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Gender, race and their interplay with economic status: intersectionality and asymmetric jeopardies in Brazilian education
Get PDFA large body of research has illustrated how inequalities in educational achievements globally are rooted in a range of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. However, the sources of educational disadvantages are too often considered in isolation, without addressing how they interplay with one another. Building upon the intersectionality and multiple jeopardy frameworks, in this paper we employ a sequential mixed-methods approach to analyse the role played by economic status, gender and race in shaping education attainment in Brazilian high-stakes secondary education exams. Our specific focus is on how economic status, conceptualised as comprising an absolute and a relative facet, interplays with gender and race. Our quantitative analysis reveals that the two components of economic status interplay symmetrically with gender but asymmetrically with race. Gender attainment gaps shrink with higher absolute and relative status. Race attainment gaps also shrink with higher absolute status, but they expand with higher relative status. We use the insights obtained from the literature as well as from our qualitative interviews to situate and explain these findings. Our work improves the understanding of the multifaceted disadvantage experienced by students from underprivileged households in Brazil, highlighting how economic inequality and discrimination hinder educational attainment and jeopardise social mobility.</p
Short-term high-dose nicotinamide treatment across glaucoma subtypes reveals increased mtDNA content and minimal metabolomic change in blood
Get PDFIn glaucoma, retinal ganglion cell degeneration has been linked to declining mitochondrial metabolic capacity. Nicotinamide (NAM) supplementation has emerged as a potential treatment for this. We assessed the effects of a 2-week NAM supplementation on blood buffy coat mitochondrial content (qPCR to assess mtDNA amount per cell) and the plasma metabolome (small-molecular-weight high-resolution mass spectrometry) in 90 glaucoma subjects from 3 different glaucoma subtypes (high tension glaucoma (HTG), normal tension glaucoma (NTG), and pseudoexfoliative glaucoma (PEXG), n = 30 per group), and 30 healthy controls with similar age and sex distribution. At baseline (pre-NAM), only ethylmalonic acid, a compound related to defects in β-oxidation and mitochondrial dysfunction, was found to be modestly increased in the 3 glaucoma subtypes in comparison to controls. All groups showed a similar metabolome response to treatment with a specific increase in NAM and related species (1-methylnicotinamide, 6-hydroxynicotinamide, N1-methyl-2-pyridone-5-carboxamide), increased 5-methylcytosine, and decreased 4-pyridoxic acid. Between groups, only sarcosine had a different response, with a small reduction in HTG and NTG post-treatment. NAM treatment resulted in a significant but slight within-group increase in blood mtDNA amount in controls and HTG (12 % and 17 %, respectively). This study suggests that NAM treatment leads to similar plasma metabolome changes between glaucoma groups and controls, which predominantly reflect increased NAM metabolites and intermediates, with minimal effects on the wider metabolome, and a modest increase in mtDNA amount in HTG and controls. As this was observed in a short-term accelerated dosing context, long-term and larger studies with additional timepoints and greater adjustment for systemic metabolic factors will be required to provide more information on the long-term effects of oral NAM supplementation.</p
Social interaction and dark tourism in prison museums
No full textThis study explores how prison tourism experiences are co-constructed through situated visitor interactions. Penal heritage sites are decommissioned prisons, transformed into immersive educational attractions, drawing upon multiple interpretative practices to engage visitors with historic and contemporary issues of crime and punishment. Using ethnomethodological conversation analysis (EMCA), this research examines how gestures, talk, gaze and bodily position influence how visitors see, interpret, and emotionally negotiate difficult heritage. Findings reveal that visitors co-produce dark tourism experiences and negotiate the perceived darkness of sites through embodied practice. Situating visitors as active social agents, this study provides insights into the co-construction of dark tourism experiences, emphasising interpretation as an emergent process shaped by interaction rather than predetermined by site design or individual motivation
Spectral synthesis of temporal response of nonlinearity through tuneable electron and phonon dynamics in a metamaterial
