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Athlete scandals are of broad and current interest in the sport industry and literature. Based on brand relationship theory, the present research, consisting of Studies 1 and 2, concerns the effects of consumers’ self-brand connection to an athlete and their self-construal on their psychological and behavioral responses to an athlete scandal. The results of Study 1 (experiment) suggest that people with a strong self-connection to the athlete and interdependent self-construal experience a greater self-identity threat than people lacking these attributes. Study 2 (survey) reveals that people with a strong self-connection and interdependent self-construal are more likely to advocate for an athlete after a scandal. The results imply that some people maintain their support for an athlete involved in a scandal not necessarily because they are not influenced by scandal information but because they want to protect and restore their threatened self-worth.

A growing number of sport consumer behavior scholars have been employing experimental methods, especially because experiments allow researchers to gain a better understanding of causal inferences by examining controlled conditions. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to offer the current state of the adoption of experimental methods in sport consumer behavior research and (2) to discuss and highlight best practices that scholars can use when considering experimental designs. More specifically, we discuss methodological gaps existing in sport consumer behavior research by reviewing published sport consumer behavior articles in a content analysis. We also provide considerations to improve validity of empirical findings and outline the characteristics of well-designed experiments and how they can help advance theory development in the field. Ultimately, we offer practical recommendations and guidance to researchers wishing to use experiments in a wide array of research topics within sport consumer behavior.

The purpose of the current study was to develop a valid and reliable measure of team representation, which refers to the extent to which the residents of a community perceive a local sports team to be representative of the community. Through our literature review, focus groups, and surveys, we identified four key dimensions that serve as formative indicators of team representation (i.e., normative, descriptive, symbolic, and substantive representation) and developed scale items measuring those dimensions. The results of exploratory factor analysis and partial least squares structural equation modeling confirmed the validity of our scale items and reflective–formative measurement model. As the first study to develop and validate scale items measuring specific dimensions of team representation, the current research provides significant contributions to the literature. Our scale items also enable sports teams to assess their representative status in their local communities and develop effective strategies to improve their representation.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR)-linked sport sponsorships attract attention from sport marketing professionals and scholars alike. Th e purpose of this research was to examine how the effectiveness of a CSR-linked sponsorship varies depending upon the sponsor’s commitment to the CSR program. Th e results of our experiment showed that a CSR-linked sponsorship could hurt consumers’ fi t perception if the sponsor shows only minimum commitment to the cause. We also found that a CSR-linked sponsorship is more effective than a standard sponsorship in inducing consumers’ positive attitudes toward the sponsor and word-of-mouth intentions only if the sponsor is strongly committed to the CSR program. Finally, our mediation analysis revealed that strong commitment to the CSR-linked sponsorship indirectly increases consumers’ word-of mouth intentions through enhanced fi t perception and attitude toward the sponsor. Therefore, sports organizations and their sponsors should incorporate CSR into their sponsorship only if they can be strongly committed to the program.

The #TakeAKnee movement initiated by Colin Kaepernick and the measures taken by the National Football League (NFL) to handle the situation received mixed reactions from the public. The authors developed and tested a structural model using survey data collected from 698 residents of a Super Bowl host city. The results indicated a positive relationship between attitudes toward the movement and attitudes toward the league’s responses, which in turn influenced league credibility. However, after taking the indirect effect into account, attitudes toward the movement had a direct negative relationship with league credibility. In addition, people who viewed the NFL as a credible organization tended to perceive the Super Bowl as relevant to them and as impactful for the host city. Therefore, sport organizations should develop consistent, comprehensive communication strategies that enable them to maximize a positive synergy between their approach to crisis communication and their approach to other types of communication.

