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This study examines the human gloss perception of printing papers at various illuminances and distances from a light source to the object's surface. Gloss is evaluated based on not only the intensity of reflected light but also the sharpness of specular highlights. The apparent spread of the reflected light source image, which is also used for gloss evaluations, depends on the distance between the light source and the object's surface. Unlike physical variation of specular image properties, the perception of gloss may exhibit constancy similar to color perception. Our results reveal that illuminance has a strong effect on gloss perception. We found cases where low-gloss samples looked glossier than high-gloss ones-the gloss reversal phenomenon. These results suggest that there is a case in which gloss constancy may not work in every condition.

This article analyses the American Express travel board game Money Card (1972) as it highlights the intertwinement between the rise of a distinctive form of tourism as a modern mass industry and the expansion of the capitalist market, the primacy of the dollar, and U.S. hegemony. In a period marked by a shift from paper money to credit cards and global credit markets, American Express was the most powerful and easily identifiable symbol of the new post-war international economic order dominated by U.S. economic and political power. Placing the American Express Money Card board game within the shift from the post-war economy of reconstruction to credit expansion and neoliberalism, brings to the forefront the ways in which the game presented tourism as a ritual in celebration of capitalism. As a form of armchair travel, the board game sold tourism as a re-enchantment of the world. The article explores how the board game framed the American Express Card as fetish object, portrayed Europe as up for sale, and created a desire for the services of American Express and consumerism more generally. It shows how players were trained to use credit cards, be good consumers, and participate in the economy of the tourist industry. By advancing a capitalist tourist dreamworld, Money Card shaped perceptions of travel to Europe and created a religious illusion, offering a re-enchantment of the world through tourism and credit cards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One function of the central executive component of the working memory model is the coordination of two simultaneous tasks (the dual-task method). The concept of a coordination function has proved effective in identifying brain damaged patients with severe behavioural problems and in discriminating the performance of patients with mild Alzheimer's disease from that of healthy elderly. A computerised version of the dual-task method was successfully used in previous laboratory studies but it is not suited to use in a practical, clinical setting. Thus a paper and pencil version of the dual-task method was devised. The present study was aimed at refining the paper and pencil dual-task method; investigating whether or not age per se affects performance; assessing its test-retest reliability and providing norms for the Georgian population. The new paper and pencil version of the dual-task was administered to 64 young and 64 middle-age and elderly participants. A new, modified, simpler version of the paper and pencil dual-task, the "Tbilisi paper and pencil motor task" was developed. This task has high test-retest reliability and correlates with the established computerised version of the task. No age or education effects were detected.

Examined--by means of a Starkiewicz's hand localizer--were 170 right-hand workers of a paper factory working in conditions of excessive noise and high temperature of the surroundings. Analyzed were 140 persons tested 4 times in the period of each production shift (6.00-14.00; 14.00-22.00, and 22.00-6.00). The analysis showed the maximal efficacy of the visual function of the hand localization in the range of the right-hand and in the course of the night shift in both age groups.

A new measure of selective attention was presented to 259 normal volunteers. The test was derived from earlier work which emphasized the importance of controlling the distracting conditions using a selective-attention paradigm. In the present study a paper-and-pencil, digit-cancellation format was introduced and the data documented a significant dissociation between tasks analogous to controlled search and automatic detection, two theoretically important aspects of selective attention. Presented is a discussion of similarities and differences of the new measure and classical methods of discriminating between controlled search and automatic detection and the potential significance of this discrimination in clinical neuropsychological investigations.

Kok (1986) investigated why P3 amplitudes are reduced when stimuli are degraded. He proposed that a positive moment-related component might overlap P3 after intact stimuli and a negative one after degraded stimuli ("MRP overlap" hypothesis). Discussing his findings, it is suggested that MRP overlap can only account for the result if another overlap hypothesis ("nogo overlap") is added. But even this combined hypothesis cannot explain reducing effects of degradation found in other paradigms. While other overlap hypotheses have been proposed in the literature, the most parsimonious hypothesis is to assume that P3 itself gets smaller after degraded stimuli.

