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The booming development of 3D virtual technology provides the basis for the innovation of teaching mode of clinical medicine. Integrating 3D virtual technology into the clinical education teaching of medical students can help medical students learn clinical expertise more intuitively, enrich practical experience, improve hands-on ability, and make up for the shortcomings of traditional medical teaching. However, the traditional 3D modeling method has the problems of sparse and insufficient accuracy of output results, which greatly limits the specific application of 3D virtual technology in clinical teaching. Therefore, this paper addresses the shortcomings of previous 3D virtual technology in 3D modeling of organs, introduces deep learning, and then proposes a pyramidal shape perception network with the ability to generate samples on point clouds. Experimental results show that the proposed model not only has a large improvement in accuracy but also shows a high degree of confidence in providing real-time feedback of local image attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many recent works have reconstructed distinctive 3D face shapes by aggregating shape parameters of the same identity and separating those of different people based on parametric models (e.g. 3D morphable models (3DMMs)). However, despite the high accuracy in the face recognition task using these shape parameters, the visual discrimination of face shapes reconstructed from those parameters remains unsatisfactory. Previous works have not answered the following research question: Do discriminative shape parameters guarantee visual discrimination in represented 3D face shapes? This paper analyses the relationship between shape parameters and reconstructed shape geometry, and proposes a novel shape identity‐aware regularization (SIR) loss for shape parameters, aiming at increasing discriminability in both the shape parameter and shape geometry domains. Moreover, to cope with the lack of training data containing both landmark and identity annotations, we propose a network structure and an associated training strategy to leverage mixed data containing either identity or landmark labels. In addition, since face recognition accuracy does not mean the recognizability of reconstructed face shapes from the shape parameters, we propose the SIR metric to measure the discriminability of face shapes. We compare our method with existing methods in terms of the reconstruction error, visual discriminability, and face recognition accuracy of the shape parameters and SIR metric. Experimental results show that our method outperforms the state‐of‐the‐art methods. The code will be released at https://github.com/a686432/SIR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why has China delayed commercialization of genetically modified (GM) crops over the last decade given its heavy public R&D investment in biotechnology and maturing GM capacity? Further, imports of GM products for consumption are allowed while similar domestic GM‐crops cannot be commercialized. The paper analyzes, from a political economy perspective, how the delay of commercialization arises from the government balancing interests and conflicts among vested interests to keep social stability based on comprehensive secondary data and unique primary survey data. Anti‐GMO activists have, over time, been able to shape the public perception of biotechnology. Their efforts have garnered widespread acceptance among interest groups and have been sufficient to raise the specter of underlying social instability, which is always near the top of mind for China's government. As a result, no movement on commercialization has been made since 2010—more than a decade ago. The failure to commercialize is important because food production would increase considerably if China were able to commercialize GM crops and the resolution of the biotechnology issue has broad implications for food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern feedforward convolutional neural networks (CNNs) can now solve some computer vision tasks at super-human levels. However, these networks only roughly mimic human visual perception. One difference from human vision is that they do not appear to perceive illusory contours (e.g. Kanizsa squares) in the same way humans do. Physiological evidence from visual cortex suggests that the perception of illusory contours could involve feedback connections. Would recurrent feedback neural networks perceive illusory contours like humans? In this work we equip a deep feedforward convolutional network with brain-inspired recurrent dynamics. The network was first pretrained with an unsupervised reconstruction objective on a natural image dataset, to expose it to natural object contour statistics. Then, a classification decision head was added and the model was finetuned on a form discrimination task: squares vs. randomly oriented inducer shapes (no illusory contour). Finally, the model was tested with the unfamiliar "illusory contour" configuration: inducer shapes oriented to form an illusory square. Compared with feedforward baselines, the iterative "predictive coding" feedback resulted in more illusory contours being classified as physical squares. The perception of the illusory contour was measurable in the luminance profile of the image reconstructions produced by the model, demonstrating that the model really "sees" the illusion. Ablation studies revealed that natural image pretraining and feedback error correction are both critical to the perception of the illusion. Finally we validated our conclusions in a deeper network (VGG): adding the same predictive coding feedback dynamics again leads to the perception of illusory contours., 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 © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Polarity-dependent orientation illusions are manifested in figures in which the impression of target orientation does not depend only on geometrical relations between the elements of the figure, but also on the relations between their luminances, that is, on luminance polarities. The best-known phenomenon belonging to this class of effects is the Münsterberg/Café Wall illusion. In this paper a considerable number of examples of this type of illusions are presented, many of which are novel variants. A two-level convolutional model of such illusions is introduced, in which the first level corresponds to the stimulus input and the second level contains units fashioned after simple cells in V1, whose spatial patterns of activity represent the model's reaction to the stimulus. The main finding of numerous simulations of the model is that the figures inducing illusory impressions of tilt share a common spatial pattern of neural activation, labeled 'oblique clusters', which is absent in related non-illusory figures. Furthermore, a similar pattern is also present in simulations of figures which induce veridical impressions of tilt. The simulations suggest that the neural basis of perception of a specific degree of tilt may not be the activity of neurons tuned narrowly to that particular degree of tilt, but rather the presence of certain signature spatial patterns of activity of populations of neurons., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The dynamic nature of uncertainty sources in regional operations represents supply chain management (SCM) imperatives to review uncertainty management frameworks on an ongoing basis with a view to identifying and prioritising critical indices of uncertainty for effective SCM. The purpose of this study is to identify the critical indices of uncertainty for regional supply chains and analyse how SCM practitioners perceive uncertainty. Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents a Delphi-based study with a panel of 70 SCM experts from the Sultanate of Oman in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. It applies three rounds of a Delphi exercise to identify, select and prioritise the critical indices of supply chain uncertainty perceived by panel experts. The thematic analysis also provides theorisations on the process for uncertainty perception and factors shaping perception. Findings: A total of 39 uncertainty indices were identified from demand, supply, manufacturing, control, technology, competitive, project, transport and geological sources. The Delphi selection round captured the top 12 indices of experts. The research found an accumulative–aggregative duality that explains uncertainty perception and a cost–conformance–connection triadic set of factors underlying the perceived critical indices. Project uncertainty produced the top-ranked index in the final Delphi round. Originality/value: This paper makes three main contributions. First, it offers a bottom-up based insight into supply chain uncertainty using the Delphi-based study and from a GCC perspective. Second, the research is unique in its focus on Oman and, third, it is of value for the international operations of GCC companies and for international firms with intentions of expanding, moving or outsourcing their operations to a GCC country such as Oman. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate consumer reactions to minority retail employees. The paper argues that despite the persistence of racism and homophobia in society, the vast majority of the population is strongly against these forms of discrimination. Because of the profound negativity of such behavior, the study hypothesizes that consumers will be motivated to see themselves unequivocally as individuals free of prejudice. As a result, rather than treating all people equally, the study proposes that consumers will overcompensate and exhibit favoritism toward a retail employee when the latter is a member of a minority group. Design/methodology/approach: This study presents ten studies in which participants evaluated employees who were a member of a minority or majority group. Studies 1a–1d use sexual orientation to contrast reactions to majority or minority bank managers in four countries (USÀ, Germany, Italy and South Korea), whereas Studies 1e and 1f use ethnicity (White vs Black) to examine the same question (UK and Canada). Study 1g offers a single-paper meta-analysis, testing the robustness of the observed effect. Studies 2 and 3 examine the roles of political ideology and its associated values, and Study 4 examines choice of an advisor in an online, but consequential setting. Findings: Across several contexts and countries, the study finds a consistent pro-minority bias in evaluations of service employees. The study show that, in the USA, this bias is prevalent among liberals, but not among conservatives. This difference in the impact of political ideology is explained by adherence to traditionalism. Research limitations/implications: This paper investigates consumer reactions to gays and Blacks and do not test for consumer reactions to other minority groups. Regarding employees' sexual orientation, the findings of this study are limited to gay men only. Practical implications: To elicit favorable evaluations from customers, managers may consider the match between employees' sexual orientation or ethnicity and consumers' liberal beliefs. In particular, managers may want to hire people from those minority groups in areas known for their liberal values. On the other hand, the findings suggest that managers should not worry about their new recruits' sexual orientation and ethnicity in conservative areas, because the results suggest that conservatives show no favoritism toward employees in response to their group status. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper is the first paper in marketing investigating consumer reactions to employees who belong to minority groups. The study reports a pro-minority bias that holds across samples and countries, thereby attesting to the population validity of the hypotheses. Further, the study identifies boundary conditions of the effect of employees' group status by identifying managerially relevant moderators (i.e. political ideology and traditionalism). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Packaging represents an essential issue for marketers in terms of effectively communicating the product's benefits, especially in the case of organic food products. Because of logistical advantages, rectangular packaging is frequently used for organic food products. However, the question arises whether packaging alignment may significantly influence consumers' decision-making at the point of sale. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the effects of rectangular packaging alignment (vertical vs horizontal) on consumer perception in the context of organic food products. Design/methodology/approach: On the basis of the empirical results of a pilot study, a between-subjects online experiment with a sample size of 699 participants and two conditions (vertical vs horizontal packaging alignment) was performed. Analyses of covariance and PROCESS mediation analysis were used for data analysis. Findings: The results of two empirical studies confirm the relevance of differences in consumers' horizontal and vertical information processing for the research context of organic food and provide evidence for the assumed relevance of packaging alignment by ultimately showing a change in packaging alignment affects consumers' willingness to pay. Importantly, this effect is mediated by utilitarian value perception. Originality/value: This paper importantly contributes to research on packaging design of organic food products. Specifically, the relevance of an efficient utilitarian value perception for the consumer's willingness to pay is highlighted in this context. Potential implications of these results for companies, consumers and public health are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the contradictions that exist between economic development and gender equity in India. It deploys concepts of cultural violence and symbolic hegemony to understand how gender and caste-based violence is normalized and institutionalized over time through cultural norms. It also uses an intersectional lens to examine the layers of marginalization and oppression. Based on field studies in rural Bihar, it shows that despite development gains, old forms of gender-based discrimination and violence such as son-preference, dowry, witch-hunting, and discriminatory practices associated with menstruation persist. It notes that there are new forms of violence used by the upper caste groups against the lower ones when the latter resist and refuse to