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The relationship between transliminality, hypnotic and imaginative suggestibility, and other personality traits
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We have shared a link to the data within the manuscript.Copyright © 2024 The Authors. To our knowledge, no study has directly examined the link between hypnotic response and the personality trait of transliminality (which is underpinned, for example, by magical ideation, mystical experience, fantasy proneness, absorption, hyperaesthesia). In order to further understand the correlates of suggestibility, the aim of the current project was to investigate whether transliminality is associated with hypnotic and imaginative suggestibility (considering: objective response, subjective response and involuntariness). Another aim was to assess the contribution of transliminality as a predictor of suggestibility when a range of previously studied personality trait measures were considered.
Participants completed: the Revised Transliminality Scale, Tellegen Absorption Scale, Creative Experiences Questionnaire, and the Dissociative Experiences Scale II. To avoid context effects, where knowledge or measurement of one trait or ability might influence measurement of another, a separate standalone study was conducted where hypnotic and imaginative (without hypnosis) suggestibility screenings were carried out in-person in small groups using the modified Carleton University Responsiveness to Suggestion Scale. The merging of these two datasets enabled the analyses.
Transliminality was weakly correlated with the imaginative suggestibility subjective response measure (r = 0.19). Likewise, weak correlations were found between transliminality and the hypnotic suggestibility response measures (objective, r = 0.21, subjective, r = 0.23, involuntariness, r = 0.24). The multiple regressions (forward selection) reflected the pattern of correlations, with no model for any of the variables, retaining more than a single significant predictor.
In summary, this study combination, avoiding context effects, shows transliminality to be a weak predictor of response to suggestion.The Leverhulme Trust (grant number RPG-2017-291) to W McGeown (Principal Investigator), A Venneri, G Mazzoni and I Kirsch, and The BIAL Foundation (grant number 269/18) to W McGeown (Principal Investigator), R Tate, A Venneri, G Mazzoni and I Kirsch
Artificial intelligent technologies in Japanese manufacturing firms: An empirical survey study
Get PDFData availability statement: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, [WH], upon reasonable request.Motivated by conflicting arguments/claims in the AI literature on its implementation, motivations, and practical impact, we combine interview data from a case company with questionnaire data from eighty-five Japanese manufacturing firms to examine seven AI technologies at firm, function, and technology levels. We find that one-third of the sample firms did not employ any of the seven AI technologies. Over 50% of the remaining firms implemented one or two technologies only. Visual recognition, machine learning and natural written language processing were the most commonly implemented technologies. AI implementation was the highest in production and research and development compared to other functions. The main motivations for implementing AI were to enhance operational efficiency, improve defects detection and prediction, automate processes, and reduce labour hours/costs. Among the firms that implemented AI, improvements in operational efficiency were more frequently reported, followed by reductions in labour hours/costs and enhancements in product/process quality. Lack of business needs, suitability to the business, expertise in implementation, and confidence in generating significant benefits were the main reasons for not experimenting with AI technologies. Our detailed analysis improves our understanding of the current state of AI adoption in manufacturing firms, its practical impact and highlights avenues for future research
A censored quantile transformation model for Alzheimer’s Disease data with multiple functional covariates
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The data that support the findings of this study are provided by the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database (https://adni.loni.usc.edu) under licence. Data will be shared on reasonable request to the corresponding author with the permission of ADNI.Supplementary material:
Supplementary material is available online at Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (https://academic.oup.com/jrsssa/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jrsssa/qnae061/7711009?login=true#472164239).Acknowledgement: Data used in preparation of this paper were obtained from the ADNI database. As such, the investigators within the ADNI contributed to the design and implementation of ADNI and/or provided data but did not participate in analysis or writing of this article. A complete listing of ADNI investigators can be found at: https://adni.loni.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/how_to_apply/ADNI_Acknowledgement_List.pdf.Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive disease that starts from mild cognitive impairment and may eventually lead to irreversible memory loss. It is imperative to explore the risk factors associated with the conversion time to AD that is usually right-censored. Classical statistical models like mean regression and Cox models fail to quantify the impact of risk factors across different quantiles of a response distribution, and previous research has primarily focused on modelling a single functional covariate, possibly overlooking the interdependence among multiple functional covariates and other crucial features of the distribution. To address these issues, this paper proposes a multivariate functional censored quantile regression model based on dynamic power transformations, which relaxes the global linear assumption and provides more robustness and flexibility. Uniform consistency and weak convergence of the quantile process are established. Simulation studies suggest that the proposed method outperforms the existing approaches. Real data analysis shows the importance of both left and right hippocampal radial distance curves for predicting the conversion time to AD at different quantile levels.The work of S.M. was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities in UIBE (23QD03). The work of M.T. was partially supported by the Research Matching Grant (project: 700006 Applications of SAS Viya in Big Data Analytics) and FDS Grant (UGC/FDS14/P05/20) from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region, and the Big Data Intelligence Centre in The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong. The work of Z.W. was supported by ‘the Natural Science Foundation of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region’ (2023D01A74). The work of M.T. was supported by the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (1242005)
