Vantage Point Research Articles

Improving the stabilization/solidification performance of Pb-containing alkali-activated slag via incorporation of superabsorbent polymer

Alkali-activated materials (AAM) have garnered significant attention for the treatment of Pb-contaminated solid waste, attributed to their low carbon footprint and superior stabilization/solidification (S/S) capabilities. However, recent concerns arise regarding their long-term S/S performance, especially when exposed to rainwater environments and considering the inherent shrinkage and potential cracking of AAM. This research delves into the feasibility of enhancing the S/S efficacy of alkali-activated slag (AAS) through the integration of super absorbent polymers (SAP). Findings reveal a marked improvement in the S/S performance of Pb-laden AAS upon SAP addition. Specifically, incorporating 0.5 wt% and 1 wt% SAP curtailed Pb leaching in AAS samples (cured for 90 days) by 47 % and 75 %, respectively. Comprehensive analyses using XRD, TGA, MIP, BSEM, EDX, XPS and MAS NMR suggest that the bolstered S/S performance of SAP-augmented AAS is not rooted in alterations to the reaction degree, pore structure, or reaction products of AAS. Instead, it hinges on the innate capacity of SAP to absorb and retain Pb. Leaching tests reveal that, in AAS cured for 90 days, approximately 1.72 mg of Pb ions were retained per gram of SAP. This investigation furnishes a novel vantage point for refining and deploying alkali-activated materials (or other cementitious materials) as effective S/S agents.

Exploration of exocentric perspective interfaces for virtual reality collaborative tasks

Exocentric views play a pivotal role in computer-mediated collaboration, especially in Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs), where focusing on the actions and operations of collaboration partners is crucial. The exocentric perspective offers users a vantage point to ascertain the whereabouts and actions of their partners, enhancing spatial awareness and social presence in CVEs. Moreover, interacting via the Exocentric Perspective Interface (ExPI) can help users complete searching and manipulation tasks remotely and efficiently. This work investigates the potential benefits of two representative ExPIs, World In Miniature (WIM) and 2D Map, for VR collaboration. We conducted a user study with 36 participants (18 pairs) to compare WIM and the 2D Map against a baseline in a VR collaborative task encompassing a series of searching and manipulation tasks with different task complexities (Simple, Medium, and Complex). For the Baseline (BL) condition, participants were not provided with an Exocentric Perspectives Interface (ExPI) but instead were given a map of the virtual environment (VE). The results indicate that these two ExPIs significantly improved task performance, usability, social presence, and user experience while reducing VR sickness. In addition, we also found that WIM outperformed 2D Maps, especially in complex collaborative environments. Based on the findings, three design implications are proposed to guide the design of future VR collaboration systems.

Identity, Clothing, and Criminal Mobility in Early Modern Ottoman Society

In the early modern Ottoman Empire, social identity was closely tied to a hierarchical structure, with the sultanate occupying the highest tier and ordinary subjects positioned at the lower end. Empire’s inhabitants were divided into groups based on the style and color of their clothes. By dressing in clothing from a different gender, socioeconomic class, or ethnoreligious group, one could disguise their true identity and social status. This article endeavors to unveil the motivations that compelled ordinary people to employ clothing as a means to conceal their involvement in criminal activities. Furthermore, it investigates the constraints associated with common identity-altering practices, particularly from the vantage points of religion, gender, and intersectionality. Drawing from an array of archival sources such as mühimme records, chronicles, manuscripts, and qadi court registers, the article scrutinizes the consequences of these practices.

Experimental neutrino physics in a nuclear landscape.

There are profound connections between neutrino physics and nuclear experiments. Exceptionally precise measurements of single and double beta-decay spectra illuminate the scale and nature of neutrino mass and may finally answer the question of whether neutrinos are their own anti-matter counterparts. Neutrino-nucleus scattering underpins oscillation experiments and probes nuclear structure, neutrinos offer a rare vantage point into collapsing stars and nuclear fission reactors and techniques pioneered in neutrino nuclear physics experiments are advancing quantum sensing technologies. In this article, we review current and planned efforts at the intersection of neutrino and nuclear experiments. This article is part of the theme issue 'The liminal position of Nuclear Physics: from hadrons to neutron stars'.

