The Effect of Program Genre on Modes of Media Multitasking and Ad Processing

Despite many studies on the effect of MM on advertising, previous studies on MM considered MM a homogenous phenomenon. Further, whether and how media-related factors predict different modes of MM and how this behavior affects ad processing has been unknown. To fill this gap, the purpose of this study was to examine (a) the effect of program-genre on the occurrence of different modes of media multitasking (MM; utilitarian MM vs. hedonic MM) and (b) how different modes of MM influence the way viewers process ads on the primary screen (i.e., computer screen). A lab-based experiment yielded data for testing the hypotheses. The findings suggest that findings suggest that MM can be classified into two distinct modes: utilitarian MM and hedonic MM. Further, the findings show that participants who watched the sitcom tended to engage in a higher amount of utilitarian MM than those who watched the suspenseful drama; however, both groups engaged in a comparable amount of hedonic MM. The findings also indicate that participants who watched the sitcom demonstrated a lower level of ad memory than those who watched the suspenseful drama. The current study provides meaningful theoretical implications. Further, this study provides useful implications for advertising practitioners and marketers.

Comparison of Harvesting and Processing Technique for Adipose Tissue Graft: Evaluation of Cell Viability

Background: Clinical studies demonstrated the efficacy of therapies based on the autologous grafting of adult mesenchymal stem cells to accelerate the healing and regenerative processes of the skin and mesenchymal tissues; therefore, it is considered a valuable approach in the aesthetic rejuvenation treatment to give volumization and skin regeneration effects. Objective: The aim of the project consisted of the control of cell viability of adipose tissue (AT) harvested using the two types of cannulas having 0.8 mm and 1 mm side port holes. The results were compared with tissue harvested with a standard liposuction technique and processed with a standard procedure consisting of enzymatic digestion (collagenase). Methods: This study was performed on adipose tissues harvested from 7 patients (6 females and 1 male) with an average age of 48.5 years with 3 different techniques. We compared the cell vitality of every sample at T0 and T72. Results: Lipoaspirate tissue-derived by 0.8- and 1 mm cannula from all samples proved to be vital and possess viable cells. The average absorbance was similar immediately after plating (T0) and 72 hours after (T72) for the two cannulas, 0.8- and 1 mm cannula. The two systems proved to equally harvest vital tissue. An increase in cell viability was observed in all samples for each condition (0.8-, 1 mm and enzymatic digestion). Conclusion: This study proved that guided harvested adipose tissue with small cannulas with small side port holes yields a comparable amount of viable cells compared to adipose tissue harvested with a liposuction system and processed with enzymatic digestion (collagenase). This study confirms that the minimally invasive technique and minimal manipulation of the adipose tissue could yield a tissue with a good amount of viable cells. This micro fragmented adipose tissue is a promising source for regenerative treatments.

Comparison of Bacterial And Archaeal Microbiome In Two Bioreactors Fed With Cattle Sewage And Corn Biomass

The bacterial and archaeal communities of two biogas producing plants (P1 and P2), associated with a 999 kW cogeneration unit, both located in North Italy, were analyzed at start up and fully operating phases, by means of various molecular approaches: i) Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis; ii) cloning and sequencing of PCR amplicons of archaeal genes 16Srrna and mcrA; iii) 16S rDNA high throughput next generation sequencing. P1 and P2 use the same technology and both were fed with cattle manure and corn silage. During the study of P1 also the post digestor (fed with pig manure) was analyzed. The aim of this research was to characterize the bacterial and archaeal community in two very similar plants to profile the core microbiome. The results of this analysis highlighted that the two plants (producing comparable quantities of volatile fatty acids, biogas, and energy) differed in anerobic microbiota (Bacteria and Archaea). Notably the methanogenic community of P1 was dominated by the strict acetoclastic Methanosaeta (Methanothrix) (up to 23.05%) and the unculturable Candidatus Methanofastidiosum (up to 32.70%), while P2 was dominated by the acetoclastic, but more substrate-versatile, Methanosarcina archaeal genus (49.19%). The data demonstrated that the performances of plants with identical design, in similar operating conditions, yielding comparable amount of biogas (average of 8662 m3 /day and 7916 m3/day respectively for P1 and P2), VFA (1643 mg/L and 1634 mg/L) and energy recovery (23.90-24 MWh/d) depends on the stabilization of an effective and functionally optimized methanogenic community rather than on the species composition

