Being in a crowd bonds people via physiological synchrony

Collective events can generate intense emotions, shape group identities, and forge strong bonds. Do these effects extend to remote participation, and what are the psychological mechanisms underpinning their social power? We monitored psycho-physiological activity among groups of basketball fans who either attended games in-person (in a stadium) or watched games live on television in small groups. In-person attendance was associated with greater synchronicity in autonomic nervous system activation at the group level, which resulted in more transformative experiences and contributed to stronger identity fusion. Our findings suggest that the social effects of sports depend substantially on the inter-personal dynamics unfolding among fans, rather than being prompted simply by watching the game itself. Given the increasing prevalence of virtual experiences, this has potentially wide-reaching implications for many domains of collective human interaction.

IASF-2021 results

On October 19–20, 2021, the annual International Automotive Scientific Forum IASF-2021 “Ground innovative vehicles with a low carbon footprint” was held. The format of the event assumed full-time and remote participation. The problems of design, creation and operation of environmentally friendly vehicles were discussed at the forum. A specialized exhibition was held during the entire period of the Forum’s work in the building of the Design Center. This year, the developments of FSUE “NAMI” have been presented by vehicles hybrid and electric drive, as well as their component base. In addition, the presented AURUS cars included a hydrogen one. GAZ and KAMAZ demonstrated their developments of vehicles with zero emissions. Moscow universities presented unmanned vehicles developed by the students. A competition of students, postgraduates and young scientists’ research works was held.

Remote VR Studies: A Framework for Running Virtual Reality Studies Remotely Via Participant-Owned HMDs

We investigate opportunities and challenges of running virtual reality (VR) studies remotely. Today, many consumers own head-mounted displays (HMDs), allowing them to participate in scientific studies from their homes using their own equipment. Researchers can benefit from this approach by being able to recruit study populations normally out of their reach, and to conduct research at times when it is difficult to get people into the lab (cf. the COVID pandemic). In an initial online survey ( N = 227), we assessed HMD owners’ demographics, their VR setups and their attitudes toward remote participation. We then identified different approaches to running remote studies and conducted two case studies for an in-depth understanding. We synthesize our findings into a framework for remote VR studies, discuss strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches, and derive best practices. Our work is valuable for Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) researchers conducting VR studies outside labs.

Arbitration Hearing with Remote Participation: Necessary Innovations that Irreversibly Change Traditions

The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic forced most arbitration centers in countries with a wide variety of legal traditions to switch to mass arbitration hearings in video conferencing mode in the spring of 2020. It turned out that hearings with remote participation of representatives of the parties, and sometimes arbitrators, have a number of advantages compared to regular hearings. A number of new possibilities arises and thus compensates the loss of certain possibilities adherent in physical presence of arbitration participants at hearings. The authors argue that most of the obstacles and shortcomings of the new format as a whole can be overcome with modern regulatory development, law enforcement, software, and hardware tools. The paper examines, among other things, the experience of the Arbitration Center at the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, whose software and hardware complex and previously modernized arbitration rules made it possible to safely switch to a new mode of operation. New documents of international origin in this area are also being considered, indicating the need to ensure a balance between the effectiveness of arbitration proceedings on the one hand and the right of the parties to due process and fair treatment on the other.The authors conclude that there will not be a complete return to the previous practice with the end of the pandemic. However, a certain part of the meetings, taking into account the circumstances of the disputes, will return offline, the popularity of various mixed (hybrid) options will increase, which will not be difficult to put into practice due to the flexibility of the arbitration procedure. The flexibility of arbitration and the delegation to arbitrators of a number of issues related to the organization and conduct of arbitration proceedings, which require that opinions of the parties should be requested and considered in order to solve the dispute, makes it possible to ensure the optimal “format” of the arbitration procedure given the specific circumstances of the dispute. This procedure provides its participants, among other things, a reasonable and sufficient opportunity to present their positions, ensuring equal treatment of the parties and adversarial while ensuring the real effectiveness of the arbitration procedure, which allows in modern conditions to properly implement the principles on which arbitration is based.

