Explicit Scale Research Articles

Can microsolvation effects be estimated from vacuum computations? A case-study of alcohol decomposition at the H2O/Pt(111) interface.

Converting biomass into sustainable chemicals and energy feed-stocks requires innovative heterogeneous catalysts, which are able to efficiently work under aqueous conditions. Computational chemistry is a key asset in the design of these novel catalysts, but it has to face two challenges: the large reaction networks and the potential role of hydration. They can be addressed using scaling relations such as Brønsted-Evans-Polanyi (BEP) and solvation models, respectively. In this study, we show that typical reaction and activation energies of alcohol decomposition on Pt(111) are not strongly modified by the inclusion of the water solvent as a continuum model. In contrast, adding a single water molecule strongly favours O-H and C-OH scission and it prevents C-O and to a lesser extent C-C scissions. The resulting BEP relationships partially reflect these changes induced by the solvent. Predicting Pt-catalysed alcohol decomposition in water should thus account for the influence of the solvent on thermodynamics and kinetics. In addition, we found that the reaction energies obtained in the presence of an explicit water molecule scale with the ones obtained in a vacuum. Hence, we reveal that vacuum computations in combination with corrections based on our linear regressions are able to capture the important H-bonding effect.

Meaningfulness of landmark pictograms reduces visual salience and recognition performance

Landmarks, objects in the environment used for orientation, navigation and the formation of cognitive maps are often represented in maps as pictograms. In order to support these tasks effectively and efficiently, landmark pictograms also need to be salient, as the map user needs to identify and process them quickly and easily. Two additional relevant characteristics for the usability of landmark pictograms are their meaningfulness and recognition performance. Meaningfulness is required to understand which categories of objects are represented by the pictograms. Ease of recognition prevents the necessity to consult a map repetitively and may support the formation of a cognitive map of the environment. In the present study, we investigated the relation between salience, meaningfulness and recognition performance of OpenStreetMap (OSM) pictograms and the potential effects of the visual complexity of pictograms on these usability characteristics. Salience was measured via eye fixations on specific pictograms, meaningfulness with an explicit continuous scale and recognition performance with a yes/no recognition memory paradigm. Statistical analyses showed that pictograms drew more visual attention if they were visually complex or if their meaning was inapprehensible or ambiguous. Less apprehensible pictograms were also recognized more often. Interestingly, the data indicated that longer fixations could lead to worse recognition performance. Long fixations on a pictogram may increase the likelihood of false recognition in subsequent situations where the pictogram is no longer valid or relevant. Based on the findings, we suggest balancing the meaningfulness and visual complexity of contiguous pictograms to enhance their recognition and to provide an optimal level of salience of single objects.

Dancing with numbers: measuring experiences with among multiply marginalized groups

The aim of this study was to analyze the Explicit Discrimination Scale (EDS), in order to determine its capacity to reflect intersectional experiences with discrimination among groups subjected to class, race, and gender oppression. The study was based on data from a study conducted in a representative sample of students (n = 1,023) at Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil, regularly enrolled during the first semester of 2012. The statistical analysis included estimation of the relative frequencies of each of the 18 items in the EDS, as well as the main reasons, stratified by sex/gender, color/race, and socioeconomic status. Negative binomial regression models allowed assessing whether sex/gender, race/color, and socioeconomic status are predictors of the discrimination score, even after adjusting for covariates that potentially affect the target associations. The results of the analysis of each of the instrument's 18 items suggest that the EDS allows measurement of discrimination in among multiply marginalized groups, since it draws out the experiences with discrimination in minority subgroups, such as low-income black women. Still, this tendency was not observed in the instrument's global score, suggesting that it does not allow positioning the respondent along a spectrum of discrimination that includes less and more intense expressions of the phenomenon. Future studies are needed to deal with this observed limitation and which thus lend greater visibility to the experiences of discrimination in groups exposed to multiple marginalization.

Design and psychometric testing of instruments to measure qualified intensive care nurses' attitudes toward obese intensive care patients.