continue performing traditional caste-based tasks. We argue that this refusal by lower caste women can be seen as symbolic resistance against historically defined norms of caste. The emerging patterns of violence discussed in the paper need a more concerted and nuanced exploration of reconfigurations of relations within and between caste groups, as well as the cultural and social contexts in which changes are taking place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Social & Cultural Geography is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper discusses the notion of intersectional discrimination in the context of the responses Italy has given to the challenge of protecting migrant women from persecutions, violence and severe exploitation. The essay moves from the acknowledgment that women's voices and experiences of subordination and oppression are often overlooked. Too often the different overlapping of discriminatory grounds are taken into account separately, without capturing the complexity of experiences they face with. It is argued that intersectionality is a realistic and effective way of incorporating women's human rights, not only in the analysis of their conditions, but also in the various policies and practices of governmental and nongovernmental agencies involved in such activities. The concept refers to the interrelation of the different forms of social stratification and identity such as race, gender, religion, age, class, ethnicity and disability, and to the fact that people belonging to multiple categories suffer a unique form of discrimination and face unique challenges. Intersectionality however requires a careful, flexible and context-specific proceduralisation of the respective practices, in particular through the referral from one agency to the others. Public and private actors active in Italy in the areas of asylum seeker/refugee protection, anti-trafficking/labour exploitation, and anti-violence have recently realized the crucial importance of a more substantive collaboration through 'intersectionality' in approaching situations of vulnerability and in crafting appropriate responses, while respecting the respective professional skills and mandates. The national legal framework, although theoretically committed to the imperative of protecting human rights and empowering victimised women, has not consistently supported such efforts. Legal fragmentation and a prevalent securitizing narrative, especially evident in the 2018-19 urgency legislation on asylum seekers, have posed serious obstacles to a consistent practice of crossreferral among social agencies. Margins of maneuver still exist however to elaborate alternative practices of inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European Union represents a supranational creation based on respect for basic human rights, prohibition of all forms of discrimination and promotion of tolerance. Its main legislative institutions, the Council of Ministers, Parliament and Commission seek to harmonize Member State's legislation by adopting directives, the instruments which at the same time represent a guarantee of respect for a wide range of rights enjoyed by Union's citizens. Bearing in mind the fact that the Republic of Serbia is in the process of harmonization of its national legislation with acquis communautaire, as well as the importance of working and labor relations for the proper functioning of market and entire economy, this paper will explore the question of the impact of directives on domestic legislation and evaluations of achieved results. The paper defines the issues of temporary agency recruitment, working conditions, protection of workers on the job, collective dismissals, bankruptcy and transfers of enterprises. These are the areas in which the Republic of Serbia has largely adapted its national regulations to the provisions of European Union (EU) directives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, Augmented-Reality (AR) head-mounted displays (HMD) deliver a more immersive visualization of virtual contents, but the available means of interaction, mainly based on gesture and/or voice, are yet limited and obviously lack realism and expressivity when compared to traditional physical means. In this sense, the integration of haptics within AR may help to deliver an enriched experience, while facilitating the performance of specific actions, such as repositioning or resizing tasks, that are still dependent on the user's skills. In this direction, this paper gathers the description of a flexible architecture designed to deploy haptically enabled AR applications both for mobile and wearable visualization devices. The haptic feedback may be generated through a variety of devices (e.g., wearable, graspable, or mid-air ones), and the architecture facilitates handling the specificity of each. For this reason, within the paper, it is discussed how to generate a haptic representation of a 3D digital object depending on the application and the target device. Additionally, the paper includes an analysis of practical, relevant issues that arise when setting up a system to work with specific devices like HMD (e.g., HoloLens) and mid-air haptic devices (e.g., Ultrahaptics), such as the alignment between the real world and the virtual one. The architecture applicability is demonstrated through the implementation of two applications: (a) Form Inspector and (b) Simon Game, built for HoloLens and iOS mobile phones for visualization and for UHK for mid-air haptics delivery. These applications have been used to explore with nine users the efficiency, meaningfulness, and usefulness of mid-air haptics for form perception, object resizing, and push interaction tasks. Results show that, although mobile interaction is preferred when this option is available, haptics turn out to be more meaningful in identifying shapes when compared to what users initially expect and in contributing to the execution of resizing tasks. Moreover, this preliminary user study reveals some design issues when working with haptic AR. For example, users may be expecting a tailored interface metaphor, not necessarily inspired in natural interaction. This has been the case of our proposal of virtual pressable buttons, built mimicking real buttons by using haptics, but differently interpreted by the study participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the globalization of the styles and ideas has smoothed geographical and cultural borders, the contemporary Japanese architecture has retained a very distinctive style. SANAA is an internationally significant and prize-winning firm of architects whose works seem to exemplify this kind of architecture. Some of the distinctive features of their work are simplicity, transparency and formal austerity, as well as a peculiar ambiguity in the expression of materiality. What role does the materiality play in creating something uniquely Japanese out of modern architecture? Through a case-study of Louvre-Lens Museum, the paper investigates the role that materiality plays in realising the Japanese aesthetics, focusing primarily on two key material features that have been identified in SANAA’s work: transparency and whiteness. Some concepts of Japanese aesthetics are investigated in order to have a better understanding of the idea of ambiguity and weakness