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From Crisis to Meaning: A Structural Equation Model of Adjustment to Bereavement
No full textExperiencing the death of a loved one often leads to a crisis of meaning, prompting efforts to restore coherence through meaning-making. Although several models have addressed this process, few studies have empirically examined how distinct forms of meaning (situational and global) emerge and interrelate. The present study used structural equation modelling to investigate meaning-making in bereavement. A model was developed incorporating variables from existing frameworks (crisis of meaning, distress, deliberate and intrusive rumination, emotional expression) and existential constructs (uncertainty tolerance, death anxiety). The sample comprised 329 bereaved individuals. Results showed crisis of meaning predicted distress, which in turn predicted rumination, emotional expression, and uncertainty tolerance. Deliberate and intrusive rumination negatively predicted situational meaning, whereas emotional expression and uncertainty tolerance positively predicted it. Death anxiety mediated the link between situational and global meaning. By differentiating forms of meaning and integrating existential variables, this study offers a novel contribution to meaning-making research
Advances in Sustainable Energy Systems, Storage, and Conservation
No full textIn this study, the operation of the turbine blade pitch controller isexamined under two different blade icing conditions and various wind speeds:a step rising wind, a wind gust, and a turbulent wind. The results obtained arecompared with no blade icing condition. Employing the MS Bladed Model, theblade pitch controller is run for a 5 MW turbine. Under the step rising wind speed,considered blade icing conditions are observed to disturb the transient response ofthe controller, i.e., the rotor speed, but not the steady-state response. Depending onthe amount of ice accretion, controller transient performance decreases differently atdifferent wind speeds. Under the wind gust, a different transient rotor speed responsetrend is observed from that obtained under the step rising wind speed. Except forthe steady-state, different rotor speed transient responses are seen, relying on icingconditions. Under the turbulent wind, the effects of different blade icing conditionsare seen in the rotor speed response during sudden changes in wind speed. As bladeicing increases, the rotor speed response starts deviating from the response in noicing case. Depending on blade icing conditions, the controller sets the blade pitchangles to different values under all these wind speeds.</p
Patient-derived tumor organoids: advances, applications, and future directions in biomedical research
No full textPatient-derived tumor organoids (PDTOs) have become a key tool in cancer and translational oncology because they are physiologically relevant, 3D in vitro systems that preserve the genetic, epigenetic and phenotypic features of patient tumors. PDTOs generated from primary, metastatic surgical resection or biopsy material fill the gap between 2D cultures and animal models. PDTOs have been shown to be more accurate for mimicking disease and treatment response. This review outlines the principles and protocols for PDTO production, characterization and validation with a focus on standardization and reproducibility. PDTOs have been widely applied in oncology and increasingly applied into translational pipelines to model tumor biology, predict therapeutic response, and guide precision medicine strategies. They have shown to be predictive for drug response and are being used as personalized therapeutic avatars. However, several challenges remain, including the limited representation of tumor microenvironment, inter-laboratory variability in protocol adaptation and ethical concerns related to biobanking and data governance. New technologies such as immunological and stromal co-culture systems, organoid-on-chip technologies and multi-omic integration will enhance the use of PDTOs in biomedical research
Computational investigation of low-Reynolds-number unsteady flows past NACA 0012
No full textThe aerodynamic characteristics of airfoils are significantly governed by the Reynolds number, particularly in the low Reynolds number regime (Re < 1 × 105), where viscous forces predominate over inertial forces, promoting early boundary layer separation and transition to turbulence. This study conducts two-dimensional unsteady numerical simulations on a NACA 0012 airfoil across Reynolds numbers ranging from 4 × 104 to 1 × 105, with the angle of attack varied incrementally from 0° to 20°. The results reveal that lower Reynolds numbers and higher angles of attack induce premature flow separation, leading to a diminished lift coefficient and an increased drag coefficient due to the altered separation point dynamics
Two Nodes of Pluralistic Realism on Truth: Pluralistic Kantianism and Heideggerian Ontology
No full textOne captivating characteristic of the contemporary literature on the ontological status of truth and truthmaking relations is a striking polarization between metaphysical realism and its anti-realist rivals. The former espouses dehumanized ontologies seeking to establish normative constraints on truthmaking relations within a reality unsullied by subjectively or communally formed phenomenal conditions. The latter often comes up in anthropocentric ontologies diminishing the normative constraints on truthmaking while capitalizing on factors such as the mental, linguistic, and conceptual. This paper contends that neither the excessive extensionalism of metaphysical realism nor the strong subjectivism of anti-realism can provide a tenable discursive ground for the ontology of truthmaking relations. Instead, fostering a dialogue between a pluralistic account of Kantianism and the Heideggerian ontology of truth, grounded in our proposed framework of Pluralistic Alethic Realism, is capable of yielding a more compelling and nuanced perspective than the traditional alternatives