No full textManipulating intensity, phase and polarisation of the electromagnetic fields on ultrafast timescales is essential for all-optical switching, optical information processing and development of novel time-variant media. Noble metal based plasmonics has provided numerous platforms for optical switching and control, enabled by strong local field enhancement, artificially engineered dispersion and strong Kerr-type free-electron nonlinearities. However, achieving precise control over switching times and spectral response remains challenging, often limited by hot-electron gas relaxation on picosecond timescales and by the intrinsic band structure of the materials. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a strong and tunable nonlinearity in a metamaterial-on-a-mirror geometry, controlled by the wavelength of excitation, which imprints a specific, non-uniform hot-electron population distribution, driving targeted electron and lattice dynamics. The synergistic exchange of electromagnetic, electronic and mechanical energies enables reflection changes on sub-300 fs timescales in selected spectral ranges, surpassing the limitations imposed by the inherent material response of metamaterial constituents. The observed effect–present in reflection due to leaky guided modes of the metamaterial, but absent in transmission–is highly spectrally selective and sensitive to polarisation of light, opening a pathway to tailoring switching rates through the choice of operating wavelength and nanostructure design. The ability to manipulate temporal, spectral, and mechanical aspects of light-matter interactions underscores new opportunities for nonlinear optical applications where polarisation diversity, spectral selectivity, and ultrafast modulation are important
Interpretation bias in emotional disorders:a selective review
Get PDFAmbiguity and uncertainty are evident in much of our day-to-day lives. We will discuss how, driven by clinical insights, researchers in the field of cognition and emotion developed methods to assess how individuals process ambiguous information that can be interpreted in positive or negative ways. People with emotional disorders, and those with high levels of anxiety or depression, tend to process ambiguity in more negative ways than others with low levels of anxiety or depression, who tend to generate positive interpretations of ambiguity. We will also discuss how methods to assess interpretation bias have been adapted to modify interpretation bias, and reveal its causal role in maintaining emotional problems. We then consider how interpretation can influence and be influenced by other biases such as in memory and imagery. Finally, we will discuss how interpretation bias can be targeted in psychological interventions to reduce anxiety and depression
Reverse Asymmetry:Agency in Advanced Economy Subsidiaries of Emerging Market Multinational Enterprises
Get PDFThis study examines how employees of German subsidiaries respond to practice transfers from headquarters of Chinese multinational enterprises (MNEs). Drawing from an institutional and capabilities lens, we find that subsidiary employees derive agency from the context of an advanced economy subsidiary of an emerging economy MNE. In this context, the subsidiary tends to have stronger capabilities than the parent company, and there is a large parent–subsidiary institutional distance. Subsidiary agency ranges from constructive reframing of attempted practice transfers toward desired outcomes (constructive agency) to attempts at resisting the transfers (resistance agency). An extreme form of resistance is gatekeeping, requiring subsidiary consent to the practice transfer (gatekeeper agency). Resistance-oriented forms of agency appear more likely when subsidiaries have considerable capability advantages and institutional differences between parent and subsidiaries are particularly large. Other factors not specific to the emerging economy MNE context also affect the nature of agency: Constructive forms of agency are more feasible when relations between parent and subsidiary are good, while gatekeeper agency is specific to acquisitions
Moving Beyond Clicks:Rethinking Consent and User Control in the Age of AI
Get PDFCurrent privacy consent mechanisms often let users down: cookie banners violate informed consent requirements, privacy policies are still difficult to understand, and transparency alone does not guarantee the protection of personal data. In other words, privacy controls are often not user-friendly, let alone felt as mechanisms for empowerment. As AI processes more and more personal data and plays an increasingly important role in society, these challenges are becoming more acute. Emerging systems based on large-scale data and machine learning complicate the boundaries of user control and consent; invisible inferences, decisions delegated to AI agents, and opaque personalisation create new challenges. While prior HCI research has examined the usability of consent and explored ways to improve it, the community still lacks a systematic exploration of consent in the age of AI. Therefore, this workshop brings together experts from AI, HCI, privacy, social sciences, policy, and law fields, to imagine how consent and control must evolve beyond ``scroll-and-click'' towards richer, contextual, and adaptive mechanisms reflecting human capabilities and values. It re-imagines consent and user control in the AI era, distinguishing between explicit decisions and the broader ways in which people can influence how their data is used. Using the Futures Design Toolkit~\cite{fuel4design_2021}, participants will develop future personas and create design provocations through prototyping. We are seeking position papers that address: novel consent mechanisms, the privacy impact of AI, privacy decision delegation models, and new interaction modalities for user consent and control. We will produce design artefacts and research directions for privacy control tools that are more effective, usable, and accessible than existing mechanisms