To provide an in-depth understanding of the various results of articles related to papers with variable sales improvement strategies. The method used in this paper is qualitative by reviewing scientific articles related to describing the findings related to this paper, after that the results in this paper are in the form of perceptions in discussions and conclusions. The articles used from the last ten years come from existing international journals. Technology can help and provide speed and become a symbol for the world of aviation around the world, in addition to diverse and attractive services provide a guarantee and variety of choices for passengers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The attribution of status carries significant social and reproductive advantages as it reflects individual qualities. However, the traits conveyed and those perceived do not always align with reality. It is crucial to understand how the status associated with different professions can influence the perception of traits, as it assists in decision-making during social interactions. This study aimed to investigate whether the status derived from university education influences the assessment of social status, mate value and personality traits among Brazilians. A quasi-experimental design with nonrandom assignment was used, employing online questionnaires administered through Google Forms. A total of 252 participants, both male and female, over 18 years of age, and residing in Brazil, took part in the study. These participants evaluated the social status, mate value, and personality traits of stimulus subjects with high and low-status university education. The results revealed that stimulus subjects with high-status university education were regarded as possessing higher status in society and scored higher on Dark Triad traits. In contrast, stimulus subjects with low-status university education were perceived as having greater agreeableness, emotional stability, and openness to experiences. In conclusion, university education signals social and personality traits, serving as a parameter to shape social perceptions. • Subjects with high-status backgrounds are rated higher on Dark Triad traits. • Low status indicates greater agreeableness, emotional stability, and openness. • University education serve as an indicator of social and personality traits. • University education affects the perception of the individuals in social hierarchy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jigsaw puzzles are ubiquitous developmental toys in Western societies, used here to examine the development of metarepresentation. For jigsaw puzzles this entails understanding that individual pieces, when assembled, produce a picture. In Experiment 1, 3- to 5-year-olds (N = 117) completed jigsaw puzzles that were normal, had no picture, or comprised noninterlocking rectangular pieces. Pictorial puzzle completion was associated with mental and graphical metarepresentational task performance. Guide pictures of completed pictorial puzzles were not useful. In Experiment 2, 3- to 4-year-olds (N = 52) completed a simplified task, to choose the correct final piece. Guide-use associated with age and specifically graphical metarepresentation performance. We conclude that the pragmatically natural measure of jigsaw puzzle completion ability demonstrates general and pictorial metarepresentational development at 4 years., (© 2020 The Authors. Child Development published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Research in Child Development.)

Purpose: Cyber-attacks that generate technical disruptions in organisational operations and damage the reputation of organisations have become all too common in the contemporary organisation. This paper explores the reputation repair strategies undertaken by organisations in the event of becoming victims of cyber-attacks. Design/methodology/approach: For developing the authors' contribution in the context of the Internet service providers' industry, the authors draw on a qualitative case study of TalkTalk, a British telecommunications company providing business to business (B2B) and business to customer (B2C) Internet services, which was a victim of a "significant and sustained" cyber-attack in October 2015. Data for the enquiry is sourced from publicly available archival documents such as newspaper articles, press releases, podcasts and parliamentary hearings on the TalkTalk cyber-attack. Findings: The findings suggest a dynamic interplay of technical and rhetorical responses in dealing with cyber-attacks. This plays out in the form of marshalling communication and mortification techniques, bolstering image and riding on leader reputation, which serially combine to strategically orchestrate reputational repair and stigma erasure in the event of a cyber-attack. Originality/value: Analysing a prototypical case of an organisation in dire straits following a cyber-attack, the paper provides a systematic characterisation of the setting-in-motion of strategic responses to manage, revamp and ameliorate damaged reputation during cyber-attacks, which tend to negatively shape the evaluative perceptions of the organisation's salient audience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rectangularity and perpendicularity of contours are important properties of 3D shape for the visual system and the visual system can use them asa prioriconstraints for perceivingshape veridically. The presentarticle provides a comprehensive review ofpriorstudiesofthe perception of rectangularity and perpendicularity anditdiscussestheir effects on3D shape perception from both theoretical and empiricalapproaches. It has been shown that the visual system is biased to perceive a rectangular 3D shape from a 2D image. We thought that this bias might be attributable to the likelihood of a rectangular interpretation but this hypothesis is not supported by the results of our psychophysical experiment. Note that the perception ofa rectangular shape cannot be explained solely on the basis of geometry. A rectangular shape is perceived from an image that is inconsistent with a rectangular interpretation. To address thisissue, we developed a computational model that can recover a rectangular shape from an image of a parallelopiped. The model allows the recovered shape to be slightly inconsistent so that the recovered shape satisfies the a priori constraints of maximum compactness and minimal surface area. This model captures someof thephenomenaassociated withthe perception of the rectangular shape that were reported