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Ordinal embedding for network estimation via graphon
No full textMany applications routinely record multiple networks on the same set of nodes. In such applications, interest often lies in
understanding differences in interaction behavior at the node level as well as the variability in structure across networks. In this paper,
we focus on estimation of the underlying network structure at the node-level, via a graph limit object, known as the graphon function.
The graphon determines network structure via probabilities of interaction between node pairs, and interest lies in its estimation. We propose a two-step graphon estimation procedure. First, we establish data sampling regimes which allow consistent recovery of the latent node positions via ordinal embedding. Second, we show how estimated node positions lead to a plug-in graphon estimator via classical nonparametric regression techniques such as series estimation. We derive the rate at which the proposed plug-in series
graphon estimator converges to the corresponding classical series graphon estimator based on the true node positions. Finite sample
performance investigated in a simulation study show significant improvements over existing approaches. Application to a dynamic
contact network of ants and a collection of structural brain networks illustrate the utility of our approach
The ruins that remain: remembering Dura-Europos in Salhiyeh
No full textThe legacy of Dura-Europos is well-known through hundreds of scholarly publications and continuing work in the archives of the excavations held by Yale University Art Gallery. The absences in the traditional accounts of Dura’s excavation history are also increasing evident, including the role of local archaeological labour, and the relationship between local Syrian communities such as that of Salhiyeh—the settlement on the Euphrates immediately beneath the plateau on which Dura sits—and the archaeological site. This chapter presents oral history research which attempts to address such archival absences and speaks to alternative legacies. Our research, conducted through interviews, examines the strong but complex relationship between local people of Salhiyeh and al Athar (‘the ruins’). That relationship is one which was often forged in childhood, and sometimes involved mixed feelings of pride and alienation. The recent damage to the site was, for some local people, only one in a long line of losses, with the site’s artefacts, and knowledge related to the site, inaccessible long before the most recent conflict began
Molecular Biophysics Database (MBDB) makes raw measurements findable and reusable
Get PDFOpen science is now established as an important paradigm for publicly funded research. The main principle being that to ensure best use of research data and integrity of the scientific process the information from experiments should be made widely and freely available. However, dedicated technical infrastructure to enable useful access to comprehensive experimental information in molecular biophysics is lacking, in particular in regard to repositories for raw measurement data. The Molecular Biophysics Database (MBDB) was created to fill this gap. The MBDB provides a common and extensible framework to store and access raw measurement data from a growing number of biophysical methods, currently including bio-layer interferometry, isothermal titration calorimetry, surface plasmon resonance, and microscale thermophoresis, with additional methods planned for the future. Alongside the raw measurement data from these methods, a rich set of metadata to enable data reuse is captured in accordance with the FAIR data management principles. An overview of the data models and technologies that were used to create the MBDB is presented here
But does it work with real patients? Caution needed in Health Education England’s prioritisation of simulation-based training of new doctors
Get PDFThe United Kingdom’s Health Education England (HEE) oversees training of new doctors, and it prioritises simulation-based training, but it is unclear whether such training prepares new doctors for clinical procedures involving real patients. To investigate that, this article’s aim was to discuss experiments in the field, noting that a review by HEE missed at least eight studies, and misinterpreted two studies as showing positive outcomes when the results were negative or inconclusive. Occupational psychologists who work in staff development in hospitals should therefore be cautious about the HEE’s review by reading the original studies themselves. This article discusses why the HEE should evaluate the impact of simulation-based training on patient outcomes, and why it should review studies which test causality (e.g., randomised-controlled trials). Looking back at Kirkpatrick’s model about how to evaluate training interventions, occupational psychologists should go beyond the reaction stage (e.g., are doctors enjoying the training?) to the behaviour stage (e.g., does it help them complete clinical procedures with patients?) and the results stage (e.g., does it reduce excess patient deaths in July or August when new doctors start work in hospitals?). Some experiments found that simulation-based training can worsen performance by increasing the duration of clinical procedures, the number of attempts to success and new doctors missing vital steps. Many of the methods are still used today (e.g., in endoscopy, laparoscopy), therefore their efficacy remains questionable. When presented with newer technology such as virtual reality-based training, occupational psychologists should still ask questions about their efficacy and encourage the hospitals to supplement simulation-based training of new doctors with good quality/quantity of clinical supervision and job shadowing
The man who painted his house
No full textA short film about art, labour and devotion. The man who painted his house is David Parr, a Victorian working-class decorative artist apprenticed to the Cambridge firm F. R. Leach & Sons. Parr worked for leading designers linked to the Arts and Crafts Movement, including William Morris, and in 1886 he saved enough money to buy a house for himself and his family. Parr painstakingly hand painted his modest terraced house in Cambridge inspired by the intricately patterned style of the Arts & Crafts interiors on which he worked during the day. This extraordinary home was preserved within the Parr family for generations but remained unknown to the public until it was discovered by chance. In 2014, the David Parr House charity was set up to preserve the house as a museum.
