Objective Knowledge Research Articles

People's perception of toxic substances (based on data on arsenic poisoning in the Urals in the 19th — early 20th century)

The article examines the criminal practices of people handling toxic substances based on data on arsenic poisoning from investigation materials and publications on forensic medicine of the 19th — early 20th century. Residents of the Urals treated arsenic as a poison/potion (“zel'e”). This ambivalent perception did not prevent people from having a significant amount of objective knowledge in toxicology. Persons with medical education passed on this knowledge, skills and abilities to the people. The contingent of such persons during the 19th century increased in the Urals: doctors, physicians (“lekar's”), pharmacists, paramedics, and most often apprentice physicians (“lekarskie ucheniki”) appeared in court cases. The most common route of arsenic entering the body was oral (through the mouth). Women added poison to food and drink and poisoned their husbands. Knowledge about the way poison enters a woman’s body through the genitals was classified as “secret”. This method was used by men against women. It was identified by forensic experts extremely rarely and considered as doubtful. The criminals also varied the dose of arsenic (toxic — fatal), the state of aggregation of the poison (solid — liquid), and the degree of dissolution of this hardly soluble substance. These parameters changed the speed and intensity of poisoning (acute — chronic). Their different combinations changed the symptoms of poisoning: signs of damage to either the gastrointestinal tract or the nervous system were observed. The variety of symptoms of poisoning made it difficult to establish an accurate diagnosis, allowed disguising the crime as different diseases, prevented the victim from receiving proper medical care, and helped the criminal evade responsibility for the poisoning.

What is the consciousness, literacy and behaviour of Italian Gen-Z towards the protection of the marine environment?

The study explores Italian Generation Z’s consciousness, literacy and behaviour towards marine environmental issues aimed at detecting whether different profiles of people exist. A survey was implemented with 778 students attending upper secondary schools. Descriptive statistics, significance tests for differences among groups, and cluster analysis were applied. Gen Z expresses concern and awareness about environmental issues, but not high levels of engagement in marine pro-environmental behaviours. Only about half of the sample solved six of the twelve objective knowledge questions correctly, and some misconceptions were observed. Gender, education, and area of living differentiate answers over several phenomena. Cluster results highlight four groups of young people with different sustainability profiles, two of which showed sensitiveness and awareness about the investigated topics, while the other groups are insensitive, unaware, and illiterate. The poor knowledge of Italian Generation Z about ocean sustainability topics highlighted the need to further educate young people to become literate individuals.

The association between subjective and objective financial knowledge: Path analysis to savings behavior by age

BackgroundsThe transition from defined benefit to defined contribution retirement plans, coupled with the introduction of stock options as part of employee retirement benefits, has significantly complicated the retirement planning process. This study aims to explore the roles of objective financial knowledge and subjective financial skills in navigating these complexities, particularly focusing on their impact across different generational cohorts. MethodsUtilizing a national sample of Americans, this research investigates the direct and indirect effects of subjective financial skills on the relationship between objective financial knowledge and various retirement savings products. Special attention is given to the generational difference between young and old to understand how these dynamics play out among those at the early and later stages of their retirement planning. ResultsThe study finds that among the younger generation, subjective financial skills not only act as protective factors but also enhance the relationship between objective financial knowledge and participation in the stock market. In contrast, older generations, regardless of their current status of finance-related knowledge and skills, tend to utilize traditional retirement plans such as 401 (k)s and pensions. This highlights the significance of subjective financial skills in enhancing engagement with complex savings options. DiscussionThe results emphasize the necessity of fostering both financial knowledge and confidence in financial decision-making processes. There is a clear need for financial education interventions that not only impart objective knowledge but also bolster individuals’ subjective financial skills, thereby equipping them with the comprehensive capabilities required to make informed decisions about their retirement savings.

ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ ОНТОЛОГІЧНОГО МОДЕЛЮВАННЯ ЯК ЗАСОБУ ВЕРИФІКАЦІЇ РЕЗУЛЬТАТІВ ПСИХОЛОГІЧНОГО ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ (НА ПРИКЛАДІ ВИВЧЕННЯ ЯВИЩ ГРИ)

Purpose. Methodological differences in the verification standards for the results of scientific knowledge between individual psychological branches represented in the domestic and global scientific space, the peculiarities of extremely complex psychological knowledge objects indicates the need to modernize the relevant standards and choose the optimal methodological platform for the verification of the results of modern psychological research. This paper discusses the feasibility of choosing such a ontological modeling platform, which is a special descriptive methodology and an alternative to the naturalistic experimental approach in verifying the results of psychological research. Ontological modeling provides the possibility for a more objective verification of the achievements for the study of intelligible objects, which have a distinct cultural and historical meaning, extremely complex structure and functionality, an ancient and diverse history of their own empirical representations. The purpose of the article is a theoretical study of ways to modernize the standards of verification of the results of modern psychological research using the example of the verification of the promising theory of game modeling of human vital activity in uncertainty conditions. Methods.The research uses the methods of analysis and systematization for psychological and interdisciplinary approaches in the study of verification patterns for the psychological knowledge results, comparison and optimization for the content of its standards on the study example of game modeling of human vital activity in uncertainty conditions. Results. According to the results of the study, the expediency of choosing ontological modeling (the names "conceptual modeling", "formal ontology", "formal ontology" and "ontological engineering" are also used synonymously) as a perspective basis for the verification of the psychological research results, a new universal methodological tool of Ukrainian psychology, has been proven using the example for game modeling of human vital activity in uncertainty. The existing scientific approaches that argue for the choice of ontological modeling as the basis for the verification of new psychological knowledge are specified. The methodological perspective of the modernization for the verification norms of psychological theories and concepts based on the ontological approach has been updated and substantiated. Modern scientific ideas are generalized and fundamental approaches to the verification of the results of knowledge of unlimited generality objects, i.e. ultra-complex simultaneously intelligible and empirical objects, are deepened. It has been established that ontological modeling has a universal scientific purpose and is able to overcome the shortcomings of the naturalistic experimental method for verification of research products, to be the optimal methodological platform for the verification of the modern psychological research results. Conclusions. The results of the study allow us to conclude about the relevance of the above issues and the expediency of choosing ontological modeling as a prospective basis for the verification of the psychological research results using the example for game modeling of human vital activity in uncertainty. A well-founded description of the standards and the process for verification of the psychological research results for game modeling of human vital activity in uncertainty conditions is considered promising.

Primary manipulation knowledge of objects is associated with the functional coupling of pMTG and aIPS

Correctly using hand-held tools and manipulable objects typically relies not only on sensory and motor-related processes, but also centrally on conceptual knowledge about how objects are typically used (e.g. grasping the handle of a kitchen knife rather than the blade avoids injury). A wealth of fMRI connectivity-related evidence demonstrates that contributions from both ventral and dorsal stream areas are important for accurate tool knowledge and use. Here, we investigate the combined role of ventral and dorsal stream areas in representing “primary” manipulation knowledge - that is, knowledge that is hypothesized to be of central importance for day-to-day object use. We operationalize primary manipulation knowledge by extracting the first dimension from a multi-dimensional scaling solution over a behavioral judgement task where subjects arranged a set of 80 manipulable objects based on their overall manipulation similarity. We then relate this dimension to representational and time-course correlations between ventral and dorsal stream areas. Our results show that functional coupling between posterior middle temporal cortex (pMTG) and anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIPS) is uniquely related to primary manipulation knowledge about objects, and that this effect is more pronounced for objects that require precision grasping. We reason this is due to precision-grasp objects requiring more ventral/temporal information relating to object shape, material and function to allow correct finger placement and controlled manipulation. These results demonstrate the importance of functional coupling across these ventral and dorsal stream areas in service of manipulation knowledge and accurate grasp-related behavior.

