scholarly journals Enhancing banknote authentication by guiding attention to security features and manipulating prevalence expectancy

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank van der Horst ◽  
Joshua Snell ◽  
Jan Theeuwes
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
General Public ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Rectangular Frame ◽  
Security Feature ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Novel Design ◽  
True Ratio

AbstractAll banknotes have security features which are intended to help determine whether they are false or genuine. Typically, however, the general public has limited knowledge of where on a banknote these security features can be found. Here, we tested whether counterfeit detection can be improved with the help of salient elements, designed to guide bottom-up visuospatial attention. We also tested the influence of the participant’s a priori level of trust in the authenticity of the banknote. In an online study (N = 422), a demographically diverse panel of Dutch participants distinguished genuine banknotes from banknotes with one (left- or right-sided) counterfeited security feature. Either normal banknotes (without novel design elements) or banknotes that contained a salient element (a pink rectangular frame) were presented for 1 s. To manipulate the participant’s level of trust, trials were administered in three blocks, whereby at the start of each block, participants were instructed that either one third, one half, or two thirds of the upcoming banknotes were counterfeit (though the true ratio was always 1:1). We hypothesized (i) that in the presence of a salient element, counterfeits would be better detected when the location of the salient element aligned with the location of the counterfeited security feature—i.e. that it would act as an attentional cue; and (ii) that this effect would be stronger with lower trust. Our hypotheses were partly confirmed: counterfeit detection improved with ‘valid cues’ and decreasing trust, but the level of trust did not modulate the cueing effect. As the overall detection performance was rather poor, we replicated the study with a sample of university students (N = 66), this time presenting stimuli until response. While indeed observing better overall performance, all other patterns were replicated. Our results provide evidence that attention can be guided to enhance banknote authentication.

Subclinical Sadism and the Dark Triad

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 127-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura K. Johnson ◽  
Rachel A. Plouffe ◽  
Donald H. Saklofske
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
University Students ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Exploratory Factor Analysis ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Dark Triad ◽  
Antisocial Personality ◽  
Factor Solution ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Antisocial Personality Traits

Abstract. The Dark Triad is a constellation of three antisocial personality traits: Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. Recently, researchers have introduced a “Dark Tetrad” that includes subclinical sadism, although others suggest considerable overlap between psychopathy and sadism. To clarify the position of sadism within the Dark Triad, an online study was conducted with 615 university students. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that a six-factor solution fit the data best, representing Machiavellianism, psychopathy, physical sadism, verbal sadism, narcissism, and vicarious sadism. Furthermore, convergent validity was supported through sadism’s correlations with the HEXACO personality traits. The results support sadism’s inclusion within the Dark Tetrad as a unique construct but with some conceptual overlap with psychopathy.

scholarly journals Potential and effects of personalizing gameful fitness applications using behavior change intentions and Hexad user types

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maximilian Altmeyer ◽  
Pascal Lessel ◽  
Subhashini Jantwal ◽  
Linda Muller ◽  
Florian Daiber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Behavior Change ◽  
User Experience ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Study Support ◽  
Affective Experiences ◽  
Relevant Domain

AbstractPersonalizing gameful applications is essential to account for interpersonal differences in the perception of gameful design elements. Considering that an increasing number of people lead sedentary lifestyles, using personalized gameful applications to encourage physical activity is a particularly relevant domain. In this article, we investigate behavior change intentions and Hexad user types as factors to personalize gameful fitness applications. We first explored the potential of these two factors by analyzing differences in the perceived persuasiveness of gameful design elements using a storyboards-based online study ($$N=178$$ N = 178 ). Our results show several significant effects regarding both factors and thus support the usefulness of them in explaining perceptual differences. Based on these findings, we implemented “Endless Universe,” a personalized gameful application encouraging physical activity on a treadmill. We used the system in a laboratory study ($$N=20$$ N = 20 ) to study actual effects of personalization on the users’ performance, enjoyment and affective experiences. While we did not find effects on the immediate performance of users, positive effects on user experience-related measures were found. The results of this study support the relevance of behavior change intentions and Hexad user types for personalizing gameful fitness systems further.

