Thermal and structural properties of ionic fluids

The electrostatic interaction in ionic fluids is well-known to give rise to a characteristic phase behavior and structure. Sometimes its long range is proposed to single out the electrostatic potential over other interactions with shorter ranges. Here the importance of the range for the phase behavior and the structure of ionic fluids is investigated by means of grandcanonical Monte Carlo simulations of the lattice restricted primitive model (LRPM). The long-ranged electrostatic interaction is compared to various types of short-ranged potentials obtained by sharp and/or smooth cut-off schemes. Sharply cut off electrostatic potentials are found to lead to a strong dependence of the phase behavior and the structure on the cut-off radius. However, when combined with a suitable additional smooth cut-off, the short-ranged LRPM is found to exhibit quantitatively the same phase behavior and structure as the conventional long-ranged LRPM. Moreover, the Stillinger-Lovett perfect screening property, which is well-known to be generated by the long-ranged electrostatic potential, is also fulfilled by short-ranged LRPMs with smooth cut-offs. By showing that the characteristic phase behavior and structure of ionic fluids can also be found in systems with short-ranged potentials, one can conclude that the decisive property of the electrostatic potential in ionic fluids is not the long range but rather the valency dependence

The Transitivity of Trust Problem in the Interaction of Android Applications

Mobile phones have developed into complex platforms with large numbers of installed applications and a wide range of sensitive data. Application security policies limit the permissions of each installed application. As applications may interact, restricting single applications may create a false sense of security for the end users while data may still leave the mobile phone through other applications. Instead, the information flow needs to be policed for the composite system of applications in a transparent and usable manner. In this paper, we propose to employ static analysis based on the software architecture and focused data flow analysis to scalably detect information flows between components. Specifically, we aim to reveal transitivity of trust problems in multi-component mobile platforms. We demonstrate the feasibility of our approach with Android applications, although the generalization of the analysis to similar composition-based architectures, such as Service-oriented Architecture, can also be explored in the future

Appreciation as audience response

This article elaborates upon the notion of media enjoyment in the context of film viewing by proposing a complementary type of gratification that we conceptualize as appreciation. Three studies were conducted to tap into the multidimensionality of viewers' entertainment gratifications with a special focus on the domain of more serious, poignant, and pensive media experiences typically associated with genres such as drama, history, documentary, or art films. These studies provide evidence of and measurement for gratifications related to fun and suspense, but also gratifications related to moving and thought-provoking entertainment experiences, with all three gratifications leading to perceptions of entertainment having a more long-lasting or enduring effect. The results are discussed with regard to the theoretical conceptualization of entertainment gratification

Appreciation of entertainment

The purpose of this article is to examine the experience of appreciation to media entertainment as a unique audience response that can be differentiated from enjoyment. To those ends, the first section provides a conceptualization of appreciation in which we outline how we are using the term and how it is distinct from questions of emotional valence. The second section discusses the types of entertainment portrayals and depictions that we believe are most likely to elicit feelings of appreciation. Here, we suggest that appreciation is most evident for meaningful portrayals that focus on human virtue and that inspire audiences to contemplate questions concerning life’s purpose. In the final section we consider the affective and cognitive components of appreciation, arguing that mixed-affective responses (rather than bi-polar conceptualizations of affective valence) better capture the experience of appreciation and its accompanying feelings states such as inspiration, awe, and tenderness

Elevation in response to entertainment portrayals of moral virtue

Media psychologists have long puzzled over how individuals can experience enjoyment from entertainment such as tragedies that often elicit profound feelings of sadness. The present research examines the idea that a focus on “meaningful” entertainment and affective responses identified as “elevation” may provide a framework for understanding many examples of sad or dramatic entertainment. The results of this study suggest that many types of meaningful cinematic entertainment feature portrayals of moral virtues (e.g., altruism). These portrayals, in turn, elicit feelings of elevation (e.g., inspiration) that are signified in terms of mixed affect and unique physical responses (e.g., lump in throat). Ultimately, elevation also gives rise to motivations to embody moral virtues, such as being a better person or helping others

Model of Inspiring Media

Scholars have increasingly explored the ways that media content can touch, move, and inspire audiences, leading to numerous beneficial outcomes including increased feelings of connectedness to and heightened motivations for doing good for others. Although this line of inquiry is relatively new, sufficient evidence and patterns of results have emerged such that a clearer picture of the inspiring media experience is coming into focus. This article has two primary goals. First, we seek to synthesize the existing research into a working and evolving model of inspiring media experiences reflecting five interrelated and symbiotic elements: exposure, message factors, responses, outcomes, and personal/situational factors. The model also identifies theoretical mechanisms underlying the previously observed positive effects. Secondly, the article explores situations in which, and precipitating factors present, when these hoped-for outcomes either fail to materialize or result in negative or maladaptive responses and outcomes. Ultimately, the model is proposed as a heuristic roadmap for future scholarship and as an invitation for critique and collaboration in the emerging field of positive media psychology

