Blind Spot Research Articles

Boardroom blind spots: why HR exclusion puts corporate reputations at risk

Purpose This study aims to explore the ramifications of a lack of human resources (HR) representation in corporate boardrooms. Design/methodology/approach The author draws upon her personal and professional experience as a director of human resources and as a board member for a corporation. Findings There is a fundamental misunderstanding of the strategic value that HR brings to the table. To thrive in the modern business environment, organisations must acknowledge this strategic value and actively involve HR professionals in high-level decision-making processes. Originality/value This study makes a strong and compelling case for HR’s involvement in high-level decision-making in the boardroom.

Colonial erasures in gender and climate change solutions

AbstractDespite deliberate moves to integrate gender with climate change solutions, efforts do not go far enough to account for coloniality, thus falling short of achieving feminist, just and transformative ends. Coloniality is a political blind spot and a systematic amnesia in climate policies and actions, despite being a key driver of climate change manifested through various forms of extractivism, economic growth, and hegemonic Eurocentric knowledge production. As a corrective and a pathway toward realizing a post/decolonial feminist climate praxis, I will disclose the colonial underpinnings in (i) a persistent gender binary and women‐centered approaches; (ii) white feminist epistemic privileging; and (iii) acquiescing to masculine Enlightenment‐inspired techno‐managerialism. Furthermore, disclosures of colonial erasures entail a foundational re‐evaluation of the climate change narrative from an isolated form of natural crisis to a phenomenon embedded in complex histories of colonialism, extractivism, and capitalist exploitation that threatens the intrinsic interdependence of nature and society and planetary survival. As a result, a post/decolonial feminist climate praxis then asks that we foster and restore this interdependence by institutionalizing an ethics of socioecological care, acknowledging epistemic diversity through embodied knowledge, and carrying out intersectional justice.This article is categorized under: Climate, Nature, and Ethics > Climate Change and Global Justice Climate and Development > Sustainability and Human Well‐Being Climate and Development > Social Justice and the Politics of Development

Copy number variation and elevated genetic diversity at immune trait loci in Atlantic and Pacific herring

BackgroundGenome-wide comparisons of populations are widely used to explore the patterns of nucleotide diversity and sequence divergence to provide knowledge on how natural selection and genetic drift affect the genome. In this study we have compared whole-genome sequencing data from Atlantic and Pacific herring, two sister species that diverged about 2 million years ago, to explore the pattern of genetic differentiation between the two species.ResultsThe genome comparison of the two species revealed high genome-wide differentiation but with islands of remarkably low genetic differentiation, as measured by an FST analysis. However, the low FST observed in these islands is not caused by low interspecies sequence divergence (dxy) but rather by exceptionally high estimated intraspecies nucleotide diversity (π). These regions of low differentiation and elevated nucleotide diversity, termed high-diversity regions in this study, are not enriched for repeats but are highly enriched for immune-related genes. This enrichment includes genes from both the adaptive immune system, such as immunoglobulin, T-cell receptor and major histocompatibility complex genes, as well as a substantial number of genes with a role in the innate immune system, e.g. novel immune-type receptor, tripartite motif and tumor necrosis factor receptor genes. Analysis of long-read based assemblies from two Atlantic herring individuals revealed extensive copy number variation in these genomic regions, indicating that the elevated intraspecies nucleotide diversities were partially due to the cross-mapping of short reads.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that copy number variation is a characteristic feature of immune trait loci in herring. Another important implication is that these loci are blind spots in classical genome-wide screens for genetic differentiation using short-read data, not only in herring, likely also in other species harboring qualitatively similar variation at immune trait loci. These loci stood out in this study because of the relatively high genome-wide baseline for FST values between Atlantic and Pacific herring.

Beyond "Blind Spots": Illuminating Financial Pathways for Thriving Agrotourism as a Family Business

Purpose: This scientific research study aims to highlight the management of blind spots in agrotourism with the clear goal of helping farmers by offering them useful financial ratio analysis. Design/Methodology/Approach: Conducted in-depth interviews with agrotourism owners and conducted a comprehensive review of existing academic literature, industry reports, and government publications on financial management in family-run businesses and agrotourism. Findings: By acknowledging and addressing core "blind spots," family-run agrotourism businesses can cultivate a culture of financial awareness and proactive planning. The project appears to have a benefit-cost ratio (1.478) that is positive, meaning that benefits exceed expenses. Given the high internal rate of return (45.56%), the investment may out to be quite beneficial. The project's financial viability is further supported by the profitability index (1.37), which is higher than 1. Practical Implication: We have analyzed financial ratios, such as profitability index, benefit cost ratio, payback period ratio, current ratio, net profit margin, fixed turnover assets ratio, Internal rate of return, working capital turnover ratio, return on investment, gross margin etc. to assess the profitability and performance of the agrotourism. In order to maximize revenue from agrotourism, we monitored a number of factors before calculating break-even analysis. These included financial risks, profitable revenue streams, and seasonal variations in demand and income during off-peak seasons, off-farm income, and operating costs. This type of all analysis useful for avoid blind spots in agrotourism. Originality/Value: Offering concrete strategies and frameworks tailored to family agrotourism business can directly benefit practitioners, enhancing their financial resilience and contributing to business success.

