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Day-to-day fluctuations in parental reflective functioning: the role of parenting stress and perceived adolescent difficulties
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Adoption and development from infancy to adulthood: a systematic review of longitudinal studies and future directions
No full textResearch suggests considerable developmental catch-up among adopted children who experienced early adversity across various domains, yet a substantial subgroup continues to exhibit elevated socio-emotional difficulties. Longitudinal studies can provide critical insights into the mechanisms underlying this ongoing vulnerability, yet no systematic review has been conducted to synthesise these findings. This systematic review identified 16 longitudinal studies (N = 3,073 adoptees) through searches in PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, all of which followed children adopted before the age of six into adolescence or adulthood, with an average follow-up period of 10 years. Due to significant heterogeneity across study designs, samples, and measures, a meta-analysis was not feasible; therefore, adoptees’ outcomes and developmental pathways are synthesised narratively. Early adversity and developmental difficulties most frequently predicted later socio-emotional and behavioural outcomes, with some evidence pointing to genetic, epigenetic, and gene–environment interaction effects. Early difficulties may have cascading consequences across multiple developmental domains. Yet, the small number of longitudinal studies and their heterogeneity limits conclusive understanding of developmental pathways. Recommendations are made to inform and strengthen future research efforts
News Media as Suppliers of Narratives (and Information)
No full textWe present a model in which news media shape beliefs by providing information (signals about an exogenous state) and narratives (models of what determines outcomes). To amplify consumersíengagement, the media maximize their anticipatory utility. We characterize the optimal monopolistic media strategy, highlighting the synergy between false narratives and biased information. Consumer heterogeneity gives rise to a novel menu-design problem due to an ìequilibrium data externalityî among consumers. The optimal menu includes false narratives, and can generate polarized beliefs and choices without any information transmission. False narratives and polarization also feature in a competitive version of our model, albeit coupled with complete information. Nevertheless, competition can make some consumers objectively worse off
'It felt good to be able to say that out loud': A peer research qualitative study exploring voice content work and the therapeutic alliance in AVATAR therapy
No full textBackground: AVATAR therapy is a novel psychological therapy which aims to reduce distress associated with hearing voices. The approach involves a series of therapistfacilitated dialogues between a voice-hearer and a digital embodiment of their main distressing voice (the avatar), which aim to reduce distress and increase self-empowerment. Extending previous qualitative work on treatment acceptability, this study explored therapeutic processes which are unique to AVATAR therapy, including direct early work with voice content and the role of the therapist in dialogue enactment. Methods: People with lived experience relating to psychosis (peer researchers) contributed to each stage of the study. Peer researchers led semi-structured interviews which were conducted with nineteen participants who received AVATAR therapy as part of the AVATAR2 trial, including three participants who dropped out of therapy. Data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA; n=5) and template analysis (n=14).
