Measures of Perceived Credibility of Blogs: Construct Validation by Lisrel

Predictions are that blogs will be the promotional tool of the future, if not now. The question remains: how credible are blogs as a source of consumer information? How do consumers perceive the credibility of blogs from different sources when making purchase decisions and product evaluations? The primary objective of the present study is to assess validity and reliability of a set of Semantic Differential scales purported to measure perceived credibility of different types of blogs. Confirmatory factor analysis via LISREL8.5 package was used to obtain appropriate statistics for convergent validity, discriminant validity, and composite reliability. In general, the scales used to measure the two hypothesized factors (source credibility and content credibility) for each type of blog achieved a satisfactory level of construct validity

Radical cognitive science in philosophical psychopathology: the case of depression

The principle purpose of this collection of papers is to explore and apply ideas from various kinds of non-traditional Cognitive Science, as well as comparing them with their more traditional counterparts, in order to reach a better understanding of the symptoms and features of depressive illness. By ‘non-traditional’ I mean to refer to Cognitive Science that makes minimal use of the notion of abstract, post-perceptual, and reconstructive mental representation, is computationally frugal, and treats the mind as fundamentally both embodied and environmentally embedded. This thesis in particular draws on insights from ecological psychology and action-oriented perception, embodied and situated cognition, and predictive processing. After introducing the subject matter, the first substantive paper argues that anhedonia is, in the general case, a disorder determined by disruption to affectively supportive elements of an individual’s environment. The second proposes a predictive-processing approach to explaining the characteristic operation of motivational mental states. This paper supports the third, in which I argue that psychological, somatic, and (action-oriented) perceptual factors all contribute to depressed agents’ struggles and failures to initiate and sustain action. I suggest that these problems should not all be thought of as disorders of motivation per se, but rather as broader kinds of action-oriented cognitive dysfunction. In the fourth paper, I reject Matthew Ratcliffe’s argument for the claim that people with depression are not typically better able to empathise with other people with depression, though I find alternative evidence for this suggestion available to those happy to endorse a more mainstream view of empathy. Finally, I broaden the scope of my investigation to psychopathology in general, and argue that classical (neuro-centric and mechanical) explanations in Psychiatry have inadvertently resulted in psychiatric service users’ subjection to a number of epistemic injustices. This suggests that non-classical theories of psychopathology are not just important for achieving accurate psychiatric explanation, but also for ensuring the ethical treatment of service users

Cellular resolutions of noncommutative toric algebras from superpotentials

This paper constructs cellular resolutions for classes of noncommutative algebras, analogous to those introduced by Bayer and Sturmfels (1998)in the commutative case. To achieve this we generalise the dimer model construction of noncommutative crepant resolutions of three-dimensional toric algebras by associating a superpotential and a notion of consistency to toric algebras of arbitrary dimension. For abelian skew group algebras and algebraically consistent dimer model algebras, we introduce a cell complex Δ in a real torus whose cells describe uniformly all maps in the minimal projective bimodule resolution ofA. We illustrate the general construction of Δ for an example in dimension four arising from a tilting bundle on a smooth toric Fano threefold to highlight the importance of the incidence function on Δ

The Anatomy of Memory Politics: A Formalist Analysis of Tate Britain’s ‘Artist and Empire’ and the Struggle over Britain’s Imperial Past

In this paper, I propose a new approach for understanding the meaning of memory politics, which draws upon the archetypal literary criticism of Northrop Frye. I suggest that the four archetypes elaborated by Frye—comedy, romance, tragedy, and satire—can be used as a heuristic device for interpreting the contested historical narratives that are associated with the politics of memory. I illustrate this approach through a case-study of Artists and Empire: Facing Britain’s Imperial Past, an exhibition held at Tate Britain in 2016, amidst increasing contestation over the meaning of the British Empire. In sum, I find that the exhibit narrated Britain’s imperial past as a comedy, in which a key theme was the progressive cultural mixing of the British and the people they colonized. To conclude, I discuss the implications of such a narrative for constructing an inclusive, postcolonial British identity. As an alternative, I draw on Aristotle to suggest that a tragic narrative would have been more propitious

The effects of hydration media on the characteristics of non-ionic surfactant vesicles (NISV) prepared by microfluidics

Non-ionic surfactant vesicles (NISV) are colloidal particles that provide a useful delivery system for drugs and vaccines. One of the methods that is used for NISV preparation is microfluidics in which the lipid components dissolved in organic phase are mixed with an aqueous medium to prepare the particles through self-assembly of the lipids. In this work, we examined the effect of using different types of aqueous media on the characteristics of the NISV prepared by microfluidics. Five aqueous media were tested: phosphate buffered saline, HEPES buffer, Tris buffer, normal saline and distilled water. The resulting particles were tested for their physical characteristics and cytotoxicity. The aqueous media were found to have significant effects on the physical characteristics of the particles, as well as their overall stability under different conditions and their cytotoxicity to different human cell lines. Careful consideration should be taken when choosing the aqueous media for preparing NISV through microfluidics. This is an important factor that will also have implications with respect to the entrapped material, but which in addition may help to design vesicles for different uses based on changing the preparation medium

Discovery of seven volcanic outbursts on Io from an IRTF observation campaign 2016 to 2022

