scholarly journals Can Open Science be a Tool to Dismantle Claims of Hardwired Brain Sex Differences? Opportunities and Challenges for Feminist Researchers

2021 ◽  
pp. 036168432110376
Author(s):  
Sofia Persson ◽  
Madeleine Pownall
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Evolutionary Psychology ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Data Sharing ◽  
Gender Stereotypes ◽  
Open Science ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Registration Data ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain

Feminist scholars have long been concerned with claims of hardwired brain sex differences emanating from neuroscience and evolutionary psychology. Past criticisms of these claims have rightfully questioned the impact of this research on gender equality, pointing out how findings can be used to vindicate gender stereotypes. In this article, we appraise the brain sex differences literature through the lens of open science, a movement aimed at improving the robustness and reliability of science. In this discussion, we offer a feminist evaluation of the strategies (e.g., pre-registration, data sharing, and accountability) provided by open science, and we question whether these may be the novel and disruptive tools needed to dismantle claims about hardwired brain sex differences. We suggest that open science strategies can be useful in challenging some of these claims, and we note that promising initiatives are already being developed in neuroscience and allied fields. We end by acknowledging the distinct challenges that feminist researchers wishing to engage in open science face, particularly in the context of limited diversity. We conclude that open science presents considerable opportunity for feminist researchers, and that it will be crucial for feminists to be involved in shaping the future of this movement.

Gender Equality and Relevant European Policies Regarding Vocational Education and Labour Market

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Evangelos C. Papakitsos ◽  
Eleni Kiousi ◽  
Georgios Florakos ◽  
Evanthia Patsiada ◽  
Panagiotis S. Makrygiannis
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
European Union ◽  
Vocational Education ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Gender Stereotypes ◽  
Social Knowledge ◽  
Local Society ◽  
Self Knowledge ◽  
European Policies ◽  
The Impact

This chapter aims firstly at examining the impact of gender stereotypes on choosing vocational education or profession. Secondly, the relevant policies of European Union and Greece, in particular, are presented and commented upon. For this purpose, relevant data have been collected from four related surveys conducted in the years 2008, 2010, 2014, and 2017, mainly in the high schools of Attica (Greece). The results from these four surveys only partially confirm the original hypothesis, namely that the gender stereotypes influence the decision-making process of choosing a field of vocational study or profession, but also indicate that there are significant correlations between specific occupations per gender identity and stereotypical perceptions. Finally, the harmonious coexistence of the sexes requires the development of self-knowledge and critical thinking. This can be achieved only by raising the awareness of teachers, who are called to improve the critical self-knowledge and social knowledge of individuals through the implementation of policies regarding school and local society.

COVID-19, the Brain, and the Future: Is Infection by the Novel Coronavirus a Harbinger of Neurodegeneration?

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adejoke Onaolapo ◽  
Olakunle Onaolapo
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Central Nervous System Involvement ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain

: The possible impact of viral infections on the development or pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders remains largely unknown. However, there have been reports associating the influenza virus pandemic and long-term infection with the Japanese encephalitis virus with the development of post-encephalitic Parkinsonism or von Economo encephalitis. In the last one year plus, there has been a worldwide pandemic arising from infection with the novel coronavirus or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 which causes a severe acute respiratory syndrome that has become associated with central nervous system symptoms or complications. Its possible central nervous system involvement is in line with emerging scientific evidence which shows that the human respiratory coronaviruses can enter the brain, infect neural cells, persist in the brain, and cause activation of myelin-reactive T cells. Currently, there is a dearth of scientific information on the acute or possible long-term impact of infection with SARS-CoV-2 on the development of dementias and/or neurodegenerative diseases. This is not unrelated to the fact that the virus is ‘new’, and its effects on humans are still being studied. This narrative review examines extant literature for the impact of corona virus infections on the brain; as it considers the possibility that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could increase the risk for the development of neurodegenerative diseases or hasten their progression.

The Impact of Workflow and Volumetric Feedback on Frameless Image-guided Neurosurgery

2009 ◽  
Vol 64 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. ONS170-ONS176
Author(s):  
Peter A. Woerdeman ◽  
Peter W.A. Willems ◽  
Herke J. Noordmans ◽  
Cornelis A.F. Tulleken ◽  
Jan W.B. van der Sprenkel
Keyword(s):  
Functional Data ◽  
Tumor Resection ◽  
Clinical Results ◽  
Neurosurgical Procedures ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Image Guided ◽  
Interactive Interface ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Visual Interface