Uncovering the Hairlessness Norm: A Review on Women’s Body Hair from a Social-Psychological Perspective
No full textIn most of today’s societies, it is so normative for women to remove their body hair that it is rarely questioned. Nevertheless, it is a beauty standard deeply entwined with the gendered social hierarchy. While body hair is often perceived as natural for men, women are typically expected to remain hairless from the neck down. This makes body hair removal a significant part of women’s lives, requiring considerable time, money, and effort. However, surprisingly, this issue has received little academic attention within the field of social psychology. To address this gap and encourage further inquiry, the primary purpose of this paper is to review studies on women’s body hair practices through the application of social psychological theories. With this aim, the prevalence and normativity of body hair removal among women were examined first. Subsequently, attitudes toward women’s body hair and how they differ from those toward men’s were approached. Afterward, the functions of the hairlessness norm were discussed, and terror management theory, objectification theory, and ambivalent sexism theory were applied to the issue. This is followed by a discussion of women’s lived experiences with body hair. Finally, recommendations for future research were provided
Understanding the drivers of consumer level food waste in a university cafeteria
No full textFood waste exemplifies the inefficiencies, inequities, and unsustainability embedded in contemporary food systems, withconsumption identified as the stage where the most food is discarded. In university settings, food waste has emerged asa pressing concern, as individuals often display a higher tendency for wasteful behaviour during young adulthood. It iscrucial to explore the underlying factors behind young population’s food waste behavior to develop effective policies,particularly for emerging economies, where return on income for food needs to be efficient. This study investigates thefactors influencing university students’ tendencies to leave plate waste in the cafeteria of one of Turkey’s most populousuniversities. We used an extended version of Theory of Planned Behaviour framework, by adding perceived portion size,taste and palatability, and self-reported environmental behaviour on students’ food waste generation. We employed amixed-methods approach, including a face-to-face questionnaire conducted with 479 students and subsequent in-depthinterviews with 11 participants to further explore these drivers. The findings reveal that situational variables, perceivedportion size, and taste and palatability, significantly influence students’ food waste behaviours in the university cafeteria,often outweighing their volitional control. The less concerned young consumers are about the environment, the moreplate waste they tend to produce within the cafeteria setting. These insights point to the need for targeted, contextsensitivestrategies to reduce food waste in institutional settings.</p
HR-ACT (Human–Robot Action) Database: Communicative and noncommunicative action videos featuring a human and a humanoid robot
No full textWe present the HR-ACT (Human–Robot Action) Database, a comprehensive collection of 80 standardized videos featuring matched communicative and noncommunicative actions performed by both a humanoid robot (Pepper) and a human actor. We describe the creation of 40 action exemplars per agent, with actions executed in a similar manner, timing, and number of repetitions. The database includes detailed normative data collected from 438 participants, providing metrics on action identification, confidence ratings, communicativeness ratings, meaning clusters, and H values (an entropy-based measure reflecting response homogeneity). We provide researchers with controlled yet naturalistic stimuli in multiple formats: videos, image frames, and raw animation files (.qanim). These materials support diverse research applications in human–robot interaction, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience. The database enables systematic investigation of action perception across human and robotic agents, while the inclusion of raw animation files allows researchers using Pepper robots to implement these actions for real-time experiments. The full set of stimuli, along with comprehensive normative data and documentation, is publicly available at https://osf.io/8vsxq/
Identifying the Skills and Tasks for English Oral Communication Essential for Academic and Professional Success
No full textCompetency in oral communication in English is a key factor in bridging the skills gap of graduates in the international job market, and higher education is attributed the role of accommodating this employability need. This sequential exploratory study aims to identify the speaking tasks and skills necessary for academic studies and professional life. Adopting a mixed-method design by utilizing interviews, observations, and a survey, this study was conducted in an EMI university in an EFL setting including participants from higher education and business sectors. Utilizing CEFR and the Cambridge Employability Skills Framework for ELT, the study adopted a novel approach to match the oral communication skills to the corresponding mode of communication and broader employability skills. Thematic content analysis and descriptive statistics revealed that students and employees perform tasks requiring information presentation and interaction skills. In survey results, tasks of small/social talk, meeting online, and discussion/meeting session, and skills of understanding field/topic-specific vocabulary, answering questions and expressing and supporting opinion are labeled prime ones. The study has valuable implications for stakeholders such as educators, curriculum designers, policy makers, and human resource specialists in prioritizing the tasks and skills for individuals to meet the demands of contemporary academic and professional landscapes.</p