Generation OnlyFans: Examining the Effects of Raunch Culture on Depression via Social Media Use and Social Comparisons

Raunch culture is a term describing the promotion of overtly sexual representations of women. This concept may provide people opportunities to engage in positive social comparisons, but also negative social comparisons. As such, this concept could also relate to the phenomenology of depression in women. In an attempt to further investigate the effects of raunch culture, this study examined relationships between raunch culture, depression, and social media use in undergraduate students. Participants (N = 199) from a moderately-sized university in the Midwest completed measures of raunch culture, depression, social comparison, and social media use via an online platform. Primary hypotheses centered around the impact of raunch culture on depressive symptoms, as well as other variables such as social comparison and social media behaviors and their involvement regarding the relationship between endorsement of raunch culture and depression. Findings suggest that students with greater depressive symptoms were more likely to be accepting of behaviors associated with raunch culture, and that this effect may be more prominent in women. Results also indicate that raunch culture may be associated with an unfolding pathway, wherein endorsement of these features is associated with more intense consumption of social media, which in turn can lead to higher rates of social comparison and ultimately affect depressive symptoms. Future research may benefit from examining raunch culture and social media involvement in the context of other important psychosocial variables

Weak-value amplification and optimal parameter estimation in the presence of correlated noise

We analytically and numerically investigate the performance of weak-value amplification (WVA) and related parameter estimation methods in the presence of temporally correlated noise. WVA is a special instance of a general measurement strategy that involves sorting data into separate subsets based on the outcome of a second "partitioning" measurement. Using a simplified noise model that can be analyzed exactly together with optimal statistical estimators, we compare WVA to a conventional measurement method. We find that introducing WVA indeed yields a much lower variance of the parameter of interest than does the conventional technique, optimized in the absence of any partitioning measurements. In contrast, a statistically optimal analysis that employs partitioning measurements, incorporating all partitioned results and their known correlations, is found to yield an improvement -- typically slight -- over the noise reduction achieved by WVA. This is because the simple WVA technique is not tailored to a given noise environment and therefore does not make use of correlations between the different partitions. We also compare WVA to traditional background subtraction, a familiar technique where measurement outcomes are partitioned to eliminate unknown offsets or errors in calibration. Surprisingly, in our model background subtraction turns out to be a special case of the optimal partitioning approach in the balanced case, possessing a similar typically slight advantage over WVA. These results give deeper insight into the role of partitioning measurements, with or without post-selection, in enhancing measurement precision, which some have found puzzling. We finish by presenting numerical results to model a more realistic laboratory situation of time-decaying correlations, showing our conclusions hold for a wide range of statistical models.Comment: Revisions incorporate feedback from reviewer

Evidence for the Validity of a Tool for Improved Pressure Ulcer Staging by the Non-Expert in the Live Patient

Background and Purpose: Pressure ulcers (PrUs) are a costly issue for the health care system. The utilization of a tool that increases the accuracy of PrU identification and staging may allow the health care team to better manage these wounds. The purpose of this study was to determine the validity of the NE1 Wound Assessment Tool (NE1 WAT) for increasing the wound assessment accuracy of novice nurses. Subjects: A convenience sample of 11 novice nurses evaluated 11 wounds on eight patients at a 730 bed, hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. Methods: Subjects assessed 11 wounds on the patients independently. They then received brief orientation to the NE1 WAT. The subjects then re-assessed the same 11 wounds utilizing the NE1 WAT. Accuracy in wound assessment was then compared when performed with and without the tool. Results: Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to compare scores before and after training on how to use the tool. The subjects showed a significant improvement in pressure ulcer staging (p=.005), identification of wounds other than pressure ulcers (p = .024), and overall score across all aspects of wound assessment when using the NE1 WAT (p = .017). Discussion: This study provides evidence for the validity of the NE1 WAT. Improved wound assessment would likely improve care. Due to Medicare billing rules, the NE1 WAT has the potential to impact hospital remuneration. Conclusion: Following brief orientation on tool use, there was increased accuracy of novice nurse wound assessment on live patients

THE APPLICATION OF FOURIER ANALYSIS TO DEMONSTRATE THE IMPACT OF THE FLUTTER KICK ON LONGITUDINAL ROTATION IN FRONT CRAWL

