Identity Strategies Research Articles

Meaningful Secret Image Sharing with Uniform Image Quality

In meaningful secret image sharing (MSIS), a secret image is divided into n shadows. Each shadow is meaningful and similar to the corresponding cover image. Meaningful shadows can reduce the suspicion of attackers in transmission and facilitate shadow management. Previous MSIS schemes always include pixel expansion, and cross-interference from different shadows may exist when cover images are extremely unnatural images with large black and white blocks. In this article, we propose an MSIS with uniform image quality. A threshold t is set to determine the absolute salient regions. More identical bits are allocated according to saliency values in the absolute saliency region, which can improve image quality. In addition, the new identical bits allocation strategy also adjusts the randomness of the shadow images, generating shadows with uniform image quality and avoiding the cross-interference between different shadows. Experimental results show the effectiveness of our proposed scheme.

AMBIGUITAS STRATEGI IDENTITAS CNN TERHADAP ISLAMOPHOBIA DAN ANTI-AMERIKA (KASUS: CNN.COM DAN CNNINDONESIA.COM)

This study analyzes the constructivist view of CNN's strategy on Islamophobia and Anti-American issues. Taking a case study of Islamophobia globally and Anti-Americanism in Indonesia, CNN provides two different identities regarding each issue that contradicts the assumptions of constructivism. Through descriptive qualitative research techniques and data collection documentation, the authors found that the strategy with two different identities for Islamophobia and Anti-Americanism is CNN's effort as a framing for the interests of the United States in the war on terror, as well as differentiating them from other news media. With news characteristics that are skeptical of the Middle East, CNN provides an identity as a supporter of Islamophobia and encourages the movement to grow. It's different if you switch to Indonesian news, CNN abandons its previous identity and builds a new identity with a narrative that supports Muslims from the point of view of Western countries. For constructivism, this dual identity strategy shows that CNN is a weak actor because they do not know who they really are and the ambiguity of the main interests they want to achieve

Systematic Metamodel-Based Optimization Study of Synchronous Reluctance Machine Rotor Barrier Topologies

Nowadays, due to the confidence in modeling tools and rapid product iteration, electric machine designers primarily rely on simulations. This approach reduces time and cost and is very useful when comparing different machine topologies. The prototype stage usually comes after the depletion of all simulation resources. When designing a synchronous reluctance machine, the first step is the selection of rotor barrier type. The literature provides several topologies but does not clearly state which one yields the best performance. The goal of this paper is to determine the best variant for a six-pole machine and the selected requirements using a metamodel-based optimization approach. Seven rotor topologies with different complexities were derived from circular, hyperbolic, and Zhukovsky barrier types (circular concentric, circular variable depth, hyperbolic with fixed eccentricity, hyperbolic with variable eccentricity, original Zhukovsky, modified Zhukovsky variable depth and modified Zhukovsky with equal barrier depth). The novelty of the proposed strategy is in the systematic and fair comparison of different rotor topologies. This approach significantly reduces the total optimization time from several weeks to a few days. Additionally, a novel modified Zhukovsky variable depth topology, which merges the best qualities of all considered variants, was developed. An identical optimization strategy was applied to all variants, and the final results prove that the barrier type substantially affects the final performance of the machine. The best results are achieved by the modified Zhukovsky variable depth topology. In relation to the worst (baseline) topology, the performance gain is 14.9% and the power factor is increased from 0.61 to 0.67. An additional study using different numbers of barrier layers (3, 4, and 5) was conducted to determine the best topology. The best results were achieved with the original four barrier layers.

Persistent delirium in older hospital patients: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