scholarly journals Arab EFL Learners’ Acquisition of Modals

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 75-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aziz Thabit Saeed
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Modal Verbs ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English Major ◽  
Overall Performance

This paper investigates Arab EFL learners’ acquisition of modal verbs. The study used a questionnaire, which comprises two versions, testing students’ mastery of modals at the levels of both recognition and production. The questionnaire was distributed to 50 English major university students who had studied English for 12-14 years and who had scored 500 or more on the TOEFL. The findings of the study show that the overall performance of the subjects in the study was quite low. The study established a hierarchy of difficulty and identified the major causes of difficulty in the use of modals.

scholarly journals Seeing through brain fog: disentangling the cognitive, physical, and mental health sequalae of COVID-19.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Conor Wild ◽  
Loretta Norton ◽  
David Menon ◽  
David Ripsman ◽  
Richard Swartz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cognitive Deficits ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Cognitive Measures ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Overall Performance

Abstract As COVID-19 cases exceed hundreds of millions globally, it is clear that many survivors face cognitive challenges and prolonged symptoms. However, important questions about the cognitive impacts of COVID-19 remain unresolved. In the present online study, 485 volunteers who reported having had a confirmed COVID-positive test completed a comprehensive cognitive battery and an extensive questionnaire. This group performed significantly worse than pre-pandemic controls on cognitive measures of reasoning, verbal, and overall performance, and processing speed, but not short-term memory – suggesting domain-specific deficits. We identified two distinct factors underlying health measures: one varying with physical symptoms and illness severity, and one with mental health. Crucially, cognitive deficits were correlated with physical symptoms, but not mental health, and were evident even in cases that did not require hospitalisation. These findings suggest that the subjective experience of “long COVID” or “brain fog” relates to a combination of physical symptoms and cognitive deficits.

scholarly journals Author name disambiguation of bibliometric data: A comparison of several unsupervised approaches

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 1510-1528
Author(s):  
Alexander Tekles ◽  
Lutz Bornmann
Keyword(s):  
A Priori ◽  
Bibliometric Data ◽  
Name Disambiguation ◽  
Controlled Conditions ◽  
Author Name Disambiguation ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Bibliometric Databases ◽  
Bibliometric Studies ◽  
Unsupervised Approaches

Adequately disambiguating author names in bibliometric databases is a precondition for conducting reliable analyses at the author level. In the case of bibliometric studies that include many researchers, it is not possible to disambiguate each single researcher manually. Several approaches have been proposed for author name disambiguation, but there has not yet been a comparison of them under controlled conditions. In this study, we compare a set of unsupervised disambiguation approaches. Unsupervised approaches specify a model to assess the similarity of author mentions a priori instead of training a model with labeled data. To evaluate the approaches, we applied them to a set of author mentions annotated with a ResearcherID, this being an author identifier maintained by the researchers themselves. Apart from comparing the overall performance, we take a more detailed look at the role of the parametrization of the approaches and analyze the dependence of the results on the complexity of the disambiguation task. Furthermore, we examine which effects the differences in the set of metadata considered by the different approaches have on the disambiguation results. In the context of this study, the approach proposed by Caron and van Eck (2014) produced the best results.

Exploring the Role of Complexity, Content and Individual Differences in Aesthetic Reactions to Semi-Abstract Art Photographs

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-119
Author(s):  
Nathalie Vissers ◽  
Pieter Moors ◽  
Dominique Genin ◽  
Johan Wagemans
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Response Patterns ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Exploratory Data ◽  
Science Collaboration ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Different Response

