The relationship between attentional bias and body image disturbance

Body image disturbance is a both a risk factor for, and a symptom of, many eating disorders and refers to the misperception of and dissatisfaction with one’s own body. Some studies show that women with high body dissatisfaction direct more attention to low weight bodies. This attentional bias can result in the overestimation of body size via body size adaptation—a temporary perceptual shift experienced after exposure to extreme stimuli. Therefore, attention may have a causal role in body image disturbance. In this thesis, I test the effects of attentional bias to bodies of different sizes on body size adaptation and body dissatisfaction using a training dot probe task (Chapter 2) and a training visual search task (Chapter 5). I test the association between body dissatisfaction and attentional bias to low weight bodies using an assessment version of the dot probe task (Chapter 3), a systematic review and meta-analysis (Chapter 4) that synthesises the results of Chapters 2 and 3 with 30 additional eligible studies, and an assessment version of the Attentional Response to Distal vs. Proximal Emotional Information (ARDPEI) task (Chapter 6). From this research, I conclude that gaze tracking studies do provide evidence for a positive association between body dissatisfaction and attentional bias to low weight bodies in women. Women with high (compared to low) body dissatisfaction direct more gaze towards low weight female body stimuli. However, reaction time measures do not provide evidence for this association and instead demonstrate poor reliability as measures of individual differences in attention. This thesis does not provide strong evidence for an effect of attentional bias to bodies of different sizes on body size adaptation or body dissatisfaction; however, given attention was measured using reaction times, future research using gaze tracking should be conducted to further explore the effect of attentional bias to bodies of different sizes on body size adaptation or body dissatisfaction

Exploring laccase mediator systems with acidic recombinant enzymes from Obba rivulosa

Peer reviewe

iDRM - Interoperability Mechanisms for Open Rights Management Platforms

Today’s technology is raising important challenges in the Intellectual Property (IP) field in general and to Copyright in particular [Arkenbout et al., 2004]. The same technology that has made possible the access to content in a ubiquitous manner, available to everyone in a simple and fast way, is also the main responsible for the challenges affecting the digital content IP of our days [Chiariglione, 2000]. Technological solutions and legal frameworks were created to meet these new challenges. From the technological point of view, Rights Management Systems (RMS) and Copy Protection Systems (CPS) have been developed and deployed to try to cope with them. At first, they seemed to work however, their closed and non-interoperable nature and a growing number of wrong strategic business decisions, soon lead to a strong opposition. One of the strongest negative points is the lack of rights management interoperability [Geer, 2004]. The work presented on this thesis primarily addresses the RMS interoperability problems. The objective of the thesis is to present some possible mechanisms to improve the interoperability between the different existing and emerging rights management platforms [Guth, 2003a]. Several different possible directions to rights management interoperability are pointed in this thesis. One of the most important is openness. Interoperability between different rights management mechanisms can only be achieved if they are open up to a certain level. Based on this concept, an open rights management platform is designed and presented in this thesis. Also, some of the interoperability mechanisms are presented and explained. This platform makes usage of the emerging service-oriented architectures to provide a set of distributed rights management services. Rights management solutions rely heavily on the establishment of authenticated and trust environments between its different elements. While considering different RMS, the establishment of such trust environments can be somehow complex. This thesis provides a contribution to the establishment of interoperable RMS trust environments through the usage of Public-Key Infrastructure (PKI) mechanisms. Modern rights management systems have to handle with both keying material and licenses which are used mostly to define how content is governed by the system. Managing this is a complex and hard task when different rights management solutions are considered. This thesis presents and describes a generic model to handle the key and license management life cycle, that can be used to establish a global interoperable management solution between different RMS

Environmental chemical sensing using small drones: A review

Recent advances in miniaturization of chemical instrumentation and in low-cost small drones are catalyzing exponential growth in the use of such platforms for environmental chemical sensing applications. The versatility of chemically sensitive drones is reflected by their rapid adoption in scientific, industrial, and regulatory domains, such as in atmospheric research studies, industrial emission monitoring, and in enforcement of environmental regulations. As a result of this interdisciplinarity, progress to date has been reported across a broad spread of scientific and non-scientific databases, including scientific journals, press releases, company websites, and field reports. The aim of this paper is to assemble all of these pieces of information into a comprehensive, structured and updated review of the field of chemical sensing using small drones. We exhaustively review current and emerging applications of this technology, as well as sensing platforms and algorithms developed by research groups and companies for tasks such as gas concentration mapping, source localization, and flux estimation. We conclude with a discussion of the most pressing technological and regulatory limitations in current practice, and how these could be addressed by future research

