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Smart adaptation or data colonialism? : Interrogating the role of digital technologies in climate adaptation
No full textHighlighting a gap in adaptation studies regarding the role of digitalisation and datafication in environmental and climate governance, we argue for the need to critically engage with the ever-expanding experimental territory of smart adaptation. To accomplish this task, we emphasise the need to forge new alliances across the fields of digital geographies, political ecology, and political economy. We trace a genealogy of the discourse on smart adaptation and highlight how the basic premises on which mainstream approaches to adaptation operate (neutrality and naturalization) have been articulated through digitalised approaches since the very outset (through the ‘climate service paradigm’). This articulation relies upon the need of ever-expanding data supplies, the creation of data relations across scales and space, and the transformation of data into a source of value. Foregrounding the figure of the ‘smallholder farmer’ in adaptive development, we outline three modalities through which smart adaptation operates: depoliticization, financialization and experimentation. Finally, we call for the need to put adaptation scholarship in dialogue with the emerging field thematizing data colonialism as an analytic device to shed light on extractive processes of datafied capital accumulation and dispossession which stem from the conjoined coloniality of climate change and digital infrastructures
Occupational Sedentary Behaviour and Mental Health among Software and Information Technology Workers in China : An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Method Design
Get PDFIntroduction: Excessive sedentary behaviour has been identified as a significant risk factor for physical health. However, the evidence concerning its impact on mental health is less consistent. While some studies suggest a detrimental association between total daily sedentary time and mental health, a growing body of inconsistent findings challenges this consensus, indicating that the relationship may be more complex and that not all forms of sedentary behaviour are equally harmful. Given that the workplace is a primary setting for extended daily sedentary periods, investigating the potential influence of occupational sedentary behaviour on mental health is therefore critical. The Software and Information Technology (IT) industry in China is a large and rapidly growing workforce, characterised by predominantly computer-based work and a culture driven by efficiency. Consequently, employees in this sector are likely to spend substantial amounts of time being sedentary, and such inactivity could place them at risk of adverse physical and mental health outcomes. Crucially, there is a dearth of research that has specifically measured or collected data on their duration of occupational sedentary time. Concurrently, the absence of corresponding tailored intervention development for this population means both the scale of the problem and potential solutions remain unknown. Therefore, the overarching aim of this PhD research project was to develop evidence-based and theory-informed intervention strategies for Software and IT workers in China. The primary focus was on reducing occupational sedentary behaviour, while ensuring that implications for mental health remained a key consideration throughout the development of intervention strategies. Methods: A systematic review and a two-phase explanatory sequential mixed-method design were conducted to achieve the overarching aim. The systematic review collated existing evidence and utilised the “Best-Evidence Synthesis” approach to determine the association between occupational sedentary behaviour and mental health symptoms among office workers. Phase 1 of the mixed-method study was a cross-sectional survey to: 1) examine the duration of total and occupational sedentary behaviour and the level of mental health symptoms among Software and IT workers in China; 2) determine the association between occupational sedentary behaviour and common mental health symptoms; and 3) identify variables that may influence the association between occupational sedentary behaviour and common mental health symptoms. Phase 2 of the mixed-method study was a qualitative study to: 1) explore the barriers and facilitators of reducing occupational sedentary behaviour among Chinese Software and IT workers; and 2) understand Software and IT workers' perspectives on how occupational sedentary behaviour may influence their mental health. To inform the intervention recommendations, a weaving and joint display method were used to integrate findings from both phases. Results: The systematic review showed mixed findings among office workers, with both positive and null associations between occupational sedentary behaviour and common mental health symptoms, suggesting insufficient evidence for a clear association. The Phase 1 cross-sectional study found that Software and IT workers reported a mean occupational sedentary time of 427.9 (±133.2) minutes, while their total daily sedentary time reached 499.9 (±161) minutes on workdays. Occupational sedentary time accounted for 72.4% of working hours, equivalent to 347.52 minutes in an 8-hour day. The mental health outcomes indicated that Software and IT workers generally experienced low levels of perceived stress, while their average scores for depression and anxiety suggested a tendency towards mild symptom levels. Hierarchical regressions revealed that neither total or occupational sedentary behaviour showed a statistically significant association with depression or anxiety after adjusting for all potential confounding variables. However, total sedentary behaviour was significantly associated with stress. Occupational sedentary behaviour initially demonstrated a statistically significant association with stress, but the observed relationship between occupational sedentary behaviour and stress disappeared following adjustment for occupational variables (e.g., daily working hours, tenure, and job satisfaction) and poor sleep quality. Path analysis demonstrated that poor sleep quality potentially mediates the indirect effect of occupational sedentary behaviour on stress. Longer tenure was identified as a confounding variable, demonstrating a negative association with both