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From Prompt to Prejudice: Visual Evidence from AI Image Generation Platforms
No full textThis study examines how AI image generation systems perpetuate digital orientalism through systematic cultural representation patterns that increasingly shape global digital markets and international development discourse. Using visual social semiotics methodology, we conducted comparative analysis of Midjourney and ChatGPT platforms across nine culturally specific prompts examining religious imagery, contemporary social dynamics, and power structures in Indian cultural contexts. Our findings reveal that both platforms consistently reproduce colonial-era representational frameworks despite culturally sensitive prompting and advanced technical capabilities. The analysis identifies three systematic patterns: temporal displacement strategies that acknowledge modernity while containing it within orientalist categories, institutional validation requirements that privilege formal over community-based authority, and aesthetic transformation that converts authentic cultural practices into consumable visual narratives for global markets. Platform differences emerge through Midjourney\u27s artistic stylization versus ChatGPT\u27s cultural essentialism, yet both privilege Western aesthetic expectations over authentic representation. These patterns demonstrate that digital orientalism operates through accumulated training data reflecting centuries of colonial visual documentation rather than explicit programming choices. The study contributes theoretical insights into how digital technologies reproduce colonial power relations while providing practical implications for developing culturally conscious AI systems. This analysis has urgent implications for global digital markets, showing that a fundamental transformation of technological development is needed to prioritize community expertise and dismantle colonial knowledge hierarchies
Heightened menopausal symptoms mediate the associations between stress and depressive symptoms among midlife women
No full textObjectives:
Investigate associations between stress, cortisol, menopause symptoms, and depression in a sample of midlife women. Because stress has been associated with greater menopause symptoms, we examined this as a mediator for the association between stress and depressive symptoms.
Methods:
Data from a cross-sectional study of 118 women (40-64 y old) were analyzed. Participants completed in-person visits and self-reported questionnaires, including the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Saliva samples were collected at 4 intervals upon waking (wake, 30 min, 45 min, and 60 min after waking), and one sample before bed, as a measure of cortisol. Both the diurnal cortisol slope and the cortisol area under the curve with respect to ground (AUCg) were used to characterize cortisol secretion and exposure. A multivariate analysis of variance determined differences in menopause symptoms and depression outcomes. Mediation models examined the indirect effects of menopause symptoms on associations between perceived stress and depressive symptoms.
Results:
Women with moderate stress had significantly lower cortisol awakening responses (P = 0.047), poorer psychosocial (P \u3c 0.001), physical (P \u3c 0.001), and sexual (P\u3c 0.001) menopause symptoms, and depression symptoms (P \u3c 0.001) compared to women with low stress. Mediation analyses (95% CI) between stress and depression demonstrated significant positive indirect effects of psychological (B = 0.247; 0.117, 0.355), physical (B = 0.120; 0.049, 0.210), and sexual menopause symptoms (B = 0.042; 0.006, 0.106).
Conclusions:
Cross-sectional data revealed that greater stress was associated with poorer outcomes of menopause symptoms, depressive symptoms, and a lower cortisol awakening response. The association between stress and depression was mediated by the psychosocial, physical, and sexual menopause symptoms, and future longitudinal studies should seek to confirm these findings
03. Stochastic Processes I
No full textPart three of course materials for Nonequilibrium Statistical Physics (Physics 626), taught by Gerhard Müller at the University of Rhode Island. The available PDF includes both the lecture notes, additional materials, and exercises without solutions
Rebuttal to “Correspondence on ‘Scientists’ Statement on the Chemical Definition of PFASs”
No full textCorporate ‘Capture Strategies’ Impacting Human and Ecosystem Health
No full textThe concept of regulatory capture has been extensively studied in academic literature, primarily within the social sciences. This phenomenon has been increasingly discussed in the environmental sciences as the impacts of regulatory capture on human and ecosystem health have become increasingly apparent. Regulatory capture is just one tactic employed by vested interests in the strategy of delaying, weakening, or abolishing policies designed to protect the public interest. Here, we define capture strategies as ‘the act of influencing individuals, organizations, or governments to prioritize corporate interests over those of human and ecosystem health’. Similar to the evolution of terms like whitewashing and greenwashing into the broader concept of colorwashing, this new definition expands the scope of capture to include a wide range of targets, such as individuals, educational institutions, nongovernmental organizations, media, and local, national, and intergovernmental organizations. By broadening the definition, we anticipate that researchers, policymakers, and civil society will find it easier to identify and prevent such nefarious activities. This paper illustrates how ‘capture strategies’ have played, and (unless kept in check) will continue to play, an instrumental role in obstructing efforts to address the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and chemical pollution
06. Thermodynamics of Phase Transitions II
Full text linkPart six of course materials for Statistical Physics I: PHY525, taught by Gerhard Müller at the University of Rhode Island. Documents will be updated periodically as more entries become presentable.
Updated with version 2 on 1/8/2026
05. Thermodynamics of Phase Transitions I
Full text linkPart five of course materials for Statistical Physics I: PHY525, taught by Gerhard Müller at the University of Rhode Island. Documents will be updated periodically as more entries become presentable.
Updated with version 2 on 1/8/2026
04. Equilibrium Thermodynamics IV: Applications
Full text linkPart four of course materials for Statistical Physics I: PHY525, taught by Gerhard Müller at the University of Rhode Island. Documents will be updated periodically as more entries become presentable.
Updated with version 2 on 1/8/2026