The Great (Data) Bank Robbery: Terrorist Finance Tracking Program and the "SWIFT Affair"

Ce texte a pour objectif d’examiner les dynamiques de surveillance à l’œuvre dans le domaine de la lutte contre le « terrorisme » et son financement. En proposant une analyse détaillée de l’« affaire SWIFT » et du Terrorist Finance Tracking Program américain, le présent texte met donc en lumière un programme spécifique qui va nous permettre de questionner les velléités contemporaines d’accès aux bases de données commerciales à des fins de renseignement. Cette étude explore ainsi un aspect sensible de la coopération antiterroriste à l’échelle transatlantique.The present paper examines current dynamics of surveillance regarding the fi ght against “terrorism” and its fi nancing. Close analysis of the so-called “SWIFT Aff air” and the US terrorist fi nance tracking program draw a en" on to one specifi c case-study which allows us to ques" on the contemporary poli" cs of massively accessing commercial data-banks for intelligence purposes. With reference to the SWIFT aff air, the paper explores a sensi" ve aspect of transatlan" c coopera" on in the fi eld of counter-terrorism

Using stable isotopes as a tool to understand the trophic relationships and movement of seabirds off Southern Africa

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references.Stable isotopes (SI) have been widely applied in ecology to investigate the trophic relationships of animals. Stable isotope analyses were used to augment our understanding of the foraging ecology and movements of three globally threatened seabirds: African Penguins (Spheniscus demersus), Cape Gannets (Morus capensis) and White-chinned Petrels (Procellaria aequinoctiallis). The diets of captive penguins were varied to estimate the 15N turnover rates and discrimination factors of toenails and blood fractions. Plasma δ15N showed a faster turnover rate (7.6 ± 0.7 days) than erythrocytes (14.3 ± 1.6 days). Discrimination factors varied among tissues. No shift in nail δ15N signature was detected after 5 months, suggesting that toenails are insensitive to short to medium-term diet shifts. Among wild penguins and gannets sampled across the Benguela region, tow different responses to the effects of fisheries were observed,due to different feeding strategies, Age, sex year and colony location accounted for isotopic variation. Age-based differences may be linked to limited foraging skills of juvenile birds and their wider dispersion. Female gannets apparently feed on more live natural prey whereas males take more fishery discards, although the sex-based difference was confounded by colony effect. Marked inter-colony variation probably results from regional differences in oceanic conditions between, prey availability and among gannets, variation in dependence on fishery discards. Inter-annual variation in SI signatures might be linked to variation in primary production (African Penguins), or variation in prey availability (Cape Gannets)..

Challenging the Known. 16th Annual Research Week: Event Proceedings

Presentations of completed and ongoing research activity conducted by graduate students, undergraduate students, and faculty at University of the Incarnate Word. Includes poster, podium, visual arts, interactive demo, and creative and performing arts presentations. Coordinated and presented by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies

Study protocol for First Dental Steps Intervention: feasibility study of a health visitor led infant oral health improvement programme.

BACKGROUND: Dental caries in childhood is a burden on the daily lives of children and their families, and associated with poor oral health in adulthood. In England, dental caries is the most common reason for young children to be admitted to hospital. It is believed that most tooth extractions (due to decay) for children aged 10 years and under, could be avoided with improved prevention and early management. National public health policy recommendations in England include specific oral health initiatives to tackle tooth decay. One of these initiatives is delivered as part of the Healthy Child Programme and includes providing workforce training in oral health, integrating oral health advice into home visits, and the timely provision of fluoride toothpaste. This protocol seeks to assess the delivery of the First Dental Steps intervention and uncertainties related to the acceptability, recruitment, and retention of participants. METHODS: This study seeks to explore the feasibility and acceptability of the First Dental Steps intervention and research methods. First Dental Steps intervention will be delivered in local authority areas in South West England and includes oral health training for health visitors (or community nursery nurses) working with 0-5-year-olds and their families. Further, for vulnerable families, integrating oral health advice and the provision of an oral health pack (including a free flow cup, an age appropriate toothbrush, and 1450 ppm fluoride toothpaste) during a mandated check by a health visitor. In this study five local authority areas will receive the intervention. Interviews with parents receiving the intervention and health visitors delivering the intervention will be undertaken, along with a range of additional interviews with stakeholders from both intervention and comparison sites (four additional local authority areas). DISCUSSION: This protocol was written after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as a result, some of the original methods were adjusted specifically to account for disruptions caused by the pandemic. Results of this study will primarily provide evidence on the acceptability and feasibility of both the First Dental Steps intervention and the research methods from the perspective of both families and stakeholders