Delirium is associated with future dementia progression. Yet whether this occurs subclinically over months and years, or persistent delirium merges into worsened dementia is not understood. Our objective was to estimate the prevalence of persistent delirium and understand variation in its duration. We adopted an identical search strategy to a previous systematic review, only including studies using a recognised diagnostic framework for ascertaining delirium at follow-up (persistent delirium). Studies included hospitalised older patients outside critical and palliative care settings. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews on 11th January 2022. We applied risk of bias assessments based on Standards of Reporting of Neurological Disorders criteria and assessed strength of recommendations using the grading of recommendation, assessment, development and evaluation (GRADE) approach. Estimates were pooled across studies using random-effects meta-analysis, and we estimated associations with follow-up duration using robust error meta-regression. We identified 13 new cohorts, which we added to 10 from the previous systematic review (23 relevant studies, with 39 reports of persistent delirium at 7 time-points in 3186 individuals admitted to hospital care (mean age 82 years and 41% dementia prevalence). Studies were mainly at moderate risk of bias. Pooled delirium prevalence estimates at discharge were 36% (95% CI 22% to 51%, 13 studies). Robust error meta-regression did not show variation in prevalence of persistent delirium over time (-1.6% per month, 95% CI -4.8 to 1.6, p=0.08). Margins estimates for this model indicate a prevalence of persistent delirium of 16% (95% CI 6% to 25%) at 12 months. This systematic review emphasises the importance of delirium as a persistent and extensive problem (GRADE certainty = moderate), raising questions on chronic delirium as a clinical entity and how it might evolve into dementia. Addressing persistent delirium will require a whole-system, integrated approach to detect, follow-up and implement opportunities for recovery across all healthcare settings.

Crossing the Colorline: Biracial Identity in Sweden and Denmark

Migration to Scandinavia has increased in the last fifteen years. Still, little scholarly research has been devoted to the topic of mixed individuals, particularly those of African Danish or African Swedish heritage. This study seeks to fill this gap by delving into how individuals of mixed heritage navigate their identities in the Danish and Swedish contexts, a region where there are no socially accepted terms for identifying or classifying them. This study can provide an excellent starting point into the race discourse that is being overlooked in both Denmark and Sweden. Drawing from qualitative data, this article examines the position of mixed heritage individuals with a special consideration of their sense of identity and belonging as well as the reality of being mixed. Consequently, three pivotal questions drive this research: What are the individuals’ realities in the context of understanding mixed heritage? How do they define themselves? How do they navigate the challenges that come with mixedness? The mixed heritage individuals in this study reveal two common strategies of identity: they position themselves as possessing an “in-between” identity or one that is simply “Black.” Sometimes they use the term “African” to imply Black and “European” to refer to either a Dane or Swede. None of the respondents self-identify as White.

A Model of Identity Crafting among Novice and Experienced Journalists in an Era of Transformation

As numerous transformative forces - notably the prevalence of a new business logic, the emergence of new actors and the penetration of new technologies - transcend traditional newsroom practices, journalists of all ages see the cornerstones of their professional identity being disrupted. Conceiving their profession as a calling, and having different conceptions of their work depending on their generation, journalists tend to apply a variety of strategies to respond to these changes and re-craft their journalistic identity. Based on the literature on professional identity, generations and the transformation of journalism, this paper proposes a multi-dimensional model presenting the strategies of identity crafting applied by novice and experienced journalists. The model explains the differences in their strategies by juxtaposing their distinct views on calling, alongside three facets of generational identity (year of birth, life stage, nature of work). The main proposition is that novice journalists adopt a strategy of liquid identity crafting characterized by a willingness to integrate transformative elements in their work, while experienced journalists prefer a strategy of solid identity crafting, shaped by a desire to preserve traditional journalism practices. With the digital transformation of journalism as major driver, the paper contributes to the literature on professional identity with an original perspective on calling, and adds to research on generations by unpacking differences in the process of identity crafting among novice and experienced journalists.

Organizational Field Positions and Institutional Change: Evidence from MNCs in an Emerging Market

Although the relationship between field position and agency has been established in institutional research, until recently this debate mostly concerned central and peripheral actors. Using a qualitative study of the multinational corporations (MNCs) in the pharmaceutical industry in Russia, we find that intermediate companies, positioned in between the center and periphery of the field, were more successful in managing the shifting conditions within the institutional context. This agency was manifested through discursive, performative and identity strategies, which enabled such firms to maintain their intermediate position and subtly introduce institutional change. We extend the emergent research on middle-status actors in neo-institutional theory. Our findings also provide novel insights into the international business and management debate on MNCs and organizational fields.

