Does essentialism lead to racial prejudice?: It’s not so black and white

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara M Mandalaywala
Keyword(s):  
Belief Systems ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Social Categories ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Stigmatized Groups ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
Intuitive Theory ◽  
Shed Light

Over half a century ago, psychologists hypothesized that social essentialism, an intuitive theory comprising the beliefs that social categories reflect naturally-occurring distinctions and that category members share an underlying and fundamental essence, lays the foundation for prejudice. In the intervening decades, research has shown that although essentialism sometimes leads to prejudicial beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors, it does not always, sometimes even leading to decreased prejudice toward stigmatized groups. The relation between essentialism and prejudice is clearly complex, but this review proposes four questions that will help clarify how and when essentialism leads to prejudice: (1) What precisely is essentialism and how might a more nuanced understanding of its components and structure shed light on the mechanisms by which essentialist beliefs contribute to prejudice?; (2) Do essentialist beliefs orient group-based prejudice toward out-groups or toward stigmatized groups, and what are the consequences of essentialist beliefs among those with minoritized identities?; (3) Do essentialist beliefs engender group-based prejudice directly, or must essentialist beliefs interact with additional information or belief systems to lead to negative consequences?; and (4) Do essentialist beliefs lay a foundation for group-based prejudice to develop, or is essentialism strategically invoked to justify existing prejudice? By posing these questions, describing what is currently known about each, and proposing future lines of inquiry that focus on the importance of including participants from a diverse set of backgrounds and across developmental periods, this review aims to stimulate research studies best designed to fill the gaps in our knowledge. By understanding how and when essentialism contributes to prejudice, we will be better equipped to use this early-emerging, but malleable, aspect of cognition to decrease prejudice and create a more equitable society.

LANGUAGE AND DEMENTIA: SOCIOLINGUISTIC ASPECTS

2008 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 91-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi E. Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Public Discourse ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Activities ◽  
Cultural Perspective ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Physical Environments ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
Communicative Context ◽  
Local Levels ◽  
Shed Light

This review of sociolinguistic aspects of language and dementia focuses on studies that (1) examine naturally occurring language with attention to variation that relates to speakers' cognitive or sociocultural attributes or to dimensions of the communicative context, (2) provide a nuanced understanding of individuals with dementia or contexts of communication that may illuminate sociolinguistic analyses, or (3) call for sociolinguistic investigations to clarify or provide additional evidence for a particular finding outside of linguistics. Structured from the global to the local levels, the review begins with literature that frames the study of language and dementia from the societal or cultural perspective, focusing on public discourse relating to dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Studies that shed light on social activities and physical environments are addressed next as possible influences on the shape of the discourse. Finally, investigations of verbal and nonverbal aspects of discourse produced by and with individuals with dementia are reviewed. Ideas for future research are outlined along with a call for increased cross-disciplinary cooperation among researchers who work at the intersection of language, dementia, and society.

Compressive Sensing Audio Watermarking dengan Metode LWT dan QIM

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 405
Author(s):  
IRMA SAFITRI ◽  
NUR IBRAHIM ◽  
HERLAMBANG YOGASWARA
Keyword(s):  
Wavelet Transform ◽  
Compressive Sensing ◽  
Audio Watermarking ◽  
Quantization Index Modulation ◽  
Computationally Efficient ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Audio Files ◽  
Index Modulation ◽  
Mp3 Compression

