This paper tests for a causal connection between media attention devoted to terrorism and subsequent attacks. Analyzing 61,132 attack days in 201 countries produces evidence that increased New York ...Times coverage encourages further attacks in the same country. Using natural disasters in the United States as an exogenous variation diminishing media attention, the link appears causal. One additional article is suggested to produce 1.4 attacks over the following week, equivalent to three casualties on average. This result is robust to numerous alternative estimations and it appears unlikely that attacks are simply postponed. If terrorists do not receive media attention, they will attack less.
•Analyzing NYT coverage of 61,132 terrorist attack days in 201 countries and 43years•Testing for a causal effect of media coverage of terrorism on subsequent attacks•Natural disasters in the US provide an IV that exogenously diminishes media coverage.•IV results show strong positive effect.•1 NYT article translates to 1.4 attacks in following week or 3 casualties.
Plant cuticular waxes play a crucial role in limiting nonstomatal water loss. The goal of this study was to localize the transpiration barrier within the layered structure of cuticles of eight ...selected plant species and to put its physiological function into context with the chemical composition of the intracuticular and epicuticular wax layers. Four plant species (Tetrastigma voinierianum, Oreopanax guatemalensis, Monstera deliciosa, and Schefflera elegantissima) contained only very-long-chain fatty acid (VLCFA) derivatives such as alcohols, alkyl esters, aldehydes, and alkanes in their waxes. Even though the epicuticular and intracuticular waxes of these species had very similar compositions, only the intracuticular wax was important for the transpiration barrier. In contrast, four other species (Citrus aurantium, Euonymus japonica, Clusia flava, and Garcinia spicata) had waxes containing VLCFA derivatives, together with high percentages of alicyclic compounds (triterpenoids, steroids, or tocopherols) largely restricted to the intracuticular wax layer. In these species, both the epicuticular and intracuticular waxes contributed equally to the cuticular transpiration barrier.We conclude that the cuticular transpiration barrier is primarily formed by the intracuticular wax but that the epicuticular wax layer may also contribute to it, depending on species-specific cuticle composition. The barrier is associated mainly with VLCFA derivatives and less (if at all) with alicyclic wax constituents. The sealing properties of the epicuticular and intracuticular layers were not correlated with other characteristics, such as the absolute wax amounts and thicknesses of these layers.
Augmented reality (AR) tools are poised to have great potential for organizations when it comes to complex processes in the field of industrial applications – like construction or maintenance in the ...automotive industry. The human-centred technology displays context-specific 3-D information in a real environment related to a specific targeted object. Immersive experiences are expected to boost task efficiency, the quality of training and maintenance purposes. However, ready-for-market AR tools are still rarely used and benefits seldom demonstrated. This paper focuses on the key performance indicators (KPIs) that are able to benchmark the impact of using ready-for-market AR tools on automotive maintenance performance. After a comprehensive literature review on the benefits of AR for several industrial applications in design, education and training, KPIs were extracted and evaluated by experts from the automotive industry. They were used in an empirical study – based on the technology acceptance model (TAM) – with users evaluating the KPIs before and after training situations. In addition, ‘Perceived Usefulness’ and ‘Intention to Use’ were investigated. Significant enhancements of all KPIs were observed and novice users were identified as a potential target group.
•An overview on Augmented Reality (AR) tools for industrial applications is given.•Potential key performance indicators (KPIs) are identified.•A usability test of an AR tool in the workplace was used for hypothesis testing.•Users had to evaluate the KPIs before and after the training situation.•Novice users constitute a potential target group reporting reduced time and errors.
This paper explores the consequences of al-Qaeda news coverage related to (i) subsequent al-Qaeda attacks, (ii) the group’s popularity, and (iii) radicalization. I construct a daily index of al-Qaeda ...news coverage in the US from CNN, NBC, CBS, Fox News, the NYT, and the WaPo. To isolate causality, I employ an instrumental variable strategy based on disaster deaths: Everything else equal, the US media reports less on al-Qaeda when more people are dying from disasters worldwide. At its mean, al-Qaeda coverage is suggested to cause 0.2–0.3 attacks per day in the upcoming 1–4 weeks. I find no evidence that attacks are merely rescheduled because of diminished media exposure; rather, the total number of attacks increases with coverage. This effect is driven by easy-to-plan attack types and by al-Qaeda attacks in Iraq. Results are robust to an array of alternative specifications and consistent when considering news coverage on Al Jazeera. Al-Qaeda coverage also increases the group’s online popularity and search topics that are potentially indicative of radicalization (such as jihad and al-Qaeda’s magazine Inspire) are receiving more attention on Google. Nevertheless, these results should be interpreted carefully, as it remains difficult to fully disentangle online interest in al-Qaeda and sympathy with the group’s mission.
•We review the growing number of future studies that employ Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM).•We trace FCM to their theoretical foundations.•We provide a step-wise description and discussion of ...practical methods and pitfalls of FCM modelling.•Our discussion enables researchers to rigorously apply FCM it to future studies.•We provide an overview over future research directions for FCM.
Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM) modelling is highly suitable for the demands of future studies: it uses a mix of qualitative and quantitative approaches, it enables the inclusion of multiple and diverse sources to overcome the limitations of expert opinions, it considers multivariate interactions that lead to nonlinearities, and it aims to make implicit assumptions (or mental models) explicit. Despite these properties, the field of future studies is slow to adopt FCM and to apply the increasingly solid theoretical foundations and rigorous practices for FCM applications that are evolving in other fields. This paper therefore discusses theoretical and practical aspects of constructing and applying FCMs within the context of future studies: based on an extensive literature review and the authors’ experience with FCM projects, it provides an introduction of fundamental concepts of FCM modelling, a step-wise description and discussion of practical methods and their pitfalls, and an overview over future research directions for FCM in future studies.
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