Multi-view fringe projection profilometry for surfaces with intricate structures and high dynamic range

Fringe projection profilometry plays an important role for quality control in production line. However, it is facing challenges in the measurement of objects with intricate structures and high dynamic range that involved in precision manufacturing and semiconductor packaging. In this paper, a multi-view fringe projection profilometry system, which deploys a vertical telecentric projector and four oblique tilt-shift cameras, is presented to address the “blind spots” caused by shadowing, occlusion and local specular reflection. A flexible and accurate system calibration method is proposed, in which the corrected pinhole imaging model is used to calibrate the telecentric projection, and the unified calibration is performed by bundle adjustment. Experimental results show that the 3D repeated measurement error and standard deviation are no more than 10 μm within a measurable volume of 70 × 40 × 20 mm3. Furthermore, a group of experiments prove that the developed system can achieve complete and accurate 3D measurement for high dynamic range surfaces with complex structures.

The limits of waste as a resource: a critique and a proposition towards a new scalar imagination for the circular economy model

Abstract In the article, we critically confront the idea of waste-to-resource at the heart of the circular economy. We discuss some of the blind spots and shortcomings of three circular economy principles: designing out waste, emulating natural systems and decoupling economic growth from resource use. We suggest that their limitations are intimately connected to a scalar reasoning ruled by strict, disjunctive categories. Instead, we advance a flat, relational, trans-scalar approach and propose that the potential of a sustained circular economy promise requires a novel scalar imagination attentive to its multiple co-constituted spatialities, social relations and fluid materials.

Reanalysis of multi-year high-resolution X-band weather radar observations in Hamburg

Abstract. This paper presents an open-access data set of reanalysed radar reflectivities and rainfall rates at sub-kilometre spatial and minute temporal scales. Variability at these scales is a blind spot for both operational rain gauge networks and operational radar networks. In the urban area of Hamburg, precipitation measurements of a single-polarized X-band weather radar operating at high temporal (30 s), range (60 m), and azimuthal sampling (1°) resolutions are made available for a period of more than 8 years. We describe in detail the reanalysis of the raw radar data, outline the radar performance for the years 2013 to 2021, and discuss open issues and limitations of the data set. Several sources of radar-based errors were adjusted gradually, affecting the radar reflectivity and rainfall measurements, e.g. noise, alignment, non-meteorological echoes, radar calibration, and attenuation. The deployment of additional vertically pointing micro rain radars yields drop size distributions at the radar beam height, which effectively reduces errors concerning the radar calibration and attenuation correction and monitors the radar data quality. A statistical evaluation revealed that X-band radar reflectivities and rainfall rates are in very good agreement with the micro rain radar measurements. Moreover, the analyses of rainfall patterns shown for an event and accumulated rainfall of several months prove the quality of the data set. The provided radar reflectivities facilitate studies on attenuation correction and the derivation of further weather radar products, like an improved rainfall rate. The rainfall rates themselves can be used for studies on the spatial and temporal scales of precipitation and hydrological research, e.g. input data for high-resolution modelling, in an urban area. The radar reflectivities and rainfall rates are available at https://doi.org/10.26050/WDCC/LAWR_UHH_HHG_v2 (Burgemeister et al., 2024).

A Further Look at the Bayes Blind Spot

A Further Look at the Bayes Blind Spot

Vision within the blind spot: a new test to quantify melanopsin pathway sensitivity.

Vision within the blind spot: a new test to quantify melanopsin pathway sensitivity.

