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The purpose of this research note is to suggest photovoice as a methodology to enhance and vivify marginalized voices in marketing research. Specifically, the focus is on LGBTQ+ consumer perspectives during one of the most visible times for this marketing segment: Pride Month. Photovoice is an opportunity for researchers to ask for viewpoints and incorporate consumer perspectives into social marketing research. It puts the researcher in the role of a guide through the research process, while participants lead the data collection, definitions, and analysis through their own images so new voices and perspectives are centered. It is the intention of this article to be a catalyst for encouraging both scholars and practitioners to conduct future photovoice studies in international market research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: More women are going outdoors and menstrual hygiene is a concern for these women, we do not know how collegiate outdoor programs are addressing this topic, if at all. It is possible that feminine hygiene may not be adequately discussed in these settings. Because of this, the overall health and outdoor experiences of female participants are potentially at risk. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of current practices and potential barriers surrounding feminine hygiene and menstruation dialogs in college outdoor recreation programs in Texas. Methodology/Approach: An open-ended online survey was distributed to 36 schools with outdoor recreation programs in Texas. Responses were independently analyzed and coded for emergent themes. Findings/Conclusions: Thirty-eight percent of schools did not address feminine hygiene and menstruation in pretrip communications. Predominant themes consisted of an emphasis on health and hygiene, dependence on female leaders, a need for more knowledge and resources, and a desire for normalization. Implications: Most professionals expressed that resources to expand their knowledge on these topics can help to better prepare participants. Current practices surrounding these topics may be insufficient and able to improve. Further research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of the curriculum and the preference of participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

March marks Women's History Month, and March 8th is celebrated as International Women's Day. In this Special Article, Sima Noghanian interviews Mahta Mogaddam, renowned scholar in applied and computational electromagnetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1976, the Association for the Study of Afro‐American Life and History (ASALH) expanded their observance of black history from a week to a month. This decision was made because of the fortuitous timing of America's bicentennial, which the ASALH saw as an ideal opportunity not only to spotlight African American history as a fundamental part of United States history and to highlight black contributions to the country but also to celebrate its founder, Carter G. Woodson, whose centennial anniversary fell on the same year. To honor the new observance, the ASALH asked President Gerald Ford to issue a proclamation. Ford agreed to honor the observance, but chose to do so by issuing a presidential message instead of a proclamation. In this article, we examine the Ford administration's handling of ASALH's request, arguing that the decisions made resulted from several competing factors, both personal and political. Ford's personal sympathy for the struggle of black Americans and his wish to be seen favorably by black voters were tempered by his desire to act cautiously due to the shifting political considerations surrounding the 1976 election. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article I had the pleasure of interviewing Professor Cynthia Furse. Professor Furse is not only an internationally well-known researcher in the field of computation and applied electromagnetics (EM), but also an innovator in modern teaching techniques, an entrepreneur, an academic leader, and a true mentor for many young professionals in the electromagnetics field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research draws upon the increasing usage of AI in service. It aims at understanding the extent to which AI systems have multiple intelligence types like humans and if these types arouse different emotions in consumers. To this end, the research uses a two-study approach: Study 1 builds and evaluates a scale for measuring different AI intelligence types. Study 2 evaluates consumers' emotional responses to the different AI intelligences. The findings provide a measurement scale for evaluating different types of artificial intelligence against human ones, thus showing that artificial intelligences are configurable, describable, and measurable (Study 1), and influence positive and negative consumers' emotions (Study 2). The findings also demonstrate that consumers display different emotions, in terms of happiness, excitement, enthusiasm, pride, inspiration, sadness, fear, anger, shame, and anxiety, and also emotional attachment, satisfaction, and usage intention when interacting with the different types of AI intelligences. Our scale builds upon human intelligence against AI intelligence characteristics while providing a guidance for future development of AI-based systems more similar to human intelligences. Graphical Abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The IUCN Otter Specialist Group Bulletin's editor notes the release of issue 42/3 in October 2024, marking 30 years since the first issue was published. The editor expresses gratitude to colleagues and contributors for the success of the journal and acknowledges the significant contributions of Lesley to its development. The editor commits to continuing efforts to serve the readership in the future. [Extracted from the article]