occupational sedentary behaviour and stress. The Phase 2 qualitative study identified four themes capturing key factors influencing occupational sedentary behaviour, including barriers, facilitators, or both: (1) Industry-Driven Prolonged Sedentary Behaviour; (2) Company Influence on Occupational Sedentary Behaviour; (3) Automatic and Reflective Motivation to Reduce Occupational Sedentary Behaviour; and (4) Influence of Socialisation on Occupational Sedentary Behaviour. Three themes were identified to understand Software and IT workers' perspectives on how occupational sedentary behaviour may influence their mental health: (1) Physical Discomfort from Sedentary Work; (2) Pace of Software and IT Work; and (3) Beliefs about Occupational Sedentary Behaviour. Conclusion: By employing a systematic review and an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, several objectives were achieved through this programme of study: a better understanding of the relationship between occupational sedentary behaviour and mental health; the identification of factors influencing occupational sedentary behaviour in the Software and IT workplace in China; and the proposal of potential intervention strategies based on empirical and integrated findings. These findings contribute to the growing body of sedentary behaviour research and highlights the need for future research and practice. The thesis proposes that this could include exploring the mechanism between reducing sedentary behaviour and mental health outcomes; tailoring the intervention development in the workplace setting by taking into account the specific occupational characteristics of the target population; and discussing the potential for policy to mitigate the overtime culture that contributes to prolonged workplace sedentary behaviour. Future research and practice in Chinese workplaces can use the findings in this thesis as a basis for refining the intervention development
Physiological Noise in Cardiorespiratory Time-Varying Interactions
No full textThe systems in nature are rarely isolated and there are different influences that can perturb their states. Dynamic noise in physiological systems can cause fluctuations and changes on different levels, often leading to qualitative transitions. In this study, we explore how to detect and extract the physiological noise, in terms of dynamic noise, from measurements of biological oscillatory systems. Moreover, because the biological systems can often have deterministic time-varying dynamics, we have considered how to detect the dynamic physiological noise while at the same time following the time-variability of the deterministic part. To achieve this, we use dynamical Bayesian inference for modeling stochastic differential equations that describe the phase dynamics of interacting oscillators. We apply this methodological framework on cardio-respiratory signals in which the breathing of the subjects varies in a predefined manner, including free spontaneous, sine, ramped and aperiodic breathing patterns. The statistical results showed significant difference in the physiological noise for the respiration dynamics in relation to different breathing patterns. The effect from the perturbed breathing was not translated through the interactions on the dynamic noise of the cardiac dynamics. The fruitful cardio-respiratory application demonstrated the potential of the methodological framework for applications to other physiological systems more generally
Academic aspirations in Languages
No full textThis chapter aims to highlight languages doctoral students’ voices and experiences through qualitative interviews with UK-based PhD students with a strong focus on languages. It investigates the students’ journeys into language studies, their formal university education, and their sense of belonging (or not) to particular learning communities. Narrative inquiry is the methodology underpinning this research, as it is particularly suited to relating and analysing the experiences of a single person or a small number of people. The chapter begins with a general introduction to the interviewees’ educational contexts and backgrounds. The chapter’s first substantive section then proceeds with a discussion of the students’ paths into language studies, their motivations and expectations and the reasons behind them. It examines the extent to which language studies have impacted their personal and professional identities. The middle section of the chapter reflects on the students’ experiences studying at tertiary level, focusing on course content and academic support. It discusses the extent to which the students feel the content covered in their studies is relevant for their aims, the most intellectually stimulating and challenging aspects of studying languages at this level, and the most valuable academic support they receive. The third and final substantive section investigates the extent to which the interviewees feel part of a learning/academic community. It looks at the additional language learning activities the interviewees engage with outside their studies and whether they have sought language-related opportunities abroad. The chapter concludes with recommendations for emerging opportunities and issues that could be taken forwards, which stakeholders (agents, institutions, etc.) should be involved and in what capacity, and what the value of language studies is at doctoral level
Bilingual children reach early language milestones at the same age as monolingual peers
No full textIn this longitudinal study, we compare the age of reaching early developmental milestones in bilingual and monolingual children and between the bilinguals' two languages. We present data from 302 Polish bilinguals (living outside of Poland with various majority languages) and 302 Polish monolinguals, aged M = 12.78 months on study entry (range: 0 -24 months), matched on sex, age at study entry, duration of parental reporting, and parental education. The milestones under investigation include crawling, walking, babbling, first, 10th, 50th word, and first multi-word utterances. The data was collected with a specially designed mobile app, in which parents reported their children's development repeatedly. Using this relatively big sample and looking at a wide range of investigated milestones, we present evidence that typical bilingual development follows a trajectory similar to monolingual development. We also evaluate the feasibility and usefulness of online data collection using mobile apps to study early language development