Reversed-Phase HPLC Characterization and Quantification and Antioxidant Capacity of the Phenolic Acids and Flavonoids Extracted From Eight Varieties of Sorghum Grown in Austria

Sorghum is raising great interest as a grain for the future, for its agricultural advantages in times of climate change, and for the positive impact of its bioactive compounds on human health. These compounds comprise phenolic acids, in a free, conjugated, and bound form, and flavonoids. The most commonly used extraction methods require high volumes of chemicals and are non-practical when handling many samples at a time. The main aim of this study was to develop a microscale extraction procedure for both phenolic acids and flavonoids to improve yield and diversity, labor time, and chemicals usage. The improved protocols allowed to perform the extraction in 2-ml safe-lock tubes using around 60 times less chemical volume for phenolic acids and 6 times less for flavonoids. In addition, compared to the macroscale method, the microscale approach was effective in extracting a comparable amount of phenolic acids (between 0.99 and 1.57 mg ferulic acid/g) and even a higher quantity of flavonoids (between 1.10 and 2.24 mg ferulic acid/g). With the established methods, phenolic compounds were extracted from eight varieties of sorghum grown in Austria, previously shown to be promising for food processing. In all sorghum varieties, protocatechuic, vanillic, caffeic, syringic, P-coumaric, and ferulic acids were detected in free, conjugated and bound form, with the last being the most abundant. Arsky and Icebergg varieties presented the lowest (922.65 μg/g) and the highest (1,269.28 μg/g) levels of total phenolic acids, respectively, recorded using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Flavonoids, comprising luteolinidin, apigenidin, naringenin, apigenin, 5-methoxy-luteolinidin (5-MetO-Lut), and 7-methoxy-apigeninidin (7-MetO-Api), were detected in amounts between 27.03 (Kalatur variety) and 87.52 μg/g (Huggo variety). The red varieties, Huggo, Armorik, and Arsky, had the highest antioxidant activity measured as 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) [around 5.00 μg Trolox equivalent (TE)/g] and Azino-bis(3-ehtylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) (around 3.00 μg TE/g) scavenging capacity for both phenolic acids and flavonoids. Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) was the highest for the phenolic acids extracted from a white Ggolden variety.

Chemical Assessment and Proximate Composition of Shorea macrophylla and Shorea palembanica Seed Oil and Oilseeds

Present study evaluated the fatty acid profile and oxidative stability of Shorea macrophylla and Shorea palembanica oils. Analysis on fatty acid profile of S. macrophylla and S. palembanica oils using gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GC-MS) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy – attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) found no significant difference among the oils. Stearic, palmitic and oleic acids are the major fatty acids in Shorea oils. The influence of type of extraction, fatty acid profile, and anti-oxidant activity on acid value (AV) and peroxide value (PV) were determined using Pearson correlation coefficient (r) analysis. Highest correlation was found between type of extraction, antioxidant activity (phenolic content), AV and PV, suggesting the type of extraction strongly influenced the phenolic content and oxidative stability. S. macrophylla oil extracted using mechanical expeller (MESM) have the highest quality oil (AV: 3.76 mg NaOH/g; PV: 7.96 meq O2/kg) compared to SESM, MESP and SESP oils. Similarities in fatty acid composition and oxidative stability of Shorea oil and cocoa butter indicates the potential of Shorea oil to be utilised industrially as Cocoa Butter Equivalence (CBE) and vegetable oil. Shorea oilseeds contain an appreciable amount of essential macrominerals and a comparable amount of microminerals to common seeds. The anti-nutritive factor oxalate was found higher (p<0.05) in S. palembanica oilseeds than in S. macrophylla with values of 0.14 and 0.12 g/100 g respectively. The amount of phytate in Shorea seeds is not significantly different at 5% level with a value of 0.29 g/100 g.

