Calculation and Analysis of Truss Internal Force Based on Beam Element

For plane truss structure, starting from the analysis of ideal truss model, the influence of tangential deformation and angular deformation on the secondary internal force of the truss is fully considered through Python program. It is obtained through analysis that: in the ideal truss model, the Pδ second-order effect causes the member to produce tangential deformation and angular deformation, resulting in secondary internal forces. Numerical analysis shows that due to the influence of secondary internal force, the axial force error of ideal truss model can reach 19.731% and the secondary shear force is almost all the members of the truss, and the secondary moment only appears at the support. The research results have important reference value for the engineering design and high-precision internal force analysis of truss structures.

Addendum to: Murre (2021). The Godden and Baddeley (1975) experiment on context-dependent memory on land and underwater: a replication

The analysis in Murre (2021) should have been done with a repeated measures ANOVA with an order effect as a between-subjects covariate. A reanalysis reinforces the conclusion that this study was not a successful replication of Godden & Baddeley (1975).

An Eye-Tracking Study on the Word Order Preference and the Effect of Phrasal Length in Korean

Objectives: Although Korean is a typical free word order language, when the same logical meaning is realized in several sentences with different word order, preference for the word order and the processibility of that sentence may vary. In this study, we investigated the word order preference on the instrumental adjunct and argument (direct object) of Korean when they were both short and when one of the two components was lengthened in the sentence using Eye-tracking technology. Additionally, the underlying cognitive mechanisms of the word order preference were discussed.Methods: Thirty-five college students were asked to read 24 sentences consisting of a condition in which both the adjunct and argument were short and one of them was lengthened, and their gaze was tracked.Results: When both components were short, the preferred word order was not confirmed. However, when one of the two components was lengthened, the canonical word order effect of putting the instrumental adjunct before the object argument and the LbS (Long before Short) effect of placing the lengthened components before the short ones were confirmed.Conclusion: The word order preference seems to reflect the strategy of keeping essential components close to the verb and minimizing the efficiency of integrated processing between critical components such as the head of an argument. However, the preference may vary depending on the burden of sentence processing or the level of the cognitive capacity of the processor. The timing at which word order preference is reflected may also vary depending on how strong the effect of the canonical order between two components is.

Development of a biocrystallisation assay for examining effects of homeopathic preparations using cress seedlings

Background: A major challenge of homeopathic basic research is to develop test systems that yield consistent results. Outcome of plant bioassays is usually based on growth parameters (e.g. germination rate, seedling length, leaf area). Aims: We aimed to evaluate the potential of a crystallisation method with additives (“biocrystallisation”) as complementary outcome measure. This method used is based on the crystallographic phenomenon that when crystallising watery solutions of dihydrate CuCl2 in the presence of organic additives (juices/extracts), reproducible dendritic crystal structures are observed. The resulting biocrystallograms can be evaluated visually and/or by computerized image analysis. Methods: Cress seeds (Lepidium sativum L.) germinated and grew in vitro in either Stannum met. 30x or water 30x. Per experiment, six coded (blinded) 30x preparations were applied in randomized order, representing three independent replicates of the two treatments. Seedlings grew for 96 hours in darkness and were subsequently processed into a watery extract. Biocrystallisation was performed on circular glass plates in 6-fold replication per treatment group, yielding 36 biocrystallograms per experiment. A total of 15 independent experiments were performed at two independent laboratories. Biocrystallograms were scanned and analysed by computerized texture image analysis, using 15 second-order parameters as outcome measure. 3-way-ANOVA with the independent parameters treatment (n=2), internal replicate (n=3), and number of experiment (n=15) was used to analyse the data. Results: All 15 texture analysis variables yielded significant or highly significant results for the homeopathic treatment. Two variables yielded differences between the internal replicates, most probably due to a processing order effect. There were only minor differences between the results of the two laboratories. Conclusions: The texture of biocrystallograms of homeopathically treated cress exhibited specific characteristics, differentiating water 30x and Stannum met. 30x. Thus, the biocrystallisation method seems to be a promising complementary outcome measure for plant bioassays investigating effects of homeopathic preparations.

