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‘A flower of an exile’: international political networks in Anna Birkbeck’s Album
Get PDFAnna Birkbeck’s album contains a rousing poem about the Polish independence cause by Polish author, translator, and exile Stanisław Egbert Koźmian. By contextualizing this seemingly unusual political entry, inter-album connections are revealed, offering insights into networks of European political exiles and insurrectionists in London in the 1820s and 1830s. This analysis shows how the medium of the album could use feminine tropes to carry political meanings, acting as a repository of family values and reflecting the causes supported by the Birkbecks and their circles
Warmth trumps competence? Uncovering the influence of multimodal AI anthropomorphic interaction experience on intelligent service evaluation: insights from the high-evoked automated social presence
Get PDFThe rapid rise of multimodal AI anthropomorphic interaction assistants has subverted the traditional human-computer interaction. Based on social cognitive theory, our study aims to validate the effectiveness of the strategy to improve users' intelligent service experience and service outcomes by evoking a high level of automated social presence through revealing the effects of both warmth perception and competence perception from multimodal AI anthropomorphic interactions on users' intelligent service evaluation. The conclusions show that: (1) Both warmth perception and competence perception can improve users' intelligent service evaluations; (2) At the beginning of
car use, users are more likely to give positive evaluations for competence perception (safety), while the longer they use the car, the more likely they are to give positive evaluations for warmth perception (intimacy and friendliness); (3) Warmth perception can significantly enhance the positive impact of competence perception (safety and
entertainment) on users' intelligent service evaluations. The findings of this study enrich the social cognition theory and the social presence theory, which have significant implications for the management of user experience in anthropomorphic AI interactions as well as the improvement of intelligent service quality
Globally, songs and instrumental melodies are slower and higher and use more stable pitches than speech: a Registered Report
Get PDFBoth music and language are found in all known human societies, yet no studies have compared similarities and differences between song, speech, and instrumental music on a global scale. In this Registered Report, we analyzed two global datasets: (i) 300 annotated audio recordings representing matched sets of traditional songs, recited lyrics, conversational speech, and instrumental melodies from our 75 coauthors speaking 55 languages; and (ii) 418 previously published adult-directed song and speech recordings from 209 individuals speaking 16 languages. Of our six preregistered predictions, five were strongly supported: Relative to speech, songs use (i) higher pitch, (ii) slower temporal rate, and (iii) more stable pitches, while both songs and speech used similar (iv) pitch interval size and (v) timbral brightness. Exploratory analyses suggest that features vary along a “musi-linguistic” continuum when including instrumental melodies and recited lyrics. Our study provides strong empirical evidence of cross-cultural regularities in music and speech
Generalization of auditory expertise in audio engineers and instrumental musicians
Get PDFFrom auditory perception to general cognition, the ability to play a musical instrument has been associated with skills both related and unrelated to music. However, it is unclear if these effects are bound to the specific characteristics of musical instrument training, as little attention has been paid to other populations such as audio engineers and designers whose auditory expertise may match or surpass that of musicians in specific auditory tasks or more naturalistic acoustic scenarios. We explored this possibility by comparing students of audio engineering (n = 20) to matched conservatory-trained instrumentalists (n = 24) and to naive controls (n = 20) on measures of auditory discrimination, auditory scene analysis, and speech in noise perception. We found that audio engineers and performing musicians had generally lower psychophysical thresholds than controls, with pitch perception showing the largest effect size. Compared to controls, audio engineers could better memorise and recall auditory scenes composed of non-musical sounds, whereas instrumental musicians performed best in a sustained selective attention task with two competing streams of tones. Finally, in a diotic speech-in-babble task, musicians showed lower signal-to-noise-ratio thresholds than both controls and engineers; however, a follow-up online study did not replicate this musician advantage. We also observed differences in personality that might account for group-based self-selection biases. Overall, we showed that investigating a wider range of forms of auditory expertise can help us corroborate (or challenge) the specificity of the advantages previously associated with musical instrument training
