Facilitating animacy perception by manipulating relative visual attention

Animacy perception—discriminating between animate and inanimate visual stimuli—is the basis for engaging in social cognition and for our survival (e.g. avoiding potential danger). Previous studies indicate that bottom-up factors, such as the features or motion of a target, enhance animacy perception. However, top-down factors such as elements in perceivers have received little attention. Research on judgment, decision-making, and neuroeconomics indicate the active role of visual attention in constructing decisions. This study examined the role of visual attention in the perception of animacy by manipulating the relative visual attention to targets. Among Studies 1a to 1c conducted in this study, participants saw two face illustrations alternately; one of the faces was shown to be longer than the other. The participants chose the face that they considered more animated and rounder. Consequently, longer visual attention towards targets facilitated animacy perception and preference rather than the perception of roundness. Furthermore, pre-registered Study 2 examined the underlying mechanisms. The results suggest that mere exposure, rather than orienting behaviour, might play a key role in the perception of animacy. These results suggest that in the reverse relationship between attention and animacy perception, animate objects capture attention, and attention results in the perception of animacy.

Prospects for the Use of Mobile Operator Data in Studies of Natural and Man-Made Risk

The article proposes a conceptual substantiation of the possibility of using the cellular operators data in order to assess the population vulnerability in the natural risk studies. Cellular operators data allow obtaining information on the differentiation of the population vulnerability in a large city (the article provides the case of Moscow) to natural and manmade hazards, taking into account the actual population size and its movement within different time cycles (daily, weekly, seasonal). A reliable information of how many people are at each point of the urban space at a certain point in time will allow not only to timely assess the most likely number of people in the potential danger area, thereby simplifying the work of specialized emergencies services, but also to competently develop a set of preventive measures in accordance with the real need.

Environmental Impacts of Microplastics and Nanoplastics: A Current Overview

The increasing distribution of miniaturized plastic particles, viz. microplastics (100 nm–5 mm) and nanoplastics (less than 100 nm), across the various ecosystems is currently a subject of major environmental concern. Exacerbating these concerns is the fact that microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) display different properties from their corresponding bulk materials; thus, not much is understood about their full biological and ecological implications. Currently, there is evidence to prove that these miniaturized plastic particles release toxic plastic additives and can adsorb various chemicals, thereby serving as sinks for various poisonous compounds, enhancing their bioavailability, toxicity, and transportation. Furthermore, there is a potential danger for the trophic transfer of MNPs to humans and other higher animals, after being ingested by lower organisms. Thus, this paper critically analyzes our current knowledge with regard to the environmental impacts of MNPs. In this regard, the properties, sources, and damaging effects of MNPs on different habitats, particularly on the biotic components, were elucidated. Similarly, the consequent detrimental effects of these particles on humans as well as the current and future efforts at mitigating these detrimental effects were discussed. Finally, the self-cleaning efforts of the planet via a range of saprophytic organisms on these synthetic particles were also highlighted.

Multi-virulence and phenotypic spread of Campylobacter jejuni carried by chicken meat in Brazil

Campylobacter jejuni is the most incriminated pathogen in bacterial gastroenteritis, and therefore, characteristics of its epidemiology must be continuously investigated to support possible mitigating measures. This is particularly important when evaluating representative strains of the world's leading chicken meat exporter, Brazil. We evaluated a panel of 14 virulence genes in 359 strains of C. jejuni isolated from chilled broiler carcasses of Brazil. The genes were classified into five virulence categories (B: biofilm/motility; SS: secretion/cytotoxicity system; CI: invasion/colonization; GB: Guillain-Barré and AE: adaptation to stress). The percentage of strains with stress adaptation genes (86.07%) indicates the potential to adapt to unfavorable environmental conditions and hcp gene in 97.77%, indicates the ability to cause serious infections in humans. Genes related to GBS in 77.44% of strains are an additional concern, which must be monitored. The gene panel showed the presence of 124 virulence profiles. Individual analyzes by carcass, slaughter establishment, and municipalities where they were located showed high I.Var., of 0.82, 0.87 and 0.78, respectively. Georeferencing indicated state A as a hotspot for virulent strains. Higher levels of isolation and multi-virulence were identified in the summer, which in Brazil is hot and humid. Proteomics was able to discriminate the strains, but due to the high heterogeneity between them, it did not allow to explain their dissemination. Together, our results showed that the studied strains are a potential danger to public health and that there is an urgent need for their surveillance and the adoption of control measures, especially in state A.