Optimization of the Weight Processing Algorithm in Multichannel Doppler Filtering

Introduction. The use of non-equidistant pulse sequences as probing radar signals makes it possible to eliminate blind spots in speed and range. However, the implementation of multi-channel Doppler filtering (MDF) based on the classical fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm of non-equidistant signal samples in the signal detection problem is associated with energy losses. The use of modified FFT algorithms increases the efficiency of MDF against the background of white Gaussian noise, while reducing the efficiency of signal accumulation in the part of signal processing channels blocked by the narrow-band clutter. To eliminate this drawback, the authors previously proposed using combined classical and modified FFT algorithms. However, the use of the combined method does not lead to an optimal solution in terms of MDF efficiency.Aim. Optimization of weight processing of non-equidistant signals to improve the efficiency of MDF.Materials and methods. An MDF synthesis was carried out using optimization procedures, and the effectiveness of the algorithms was assessed using computer calculations.Results. The results show that the Kaiser Bessel window with a window parameter of 4.42 provides the highest signal-(clutter+noise) ratio improvement coefficient averaged over frequency channels equal to 30.06 dB and the highest probability of correct signal detection averaged over MDF channels equal to 0.5 at processing of non-equidistant pulse sequences. Optimization of the weight processing of MDF under the specified conditions increased the average efficiency characteristics used of up to 53.18 dB and 0.92, respectively.Conclusion. Separate optimization of weighting processing for each frequency channel can significantly improve the average efficiency characteristics of a multichannel Doppler filter and eliminate all the shortcomings of the classical and modified FFT algorithms when processing non-equidistant pulse sequences. However, these advantages are achieved at the cost of not using the FFT, i.e., implemented within the framework of the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) algorithm.

Thymic Imaging Pitfalls and Strategies for Optimized Diagnosis.

Thymic imaging is challenging because the imaging appearance of a variety of benign and malignant thymic conditions are similar. CT is the most commonly used modality for mediastinal imaging, while MRI and fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT are helpful when they are tailored to the correct indication. Each of these imaging modalities has limitations and technical pitfalls that may lead to an incorrect diagnosis and mismanagement. CT may not be sufficient for the characterization of cystic thymic processes and differentiation between thymic hyperplasia and thymic tumors. MRI can be used to overcome these limitations but is subject to other potential pitfalls such as an equivocal decrease in signal intensity at chemical shift imaging, size limitations, unusual signal intensity for cysts, subtraction artifacts, pseudonodularity on T2-weighted MR images, early imaging misinterpretation, flow and spatial resolution issues hampering assessment of local invasion, and the overlap of apparent diffusion coefficients between malignant and benign thymic entities. FDG PET/CT is not routinely indicated due to some overlap in FDG uptake between thymomas and benign thymic processes. However, it is useful for staging and follow-up of aggressive tumors (eg, thymic carcinoma), particularly for detection of occult metastatic disease. Pitfalls in imaging after treatment of thymic malignancies relate to technical challenges such as postthymectomy sternotomy streak metal artifacts, differentiation of postsurgical thymic bed changes from tumor recurrence, or human error with typical "blind spots" for identification of metastatic disease. Understanding these pitfalls enables appropriate selection of imaging modalities, improves diagnostic accuracy, and guides patient treatment. ©RSNA, 2024 Test Your Knowledge questions for this article are available in the supplemental material.

Pilot study comparing a new virtual reality–based visual field test to standard perimetry in children

PurposeTo assess the feasibility and performance of Vivid Vision Perimetry (VVP), a new virtual reality (VR)–based visual field platform. MethodsChildren 7-18 years of age with visual acuity of 20/80 or better undergoing Humphrey visual field (HVF) testing were recruited to perform VVP, a VR-based test that uses suprathreshold stimuli to test 54 field locations and calculates a fraction seen score. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to evaluate correlation between HVF mean sensitivity and VVP mean fraction seen scores. Participants were surveyed regarding their experience. ResultsA total of 37 eyes of 23 participants (average age, 12.9 ± 3.1 years; 48% female) were included. All participants successfully completed VVP testing. Diagnoses included glaucoma (12), glaucoma suspect (7), steroid-induced ocular hypertension (3), and craniopharyngioma (1). Sixteen participants had prior HVF experience, and none had prior VVP experience, although 7 had previously used VR. Of the 23 HVF tests performed, 9 (39%) were unreliable due to fixation losses, false positives, or false negatives. Similarly, 35% of VVP tests were unreliable (as defined by accurate blind spot detection). Excluding unreliable HVF tests, the correlation between HVF average mean sensitivity and VVP mean fraction seen score was 0.48 (P = 0.02; 95% CI, 0.09-0.74). When asked about preference for the VVP or HVF examination, all participants favored the VVP, and 70% were “very satisfied” with VVP. ConclusionsIn our cohort of 23 pediatric subjects, VVP proved to be a clinically feasible VR-based visual field testing, which was uniformly preferred over HVF.