The contribution of the flutter kick to front crawl performance from its influence on longitudinal body rotation has not been thoroughly investigated. Fourier analysis was used to examine the impact of the kick on segmental and whole body angular momentum about the body’s longitudinal axis in fourteen elite front crawl specialists swimming at sprint and 400m pace. The third harmonic frequency, representing the effects of the six-beat flutter kick, was greater at sprint than 400m pace in lower limb, upper limb, and whole body angular momentum. The presence of the third harmonic in upper limb and whole body angular momentum indicates that the flutter kick has an influence on longitudinal body rotation. The role of the flutter kick in front crawl performance may be linked to actions of the torso muscles to help control longitudinal body rotation

Dioecious Plants: Evolution And Sex Ratio And Asepen Decline

Although dioecious species are rare in nature, the sexual system appears in a diverse number of families and across all life forms and global locations. We looked at the population dynamics of natural populations to determine why many dioecious populations display biased sex ratios. We also looked at the role incestuous matings, seed and pollen dispersal patterns, and compensation play in the evolution of this sexual system using two theoretical models we developed. Finally, we studied aspen populations in the Midwest to determine how climate variables affect growth and decline. We found many dioecious species display male biased ratios and that life form and dispersal agents are good indicators. Our theoretical models imply that incest and dispersal specialization of unisexual individuals facilitate invasion, but through the interaction of specialization, incest, and compensation, unisexual invasion occurs much more consistently and under less stringent conditions then previously modeled. Finally, we found that declining aspen stands were much less responsive to climate variables than healthy stands and that a number of stand characteristics could be used to discriminate between responsive and non-responsive stands

Supporting “Big Data” Research at Georgia State University (GSU)

From Summer 2020 to Summer 2021, a team of Georgia State University (GSU) University Library faculty took part in a multi-institutional research study coordinated by the Ithaka S+R research and consulting organization to examine the research support needs of faculty doing “big data” research. Drawing from semi-structured interviews with eight GSU researchers representing a diverse cross-section of academic fields, this report offers the following insights from participation in the study: (1) identifies the key research support needs and associated challenges faced by GSU faculty who engage in “big data” research, and (2) offers possible paths toward improved support of GSU researchers in this area that capitalize on the Library’s strengths and have feasible return on investment

Do the torso muscles produce torso twist in front crawl?

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between torso muscle activity and torso twist. EMG data from five torso muscles and 3D motion capture data were recorded during 4x25m front crawl swimming trials at 400m and 50m pace (N=15). EMG data were integrated over 10ms intervals and normalized to the maximum value during each swimming trial (%iEMG) and torso twist acceleration was calculated as the second time derivative of the relative angle between thorax and pelvis about the longitudinal axis. Spearman correlations were calculated between 5th percentile scores of %iEMG and torso twist acceleration. Mean correlation coefficients were weak (i.e. r \u3c 0.30) for all muscles at both paces. The findings suggest that torso muscle activity may not be directly associated with torso twist acceleration

Constructing 3D crystal templates for photonic band gap materials using holographic optical tweezers

A simple and robust method is presented for the construction of 3-dimensional crystals from silica and polystyrene microspheres. The crystals are suitable for use as templates in the production of three-dimensional photonic band gap (PBG) materials. Manipulation of the microspheres was achieved using a dynamic holographic assembler (DHA) consisting of computer controlled holographic optical tweezers. Attachment of the microspheres was achieved by adjusting their colloidal interactions during assembly. The method is demonstrated by constructing a variety of 3-dimensional crystals using spheres ranging in size from 3 µm down to 800 nm. A major advantage of the technique is that it may be used to build structures that cannot be made using self-assembly. This is illustrated through the construction of crystals in which line defects have been deliberately included, and by building simple cubic structures

Holographic optical trapping

Holographic optical tweezers use computer-generated holograms to create arbitrary three-dimensional configurations of single-beam optical traps useful for capturing, moving and transforming mesoscopic objects. Through a combination of beam-splitting, mode forming, and adaptive wavefront correction, holographic traps can exert precisely specified and characterized forces and torques on objects ranging in size from a few nanometers to hundreds of micrometers. With nanometer-scale spatial resolution and real-time reconfigurability, holographic optical traps offer extraordinary access to the microscopic world and already have found applications in fundamental research and industrial applications.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, invited contribution to Applied Optics focus issue on Digital Holograph