EXPANDING THE RECORD OF LARVAE OF FALSE FLOWER BEETLES WITH PROMINENT TERMINAL ENDS

Beetle larvae contribute to the overall biomass with a great share, yet they often stay unnoticed and underexplored. Larvae of the group Scraptiidae, also called false flower beetles, lead a life hidden in the wood, not easily accessible for observers. There, they contribute to wood decomposition and carbon cycling. Even though their ecological role is of great importance, these larvae have been comparably rarely studied. This is true for extant as well as fossil representatives of this group. It seems that this knowledge gap is not based on the limited availability of material but results from insufficiently studied material. Here we report new specimens, of which seven are extant and twelve are fossil. Fossil specimens are either from 40-million-year-old Baltic amber (Eocene) or 100-million-year-old Myanmar amber (Cretaceous), the latter representing the oldest record of these larvae. All specimens considered here possess a large, elongated terminal end. We performed an outline analysis of the shape of this terminal end for all so far known larval specimens sufficiently well preserved (in total 33 specimens: 17 extant, 14 Eocene, 2 Cretaceous). There is a recognisable difference between Eocene and extant specimens, yet it remains unclear whether this is due to different represented larval stages or an effect of evolution.

The Effect of Experience on Anxiety in Food Safety Incidents—An Empirical Study on Infant Formula Safety Incidents in China

Infant formula incidents have endangered the dietary safety and healthy growth of infants and young children and are triggers of the public’s negative emotions, attracting widespread public attention. The aim of this research was to explore how perceived knowledge gap, risk perception, past actual risk experience, and media risk experience affect anxiety. The research data obtained from 506 respondents were divided into groups with actual risk experience and without actual risk experience. Then, PLS-SEM was used to analyze the data. The results show that risk perception mediated the relationship between perceived knowledge gap and anxiety. Specifically, for the group with actual risk experience, perceived knowledge gap had a significant direct impact on anxiety; however, there was no moderation effect of media experience on the relationship between perceived knowledge gap and risk perception. For the group without actual risk experience, perceived knowledge gap had no direct effect on anxiety, and media experience had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between perceived knowledge gap and risk perception. The results suggest that in infant formula safety incidents, actual risk experience and media risk experience have different influence mechanisms on anxiety. Actual risk experience will directly and intuitively bridge the relationship between perceived knowledge gap and anxiety. Meanwhile, groups without actual risk experience tend to be influenced by rational risk judgment, and this process is moderated by media risk experience.

Assessing the investment environment in container terminals: A knowledge gap model

This paper aims to evaluate the investment environment in container terminals (CTs) in one seaport from the attitudes of both terminal operators (TOs) and port companies (PCs). Evaluation criteria (ECs) regarding the investment environment in CTs are first created based on the prior literature and the CTs’ operational characteristics. A knowledge gap model based on an improved fuzzy AHP approach is then developed to assess the perceived differences on the ECs between TOs and PCs, by which the PCs managers could formulate practical policies to improve their investment environment in CTs. As an empirical study, the Taiwan International Port Corporation (TIPC) and its terminal operators in Kaohsiung port are examined to verify the research model. Results indicate that ECs with higher knowledge gap for TIPC include: Intra-port coopetition, Number of shipping carriers, and Business tax. Based on the result, theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

Social Media and the Knowledge Gap

This study aims to test the relationship between the use of social media and the knowledge gap regarding COVID-19 in the Turkish environment. For this purpose of this empirical field, research was carried out throughout Turkey involving a large sample (N= 1033) in an effort to reveal how level of knowledge of social media users in Turkey regarding an issue in a particular question is shaped. The study discusses the data obtained in the field research. The conclusion, contrary to what is expected, emphasizes that social media environment has a particular presence as a communication tool, which closes the knowledge gap and fosters knowledge acquisition.

Gamification Design Principles and Mechanics to Improve Retention

The design and guidelines for gamification offer designers a range of solutions to provide empowerment and engagement to assist with retention within education. This chapter addresses a knowledge gap around the effective use while improving retention. With gaming mechanics as a driving point, specific design considerations were explored: badges, leader boards, points and levels, and challenges. The educator must think from the learner's perspective and find new ways of creating challenges and motivation techniques to provide value. Gamification, when applied to different disciplines, has the potential to facilitate the individual within learner-centricity. Current research indicates that gaming mechanics can encourage and motivate the learner while enriching their experience when applied to education.