Queer media in the age of streaming video

This article contributes to an emerging field of research on the classification and organisation of film and television on streaming video platforms. While scholarship has begun to grapple with the complexities of the streaming video landscape, critical frameworks have yet to be established for examining issues of LGBTIQA+ inclusion in this context. This article explores questions about what queer media is in the streaming video era and how is this shaped by the information practices of streaming video services. Classification and organisation of titles is a significant factor in the discoverability of content on streaming video platforms. In the context of queer media, classification practices also impact the visibility of marginalised LGBTIQA+ identities, communities, and cultures. Beyond this, the categorisation practices of streaming video providers play a significant role in shaping and communicating cultural values about queer media. From an Australian vantage point, this article maps the contours of queer media in the streaming video environment, focusing on Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) and Broadcast Video on Demand (BVOD) services. By investigating the categories that streaming video providers use to organise and highlight LGBTIQA+ film and television, this article identifies how queer media is defined as a cultural category through use of labels such as ‘pride’, the categories and subcategories that approach queer media as a constellation of niche interests, and an underlying emphasis on ‘good’ characters and positive LGBTIQA+ narratives.

Using games to understand the mind.

Board, card or video games have been played by virtually every individual in the world. Games are popular because they are intuitive and fun. These distinctive qualities of games also make them ideal for studying the mind. By being intuitive, games provide a unique vantage point for understanding the inductive biases that support behaviour in more complex, ecological settings than traditional laboratory experiments. By being fun, games allow researchers to study new questions in cognition such as the meaning of 'play' and intrinsic motivation, while also supporting more extensive and diverse data collection by attracting many more participants. We describe the advantages and drawbacks of using games relative to standard laboratory-based experiments and lay out a set of recommendations on how to gain the most from using games to study cognition. We hope this Perspective will lead to a wider use of games as experimental paradigms, elevating the ecological validity, scale and robustness of research on the mind.

Gazing Strategies among Sentinels of a Cooperative Breeder Are Repeatable but Unrelated to Survival.

Vigilance is a common behavioural adaptation to increase the chances of detecting predators before it is too late to escape. Behavioural traits are often repeatable among individuals over the long term, suggesting differences in personality. Earlier studies have documented individual consistency in the time allocated to vigilance. However, little is known about individual consistency in the ways vigilance is achieved from one moment to another and whether different patterns of vigilance among individuals are associated with survival. We aimed to determine whether sentinels of a cooperative breeder showed individual consistency in their vigilance and if individual variation was related to annual survival. During sentinel bouts from vantage points, Florida scrub-jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) turn their heads from side to side to monitor their surroundings. Over three field seasons, we found that the head-turning frequency was repeatable in breeders but not in juveniles or non-breeding helpers. The moderate repeatability in breeders was not related to survival. Our results suggest that the head-turning frequency in sentinels of the Florida scrub-jay is repeatable in breeders but not in less experienced juveniles or helpers and, therefore, likely becomes more repeatable as individuals age. The assumption that individual variation in vigilance is related to survival was unsupported in our study and requires further study.

Study on the Factors Influencing the Purchase Intention of Celebrity Endorsements

In tandem with market evolution, advertising strategies within enterprises are progressively gaining ubiquity, and the phenomenon of celebrity product representation is becoming increasingly pervasive. Instances of celebrities endorsing products are commonplace in daily life, with around 50% of the top 100 global brands adopting endorsement strategies. In the contemporary era, under the influence of the “fan economy”, the distinct characteristics of renowned endorsers and their fan base exert a direct influence on consumers, particularly within the general consumer demographic’s proclivity towards products endorsed by celebrities.This research employed the SPSS tool to empirically validate hypotheses, probing into the multifaceted impact of various factors associated with renowned endorsers on the purchase intentions of consumer groups within the backdrop of the “fan economy”. Commencing with three dimensions of celebrity endorser allure, expertise, and reliability, and three dimensions involving consumer congruence with renowned products, familiarity, and peer opinions, this study meticulously constructed a comprehensive relationship model delineating the nexus between celebrity endorsements and consumer purchase intentions. The research endeavors to deepen insights into the market strategies entwined with celebrity-endorsed products. From the vantage point of the seller, it furnishes nuanced recommendations tailored to brands, aspiring to equip enterprises with effective means to leverage celebrity advertising for heightened market share and sales.