Foreshock cavitons and spontaneous hot flow anomalies: a statistical study with a global hybrid-Vlasov simulation

The foreshock located upstream of Earth's bow shock hosts a wide variety of phenomena related to the reflection of solar wind particles from the bow shock and the subsequent formation of ultra-low-frequency (ULF) waves. In this work, we investigate foreshock cavitons, which are transient structures resulting from the non-linear evolution of ULF waves, and spontaneous hot flow anomalies (SHFAs), which are thought to evolve from cavitons as they accumulate suprathermal ions while being carried to the bow shock by the solar wind. Using the global hybrid-Vlasov simulation model Vlasiator, we have conducted a statistical study in which we track the motion of individual cavitons and SHFAs in order to examine their properties and evolution. In our simulation run where the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is directed at a sunward–southward angle of 45∘, continuous formation of cavitons is found up to ∼11 Earth radii (RE) from the bow shock (along the IMF direction), and caviton-to-SHFA evolution takes place within ∼2 RE from the shock. A third of the cavitons in our run evolve into SHFAs, and we find a comparable amount of SHFAs forming independently near the bow shock. We compare the properties of cavitons and SHFAs to prior spacecraft observations and simulations, finding good agreement. We also investigate the variation of the properties as a function of position in the foreshock, showing that transients close to the bow shock are associated with larger depletions in the plasma density and magnetic field magnitude, along with larger increases in the plasma temperature and the level of bulk flow deflection. Our measurements of the propagation velocities of cavitons and SHFAs agree with earlier studies, showing that the transients propagate sunward in the solar wind rest frame. We show that SHFAs have a greater solar wind rest frame propagation speed than cavitons, which is related to an increase in the magnetosonic speed near the bow shock.

A Study on Synoptic Conditions Leading to the Extreme Rainfall in Taiwan during 10–12 June 2012

During 10–12 June 2012, heavy rainfall occurred three days in a row in southern and central Taiwan, with daily rainfall maxima exceeding 500 mm on each day. In the Mei-yu season (May–June) during 1993–2000, only two other rainfall events had a comparable amount and duration, but this case was the only one that occurred well before the arrival of the Mei-yu front. The synoptic conditions and their evolution leading to this unique event are thus important and are the foci of this study. Our analysis indicates that the 10–12 June 2012 event in Taiwan was caused by the strong and persistent west-southwesterly low-level jet (LLJ) that transported warm, moist, and unstable air from upstream and then impinged on the island. The LLJ developed due to the enhanced horizontal pressure (or height) gradient when the pressure at low-levels fell significantly (by ~8 hPa) in South China (north of the jet) during 8–10 June, but the subtropical high to the southeast maintained its strength. Further, through a diagnosis using the pressure tendency equation, it is found that both warm air advection and the dynamic effects (column divergence and transport of mass by vertical motion) contributed to the pressure fall in South China. The warm air advection occurred in the southern part of a large-scale confluent pattern in China, and the persistent west-southwesterly flow through deep layer (mainly above 800 hPa) in South China transported warmer and less dense air into the region from lower latitudes. On the other hand, South China was also located under the diffluent zone in the northeastern quadrant of the South Asian upper-level anticyclone, which strengthened during 5–10 June and provided divergence aloft, which exceeded the low-level convergence and upward transport of mass (at a fixed height) into the column by vertical motion on 9 June. As a result, the dynamic effects also contributed to the pressure fall, although secondary to the warm air advection. The destabilization process in South China during 8–10 June was also helpful to increase convective activity and upper-level divergence.