Remote Participation of the Accused (Suspect) at the Preliminary Investigation Stage as an Alternative to the Criminal Proceedings Stay

The participation of the accused at the stage of preliminary investigation presupposes the possibility of exercising his right to defense. However, in cases of being in a territory significantly remote from the location of the preliminary investigation body, including outside Russia, the impossibility of personal participation in investigative and other procedural actions, one of the ways of interaction between the accused and law enforcement agencies may be remote participation through electronic interaction systems, and video conferencing. Draft laws on the amendment into the RF Criminal Procedure Code on conducting investigative actions through video-conference communication were pending at the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation in 2015 and 2018, but were not finalized and adopted. The provisions of the Second Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, providing for the simplification and acceleration of the procedure for providing mutual legal assistance in terms of the possibility of interrogating the accused (suspect) via videoconference, Russia, upon ratification of the protocol in 2019, did not allow to apply. In criminal cases of an economic nature, which reverberate in society and raise many questions about the activities of law enforcement agencies, large entrepreneurs often leave Russia, unable to remotely take part in investigative actions, present evidence in their defense, and get acquainted with procedural decisions in a criminal case. This leads to an increase in the number of suspended criminal cases, according to art. 208, part 1, clauses 1-3 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation. In 2019, the total number of economic criminal cases increased by 37% compared to 2018, while the number of suspended criminal cases under Art. 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation increased by 15.83%, under Art. 159.1-159.6 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation — by 86.93%. The relevance of the topic is also due to the coronavirus pandemic, which limited the freedom of movement of Russian citizens both within the country and abroad. In this regard, the use of video-conferencing in the investigation of criminal cases is becoming a vital necessity, the imperative of the times.

Harnessing citizen science to assess and improve utilization of metropolitan parks: the Park Activity, Recreation, and Community, Study (PARCS) in St. Louis, MO

Access to and use of parks is associated with physical activity participation. Our Voice is a systematic method blending community-based participatory research (CBPR) and citizen science. As part of a comprehensive, mixed-methods study in St. Louis, Missouri (PARCS), we tested the feasibility of the Our Voice method for gathering community input on the barriers to and facilitators of accessibility and use of large metropolitan parks, by describing the implementation of the Our Voice method among recreational and commuter users of a large metropolitan park in St. Louis, MO. Due to challenges posed by COVID-19, the Our Voice methodology was adapted for remote participation. Twenty-three citizen scientists (14 recreational park users and 9 commuters) collected and analyzed geolocated route, photo, and audio or text data on facilitators and barriers to park use and access. They identified 6 priority themes and 12 solution ideas, and presented them to stakeholders. In contrast to previous Our Voice studies, separate user groups (recreation and commuter users) independently prioritized many of the same themes. Adaptation of the Our Voice protocol to virtual practices during COVID-19 revealed positive implications for cost, reach, and scale of studies grounded in CBPR and citizen science. We provide a set of recommended practices for using Our Voice as a method to evaluate and promote equity of access and use of metropolitan parks.

National Hemophilia Foundation Enlists Diverse Patient Voices to Inform a National Research Blueprint for Inherited Bleeding Disorders