The purpose of this pilot study was to design and test research instruments to measure qualified intensive care nurses' implicit and explicit attitudes and behavioral intentions toward obese intensive care patients. In previous studies researchers have demonstrated that some health professionals hold negative attitudes toward obese patients; however, little is known about qualified intensive care nurses' attitudes toward these patients. Our cross-sectional pilot study involved Implicit Association Tests, the Anti-fat Attitude questionnaire, an explicit bias scale comprising ratings of explicit beliefs and feelings, assessment of behavioral intentions based on vignettes, and demographic questions. Thirty qualified intensive care nurses from a general intensive care unit in Norway (80% female; age range 31-62 years) completed the study. Nurses reported implicit and explicit preferences for thin over thick patients and found obese patients lazier than normal-weight patients. Measures of behavioral intentions and anti-fat attitudes were reliable. Generally, the nurses intended to help obese patients immediately. Nevertheless, explicit anti-fat attitudes (rho = -0.49) as well as implicit anti-obese stereotypes (rho = -0.40) were negatively correlated with such intentions. Data supported satisfactory face validity, and convergent and discriminant validity within and between implicit and explicit attitudes and stereotypes. The set of research instruments were reliable, valid, and suitable tools to measure qualified intensive care nurses' implicit and explicit attitudes; however, the present findings need to be replicated in a larger-scale study.

A review of self-report scales on restoration and/or restorativeness in the natural environment

Restoration/restorativeness is defined as the recovery of diminished daily functions and capabilities, largely during people’s free time. Research on recovery requires measurements of the degree of restoration/restorativeness, driving the development of self-report scales on recovery. This study reviews existing self-report restoration/restorativeness scales based on PICOS (population, intervention, comparator, outcome, and study design) and psychometrics to provide suggestions for future applications. Systematic search methods and a simple snowball process were conducted for the direct and explicit self-report scales on restoration/restorativeness published in journal articles. The Web of Science was used as the database. Among the identified 15 scales, only 3 have been adequately analyzed using psychometrics. Of these 3, the Perceived Restorativeness Scale has the best generalizability and sensitivity for measuring the attentional restorativeness perceived in the environment, while the Restoration Scale is most suitable for measuring the perceived change in psychophysiological and mental restoration.

Relative sensitivity of explicit reaiming and implicit motor adaptation.

It has become increasingly clear that learning in visuomotor rotation tasks, which induce an angular mismatch between movements of the hand and visual feedback, largely results from the combined effort of two distinct processes: implicit motor adaptation and explicit reaiming. However, it remains unclear how these two processes work together to produce trial-by-trial learning. Previous work has found that implicit motor adaptation operates automatically, regardless of task relevance, and saturates for large errors. In contrast, little is known about the automaticity of explicit reaiming and its sensitivity to error magnitude. Here we sought to characterize the automaticity and sensitivity function of these two processes to determine how they work together to facilitate performance in a visuomotor rotation task. We found that implicit adaptation scales relative to the visual error but only for small perturbations-replicating prior work. In contrast, explicit reaiming scales linearly for all tested perturbation sizes. Furthermore, the consistency of the perturbation appears to diminish both implicit adaptation and explicit reaiming, but to different degrees. Whereas implicit adaptation always displayed a response to the error, explicit reaiming was only engaged when errors displayed a minimal degree of consistency. This comports with the idea that implicit adaptation is obligatory and less flexible, whereas explicit reaiming is volitional and flexible. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This paper provides the first psychometric sensitivity function for explicit reaiming. Additionally, we show that the sensitivities of both implicit adaptation and explicit reaiming are influenced by consistency of errors. The pattern of results across two experiments further supports the idea that implicit adaptation is largely inflexible, whereas explicit reaiming is flexible and can be suppressed when unnecessary.