Background and Purpose: Low-profile flow diverter stents (FDS) quite recently amended peripheral segments as targets for hemodynamic aneurysm treatment; however, reports on outcomes, especially later than 3 months, are scarce. This study therefore reports our experience with the novel silk vista baby (SVB) FDS and respective outcomes after 8 and 11 months with special respect to specific adverse events. Materials and Methods: Forty-four patients (mean age, 53 years) harboring 47 aneurysms treated with the SVB between June 2018 and December 2019 were included in our study. Clinical, procedural, and angiographic data were collected. Follow-ups were performed on average after 3, 8, and 11 months, respectively. Treatment effect was assessed using the O'Kelly Marotta (OKM) grading system. Results: Overall, angiographic follow-ups were available for 41 patients/45 aneurysms. Occlusion or significant reduction in aneurysmal perfusion (OKM: D1, B1–B3 and A2–A3) was observed in 98% of all aneurysms after 8 months. Only 2% of the treated aneurysms remained morphologically unaltered and without an apparent change in perfusion (OKM A1). Adverse events in the early post-interventional course occurred in seven patients; out of them, mRS-relevant morbidity at 90 days related to FDS treatment was observable in two patients. One death occurred in the context of severe SAH related to an acutely ruptured dissecting aneurysm of the vertebral artery. Conclusion: The SVB achieves sufficient occlusion rates of intracranial aneurysms originating from peripheral segments, which are comparable to prior established conventional FDS with acceptably low complication rates. However, alteration of a hemodynamic equilibrium in distal localizations requires special attention to prevent ischemic events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The month of March is Women’s History Month. We all have heard and know that only a small percentage of electrical engineers are female. This percentage is even smaller for those that are experts in the field of applied computational electromagnetics. In this article, we are focusing on Dr. Ozlem Kilic, one of the well-known and established intellectuals in the field of computational electromagnetics. Dr. Kilic not only has been a role model for young students as an excellent researcher, a technical leader, and a prolific writer in this field, but also she has extensive experience in teaching and has taken many academic administration roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Each month, various professional forecasters give forecasts for next year's real gross domestic product (GDP) growth and unemployment. January is a special month, when the forecast horizon moves to the following calendar year. Instead of deleting the January data when analyzing forecast updates, I propose a periodic version of a test regression for weak‐form efficiency. An application of this periodic model for many forecasts across a range of countries shows that in January GDP forecast updates are positive, whereas the forecast updates for unemployment are negative. I document that this January optimism about the new calendar year is detrimental to forecast accuracy. To empirically analyze Okun's law, I also propose a periodic test regression, and its application provides more support for this law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomous systems are able to make decisions and potentially take actions without direct human intervention, which requires some knowledge about the system and its environment as well as goal-oriented reasoning. In computer systems, one can derive such behavior from the concept of a rational agent with autonomy (“control over its own actions”), reactivity (“react to events from the environment”), proactivity (“act on its own initiative”), and sociality (“interact with other agents”) as fundamental properties. Autonomous systems will undoubtedly pervade into our everyday lives, and we will find them in a variety of domains and applications including robotics, transportation, health care, communications, and entertainment to name a few. The articles in this month’s special issue cover concepts and fundamentals, architectures and techniques, and applications and case studies in the exciting area of self-awareness in autonomous systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) combined with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) guided by multiple imaging modalities for hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) in special (i.e., high-risk or unfavorable) locations compared with those in conventional locations.Methods: A total of 122 HCC patients were enrolled, including 85 patients (69.7%) with HCC in conventional locations and 37 (30.3%) with HCC in special locations. The clinical data, overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and procedure-related adverse events were analyzed.Results: RFA combined with TACE was successfully performed in all patients. Three complications (2.5%) occurred, with no significant difference between the conventional (n=1, 1.2%) and special (n=2, 5.4%) locations (P = 0.218). Complete tumor necrosis rate was not significantly different between the conventional (n=73, 85.9%) and special (n=34, 91.9%) locations at one-month imaging (P = 0.353). After a follow-up of 3-48 months, the PFS was 17 months for patients with HCC in conventional locations and 14 months for patients with HCC in special locations; one-year PFS rate was 68.1% in the conventional location group, not significantly (P = 0.741) different from 59.1% in the special location group. The OS was 28 months in the conventional location group while 32 months in the special location group. The cumulative one- and two-year OS rates were 89.9% and 63.3%, respectively, in the conventional location group, not significantly different from 96.3% and 65% in the special location group (P = 0.273). Age (P = 0.043) and tumor size (P < 0.001) were significant prognostic factors for OS, and tumor size (P < 0.001) was the only significant prognostic factor for PFS.Conclusion: RFA guided by multiple imaging modalities combined with TACE may be safe and effective for treating HCCs in special locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]