inpriorstudies. This finding suggests that rectangularity works for shape perception by incorporatingitwith someadditionalconstraints., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Accounting for the complexity of intercultural interactions in highly multicultural-fluid times requires re-imagining of (a) the fundamental constructs that have shaped our perceptions of interculturality and (b) the factors that contribute to smooth functioning in intercultural situations. Researchers' epistemological and methodological positioning can strongly influence the range of findings and interpretations; thus, examining the theoretical stances embraced in papers in a specific geographical context can propel the rigorousness of its scientific research. Many perspectives and theories in intercultural communication scholarship have signalled a shift from national-wide and generalisable perceptions of cultural-communication dyadic relationship towards a consideration of sense-making processes and intersubjectivity. However, some treatments of interculturality still often reproduce, consciously or not, the same preponderant epistemologies that benchmark intercultural interactions as static and essentialist, especially at the inter-individual level. Liquid interculturality, as a postmodernist alternative responsive to the construction of cultures and identities, responds to the non-linearity of intercultural encounters and considers the fluidity of individuals' representations of themselves and other interlocutors. This paper, by highlighting the shift from solid to liquid paradigms in intercultural communication theory and research, seeks to (a) situate and critically reflect on Moroccan intercultural communication scholarship with regards to today's relevant research and (b) clarify how researchers tend to conceptualise intercultural encounters in reference to the theoretical underpinnings of liquid interculturality. Findings revealed that most research methods have been based on solid representations of interculturality with few signs of liquid interculturality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nature of qualitative research is fundamentally different from quantitative research. In depth understanding and exploration of specific phenomena or their significance usually involve a data collection process with a select few participants with whom the researcher interacts over an extended period of time. The participants are not anonymous to the researcher and they also reveal personal information. Research participants' rights need to be protected, even more so in this type of qualitative work. This chapter discusses how ethical decision-making needs to be ongoing during the research process by applying the principles of respect for persons, beneficence and justice. Respecting research participants, involves addressing issues related to informed consent, anonymity and confidentiality while also reflecting on the researcher's impact on the participant and the research context while the research is carried out and also when the research is disseminated. The second principle of beneficence calls for the researcher to ascertain that participants' safety is given utmost importance. Finally, justice refers to ensuring that the burdens and benefits of research are shared fairly without any form of discrimination or manipulation. These principles offer the researcher flexible tools to reflect on ethical decisions as they arise throughout the research process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contour Integration (CI) is the ability to integrate elemental features into objects and is a basic visual process essential for object perception and recognition, and for functioning in visual environments. It is now well documented that people with schizophrenia (SZ), in addition to having cognitive impairments, also have several visual perceptual deficits, including in CI. Here, we retrospectively characterize the performance of both SZ and neurotypical individuals (NT) on a series of contour shapes, made up of Gabor elements, that varied in terms of closure and curvature. Participants in both groups performed a CI training task that included 7 different families of shapes (Lines, Ellipse, Blobs, Squiggles, Spiral, Circle and Letters) for up to 40 sessions. Two parameters were manipulated in the training task: Orientation Jitter (OJ, i.e., orientation deviations of individual Gabor elements from ideal for each shape) and Inducer Number (IN, i.e., number of Gabor elements defining the shape). Results show that both OJ and IN thresholds significantly differed between the groups, with higher (OJ) and lower (IN) thresholds observed in the controls. Furthermore, we found significant effects as a function of the contour shapes, with differences between groups emerging with contours that were considered more complex, e.g., due to having a higher degree of curvature (Blobs, Spiral, Letters). These data can inform future work that aims to characterize visual integration impairments in schizophrenia., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

This paper discusses the concept of social affordances in relation to social theory. Our point of departure is the growing literature which posits, in one way or another, that affordances may be seen as social, or cultural or similar. Across the literature on social affordances, it is thus emphasized how perception is shaped within human econiches, how it is fundamentally social, historical, and cultural, but limited direct engagement with decades of scholarship within the social sciences on many of these same topics. This paper thus discusses three key themes for theories of social affordances, exploring sociological perspectives on meaning, place and power, arguing that there may be a difficult, yet fruitful, potential for not just an ecological psychology, but an ecological social science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates how global misinformation and local cultural factors shape public perceptions of COVID-19 in Malawi. While misinformation about the pandemic often originates from global sources like the Internet and social media, its impact is influenced by religious and cultural narratives that resonate differently across various demographics, including gender. These 'cultural determinants' amplify the influence of misinformation, leading to widespread vaccine hesitancy. The paper draws on findings from a study conducted in the Malawian districts of Zomba, Dowa, and Nkhata Bay. The study reveals how religious prophecies and