A Review of the Philosophy of Flood Risk Communication and Education: New Insights Informed by Critical Complexity

The approach to flooding in the U.S. is strongly influenced by research and practices that place the responsibility for managing risk on scientific and technical experts. But there is a recognition that the public generally needs to be more engaged and responsible. There is currently a disconnect between the objective knowledge of experts and the more subjective ways in which people experience floods and flood risk. To bridge this gap, I start with a review of the philosophy that informs government policies and the societal worldview. While societal leaders have maintained a mechanistic vision of a world that is ultimately knowable and controllable, scientific understandings have progressed to see the world as complex. Understanding the world as complex implies a need for multiple, mutually supporting knowledges. The philosophy of critical complexity inspired by Paul Cilliers motivates a blending and balancing of complementary objective and subjective understandings, an approach I term complexability. An example shows how data and models utilized routinely by hydrologists can be reoriented to better convey flood risk to the public and provide opportunities for discussion and engagement.

The role of objective and subjective knowledge in tourists’ environmentally conscious travel decisions

The role of objective and subjective knowledge in tourists’ environmentally conscious travel decisions

Energy knowledge and public response to restarting nuclear plants in Japan following the fukushima accident

Since the Fukushima accident, Japan's nuclear policy has changed dramatically. However, restarting operations of some reactors has become an option for the government. This study focuses on the role of objective knowledge and, for the first time, develops statements for measuring people's accurate factual judgments and reflecting on energy issues in post-Fukushima Japan. Replies of two surveys conducted in the Kansai region were analyzed. From them, it was observed that having objective knowledge was positively associated with holding a favorable opinion rather than an ambiguous opinion toward restarting the plants, and association differences existed between subjective and objective knowledge.

Enhancing object recognition: The role of object knowledge decomposition and component-labeled datasets

Deep learning models’ decision-making processes can be elusive, often raising concerns about their reliability. To address this, we have introduced the Object Knowledge Decomposition and Components Label Dataset (OKD-CL), designed to improve the interpretability and accuracy of object recognition models. This dataset includes 99 categories from PartImageNet, each detailed with clear physical structures that align with human visual concepts. In a hierarchical structure, every category is described by Abstract Component Knowledge (ACK) descriptions and each image instance comes with Explicit Visual Knowledge (EVK) masks, highlighting the visual components’ appearance. By evaluating multiple deep neural networks guided with ACK and EVK (dual-knowledge-guidance approach), we saw better accuracy and a higher Foreground Reasoning Ratio (FRR), confirming our knowledge-guided method’s effectiveness. When used on the Hard-ImageNet dataset, this approach reduced the model’s reliance on incorrect feature assumptions without sacrificing classification accuracy. This hierarchical comprehension encouraged by OKD-CL is crucial in minimizing incorrect feature associations and strengthening model robustness. The entire code and dataset are available on: https://github.com/XiGuaBo/OKD-CL.

A month-long case-based bootcamp improves subjective and objective radiology knowledge for first-year radiology residents

PurposeFirst-year radiology residents enter residency with varying degrees of prior knowledge regarding radiology, which can be difficult for both trainees and physician educators looking to provide instruction. Recognizing this dilemma, we propose the adoption of a blended learning model PGY-2 radiology bootcamp at the start of training to give a structured foundation of imaging concepts. Methods20 total PGY-2 radiology residents spanning two cohorts of 10, one from 2022 and another from 2023, were included in a 4-week blended learning-style bootcamp at the beginning of their training. Effectiveness of the implementation was assessed using subjective Likert-scale surveys and an objective knowledge-based examination. ResultsSubjective confidence in basic radiology skills significantly improved for all modalities in the combined 2022-2023 results. Objective performance on the knowledge-based examination significantly improved in both cohorts, with no significant discrepancies in baseline scores between 2022 and 2023. ConclusionsWe recommend the implementation of a flipped-classroom, blended learning-style bootcamp for PGY-2 radiology residents. Our results demonstrated both subjective and objective improvement in radiology resident confidence and clinical knowledge, in addition to an early introduction to the institutional PACS.

