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Multi-region investigation of ‘man’ as default in attitudes
Get PDFPrevious research has studied the extent to which men are the default members of social groups in terms of memory, categorization, and stereotyping, but not attitudes which is critical because of attitudes’ relationship to behavior. Results from our survey (N > 5000) collected via a globally distributed laboratory network in over 40 regions demonstrated that attitudes toward Black people and politicians had a stronger relationship with attitudes toward the men rather than the women of the group. However, attitudes toward White people had a stronger relationship with attitudes toward White women than White men, whereas attitudes toward East Asian people, police officers, and criminals did not have a stronger relationship with attitudes toward either the men or women of each respective group. Regional agreement with traditional gender roles was explored as a potential moderator. These findings have implications for understanding the unique forms of prejudice women face around the world
Deus ex Machina: The COVID-19 Pandemic and Young Adults’ Religiosity, Temporal Values, and Time Spatialization Across Cultures
Get PDFObjective: Was the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic associated with young adults’ religiosity and time-related cultural values? If so, were there also associated changes in peoples’ spatio-temporal preferences as predicted by the Temporal Focus Hypothesis?
Methods: We used a behavioral task and three questionnaires across young participants from eight
cultures: Bosniaks, Chinese, Croats, Moroccans, Serbs, Spaniards, Turks, and U.S. Americans. In Study 1, we compared two matched samples, one collected before the pandemic (N = 497) and the other collected during the pandemic (N = 497). In Study 2, we used the entire sample of young participants collected only during the pandemic (N = 893).
Results: The results from Study 1 showed that young adults collected during the pandemic (compared to before the pandemic) were less religious (hypothesis 1), more future-focused in their temporal values (hypothesis 2), and represented the future in front of them to a greater extent (hypothesis 3). In Study 2, we observed that the more concerned the participants were by the
pandemic, the lower their religiosity (hypothesis 4), the greater their future focus (hypothesis 5), and the greater their tendency to represent the future in front (hypothesis 6). This pattern of results held across cultural groups with varying religiosity levels.
Conclusions: Our findings show that during the pandemic, young people’s religiosity seemed to decline, and their focus on the future increased. This suggests the possible role of age and generation in coping strategie
Molecular Communications Loss Budget for tsRNA Detection in the Brain
Get PDFMolecular communication (MC) is an emerging framework enabling communication among biological cells and bio-nanomachines at nano and micro scales through biochemical molecules. Recent studies have identified exosomal transfer RNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs) as potential biomarkers for epilepsy. Consequently, researchers are exploring innovative methods to predict epileptic seizures through tsRNA measurements, using implantable micro/nanoscale biosensors. This paper presents a propagation model for biomarkers in a heterogeneous fluidic environment, composed of the brain extracellular space (ECS), a polyethersulfone (PES) hollow fiber tube, and a hydrogel (e.g. collagen) containing bioengineered sensing cells for biomarker detection. Our proposed model aims to support the design of biosensing devices for epileptic seizure prediction by characterizing the propagation of biomarkers released from neuronal cells in the brain ECS to the implant. We analyse the communication performance of the proposed system by evaluating propagation loss under varying conditions–brain ECS tortuosity, fiber membrane thickness, permeability, and bioengineered sensing cell density. Furthermore, we develop an MC link budget to assess communication between exosomal tsRNA biomarkers and bioengineered sensing cells, based on received biomarkers. We observed an approximate 8-fold loss in received signal strength, highlighting the impact of MC communication media physicochemical characteristics for accurately designing devices to predict epileptic seizures
Constitutionalising regulatory governance: the case of the Victims’ Commissioner
No full textCommissioners sit at the heart of multi-level governance in England and Wales in providing regulatory links between identifiable policy constituencies and government. They are public scrutiny bodies that seek to set and uphold standards for a wide range of public services but, in practice and by design, have very few powers to enforce those standards. This article explores the varying powers of what we term “special interest” commissioners. It focuses on the constitutional nature and powers of the Victims’ Commissioner contrasting these with those of other commissioners. Drawing particularly on Black’s innovative analysis of ways of constitutionalising regulatory governance frameworks, and with reference to the literature on “guarantor institutions”, it highlights inconsistencies within the constitutional position of the Victims’ Commissioner. While these are not unique to this body since, as we will demonstrate, there is no one constitutional arrangement for a special interest commissioner, they are of particular significance given current debates on victims’ rights, the call for a more robust code of such rights and Parliamentary consideration of the Victims’ and Prisoners Act 2024. They also speak to a wider implementation gap within prevailing multi-level governance mechanisms. This article suggests that this could be addressed, in part, by strengthening commissioners’ ability to enforce standards as well as to exert influence, and by ensuring that, following Black, commissioners’ work is more closely aligned with constitutional values and norms. The Victims’ Commissioner would then have a clearer role on behalf of, and for, victims and ensure respect for constitutional norms in the criminal justice system
Lived experience in mental health research in Ghana and Indonesia: What have we learned?