Blind spots in medical education – International perspectives

Background All individuals and groups have blind spots that can create problems if unaddressed. The goal of this study was to examine blind spots in medical education from international perspectives. Methods From December 2022 to March 2023, we distributed an electronic survey through international networks of medical students, postgraduate trainees, and medical educators. Respondents named blind spots affecting their medical education system and then rated nine blind spot domains from a study of U.S. medical education along five-point Likert-type scales (1 = much less attention needed; 5 = much more attention needed). We tested for differences between blind spot ratings by respondent groups. We also analyzed the blind spots that respondents identified to determine those not previously described and performed content analysis on open-ended responses about blind spot domains. Results There were 356 respondents from 88 countries, including 127 (44%) educators, 80 (28%) medical students, and 33 (11%) postgraduate trainees. At least 80% of respondents rated each blind spot domain as needing ‘more’ or ‘much more’ attention; the highest was 88% for ‘Patient perspectives and voices that are not heard, valued, or understood.’ In analyses by gender, role in medical education, World Bank country income level, and region, a mean difference of 0.5 was seen in only five of the possible 279 statistical comparisons. Of 885 blind spots documented, new blind spot areas related to issues that crossed national boundaries (e.g. international standards) and the sufficiency of resources to support medical education. Comments about the nine blind spot domains illustrated that cultural, health system, and governmental elements influenced how blind spots are manifested across different settings. Discussion There may be general agreement throughout the world about blind spots in medical education that deserve more attention. This could establish a basis for coordinated international effort to allocate resources and tailor interventions that advance medical education.

사회복지관 사례관리의 일 조직화에 대한 제도적 문화기술지

The purpose of this study was to explore the case management in social welfare centers and to identify the texts that influence the case management using institutional ethnography. To achieve this, qualitative face-to-face interviews with case managers and administrators in social welfare centers were conducted and the interview contents were analyzed. The main findings of the study are as follows. First, the text that influencing case management in social welfare centers can be divided into two phases; ‘administrative texts for case management in social welfare centers’ and ‘unstructured texts required for case managers’. Five types of administrative texts for case management and six types of unstructured texts, including the discovery of welfare blind spots, were identified. secondary, the texts revealed in this study were found to influence case management practices in social welfare centers in a variety of ways, contributing to the institutionalization of case management. The research findings were discussed in the text. The main implication of the discussion is that case management in social welfare centers is needed so that the subjects of social action can be more clearly revealed, and for this, case management in which case managers and clients of social welfare centers can take the lead.

Wirkmechanismus der Blaulicht-Stimulation des blinden Flecks bei progredienter Myopie

Purpose: The beneficial effects of time spent outdoors and the seasonal increase of progression in winter emphasize the major role of daylight in myopia. Based upon the patho­physiology of myopia and the physiological effects of daylight, the mechanism of action of a targeted stimulation of melanopsin by blue light at the blind spot for the treatment of progressive myopia is investigated. Material and Methods: The manuscript is a subjective review of the mechanism of action of blue light stimulation at the blind spot for the treatment of progressive myopia. The literature search in PubMed covered a period from 1980 through 2023. Results: Blue light stimulation at the blind spot bases upon the clinical experience that daylight protects from the development of progressive myopia. Parameters and site of light stimulation are mainly defined by the photopigment melanopsin, that is sensitive to blue light and localized on intrinsically photosensitive, retinal ganglion cells (ipRGC) whose axons converge to the blind spot. The blind spot as stimulation site provides on the one hand the opportunity to activate the vast majority of ipRGC and hence dopaminergic amacrine cells, and on the other hand avoids additional involvement of rods and cones which may exert inhibitory effects on dopamine release. Furthermore, the proposed dopaminergic and potentially antimyopic effect can be applied invisibly to the patient. Conclusion: Preclinical and human experimental studies indicate that after a short-term blue light stimulation the choroidal thickness transiently increases and the axial length of the eye decreases. These temporal changes of clinically relevant biomarkers after short-term blue light stimulation suggest potential antimyopic effects which are investigated in current clinical trials in children.

Identifying and Correcting Programming Language Behavior Misconceptions

Misconceptions about core linguistic concepts like mutable variables, mutable compound data, and their interaction with scope and higher-order functions seem to be widespread. But how do we detect them, given that experts have blind spots and may not realize the myriad ways in which students can misunderstand programs? Furthermore, once identified, what can we do to correct them? In this paper, we present a curated list of misconceptions, and an instrument to detect them. These are distilled from student work over several years and match and extend prior research. We also present an automated, self-guided tutoring system. The tutor builds on strategies in the education literature and is explicitly designed around identifying and correcting misconceptions. We have tested the tutor in multiple settings. Our data consistently show that (a) the misconceptions we tackle are widespread, and (b) the tutor appears to improve understanding.