apocalyptic symbols, such as the '666' mentioned in the biblical Book of Revelation, are used to frame vaccines as malevolent, distorting public understanding and fuelling fears about COVID-19. The role of social media in spreading misinformation is particularly significant, given its ability to quickly disseminate content and engage users as both consumers and creators of information. Despite limited internet access in Malawi, misinformation spreads effectively through offline spaces, where cultural beliefs and mistrust in political leaders further propagate it. This study highlights the need for culturally sensitive public health communication strategies to address the fears and beliefs that drive misinformation and vaccine hesitancy in Malawi and similar contexts. Although misinformation and vaccine hesitancy are global challenges, the study highlights that misinformation in Malawi is culturally specific, localised, and appeals to fears, with distinct resonance across the male-female gender divide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stairs are among the key elements in architectural composition, both aesthetically and spatially. They are also one of the main innovations in architecture and building, allowing pedestrians to bridge considerable height differences with relative efficiency. It is, therefore, surprising that, in spite of all stair regulations in building codes, stairs are responsible for a huge number of accidents—second only to motorcars. The extent of safety failures suggests that user interaction with stairs is poorly understood by designers and policy makers. This is not unrelated to the lack of research into the design and use of stairs. Templer's seminal work is the exception, but it dates from 1992, and since then, little has been done to understand the relation between architectural design and stair performance, including safety. The paper reviews the literature on stairs in multiple domains and proposes that to redress poor stair performance, research and practice should build on affordance-based analyses of stair climbability, which establish a clear connection between the form of a stair and the perception of both action possibilities and dangers by all kinds of users. By doing so, affordances establish a comprehensive and consistent framework for the analysis of architectural designs, which utilizes both domain and psychological knowledge, including as a foundation for computational applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Market producers often seek to position themselves in different categories over time. Successful repositioning is difficult, however, as audiences often devalue offerings that depart from a producer's past creations. Prior research suggests that this penalty arises as evaluators withhold opportunities for producers to reposition because of presumptions of a lack of competence in different categories. In this paper, we develop understanding of a novel evaluator-driven challenge to producers' repositioning efforts: evaluators are prone to "categorical stickiness," by which the categories they have come to associate with a producer through its prior offerings shape their perceptions of the producer's subsequent offerings. The result is a systematic mismatch between what producers claim and what evaluators perceive when a producer repositions. We further propose that audience members who have the greatest prior experience with a producer are the least likely to recognize its repositioning efforts. We examine evidence for our theory using data from Goodreads.com on authors within the book publishing industry, 2007–2017. We first build a novel deep-learning framework to predict categorization of a given book based solely on an author's description of its content. We then use data on how Goodreads users categorize and evaluate books as well as their past reading behavior to test for evidence of our proposed mechanism. Overall, our results extend understanding of the evaluative processes that generate categorical constraints and how these may differ among various types of audience members. This paper was accepted by Isabel Fernandez-Mateo, organizations. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2021.02070. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discrimination in the labor market hinders efficient labor allocation, impeding socio-economic health. With the rapid population aging in China, addressing multifaceted discrimination to enhance labor allocation efficiency emerges as a crucial area of research. To explore the relationship between five types of discrimination (age, gender, hukou, educational background, and occupation) and labor misallocation, this paper based on intersectionality theory, employs the fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) method to conduct a configurational analysis of data from China. The research findings indicate that none of the five forms of discrimination can be deemed a necessary condition for achieving high-level labor misallocation. The study identifies five distinct pathways of multiple discrimination to form high-level labor misallocation, which can be classified into four interaction modes: age-hukou, gender-hukou, gender-occupation, and age-gender-educational background. Meanwhile, there are four configuration paths for the absence of labor misallocation. This study reveals the intricate mechanisms by which multiple forms of discrimination contribute to labor misallocation in China's labor market, and provides valuable insights for addressing employment discrimination and improving the efficiency of labor allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advancements in New Plant Breeding Techniques have emerged as promising tools for enhancing crop productivity, quality, and resilience in the face of global challenges, such as climate change and food security. However, the successful implementation of these techniques relies also on public acceptance of this innovation. Understanding what shapes public perception and acceptance of New Plant Breeding Techniques is crucial for effective science communication, policymaking, and the sustainable adoption of these innovations. The objective of this systematic review was to synthesize existing research on the public perception of New Plant Breeding Techniques applied to food crops and explore the psychosocial determinants that influence acceptance. Twenty papers published between 2015 and 2023 were included on various New Plant Breeding Techniques and their reception by the general public. Determinants