Impact of Gut Decontamination Strategies on the Clinical, Microbiological, and Ecological Outcomes of Critically Ill Patients Requiring Mechanical Ventilation:A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Get PDFObjectiveTo determine the impact of gut decontamination strategies (selective decontamination of the digestive tract and selective oral decontamination) on patient-level clinical and microbiological outcomes and unit-level ecological outcomes in critically ill patients requiring mechanical ventilation.Data SourceWe searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and trial registries from inception to October 7, 2025.Study SelectionWe included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating gut decontaminationcompared to standard and cohort studies reporting ecological surveillance data in intensive care units (ICU) implementing gut decontamination.Data ExtractionWe extracted data on study and patient characteristics, gut decontamination regimens, patient outcomes (e.g., mortality), patient-level microbiology outcomes (e.g., ventilatorassociated pneumonia [VAP], bloodstream infections, antimicrobial resistance), and unit-level ecological outcomes (e.g., antimicrobial resistance).Data SynthesisWe identified 39 RCTs (n = 37,449) and 24 cohort studies (n >383,159). Overall, gutdecontamination strategies probably reduce hospital mortality (relative risk [RR] 0.92, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.86 to 0.97, moderate certainty), with regimens including intravenous antibiotics driving the mortality benefit compared to topical-only regimens. Gut decontamination strategies reduce bloodstream infections (RR 0.68, 95% CI 0.57 to 0.80, high certainty), mechanical ventilation duration (mean difference [MD] -0.91 days, 95% CI -1.23 to - 0.58, high certainty) and probably reduce VAP (RR 0.44, 95% CI 0.36 to 0.54, moderate certainty) and therapeutic antibiotic administration (RR 0.63, 95% CI 0.49 to 0.82, moderate certainty). Gut decontamination strategies may not increase patient-level antibiotic-resistant organisms nor Clostridioides difficile infection(low certainty). Moreover, ecological surveillance data suggest that gutdecontamination strategies may, at the unit-level, reduce VAP without increasingantibiotic-resistant organisms (low certainty).ConclusionGut decontamination strategies reduce hospital mortality, the duration of mechanical ventilation, VAP, bloodstream infections, and therapeutic antibiotic administration (moderate to high certainty). Importantly, gut decontamination strategies may not increase antimicrobial resistance at the patient or ICU level (low certainty)
Transitioning from Cytology to HPV Test-Based Primary Cervical Screening in Canada:A Population-Based Survey of Women’s Screening and Information Preferences
Get PDFBackground: Canada’s cervical cancer elimination plan is challenged by suboptimal screening participation and rising incidence of cervical cancer over the past decade. Cytology, the primary cervical screening method in Canada, is being replaced with HPV testing, which offers superior sensitivity for detecting pre-cancerous lesions and supports initiating screening at age 25 or older and extending screening intervals to five years. Research has shown that women’s insufficient knowledge and negative attitudes toward HPV screening represent a significant barrier to screening uptake. Methods: We conducted a web-based national survey using Best–Worst Scaling (trade off utilities) to quantify women’s preferences for screening test modality, age of initiation, and screening intervals. We also assessed preferences for information sources, provider type, and communication methods. Underscreened individuals were oversampled. Results: Among adequately screened (N = 1778) and underscreened (N = 1570) individuals, preferences favoured co-testing (cytology plus HPV testing), initiating screening at age 21, and three-year screening intervals. Underscreened participants showed relatively higher preference for HPV self-sampling, and as opposed to adequately screened participants, preferred screening by a gynecologist rather than a family physician. Across groups, participants preferred receiving screening-related information and communication by email over postal mail. Conclusions: The misalignment between women’s preferences and current HPV test-based screening implementation plans requires immediate education interventions and modernized, user-preferred communication channels for cervical screening-eligible individuals in Canada.</p