Atitudes do Consumidor Frente ao Consumo de Marcas de Cosméticos

Objetivo:O objetivo deste estudo verificar a validade preditiva das atitudes implcitas e explcitas para explicar as relaes entre atitude e comportamento do consumidor frente a duas marcas de cosmticos (Mary Kay TimeWise e Natura Ekos). Mtodo: So elaborados dois testes para mensurar atitudes (implcitas e explcitas) dos participantes. Por fim, cada um deles realiza uma tarefa de simulao de compra por computador. Uma regresso linear mltipla utilizada para identificar se os resultados do Teste de Associao Implcita (TAI) e da escala explcita de mensurao de atitude so estatisticamente eficazes para prognosticar os comportamentos simulados de consumo. Originalidade/Relevncia: Pesquisa relevante para a melhoria da medio das atitudes do consumidor, pois este estudo tambm faz uso das medidas implcitas, considerando as atitudes dos consumidores sem que eles estejam conscientes de suas respostas, j que estas atitudes tambm guiaro suas intenes de consumo. Resultados:As duas mensuraes de atitude indicam maior preferncia pela marca ambientalmente amigvel, revelando ainda que as duas escalas foram estatisticamente teis na predio dos comportamentos de consumo, sendo o TAI a varivel com maior capacidade preditiva. Contribuies tericas/metodolgicas: O estudo das atitudes implcitas traz contribuies prticas e metodolgicas para o estudo do comportamento do consumidor, uma vez que considera no apenas o discurso verbal, mas tambm os processos automticos, subjacentes conscincia, como os estados implcitos reduzindo o vis da aceitao social nas respostas explcitas.

Relaxation oscillations and canards in the Jirsa\u2013Kelso excitator model: global flow perspective

Fenichel’s geometric singular perturbation theory and the blow-up method have been very successful in describing and explaining global non-linear phenomena in systems with multiple time-scales, such as relaxation oscillations and canards. Recently, the blow-up method has been extended to systems with flat, unbounded slow manifolds that lose normal hyperbolicity at infinity. Here, we show that transition between discrete and periodic movement captured by the Jirsa–Kelso excitator is a new example of such phenomena. We, first, derive equations of the Jirsa–Kelso excitator with explicit time scale separation and demonstrate existence of canards in the systems. Then, we combine the slow-fast analysis, blow-up method and projection onto the Poincaré sphere to understand the return mechanism of the periodic orbits in the singular case, ϵ = 0.

Robust long-term correlation tracking using convolutional features and detection proposals

Abstract Correlation filter based trackers have achieved appealing performance and high efficiency in recent years. However, for long-term tracking where target objects undergo dramatic appearance variation due to heavy occlusion or out-of-view, conventional correlation filter based tracking algorithms would be distracted by irrelevant objects. Once the trained tracker loses its way, it is impossible to recover the information for the following frames as the model has drifted. In this paper, we decompose the long-term tracking task into tracking and detection. Tracker learns separate correlation filters for explicit translation and scale estimation. Specifically, in order to improve tracking accuracy, the convolutional features for translation filter are extracted, and the scale filter is learned using the target appearance sampled at different scales. Detector trains an online long-term filter and applies it to the entire frame to generate detection proposals. By exploiting these detection proposals, it helps the tracker to recover from problems such as temporary or persistent occlusions. In this way, the proposed approach could handle the model drifting problem effectively for long-term tracking with more accurate estimation of object scale and location. Extensive experimental results on large-scale benchmark sequences have shown the robustness of the proposed method.

Construction and validation of an implicit instrument to assess God representations. Part 1: Associations between implicit and explicit God representation and distress measures

ABSTRACTFor adherents of theistic religions, God representations are an important factor in explaining associations between religion/spirituality and well-being/mental health. Because of limitations of self-report measures of God representations, we developed an implicit God representation instrument, the Apperception Test God Representations (ATGR) and examined its reliability and validity. Its scales could be scored reliably and were within a clinical sample associated more strongly than explicit God representation scales with the Global Assessment of Functioning scale. Compared to the ATGR scores of a nonclinical sample, the clinical sample had less complex, positive, and mature God representations, indicating discriminant validity.

