Centro de Documentación de las Artes Escénicas y de la Música
Secretaría de Estado de CulturaNot a member yet
3407326 research outputs found
Sort by
Intergroup Contact in Everyday Settings: A Habit-Rupture Process Model
No full textThis article analyzes intergroup contact in unregulated and regulated everyday settings, as complex, dynamic, and multilevel. The analysis yields a novel habit-rupture model of contact. The new model’s rupture component reflects change in intergroup relations through lifespan and macrolevel disruptions and the ensuing development of new contact habits. The habit component highlights how variations in contact valence and environmental affordances for self-selection affect individual and macrolevel segregation dynamics, creating conditions for stable trajectories of contact and intergroup bias. Bridging advances in cognitive science, political science, and behavioral change, this model integrates individual-level and macro-level phases of stability (‘habits’) and change (‘ruptures’) in individual contact seeking-avoidance responses, contact uptake, contact networks, and broader macro-level changes, across everyday regulated-unregulated settings and against minority-majority status differences. The model thus encompasses spatial, temporal, and power dimensions in both micro-lifespan and macro-historical patterns of segregation, desegregation, and resegregation over time. This perspective challenges established views of intergroup contact as readily available, positive, and leading to consistently positive within-person changes. It cautions against contact’s unsupervised application in unstructured settings. However, the model’s integrative approach identifies novel and possibly more realistic and ecologically valid opportunities for contact’s application in the service of social good and cohesion
Severe Anaemia and Bacteraemia in Kenyan Children: Epidemiology and Mechanisms
No full textSevere anaemia and bacteraemia remain important causes of hospitalisation and mortality in African children, yet the biological mechanisms underpinning these conditions are unclear. This thesis investigates their complex relationship using a combination of epidemiological analysis, immunological and biochemical profiling, and in vitro models.
Using long-term paediatric surveillance data from Kilifi, Kenya, I showed that severe anaemia is highly prevalent in both community and hospital settings and is strongly associated with an increased risk of bacteraemia, particularly from non-typhoidal Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Haemophilus influenzae. Severely anaemic children had marked disruption of iron homeostasis, while cytokine responses appeared largely independent of haemoglobin levels. In vitro and ex vivo experiments demonstrated that increased levels of free iron and haemoglobin, typical of severe anaemia, enhanced bacterial growth and impaired macrophage function.
Severe acute malnutrition (SAM), a group identified in this thesis to have a high prevalence of severe anaemia, was also associated with increased risk of bacteraemia and in-hospital mortality. Concomitant severe anaemia amplified this risk. Bacteraemia and mortality risks were higher in kwashiorkor compared to marasmus. Children with kwashiorkor had markedly low transferrin levels, which were strongly associated with increased probability of mortality.
A systematic review of literature revealed a paucity of studies on the effects of anaemia, and micronutrient deficiencies causing anaemia, on vaccine responses. Using data from vaccine cohorts in Kilifi, I found that anaemia and vitamin B12 deficiency were associated with impaired pneumococcal vaccine responses.
Taken together, this thesis provides new insights into the interplay between severe anaemia, iron metabolism, immune function, and bacterial infection. The findings underscore the need for age-specific anaemia management, nutritional strategies to improve vaccination outcomes, transferrin-based therapies for severely malnourished children, and a re-evaluation of iron supplementation policies in high-risk populations
Cybernetic Imaginations
No full textCybernetics, the science of control systems, was first popularised as an idea in 1948, following Norbert Wiener’s seminal publication on the topic. Almost immediately, cybernetics gripped the imagination of science fiction writers and film and television producers. This collection explores decades of the intersection between cybernetics and speculative fiction, from the Cybermen of Doctor Who to the Borg of Star Trek, sci-fi luminaries from Isaac Asimov to George Lucas, and classic works like The Terminator to current outputs like The Mandalorian. It is intended as both an introduction to and a showcase for new and cutting-edge scholarship on the topic, highlighting the urgency of cybernetics research with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), anxieties over the potential dehumanisation of society, and new futures envisioned for human-machine integration. As we become accustomed to speaking to nonhuman answering services, using AI technology in our writing, and even seeing films with nonhuman actors, this collection gives us access to rich fictional speculations about cybernetics that may help us to understand our rapidly changing world
Toothless but Still Superior: Grins aren't required for happiness superiority effect in multi-target face search
No full textPrevious research (Thirkettle & Wilson, 2024) demonstrated a happiness superiority effect in a novel visual search task, where participants more efficiently identified happy faces than angry ones amongst arrays of randomly assorted emotional expressions. However, prior studies (e.g., Savage et al., 2013) have raised concerns that low-level visual artifacts-particularly in classic one-target search paradigms-may confound such effects. While our task mitigates many of these issues through multiple, distinct, targets and including trial-by-trial randomisation of all array images, one potential confound remains: the bright visual cue created by exposed teeth in toothy smiles. To isolate this factor, we compared search performance using closed-mouth smiles versus toothy-grinned happy faces as targets. Results revealed that the happiness superiority effect persisted with closed-mouth smiles, though it was attenuated. This suggests that while low-level features like visible teeth may enhance detection, the effect is not solely driven by them. Our findings align with Becker et al. (2011), supporting the robustness of the happiness superiority effect and pointing to underlying mechanisms beyond mere visual salience
Evaluating the UK Parliament's Career Transition Scheme for departing MPs