Rethinking state-led formalisation of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM): Towards mining licence categorisation, women empowerment and environmental sustainability
Get PDFSecuring a mining licence or permit is seen as the gateway for conducting artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) operations. Yet, the policy and the academic discourse on the environmental impacts of ASM and formalisation policies inadequately capture the diverse perspectives of institutional and local stakeholders regarding the regulatory and legal framework for the heterogeneous nature of ASM operations. This paper, therefore, addresses this gap by providing critical, empirical evidence and interpretations of institutional and local stakeholders’ perspectives of Ghana’s state-led ASM formalisation framework and its impacts on mining licence acquisition. Drawing on findings from multiple qualitative studies in Ghana, we found that the one ‘small-scale’ mining licence regime was problematic and took no account of the diverse environmental impacts, the safety concerns, and the uneven economic returns from the various mining methods (alluvial, underground, and surface/open-pit mining) employed for ASM operations. The findings also showed that the one-size-fits-all mining licence hinders a) the development of appropriate environmental regulations and mine waste management practices for the various local ASM operations, b) the designing of context-specific land reclamation approaches, c) the provision of logistics, training, and technical assistance to address the divergent environmental impacts, and d) the economic empowerment of women who seek to have economic visibility in the sector. The findings further demonstrated that the current ASM formalisation framework needs to be reformed through categorisation of the mining licence to reflect the dimensions of ASM operations, such as the multi-tier licence classification we propose – underground ‘ghetto’ licence, alluvial licence, surface/open-pit licence, medium-scale licence, and co-existence/partnership licence. This classification could help the country’s minerals regulatory body, the Minerals Commission, provide specific guidelines for mining operations, environmental management practices, and occupational health and safety protocols/practices for miners in the sector
In Defence of the Indefensible: Exploring Justification Narratives of Corporate Elites Accused of Corruption
Get PDFDrawing on the pragmatic turn in contemporary social theory, we explore how corporate elites accused of corruption in the context of weak institutions engage in their justification works. Empirically, we focus on three high-profile corruption scandals that shook Ghana between 2010 and 2020 and inspired widespread public condemnation. Publicly accessible archival documents, such as court reporting, newspaper stories, press conferences, and the digital footprints of corporate elites implicated in the scandals provide data for our inquiry. Focussing on the juxtaposition of ‘sayings’ and ‘doings’, the findings show justification as performative, and rooted in contextual pragmatism that acknowledges the plurality of logics situated between self-interest and folk-logic. Within this framework, the domestic and civic orders of worth emerge as most prominent, with the justification processes manifesting through victimising, scapegoating, and crusading. Building on these insights, we develop a framework that highlights how the use of justifications serves as a critique of the inadequacies within climates of weak institutional frameworks consequently fostering an atmosphere conducive to framing unethical conducts as morally acceptable
“I want kids to have the same feeling as I do towards physical activity”: Acculturation of British preservice physical education teachers
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to describe the acculturation of six British physical education (PE) preservice teachers (PSTs). The research questions we sought to answer were: (a) What were the PSTs’ values, beliefs, and perspectives regarding PE? and (b) What factors shaped the PSTs’ values, beliefs, and perspectives during their acculturation? We collected data with three types of formal interviewing and employed standard interpretive techniques to reduce the data to themes. Key findings were that the PSTs aspired to a career teaching secondary PE, possessed a balanced orientation to teaching curricular PE and coaching extracurricular sport, and espoused a mostly traditional multi-activity curriculum that was dominated by sport. The main attractors to a career in PE were the opportunity to maintain a connection with sport and working with youth. The key shaper of the PSTs’ perspectives was their apprenticeships of observation. These findings should aid sport pedagogy faculty in their efforts to produce stronger initial teacher education programs
Development and characterisation of a hybrid mock circulatory loop with baroreceptor response
Get PDFThis thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonIn the UK alone, as of April 2020, 340 patients awaited a heart transplant, but only 172
transplants were available. Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs), which support the heart’s
pumping function and serve as a bridge-to-transplant or permanent support for heart
failure patients, offer a solution. The Mock Circulatory Loop (MCL) facilitates the design,
development, and evaluation of VADs by simulating the native cardiovascular system
(CVS). However, current MCLs often lack the capability to simulate critical pressure regulatory
mechanisms, specifically the baroreflex response, which adjusts cardiac output
and systemic resistance to maintain CVS pressure. This thesis seeks to enhance MCL design
by incorporating the baroreflex response. A control system, based on the velocity
and acceleration of a linear motor, was designed to regulate heart rate in the left ventricle
simulator, achieving a range of 0 − 120. A physical automated resistor, capable
of adjusting resistance within the physiological range of 9 − 20.0/, was introduced.