Standpoint epistemology, internal critique, and the characterization of Equiano as an Enlightenment thinker

ABSTRACT This article shows that Olaudah Equiano’s struggles to escape from the condition of enslavement allowed him to attain a privileged epistemic position in relation to certain domains of knowledge. Equiano utilized this privileged epistemic vantage point to launch an internal critique of some strands of Enlightenment philosophy. In the process of launching this internal critique, Equiano also undermined a claim to ownership that was implicitly made by prominent defenders of both slavery and theories of racial superiority in relation to the normative principles which constituted the core of the Enlightenment as an intellectual movement. This article shows that to think of Enlightenment discourse in terms of the trope of the “master’s tools” is to misunderstand what Equiano brought about by way of successful internal critique in his Interesting Narrative.

Towards equitable multilingualism: promoting transdisciplinary, collaborative dialogue between English as a lingua franca and translingualism

Abstract Inspired by Hult’s (2010. Theme-based research in the transdisciplinary field of educational linguistics. In Francis M. Hult (ed.), Directions and prospects for educational linguistics, 19–32. Springer) discussion of theme-based research within educational linguistics that focuses, first and foremost, on solving problems rather than adhering to disciplinary boundaries and conventions, this article calls for transdisciplinary collaboration to resolve educational problems related to monolingualism, native-speakerism, and the hegemony of colonial ideologies. More specifically, we make a case for transdisciplinary dialogue between English as a lingua franca (ELF) and translingualism. We argue that these two research fields, with their increasingly converging interests and goals as well as distinct strengths, can make a greater impact in addressing persistent educational problems through targeted collaboration, research, and (language) pedagogy based on equitable multilingualism (e.g., Ortega, Lourdes. 2019. SLA and the study of equitable multilingualism. The Modern Language Journal 103. 23–38). In this conceptual paper, we first introduce translingualism and ELF as equally legitimate multilingual theories. Next, we identify shared key tenets and orientations as well as distinctive vantage points of each approach that researchers and educators can take advantage of for collaboratively addressing problems within classrooms and beyond. Finally, we lay out a vision for how this transdisciplinary, collaborative dialogue can help realize more equitable multilingualism.

'Forgotten crises' as forgotten sites of knowledge production for building lasting peace.

'Forgotten crises' constitute a permanent background to any present and future global humanitarian and development efforts. They represent a significant impediment to promoting lasting peace given concurrent catastrophes exacerbated by climate change. Yet, they are routinely neglected and remain unresolved. Building on critical and feminist approaches, this paper theorises them as forgotten sites of local knowledge production. It asks: what is local knowledge of and from forgotten crises? How can it be recovered and resignified, and what lessons can such knowledge provide at the global level? Drawing on examples from the intersections of conflict, disasters, and pandemics in the Philippines, the paper makes a case for valuing local knowledge arising from forgotten crises because of its potential contribution to adapting global humanitarian and development systems to address crises on multiple fronts. Such epistemic margins are generative of vantage points that can present a fuller account of how different crises interact and how best to respond to them.

Showing and doing: Art & Science collaborations for Environmental sustainability

Art is becoming a new component in engineering and design collaborations to create nature- based solutions for site issues such as pollution control, stormwater runoff and habitat loss. In the last two decades there is a move to combine art with ecology to create a powerful tool for making change in ecological systems, particularly in urban nature. These works are inspired by nature and collaborate effectively with the natural process occurring on the site. Other outcomes of the projects are to increase ecological services on the site, and to involve and educate the human members of communities who live or work near the sites. The human users of the site can see and interact with the site issues while these very issues are being actively solved. Other species can reap the ecological benefits of expanded habitat and rainwater conservation. These projects have the added benefit of giving a visual explanation for the processes at work on the site. Artful Nature Based Solutions bring a new depth of understanding to the site issues because they regard the site through a combined focus of art and science. The essential aspect is the collaboration between artists and scientists. Having both the artist's and scientist's perspectives adds enrichment of ideas and vantage points to the solution. Science and engineering gains from the addition of a visual component as well as an expansion of the concept that art can bring to the issue. Though the projects do not always have quantitative data to back up their ecological effectiveness, the breadth of their communication and sense of making change in a troubled world are of great importance. The paper presents several exemplary cases of the collaboration realized through my work, which addressed stormwater runoff infiltration and water pollution, with implications for NBS.