affecting the acceptance of food crops derived from New Plant Breeding Techniques were categorized into six areas: sociodemographic factors, perceived benefits and risks, attitudes toward science, communication strategies, personal values, and product characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mastering writing skills is preceded by a significant developmental pathway of graphomotor abilities, which starts early in childhood. Considering that graphomotor ability and visual perception are prerequisites for mastering the writing, this study analyzed the graphomotor abilities in preschool-aged children, with the aim of identifying children exhibiting elements suspected of dysgraphia. The sample consisted of 100 preschool-aged children (age 5-6), of both genders (49 girls and 51 boys). Pre-writing skills were assessed using the Predictive Test for Dysgraphia. The research was conducted in a Preschool Institution in Danilovgrad, in March and April 2024. The results of analysis showed that preschool-aged children have specific difficulties in meeting the following criteria: accurately following the given sequence of figures and their careful and precise drawing (size and shape). It was also found that children of this age group have a particular problem in maintaining the specified distance of the figures from the edge of the rectangle (drawing around the edge). The only test item that the majority of respondents were able to respond to was perseverance in completing tasks, in terms of finishing the drawing (a series of started figures). Based on inadequate visual discrimination of the size and shape of given and drawn figures, and poor spatial orientation on paper, it is possible to identify children with graphomotor difficulties. Early detection of children with visual-perceptual and graphomotor difficulties will help overcome these deficiencies through systematic exercises through speech therapy treatments, so that children can start school being better prepared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flow has been described as a state of optimal performance, experienced universally across a broad range of domains: from art to athletics, gaming to writing. However, its phenomenal characteristics can, at first glance, be puzzling. Firstly, individuals in flow supposedly report a loss of self-awareness, even though they perform in a manner which seems to evince their agency and skill. Secondly, flow states are felt to be effortless, despite the prerequisite complexity of the tasks that engender them. In this paper, we unpick these features of flow, as well as others, through the active inference framework, which posits that action and perception are forms of active Bayesian inference directed at sustained self-organisation; i.e., the minimisation of variational free energy. We propose that the phenomenology of flow is rooted in the deployment of high precision weight over (i) the expected sensory consequences of action and (ii) beliefs about how action will sequentially unfold. This computational mechanism thus draws the embodied cognitive system to minimise the ensuing (i.e., expected) free energy through the exploitation of the pragmatic affordances at hand. Furthermore, given the challenging dynamics the flowinducing situation presents, attention must be wholly focussed on the unfolding task whilst counterfactual planning is restricted, leading to the attested loss of the sense of self-as-object. This involves the inhibition of both the sense of self as a temporally extended object and higher-order, meta-cognitive forms of self-conceptualisation. Nevertheless, we stress that self-awareness is not entirely lost in flow. Rather, it is pre-reflective and bodily. Our approach to bodily-action-centred phenomenology can be applied to similar facets of seemingly agentive experience beyond canonical flow states, providing insights into the mechanisms of so-called selfless experiences, embodied expertise and wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important to examine how video games affect gender-based dynamics in society as their popularity continues to rise. Video games can be a powerful force in shaping perceptions of social reality, including teenage gamers' perceptions of gender roles. The impact of video games may be more influential for teenagers who are maturing their expectations, thoughts, and attitudes by providing images and messages that can shape the perceptions of gender roles and societal expectations of appearances. Thus, the paper aims to introduce the gender insights of teenage gamers in Türkiye by conducting separate focus group discussions for male and female teenage gamers via the Zoom platform in June 2021. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis under seven themes; representation of game style; depiction of characters in video games; reflection about stereotypes towards gamers; equality of characters in video games; bullying in video games; representation of others in video games; and perspective on gender equality. The findings suggest that both male and female teenagers are more open-minded about gender equality and aware of the struggles of change. However, when their insights are researched in detail it is clear that male gamers still perceive stereotypic gender roles whereas female gamers naturalized gender equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The artificial intelligence required to create self-directed automobiles relies heavily on the capability of precisely perceiving the environment around oneself. Most self-driving automobiles include several detectors, which work together to form a multi-source perception of the surroundings. Extended use of a system that drives autonomously will introduce a variety of worldwide and local failure indications due to the extreme sensitivity of the instruments involved to ambient or environmental situations. These failure indications pose significant risks to the technique's security. The paper presents a real-time information synthesis system incorporating techniques for identifying flaws and accepting faults. The compact connection can be recognized if the qualities mentioned above are provided, and the input information properties may be retrieved in real-time. One way to use the newly introduced method for assessing device reliability is to compute the detectors' worldwide and local degrees of trustworthiness. In order to ensure the precision and dependability of information combination, problem data is filtered out, and monitor duplication is used to assess both