmodes of the infinite periodic sandwich plate-type metastructures. In addition, the acceleration frequency responses and vibration attenuation performances of finite periodic sandwich plate-type metastructures are numerically investigated and compared with the experimental measurements. Furthermore, the influences of geometric parameters on flexural wave band gaps are conducted. Results show that the sandwich plate-type metastructures can yield a low-frequency broad flexural wave band gap, in which the flexural wave propagation is conspicuously suppressed, resulting in significant flexural vibration attenuation. The flexural wave band gap and vibration attenuation performances can be effectively manipulated by designing geometric parameters of the sandwich plate-type metastructures.
Book review: Hamilton, Lawrence. 2019: Amartya Sen (Key Contemporary Thinkers)
Authors: Blenesi Eva , Bulgamaa Urangoo
Published: July 2021

Hamilton, Lawrence. 2019: Amartya Sen (Key Contemporary Thinkers). Polity Press. xiv + 181 pp + index. ₹64.86 hardback. ISBN: 9781509519842.
Book review: Mukherji, P. N., Jayaram, N. and Ghosh, B. N. (eds.) 2019: Understanding Social Dynamics in South Asia: Essays in Memory of Ramkrishna Mukherjee
Authors: Iyer Soundarya
Published: July 2021

Mukherji, P. N., Jayaram, N. and Ghosh, B. N. (eds.) 2019: Understanding Social Dynamics in South Asia: Essays in Memory of Ramkrishna Mukherjee. Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 280 pp. 124, Ä119.99 hardcover, 96.29 Ä eBook. ISBN: 978-981-13-0386-9 hardcover, 978-981-13-0387-6 eBook.
National Presidential Election Turnout: 1952 to 2020
Authors: Romero Francine Sanders , Romero David W.
Published: July 2021

In an era when elections scholars expected American national presidential election turnout to increase, its steep, prolonged post-1960 decline sparked deep concern and generated an avalanche of individual-level analyses searching for explanation. The post-1960 decline, however, no longer dominates turnout’s trajectory; it has been on the upswing since 1996. This complicates our understanding as we have yet to settle on turnout’s description, much less its explanation. Here we introduce the first political science-oriented, multivariate modeling of American national presidential election turnout. Our results offer a mix of important confirmatory and original findings. First, we discover that modeling turnout’s decline as a post-1968 secular disturbance reveals turnout’s expected steady increase across the modern era (1952–2020). Second, we show that turnout’s increase can be traced to increased polarization working its influence indirectly through the direct, positive turnout affects of voter external efficacy and negative presidential campaign advertising (1960–2012).
How to Choose a Survival Period? The Impact of Antibiotic Use on OS or PFS in NSCLC Patients Treated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Chen Hua , Han Ke-dong , He Zhi-jiang , Huang Yi-sheng
Published: July 2021

Background:

The development of immunotherapy has dramatically changed the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer. The negative association of antibiotics on the clinical activity of immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with NSCLC is well known.

Methods:

PubMed, Embase, and Medline databases were searched until January 11, 2020. We included retrospective studies of ICIs (e.g., PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA-4). The clinical outcomes were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated, and subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed.

Results:

Our results indicated that the use of antibiotics reduced the survival of NSCLC patients treated with ICIs. The pooled HRs of PFS and OS were HR = 1.41 (95% CI = 1.23-1.61; P < 0.001) and HR = 2.16 (95% CI = 1.79-2.60; P < 0.001). We divided the studies into 5 subgroups according to antibiotic exposure time. Subgroup analysis showed that the patients that were administered antibiotics [−60 days; 0 days] or [−30 days; 0 days] before the initiation of ICIs treatment had a poorer OS rate, whereas those patients that were administered antibiotics [0 days; 30 days] after the initiation of ICIs treatment had a poorer PFS rate. In summary, ATB treatment in patients [−60 days; +30 days] near the initiation of ICIs treatment significantly reduced the survival in NSCLC patients.

Conclusion:

Our results indicated that ATB use is negatively associated with survival in NSCLC patients treated with ICIs immunotherapy. Similar studies involving a larger sample of cases are still being published. This meta-analysis identified that the timing of ATB treatment in NSCLC patients receiving ICIs immunotherapy has different effects on the OS and PFS of these patients. ATB treatment prior to the initiation of ICIs treatment affects OS, whereas ATB treatment after the initiation of ICIs treatment affects PFS.