Translation of Cultural Conceptualizations in War Literature: A Study of Cultural Schemas and Categories in Translation of Iran–Iraq War Literature

Translation of cultural conceptualizations in the war literature seems to be an overlooked area of research both in Translation Studies and cultural studies dealing with war. In this study, we employed the framework of Cultural Linguistics at the heart of which lies the notion of cultural cognition to analyse translation of cultural schemas and categories in four books selected from the genre of Iran–Iraq war literature. The analysis indicated that typical translation techniques might lead to a change of cultural identity and may not be able to adequately transfer cultural conceptualizations. Therefore, ‘thick translation’ is suggested as a better way of translating them. This study can have implications for the theory and practice of translation and for those studying war from a cultural vantage point.

Does News Diversity Work Among Audiences? A Citizen Experiment

ABSTRACT Scholarly and policy debates alike frequently highlight the normative value of news diversity as a necessary prerequisite for journalism to optimally fulfil its watchdog function in democratic societies. Various studies have sought to conceptualise news diversity and/or to operationalise it from the vantage point of journalists and newsrooms as news content producers. However, very little remains known about how news diversity is received and perceived by audiences. In this paper, we outline an audience experiment carried out among Flemish (Belgian) adult citizens (N = 208) to examine whether enhanced viewpoint diversity in news content affects its perceived diversity and credibility. Using news content focusing on one controversial and one more politically moderate topic to assess differences in the perception of news content diversity, we find that high viewpoint diversity is observed by audiences whereas low viewpoint diversity is not. Moreover, news articles with only one viewpoint that matched their own were perceived as more credible. We conclude that researchers and policymakers can only advance the ongoing important debate on news diversity if they choose to pay more attention to how audiences (don’t) engage with it.

Endopelvic zones and constant fragment mapping in acetabular fractures

ObjectiveThis study aims to characterize the constant fragment (CF) in acetabular fractures and to provide a novel nomenclature of anatomic zones from the vantage point of the endopelvic approach. DesignRetrospective clinical study SettingUrban Level I trauma center, Patients/participants: One hundred and eleven consecutive acetabular fractures eligible for an AIP approach and treated surgically. Intervention: 3D mapping of the CF line of fractures using a novel endopelvic anatomical zoning system. Main outcome measurement: Correlation of Letournel's fracture types to the size of the CF and its location based on precise anatomical nomenclature. ResultsThe average age of patients was 47 years (range, 12 to 88 years), predominantly comprising male patients (78 %, n = 87) and female patients (22 %, n = 24). Fractures were grouped into 3 categories based on the size of the CF and its location from anterior to posterior. Group 1 included AC fractures which demonstrated the largest CF. The CF nearly always spared Zone 4. Group 2 included transverse fractures, T-Type fractures, and T-Type with posterior wall fractures. The CF was of intermediate size, and it often spared Zone 4. Group 3 included anterior column posterior hemitransverse fractures and associated both column fractures. The CF was the smallest of all categories and rarely spared Zone 4. ConclusionOur analysis suggests consistent and repeatable patterns and sizes of constant fragments. These findings can serve as an endopelvic roadmap for the AIP approach based on fracture types, guiding placement of reduction clamps, vectors of reduction and hardware position.

Kink-and-Disconnection Failed Eruption in 3D

We present a case study of a failed eruption that accompanied an M1.5 GOES class solar flare. It was observed by STIX onboard Solar Orbiter, HXI onboard the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory, AIA onboard Solar Dynamics Observatory, and WAVES onboard the STEREO-A. The important input is from stereoscopic hard X-ray (HXR) observations obtained by HXI and STIX, whose vantage points were separated by 31.5∘\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$31.5^{\\circ }$\\end{document}, allowing us to unfold the 3D geometry of the event. The eruption was a two-phase event. First, it started with the rope helical kink and then was slowed down, but with the structure still unstable, it erupted two minutes later due to ongoing reconnection in the interacting legs of the kinked structure. A Type III burst was observed in association with the eruption, indicating the acceleration of semirelativistic electrons into the heliosphere. During the second phase, a hot cloud was disconnected and confined in the overlying magnetic field, where the overlying loops connected two adjacent active regions. The estimated and corrected for real geometry velocities are in the range of 385 – 400 km s−1, whereas acceleration reached 4.78 – 6.33 km s−2. These extreme values are much more demanding from a perspective of conditions that are needed to stop the eruption. Images obtained simultaneously by HXI and STIX located in different vantage points showed that flare-related sources are not lying along a normal to the solar surface. The understanding of the eruption analyzed here has been highly enriched thanks to the stereoscopic information about HXR source locations.