Abstract Objective: During image-guided neurosurgery, if the surgeon is not fully orientated to the surgical position, he or she will briefly shift attention toward the visualization interface of an image guidance station, receiving only momentary “point-in-space” information. The aim of this study was to develop a novel visual interface for neuronavigation during brain tumor surgery, enabling intraoperative feedback on the entire progress of surgery relative to the anatomy of the brain and its pathology, regardless of the interval at which the surgeon chooses to look. Methods: New software written in Java (Sun Microsystems, Inc., Santa Clara, CA) was developed to visualize the cumulative recorded instrument positions intraoperatively. This allowed surgeons to see all previous instrument positions during the elapsed surgery. This new interactive interface was then used in 17 frameless image-guided neurosurgical procedures. The purpose of the first 11 cases was to obtain clinical experience with this new interface. In these cases, workflow and volumetric feedback (WVF) were available at the surgeons' discretion (Protocol A). In the next 6 cases, WVF was provided only after a complete resection was claimed (Protocol B). Results: With the novel interactive interface, dynamics of surgical resection, displacement of cortical anatomy, and digitized functional data could be visualized intraoperatively. In the first group (Protocol A), surgeons expressed the view that WVF had affected their decision making and aided resection (10 of 11 cases). In 3 of 6 cases in the second group (Protocol B), tumor resections were extended after evaluation of WVF. By digitizing the cortical surface, an impression of the cortical shift could be acquired in all 17 cases. The maximal cortical shift measured 20 mm, but it typically varied between 0 and 10 mm. Conclusion: Our first clinical results suggest that the embedding of WVF contributes to improvement of surgical awareness and tumor resection in image-guided neurosurgery in a swift and simple manner.

Quota Women Are Threatening to Men

2017 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 107-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klea Faniko ◽  
Till Burckhardt ◽  
Oriane Sarrasin ◽  
Fabio Lorenzi-Cioldi ◽  
Siri Øyslebø Sørensen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Gender Stereotypes ◽  
Perceived Threat ◽  
Preferential Treatment ◽  
Public Sector Employees ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Women In Decision Making ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Two studies carried out among Albanian public-sector employees examined the impact of different types of affirmative action policies (AAPs) on (counter)stereotypical perceptions of women in decision-making positions. Study 1 (N = 178) revealed that participants – especially women – perceived women in decision-making positions as more masculine (i.e., agentic) than feminine (i.e., communal). Study 2 (N = 239) showed that different types of AA had different effects on the attribution of gender stereotypes to AAP beneficiaries: Women benefiting from a quota policy were perceived as being more communal than agentic, while those benefiting from weak preferential treatment were perceived as being more agentic than communal. Furthermore, we examined how the belief that AAPs threaten men’s access to decision-making positions influenced the attribution of these traits to AAP beneficiaries. The results showed that men who reported high levels of perceived threat, as compared to men who reported low levels of perceived threat, attributed more communal than agentic traits to the beneficiaries of quotas. These findings suggest that AAPs may have created a backlash against its beneficiaries by emphasizing gender-stereotypical or counterstereotypical traits. Thus, the framing of AAPs, for instance, as a matter of enhancing organizational performance, in the process of policy making and implementation, may be a crucial tool to countering potential backlash.

Gender Stereotypes Reflect Sex Differences in Leadership Style

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary C. Johannesen-Schmidt ◽  
Claartje J. Vinkenburg ◽  
Alice H. Eagly
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Leadership Style ◽  
Gender Stereotypes

Experimental study of thermohydraulic characteristics and irreversibility analysis of novel axial corrugated tube with spring tape inserts

2020 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 30901
Author(s):  
Suvanjan Bhattacharyya ◽  
Debraj Sarkar ◽  
Ulavathi Shettar Mahabaleshwar ◽  
Manoj K. Soni ◽  
M. Mohanraj
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Experimental Study ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Heat Exchanger Tube ◽  
Heat Transfer Augmentation ◽  
Corrugated Tube ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Exchanger Tube

The current study experimentally investigates the heat transfer augmentation on the novel axial corrugated heat exchanger tube in which the spring tape is introduced. Air (Pr = 0.707) is used as a working fluid. In order to augment the thermohydraulic performance, a corrugated tube with inserts is offered. The experimental study is further extended by varying the important parameters like spring ratio (y = 1.5, 2.0, 2.5) and Reynolds number (Re = 10 000–52 000). The angular pitch between the two neighboring corrugations and the angle of the corrugation is kept constant through the experiments at β = 1200 and α = 600 respectively, while two different corrugations heights (h) are analyzed. While increasing the corrugation height and decreasing the spring ratio, the impact of the swirling effect improves the thermal performance of the system. The maximum thermal performance is obtained when the corrugation height is h = 0.2 and spring ratio y = 1.5. Eventually, correlations for predicting friction factor (f) and Nusselt number (Nu) are developed.

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