No full textLeaving Parliament is not easy. The way that Members of Parliament (MPs) exit Parliament matters because it can deter others from being an MP. The UK Parliament introduced a career transition scheme (CTS) after the 2024 general election to aid this transition. In this paper, I make a theoretical contribution to the literature on exiting political office by extending a typology developed for ex-leaders to cover departing MPs more generally and make an empirical contribution by providing the first detailed empirical study into the CTS and creating an original and unique dataset on the CTS. I interviewed sixteen ex-MPs eligible for the CTS and asked whether the CTS provided them with appropriate support. Overall, the CTS did provide effective support. There was a desire among interviewees for tailored support to reflect the unique challenges faced by ex-MPs
Planetary Protection for Safe and Sustainable Space Exploration
No full textIn April 2024, the Inaugural International COSPAR (Committee on Space Research) Planetary Protection Week (ICPPW) was held at the Royal Society in London, marking a significant milestone in advancing international collaboration in planetary protection. The event was hosted by AstrobiologyOU (The Open University), funded by the UK Space Agency (UKSA) and co-sponsored by COSPAR, the European Space Agency (ESA), Cornell University, and the UK Natural History Museum (NHM). The event aimed to foster cooperation among various stakeholders, including space agencies, the scientific community, policymakers and industry. It served as a platform for experts to share their expertise, address pressing challenges and identify key knowledge gaps in our understanding of planetary protection measures for space exploration. Furthermore, it highlighted the need for collaborative efforts to address key scientific knowledge gaps to establish protocols to guide future exploration, such as crewed missions and sample return. This paper provides a comprehensive background and rationale for the event, detailing the historical context and recent advancements in planetary protection that informed the discussions and set the scene for the more focused papers in this thematic issue. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Planetary Protection for sustainable space exploration’
Cosmopolitan Just War Theory and Humanitarian Military Intervention
No full textThe legitimacy of humanitarian military intervention (HMI) is often propounded by cosmopolitans arguing against realist or nationalist views on war, which would not save distant strangers. While some cosmopolitans claim that some use of force is not war but rather cosmopolitan law enforcement, most cosmopolitan arguments in favour of HMI centre around some of the standard Just War criteria. The thrust of these discussions is the argument that a deontological commitment to the intrinsic worth of humans everywhere (and a merely contingent relevance of state borders and sovereignty) means that ‘we’ must sometimes use military force to come to the aid of victims of violence within another state, and that abusive regimes undermine the rationale for their existence and forfeit their right to non-intervention. Such arguments have gained traction since the early 2000s with the promulgation of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), which conceptualises sovereignty as responsibility for a state’s population and which refers to Just War criteria when considering military responses to mass atrocities.
This chapter explores the cosmopolitan position on Just War criteria as these pertain to the concept of HMI and offers a critique of these positions and of militarism and Just War theory more generally. It then considers cosmopolitan pacifism and nonviolent resistance, before exploring how cosmopolitans might view the war in Ukraine and the challenge of fighting a just war, whether or not it fits a traditional understanding of an HMI
The Noritic mineralogy of V- and S-type objects and the links with asteroid (4) Vesta
No full textUngrouped achondrites with affinities to Howardite-Eucrite-Diogenite (HED) meteorites offer critical insights into the diversity of differentiated bodies in the inner Solar System. They can help address the longstanding discrepancy between V-type asteroids related to the asteroid (4) Vesta and those that show similar characteristics but lack a dynamical relationship. In this study, we present new spectral, mineralogical, and oxygen isotopic analyses of two ungrouped achondritic meteorites. Al Bir Lahlou 001 exhibits strong compositional and spectral similarities to typical V-type asteroids, while Wan Zawatin 001 shows unexpected affinities to S-type asteroids. These findings suggest a more complex evolutionary history for differentiated asteroids than previously recognized and support the existence of multiple asteroidal bodies with HED-like characteristics. Our results highlight the importance of continued investigation into ungrouped achondrites to better understand the formation, distribution, and evolution of differentiated material beyond the Vesta family
From Shallow Discourse to Structured Deliberation: The BCause Approach
No full textWe demonstrate BCause, an innovative discussion platform that leverages AI to transform unstructured online dialogue into structured, actionable democratic processes. This interactive demonstration showcases three key innovations: (1) automated transcript analysis and transformation into argumentative format using Large Language Models, (2) intelligent feedback aggregation and argument mining capabilities, and (3) automated reporting with customisable visualisation widgets. The platform exemplifies human-AI collaboration by preserving critical human oversight while leveraging AI’s processing capabilities to enhance deliberation quality, reduce group bias, and improve sensemaking in online discussions
Reading and Writing for Pleasure: An Evidence-Informed Framework for Practice
No full textReading and writing for pleasure represent issues of global concern and interest in policy, research and practice, underpinned by evidence illustrating their importance for young people’s academic, social and emotional experiences and outcomes. In the face of a sustained decline in children’s enjoyment in both reading and writing, this highly significant book presents findings from a three-year study of research and practice that nurtures young people’s engagement as readers and writers.
The book offers a rich understanding of the study, highlighting the commonalities and synergies identified from the research literature and diverse practice contexts. It introduces a new and powerful Reading and Writing Framework for Practice for schools and charitable literacy programmes. The authors offer practical strategies and recommendations throughout for practitioners, researchers and policy makers who wish to advance this agenda in their own contexts. Areas covered include:
The nature of reading and writing for pleasure
Literate identities
Motivating readers and writers
Social interactions
Role models and connected communities
Future research, practice and policy
This field-defining text is a key resource for all those committed to halting the decline in young people’s engagement as volitional readers and writer