Paths to Spitzenkandidaten
No full textThe purpose of this chapter is threefold. First, it seeks to map out the ways in which the Spitzenkandidaten were chosen in 2014 and 2019. Second, it seeks to discuss any changes or broader trends that have emerged across these two ‘moments’ in the early phase of the institutionalisation of the ‘Spitzenkandidaten process’. In particular, it considers a) whether there is a dominant model for candidate selection in these, early, stages of the evolution of the Spitzenkandidaten process, and b) the extent to which intra-party procedures differ along ideological lines. Finally, it situates the current state of play in relation to how the Spitzenkandidaten are chosen in the broader debate on the evolving EU political system and, in particular, a) the theory of parliamentary federation and b) models of EU democracy. Four arguments are advanced in this chapter. First, there are several commonalities between between the ‘paths’ taken by the party families when choosing their candidates - to such an extent that one may well speak of a dominant model. Second, presenting the institutionalisation of the Spitzenkandidaten process as a battle or conflict between the European Council and the European Parliament is misleading since members of the former are active and influential players – in their capacity of party leaders – in the selection of Spitzenkandidaten in the first place. Third, the key features of this ‘model’ points in the direction of a practical rejection of the lessons offered by the theory of parliamentary federation. Finally, the party families that use the dominant model appear to be giving – at that level - a practical response to the question of the future of the European Union by opting for procedures that are akin to the model of EU democracy that Ben Crum defines as political union
Whither the Spitzenkandidaten process?
No full textBook synopsis: This book is the first systematic effort to investigate the ramifications of the introduction of the Spitzenkandidaten process for the appointment of the President of the European Commission. It does so by examining the first two applications of the Spitzenkandidaten process from an historical, legal and political perspective. Although this process has spurred vibrant debate regarding its impact on EU elections and the EU political system, it has yet to be comprehensively analysed by scholars. Addressing this important gap, the book provides a conceptual framework for analysing the impact of the Spitzenkandidaten process, takes stock of its internal, inter-institutional and constitutional repercussions, and assesses its future prospects. Interdisciplinary in nature, the book touches on several important themes, including European elections, EU policy making, leadership, legitimacy, supranationalism and European integration. Published to coincide with the 2024 European Parliament election, it will appeal to scholars and students of the politics of European integration, public administration, governance, European politics and EU constitutional law
Using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to investigate deposits from the Storegga Slide Tsunami and other sand-sheets in the Shetland Islands, UK
Get PDFWe use ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to investigate the geometry, inland extent, and continuity of sand layers interpreted as tsunami deposits in the Shetland Islands, UK. Four sites where sand layers within peat deposits are recorded in previous studies provide ground-truth. In addition, we describe survey results from one site where deposits are not exposed, to test the potential of GPR to identify candidate tsunami deposits in areas that are not well documented. Sand layers can be clearly imaged at all five locations because they are interbedded with peat and the contrast in lithology gives a good reflection on GPR profiles, even very thin sand layers, less than 1 cm in thickness, that are beneath the theoretical resolution of the GPR. 2-D and 3-D surveys show that tsunami deposits appear to drape a buried topography. Most sand layers form continuous reflections although some gaps are attributed to later erosion, most likely by streams. Sand layers have been traced up to 150 m inland and 10 m above the present shoreline which is consistent with data from boreholes. If a similar sized event occurred today it would have a devastating impact on the Shetland Islands
Documents on the consequences of the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, namely the enlarged partial agreement on the register of damage caused
Get PDFThe Council of Europe responded rapidly and efficiently to the call by the UNGA for reparation for the consequences of the Russian aggression, and the CLAHR Rapporteur, Mr. Cottier, wrote a detailed report in a short space of time, with a comprehensive draft resolution. His draft resolution was adopted without delay by the
PACE, the parliamentary body of the CoE, and referred to the CoE’s executive, the CoM. In just over six months, the work of establishing RODU, a mechanism never before attempted by the CoE, could begin its work
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