Morpho-anatomical traits explain the effects of bacterial-feeding nematodes on soil bacterial community composition and plant growth and nutrition

Bacterial-feeding nematodes are abundant soil animals regulating microbial communities and enhancing plant nutrition and growth. However, the biological metrics driving the variable within-trophic group effects of these organisms on soil and plant functions are not yet identified. In this study, we determined the effects of eight bacterial-feeding nematode genera (Acrobeloides butschlii, Brevibbuca sp., Cephalobus sp., Diploscapter sp., Oscheius akosreti, Panagrellus redivivus, Pristionchus pacificus, Zeldia sp.) on soil bacterial communities and Pinus pinaster growth and nutrition from organic N (glutamate) and P (phytate) supplied in a high P-adsorbing soil. Because nematode species harbored contrasting morpho-anatomical characteristics, we hypothesized that traits, in comparison to species identity or life strategy groups (cp classes), could explain the variable effects of the nematode species. After 50 days of growth, the inoculation of bacterial-feeding nematodes caused variable but never negative effect on plant growth and net plant N and P uptake depending on nematode species. We also observed significant shifts in root traits and bacterial community composition. For both soil bacterial composition and plant growth and nutrition, a selected panel of traits (e.g. body size, mouth width, procorpus width, demanian ratios b and c, relative egg size) explained soil and plant function more than did species identity or life strategy groups. For instance, traits explained 77 % of plant N and P amounts while cp classes and species-identity explained 33 % and 46 %, respectively, according to PLS models. The identity of traits varied according to the functions. Structural equation modeling with latent variables emphasized the direct effects of nematodes on plant nutrition through excretion in comparison to indirect effects through shifts in bacterial composition and improved root ramification. We discuss the relevance of bacterial-feeding nematode traits as promising biological metrics to explain the effect of these worms within the soil microbial loop framework.

Concealing Identity Strategy: An Autonomous Chinese-Speaking Sojourner’s Linguistic and Social Involvements

This article reports on a case study that investigates how a successful Chinese sojourner exhibits learner autonomy through mediating agency, identity, and language learning strategies (LLS) to seek out affordances within a religious social setting in the UK. This study employs an ecological perspective and ethnographic methods through participant observation and interviews to identify a set of LLS employed by this sojourner to deal with language and socio-cultural issues in a complex ecosystem comprised of interacting human and non-human components within this social setting. The results predominantly show this sojourner exercises agency by utilizing the newly observed concealing identity strategy to hide his ‘atheist identity’ which is a self-perceived barrier to the setting. Employing this strategy mitigates this sojourner’s affective barrier to open access to the linguistic and non-linguistic affordances within the dynamic second language (L2) changing circumstance in this specific social place. This case study broadens the LLS research area by taking a socially-oriented perspective to investigate LLS in relation to socio-cultural and interactional abilities in real communicative L2 settings. Therefore, this study gives insights into how learner autonomy is socially mediated in a complex transnational world through the constructs of LLS, agency, and identity based on ecology theory.

Concealing Identity Strategy: An Autonomous Chinese-Speaking Sojourner’s Linguistic and Social Involvements in a Religious Social Setting in the UK

This article reports on a case study that investigates how a successful Chinese sojourner exhibits learner autonomy through mediating agency, identity, and language learning strategies (LLS) to seek out affordances within a religious social setting in the UK. This study employs an ecological perspective and ethnographic methods through participant observation and interviews to identify a set of LLS employed by this sojourner to deal with language and socio-cultural issues in a complex ecosystem comprised of interacting human and non-human components within this social setting. The results predominantly show this sojourner exercises agency by utilizing the newly observed concealing identity strategy to hide his ‘atheist identity’ which is a self-perceived barrier to the setting. Employing this strategy mitigates this sojourner’s affective barrier to open access to the linguistic and non-linguistic affordances within the dynamic second language (L2) changing circumstance in this specific social place. This case study broadens the LLS research area by taking a socially-oriented perspective to investigate LLS in relation to socio-cultural and interactional abilities in real communicative L2 settings. Therefore, this study gives insights into how learner autonomy is socially mediated in a complex transnational world through the constructs of LLS, agency, and identity based on ecology theory.

Reconstructing Identity: Self-fashioning in City of Spies by Sorayya Khan

Current Study analyzes the reconstruction strategies of identity adopted by the protagonist in City of spies by keeping the idea of self-fashioning by Greenblatt. The qualitative methodology has been used for analysis in the present research. The primary source of data is Sorayya Khan's novel City of Spies. Data analysis includes the self-fashioning of the protagonist according to the dominant culture of her surroundings.The researcher has analyzed the data related to self-fashioning and factors that promote the protagonist's self-fashioning and identity crisis, drawing upon Greenblatt's theory of self-fashioning. Greenblatt sees authority preserve identity and self-fashioning in society. Greenblatt believes in the powerful consequence of identity formation and self-fashioning.This current examination endeavors to see identity through the viewpoint of self-fashioning and its ensuing impact on awareness, prompting an identity formation of the protagonist.