Enhancing effectiveness of Extension program evaluations by validating the trustworthiness of self-reported measures of Extension program outcomes

Assessment of program outcomes in extension often relies on subjective measures, such as perceived or self-reported knowledge, which are criticized for potential bias and inaccuracy. Conversely, objective knowledge, i.e., how much an individual actually knows, is considered more accurate. Studies show varying associations between subjective and objective knowledge, ranging from no correlation to high correlation, and their influence on behavior change also varies. In this study, we aim to quantify the relationship between subjective knowledge, objective knowledge, and behavior change. Data were collected from Master Gardener Volunteer training attendees. We used Pearson correlation and hierarchical linear regressions to explore the relationship between subjective and objective knowledge and their influence on behavior, i.e., engagement in gardening practices. Our findings show that subjective and objective knowledge post-training were moderately correlated, indicating that participants' self-assessments were not entirely accurate before training. Interestingly, only subjective knowledge before training predicted engagement in gardening practices after training, highlighting the significant role of perceived understanding in behavior change. Based on the findings, we suggest that extension programs should focus on addressing participants' existing beliefs to foster enduring behavior change. By designing programs that consider these pre-existing perceptions, extension can more effectively translate knowledge into practical, lasting behaviors.

Investigating young consumers’ acceptance of hemp fiber textiles and apparel: an analysis of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling

Purpose Concerns over environmental degradation, alongside the global legalization of hemp cultivation, have prompted applications of hemp-derived textile products. However, research examining consumers’ acceptance of such products is lacking. It is critical to understand how young consumers adopt these products as they prioritize sustainability and lead the future purchasing power. Thus, this study aims to investigate young consumers’ perceptions, attitudes, and purchase intentions regarding hemp fiber textiles and clothing based on the Theory of Consumption Value and the Spiral of Silence Theory. Design/methodology/approach A US-based research company was hired to recruit survey participants, yielding 314 valid data. Data analysis, including Exploratory Factor Analysis and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling, was conducted using the R programming language and RStudio software. Findings Purchase intentions of hemp-based clothing and textiles among young consumers are influenced by attitude, perceived social value and future trend perception. Perceived social value also impacts attitude and future trend perception. High environmental involvement correlates with positive attitudes. Consumers’ subjective knowledge of hemp and objective knowledge regarding hemp fiber impact their perceptions of future trends in such products. Originality/value This research represents a seminal consumer study focusing on the resurgence of industrial hemp fiber textiles and clothing. This study empirically validates the significant role of social factors in young consumer acceptance of such products at both personal and societal levels. This study expands current knowledge and provides actionable insights for practitioners.

Knowledge, attitudes, and concerns about psilocybin and MDMA as novel therapies among U.S. healthcare professionals

Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) with substances like psilocybin and MDMA has shown promise for conditions including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Psilocybin and MDMA may become approved medicines in the coming decade. This study assessed knowledge and attitudes regarding PAT among 879 U.S. healthcare professionals via anonymous online survey. Multivariable linear regression was used to identify predictors of openness to clinical use. Most participants (71.2%) were female and White (85.8%), with a mean (SD) age of 45.5 (12.7) years. Registered nurses (25.4%) and physicians (17.7%) comprised the largest professional groups. Respondents endorsed strong belief in therapeutic promise, and moderate openness to clinical use and support for legal access to both substances, with higher overall ratings for psilocybin compared to MDMA. Objective knowledge items revealed low knowledge of therapeutic uses, risks, and pharmacology. Primary concerns were lack of trained providers, financial cost, and potential contraindications. Prior psychedelic use, self-rated knowledge, younger age, and professional role predicted openness to clinical use of psilocybin and MDMA, with physicians reporting lower openness. As psychedelics continue to garner popular and scientific interest, results indicate a pressing need for additional formal training to provide balanced, evidence-based information from trusted sources.

Unlocking the Potential of Technology in Nursing Skills Education: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of illustrated checklists and web-access videos on nursing students' basic nursing knowledge levels and psychomotor skills. Methods: This single-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted with 205 first-year nursing students registered in a Fundamentals of Nursing course. The students were stratified by gender and randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups using simple randomization. All students participated in theoretical lectures, demonstrations, and laboratory practices. The Intervention Group's laboratory practices were supported by illustrated checklists and web-access skill videos. Results: The intervention group's objective structured clinical exams and knowledge test scores were significantly higher than the control group's (p < .05). In total, 95.4% of the students stated that watching videos facilitated learning. Conclusion: The study found that illustrated checklists and web-accessible skill videos improved students' knowledge and skills and that the skill videos facilitated learning, increased motivation, and enhanced clinical preparation. The widespread use of illustrated checklists and web-access skill videos in nursing skills education is suggested.