The purpose of this study was to assess whether self-imagery is more effective than other-imagery, and if so, to investigate the mechanism of how self-imagery generates more increased positive responses from consumers. Furthermore, we explored the boundary conditions associated with reduced positive effects of self-imagery on consumer responses. The results of Experiment 1 suggest that self-imagery was more effective than other-imagery in generating a favorable attitude toward an advertisement and purchase intention, since it enhanced a sense of presence, and consequently, imagery engagement. However, based on the results of Experiment 2, when an advertisement evoked a sense of high-risk, self-imagery generated a less favorable attitude toward the advertisement than other-imagery due to the emotion of fear evoked by the advertisement.

The purpose of this study was to examine how giveaway items distributed at sporting events are used afterward. The results of the content analysis of survey responses and a series of regression ana...

Manganese crusts (Mn-crusts) are a type of mineral deposit that exists on the surface of seamounts and guyots at depths of >800 m. We have developed a method to efficiently map their distribution using data collected by autonomous underwater vehicles and remotely operated vehicles. Volumetric measurements of Mn-crusts are made using a high-frequency subsurface sonar and a 3-D visual mapping instrument mounted on these vehicles. We developed an algorithm to estimate Mn-crust distribution by combining continuous subsurface thickness measurements with the exposed surface area identified in 3-D maps. This is applied to data collected from three expeditions at Takuyo Daigo seamount at depths of ~1400 m. The transects add to ~11 km in length with 12 510 m 2 mapped. The results show that 52% of the surveyed area is covered by Mn-crusts with a mean thickness of 69.6 mm. The mean Mn-crust occurrence is 69.6 kg/m 2 with a maximum of 204 kg/m 2 in the mapped region. The results are consistent with estimates made from samples retrieved from the area, showing more detailed distribution patterns and having significantly lower uncertainty bounds for regional-scale Mn-crust inventory estimation.

The purpose of the current study was to examine how two key characteristics of sports fan communities—relative size and homogeneity (behavioral similarity among fans)—influence potential fans’ perceptions and intentions to support the team. Study 1 showed that relative size and homogeneity created a two-way interaction effect on potential fans’ support intentions, such that the low-homogeneity fan community resulted in greater support intentions in the minority condition, whereas the high-homogeneity fan community resulted in greater support intentions in the majority condition. Study 2 revealed a boundary condition of this interaction effect: The interaction effect disappeared when potential fans had extremely low levels of involvement with watching the sport. Study 3 showed that potential fans’ perceptions regarding similarity to fans and social pressure mediated the effect of relative size on their support intentions.

Sport socialization research has revealed that a community is one of the most influential socializing agents. However, little is known about which aspects of a community promote sport socialization and how it occurs. In the current research, we identified and conceptualized two key factors characterizing sports teams’ fan communities, relative size and entitativity, and discussed how these factors influence sport socialization and its outcomes. First, we developed the model of community influence on sport socialization to depict the effects of relative size and entitativity on people’s perceptions and behaviors at the initial stage of their sport socialization. Second, we proposed the model of community influence on the outcomes of sport socialization, which explains how relative size and entitativity contribute to the outcomes of sport socialization.

Acoustic sensing is often used for mapping and monitoring aquatic plants in shallow waters. Recently, high-resolution imaging sonar was applied to study a variety of aquatic organisms. This method can provide high-resolution, three-dimensional (3D) acoustic data on the spatial distribution of submerged plants. However, no commercial software packages are available to digitalize the images of submerged plants generated from imaging sonar data, and the high-resolution imaging sonar method has not been standardized because of a lack of empirical data. In this study, we measured the biomass of submerged plants in the north basin of Lake Biwa using high-resolution acoustic imaging sonar and compared the results to directly measured biomass values to validate the utility of high-resolution acoustic imaging sonar as a quantitative method. Biomass was calculated in 10 randomly selected quadrats (1 × 1 m) in Lake Biwa. The analysis of the resulting data indicated a strong correlation between the number of pixels in the digital images of submerged plants and their directly calculated biomass (R2 = 0.91, p