Acute Effects of a Perturbation-Based Balance Training on Cognitive Performance in Healthy Older Adults: A Pilot Study

Aging is accompanied by an alteration in the capacity to ambulate, react to external balance perturbations, and resolve cognitive tasks. Perturbation-based balance training has been used to induce adaptations of gait stability and reduce fall risk. The compensatory reactions generated in response to external perturbations depend on the activation of specific neural structures. This suggests that training balance recovery reactions should show acute cognitive training effects. This study aims to investigate whether exposure to repeated balance perturbations while walking can produce acute aftereffects that improve proactive and reactive strategies to control gait stability and cognitive performance in healthy older adults. It is expected that an adaptation of the recovery reactions would be associated with increased selective attention and information processing speed. Twenty-eight healthy older adults were assigned to either an Experimental (EG) or a Control Group (CG). The protocol was divided in 2 days. During the first visit, all participants completed the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) and the Trail Making Test (TMT). During the second visit, a cable-driven robot was used to apply waist-pull perturbations while walking on a treadmill. The EG was trained with multidirectional perturbations of increasing intensity. The CG walked for a comparable amount of time with cables on, but without experiencing perturbations. Before and after the training, all participants were exposed to diagonal waist-pull perturbations. Changes in gait stability were evaluated by comparing the distance between the heel of the leading leg and the extrapolated Center of Mass (Heel-XCoM Distance—HXD) at perturbation onset (PON) and first compensatory heel strike (CHS). Finally, the cables were removed, and participants completed the SDMT and the TMT again. Results showed that only the EG adapted the gait stability (p &lt; 0.001) in reaction to diagonal perturbations and showed improved performance in the SDMT (p &lt; 0.001). This study provides the first evidence that a single session of perturbation-based balance training produce acute aftereffects in terms of increased cognitive performance and gait stability in healthy older adults. Future studies will include measures of functional activation of the cerebral cortex and examine whether a multi-session training will demonstrate chronic effects.

Coral-reef-derived dimethyl sulfide and the climatic impact of the loss of coral reefs

Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) is a naturally occurring aerosol precursor gas which plays an important role in the global sulfur budget, aerosol formation and climate. While DMS is produced predominantly by phytoplankton, recent observational literature has suggested that corals and their symbionts produce a comparable amount of DMS, which is unaccounted for in models. It has further been hypothesised that the coral reef source of DMS may modulate regional climate. This hypothesis presents a particular concern given the current threat to coral reefs under anthropogenic climate change. In this paper, a global climate model with online chemistry and aerosol is used to explore the influence of coral-reef-derived DMS on atmospheric composition and climate. A simple representation of coral-reef-derived DMS is developed and added to a common DMS surface water climatology, resulting in an additional flux of 0.3 Tg yr−1 S, or 1.7 % of the global sulfur flux from DMS. By comparing the differences between both nudged and free-running ensemble simulations with and without coral-reef-derived DMS, the influence of coral-reef-derived DMS on regional climate is quantified. In the Maritime Continent–Australian region, where the highest density of coral reefs exists, a small decrease in nucleation- and Aitken-mode aerosol number concentration and mass is found when coral reef DMS emissions are removed from the system. However, these small responses are found to have no robust effect on regional climate via direct and indirect aerosol effects. This work emphasises the complexities of the aerosol–climate system, and the limitations of current modelling capabilities are highlighted, in particular surrounding convective responses to changes in aerosol. In conclusion, we find no robust evidence that coral-reef-derived DMS influences global and regional climate.

Detecting the Presence of Named Entities in Bengali: Corpus and Experiments

Named Entity Recognition (NER) belongs to the field of Information Extraction (IE) and Natural LanguageProcessing (NLP). NER aims to find and categorize named entities present in the textual data into recognizable classes. Named entities play vital roles in other related fields like question-answering, relationship extraction, and machine translation. Researchers have done a significant amount of work (e.g., dataset construction and analysis) in this direction for several languages like English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, to name a few. We do not find a comparable amount of work for several South-Asian languages like Bengali/Bangla. Hence, as part of the initial phase, we have constructed a qualitative dataset in Bengali.In this paper, we identify the presence of Named Entities (NEs) in the Bengali text (sentences), classify them in standardized categories, and test whether an automatic detection of NE is possible. We present a new corpus and experimental results. Our dataset, annotated by multiple humans, shows promising results (F-measures ranging from 0.72 to 0.84) in different setups (support vector machine (SVM) setups with simple language features and Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) setup with various word embedding).