EFEKTIVITAS PENDAMPINGAN PETANI DALAM MENINGKATKAN KESELAMATAN DAN KESEHATAN KERJA DI DESA SUKAINDAH KECAMATAN SUKAKARYA

ABSTRAKDesa Sukaindah merupakan salah satu desa yang berada di Kecamatan Sukakarya, Kabupaten Bekasi. Mayoritas pekerja di desa tersebut adalah petani dengan sistem bekerjanya adalah buruh panggilan dengan menggarap sawah orang lain, permasalahan yang perlu mendapat perhatian terkait keselamatan dan kesehatan kerja dalam penggunaan pestisida bagi petani yaitu pengetahuan dan pemahaman mengenai potensi bahaya risiko penggunaan pestisida dan kesadaran tentang pentingnya pemakaian Alat Pelindung Diri (APD) saat bekerja masih rendah. Program pendampingan masyarakat petani bertujuan untuk meningkatkan keselamatan dan kesehatan kerja melalui 3 tahapan program yaitu: 1. Sosialisasi dan edukasi melalui buku saku yang diberikan kepada para pekerja mengenai dampak risiko bahaya penggunaan pestisida, 2. Pelatihan dan pendampingan pentingnya dalam penggunaan APD, dan 3. Focus Group Discussion mengenai efektivitas pendampingan petani dalam meningkatkan keselamatan dan kesehatan kerja. Sasaran dalam program pendampingan ini adalah masyarakat petani di Desa Sukaindah. Hasil dengan dilaksanakannya kegiatan pengabdian masyarakat ini adalah adanya peningkatan pemahaman dan pengetahuan petani terhadap bahaya risiko penggunaan pestisida dan juga peningkatan petani dalam penggunaan alat pelindung diri (APD) yang baik dan benar. Kesimpulan dari kegiatan ini adalah program pendampingan dalam meningkatkan keselamatan dan kesehatan kerja merupakan metode yang efektif untuk meningkatkan kesadaran mengenai bahaya penggunaan pestisida dan penggunaan alat pelindung diri bagi para petani. Kata kunci: potensi bahaya pestisida; alat pelindung diri (APD); keselamatan dan kesehatan kerja (K3); petani ABSTRACTSukaindah village is one of the villages are located in kecamatan sukakarya , bekasi district .The majority of workers in the village are farmers with a system of an undeveloped are just labor call by working on other other people rice fields , attention must be given to problems related to the occupational health and safety in the use of pesticides for farmers namely knowledge and understanding of the potential danger risk the use of pesticides and recognition of the importance of the use of the equipment himself apd ) while working is still low. The farmers assistance programs aims to improve work safety and health through the 3 the program which are: 1.Socialization and education through a book pocket given to workers on the impact of the use of pesticides, risk hazard 2.Training and assistance important in the use of apd, and 3.Focus group discussion regarding concerning assistance increase effectiveness farmers through work safety and health.Goals in this flanking program is the farmers in the village sukaindah.The results by when the public was activities devotion is an increase in the understanding and knowledge of farmers to danger risk the use of pesticides and also elevations farmers through the use of a protective apd ) to ( that is good and right.Conclusion of this activity is to improve assistance programs work safety and health is effective methods to raise awareness of danger the use of a party. Keywords: the potential danger pesticide; self protection instrument ( APD ); work safety and health ( K3 ); farmers

Digital Human Assets and Psycho-digital Risks. Concept and recommendations

Nowadays, 60% of humanity is digitally connected, implying the generation of data and content. In this sense, the objective of this article is to discuss the relationship between the concepts of Human Digital Assets and Psycho-digital Risks. The former comprises digital information linked to a person, and the latter is conceived as the potential danger arising from the interaction of people and organizations due to interaction with networked technologies without sufficient knowledge. Through a qualitative methodological approach and a documental research design, both concepts are addressed, in order to provide their identification, evaluation, and integration in the management of human digitization processes. This paper does not intend to formulate a methodology for its quantification, but rather to motivate and raise awareness of the need to rethink digital literacy in various interest groups. The conclusions allow reflecting on considering the basic aspects of both concepts, their relationship, and recommendations to be incorporated in organizations in order to minimize the risks generated in the digital space that affect our physical life.