Results: Participants described the initial challenges of experiential work with distressing voice content; however, most reported a meaningful increase in power and control over the avatar and improvements with voices in daily life. Strong therapeutic alliance was experienced by all participants, including those who chose to discontinue therapy, often mitigating the discomfort associated with initial challenges by enhancing their sense of safety. Several important themes relating to individual engagement were highlighted, such as participants’ open-minded attitudes, determination and the emotional intensity of the therapy experience. Those who decided not to continue with therapy described challenges with the realism of working dialogically with a digital representation of their distressing voice. Conclusions: This study has provided a deeper understanding of the experience of engaging in AVATAR therapy, in particular the challenges and opportunities of direct work with voice content. The importance of therapeutic alliance and establishing a sense of voice presence has been emphasised. Implications for the planned optimisation and wider implementation of AVATAR therapy in routine care settings are discussed. Trial registration: ISRCTN registry ISRCTN55682735 (Registration date: 22/01/2020
Can transport infrastructure really facilitate economic activity concentration? A spatial and temporal spillover perspective
No full textA key unresolved research question in the field of transport and city planning is whether investment in transport infrastructure effectively affects the spatial concentration of economic activity within a city. The question becomes even more complex due to the spatial and temporal spillover effects of transport infrastructure on economic activities, as well as the variations in types of transport infrastructure and categories of economic activity. With long-term and fine-grained geospatial data, this study uses the spatial dynamic panel data approach to examine the relationship between transport infrastructure and economic activity concentration in Shanghai from 2005 to 2015. The results reveal that proximity to metro stations is more strongly associated with the concentration of service activities, whereas highways exert a more sustained and spatially extensive influence on the concentration of manufacturing activities. The findings highlight the significant yet heterogeneous impacts of transport infrastructure on urban economic spatial patterns
Data imputation methods for missing U-values of building envelopes in building performance database
No full textAccurate thermal transmittance (U-value) data for building envelopes is crucial for planning effective retrofits and modeling building energy performance. However, missing U-values in existing building stock datasets present a significant barrier to large-scale decarbonization efforts. This study evaluates six data imputation methods for addressing missing U-values, comparing traditional approaches (mean/median imputation) with advanced techniques including multiple imputation via chained equations (MICE) with Bayesian ridge regression (BRR), k-nearest neighbours (KNN), random forest (RF), and LightGBM. The Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) data from 112,125 domestic properties in London’s Barnet borough is used as a case study. The evaluation indicators are imputation errors and execution time. Different methods are further evaluated through sensitivity analysis in EnergyPlus. U-values are varied by each imputer’s error magnitude, so as to assess the impacts of uncertainty in imputed values on energy use and overheating predictions. Results demonstrate that MICE with LightGBM minimizes uncertainty in building performance predictions while maintaining reasonable execution time, offering a robust solution for improving building stock data usability
The Beast and Bêtise
No full textIn an era dominated by algorithmic reason and emotional sanitization, The Beast (2023) reimagines Henry James’s The Beast in the Jungle within a futuristic vision where human interior becomes a target of technological cure. This paper argues that the “beast” is not an external threat but the existential essence of humanity—fear and anxiety before an uncontrollable future. Drawing on Sartre’s concepts of bad faith and faith, and Derrida’s paradox of belief, it explores how belief, inherently impossible, enables a leap toward the Other, impossibility, and the future. Central is the notion that —stupidity—opens the infinite, and paradoxically enables human intelligence. Thus, what distinguishes humans from AI is not intelligence but stupidity: the capacity to believe in the impossible. Ultimately, this paper contends that belief, inherently bound to failure, is learned through such failure—and that this very failure makes possible the leap: toward opening the door—to the Other, the impossible. Even if it fails again
“I don’t think it needs to be political”: Privacy Experiences and Concerns of FemHealth App Users in the United States
No full textFemHealth apps have rapidly developed, offering innovative opportunities to track users’ menstrual cycles, fertility, pregnancy, and other aspects of sexual and reproductive health. However, such apps collect a significant amount of sensitive user health data, posing privacy risks to users. In this paper, we conducted 14 in-depth semistructured interviews with current and past users of FemHealth apps in the US to examine their privacy experiences and concerns. We found that participants were concerned about a wider range of risks than was found in prior user research about FemTech, including criminalization related to abortion or contraceptive access; emotional distress related to social stigma; third-party data sharing; and targeted advertising based on processing sensitive health data. Some participants acknowledged that FemHealth apps posed privacy risks and potential harms to users in general but were not necessarily concerned about their own privacy due to privilege (e.g., living in a state with strong reproductive health rights). However, all participants agreed that user privacy and data protection in FemHealth apps should be considered a fundamental right, not subject to legal discourse in specific locales. Most participants felt unsure about the effectiveness of existing data protection regulations and their interplay with anti-abortion laws. Participants suggested several ways to mitigate privacy risks, including disclosures and controls, back-end technical protections, behavioral strategies, and policy improvements. We provide recommendations for extending practical and policy-based privacy protections of sexual and reproductive health data collected by FemHealth apps