Background: The inherited bleeding disorder (IBD) community has witnessed significant advances in care, yet important gaps persist, particularly in rare disorders and underserved populations. An initiative spearheaded by the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) and shaped by the patient community aims to accelerate progress through a national research blueprint. The blueprint is being designed to identify and guide research priorities toward those areas that most significantly impact the lives of individuals affected today and articulate clearly defined opportunities to make the greatest impact for the future. Methods: NHF has enlisted individuals with IBDs as subject matter experts (SMEs) to guide this initiative by elevating the most pressing issues affecting them today and informing expert discussions on actionable research priorities for the future. SME insights have been collected through listening sessions, a cross-community survey, and participation in multi-disciplinary working groups. The NHF State of the Science Research Summit (SOS) in September 2021 will address the input of the working groups and will also feature patient vignettes to illustrate today's unmet needs and contextualize the research priorities identified to address them. As part of this interactive Summit, SMEs from traditionally underrepresented patient populations are also being enlisted to participate in remote participation groups (RPGs) with the goal of soliciting input that further tailors the research priorities to the needs of these populations. The RPGs will be comprised of individuals with bleeding disorders or their caregivers who represent specific populations by race/ethnicity (for example, African Americans, Asian Americans, Indigenous persons, Mexican and Central American Hispanic individuals, etc.). Within each group, NHF will aim to include individuals with diverse experiences based on their IBD, barriers related to access to care, gender and sexual orientation. During each session, the moderated RPGs will participate in the live summit, discuss the expert dialogue, and share real-time perspectives and comments about how the content addresses, or not, their specific community needs. The expert SOS panel will then have the chance to address their comments. The commentary from these sessions will be included in the NHF blueprint to define the research path forward for the community. The RPGs are also expected to be reconvened in Spring 2022 to review and improve upon the opportunities identified in the blueprint. Results: NHF has enlisted broad and diverse community support to ensure the blueprint accurately represents the opportunities to create meaningful and lasting impact for individuals with IBDs. In total, 42 patients and caregivers participated in listening sessions; 125 contributed to the community survey; 15 are participating in the Summit working groups and approximately 200 are being enlisted for the remote participation groups. The themes to be addressed during the SOS reflect the input provided by the SMEs and health professionals (see Table 1). Conclusions: Actively soliciting the patient community's views is central in our process to advance research in IBDs. By enlisting the participation of historically underserved community segments, this effort aims to address some of the most persistent and pressing issues affecting the IBD community today. Specific insights from the RPG participation in the Summit will be included in the presentation. This blueprint, which will guide the U.S. research community, could help fundamentally redefine the experience of diverse populations living with these disorders. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Witkop: Teralmmune, Inc.: Consultancy. Recht: Octapharma: Consultancy; Novo Nordisk: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; Sanofi: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; uniQure: Consultancy; Foundation for Women and Girls with Blood Disorders, Partners in Bleeding Disorders: Speakers Bureau; American Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network: Current Employment; Oregon Health & Science University: Current Employment; Kedrion: Consultancy; Hema Biologics: Consultancy; Genentech: Consultancy; CSL Behring: Consultancy; Catalyst Biosciences: Consultancy. Valentino: Spark: Ended employment in the past 24 months.

Preface

Proceedings of the International Research & Practice Conference “Transboundary Areas of Russia’s East: Development Factors, Opportunities and Gaps” Ulan-Ude, Russia, 6-8 September 2021 On behalf of the Organising Committee and the Editors of this volume, we are delighted to present the Proceedings of the International Research & Practice Conference “Transboundary Areas of Russia’s East: Development Factors, Opportunities and Gaps” (TTER-2021), which was held in Ulan-Ude, Russia, 6-8 September 2021. The Conference was organised by the Baikal Institute of Nature Management SB RAS, Banzarov Buryat State University, with the support of Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Association of Russian Geographers and Social Scientists (Buryat Regional Office). The Conference was held in a mixed, full-time and remote participation format at the Banzarov Buryat State University, and consisted of a plenary session and four thematic sessions. TTER-2021 was attended by more than 100 scientists, professors, government officials, representatives of businesses and public organisations from Russia, Mongolia, and China. List of Organising Committee of the Conference are available in this pdf.

Upcoming SIGWEB supported conferences

The Special Interest Group on Hypertext and the Web, SIGWEB was created in 1989 to support the community participating in the annual ACM Hypertext Conference. In its fourth decade, SIGWEB continues its efforts to support a wide range of communities and conferences. Recently, the Web Conference's legal and financial sponsorship was transferred to SIGWEB and thus joins the family of seven annual conferences in 2022. SIGWEB supports several specialized conferences, short courses, and workshops of different sizes, as well as the annual Hypertext Conference. SIGWEB sponsored conferences focus on timely topics in applied and computational hypertext and Web disciplines and provide a place for members and the entire applied Hypermedia and Web community to exchange ideas and to meet with and expand their network of colleagues. In this article, we provide a brief overview of SIGWEB sponsored conferences, in addition to events that are in cooperation with SIGWEB. Due to the current Corona crisis, many event organizers opted for an online conference format or allow remote participation. These conferences are marked accordingly.