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Study of auto recalls shows carmakers delay announcements until they ‘hide in the herd’

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Automotive recalls are occurring at record levels, but seem to be announced after inexplicable delays. A research study of 48 years of auto recalls announced in the United States finds carmakers frequently wait to make their announcements until after a competitor issues a recall – even if it is unrelated to similar defects.

This suggests that recall announcements may not be triggered solely by individual firms’ product quality defect awareness or concern for the public interest, but may also be influenced by competitor recalls, a phenomenon that no prior research had investigated.

Researchers analyzed 3,117 auto recalls over a 48-year period – from 1966 to 2013 – using a model to investigate recall clustering and categorized recalls as leading or following within a cluster. They found that 73 percent of recalls occurred in clusters that lasted 34 days and had 7.6 following recalls on average. [Read more…] about Study of auto recalls shows carmakers delay announcements until they ‘hide in the herd’

Study: Countering hate on social media

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The rise of online hate speech is a disturbing, growing trend in countries around the world, with serious psychological consequences and the potential to impact, and even contribute to, real-world violence.

Citizen-generated counter speech may help discourage hateful online rhetoric, but it has been difficult to quantify and study. Until recently, studies have been limited to small-scale, hand-labeled endeavors.

A new paper published in the proceedings of the 2020 Conference on Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing (EMNLP) offers a framework for studying the dynamics of online hate and counter speech. [Read more…] about Study: Countering hate on social media

Building your professional brand in a prestigious job

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Researchers from HEC Montreal and York University published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that examines how people who attain “prestigious” posts in high-profile organizations can manage their professional brands to promote career mobility.

The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing, is titled “Working It: Managing Professional Brands in Prestigious Posts” and is authored by Marie-Agnès Parmentier and Eileen Fischer.

Job insecurity is pervasive. There are no guarantees of continued employment, even for those who are extremely successful in their field. This research addresses two primary questions:

  1. for individuals managing their professional brands, what tensions are triggered while working in a prestigious post? and
  2. what practices are conducive to mitigating these tensions and enhancing professional brand equity in a way that promotes career mobility?

[Read more…] about Building your professional brand in a prestigious job

AI and photonics join forces to make it easier to find ‘new Earths’

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Australian scientists have developed a new type of sensor to measure and correct the distortion of starlight caused by viewing through the Earth’s atmosphere, which should make it easier to study the possibility of life on distant planets.

Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, University of Sydney optical scientists have developed a sensor that can neutralise a star’s “twinkle” caused by heat variations in the Earth’s atmosphere. This will make the discovery and study of planets in distant solar systems easier from optical telescopes on Earth.

“The main way we identify planets orbiting distant stars is by measuring regular dips in starlight caused by planets blocking out bits of their sun,” said lead author Dr Barnaby Norris, who holds a joint position as a Research Fellow in the University of Sydney Astrophotonic Instrumentation Laboratory and in the University of Sydney node of Australian Astronomical Optics in the School of Physics. [Read more…] about AI and photonics join forces to make it easier to find ‘new Earths’

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Australian research shows NASA’s James Webb telescopes will reveal hidden galaxies

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Two new studies from the University of Melbourne will help the largest, most powerful and complex space telescope ever built to uncover galaxies never before seen by humanity.

The papers are published in The Astrophysical Journal and the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society and show that NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled for launch late next year, will reveal hidden galaxies.

Powerful lights called ‘quasars’ are the brightest objects in the universe. Powered by supermassive black holes up to a trillion times the mass of our Sun, they outshine entire galaxies of billions of stars. [Read more…] about Australian research shows NASA’s James Webb telescopes will reveal hidden galaxies

Restored tropical forests recover faster than those left alone

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Actively restored forests recover aboveground biomass faster than areas left to regenerate naturally after being logged.

According to a new study on tropical forests in Sabah, Malaysia, areas that have undergone active restoration recovered 50 percent faster, from 2.9 to 4.4 metric tons of aboveground carbon per hectare per year.