the worldwide and local assurance levels of data from sensors at the moment. The chronological and geographic association of data from sensors allows for this. Experimental findings show that the network's algorithms can outperform current techniques in terms of both rapidity and precision and can pinpoint the object's location even when specific sensors are blurry or broken. This research established that the proposed hybrid structure benefits autonomous vehicles' real-time reliability and speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The paper examines preferences for nutritional and health‐related food attributes, the importance placed on intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics of food and the individual, household and psychographic determinants when making choices. To address the lack of empirical studies, the paper estimates Poisson, negative binomial and linear regressions using data from 457 young Chinese adults between 18 and 30 years. The results show a strong preference for nutritional and health‐related food attributes. Gender and unemployment are associated with a decrease in the number of nutritional features valued in food choices. In contrast, a higher income and a positive perception of body shape are associated with an increase in the number of valued nutritional features. Also, older individuals assign lower importance to intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics in evaluating food, while larger household size, higher income, and positive body shape perception increase the importance placed on intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics in evaluating food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Density dominates current urban discussions, especially in light of still-developing understandings of Covid-19's impact on urban populations. This paper argues that critical scrutiny of visual representations of urban density is both missing from academic focus and critically important for understanding how perceptions of density are both created and reproduced. The political rhetoric of density shapes public perceptions as much as it responds to them, and scrutiny of visual density politics adds a new lens to critical density debates. This research takes the speculative imagery of imagined future density created for a public ballot referendum in Zurich, Switzerland as the main focus, and compares the verbal and written campaign rhetoric to the visual images produced as tools of public persuasion. By assessing the gap between what the campaigns claim and what the campaign imagery represents, the research finds embedded in conventional rhetoric a deep-seated and self-defeating assumption that the electorate unilaterally fears density and the changes it might bring. As a winning electoral strategy assuming fear of density worked; as a tool of persuasion it failed, and risks amplifying or creating the perception it assumes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Traditional body classification methods are usually based on three-dimensional human body data. With the development of computer vision technology, two-dimensional (2D) anthropometry technology has garnered a great deal of research attention in the field of anthropometry. This paper presents a body shape classification and discrimination method using 2D images based on computer vision technology. The research included three main parts. (1) Index extraction of body shape classification based on computer vision. The orthogonal 2D human body image information of 362 young female samples was extracted. After normalizing the body height, three body shape classification indexes were separated: the body height pixel value (H), the feature of the projected unit area (ρ), and the feature of the projected area ratio of the front and side of the human body (F). (2) Two-dimensional human body shape classification based on the two-step cluster model. The optimal classification number was determined, and the characteristics of each type of body shape were analyzed. (3) Automatic discrimination of the 2D human body shape based on the Bayesian algorithm. The correct rate of recognition was 94.8%. The results indicate that the body shape classification method based on computer vision technology and the selection of the proposed classification indexes are effective, and the accuracy of body shape recognition is high. In this paper, the classification of human body shape based on 2D digital images was realized, and this method can be applied to 2D anthropometry and other related fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migration‐information campaigns informing potential migrants about the risks of the journey and the harsh life conditions in the destination countries have emerged as prominent tools of migration management in the last decades. Despite their growing importance, little is known about their local implementation in countries of transit and origin as well as their influence on potential migrants' perceptions and experiences. The central objective of this paper is to understand how migration‐information campaigns are implemented on a local scale and how they shape the perception and discourses of migration in the region. We pursue a multi‐scalar analysis of international migration management policies and their outcomes in a specific place and link them with local migration aspirations. The paper is based on qualitative empirical research carried out in Harar, a medium‐sized city in the Harari regional state of Ethiopia. Drawing on interviews with government officials, NGOs, city dwellers, and return migrants, as well as the analysis of policy documents and scientific literature, we show how the local implementation of migration‐information campaigns shapes the local perceptions and discourses on migration within which migration aspirations are embedded. We found that information campaigns did not take into account the complexity and multifaceted nature of local socioeconomic and political conditions which reflects the discrepancy between policy discourses at large and people's perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explains the logic for using the concept of gender-related violence (GRV) as a broad category that problematises homophobia, transphobia and the policing of gender norms and the gender binary, as well as gender-based violence—understood as primarily violence against women and girls (VAWG). It then evaluates the utility of this concept and its capacity to introduce theoretical refinement to the study of gendered