Defaults, disclosures, advice and calculators: One size does not fit all

The effect of regulatory standards regarding the presentation of investment products on financial behavior is poorly understood. In two incentivized online experiments (N = 2,221) we examine the impact of information-based and tool-based guidance on the selection of retirement plan investment funds. Participants chose between funds that followed identical investment strategies but charged different fees. Over multiple trials, participants were instructed to identify the fund which charged the lowest fees given their hypothetical plan balance. Defaults and disclosures were found to be situationally helpful, but highlighted participants’ naivete with regard to the calculations underlying the fee structure. Advice tended to be underutilized but was beneficial when sought. Tool-based guidance in the form of a smart calculator had a moderate impact on accuracy but benefits did not persist. Together the results highlight the danger of taking a homogeneous approach to financial guidance and emphasize the need to build consumer competency.

Emotional Labor and Professional Identity in Chinese Early Childhood Teachers: The Gendered Moderation Models

The sustainable development of early childhood institutions in aging China calls for the sustainable development of early childhood teachers, which should attend to the balanced development between male and female teachers. Yet this issue has not been adequately investigated in the literature. To fill this research gap, this study explored the gender differences in Chinese early childhood (EC) teachers’ professional identity (PI) and emotional labor strategies. Altogether, 250 teachers (146 female and 104 male, Mage = 30.28 years, SD = 7.81) from Southern China were sampled and surveyed. First, the independent samples t-tests revealed significant gender differences in teachers’ PI, deep acting, and surface acting. Second, the structural equation modelling results demonstrated that PI fully mediated the relationship between teacher educational attainment, years of teaching experience, and natural and deep acting. Third, multigroup analysis confirmed different mediation paths for female and male teachers. These findings suggest that male and female early childhood teachers differed in their sense of PI and use of emotional labor strategies. Therefore, future policymaking efforts should design and implement teacher professional development (PD) programs and teacher support mechanisms catering to male EC teachers’ needs, characteristics, and difficulties in the Chinese EC workforce.

Collective strategy condensation towards class-separated societies

In physics, the wavefunctions of bosonic particles collapse when the system undergoes a Bose–Einstein condensation. In game theory, the strategy of an agent describes the probability to engage in a certain course of action. Strategies are expected to differ in competitive situations, namely when there is a penalty to do the same as somebody else. We study what happens when agents are interested how they fare not only in absolute terms, but also relative to others. This preference, denoted envy, is shown to induce the emergence of distinct social classes via a collective strategy condensation transition. Members of the lower class pursue identical strategies, in analogy to the Bose–Einstein condensation, with the upper class remaining individualistic.Graphical abstract

ROV observations reveal infection dynamics of gill parasites in midwater cephalopods

Gill parasites of coleoid cephalopods are frequently observed during remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives in the Monterey Submarine Canyon. However, little knowledge exists on the identity of the parasite species or their effects on the cephalopod community. With the help of ROV-collected specimens and in situ footage from the past 27 years, we report on their identity, prevalence and potential infection strategy. Gill parasites were genetically and morphologically identified from collected specimens of Chiroteuthis calyx, Vampyroteuthis infernalis and Gonatus spp. In situ prevalence was estimated from video footage for C. calyx, Galiteuthis spp., Taonius spp. and Japetella diaphana, enabled by their transparent mantle tissue. The most common parasite was identified as Hochbergia cf. moroteuthensis, a protist of unresolved taxonomic ranking. We provide the first molecular data for this parasite and show a sister group relationship to the dinoflagellate genus Oodinium. Hochbergia cf. moroteuthensis was most commonly observed in adult individuals of all species and was sighted year round over the analyzed time period. In situ prevalence was highest in C. calyx (75%), followed by Galiteuthis spp. (29%), Taonius spp. (27%) and J. diaphana (7%). A second parasite, not seen on the in situ footage, but occurring within the gills of Gonatus berryi and Vampyroteuthis infernalis, could not be found in the literature or be identified through DNA barcoding. The need for further investigation is highlighted, making this study a starting point for unravelling ecological implications of the cephalopod-gill-parasite system in deep pelagic waters.

Evaluation of real-world referential and probabilistic patient matching to advance patient identification strategy.

