Missing-data handling methods for lifelogs-based wellness index estimation: Comparative analysis with panel data

Background: A lifelogs-based wellness index (LWI) is a function for calculating wellness scores based on health behavior lifelogs (eg, daily walking steps and sleep times collected via a smartwatch). A wellness score intuitively shows the users of smart wellness services the overall condition of their health behaviors. LWI development...

Beyond Explicit Reports: Comparing Data-Driven Approaches to Studying Underlying Dimensions of Music Preference

Prior research from the field of music psychology has suggested that there are factors common to music preference beyond individual genres. Specifically, research has shown that self-reported ratings of preference for individual musical genres can be reduced to 4 or 5 dimensions, which in turn have been shown to correlate to relevant...

Does Access Trump Ownership?: Exploring Consumer Acceptance of Access-Based Consumption in the Case of Smartphones

Value creation in a circular economy is based on products being returned after use. In the case of smartphones, most are never returned and tend to be kept in drawers. Smartphone access services (e.g., leasing or upgrade) have been experimented with in the Netherlands but have been largely unsuccessful. This study explores the reasons why...

Mechanics of Biological Tissues and Biomaterials: Current Trends (editorial)

Investigation of the mechanical behavior of biological tissues and biomaterials has been an active area of research for several decades. However, in recent years, the enthusiasm in understanding the mechanical behavior of biological tissues and biomaterials has increased significantly due to the development of novel biomaterials for new fields...

Virtual bystanders in a language lesson: Examining the effect of social evaluation, vicarious experience, cognitive consistency and praising on students' beliefs, self-efficacy and anxiety in a virtual reality environment

Bystanders in a real world's social setting have the ability to influence people’s beliefs and behavior. This study examines whether this effect can be recreated in a virtual environment, by exposing people to virtual bystanders in a classroom setting. Participants (n = 26) first witnessed virtual students answering questions from an English...

Exact derivation of the geometric correction factor of the center notched test specimen, based on small cracks merging as explanation of softening

The exact derivation of the mode I geometric correction factor is given, based on the small crack merging mechanism to show that this always is the real fracture mechanism in wood. This mechanism dominates at late softening and explains fully the apparent decrease of the energy release rate of macrocrack extension as already known for mode I and...

The effects of chemical interactions and culture history on the colonization of structured habitats by competing bacterial populations

Background Bacterial habitats, such as soil and the gut, are structured at the micrometer scale. Important aspects of microbial life in such spatial ecosystems are migration and colonization. Here we explore the colonization of a structured ecosystem by two neutrally labeled strains of Escherichia coli. Using time-lapse microscopy we studied the...