violence, by reviewing its reception within a large international feminist project on gendered violence in the lives of children and young people. The aim of this study was to improve knowledge and understanding of forms of violence and discrimination among practitioners who have everyday contact with general populations of children and young people. It sought to improve their ability to identify and challenge sexist, sexualising, homophobic or transphobic language or behaviour, and their knowledge of how and when to refer children and young people to appropriate support. The paper reports my view of the contribution that the concept of gender-related violence made in each of the four project sites: Ireland, Italy, Spain and the UK. The findings are mixed: in Spain and the UK the concept seemed helpful, but in Italy and Ireland it was initially expected to be helpful but, in practice, a conceptualisation closer to gender-based violence plus homophobia was employed. It is tentatively concluded that where LGBTQIA+ rights were well-established as well as the problematisation of VAWG, this framework was successful, but that it was less successful in more heteronormative sites where homophobia was less problematised. It is suggested that, as a concept, GRV can make a valuable intervention in sites like the former. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diversity and representation in sport governing bodies has become an issue for both public discussion and academic debate in recent times. Previous work has primarily centered on gender inequalities within the forever changing masculine terrain of sport. However, no work has yet examined the representation and participation of young people in the decision-making structures of sporting bodies. This paper holds up England's Rugby Union for organizational analysis, using the notion of homologous reproduction as a heuristic framework. In doing so, it explores the reproduction of this governing body for the systematic exclusion of young people in decision-making processes over the last few decades. This framework is then twined with Article 11 of the United Nation's Convention for the Rights of the Child, to make the case that the RFU desires homologous reproduction in order to avoid dealing with what youth are currently concerned with –head injuries. Given such a high proportion of rugby's participants being under twenty-five years of age, we conclude the lack of young people within the decision-making process represents a form of willful discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Romanian Constitution, numerous international and European norms, as well as abundant national legislation, enshrine the principle of equal rights and the prohibition of discrimination. This principle is especially important in the workplace. Indeed, labour relations being power relations, asymmetric relations of subordination, they constitute a special space for the manifestation of discriminatory acts. This paper concerns a specific form of discrimination, namely harassment. This has the particularity that it does not require a comparator. The Romanian legislation includes a detailed regulation of this subject, the usefulness of which can be jeopardized by noncompliance with the rules of legislative technique. The new methodology for preventing and combating harassment based on sex, as well as moral harassment at work, far from shedding light on the controversial issue of workplace harassment, ends up introducing confusion and ambiguities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Television series serve as tools for propaganda and influence, allowing political figures to manipulate public opinion and control how they are perceived. One notable example of this phenomenon can be seen in the representation of Boris Johnson in the TV series 'This England'. The representation of Johnson in the midst of scandals like Party Gate and the mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic tainted his public image as a reliable leader and a dependable Prime Minister. The resulting backlash against him was so severe that he was called to testify in the official COVID-19 inquiry (2023) following his compelled resignation. The filming of the 'This England' during his time in office and its airing just 22 days after his departure, appeared as an effort to repair his damaged image. The significance of this study resides in its contribution to our comprehension of the multifaceted ways in which television series can shape public perception of political leadership and contribute to broader societal and political discourse. Utilizing qualitative content analysis and drawing on Stuart Hall's theory of representation, this paper explores the nuanced depiction of Johnson's leadership and contributes to our understanding of how television series can shape political narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of continuum robotics is rapidly developing. The development of new kinematic structures, locomotion principles and control strategies is driving the development of new types of sensors and sensing methodologies. The sensing in continuum robots can be divided into shape perception and environment perception. The environment perception is focusing on sensing the interactions between the robot and environment. These sensors are often embedded on an outer layer of the robots, so the interactions can be detected. The shape perception is sensing the robot's shape using various principles. There are three main groups of sensors that use the properties of electricity, magnetism and optics to measure the shape of the continuum robots. The sensors based on measuring the properties of electricity are often based on measuring the electrical resistance or capacitance of the flexible sensor. Sensors based on magnetism use properties of permanent magnets or coils that are attached to the robot. Their magnetic field, flux or other properties are then tracked, and shape reconstruction can be performed. The last group of sensors is mostly based on leveraging the properties of traveling light through optical fibers. There are multiple objectives of this work. Objective number one is to clearly categorize the sensors and make a clear distinction between them. Objective number two is to determine the trend and progress of the sensors used in continuum robotics. And finally, the third objective is to define the challenges that the researchers are currently facing. The challenges of sensing the shape or the interaction with the environment of continuum robots are