embedded in Japanese culture, including the concepts of mono no aware, superflat and philosophy of Rikyu Grey. By analysing the materiality and luminance conditions of interior space of the Louvre-Lens Museum and impact of the environment and time on exterior materiality, the paper suggests that materiality turns out to be a vital tool in the creation of a more tactile and ambiguous experience of vision, which transformed the focus of architecture from form to sensibility and perception. The Japanese aesthetic of simplicity, ambiguity and ephemerality is subtly applied through the seemingly neutral expression of materiality in SANAA’s architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the last decades, more and more attention in academics and practice has been given to 'social' topics such as community involvement, active citizenship, commoning processes. Considering this trend, it is possible to notice an abuse of these terms, contributing to the 'social washing' and feeding the risk of instrumentalisation. Starting from the analysis of the state of the art and comparing two cases, the paper aims to evaluate the outcomes of neglected sites recycling with socially innovative initiatives. At the centre of the debate are social enterprises, non-profit entities whose ambition is to create social benefits and new economic solutions for a better use of local resources over time. Considering this purpose, the research investigated the European scenario of Southern Italy, characterised by demographic transition and youth migration. The research adopted qualitative, quantitative and comparative methods. The two cases analysed and compared are Periferica of Mazara del Vallo and ExFadda of San Vito dei Normanni. Both are the result of local resources reactivation and youth entrepreneurship policies. These creative centres are managed by social enterprises. Their actions and activities affect the places producing social, economic, cultural and spatial impacts. However, behind these initiatives lies the soft power, a power able to shape people perceptions through culture. The research illustrates the process outcomes and evaluates its positive and negative impacts to the site and its surroundings. In conclusion, the research is conceived as a contribution to the body of knowledge and the basis for future researches and practical models for the socially innovative recycling of disused resources in urban–rural context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The televisual image has played a key role in the first fifty years of human spaceflight and lunar exploration by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). As multiple national space agencies and private entities prepare to return humans once again to the surface of the moon as a precursor to eventual planned missions to Mars, television will continue to deeply shape the perception and politics of human spaceflight. This paper presents a history of the televisual image in human spaceflight through analysis of contemporaneous documentary evidence such as spaceflight transcripts and space agency press kits, with a focus also on the technical developments underpinning the broadcasts. The analysis commences with NASA's Apollo missions of the 1960s through to the International Space Station (ISS) era. These televisual images have deep cultural currency but are also fragile and present moments of risk for the agencies involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers' decisions are intricately interwoven with their conversations. Whether it is an animated discussion with a trusted friend extolling the virtues of a newly acquired car (i.e., Word‐of‐Mouth), an engaging dialogue with a salesperson, or a clarifying call to a help center seeking guidance on a just‐purchased smartwatch, every exchange hinges on a pivotal factor: the quality of listening. Listening quality shapes perceptions, affects social influence, drives behavioral intentions, and, ultimately, determines purchase and post‐purchase outcomes. Yet, despite its importance to these consumer behavior outcomes, listening has received scant attention in consumer psychology. In this paper, we review the effects of listening on consumer behavior‐relevant outcomes and unpack the components of quality listening to reveal their independent mechanisms. We also point to new frontiers in listening research beyond the in‐person, dyadic interactions that have been the primary focus of listening research to date. By doing this, we elucidate how listening and consumer behavior are connected and encourage more research on listening in consumer psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meaningful participation in science and engineering practices requires that students make their thinking visible to others and build on one another's ideas. But sharing ideas with others in small groups and classrooms carries social risk, particularly for students from nondominant groups and communities. In this paper, we explore how students' perceptions of classrooms shape their contributions to classroom knowledge building in science across a wide range of classrooms. We examine the claim that when students feel a sense of belonging in class, they contribute more and perceive their ideas to be more influential in knowledge building. Data comes from classroom exit tickets (n = 10,194) administered in 146 classrooms as part of a 10‐state field test of a new middle‐school science curriculum, OpenSciEd, which were analyzed using mixed effects models. We found that students' sense of belonging predicted the degree to which they contributed ideas out loud in class (Odds ratio = 1.57) as well as the degree to which they perceived their contributions as influencing others (Odds ratio = 1.53). These relationships were particularly strong for students who reported a lower a sense of belonging. We also found significant differences by both race and gender in whether students said they contributed and believed their ideas influenced those of others. These findings suggest that a learner's sense of belonging in class and willingness to contribute may be mutually reinforcing, highlighting the need to promote content‐specific strategies to foster belonging in ways that support collaborative knowledge building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, siamese-based trackers have achieved significant successes. However, those trackers are restricted by the difficulty of learning consistent feature representation with the object. To address the above challenge, this paper proposes a novel siamese implicit region proposal network with compound attention for visual tracking. First, an implicit region proposal (IRP) module is designed by combining a novel pixel-wise correlation method. This module can aggregate feature information of different regions that are similar to the pre-defined anchor boxes in Region Proposal Network. To this end, the adaptive feature receptive fields then can be obtained by linear fusion of features from different regions. Second, a compound attention module including a channel and non-local attention is raised to assist the IRP module to perform a better perception of the scale and shape of the object. The channel attention is applied for mining the discriminative information of the object to handle the background