Sulfide deposits with extremely high Au concentrations (up to 275 ppm; avg. 102 ppm, n = 15), high Au/Ag ratios (0.24, n = 15), and low Cu/(Cu + Zn) ratios (0.03, n = 15) were discovered in 2015 in active hydrothermal fields at a water depth of 760 m in a basalt-dominated submarine caldera in the Izu-Ogasawara frontal arc, Japan. Native gold grains occur in massive sulfide fragments, concretions, and metalliferous sediments from a sulfide mound (40 m across and 20 m high) with up to 30-m-high black smoker chimneys. Tiny native gold grains up to 14 μm in diameter are mainly present in sulfide fallouts from chimney orifices and plumes. Larger native gold grains up to 150 μm long occur mostly as discrete particles and/or with amorphous silica and sulfides. The larger gold grains are interpreted to represent direct precipitation from Au-bearing hydrothermal fluids circulating in and/or beneath the unconsolidated sulfide mound deposits. Sulfur isotope compositions from a limited number of sulfide separates (n = 4) range from 4.3 to 5.8‰ δ34S, similar to the quaternary volcanic rocks of the arc. Barite separates have values of 22.2 and 23.1‰, close to modern seawater values, and indicate probable seawater sulfate origin. The Cu, Zn, and Pb concentrations in bulk samples of sulfide-rich rocks are similar to those of volcanogenic massive sulfides formed in continental crustal environments. The gold is interpreted to have formed by low-temperature hydrothermal activity, perhaps genetically different from systems with documented magmatic contributions or from seafloor hydrothermal systems in other island arc settings. Its presence suggests that basalt-dominated submarine calderas situated on relatively thick continental crust in an intraoceanic arc setting such as the Higashi-Aogashima knoll caldera may be perspective for gold mineralization.

The current study was conducted to examine the relationship among leisure engagement, affective (i.e. attraction, centrality, resistance to change) and cognitive (i.e. equipment, knowledge) leisure...

In this study, nonlinear enhancement mechanisms of parametric sound through different fluid layers have been both numerically and experimentally analyzed. In the numerical simulation, a transmittance boundary condition is imposed when solving the Khokhlov–Zaboloskya–Kuznetsov equation using a finite-difference method in the frequency domain. In the experiments, the sound pressure distribution of parametric sound at sum and difference frequencies is measured by a calibrated hydrophone to confirm the numerical results. Both numerical simulations and experiments were performed using an ethanol layer in water under the irradiation of two distinct primary frequencies from a sound source. The sound pressure distribution and the enhancement ratio of both sum and difference frequencies were evaluated. The results indicate that a different fluid layer with a length of 150 mm generates an amplitude 3.7 times larger in the difference frequency and 2.9 times larger in the sum frequency compared to that in water alone. This is due to the nonlinear fluid properties and diffraction effect in the different fluid layer. It was also found that the enhancement ratio at the sum and difference frequencies increased with increasing length of the different fluid layer, while the enhancement ratio is slightly affected by the initial water layer length variation.

The Philippines has one of the most diverse seagrass meadows in south-east Asia, with substantial dugong populations still existing. However, the seagrass population is declining worldwide, and 30–40% of the seagrass areas in the Philippines have been lost in the last 50 years. The quadrat method by scuba diving has been widely used to study seagrass distribution and measure dugong feeding trails. However, this method is affected by observational skills of the divers and the survey time is usually limited by air capacity in the tank and effort for high-resolution sampling. In this study, a new method of seagrass mapping and quantification of dugong trail distribution is proposed and tested. The method produces clear and high-resolution data using acoustic and optical devices with high efficiency. The field study was conducted at Mayo Bay, southeastern Philippines. Continuous optical images were taken using a water-proof digital still camera from the sea surface by a swimmer with snorkel. Using the software PhotoScan, 3D optical images were generated from the continuous photos. The resolution of the optical image is 2.96 ± 0.17 (SD) mm per pixel so that a leaf of Halophila sp. is identifiable. By counting the pixels of dugong trails, the feeding rates were calculated and the values were 13.5% in the survey area 1 and 7.1% in area 2. The quantification method, based on high-resolution optical image generated by continuous photos, can be useful for assessing the status of the seagrass meadows and the distribution of dugong trails.