ObjectiveThis study sought both to support evidence-based patient identity policy development by illustrating an approach for formally evaluating operational matching methods, and also to characterize the performance of both referential and probabilistic patient matching algorithms using real-world demographic data.Materials and MethodsWe assessed matching accuracy for referential and probabilistic matching algorithms using a manually reviewed 30 000 record gold standard reference dataset derived from a large health information exchange containing over 47 million patient registrations. We applied referential and probabilistic algorithms to this dataset and compared the outputs to the gold standard. We computed performance metrics including sensitivity (recall), positive predictive value (precision), and F-score for each algorithm.ResultsThe probabilistic algorithm exhibited sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV), and F-score of .6366, 0.9995, and 0.7778, respectively. The referential algorithm exhibited corresponding sensitivity, PPV, and F-score values of 0.9351, 0.9996, and 0.9663, respectively. Treating discordant and limited-data records as nonmatches increased referential match sensitivity to 0.9578. Compared to the more traditional probabilistic approach, referential matching exhibits greater accuracy.ConclusionsReferential patient matching, an increasingly popular method among health IT vendors, demonstrated notably greater accuracy than a more traditional probabilistic approach without the adaptation of the algorithm to the data that the traditional probabilistic approach usually requires. Health IT policymakers, including the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), should explore strategies to expand the evidence base for real-world matching system performance, given the need for an evidence-based patient identity strategy.

Dual identities? Transnational identities? Psychological acculturation research in dialogue with discursive approaches to the identity work of individuals with a migration background

ABSTRACT This article's key aim is to bring discursive insights on transnational identities together with the ‘identity strategies’-framework from psychological acculturation research. To do so, we discursively analyse the negotiation of identities in interviews of Belgian women with Turkish/Moroccan migration backgrounds. Our findings indicate that interviewees negotiate nuanced national and ethnic identities, highlighting the fluidity of identity often foregrounded in discursive research on transnational identities. We also propose adopting terminology from psychological acculturation research into discursive analyses as this might enable researchers to pinpoint the various shifts in discursive work that is now often covered by the term ‘transnational identities’.

Hybrid Data-Driven and Model-Based Distribution Network Reconfiguration With Lossless Model Reduction

Distribution network reconfiguration is an effective method to face the problem of power fluctuation in the power system. Previous studies have focused on mathematical optimization techniques with complex modeling processes and heuristic algorithms with time-consuming solving processes to obtain the optimal reconfiguration strategy. In this article, a hybrid data-driven and model-based distribution network reconfiguration (HDNR) framework is proposed, where the model-based module includes model reduction and goal-oriented clustering to cluster the identical reconfiguration strategies. Here, the data-driven module is implemented through a long short-term memory network to learn the mapping mechanism between load distribution and optimal reconfiguration strategies. The model-driven module and the data-driven module are coupled through the proposed hierarchical network recovery process, which presents the reconfiguration results layer by layer. Finally, the numerical case study on the IEEE 33-bus, IEEE 119-bus, and IEEE 123-bus network shows the validity of the proposed HDNR framework. It is shown that the solution space is reduced, which contributes to reducing computation time and resources. Moreover, the obtained accuracy of the reconfiguration strategy is higher than most existing research even with limited data samples.

Sustainable practices of selected publiclylisted higher educational institutions in ensuring good health and well-being

Sustainable practices of selected publiclylisted higher educational institutions in ensuring good health and well-being

Male Peer Talk About Menstruation: Discursively Bolstering Hegemonic Masculinities Among Young Men in South Africa

In this paper, we show how male peer talk about menstruating women may be used to discursively bolster hegemonic masculinities and denigrate women. Focus group discussions among 37 young isiXhosa-speaking men from two South African schools were facilitated by two young men; statements garnered from a sexuality education class about menstruation conducted in the same schools were used as cues. Data were analyzed using discourse analysis. The interactive talk constructed a bifurcation: “disgusting” menstruating women versus “reasonable” non-menstruating women who abide by idealized feminine behavior and are available sexually. We argue that as the non-menstruating woman cyclically become the other (menstruating woman) in women of particular ages, the trace of disgust inhabits the signifier “woman” for these men. Menstruation also disrupted a core identity strategy of local hegemonic masculinities: virile (hetero)sexuality. Given this, discursive distancing of the self from the very topic of menstruation is necessary. Small moments of resistance to these constructions were quickly closed down, and caring masculinity emerged only in the context of negotiating sex during menstruation. Involving men in menstrual hygiene management programs may provide spaces for resistance to denigrating discourses about menstruation.