This study analyzes near-infrared measurements of Io, Jupiter's moon, observed over 170 nights from 2016 to early 2022 using the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF). During this period, seven new volcanic outbursts, the most energetic volcanic events on Io, were discovered and characterized, increasing the total number of observed outburst events from 18 to 25. We also present simplified criteria for the thermal detection of an outburst, requiring it to be both confined to a specific location of Io and above a threshold intensity in the Lp-band (3.8 micron). Our measurements use 2 to 5 micron photometry in eclipse, Jupiter occultation, and reflected sunlight. In addition to extending the observational dataset of Io's dynamic activity, these data provide insights into the temporal and spatial distribution of outbursts on Io. Notably, all seven outbursts were detected in Io's trailing hemisphere. These include Pillan Patera and a newly discovered repeating outburst location at Acala Fluctus. We add these events to the rare category of recurring outbursts, before which Tvashtar was the only known example. We observed that another outburst at UP 254W decreased in Lp-band intensity by a factor of two in 4.5 hours. In August 2021, Io exhibited high volcanic activity when two powerful outbursts rapidly appeared, propagating East. Our findings underscore IRTF's ongoing contributions to the study of Io

Accuracy and correlates of maternal recall of birthweight and gestational age

OBJECTIVE: To determine the accuracy of maternal recall of children birthweight (BW) and gestational age (GA), using the Danish Medical Birth Register (DBR) as reference and to examine the reliability of recalled BW and its potential correlates. DESIGN: Comparison of data from the DBR and the European Youth Heart Study (EYHS). SETTING: Schools in Odense, Denmark. POPULATION: A total of 1271 and 678 mothers of school children participated with information in the accuracy studies of BW and GA, respectively. The reliability sample of BW was composed of 359 women. METHOD: The agreement between the two sources was evaluated by mean differences (MD), intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman's plots. The misclassification of the various BW and GA categories were also estimated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Differences between recalled and registered BW and GA. RESULTS: There was high agreement between recalled and registered BW (MD =-0.2 g; ICC = 0.94) and GA (MD = 0.3 weeks; ICC = 0.76). Only 1.6% of BW would have been misclassified into low, normal or high BW and 16.5% of GA would have been misclassified into preterm, term or post-term based on maternal recall. The logistic regression revealed that the most important variables in the discordance between recalled and registered BW were ethnicity and parity. Maternal recall of BW was highly reliable (MD =-5.5 g; ICC = 0.93), and reliability remained high across subgroups. CONCLUSION: Maternal recall of BW and GA seems to be sufficiently accurate for clinical and epidemiological use

Behind the Spine: Investigating the Role of Cervical Posture and Range of Motion on Mental Health

This research explores the correlation between abnormal forward head posture, cervical range of motion, and psychiatric disorders. Specifically, the study examines the relationships between the loss of cervical lordosis and anxiety, depression, and ADHD. Previous studies have demonstrated the beneficial effect of manipulative therapy on forward head posture and provided a link between postural alignment and cognitive function. This investigation aims to build on existing literature and enhance understanding of how loss of cervical lordosis impacts cervical and overall range of motion as well as its potential association with psychiatric conditions

Effect of Military Deployment on Diabetes Mellitus in Air Force Personnel

Introduction: Military deployments relocate service members to austere locations with limited medical capabilities, raising uncertainties whether members with diabetes can participate safely. Military regulations require a medical clearance for service members with diabetes prior to deployment, but there is a dearth of data that can guide the provider in this decision. To alleviate the lack of evidence in this area, we analyzed the change in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and body mass index (BMI) before and after a deployment among active duty U.S. Air Force personnel who deployed with diabetes. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using HbA1c and BMI values obtained within 3 mo before and within 3 mo after repatriation from a deployment of at least 90 d between January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2014. The study population consisted of 103 and 195 subjects who had an available pre- and post-deployment HbA1c and BMI values, respectively. Paired t-tests were conducted to determine significant differences in HbA1C and BMI values. Results: The majority (73.8%) of members had a HbA1c7%. BMI declined for the overall population (28.3 kg/m2 vs. 27.7 kg/m2, p \u3c 0.0001) and for most of the subgroups. Conclusion: Air Force service members who deployed with diabetes, including those with a HbA1c \u3e 7%, experienced a statistically significant improvement in HbA1c and BMI upon repatriation. A prospective study design in the future can better reconcile the effect of a military deployment on a more comprehensive array of diabetes parameters

Contributions of transported Prudhoe Bay oil field emissions to the aerosol population in Utqiaġvik, Alaska

Loss of sea ice is opening the Arctic to increasing development involving oil and gas extraction and shipping. Given the significant impacts of absorbing aerosol and secondary aerosol precursors emitted within the rapidly warming Arctic region, it is necessary to characterize local anthropogenic aerosol sources and compare to natural conditions. From August to September 2015 in Utqiaġvik (Barrow), AK, the chemical composition of individual atmospheric particles was measured by computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (0.13-4 μm projected area diameter) and real-time single-particle mass spectrometry (0.2-1.5 μm vacuum aerodynamic diameter). During periods influenced by the Arctic Ocean (70 % of the study), our results show that fresh sea spray aerosol contributed ∼ 20 %, by number, of particles between 0.13 and 0.4 μm, 40-70 % between 0.4 and 1 μm, and 80-100 % between 1 and 4 μm particles. In contrast, for periods influenced by emissions from Prudhoe Bay (10 % of the study), the third largest oil field in North America, there was a strong influence from submicron (0.13-1 μm) combustion-derived particles (20-50 % organic carbon, by number; 5-10 % soot by number). While sea spray aerosol still comprised a large fraction of particles (90 % by number from 1 to 4 μm) detected under Prudhoe Bay influence, these particles were internally mixed with sulfate and nitrate indicative of aging processes during transport. In addition, the overall mode of the particle size number distribution shifted from 76 nm during Arctic Ocean influence to 27 nm during Prudhoe Bay influence, with particle concentrations increasing from 130 to 920 cm-3 due to transported particle emissions from the oil fields. The increased contributions of carbonaceous combustion products and partially aged sea spray aerosol should be considered in future Arctic atmospheric composition and climate simulations