clutters of the template, while non-local attention is trained to aggregate the contextual information to learn the semantic range of the object. Finally, experimental results demonstrate that the proposed tracker achieves state-of-the-art performance on six challenging benchmark tests, including VOT-2018, VOT-2019, OTB-100, GOT-10k, LaSOT, and TrackingNet. Further, our obtained results demonstrate that the proposed approach can be run at an average speed of 72 FPS in real time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) is an integrated approach to the long-term management of maritime areas, in order to ensure sustainable development and use of marine resources, advocating the need for the sustainable growth as far as maritime economies are concerned. MSP is based on an integrated and participatory decision-making process which involves stakeholders from all sectors of the marine environment, tourism being one sector which requires support from a variety of stakeholders. The aim of this paper is to form a picture of the perception of the MSP stakeholders regarding coastal and maritime tourism, i.e., to see whether it is a priority from the perspective of analyzing land-sea interactions (LSI) in the Romanian Black Sea coastal area. Their views regarding the priorities and role of tourism sustainability in the local economy are needed, considering that LSI is strongly connected to the economic benefits of MSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper is proposing to present the main aspects in connection with discrimination and local governance. Is there discrimination present at local public administration level? What forms does discrimination take at the local level? Do we have enough leverages to fight against discrimination? There are just a few questions to answer to in our study, and we will try to find and to analyze a few case studies to underline the current situation in Romania, at local level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a digital pulse shape discrimination (PSD) method is proposed to distinguish between neutron and gamma events in radiation detectors. Machine learning is employed for classifying the radiation type according to the feature values that represent the pulse shape parameters. To consider both time and frequency parameters of the pulse signal, the short-time frequency transform is employed for the feature extraction process. The proposed approach utilizes the principal component analysis, for dimensionality reduction, where only the most significant components are selected for the classification procedure. The logistic regression model is chosen, among many classifiers, to provide a discrimination parameter through which performance comparison with conventional PSD techniques can be easily applied. To evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm, the figure of merit and the classification accuracy are calculated at different signal to noise ratios and energy levels. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is validated through a performance comparison with state-of-the art methods and traditional PSD techniques, like charge comparison, pulse gradient analysis, and frequency gradient analysis. Experimental results show that the proposed technique introduces better discrimination capability than that of the other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major challenge of this paper is to examine how various forms of speed perception affect motor vehicle crash (MVC) involvement. To model this relationship, we use a type-2 fuzzy inference system (T2FIS). Another general challenge is to improve the performance of seven created T2FISs in a sense of compliance with the empirical data. This is achieved by a proposal of an algorithm based on the bee colony optimization (BCO) metaheuristic. The main novelty of this algorithm is the way how the testing points are selected in a type-2 fuzzy environment, which influences the execution efficiency. Data collection was carried out in twelve experiments. A total of 178 young drivers assessed the speed level from four positions; three of them relate to the speed perception of other vehicles on the road, while the remaining one represents the assessment of their own speed. At each position, three speed levels were assessed: 30, 50, and 70 km/h. As a result of the implemented methodology, a relationship between the various forms of speed perception and participation in MVCs can be quantified. The BCO-based algorithm achieved an average improvement of 21.17% in the performance of the initial T2FIS structures. The final results indicate that the drivers whose speed perception of the vehicle they are looking at from the rear side, as well as of the own vehicle, is poor have an elevated risk toward participation in MVCs compared to other forms of speed perception. This can be useful in various educational and recruitment procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Sociología del Trabajo is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this paper, we propose an obstacle detection approach that uses a facet-based obstacle representation. The approach has three main steps: ground point detection, clustering of obstacle points, and facet extraction. Measurements from a 64-layer LiDAR are used as input. First, ground points are detected and eliminated in order to select obstacle points and create object instances. To determine the objects, obstacle points are grouped using a channel-based clustering approach. For each object instance, its contour is extracted and, using an RANSAC-based approach, the obstacle facets are selected. For each processing stage, optimizations are proposed in order to obtain a better runtime. For the evaluation, we compare our proposed approach with an existing approach, using the KITTI benchmark dataset. The proposed approach has similar or better results for some obstacle categories but a lower computational complexity.

In this paper we contrast bounded and ecological rationality with a proposed alternative, generative rationality. Ecological approaches to rationality build on the idea of humans as "intuitive statisticians" while we argue for a more generative conception of humans as "probing organisms." We first highlight how ecological rationality's focus on cues and statistics is problematic for two reasons: (a) the problem of cue salience, and (b) the problem of cue uncertainty. We highlight these problems by revisiting the statistical and cue-based logic that underlies ecological rationality, which originate from the misapplication of concepts in psychophysics (e.g., signal detection, just-noticeable-differences). We then work through the most popular experimental task in the ecological rationality literature—the city size task—to illustrate how psychophysical assumptions have informally been linked to ecological rationality. After highlighting these problems, we contrast ecological rationality with a proposed alternative, generative rationality. Generative rationality builds on biology—in contrast to ecological rationality's focus on statistics. We argue that in uncertain environments cues are rarely given or available for statistical processing. Therefore we focus on the psychogenesis of awareness rather than psychophysics of cues. For any agent or organism, environments "teem" with indefinite cues, meanings and potential objects, the salience or relevance of which is scarcely obvious based on their statistical or physical properties. We focus on organism-specificity and the organism-directed probing that shapes awareness and perception. Cues in teeming environments are noticed when they serve as cues-for-something, requiring what might be called a "cue-to-clue" transformation. In this sense, awareness toward a cue or cues is actively "grown." We thus argue that perception might more productively be seen as the presentation of cues and objects rather than their representation. This generative approach not only applies to relatively mundane organism (including human) interactions with their environments—as well as organism-object relationships and their embodied nature—but also has significant implications for understanding the emergence of novelty in economic settings. We conclude with a discussion of how our arguments link with—but modify—Herbert Simon's popular "scissors" metaphor, as it applies to bounded rationality and its implications for decision making in uncertain, teeming environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

JSNS 2 (J-PARC Sterile Neutrino Search at J-PARC Spallation Neutron Source) is an experiment that is searching for sterile neutrinos via the observation of ν ¯ μ → ν ¯ e appearance oscillations using muon decay-at-rest neutrinos. Before dedicated data taking in the first-half of 2021, we performed a commissioning run for 10 days in June 2020. Using the data obtained in this commissioning run, in this paper, we present an estimate of the correlated background which imitates the ν ¯ e signal in a sterile neutrino search. In addition, in order to demonstrate future prospects of the JSNS 2 experiment, possible pulse shape discrimination improvements towards reducing cosmic ray induced fast neutron background are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the factors related to organizational attractiveness (OA), a concept originating in the strategy of employer branding. Previous research on OA has predominantly adopted the perspective of external applicants. In contrast, the present study takes the perspective of internal and current employees, extending further the scope of studies on OA. Design/methodology/approach: Quantitative data were collected from a survey consisting of a sample of 164 nurses, all employees of public hospitals. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data. Furthermore, the indirect effects were tested by mediator analysis. Findings: Interdepartmental collaboration climate, management support and service quality of care were shown to have a positive effect on OA, with the three factors explaining 45% (R2 = 0.45) of OA. The relationship between management support and OA was found to be mediated through the interdepartmental collaboration climate, and that between the interdepartmental collaboration climate and OA was found to be mediated through the service quality of care. Originality/value: This study contributes to an understanding of OA from a current employee perspective. Specifically, it reveals how the three factors of interdepartmental collaboration climate, management support and service quality of care influence and shape the perception of current employees (nurses) toward the attractiveness of their organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Varstvoslovje: Journal of Criminal Justice & Security is the property of University of Maribor, Faculty of Criminal Justice & Security and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Since the end of 2017, Bosnia and Herzegovina has experienced a significant increase in the number of migrants transiting through the country. Based on an ethnographic reading of nineteen recollections of 'personal migration experiences' of Bosnians during 1992–1995 war, which form the basis for popular perception of migrants in the country, this paper explores how the concept of solidarity is imagined and lived in the context of this significant increase. We argue that Bosnians interpret these recent arrivals as a 'test of humanity', having been in a similar situation in the early 1990s. In this regard, the concept of solidarity opens a window onto the interactions with and between migrants and non-migrants, recognizing a shared set of concerns and orientations, rather than exceptionalizing migrants through the lens of 'crisis'. That said, the concept of solidarity is less popular among those who do not share a so-called 'migrant's faith', resulting in negative perceptions of migrants. In these perceptions, migrants' presence in the country is criminalized, resulting in various calls for more aggressive, even violent, 'popular' handling of migrants transiting or settling in Bosnia and Herzegovina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main scope of the paper is identifying some categories of challenges in career decision process for teenagers from disadvantaged areas. The study purposes are as follows: 1. identifying the decisive factors influencing the career decision and their power in students' choices; 2. establishing the information resources considered by the students as being useful in choosing their future career; 3. raising students' awareness of the connection between their school training / career decision and the pandemic context; 4. the impact of training sources and resources on the career decision acknowledged by the students; 5. identifying the students' position towards their future personal /professional development. The research was conducted by applying an online questionnaire to a group of 11th and 12th Grade students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The study results will outline how high school students in the target group shape their perception on choosing their future career (including the influence of the elements specific to the pandemic context ) and what resources they use in determining their future career path. The collected data will be considered the basis for the improvement both of future counselling actions with young people from the same category of beneficiaries and of the methodological tools serving these purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper argues that the ways in which editors shape cultural perceptions of authors, or their works, are only partially evident from theoretical writings and testimonies. Programmes and practices of editing often do not coincide, they can even contradict each other. This is not necessarily due to a lack of consistency, but to the fact that there is an inherent logic to editorial practice that is sometimes not even fully reflected upon by the professionals and experts within the community. What is needed, it is argued, is a praxeological approach that looks at the practices of selecting and editing, framing and medially placing texts, as well as the social, economical and political aspects of editions in concrete historical constellations. Thus, fundamental tensions that characterize the practice of modern editing since the beginning become visible. In the nineteenth century, a notion of editorship as a purely reproductive activity emerged. Editors were not allowed anymore to make any interventions in the texts. However, this concept of editorship contrasted with the idea