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Unveiling the impact of technology-driven factors on conspicuous consumption: a time-lagged investigation
No full textThe present study objective is to operationalize an elaboration likelihood model to integrate five technology-driven factors- online promotion, stickiness, social commerce, tie strength, and recommendation agents- to determine their underlying influence on shoppers’ conspicuous online consumption. Furthermore, the research explores the moderating effect of the material self to explain buyer behavior. The data was collected through a time-lagged approach from 612 regular online fashion shoppers. SmartPLS is used to perform partial least square structural equation modeling which enabled model validation. The results confirmed that all five factors are significant predictors of conspicuous online consumption and that compulsive buying mediates the relationships. Moreover, it is revealed that the material self positively moderates the interactions between online promotion, stickiness, social commerce, tie strength, and compulsive online buying but does not significantly moderate the interactions between recommendation agents and compulsive online buying. The study offers a significant and timely contribution to facilitate researchers, and fashion marketers in developing suitable e-tailing strategies
Discovery and Characterization of an Eccentric, Warm Saturn Transiting the Solar Analog TOI-4994
No full textWe present the detection and characterization of TOI-4994b (TIC 277128619b), a warm Saturn-sized planet discovered by the NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. TOI-4994b transits a G-type star (V = 12.6 mag) with a mass, radius, and effective temperature of M ? = 1.00 5 ? 0.061 + 0.064 M ? , R ? = 1.05 5 ? 0.037 + 0.040 R ? , and Teff = 5640 ± 110 K. We obtained follow-up ground-based photometry from the Las Cumbres Observatory and the Antarctic Search for Transiting ExoPlanets telescopes, and we confirmed the planetary nature of TOI-4994b with multiple radial velocity observations from the Planet Finder Spectrograph, CHIRON, High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher, Fiber-fed Extended Range Optical Spectrograph, and CORALIE instruments. From a global fit to the photometry and radial velocities, we determine that TOI-4994b is in a 21.5 day eccentric orbit (e = 0.32 ± 0.04) and has a mass of M P = 0.28 0 ? 0.034 + 0.037 M J , a radius of R P = 0.76 2 ? 0.027 + 0.030 R J , and a Saturn-like bulk density of ? p = 0.7 8 ? 0.14 + 0.16 g cm - 3 . We find that TOI-4994 is a potentially viable candidate for follow-up stellar obliquity measurements. TOI-4994b joins the small sample of warm Saturn analogs and thus sheds light on our understanding of these rare and unique worlds
Emerging trends in electrochemical energy storage: A focus on low-temperature pseudocapacitors
Get PDFSupercapacitors, also known as ultracapacitors or electrochemical capacitors, play a vital role in modern energy storage and electronic systems due to their outstanding characteristics. They boast high power density, making them ideal for applications requiring rapid energy delivery and absorption, such as electric vehicles for quick acceleration and regenerative braking. Additionally, their extended cycle life, enduring hundreds of thousands to millions of charge-discharge cycles, suits scenarios demanding consistent, long-term performance. The field of low-temperature pseudocapacitors (LTPCs) has seen significant advancements, becoming a key domain in energy storage research. This review explores the latest developments in LTPCs, highlighting their potential as efficient energy storage devices. It delves into their unique properties contributing to enhanced pseudocapacitive performance at low temperatures and dissects the electrochemical processes governing this phenomenon. Recent breakthroughs in device architectures and engineering strategies are showcased, addressing challenges like freezing-induced electrolyte degradation and reduced ion mobility. This review concludes by outlining potential research directions and key challenges for advancing LTPCs towards practical, widespread applications. It serves as a valuable resource for scientists, engineers, and policymakers, guiding the future development of energy storage technologies tailored for low-temperature environments
Multiscale hamstring muscle adaptations following 9 weeks of eccentric training
No full textBackground
Eccentric training, such as Nordic hamstring exercise (NHE) training, is commonly used as a preventive measure for hamstring strains. Eccentric training is believed to induce lengthening of muscle fascicles and to be associated with the addition of sarcomeres in series within muscle fibers. However, the difficulty in measuring sarcomere adaptation in human muscles has severely limited information about the precise mechanisms of adaptation. This study addressed this limitation by measuring the multiscale hamstring muscle adaptations in response to 9 weeks of NHE training and 3 weeks of detraining.