Get PDFThere are increasing calls for the involvement of people with lived experience in mental health research. However, to date there are few examples of peer research conducted by people with lived experience of mental health conditions from the Global South. This paper explores the experiences of peer researchers involved in mental health research in Ghana and Indonesia. Peer researchers with lived experience of mental health conditions were employed as part of the research team to carry out qualitative and participatory arts-based research. Following this, peer researchers completed feedback forms and written reflections as well as taking part in unstructured discussions on their experience. Together with the academic research team, themes were developed from this feedback to identify the benefits, challenges and lessons learned from this process. Peer researchers benefited from developing skills and confidence, sharing lived experience, opportunities to engage with stakeholders and a supportive working environment. However, they identified several challenges including balancing care for self and others, precarious working conditions, enduring power imbalances and limited training and preparation. Key lessons included the need to consider safety and support needs, preparation for working with participants with lived experience, meeting resource needs and the importance of involving peer researchers across the research cycle. Based on these experiences, we identify several recommendations for peer research, particularly in Global South settings. These include involving people with lived experience in research design and costing, careful preparation and training, creating safe spaces and enabling access to mental health support, providing fair and comprehensive remuneration, creating opportunities for career development and democratizing opportunities for participation
Nonparametric Detection of a Time‐Varying Mean
Get PDFWe propose a nonparametric portmanteau test for detecting changes in the unconditional mean of a univariate time series which may display either long or short memory. Our approach is designed to have power against, among other things, cases where the mean component of the series displays abrupt level shifts, deterministic trending behaviour, or is subject to some form of time-varying, continuous change. The test we propose is simple to compute, being based on ratios of periodogram ordinates, has a pivotal limiting null distribution of known form which reduces to the multiple of a (Formula presented.) random variable in the case where the series is short memory, and has power against a wide class of time-varying mean models. A Monte Carlo simulation study into the finite sample behaviour of the test shows it to have both good size properties under the null for a range of long and short memory series and to exhibit good power against a variety of plausible time-varying mean alternatives. Because of its simplicity, we recommend our periodogram ratio test as a routine portmanteau test for whether the mean component of a time series can reasonably be treated as constant
The weaponry of racial capitalism: Gargi Bhattacharyya (2024) The futures of racial capitalism (Polity)
Get PDFThis paper uses Gargi Bhattacharyya (2024)’s The futures of racial capitalism to explore the analytical strengths and limits of the term ‘racial capitalism.’ I discuss its popularity in the post-2008 university classroom and examine criticism of the concept. I suggest the main strength of Bhattacharyya’s work is to treat racial capitalism as an invisibilization mechanism which undermines shared recognition of the cross-racial immiseration of different groups. Defining the notion this way opens pathways to non-essentialist understandings of the relationship between class, race and capitalist exploitation
Three essays on the economics of self control
Get PDFWith the rapid development of a combination of psychology and economic studies, more and more aspects of psychological phenomena have been plunged into economic contexts. Through theoretical modelling, empirical analysis, and personality studies, this thesis studies the interplay between individual decision-making, self-control, and economic outcomes. It is structured into three chapters, each focusing on a distinct aspect of self-control and its implications. The first chapter, titled "A Model of Multiple Selves," introduces a model dividing an individual into a central executive system (Ego) and two sub-selves: the rational self (Cold) and the impulsive self (Hot). Ego allocates resources between the sub-selves but lacks its own preferences. The analysis shows that Ego's optimal allocation prevents either sub-self from achieving its preferred bundle, resulting in more extreme choices by the sub-selves than if they controlled all resources independently. The second chapter, "Revealed self-control: Cultural Difference in the New Year's Resolution of UK and China," investigates self-control behaviours after festive indulgence in the UK and China using search trend data. Search trends for healthy lifestyle keywords increase after Christmas (especially the new year) in the UK, reflecting a rebound in self-control. In contrast, no similar pattern is observed after major Chinese festivals, highlighting cultural differences in self-regulation. The third chapter, titled "The Effect of Personality Traits and self control on Wages," focuses on the relationships between personality traits, self-control, and wages. Based on data from the Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey and the Big Five personality traits framework, the study uses factor analysis and regressions to identify key influences. The findings highlight that traits such as Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, and Extroversion positively correlate with higher wages, while Agreeableness has a negative correlation. Moreover, self control has a significantly positive impact on wage levels, emphasizing its role in economic success