Anti-Muslim Voting and Media Coverage of Immigrant Crimes

We study how news coverage of immigrant criminality impacts voting in one of the most controversial referendums in recent years – the 2009 Swiss minaret ban. We combine a comprehensive crime detection dataset with detailed information on newspaper coverage. We first document a large upward distortion in media reporting of immigrant crime during the prereferendum period. Exploiting quasi-random variations in crime incidence, we find a positive first-order effect of news coverage on support for the ban. Quantification shows that, in absence of the media bias, pro-ban vote would have decreased from 57.6% to 53.5% at the national level.

The misunderstood Sagnac effect

The Sagnac effect of first order (in one-way light) is shown to explain the aberration observed in the very long base interferometry tests. This fact is also consistent with Sagnac’s results and with the observed stellar aberration. The Sagnac effect of second order (in two-way light) is shown to be real, but not observable, in the experiments that were done by Michelson and Morley. However, it is also shown that the same second order effect is observable in the Pioneer anomaly. The Doppler effect of second order is also demonstrated to explain the cosmic red shift, due to a radial ether wind.

How Do People Generalize Causal Relations over Objects? A Non-parametric Bayesian Account

How do people decide how general a causal relationship is, in terms of the entities or situations it applies to? What features do people use to decide whether a new situation is governed by a new causal law or an old one? How can people make these difficult judgments in a fast, efficient way? We address these questions in two experiments that ask participants to generalize from one (Experiment 1) or several (Experiment 2) causal interactions between pairs of objects. In each case, participants see an agent object act on a recipient object, causing some changes to the recipient. In line with the human capacity for few-shot concept learning, we find systematic patterns of causal generalizations favoring simpler causal laws that extend over categories of similar objects. In Experiment 1, we find that participants’ inferences are shaped by the order of the generalization questions they are asked. In both experiments, we find an asymmetry in the formation of causal categories: participants preferentially identify causal laws with features of the agent objects rather than recipients. To explain this, we develop a computational model that combines program induction (about the hidden causal laws) with non-parametric category inference (about their domains of influence). We demonstrate that our modeling approach can both explain the order effect in Experiment 1 and the causal asymmetry, and outperforms a naïve Bayesian account while providing a computationally plausible mechanism for real-world causal generalization.

The relative age and birth order effect in Japanese professional football

This study examines how the probability of becoming a professional football player depends on the birth month (relative age effect) and birth order. These two factors are random and cannot be controlled by the athlete. If these factors influence the probability of the occurrence of top athletes, they not only create inequality but also close the disciplines to potentially talented athletes, lowering the level of competition. Therefore, in this study, we statistically clarified the presence or absence of “giftedness of life” by focusing on the birth month and birth order of professional football league players in the Japan Professional Football League (J-League). Our results indicate that the probability of the occurrence of J-League players decreases significantly with increasing birth order and birth month (180 days, from April onward). Moreover, we found that second-born players with an older brother had higher estimated salaries than players without siblings. These results reveal the characteristics of excellent football players and suggest the importance and direction of improvement in talent discovery and development in sports. Based on our results, we recommend improvements in the player training system to buffer the effects of relative age effect and birth order.

Statistical bias control in typology

In this paper, we propose two new statistical controls for genealogical and areal bias in typological samples. Our test case being the effect of VO-order effect on affix position (prefixation vs. suffixation), we show how statistical modeling including a phylogenetic regression term (phylogenetic control) and a two-dimensional Gaussian Process (areal control) can be used to capture genealogical and areal effects in a large but unbalanced sample. We find that, once these biases are controlled for, VO-order has no effect on affix position. Another important finding, which is in line with previous studies, is that areal effects are as important as genealogical effects, emphasizing the importance of areal or contact control in typological studies built on language samples. On the other hand, we also show that strict probability sampling is not required with the statistical controls that we propose, as long as the sample is a variety sample large enough to cover different areas and families. This has the crucial practical consequence that it allows us to include as much of the available information as possible, without the need to artificially restrict the sample and potentially lose otherwise available information.