that the editor should become a second maker, by not only replicating the original creative activity, but claiming to be able to understand the author better than the author understands him- or herself. The collaborative practice of editorship therefore equally works in favour of the author and against the author. Bettina von Arnim's literary debut Goethe's Briefwechsel mit einem Kinde (1835) is used as an example to illustrate this basic problem of modern editorship. In Arnim's work, different functions and programmatics of editorship come together. Goethe's Briefwechsel mit einem Kinde is situated between a poetic form of appropriation and a poeto-philological practice of editing. It is both an act of memorialization and an attempt by the editor to secure a place for herself in the literary field. Through her editing of the letters and their arrangement, Arnim initially places herself in the role of one of Goethe's imaginary sister: At the end of the first part of the correspondence, Arnim is asked by Goethe's mother to write down the story of Karoline von Günderrode. Thus, she composes a female Wertheriade. In the second part, Arnim stages herself as the poet's muse by putting words into her own mouth in the letters to Goethe that later reappear in his poems. Finally, Arnim repeatedly slips into the role of Goethe's female characters and continues their stories on her own authority. While the second part of the correspondence ends with Goethe's death, the third part, the Tagebuch (Diary), becomes the initiation of Arnim's own authorship. Here the dialogue turns into a monologue. The logic of inspiration is reversed: Arnim becomes a poet kissed and blessed by the muse Goethe. Owing to its fictional elements, Goethe's Briefwechsel mit einem Kinde has tended to be regarded in German-studies scholarship as an epistolary novel or artistic adaptation rather than as an ›edition‹ in the proper sense of the word. This article, on the contrary, argues that the book illuminates a fundamental contradiction of modern editing precisely because of its intermediate status between philology and poetry. Editorial activities always aim to establish an authentic speech and a specific form of authorship. Even as nineteenth-century editorial philology formed an ethos that prohibited purposeful interference with the text, the editors still claimed to become second creators. This led to self-contradictions that have not been discussed within philology for a long time. Arnim's poetical edition Goethe's Briefwechsel mit einem Kinde makes this contradiction visible by exaggerating it: She pursues the hubris of being able to understand the author better than he understands himself in an excessive form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to identify the factors that cause prospective tourists' hesitation to travel. The study also examines whether this relationship is mediated by the tourist perception in Bangladesh. The study is of quantitative design, and the relationships between tourist knowledge, tourist health risk, and destination personality with tourist hesitation were explored using a sample of 322 Bangladeshi prospective tourists. The three relationships were also examined through tourist perception. By using cross-sectional data, the researchers hypothesized that tourist knowledge, tourist health risk, and destination personality have a positive and significant effect on tourist hesitation. Besides, the researchers also hypothesized that tourist perception mediates the relationships between tourist knowledge, tourist health risk, and destination personality with tourist hesitation. In this respect, the Smart PLS 3.0 was employed to analyze the data. The results of the study confirm findings of previous related studies by not only highlighting the importance of tourist perception in shaping tourist hesitation but also indicating the way each dimension of tourism either enhances or inhibits the tourist hesitation. The results of the study also reveal a positive and significant relationship between tourist knowledge and tourist health risk with tourist hesitation. The analysis of data showed no conventional relationship between destination personality and tourist hesitation. Accordingly, this study identified the extent to which tourist perception mediates the relationship between tourist knowledge and destination personality with tourist hesitation. Meanwhile, the results of the study indicate the absence of any mediation role of tourist perception between tourist health risk and tourist hesitation. The study outcomes would encourage the government, policymakers, and tourism managements in creating a tailor-made responsiveness program by building a scenario that could offer more prominent sustainable tourism establishments. Besides, the results may assist stakeholders of tourist destinations in understanding tourist perception and the causes of tourist's hesitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What shapes Americans' attitudes toward and about Native Americans? Public opinion research acknowledges that race and ethnicity are a factor in shaping US public opinion. Native Americans have been almost entirely excluded from this research. But we do know that, despite being a relatively small population, the general public holds stereotypes and false narratives about Native Americans that have been perpetuated by popular culture, education curriculum, and national myths. In this paper, we use new and original data collected under the Reclaiming Native Truth project to examine the factors that shape attitudes toward Native Americans. More specifically, we examine individual and contextual factors that shape views of discrimination against Native Americans and resentment toward Native Americans. We find that political ideology (liberal versus conservative) and the reliance on Native American stereotypes are factors most consistently associated with resentment and attitudes about Native American discrimination, although direct personal experiences and factual knowledge also matter. Our findings contribute to conversations about attitudes toward racial and ethnic minority groups and emerging scholarship on the role of political attitudes in settler-colonial societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensory Spaces in Emergencies. Sense Perception and Space Usage in Early Modern Town Fires. Fire was an omnipresent element of premodern daily life, yet also an existential threat for urban communities. Drawing on a wide range of sources from contemporary eyewitness accounts to urban regulations from early modern Germany, this paper analyses town fires as multisensory events. It argues that urban dwellers' senses were used to monitor the city space for potential outbreaks, alert the population to a fire, and move within a burning city. In connection with this, it discusses in which way urban spaces were constituted differently in an emergency situation. The contribution shows how positioning and movement shaped sensory perception and how perception, in turn, influenced the ways people perceived and used space. Town fires were not simply a time of disorder and sensory overload but situations when sensory and spatial ordering was tested and negotiated within political and social hierarchies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the