Following this, a numerical model of the baroreflex response was integrated
with the hydraulic setup. Testing of the enhanced MCL under three dynamic scenarios -
clamping, volume addition, and volume reduction - revealed promising outcomes. During
the clamping test, the MCL sustained pressure for the initial 15 post-clamping. In the
volume reduction experiment, removing 2 of water led to a mere 6 drop in pressure,
while adding 2 resulted in just a 3 increase. The developed MCL offers an
enhanced platform to test VADs, from resistance shifts and pressure fluctuations to the
baroreflex mechanisms. Research following from this thesis should focus on improving
the left ventricle simulator to control cardiac contractility, further integrating it into the
MCL
Device Scheduling for Secure Aggregation in Wireless Federated Learning
Get PDFFederated learning (FL) has been widely investigated in academic and industrial fields to resolve the issue of data isolation in the distributed Internet of Things (IoT) while maintaining privacy. However, challenges persist in ensuring adequate privacy and security during the aggregation process. In this paper, we investigate device scheduling strategies that ensure the security and privacy of wireless FL. Specifically, we measure the privacy leakage of user data using differential privacy (DP) and assess the security level of the system through mean square error security (MSE-security). We commence by deriving analytical results that reveal the impact of device scheduling on privacy and security protection, as well as on the learning process. Drawing from these analytical findings, we propose three scheduling policies that can achieve secure aggregation of wireless FL under different cases of channel noise. In particular, we formulate an
integer nonlinear fractional programming problem to improve the learning perfor- mance while guaranteeing privacy and security of wireless FL. We provide an insightful solution in the closed form to the optimization problem when the model has a high dimension. For the general case, we propose a secure and private aggregation (SPA) algorithm based on the branch-and- bound (BnB) method, which can obtain the optimal solution with low complexity. The effectiveness of the proposed schemes for device selection is validated through simulations
Assessing coupled human-flood interactions using LiDAR geostatistics and neighbourhood analyses
Get PDFThe paper integrates well-established methods from other spheres of flood risk assessment in a novel way to explore the currently poorly understood Safe Development Paradox (SDP) phenomenon in coastal settings. The study contributes to addressing this knowledge gap based on insights from contrasting UK case studies: Portsmouth, Weston-super-Mare, and Southport. Differential analysis of historic LiDAR Digital Surface Models (DSMs) was used to identify temporal changes in the urban landscape to create a DSM of Difference (DoD), representing elevation change between two locations over time. Geostatistical testing, specifically t-tests, were then used to infer statistical significance of changes in urban development. The findings reveal a consistent pattern: following completion or improvement of large-scale structural coastal flood defences, there is subsequent, and statistically significant, increases in urban development within/near flood-exposed areas across all three case studies, contrary to the limited flood-exposed development in neighbouring settlements, with no comparable defences constructed during the same period. On average, new urban development occurs approximately 2 years after the completion of coastal flood defence projects. The study emphasises the importance of context-specific and neighbourhood analyses, considering settlement size, economy, and extraneous factors influencing the nature of development to better understand the SDP’s long-term implications.EPSRC grant number EP/T518116/1
‘[S]he-Mercury’: Broadening Female Neighbourly Networks in The Merry Wives of Windsor
Get PDFRecent critical attention to The Merry Wives of Windsor has emphasised the feminist impulse of the play, stressing the way it celebrates female gossip networks. Important as they are, those studies, however, privilege the gossip network between the two prosperous, middling-sorts wives of the title, in the process marginalising the many working women the play depicts as members of a wider female neighbourly network and occluding the crucial roles they play in the success of the wives’ plots. When critics do attempt to attend to a wider female network, they often link the wives to the (off-stage) queen, thus further isolating them from their immediate neighbourly interactions. This article redresses this imbalance by showing that female neighbourly networks in the play, as they were in early modern culture, are much broader and socially diverse than has hitherto been acknowledged. Challenging dominant critical readings of Mistress Quickly as a garrulous, busybody, and drawing on the findings of social historians’ recent research into the lived experiences of early modern female servants, I argue that she is positioned in the play as a social actor, an active participant in her neighbourhood, an ingenious manipulator, and a significant member of the local female networks.Brunel University London BRIEF award
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