Methods
Twelve participants completed 9 weeks of supervised NHE training, followed by a 3-week detraining period. We assessed biceps femoris long-head (BFlh) muscle fascicle length, sarcomere length, and serial sarcomere number in the central and distal regions of the muscle. Additionally, we measured muscle volume and eccentric strength at baseline, post-training, and post-detraining.
Results
NHE training over 9 weeks induced significant architectural and strength adaptations in the BFlh muscle. Fascicle length increased by 19% in the central muscle region and 33% in the distal muscle region. NHE also induced increases in serial sarcomere number (25% in the central region and 49% in the distal region). BFlh muscle volume increased by 8%, and knee flexion strength increased by 40% with training. Following 3 weeks of detraining, fascicle length decreased by 12% in the central region and 16% in the distal region along with reductions in serial sarcomere number.
Conclusion
Nine weeks of NHE training produced substantial, region-specific increases in BFlh muscle fascicle length, muscle volume, and force generation. The direct measurement of sarcomere lengths revealed that the increased fascicle length was accompanied by the addition of sarcomeres in series within the muscle fascicles
Patient safety incident reporting systems and reporting practices in African healthcare organisations: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Get PDFBackground Patient safety incident reporting and learning systems are crucial for improving the safety and quality of healthcare. However, comprehensive evidence of their availability and use in African healthcare organisations is lacking. Therefore, this review aims to synthesise the existing literature on these systems and reporting practices within African healthcare organisations.
Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Five electronic databases, including PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) via EBSCOhost, Scopus, Web of Science and the Excerpta Medica Database (Embase), were searched to identify relevant records. Peer-reviewed articles and guidelines published in English were included in this review. Quality appraisal was performed using the Joanna Briggs Institute and Quality Assessment with Diverse Studies tool. A random effects model was used to compute the pooled prevalence using Stata V.17.0.
Results A systematic search retrieved 9279 records, of which 39 (36 articles and 3 guidelines) were included in this review. Eight patient safety incident reporting and learning systems were identified, with compliance rates ranging from low (16%) to high (87%) based on the WHO criteria. The pooled prevalence of patient safety incident reporting practices was 48% (95% CI 40% to 56%). However, the studies exhibited high heterogeneity (I²=98.75%, p<0.001).
Conclusion In African healthcare organisations, it is imperative to establish robust patient safety incident reporting and learning systems, as none of the existing systems fully meet WHO criteria. In addition, optimising the existing systems and encouraging healthcare professionals to improve reporting practices will enhance patient safety and outcomes
Mechanisms of High-Quality Collaborative Partnerships in Early Childhood Settings
No full textCollaborative partnerships between stakeholders in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) settings are recognized to contribute to positive outcomes for children and improve service quality. However, for many within the field, interpretation and actualisation of the components that make up collaborative partnerships remain an enigma. The concern is that without clear interpretation of key components and inclusions, educators and families struggle to enact and engage in high-quality collaborative partnerships. Motivated by this concern, a major research project sought to explore ECEC stakeholder perspectives and experiences of successful collaborative partnerships. The poststructural case study utilised observation, interviews and situational analysis methods to illuminate the multiple truths of parent and educator participants living the collaborative partnership experience in ECEC. Findings helped expose the key components and inclusions of collaborative partnerships evidenced in three exceeding-level ECEC service. From these insights, families and educators are offered clarity in ways to increase the efficacy for translating mechanisms of high-quality collaborative partnerships in everyday practice in ECEC, including practical applications such as the use of space, the development of synergistic relationships, and being attuned to the service philosophy
Traces of cosmopolitan nationalism in educative global action: exploring two international baccalaureate international school approaches to global agency