Development and Validation of Objective and Subjective Osteoporosis Knowledge Instruments Among Chinese Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Clinicians must be knowledgeable about osteoporosis so that they can convey information regarding the prevention of fragility fractures to their patients. The purposes of this study were to develop objective and subjective knowledge instruments for osteoporosis and fragility fractures and then test their reliability and validity among Chinese orthopaedic surgeons. A 2-round procedure was used to develop the objective and subjective knowledge instruments. A cross-sectional online survey was distributed to 293 orthopaedic surgeons; 189 surgeons returned the questionnaires. We examined internal consistency, test-retest reliability, criterion validity, and discriminant validity; we also compared the subjective knowledge level with the objective knowledge level among surgeons. Our results showed that the Subjective Knowledge Scale (SKS) regarding Osteoporosis and Fragility Fractures had a high Cronbach alpha coefficient (0.915), and the objective Osteoporosis Knowledge Test for Clinicians (OKTC) had an adequate Kuder-Richardson 20 coefficient (0.64). Item analyses were conducted, and a short version of the OKTC (the OKTC-SF) was developed. The SKS, the OKTC, and the OKTC-SF all showed good test-retest reliability, criterion validity, and discriminant validity. The percentage of surgeons with a high subjective knowledge level was higher than the percentage of surgeons who selected the correct answer for several corresponding questions related to objective knowledge. The SKS, the OKTC, and the OKTC-SF all demonstrated good reliability and validity. However, the orthopaedic surgeons may have overestimated their knowledge level regarding osteoporosis. Targeted continuing medical education that is based on individual knowledge level is needed to improve the undertreatment of osteoporosis among patients with fragility fractures.

Публічні закупівлі продукції легкої промисловості в умовах воєнного стану

The article is devoted to the importance of stimulating domestic demand by the state and substituting the import component in public procurement, which will contribute to economic self-sufficiency, sustainability, extension of internal chains of added value, and the creation of new jobs. It is noted that the products of light industry are used in all spheres of life of the population and the national economy. Authors underline that the activity of light industry has a significant multiplicative effect on the development of related industries and spheres, which is important for defense capability and the reconstruction of production and infrastructure facilities. The subject of the study is the implementation of the policy of ensuring the priority of support for Ukrainian producers and stimulation by state bodies of demand for domestic goods in conditions of martial law, improvement of the procurement planning system. Authors try to substantiate stimulating measures for the growth of state procurement of light industry products by providing advantages to domestic producers. Changes in state procurement of light industry products under martial law were studied and assessed. The article uses a number of methods: analysis and synthesis – to determine priorities in state procurement of light industry products, deduction and induction – to establish cause-and-effect relationships and organize objective knowledge about relevant economic processes and phenomena in order to ensure the stability of the national economy under war conditions. Comparative and tabular methods were also used, which made it possible to outline the main results of the research, to summarize and systematize the materials. Multiplicative effects were calculated on the basis of the table “input-output at basic prices”. State purchases of light industry products through the Prozorro system were analyzed. A number of problems were identified that prevent domestic enterprises from participating and winning in public procurement. Directions and measures for stimulating the involvement of domestic enterprises to participate in public procurement and import substitution in Ukraine, improving the procurement process are proposed.

Object color knowledge representation occurs in the macaque brain despite the absence of a developed language system.

Animals guide their behaviors through internal representations of the world in the brain. We aimed to understand how the macaque brain stores such general world knowledge, focusing on object color knowledge. Three functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments were conducted in macaque monkeys: viewing chromatic and achromatic gratings, viewing grayscale images of their familiar fruits and vegetables (e.g., grayscale strawberry), and viewing true- and false-colored objects (e.g., red strawberry and green strawberry). We observed robust object knowledge representations in the color patches, especially the one located around TEO: the activity patterns could classify grayscale pictures of objects based on their memory color and response patterns in these regions could translate between chromatic grating viewing and grayscale object viewing (e.g., red grating-grayscale images of strawberry), such that classifiers trained by viewing chromatic gratings could successfully classify grayscale object images according to their memory colors. Our results showed direct positive evidence of object color memory in macaque monkeys. These results indicate the perceptually grounded knowledge representation as a conservative memory mechanism and open a new avenue to study this particular (semantic) memory representation with macaque models.