The findings suggest that the reduction in carbon associated with a single logging event would be recovered to the same level as unlogged forest after 40 years with active restoration, as opposed to about 60 years if the forest were left to regenerate naturally. [Read more…] about Restored tropical forests recover faster than those left alone

New environmental video highlights vision for change on Earth Day

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A few days ago, 52-year-old green manufacturer Earth Friendly Products, the maker of ECOS plant-powered cleaners, celebrated the 49th anniversary of Earth Day at its corporate headquarters in Cypress, California, by premiering a short video that is appearing this week at the EarthxFilm festival in Dallas, Texas. (See below.)

The video will be featured online and at film festivals and environmental summits across the U.S. throughout 2019.

Titled “The Artist,” the video is the creation of innovative young Greek filmmaker Petros Antoniadis and Los Angeles-based environmental artist and social activist Velia De Iuliis. Earth Friendly Products is using the art video to express its vision for a better future for the earth.

In the video, the narrator states:
“We imagine a different world
A world where air pollution no longer exists
Where clean water is not a privilege
A world without waste
And we’re working to create that world today with you
Clean, healthy and sustainable
Making the future today in the world’s first carbon neutral, water neutral, zero waste facilities.”

Speaking at the Earth Day event, Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, president and CEO of Earth Friendly Products, said she was moved by the power of art to effect change. “Art is a powerful way to fight for the environment, and Petros’ talent and Velia’s passion have combined to bring to life our sustainability story and our vision for a safer, cleaner planet through art.”

Antoniadis has previously worked with the company on several corporate videos and said those experiences helped him to propose this idea to the company. “ECOS is an authentic brand that truly walks the talk. Getting to create and tell their story and communicate their vision was a joy,” said Antoniadis.

De Iuliis said she was deeply moved by ECOS’ story and jumped at the opportunity to take part in the project. “My work is about conservation, so I was honored to play the role of the artist in the story, to help advocate art as a way to highlight the environment,” said De Iuliis. “Earth Friendly Products is at the forefront of the environmental world, and their ECOS products embody that leadership.”

The Earth Day celebration at Earth Friendly Products that featured the premiere of “The Artist” also featured guest speakers on environmental sustainability and policy.

Congressman Alan Lowenthal, who serves California’s 47th Congressional District, spoke at the event and praised Earth Friendly Products for its unsurpassed record in sustainability. “Every time I come here to visit, I am inspired — there’s no other word for it,” says Lowenthal. “The core values of this company are to make sure they provide safer products and protect this planet for future generations. There is nothing more important than protecting this environment, which is so fragile.”

Folding smartphones are here to stay despite reported problems with breakages

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If you’re among the millions of people who watched the sci-fi TV show Westworld and saw the folding smartphones used by some of the characters, you probably immediately thought, “I want one of those.”

That’s what we thought anyway.

And whereas the old, 1960s Star Trek showed off tablet computers and other technologies many decades before they were beamed into our collective – and possibly holographic – reality, nowadays, things happen slightly faster. [Read more…] about Folding smartphones are here to stay despite reported problems with breakages

Second impact crater ‘hiding under Greenland ice’

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New research has found a possible second impact crater hiding under the Greenland ice.

The new, 22-mile-wide site is only 114 miles from a crater under Hiawatha Glacier, reported in November 2018, but is unlikely to have formed at the same time.

Scientists discovered the possible second impact crater buried under more than a mile of ice in northwest Greenland.

[Read more…] about Second impact crater ‘hiding under Greenland ice’

New study explains differences in aurora

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For many years, scientists assumed the aurora seen around the north pole was identical to the aurora seen around the south pole.

The poles are connected by magnetic field lines and auroral displays are caused by charged particles streaming along these field lines.

Because the charged particles follow these field lines, it would make sense that the auroras would be mirror images of each other.

[Read more…] about New study explains differences in aurora