No full textThis paper traces cosmopolitan nationalism (CN) in educative global action. By studying two International Baccalaureate (IB) school approaches to student agency, I pinpoint CN signifiers and analyze them through Papastephanou's (2023) stereoscopic justice and Foucault's (2002) critique of superficial knowledge systems. The analysis reveals CN as a valuable amalgam. A lens for interpreting student agency and highlighting stereoscopic epistemic slippage in school-based global acts. This research will interest educational policymakers, school leaders, teachers, and students focused on global action and the opportunities embedded in the cosmopolitan-national divide
HebCGNN: Hebbian-enabled causal classification integrating dynamic impact valuing
Get PDFClassifying graph-structured data presents significant challenges due to the diverse features of nodes and edges and their complex relationships. While Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) are widely used for graph prediction tasks, their performance is often hindered by these intricate dependencies. Leveraging causality holds potential in overcoming these challenges by identifying causal links among features, thus enhancing GNN classification performance. However, depending solely on adjacency matrices or attention mechanisms, as commonly studied in causal prediction research, is insufficient for capturing the complex interactions among features. To address these challenges, we present HebCGNN, a Hebbian-enabled Causal GNN classification model that incorporates dynamic impact valuing. Our method creates a robust framework that prioritizes causal elements in prediction tasks. Extensive experiments on seven publicly available datasets across diverse domains demonstrate that HebCGNN outperforms state-of-the-art models
The Woman in Black
No full textThe Woman in Black terrified viewers in 1989 and is remembered as one of Britain’s scariest horror films. It is justly famous as the combined work of three giants of British drama: Susan Hill, Nigel Kneale and Herbert Wise. This book is the first to study the rich themes and terrifying impact of this film, presenting it as a TV film that is cinematic in its effect and quality.
The book traces the adaptation of Susan Hill’s novel, paying close attention to the ways in which the celebrated writer Nigel Kneale turned a popular book into a spooky film, and reconstructs the brilliance of veteran director Herbert Wise. It also explores themes ranging from maternal rage and imperial disquiet to eerie soundscapes and landscapes. Archival papers from the Nigel Kneale Archive on the Isle of Man are used to reveal how Kneale transformed the novel into the script, and interviews with production personnel shed light on the remarkable talent and experience of the team who produced this classic film
Does Reality Television-Style Singing Influence Singing Self-Concept?
Get PDFHypothesis: Due to upward social comparison, we hypothesized that exposure to reality television singing (a technically demanding style of contemporary commercial music singing) would negatively influence singing self-concept compared to hearing amateur singers or plain, unembellished singing by professionals. Study Design and Methods: A between-subjects, online experiment was used. A sample of 212 individuals (Mage = 33.14; 69.30% female) participated in the study. After completing a background section, participants were randomly allocated into one of the experimental conditions (hearing one of four versions of a well-known song: a control version with piano and no singing, amateur singing, professional plain singing, and professional singing in the style of reality television singing). Participants were then asked to judge the performance they heard and to respond to items concerning their singing self-concept (including singing ability). Results and Conclusions: A series of ANCOVAs was used to examine the impact of the experimental condition on the participants’ performance judgments and singing self-concept. The amateur singing was judged as the lowest quality. While there was no significant difference by experimental condition regarding possessing good singing ability, the experimental condition did affect people's singing aspirations and perceived ability to sing along with the performers. The pattern of results suggests that exposure to reality television-style singing may have negative impacts on people's singing self-concept via upward social comparison. Self-concept has been identified as an important predictor of musical engagement and participation and plays a role in motivating action. These results encourage music educators, singing voice pedagogues, and community musicians seeking to promote musical and singing participation to be aware of cultural influences on an individual's singing self-concept