Examining implicit and explicit attitudes toward stuttering

PurposeThis study assessed implicit and explicit attitudes toward people who stutter among typically-fluent young adults. MethodParticipants completed an Implicit Association Test, a measure of implicit attitudes, to assess the strength of association between stuttered vs. fluent speech and positive vs. negative evaluative words. Participants also completed self-report ratings of their attitudes toward people who do and do not stutter (explicit attitude scales). In addition, participants completed measures of social desirability and a survey that assessed lifetime experience with people who stutter. ResultsResults supported the existence of a negative stuttering stereotype. Participants demonstrated negative implicit and explicit attitudes toward people who stutter. Explicit attitudes toward those who stutter, but not implicit attitudes, were significantly predicted by social desirability scores. Familiarity with stuttering was significantly associated with implicit but not explicit attitudes toward stuttering. ConclusionsThese findings indicate the importance of examining both implicit and explicit attitudes toward stuttering to fully understand the challenges faced by those who stutter.

Quantum implications of a scale invariant regularization

We study scale invariance at the quantum level (three loops) in a perturbative approach. For a scale-invariant classical theory the scalar potential is computed at three-loop level while keeping manifest this symmetry. Spontaneous scale symmetry breaking is transmitted at quantum level to the visible sector (of $\phi$) by the associated Goldstone mode (dilaton $\sigma$) which enables a scale-invariant regularisation and whose vev $\langle\sigma\rangle$ generates the subtraction scale ($\mu$). While the hidden ($\sigma$) and visible sector ($\phi$) are classically decoupled in $d=4$ due to an enhanced Poincar\'e symmetry, they interact through (a series of) evanescent couplings $\propto\epsilon^k$, ($k\geq 1$), dictated by the scale invariance of the action in $d=4-2\epsilon$. At the quantum level these couplings generate new corrections to the potential, such as scale-invariant non-polynomial effective operators $\phi^{2n+4}/\sigma^{2n}$ and also log-like terms ($\propto \ln^k \sigma$) restoring the scale-invariance of known quantum corrections. The former are comparable in size to "standard" loop corrections and important for values of $\phi$ close to $\langle\sigma\rangle$. For $n=1,2$ the beta functions of their coefficient are computed at three-loops. In the infrared (IR) limit the dilaton fluctuations decouple, the effective operators are suppressed by large $\langle\sigma\rangle$ and the effective potential becomes that of a renormalizable theory with explicit scale symmetry breaking by the "usual" DR scheme (of $\mu=$constant).

Implicit and Explicit Evaluation of Visual Symmetry as a Function of Art Expertise.

In perception, humans typically prefer symmetrical over asymmetrical patterns. Yet, little is known about differences in symmetry preferences depending on individuals’ different past histories of actively reflecting upon pictures and patterns. To address this question, we tested the generality of the symmetry preference for different levels of individual art expertise. The preference for symmetrical versus asymmetrical abstract patterns was measured implicitly, by an Implicit Association Test (IAT), and explicitly, by a rating scale asking participants to evaluate pattern beauty. Participants were art history and psychology students. Art expertise was measured using a questionnaire. In the IAT, art expertise did not alter the preference for symmetrical over asymmetrical patterns. In contrast, the explicit rating scale showed that with higher art expertise, the ratings for the beauty of asymmetrical patterns significantly increased, but, again, participants preferred symmetrical over asymmetrical patterns. The results are discussed in light of different theories on the origins of symmetry preference. Evolutionary adaptation might play a role in symmetry preferences for art experts similarly to nonexperts, but experts tend to emphasize the beauty of asymmetrical depictions, eventually considering different criteria, when asked explicitly to indicate their preferences.

Implicit LES using adaptive filtering

In implicit large eddy simulations (ILES) numerical dissipation prevents buildup of small scale energy in a manner similar to the explicit subgrid scale (SGS) models. If spectral methods are used the numerical dissipation is negligible but it can be introduced by applying a low-pass filter in the physical space, resulting in an effective ILES. In the present work we provide a comprehensive analysis of the numerical dissipation produced by different filtering operations in a turbulent channel flow simulated using a non-dissipative, pseudo-spectral Navier–Stokes solver. The amount of numerical dissipation imparted by filtering can be easily adjusted by changing how often a filter is applied. We show that when the additional numerical dissipation is close to the subgrid-scale (SGS) dissipation of an explicit LES the overall accuracy of ILES is also comparable, indicating that periodic filtering can replace explicit SGS models. A new method is proposed, which does not require any prior knowledge of a flow, to determine the filtering period adaptively. Once an optimal filtering period is found, the accuracy of ILES is significantly improved at low implementation complexity and computational cost. The method is general, performing well for different Reynolds numbers, grid resolutions, and filter shapes.