INTENSITY OF HYBRID THREATS TO NATIONAL ECONOMIES

Background. In the context of growing tendencies to hybridize interstate conflicts, hybrid threats become especially important, which, in contrast to direct military threats, are difficult to identify and have their own logic of emergence and escalation. The hidden nature of hybrid aggression and the focus on the most vulnerable parties necessitate a proactive response of the object state based on a thorough assessment of the potential impact of hybrid confrontation on the development of the national economy. The aim of the article isto substantiate the criteria for the intensity of the impact of hybrid threats on the national economy in order to further assess the risks of threats to the state-object of hybrid aggression. Materials and methods. Methods of analysis and synthesis are used to determine the relationship of basic concepts of risk in the context of the study of socio-economic processes; method of mathematical modeling – to formalize the criterion of the intensity of the destructive impact of hybrid threats on the national economy; method of graphical modeling – to visualize the dynamics of escalation of the destructive effects of hybrid threats. The research was performed on the basisof scientific publications, materials of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine and European analytical services. Results. It is substantiated that the transformation of modern interstate conflicts takes place in the direction of their acquisition of signs of hybridization, provided that it is understood as a process of using various means of pressure, mostly of a non-military nature. It is proved that the high destructive potential of hybrid threats requires the definition of criteria for the intensity of their impact on the national economy in order to further assess the risks of threats to the state-object of hybrid aggression. The author's interpretation of the relationship between the basic concepts of risk in the context of the study of socio-economic processes, which are arranged by the level of escalation in the following order: potential danger, potential threat, real threat, risk situation, real danger. Based on the definition of the specifics of hybrid threats, their key characteristics are systematized and the destructive impact on the national economy is structured. It is substantiated that the generalizing characteristics of the destructive impact of hybrid threats on the national economy should be recognized as the level of its intensity, which is determined by the probability of the threat realization and potential losses. It is proved that the escalation of hybrid threats to economically weak and vulnerable states to the level of real danger is almost inevitable if their interests conflict with the ambitions of leading geopolitical actors. Conclusion. Interval assessment of the criteria for the intensity of hybrid threats allows structuring their destructive impact on the national economy from the minimum (potential danger) to the maximum (real danger) level of escalation. The structuring of the destructive impact of hybrid threats creates a basis for assessing the risks of threats to the state-object of hybrid aggression depending on the level of their intensity and overcoming the negative consequences for the economy of the state-object of hybrid aggression.

Criminal risk and its impact on criminal individualization

This paper deals with the concept of criminal danger and its effectiveness within the authority of the judge in assessing the penalty, or punitive individualization. Criminal danger as stated in its statement as a psychological condition and potential danger in the future as a result of research and investigation of several factors and motives in the personality of the offender, and research in his social environment, has an impact and close connection With the penalty and its assessment on the offender, the duty to reveal this case falls within the responsibility of the judge through a pre-judgment examination, and it begins from the first stages of committing the crime all the way to the judgment and assessment of the appropriate penalty. It carries it from the privacy and differentiation. As for assessing and individualizing the penalty, it is the result of a correct and in-depth reading of the offender’s personality to reach what is better and more appropriate for the offender towards reforming and returning him fit to live in society.

A multivariate risk assessment of the airborne transmission of SARS-Cov-2 in different scenarios in Bangladesh: Identifying potential danger zones and proposing solutions

Bangladesh is a developing country with one of the world’s densest populations, and thus, is very vulnerable to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bangladesh has found it challenging to contain the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, leading to a high number of COVID-19 cases. The dominant avenue of SARS-CoV-2 transmission is through airborne droplets. We have attempted to compare the probability of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in different scenarios and situations, with a view to proposing mitigations to reduce this risk in the context of the country. A multivariate approach was taken, whereby a number of physical and environmental parameters were considered. Based on the Wells-Riley model, we have integrated several different equations into the original, developing a modified model that takes into account the factors of distancing, ventilation and the decay of airborne particles. The modified model was run on a number of different scenarios and situations. From the results, a distance risk matrix was developed, which indicates the relative risk of transmission someone faces at a distance from an infectious person compared to the risk being at some other distance. Additionally, it was found that environments with strong sunlight exposure and high temperature and humidity have greatly reduced transmission risk, as the airborne deactivation of virus particles is accelerated. Proper ventilation in indoor situations also greatly reduces this risk. The results of the study are used to suggest a number of mitigation methods that can be adapted as policy or guidelines.

Personality traits of respondents with different attitudes towards the COVID-19 epidemic

An empirical study of the psychological characteristics associated with attitudes towards the spread of the COVID-19 virus is presented. The attitude towards the spread of the COVID-19 virus is defined as a system of partial subjective assessments of the essential characteristics of a given situation: the potential danger of infection with the virus, information coverage of events in the media, health-preserving measures of official institutions. A classification of types of attitudes towards the spread of the COVID-19 virus is proposed based on combinations of various partial subjective assessments of the essential characteristics of the situation of the spread of the virus. The article reflects the results of an empirical study of the personality traits of respondents with different attitudes towards the spread of viral infection: significant positive and negative correlations between the types of attitudes towards the pandemic and respondents’ copping strategies, types of relationships and such personal characteristics as extraversion – introversion, attachment – alienation.