TeraHeap: Exploiting Flash Storage for Mitigating DRAM Pressure in Managed Big Data Frameworks

Big data analytics frameworks, such as Spark and Giraph, need to process and cache massive datasets that do not always fit on the managed heap. Therefore, frameworks temporarily move long-lived objects outside the heap (off-heap) on a fast storage device. However, this practice results in (1) high serialization/deserialization (S/D) cost and (2) high memory pressure when off-heap objects are moved back for processing. In this article, we propose TeraHeap , a system that eliminates S/D overhead and expensive GC scans for a large portion of objects in analytics frameworks. TeraHeap relies on three concepts: (1) It eliminates S/D by extending the managed runtime (JVM) to use a second high-capacity heap (H2) over a fast storage device. (2) It offers a simple hint-based interface, allowing analytics frameworks to leverage object knowledge to populate H2. (3) It reduces GC cost by fencing the collector from scanning H2 objects while maintaining the illusion of a single managed heap, ensuring memory safety. We implement TeraHeap in OpenJDK8 and OpenJDK17 and evaluate it with fifteen widely used applications in two real-world big data frameworks, Spark and Giraph. We find that for the same DRAM size, TeraHeap improves performance by up to 73% and 28% compared to native Spark and Giraph. Also, it can still provide better performance by consuming up to \(4.6\times\) and \(1.2\times\) less DRAM than native Spark and Giraph, respectively. TeraHeap can also be used for in-memory frameworks and applying it to the Neo4j Graph Data Science library improves its performance by up to 26%. Finally, it outperforms Panthera, a state-of-the-art garbage collector for hybrid DRAM-NVM memories, by up to 69%.

Real-time risk assessment of distribution systems based on Unscented Kalman Filter

The continuous growth of renewable energy and the load level has posed increasingly severe operational risks to distribution systems. In view of this, this paper combines state estimation with risk assessment, and uses the results of distribution system state estimation based on Unscented Kalman Filter as the input of risk assessment. With the combination, the sampling based on probability distributions in traditional risk assessment methods is no longer needed, thus avoiding the difficulty of updating probability distributions timely according to the latest information in real-time operation. By applying the proposed risk assessment method, the real-time assessment of operational risks in perspectives of bus voltage, branch power, and renewable energy utilization is achieved. Meanwhile, the weight of each risk index is properly determined according to both subjective and objective knowledge by using Analytic Hierarchy Process method and entropy weight method. Case studies show that the proposed method achieves effective assessment of comprehensive risks in the operation of distribution system.

I “love” my country? The relationship between national narcissism and national knowledge overclaiming

BackgroundDoes demonstrating attachment to one’s nation necessarily imply that the individual is interested in the history of that nation and has a considerable knowledge about its origins? In the present paper, we examine how two forms of national identity (i.e., national narcissism vs. secure national identification) relate to individuals’ self-declared interest in their na-tion’s history. Additionally, we investigate whether this relationship can account for their tendency to overstate their knowledge.Participants and procedureIn two studies (Ntotal = 2137) conducted on a representative samples of adult Poles, we assessed two types of national identi-ty: self-declared interest in the nation’s history and objectively measured knowledge about the nation and its history through an overclaiming task.ResultsWe found that those who narcissistically identified with their nation overclaimed their historical knowledge. Specifically, they claimed familiarity with non-existing historical events and were unable to claim familiarity with existing ones. We also found that the relationship between national narcissism and declared interest in one’s nation’s history was effectively re-duced to zero after partialing out the shared variance to overclaiming historical knowledge.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that national narcissism might be a superficial self-presentation style, which is primarily focused on oneself, not on the nation. Those who narcissistically identify themselves with their nation only proclaim their interest, but have lower objective knowledge.