Color Confinement, Hadron Dynamics, and Hadron Spectroscopy from Light-Front Holography and Superconformal Algebra

The QCD light-front Hamiltonian equation HLFΨ=M2Ψ derived from quantization at fixed LF time τ=t + z/c provides a causal, frame-independent method for computing hadron spectroscopy as well as dynamical observables such as structure functions, transverse momentum distributions, and distribution amplitudes. The QCD Lagrangian with zero quark mass has no explicit mass scale. de Alfaro, Fubini, and Furlan (dAFF) have made an important observation that a mass scale can appear in the equations of motion without affecting the conformal invariance of the action if one adds a term to the Hamiltonian proportional to the dilatation operator or the special conformal operator. If one applies the dAFF procedure to the QCD light-front Hamiltonian, it leads to a color-confining potential κ4ζ2 for mesons, where ζ2 is the LF radial variable conjugate to the qq¯ invariant mass squared. The same result, including spin terms, is obtained using light-front holography, the duality between light-front dynamics and AdS5, if one modifies the AdS5 action by the dilaton eκ2z2 in the fifth dimension z. When one generalizes this procedure using superconformal algebra, the resulting light-front eigensolutions provide a unified Regge spectroscopy of meson, baryon, and tetraquarks, including remarkable supersymmetric relations between the masses of mesons and baryons and a universal Regge slope. The pion qq¯ eigenstate has zero mass at mq=0. The superconformal relations also can be extended to heavy-light quark mesons and baryons. This approach also leads to insights into the physics underlying hadronization at the amplitude level. I will also discuss the remarkable features of the Poincaré invariant, causal vacuum defined by light-front quantization and its impact on the interpretation of the cosmological constant. AdS/QCD also predicts the analytic form of the nonperturbative running coupling αs(Q2)∝e-Q2/4κ2. The mass scale κ underlying hadron masses can be connected to the parameter ΛMS¯ in the QCD running coupling by matching the nonperturbative dynamics to the perturbative QCD regime. The result is an effective coupling αs(Q2) defined at all momenta. One obtains empirically viable predictions for spacelike and timelike hadronic form factors, structure functions, distribution amplitudes, and transverse momentum distributions. Finally, I address the interesting question of whether the momentum sum rule is valid for nuclear structure functions.

Sending Nudes: Sex, Self-Rated Mate Value, and Trait Machiavellianism Predict Sending Unsolicited Explicit Images.

Modern dating platforms have given rise to new dating and sexual behaviors. In the current study, we examine predictors of sending unsolicited explicit images, a particularly underexplored online sexual behavior. The aim of the current study was to explore the utility of dark personality traits (i.e., narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism) and self-rated mate value in predicting attitudes toward and behavior of sending unsolicited explicit images. Two hundred and forty participants (72% female; Mage = 25.96, SD = 9.79) completed an online questionnaire which included a measure of self-rated mate value, a measure of dark personality traits, and questions regarding sending unsolicited explicit images (operationalized as the explicit image scale). Men, compared to women, were found to have higher explicit image scale scores, and both self-rated mate value and trait Machiavellianism were positive predictors of explicit image scale scores. Interestingly, there were no significant interactions between sex and these variables. Further, Machiavellianism mediated all relationships between other dark traits and explicit image scale scores, indicating this behavior is best explained by the personality trait associated with behavioral strategies. In sum, these results provide support for the premise that sending unsolicited explicit images may be a tactic of a short-term mating strategy; however, future research should further explore this claim.

Premières étapes de construction et de validation d’une échelle de spiritualité explicite areligieuse

Although spirituality and religion have often been used in an undifferentiated way in the literature, the existence of an areligious spirituality beyond the question of religious belief. The objective of our study was to construct and validate a scale of areligious spirituality applicable to the university student. The unidimensional structure of the scale was revealed in an exploratory study carried out with 263 students. This structure was also exhibited in a confirmatory study concerning 259 students. The internal coherence was satisfactory. Multi-group analyses showed that the model works equally well for men and women and for members and non-members of a religious order. Finally a high score on the scale of areligious spirituality is associated with a strong satisfaction with life. This preliminary research highlights the good psychometric properties of the Explicit Scale of Areligious Spirituality (ESAS) and seems to be a good investigative tool for all researchers and professionals interested in the subject of spirituality.