We have been studying and developing the real-time Computer Graphics (CG) based virtual museum where a user can walk through to appreciate artworks digitized in high-resolution. Our virtual museum ...

This paper presents a theoretical and experimental study on the enhancement of secondary waves generated from a parametric array through different fluid layers in water. A theoretical analysis was carried out using the Burgers equation for nonlinear sound propagation through a fluid layer in water, and the enhancement ratio of secondary waves was studied. The result indicated that among the five types of fluid layers studied, the ethanol layer in water had the highest enhancement ratio for signal amplitudes because of nonlinear fluid properties of ethanol and the fluid/water interface. To confirm the theoretical result, experiments were carried out using an ethanol layer in water. The result indicated that the enhancement ratio of secondary waves increased by more than three times because of the ethanol layer and decreased gradually in the far field in water. The concept of different fluid layers combined with a shadow imaging technique was applied to the noninvasive measurement of a target square cylinder in water. It was found that the accuracy of the size measurement of the target structure in water using an ethanol layer was better than that of conventional nonlinear imaging.

Myojin Knoll caldera, one of the submarine silicic calderas lying on the volcanic front of the northern Izu-Ogasawara arc, has attracted increasing attention since the discovery of a large hydrothermal field called the Sunrise deposit. Although numerous submersible surveys have been conducted in Myojin Knoll caldera, they have not sufficiently explored areas to produce a complete picture of the caldera and understand the origin of the Sunrise deposit. We conducted comprehensive deep-sea surveys using an autonomous underwater vehicle and obtained high-resolution bathymetric and magnetic data and sonar images from ~70% of the caldera. The detailed bathymetric map revealed that faulting and magma eruptions, possibly associated with an inflation-deflation cycle of the magma reservoir during postcaldera volcanism, had generally occurred in the caldera wall. The main dome of the central cone was covered with lava flows and exhibits exogenous growth, which is unusual for rhyolitic domes. The magnetization distribution in the central cone indicates preferential magma intrusion along a NW-SE direction. It is presumed that magma migrated along this direction and formed a rhyolite dome at the foot of the southeastern caldera wall, where the Sunrise deposit occurs. The Sunrise deposit is composed mainly of three ridges extending in slope directions and covers ~400 × ~400 m. Magnetization reduction in the deposit area is small, indicating that the alteration zone beneath the Sunrise deposit is slanting rather than vertical. It is presumed that several slanting and near-vertical volcanic vents serve as pathways of hydrothermal fluid in Myojin Knoll caldera.

The purpose of this study was to identify key characteristics of word-of-mouth (WOM) communication and examine their impact on sport consumers’ perceived influence in sport viewership. Through an extensive literature review, we identified the characteristics of the message sender (i.e., expertise and trustworthiness) and the message (i.e., richness of message content and strength of message delivery) as determinants of perceived influence of WOM. We also examined the moderating effects of homophily (interpersonal factors) and involvement (the message receiver characteristics). Data were collected from sport consumers who had received a recommendation to watch a sporting event in the preceding 3 months and actually watched the event. The results indicate the positive effects of trustworthiness, richness of message content, and strength of message delivery on WOM influence. Homophily and involvement were found to have moderating effects. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

[abstFig src='/00280001/10.jpg' width=""300"" text='Autonomous underwater vehicle BOSS-A' ]In order to effectively investigate the distribution and amount of cobalt-rich manganese crust (CRC), an autonomous underwater vehicle BOSS-A equipped with visual and acoustic instruments were developed. BOSS-A observes the seafloor along preset waypoints at a constant speed and altitude. Detailed 3D seafloor images can be obtained from the visual instrument, which employs a sheet laser and a camera. In addition, an acoustic instrument measures the CRC thickness beneath BOSS-A. The CRC at Katayama seamount was surveyed in February. The results visually presented the state and distribution of the CRC in this site and clarified the amount of the CRC. In the future, the authors will develop a more reliable thickness measurement method.