In situ optical coherence tomography of percutaneous implant-tissue interfaces in a murine model

Novel surface coatings of percutaneous implants need to be tested in biocompatibility studies. The use of animal models for testing usually involves numerous lethal biopsies for the analysis of the implant-tissue interface. In this study, optical coherence tomography (OCT) was used to monitor the reaction of the skin to a percutaneous implant in an animal model of hairless but immunocompetent mice. In vivo optical biopsies with OCT were taken at days 7 and 21 after implantation and post mortem on the day of noticeable inflammation. A Fourier-domain OCT was programmed for spoke pattern scanning schemes centered at the implant midpoint to reduce motion artifacts during in vivo imaging. Image segmentation allowed the automatic detection and morphometric analysis of the skin contour and the subcutaneous implant anchor. On the basis of the segmentation, the overall refractive index of the tissue within one OCT data set was estimated as a free parameter of a fitting algorithm, which corrects for the curved distortion of the planar implant base in the OCT images. OCT in combination with the spoke scanning scheme and image processing provided time-resolved three-dimensional optical biopsies around the implants to assess tissue morphology.DFGBMBF/TExoProNSF-ERC/Revolutionizing Metallic Biomaterial

Case Report: Training Monitoring and Performance Development of a Triathlete With Spinal Cord Injury and Chronic Myeloid Leukemia During a Paralympic Cycle

IntroductionParatriathlon allows competition for athletes with various physical impairments. The wheelchair category stands out from other paratriathlon categories, since competing in swimming, handcycling, and wheelchair racing entails substantial demands on the upper extremity. Therefore, knowledge about exercise testing and training is needed to improve performance and avoid overuse injuries. We described the training monitoring and performance development throughout a Paralympic cycle of an elite triathlete with spinal cord injury (SCI) and a recent diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).Case Presentation/MethodsA 30-year-old wheelchair athlete with 10-years experience in wheelchair basketball contacted us for guidance regarding testing and training in paratriathlon. Laboratory and field tests were modified from protocols used for testing non-disabled athletes to examine their physical abilities. In handcycling, incremental tests were used to monitor performance development by means of lactate threshold (POBLA) and define heart rate-based training zones. All-out sprint tests were applied to calculate maximal lactate accumulation rate (V˙Lamax) as a measure of glycolytic capabilities in all disciplines. From 2017 to 2020, training was monitored to quantify training load (TL) and training intensity distribution (TID).ResultsFrom 2016 to 2019, the athlete was ranked within the top ten at the European and World Championships. From 2017 to 2019, annual TL increased from 414 to 604 h and demonstrated a shift in TID from 77-17-6% to 88-8-4%. In this period, POBLA increased from 101 to 158 W and V˙Lamax decreased from 0.56 to 0.36 mmol·l−1·s−1. TL was highest during training camps. In 2020, after he received his CML diagnosis, TL, TID, and POBLA were 317 h, 94-5-1%, and 108 W, respectively.DiscussionTL and TID demonstrated similar values when compared with previous studies in para-swimming and long-distance paratriathlon, respectively. In contrast, relative TL during training camps exceeded those described in the literature and was accompanied by physical stress. Increased volumes at low intensity are assumed to increase POBLA and decrease V˙Lamax over time. CML treatment and side effects drastically decreased TL, intensity, and performance, which ultimately hindered a qualification for Tokyo 2020/21. In conclusion, there is a need for careful training prescription and monitoring in wheelchair triathletes to improve performance and avoid non-functional overreaching

Predicting emotions and meta-emotions at the movies

Audiences are attracted to dramas and horror movies even though negative and ambivalent emotions are likely to be experienced. Research into the seemingly paradoxical enjoyment of this kind of media entertainment has typically focused on gender- and genre-specific needs and viewing motivations. Extending this line of research, the authors focus the role of the need for affect as a more general, gender- and genre-independent predictor of individual differences in the experience of emotions and meta-emotions (i.e., evaluative thoughts and feelings about one’s emotions). The article discusses a field study of moviegoers who attended the regular screening of a drama or a horror film. Results support the assumption that individuals high in need for affect experience higher levels of negative and ambivalent emotions and evaluate their emotions more positively on the level of meta-emotions. Controlling for the Big Five personality factors does not alter these effects. The results are discussed within an extended meta-emotion framework