currently in the miniaturization of existing sensors and the development of novel sensing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how religious concepts of salvation, enlightenment, and awakening shape followers perception and understanding of their faith. Drawing on theories of language ideology and linguistic structuration, it explores how linguistic and conceptual variations surrounding these key terms influence religious worldviews. A mixed methods approach integrates comparative-historical case studies, interviews, surveys, and textual analysis of three religious denominations. Findings reveal ideological divergences in the metaphorical framing of the key concepts, relating to differences in perceived resonances and definitions among followers. The study demonstrates that religious conceptual systems transmit between contexts via semiotic processes of indexicality and erasure, undergoing shifts in meaning. These ideological variations in turn contribute to divergent understandings of core principles across faith traditions. Ultimately, illuminating conceptual divergences and the symbolic processes by which they spread provides vital insight into religions cultural logic and diversity. The research contributes to theoretical models of religious languages co-constitutive relationship with thought and experience. It offers an empirical approach employing cognitive linguistics and the sociology of religion to promote understanding across belief systems in an increasingly pluralistic world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the construction industry, there are a large number of project-based organizations (PBOs), where the efficiency of communication and collaboration among organizational members greatly impacts the success of projects. For PBOs employing both centralized and decentralized communication networks, it is worth delving into the question of under what circumstances which type of network will yield better results. Based on the IMO model and organizational learning theory, this paper conducts a grouped communication experiment involving 598 engineering management personnel to explore the differences in collective effectiveness of varying communication networks from the perspective of task urgency. Beyond task performance assessments, we have included organizational member perception to form evaluation criteria for collective effectiveness. Our research results show that under conditions of weak task urgency, decentralized networks yield higher collective effectiveness. Conversely, under conditions of strong task urgency, centralized networks demonstrate superior collective effectiveness. Furthermore, this study also verifies the mediating role of knowledge sharing behavior when task urgency is strong. This research provides significant managerial insights for the establishment of appropriate communication networks for PBOs in the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the significant – albeit little-known – impact that physicist Albert Einstein's theory of relativity had on the development of the science of linguistics. Both Max Talmey, a physician who played a key role in the development of early twentieth-century constructed-language movements, and Benjamin Lee Whorf, who is closely associated with the notion of 'linguistic relativity', drew on their understanding of relativity to develop their ideas (and, in Talmey's case, also on his personal relationship with Einstein). Linguistic relativity, which posits that humans' linguistic categories shape their perceptions of nature, has often been tied to 'relativism' in the social sciences and humanities. In contrast, Talmey's commitment to reformulating the language of Einsteinian relativity – especially through a constructed language he built in the 1920s and 1930s – emphasized the significance of 'invariance' simultaneously in the scientific doctrine and in the language in which it was discussed. The semiotic flexibility of Einstein's 'relativity theory' as it was widely (and wildly) appropriated outside the small community of theoretical physicists enabled the two opposing moves, while obscuring the historical linkage between physics and linguistics for both. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this response paper, we start by addressing the main points made by the commentators on the target article's main theoretical conclusions: the existence and characteristics of the intermediate shape-centered representations (ISCRs) in the visual system, their emergence from edge detection mechanisms operating on different types of visual properties, and how they are eventually reunited in higher order frames of reference underlying conscious visual perception. We also address the much-commented issue of the possible neural mechanisms of the ISCRs. In the final section, we address more specific and general comments, questions, and suggestions which, albeit very interesting, were less directly focused on the main conclusions of the target paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

News about celebrity athlete transgressions is nearly an everyday occurrence in today's media channels. Whether the public stigmatizes these individuals as a result of these indiscretions and how this process is enacted is not yet evident in the literature. This paper seeks to answer the question of whether and how the psychological process of stigma formation occurs with regard to celebrity athletes who transgress. Further, the paper also seeks to clarify the impact of this stigmatization in the context of sponsorship and celebrity endorsement. A total of 219 US residents who were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk participated in this experimental study. We employed structural equation modeling to test our hypotheses. The results show that the impact of negative moral emotions on stigma formation for transgressed athletes is partially mediated by internal attribution. Moreover, negative moral emotions and stigmas have a direct positive (negative) impact on moral coupling (moral decoupling and rationalization), and ultimately influence the attitude toward the transgressed athlete and sponsored brand. The findings suggest that brand managers should consider the transgression history as a key determinant for endorsement decisions because sport consumers may have already formed a strong perception of stigma toward those athletes and those perceptions in turn determine the overall evaluations of endorsed athletes and sponsored brands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]