Strategic thinkers and their characteristics: toward a multimethod typology development

Objective We aimed to explore the strategic thinking concept by searching for differences within the population of strategic thinkers to contribute to the development of the “strategic thinking” concept. Methods applied To answer the research questions and achieve the research aim, we implemented the following research methods: a systematic literature review and biographical studies. Findings (1) As the first stage in researching strategic thinking, the qualitative approach is recommended. (2) The main features of strategic thinkers are a strategic perspective and a reflective style of thinking. (3) Two groups of differentiating features have been identified: features concerning the content of strategic thinking; and features concerning the process of strategic thinking. Originality/value Most academic research on strategic thinkers concentrates on the common characteristics and similarities, while little attention has been paid to features that internally differentiate the population of strategic thinkers. Our main contribution to the literature is filling this knowledge gap.

Communication Strategies Used by Papuan EFL Students

<p class="AbstractText">To fill the absence of research in the context of communication strategies used by Papuan EFL students, this research would present and fill this knowledge gap. This research aimed to determine the types and their reasons of communication strategies used by Papuan EFL students. It applied qualitative study. The researcher used observation and interview as the research instruments. It was found that Papuan EFL employed fillers, code-switching, self-repetition, self-repair, asking for clarification, asking for confirmation, and direct appeal for help. The reasons why Papuan EFL students do those communication strategies because of thinking time, anxiety, nervousness, doubt, worriedness, hesitation, lack of knowledge, lack of vocabulary, grammatical errors, and self-confidence.</p>

Rediscovering the dancing semislug genus Cryptosemelus Collinge, 1902 (Eupulmonata, Ariophantidae) from Thailand with description of two new species

Knowledge of Thai semislugs remains scarce, especially the dancing semislug genus Cryptosemelus. Prior to the present study, only a single species has been recognized with little available information. To address this knowledge gap, we surveyed for semislugs in western and southern Thailand, which yielded three species belonging to the genus Cryptosemelus. The little-known type species C. gracilis is redescribed herein, including a comparison with the type specimens. Two additional species, C. betarmonsp. nov. and C. tigrinussp. nov., are described as new to science. All three species are characterized by differences in their genital anatomy, especially with respect to anatomical details of the penis, epiphallus, and spermatophore. In addition, C. tigrinussp. nov. differs from C. gracilis and C. betarmonsp. nov. in the mantle color pattern.

Cognitive disabilities and web accessibility: a survey into the Brazilian web development community

Cognitive disabilities include a diversity of conditions related to cognitive functions, such as reading, understanding, learning, solving problems, memorization and speaking. They differ largely from each other, making them a heterogeneous complex set of disabilities. Although the awareness about cognitive disabilities has been increasing in the last few years, it is still less than necessary compared to other disabilities. The need for an investigation about this issue is part of the agenda of the Challenge 2 (Accessibility and Digital Inclusion) from GranDIHC-Br. This paper describes the results of an online exploratory survey conducted with 105 web development professionals from different sectors to understand their knowledge and barriers regarding accessibility for people with cognitive disabilities. The results evidenced three biases that potentially prevent those professionals from approaching cogni-tive disabilities: strong organizational barriers; difficulty to understand user needs related to cognitive disabilities; a knowledge gap about web accessibility principles and guidelines. Our results confirmed that web development professionals are unaware about cognitive disabilities mostly by a lack of knowledge about them, even if they understand web accessibility in a technical level. Therefore, we suggest that applied research studies focus on how to fill this knowledge gap before providing tools, artifacts or frameworks.

From Suspicion to Recognition—Being a Bystander to a Relative Affected by Acute Coronary Syndrome

Within cardiac research, an overwhelming number of studies have explored factors related to pre-hospital delay. However, there is a knowledge gap in studies that explore the bystander’s experiences or significance when an individual is affected by acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We conducted an interview study with 17 individuals affected by ACS and the bystander(s) involved and performed a qualitative thematic analysis. In the pre-hospital phase, the bystander moved from suspicion of illness to recognition of illness while trying to convince the individual affected by ACS (p-ACS) to respond to bodily sensations. This led to conflicts and dilemmas which affected the bystander both before and after the p-ACS was hospitalized. Bystanders may influence pre-hospital delay in both positive and negative direction depending on their own knowledge, convictions, and the nature of their interaction with the p-ACSs. The bystander’s influence during the pre-hospital delay is more extensive than previously recognized.