Artistic photography is an interesting, but often overlooked, medium within the field of empirical aesthetics. Grounded in an art–science collaboration with art photographer Dominique Genin, this project focused on the relationship between the complexity of a photograph and its aesthetic appeal (beauty, pleasantness, interest). An artistic series of 24 semi-abstract photographs that play with multiple layers, recognisability vs unrecognizability and complexity was specifically created and selected for the project. A large-scale online study with a broad range of individuals (n = 453, varying in age, gender and art expertise) was set up. Exploratory data-driven analyses revealed two clusters of individuals, who responded differently to the photographs. Despite the semi-abstract nature of the photographs, differences seemed to be driven more consistently by the ‘content’ of the photograph than by its complexity levels. No consistent differences were found between clusters in age, gender or art expertise. Together, these results highlight the importance of exploratory, data-driven work in empirical aesthetics to complement and nuance findings from hypotheses-driven studies, as they allow to go further than a priori assumptions, to explore underlying clusters of participants with different response patterns, and to point towards new venues for future research. Data and code for the analyses reported in this article can be found at https://osf.io/2fws6/.

scholarly journals ‘Neo-Crosssexual’ fashion in contemporary men’s suits

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hoe Ryung Lee ◽  
Jongsun Kim ◽  
Jisoo Ha
Keyword(s):  
Gender Issue ◽  
Fashion Design ◽  
Personal Style ◽  
Cultural Shift ◽  
Innovative Design ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Binary Constraints ◽  
Binary Associations ◽  
Design Characteristics ◽  
Novel Design

AbstractToday, fashionable menswear is appropriating traditionally feminine design elements on an unparalleled international scale. This phenomenon should not be interpreted purely as a subversive gender issue, but should also be viewed as an expression of personal style and taste. In order to properly describe this phenomenon, the term ‘crosssexual’ must be introduced to English fashion vocabulary. This paper examines the innovative design characteristics of contemporary crosssexual menswear emerging prominently in men’s suits since 2015 and also raises the necessity of coining a new term: ‘neo-crosssexual’. Ultimately, this paper reveals how neo-crosssexual fashion employs a great variety of innovative silhouettes and novel design elements—ranging from structural or decorative details to colors, fabrics, patterns, and accessories—all of which enable the wearer to express whatever image of themselves they desire. Previous studies have interpreted crosssexual fashion as men simply portraying themselves as effeminate by wearing such clothing, but this conclusion is reductive and reveals there is still an unconscious recognition of limiting binary associations. The richness of neo-crosssexual fashion design, rather, gives individuals freedom to choose a sartorial image devoid of binary constraints. Conventionally classified ‘feminine designs’ are now perceived as creative and functional means to fluidity. This positive cultural shift has led to an increasing number of men choosing to wear suits that incorporate ‘feminine’ design elements, freeing this traditional garment from its limited formal use and symbolic hegemonic power.

scholarly journals A design space for animal skeletons: implications for patterns of macroevolution

1992 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 291-291
Author(s):  
Roger D. K. Thomas ◽  
Wolf-Ernst Reif
Keyword(s):  
A Priori ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Dissipative Structures ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Large Element ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Physical Constraints ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
Ex Post Facto