The film, which is part of a wider research project on the figure of the Victorian art-workman led by Dr Mills, explores Parr’s story through observations of the house and its use today, a visit to All Saint’s Church where he worked, archival material, and an original score for viola and piano
The state of anti-antisemitism
No full textAn interview with the authors of a new Runnymede Trust report.
In January 2025, The Runnymede Trust published Facing antisemitism: the struggle for safety and solidarity, a new report on antisemitism in the UK by Professor David Feldman, Dr Ben Gidley, and Dr Brendan McGeever of the Birkbeck Institute for the Study of Antisemitism.
Situated in a post-7 October 2023 context, the report argues that “antisemitism is deeply embedded into our common culture…as a reservoir of racist stereotypes and narratives about Jewish people, which are normalised and widespread.” Through this analytical lens, the authors examine the manifestations of antisemitism today and engage the politics of anti-antisemitism as practiced by the Jewish community, the state, and the left.
The report concludes that the current approach to combating antisemitism in the UK is not working. The authors call for the UK government and wider anti-racist organisations to “move beyond framing and discussing antisemitism in ways that pit communities against one another, prohibit solidarity and encourage division” and to adopt a “360-degree antiracism” that develops alliances between Jewish people and other racialised minorities.
Professor Feldman, Dr Gidley, and Dr McGeever recently spoke to Vashti about Facing antisemitism. In a wide-ranging interview, the authors discuss the framing of their report, the concept of “the reservoir of antisemitism”, and address possible points of contention in their analysis of the relationship between Zionism and anti-racism
Human rationality
No full textThis article provides a critical overview of research on human rationality. Rationality research poses a number of unusual challenges to psychologists. For one, it is unusually interdisciplinary and involves research conducted in adjacent disciplines (e.g., economics, education, communication, computer science and philosophy), not all of which are accessible with psychological training. What underlies this diversity, however, is an arguably even more unusual feature: the fact that even purely descriptive research, focused on what we actually do, cannot proceed without reference to normative considerations, that is, considerations of what we ought to do. Empirical results can thus only be understood with some understanding of the relevant norms of rationality.
This article introduces the range of relevant frameworks, followed by examples of the different ways these frameworks are put to use. The bulk of the article then surveys research findings on human rationality across the core areas of (probability) judgment, reasoning, decision-making, and argumentation. Two final sections provide cross-cutting themes, one on the contrast (and interrelationship) between individual and collective rationality and one on the unique challenges of linking rationality research to real-world concerns
Influencer efficacy and the fan effect in green food branding: the mediating role of perceived quality
Get PDFSocial media has become the core channel through which people communicate, and the important role of influencer marketing in creating a fan base for brands is widely recognized. Grounded in Source Credibility, Homophily Theory and Signaling Theory, the purpose of this study is to investigate how influencer efficacy affects the fan effect of green food brands under digital social media. This paper adopts a quantitative research method. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on the Wenjuanxing platform and collected 417 valid responses from consumers who had previously purchased green food based on an influencer’s recommendation. A conceptual model was tested through the structural equation modelling procedure. The results showed that professionalism, trustworthiness, and similarity had positive effects on perceived quality. Furthermore, perceived quality significantly promoted the formation of the brand fan effect and partially mediated the effects of these characteristics of influencers on the brand fan effect. This study provides new insight into the fan effect of green food brands and also provides a theoretical basis for green food companies to accurately match their brands with suitable influencers, enhance the brand fan effect, and rationally formulate operational strategies
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