A novel technique for reducing reverberation artifact in acoustic shadow imaging using nonlinear ultrasound interaction, called nonlinear acoustic shadow method, has been developed and experimentally studied. In this technique, the conventional acoustic shadow method is modified by using the secondary wave generated by nonlinear interaction of two primary sound waves emitted from parametric array. Either conventional or nonlinear acoustic shadow imaging is carried out for aluminum square cylinder and the size of the shadow is compared. The result shows that the nonlinear acoustic shadow method reduces reverberation artifact inside the square cylinder and has better accuracy in the size measurement than conventional acoustic shadow method.

The purpose of the current study was to explore the key personal and emotional factors related to consumers' reactions to Nike's 'Believe in Something' advertising featuring Colin Kaepernick. The results of a survey with 254 US consumers indicated that: a) dominance and egalitarianism had positive relationships with purchase intention, whereas uncritical patriotism had a negative relationship; b) anger, gratitude, and pride mediated the effects of dominance, egalitarianism, uncritical patriotism on purchase intention, whereas contempt did not show a mediation effect. The present study contributes to the sport marketing literature as one of the first studies to examine the effects of controversial advertising on sports consumers' emotions and behaviours. The results also provide unique insights for sports brands to develop effective promotion strategies.

To approve the low matching rate of one template image [1], in this study two 3-D fish model simulators were developed. The first one fixed fish model in the origin point of coordinate system, and with the movement of acoustic video camera ARIS in the space, the backscattering strength's change of fish body's every part could be checked by brightness. The second simulator, which produced 2-D simulation images when fish is in every different positions and angles underwater, provided possibility to compare the simulation images with 2-D real sonar images.

The lotus plant (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) is an aquatic emergent angiosperm that is distributed in wetlands. In Japan, the lotus is widely distributed in Japanese eutrophic waters [1]. A large proportion of Lake Izunuma has been dominated by lotus, and the area of the lake covered by lotus has increased. The lake was registered as a wetland under the Ramsar Convention in 1985, and therefore, there is a great need to conserve the biodiversity at the lake. Lake Izunuma-Uchinuma is also designated as a National Bird and Animal Protection Region, and it is one of the most famous wintering grounds for whooper swans and geese in Japan [2]. Additionally, foraging behavior of whooper swans was observed often at the survey areas. Therefore, the lotus root is important food for the whooper swans during overwinter and the lotus distribution in the lake affects their behavior [3]. However, the lotus plant usually grows by vegetative reproduction of the lotus root under the water bottom, and the real situation of the lotus distribution is not clear unless the lotus root is dug up. To overcome the problems, we have developed a new monitoring system, named “acoustic coring system” [4]. In this study, the lotus root habitats in the sediment is monitored using the acoustic coring system to investigate the lotus root distribution and estimate the foraging pressure of whooper swan during overwinter.

A high-resolution imaging method using a 25-MHz ultrasonic acoustic profile measurement was introduced, and the inner structures of small fish were examined without body contact. Two types of fish were selected as experimental targets and measured using a focused probe. 3-D acoustic imaging of the inner and external structure of the fish body was then performed, and the results demonstrated that the visualization of main organs (e.g., stomach, intestine, airbladder, and spine) was possible and a small gonad could be detected. In addition to these experiments, finite-difference time-domain simulation was introduced for complex wave propagation phenomena in the fish body, providing a clear understanding of the experimental data.