Usefulness of final transection of the proximal pulmonary artery in robotic left upper lobectomy.

The pulmonary artery runs around the left upper bronchus, which poses the risk of blood vessel injury when cutting in the blind spot of the bronchus. During robotic surgery, the robotic arm holds the tissue under constant tension; therefore, even if the pulmonary artery is left for final transection, it is not injured by unexpected tension. In this study, we examined the usefulness of final transection of the proximal pulmonary artery in robotic left upper lobectomy. This retrospective single-institution study evaluated patients who had undergone robotic lung resection. Of the 453 robotic lung resections performed at our institution between 2017 and 2022, 49 patients who had undergone left upper lobectomy were evaluated. Patients who had undergone bronchial transection followed by pulmonary artery transection were assigned to the group, bronchus prior transection (BT group, n = 38), and those who had undergone pulmonary artery transection followed by bronchial transection were assigned to the group, pulmonary artery prior transection (AT group, n = 11). Patient characteristics and perioperative outcomes were compared between the groups. The groups did not differ significantly in age, sex, smoking history, tumour size, complication rates, or 30-day mortality. The BT group inclined to shorter operative times and lesser blood loss. No active intraoperative bleeding occurred in the BT group. However, the AT group had two cases of intraoperative pulmonary artery bleeding, one of which required urgent conversion to thoracotomy. Final transection of the proximal pulmonary artery is a novel and effective surgical technique for robotic left upper lobectomy.

Detection and Analysis of Aircraft Composite Material Structures Using UAV

Pre-flight inspection and maintenance are essential prerequisites for aviation safety. This study focused on developing a real-time monitoring system designed to assess the condition of composite material structures on the exterior of aircraft. Implementing such a system can reduce operational costs, enhance flight safety, and increase aircraft availability. This study aims to detect defects in aircraft fuselages manufactured from composite materials by applying image visual recognition technology. This study integrated a drone and an infrared camera for real-time image transmission to ground stations. MATLAB image analysis software (MATLAB 2020b) was used to analyze infrared (IR) images and detect structural defects in the aircraft’s appearance. This methodology was based on the inspection of damaged engine cowlings. The developed approach compares composite material conditions with known defects before and after repair, considering mechanical performance, defect size, and strength. Simultaneously, tests were conducted on various composite material panels with unknown defects, yielding favorable results. This study underscores an integrated system offering rapid detection, real-time feedback, and analysis, effectively reducing time, and potential hazards associated with high-altitude operations. Furthermore, it addresses blind spots in aircraft inspections, contributing to effective flight safety maintenance.

The Emergence of Ur-Intentionality: An Ecological Proposal

Radical enactivism supports radical embodied cognition (REC), which is the idea that basic or fundamental cognition (perception and action) does not need to be understood in representational, contentful terms. REC departs from the idea that the mind can be naturalized through biological functions, but rejects the idea that mental content, which is understood as having a representational nature, can be naturalized. For REC, the natural origins of content (or NOC) is a program based on the following hypothesis: first, we depart from basic cognitive processes that are target-based and guided by an Ur-intentionality or directedness toward the world, and then sociality enters in the picture when language appears into the scene, allowing for establishing full-blown semantic content in which that content is about worldly states of affairs. Here, I am going to focus on the phenomenon of directedness since there are blind spots in this picture: as many authors claim, REC takes Ur-intentionality as the starting point, but there is simply no explanation to date of how this directedness or Ur-intentionality is established. Therefore, how could we account for Ur-intentionality? How does this kind of intentionality emerge? We believe that we can answer this question if we invoke the best scientific evidence from ecological perceptual learning especially in regard to the role of the environment and the information for perceiving affordances in our learning processes. This allows us to offer an answer to the question of how the most basic form of cognition (Ur-intentionality or directedness) emerges in nature.

Chilling effect: Turning the poison into an antidote for fundamental rights in Europe

In the famous case of Baka v. Hungary, Judge Sicilianos proposed that the European Court of Human Rights should recognize a subjective right for judges to have their individual independence safeguarded and respected by the State. Such a reading of Article 6 of the Convention would enable national judges to claim a violation of that provision each time their individual independence is interfered with. It would also allow the Court to address one of the critical blind spots in the Convention system. However, the Court left the proposal dormant until recently. It is now put before the parties in three pending cases. This article argues that the Court should seize the opportunity to enhance the protection of judicial independence, but not by employing the proposed subjective right approach. Instead, it should rely on the better alternative: the chilling effect. Such an approach would enable the Court to fill the gaps in the Convention while remaining faithful to the text and avoiding the impression that judicial independence is a privilege of judges.