Organic design arises, on every scale, by the spontaneous self-organization of successively more complex structures from simpler subsidiary components. The resulting structures converge repeatedly on architectural designs that can be constructed by growing organisms, and that are viable but not necessarily optimal in relation to any one function. Empirical observations and theoretical models of developmental processes suggest that these recurrent elements of design are fixed point attractors which organic dissipative structures must necessarily approach. We characterize these structures as topological attractors, thereby emphasizing that they are determined by the properties of matter and the geometry of space-time.We have derived a set of potential designs for the elements of animal skeletons, in terms of geometric rules, growth processes, and the properties of materials. Skeletons or components of the skeletons of actual living and extinct organisms are matched with the possibilities defined within this theoretical morphospace. The extent to which the skeletal components of individual organisms are differentiated, exploiting various parts of the skeleton space, provides a crude metric of structural complexity. The skeleton space serves as a common context, in which we can compare the extent and pattern of exploitation of this range of potential organic designs, from one taxon to another.Our analyses show that the most evolutionarily advanced animals in a given class or phylum generally do not have the most complex skeletons; that molluscs and vertebrates are more morphologically diverse than arthropods; and that the physical constraints of life on land and in the air substantially limit the variety of skeletal structures suitable to be employed by animals living in these environments. Moreover, when the skeletons of all known animals, living and extinct, are considered together, we find that the total range of possible skeletal designs has been very fully exploited.These results strongly support the hypothesis that the essential elements of organic design are inherent in and predictable from the material properties of the universe. Environmental and demographic circumstances, invariably involving a large element of chance, together with the constraints of phylogenetic history largely determine the course of evolution in individual lineages. In contrast, structural principles such as those delineated here determine the recurrent themes of organic design, over large numbers of taxa and long periods of time. Thus, it is no accident that two major groups of animals that have most successfully exploited jointed lever skeletons, vertebrates and arthropods, have achieved the most diversified adaptive radiations, in the sea, on land and in the air.Among the structural paradigms defined within the skeleton space, stronger and weaker topological attractors may be identified empirically by the frequencies with which particular design elements have evolved independently, in unrelated taxa. Plausible functional or constructional rationales can readily be devised, ex post facto, to explain the repeated convergence of organic structures on some obvious strong topological attractors, such as branching networks, spiral cones, and bivalved shells. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that an analytical method can be devised to predict these strong attractors a priori, as the variables involved cannot all be quantified in the same way.

scholarly journals A Review of Performance-Oriented Architectural Design and Optimization in the Context of Sustainability: Dividends and Challenges

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaoxiong Li ◽  
Le Liu ◽  
Changhai Peng
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Design Patterns ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Design And Optimization ◽  
Industry Performance ◽  
Calibration Models ◽  
Novel Design

As most countries have widespread and growing concerns about the sustainable development of society, the requirement to continuously reduce energy consumption poses challenges for the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry. Performance-oriented architectural design and optimization, as a novel design philosophy and comprehensive evolution technology, has been accepted by architects, engineers, and stakeholders for a period of time. Performance in the context of architecture is a widely discussed definition that has long shown a correlation with visual and cultural attributes. Shifting the paradigm of sustainable development while ensuring that the function and aesthetics of the building are not overlooked has been the focus of public attention. Considering the core design elements that affect energy conservation and style performance, the design and optimization of building envelopes, form, and shading systems were selected as research materials. From the perspective of epistemology and methodology, a systematic review of 99 papers was conducted to promulgate the latest development status of energy-efficiency design. This paper manifests a detailed analysis of the design patterns, research features, optimization objectives, and techniques of current approaches. The review found that performance-oriented design optimization can benefit the entire industry from the heuristic knowledge base and the expansion of the design space while maintaining sustainability. In contrast, challenges such as tools, skills, collaboration frameworks, and calibration models are highlighted.

scholarly journals A Behavior-Based Mission Planner for Cooperative Autonomous Underwater Vehicles†

2012 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 32-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Sorbi ◽  
Graziano Pio De Capua ◽  
Jean-Guy Fontaine ◽  
Laura Toni
Keyword(s):  
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Underwater Vehicles ◽  
Fixed Target ◽  
Marine Research ◽  
Detection And Tracking ◽  
Mobile Target ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Behavior Based ◽  
Unknown Area

AbstractDue to its applications in marine research, oceanographic, and undersea exploration, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and the related control algorithms recently have been under intense investigation. In this work, we address target detection and tracking issues, proposing a control strategy that is able to benefit from the cooperation among robots within the fleet. In particular, we introduce a behavior-based planner for cooperative AUVs, proposing an algorithm that is able to search and recognize targets in both static and dynamic scenarios. With no a priori information about the surrounding environment, robots cover an unknown area with the goal of finding objects of interest. When a target is found, the AUVs’ goal is to classify (fixed target) or track (mobile target) the target, with no information about target trajectory and with formation constraints. Results demonstrate the good overall performance of the proposed algorithm in both scenarios.

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