Visual (Mis)Representations on Sports and Weight Loss : A Multimodal Critical Discourse Study of Images in Official Health Posts on WeChat in China
Get PDFIn response to physical inactivity and rising levels of obesity among the population, the Chinese government has used social media, such as WeChat, to engage and encourage the public to do sports in order to lose weight and maintain health. Images in official social media posts on sports and weight loss constitute an important, but currently underexplored site. Using multimodal critical discourse analysis (MCDA), this paper examines the images in the posts in “健康中国 (Healthy China),” the official WeChat account of the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China, on sports and weight loss. It is found that the images employ medical-style discursive features to establish authority on sport. Neoliberal themes of individual responsibility and competition also emerge, framing sports as self-improvement and a personal obligation. Moreover, female figures dominate, and often are depicted in alignment with societal thinness ideals, reinforcing gendered body norms and anxiety. We suggest that the discourses in the official media may lead to certain misrepresentations, obscuring structural barriers to sports, and perpetuating sports anxiety and weight biases in the society, especially among women
The longitudinal impact of psychosocial factors on cognition and hearing in younger and older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic
Get PDFPURPOSE: In March 2020, a unique situation unfolded wherein the U.K. government announced social restriction measures to reduce the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. Various measures remained in place until April 2021, with older adults, who were considered clinically vulnerable, being placed under stricter restrictions. This study aimed to determine the effect of psychosocial factors, including loneliness, depression, and engagement in various recreational lifestyle activities, on hearing and cognitive function in younger and older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: One hundred twelve older adults aged 60-82 ( M = 70.08, SD = 5.89) years and 121 younger adults aged 18-29 ( M = 20.52, SD = 2.63) years participated online between June 2020 and February 2022. Participants completed questionnaires assessing loneliness, depression, auditory and lifestyle engagement, and hearing ability, as well as behavioral tasks assessing auditory function and global cognition. All measures were completed 12 times at 4-week intervals. RESULTS: Linear mixed-effects analyses found that, of the variables examined, increased loneliness was significantly associated with poorer auditory function. There were no main effects of time during the pandemic on auditory or cognitive outcomes. However, the interaction between time and age group significantly affected global cognition; in younger adults, global cognition decreased over time, whereas older adults displayed an unexpected positive change. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that there are associations between loneliness and auditory function but provide a lack of support for the impact of time experiencing auditory deprivation, or other psychosocial factors, on hearing and cognitive function. Such observations may be underpinned by motivational differences, learning effects, or sample biases. Future research may wish to investigate these factors further, to determine how psychological factors such as loneliness affect hearing and cognitive processes across diverse participant groups. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.30936590
Metaphors and China’s COVID-19 policies : a diachronic analysis of Chinese-English bilingual news editorials
No full textChina implemented stringent COVID restrictions in 2020 but eased them in December 2022. Since metaphors can both reflect and shape people’s views and stances, it is relevant to study how the state-backed newspaper Global Times used metaphors to frame the policy shift for different target readers. It extends our previous research on the newspaper’s 2020 editorials, revealing the fluidity of metaphors used by the same text producer during a period of significant transition. Despite changes in COVID-19 policies, the newspaper continued to use WAR metaphors between January 2022 and February 2023. However, the gradual increase in JOURNEY metaphors and decrease in WAR metaphors over time suggest a transition from a “militaristic” to a “smoother” portrayal of the pandemic’s progression. While the newspaper consistently maintained pro-China and anti-US stances, it used fewer metaphors to describe the US position. The metaphor shift for China from “a person who does not lie flat” to “a person who rolls up sleeves and works hard” aligns with the government’s change in focus from the pandemic situation to economic recovery. It should be noted that translation practices further affect metaphor perception, with source-text readers exposed to more negative depictions of the pandemic and the US compared to target-text readers. Future research could explore these metaphors’ impact on audiences
Evaluation of Theoretical, Semi-Empirical, and Empirical Approaches for Determining K-Shell Absorption Parameters for Elements with Z = 18–100
Get PDFThis study presents a comprehensive evaluation of K-shell absorption parameters for elements with atomic numbers ranging from 18 to 100. The focus is on key parameters such as the absorption jump ratio, the absorption jump factor, the Davisson–Kirchner ratio, and the oscillator strength. The accuracy and reliability of these parameters are critically assessed using analytical, experimental, and theoretical approaches. Experimental values are compiled based on a thorough review of current literature, while theoretical values are calculated using established computational models such as XCOM and FFAST. Analytical estimations are derived through a combination of empirical and semi-empirical methods, aiming to explain systematic trends and correlations between absorption properties and atomic numbers. The findings provide valuable insights into K-shell absorption mechanisms and underscore the importance of accurate parameterization in advancing the understanding of X-ray absorption physics