struggle for entry and career success of the early pioneer women accountants in Great Britain and its former colonies the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Design/methodology/approach: A career crafting matrix guides the analysis of historical information available on five pioneer women accountants in order to understand their success in gaining entry into the profession and their subsequent careers. Findings: Despite an exclusionary environment, career crafting efforts coupled with family and organizational support enabled these women to become one of the first female accountants in their respective countries. Their struggles were not personal but much broader—seeking social, political, economic and professional empowerment for women. Originality/value: This is the first paper to utilize the career crafting matrix developed from current female accountants' careers to explore careers of pioneering female accountants. It adds to the limited literature on women actors in accounting and may provide insight into approaching current forms of difference and discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper enhances micro-cognitive understandings of how organisational values can build internal reputation. Drawing-on a multi-method case study of a private hospital in Malaysia, we show the process of how values are internalised within organisations. We illustrate how different internal actors are important for embedding organisational values at various stages and show the interplay between them. We show leaders are important for role modelling and engaging, managers are important for embedding and reinforcing, and employees are important for empowering and reciprocating. We argue that in order for values to be internalised, leaders, managers and employees need to effectively create, communicate and enact those values. Rather than values being imposed by a single dominant internal actor, we show that they can be diffused by internal stakeholders at different hierarchical levels. We find that the internalisation of organisational values helps to form positive perceptions of the values and creates individual behaviours that correspond to those values. While the literature has focused on what dimensions and which stakeholders influence reputation building, we show how micro-cognitive processes build internal reputation from organisational values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper advances the notion that macro-level sociological factors outweigh micro-level social psychological variables in shaping perceptions of place; an idea based on the earlier work of Burns and Dietz (on cultural evolution) who concluded that the realities of daily lifestyles significantly inform the transfer of 'social rules'. The proposition that cultural homogeneity is amended by the context of daily reality is examined by analysing the responses of 12 tourism industry professionals and 85 visitors of Chinese ethnicity visiting Macau. These visitors came from Hong Kong, Mainland China and Taiwan. It is proposed that the different social, economic and political structures outweigh a common cultural structure based on Confucian values, leading to difference in perceptions of Macau. The data were derived from interviews, and suggest that cultural similarities are of less importance than the socio-economic-political frameworks of the visitor originating zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem addressed in this theoretical paper is that of learners and educators as agents of social transformation in dysfunctional schools of South Africa. While 80% of South African schools are said to be dysfunctional, learners and educators in these schools can be activated to challenge and actively struggle against any form of social oppression that dehumanises and renders them failures. Educators can work in collaboration with learners to conscientize the latter so that they are able to question different forms of inequalities and discrimination implicit in the curriculum offered at school, which excludes their cultural learning experiences. This paper argues that township and rural school educators and learners can become social agents for change if they are exposed to critical pedagogy which fosters emancipatory methods of teaching and learning. Consequently, structural factors surrounding the South African education system must be addressed if learner performance in dysfunctional schools is to improve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will discuss the form of a gift when the subject of the agreement is a the transfer of ownership of movables. More precisely, the subject matter of this paper is the form of a gift promise, i.e. gift agreement which is concluded without the simultaneous handover of the thing. As the gift agreement is not regulated by the applicable regulation, the rides of the pre-war law apply to it. However, when it comes to the form of the gift agreement, in the domestic law occur, since the Serbian Civil Code up until this day, different legislative solutions and proposals for its regulation. Therefore, it is not entirely quite easy to answer the question of what rules should apply to questions concerning the form of a gift promise when it comes to movables. Also, other issues regarding the form of the gift promise are being disputed in domestic theory. This paper presents legislative solutions and proposals for solutions regulating the form of a gift promise since the Serbian Civil Code up until this day, as well as solutions from comparative law that have served as a model for regulating it. In addition, various authors’ perceptions of the form of the gift promise and the consequences of lack of the obligatory form are presented. Lastly, the paper proposes how the form of the gift promise should be regulated in order to eliminate existing ambiguities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Omran for Social Sciences is the property of Arab Center for Research & Policy Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: This paper focuses on the multichannel strategy in the banking sector and its effects on customer engagement. Specifically, the purpose of this paper is to propose a model in which customers' perceptions of offline and online channels are related to brand trust and brand commitment, which ultimately lead to customer engagement. Design/methodology/approach: An empirical study was carried out on a sample of 306 individuals and data were analysed through partial least squares. Findings: The results show that offline experience is more important than online experience in terms of impact on trust and commitment, which are closely linked to customer engagement. Online experience does not have a significant direct influence on brand commitment and its effect on brand trust is moderated by the customer's familiarity with the channel. Originality/value: These findings contribute to the advance in the current knowledge of the joint role of online and offline channels with the aim of strengthening customer relationships. From a managerial viewpoint, customer perceptions formed by their experiences in bank branches are more important than customer perceptions of the website's performance in the explanation of trust and commitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]