Most Hydrilla verticillata disappeared soon after planting in unsuccessful restoration efforts carried out at Lake Izunuma (northeastern Japan). Furthermore, the disappearance of aquatic plants has been speculated to be a result of crayfish predation. However, the precise cause remains unclear because of the low transparency of the lake water. In this study, to identify the source of Hydrilla verticillata predation and characterize the potential behaviors of predators, we used an acoustic monitoring system based on an image-processing program that we developed. A field experiment was performed in a small eutrophic pond adjacent to Lake Izunuma, and 24 Hydrilla verticillata were planted on the pond bottom. A DIDSON unit was mounted on an original frame with a 3° concentrator lens. Data were collected at 1.8 MHz and at a maximum range of 3.0 m. All Hydrilla verticillata disappeared within a day of planting. Using the image tracking approach, we estimated the walking speeds of two potential predators, namely crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) and pond snails (Cipangopaludina japonica), and distinguished them accordingly. Using this method, we identified crayfish as the main source of predation and characterized their foraging behavior in terms of the decreasing amount of Hydrilla verticillata. The foraging behavior of crayfish mostly ended after 17 h of planting, possibly because all plants had been eaten by that time.

We collected deep-sea multibeam, side scan, and subbottom profiler data using an autonomous underwater vehicle at the Bayonnaise knoll, a submarine caldera located in the rift zone of the Izu-Ogasawara arc. We aimed to reveal topographic and geological features and the origin of a hydrothermal field called the Hakurei site in the caldera. We performed seafloor classification by textural analysis using calibrated side-scan sonar data, which provided an effective means to understand the geology and to highlight potential areas of hydrothermal constructions. The high-resolution bathymetric map illustrates that the Hakurei hydrothermal field is distributed over a landslide landform in the caldera wall. The distribution of hydrothermal vents indicates that the slip surface has served as a major route of hydrothermal fluids. The radial alignment of chimneys and mounds indicates radial routes of hydrothermal fluid and/or belching along fragile lines in the landslide landform. Various postcaldera activities are inferred including the formation of a lava dome, a pyroclastic cone, and subsequent phreatic explosions. A general volcano-tectonic structure extending across the caldera in a NW-SE direction is interpreted as an inferred boundary fault of the North Myojin Rift. Analogous to the Hokuroku basin and land kuroko deposits, it is suggested that the main contributing factor in the formation of kuroko deposits was volcano-tectonic activity that dominated the margin of the back-arc rift basin. The intersections between the margin of a rift basin and the surrounding knolls have a high potential for ore-forming areas.

The exploration of buried deposits under the sea sediment requires high directivity and low attenuation beams. The parametric sub-bottom profiler meets these requirements; moreover, it is comparatively small and can be easily mounted on autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). For this reason, we are developing a new PSBP system for AUVs. This paper presents the recent results of the PSBP system for AUV during the sea trial conducted under the “Zipangu of the Sea” Project as a sub-program of SIP (Strategic Innovation Promotion), managed by the Cabinet Office of the Japanese government.

The exploration of buried deposits under the sea sediment requires high directivity and low attenuation beams. The parametric sub-bottom profiler (PSBP) meets these requirements; moreover, it is comparatively small and can be easily mounted on autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). For this reason, we are developing a new PSBP system for AUVs. In this study, the performance of the PSBP system is estimated by using a sonar equation based on the transformed beam equation (TBE) and the Biot-Stoll model to optimize the measurement system.

In sonar applications, the ability to locate underwater structures such as pipelines and a wreckage of submerged airplane is important. To investigate extensive sections of the seabed within a limited time period, the scanning speed and the reliability of object detection alarms are the most critical factors for finding objects. In this paper, we propose a method to provide an automatic detection alarm indicating the presence of suspected underwater objects using high-speed imaging sonar. The proposed method is based on the cross-correlations between two successive acoustic beam profiles of imaging sonar. The alarm signal alerts human operators or automatic underwater vehicles to suspected objects, which may be a part of or all of the target object. Using this signal as a trigger, the object can then be examined in more detail to determine whether it is the target. We verified the feasibility of the proposed method by indoor and field experiments.