16‐2: Invited Paper: Causes and Consequences of IPD Mismatch in XR Devices

Binocular 3D display systems, including virtual, augmented and mixed reality (collectively referred to as XR) devices support stereoscopic depth perception by presenting dichoptic views separately to the two eyes rendered according to their vantage points. A common human factors issue is a mismatch between the observer's physical interpupillary distance (IPD) and 1) the separation between the device optics and 2) the rendered/captured content. This paper provides a theoretical review of the importance and consequences for user experience of accurately estimating IPD and incorporating it into HMD adjustments, calibration and rendering.

The United States and the entry of the Baltic states into international society: insights from the case of Estonia

ABSTRACT This article approaches the history of Baltic-US relations from the point of view of International Relations scholarship and, more specifically, from the vantage point of the concept of international society. It provides an account of the process of Estonia’s entry into international society with a particular focus on the role that the United States, as one of the great powers of the twentieth century, played in this process. Against this background, this article concludes that as a feature of the Baltic states’ memories of entry, the history of Baltic-US relations remains vital to understanding their contemporary foreign policy outlook.

음악교육의 역사적 관점에서 바라본 초등학교 저학년의 ‘즐거운 생활’

This research proceeds from posing a question whether the ‘enjoyable life’ in Korea is justified from a vantage point of music education. The writer highlights historical contexts between the general school music class and the ‘enjoyable life’ as an integrated subject. And then, the curricular for the ‘enjoyable life’ are analytically examined for the connection between music class and the ‘enjoyable life’. In ancient times, a comprehensive music education was recommended as it is shown in works of Confucius or Plato. Music was also a significant subject matter in elementary schools in the Christian culture where singing hymns established an educational tradition as a process of socialization. However an aesthetic and humanistic approach, for example by Rousseau or Pestalozzi, is regarded as the cornerstone of modern music education in elementary school. The ‘enjoyable life’ in Korea emerged in 1980s which seemingly succeed to traditional music class, and eventually claimed an independent subject, but from the perspective that music curricula can lead holistic development in children, it has been unsuitable for integrative education. Thus, the writer proposes to restore the music class instead of ‘enjoyable life’ in elementary school and to enhance teaching methods for integrated music education.

“Kings more than Men, Men less then Beasts”: a discussion of the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire in Fulke Greville’s Treatises

Fulke Greville (1554-1628), stood as a prominent figure in the realms of English statesmanship, courtly life, and poetry during the late Elizabethan and early Jacobean periods. Maintaining a consistent presence in the courts of Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I, Greville had a unique vantage point to observe the intricacies of courtly circles in early modern England. His sharp intellect and literary passion, coupled with his involvement in Elizabethan and Jacobean politics, elevated him to the status of one of the foremost philosopher-poets of his era. In Turkish scholarship, considerable attention has been given to Greville’s Mustapha (1610), which explores the touching theme of the execution of Şehzade Mustafa, at the command of his father Süleyman the Magnificent. While this work has been extensively discussed, Greville's treatises, offering insights into his political and philosophical perspectives on contentious issues of his time such as sovereignty, kingship, tyranny, and just rule, have not received comparable examination. Notably, his treatises Of Monarchy and Of Warres provide a comprehensive exposition of his thoughts on the rise and fall of the Ottoman state. This article, therefore aims to present a more nuanced exploration of Fulke Greville’s ideas concerning the Ottoman Empire, shedding light on his broader philosophical contributions beyond the well-discussed Mustapha. A close reading of his Treatises indicates that Greville's interest in the Ottoman State and its history was intertwined with his political stance on a pressing concern for the English court—the rivalry with Spain and the broader Catholic world.