Forming quasicrystals by monodisperse soft core particles

In traditional approaches to form quasicrystals, multiple competing length scales involved in particle size, shape, or interaction potential are believed to be necessary. It is unexpected that quasicrystals can be formed by monodisperse, isotropic particles interacting via a simple potential that does not contain explicit multiple length scales to stabilize quasicrystals. Here, we report the surprising finding of the formation of such quasicrystals in high-density systems of soft-core particles. Although there are length scales naturally introduced in our model systems, they do not establish the quasicrystalline order. In two dimensions, we find not only dodecagonal but also octagonal quasicrystals, which have not been found yet in soft quasicrystals. In such unexpected quasicrystals, particles tend to form pentagons, which are essential elements to develop the quasicrystalline order. Our findings thus pave an unexpected and simple way to form quasicrystals and pose a challenge for theoretical understanding of quasicrystals.

Maize Cropping Systems Mapping Using RapidEye Observations in Agro-Ecological Landscapes in Kenya.

Cropping systems information on explicit scales is an important but rarely available variable in many crops modeling routines and of utmost importance for understanding pests and disease propagation mechanisms in agro-ecological landscapes. In this study, high spatial and temporal resolution RapidEye bio-temporal data were utilized within a novel 2-step hierarchical random forest (RF) classification approach to map areas of mono- and mixed maize cropping systems. A small-scale maize farming site in Machakos County, Kenya was used as a study site. Within the study site, field data was collected during the satellite acquisition period on general land use/land cover (LULC) and the two cropping systems. Firstly, non-cropland areas were masked out from other land use/land cover using the LULC mapping result. Subsequently an optimized RF model was applied to the cropland layer to map the two cropping systems (2nd classification step). An overall accuracy of 93% was attained for the LULC classification, while the class accuracies (PA: producer’s accuracy and UA: user’s accuracy) for the two cropping systems were consistently above 85%. We concluded that explicit mapping of different cropping systems is feasible in complex and highly fragmented agro-ecological landscapes if high resolution and multi-temporal satellite data such as 5 m RapidEye data is employed. Further research is needed on the feasibility of using freely available 10–20 m Sentinel-2 data for wide-area assessment of cropping systems as an important variable in numerous crop productivity models.

An iterative method for hydrodynamic interactions in Brownian dynamics simulations of polymer dynamics

Brownian Dynamics (BD) simulations are a standard tool for understanding the dynamics of polymers in and out of equilibrium. Quantitative comparison can be made to rheological measurements of dilute polymer solutions, as well as direct visual observations of fluorescently labeled DNA. The primary computational challenge with BD is the expensive calculation of hydrodynamic interactions (HI), which are necessary to capture physically realistic dynamics. The full HI calculation, performed via a Cholesky decomposition every time step, scales with the length of the polymer as O(N3). This limits the calculation to a few hundred simulated particles. A number of approximations in the literature can lower this scaling to O(N2 - N2.25), and explicit solvent methods scale as O(N); however both incur a significant constant per-time step computational cost. Despite this progress, there remains a need for new or alternative methods of calculating hydrodynamic interactions; large polymer chains or semidilute polymer solutions remain computationally expensive. In this paper, we introduce an alternative method for calculating approximate hydrodynamic interactions. Our method relies on an iterative scheme to establish self-consistency between a hydrodynamic matrix that is averaged over simulation and the hydrodynamic matrix used to run the simulation. Comparison to standard BD simulation and polymer theory results demonstrates that this method quantitatively captures both equilibrium and steady-state dynamics after only a few iterations. The use of an averaged hydrodynamic matrix allows the computationally expensive Brownian noise calculation to be performed infrequently, so that it is no longer the bottleneck of the simulation calculations. We also investigate limitations of this conformational averaging approach in ring polymers.