ABSTRAKPenelitian ini mengembangkan teknik Compressive Sensing (CS) untuk audio watermarking dengan metode Lifting Wavelet Transform (LWT) dan Quantization Index Modulation (QIM). LWT adalah salah satu teknik mendekomposisi sinyal menjadi 2 sub-band, yaitu sub-band low dan high. QIM adalah suatu metode yang efisien secara komputasi atau perhitungan watermarking dengan menggunakan informasi tambahan. Audio watermarking dilakukan menggunakan file audio dengan format *.wav berdurasi 10 detik dan menggunakan 4 genre musik, yaitu pop, classic, rock, dan metal. Watermark yang disisipkan berupa citra hitam putih dengan format *.bmp yang masing-masing berukuran 32x32 dan 64x64 pixel. Pengujian dilakukan dengan mengukur nilai SNR, ODG, BER, dan PSNR. Audio yang telah disisipkan watermark, diuji ketahanannya dengan diberikan 7 macam serangan berupa LPF, BPF, HPF, MP3 compression, noise, dan echo. Penelitian ini memiliki hasil optimal dengan nilai SNR 85,32 dB, ODG -8,34x10-11, BER 0, dan PSNR ∞.Kata kunci: Audio watermarking, QIM, LWT, Compressive Sensing. ABSTRACTThis research developed Compressive Sensing (CS) technique for audio watermarking using Wavelet Transform (LWT) and Quantization Index Modulation (QIM) methods. LWT is one technique to decompose the signal into 2 sub-bands, namely sub-band low and high. QIM is a computationally efficient method or watermarking calculation using additional information. Audio watermarking was done using audio files with *.wav format duration of 10 seconds and used 4 genres of music, namely pop, classic, rock, and metal. Watermark was inserted in the form of black and white image with *.bmp format each measuring 32x32 and 64x64 pixels. The test was done by measuring the value of SNR, ODG, BER, and PSNR. Audio that had been inserted watermark was tested its durability with given 7 kinds of attacks such as LPF, BPF, HPF, MP3 Compression, Noise, and Echo. This research had optimal result with SNR value of 85.32 dB, ODG value of -8.34x10-11, BER value of 0, and PSNR value of ∞.Keywords: Audio watermarking, QIM, LWT, Compressive Sensing.

scholarly journals Concerns Related to the COVID-19 in Adult Norwegians during the First Outbreak in 2020: A Qualitative Approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 4312
Author(s):  
Laila Skogstad ◽  
Inger Schou-Bredal ◽  
Tore Bonsaksen ◽  
Trond Heir ◽  
Øivind Ekeberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Response Options ◽  
Serious Illness ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Qualitative Thematic Analysis ◽  
Norwegian Population ◽  
Shed Light

Concerns related to the first outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Norwegian population are studied in a cross-sectional web-survey conducted between 8 April and 20 May 2020. The qualitative thematic analysis of the open-ended question “Do you have other concerns related to the pandemic?”, followed a six-step process. Concerns from 1491 informants were analyzed, 34% of women and 30% of men (p = 0.05) provided concerns. Respondents with higher educational level reported concerns more often (86% vs. 83%, p = 0.022). The qualitative analysis revealed five themes—society, health, social activities, personal economy and duration—and 13 sub-themes, mostly related to the themes “society” and “health” (724 and 704, respectively). Empathy for others was prominent, for society (nationally and globally), but also concerns related to infecting others and family members at risk for developing serious illness if infected. The responses to the open-ended question yielded additional information, beyond the information obtained from questions with pre-categorized response options, especially related to concerns about society and health. Themes arising from the qualitative analysis shed light on what are important concerns for people during the pandemic and this may serve as targeted measures for the authorities.

What Can Experimental Studies of Bias Tell Us About Real-World Group Disparities?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-82
Author(s):  
Joseph Cesario
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
White Men ◽  
Human Mind ◽  
Behavioral Differences ◽  
Social Categories ◽  
Systematic Testing ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Research Tradition ◽  
The Social

Abstract This article questions the widespread use of experimental social psychology to understand real-world group disparities. Standard experimental practice is to design studies in which participants make judgments of targets who vary only on the social categories to which they belong. This is typically done under simplified decision landscapes and with untrained decision makers. For example, to understand racial disparities in police shootings, researchers show pictures of armed and unarmed Black and White men to undergraduates and have them press "shoot" and "don't shoot" buttons. Having demonstrated categorical bias under these conditions, researchers then use such findings to claim that real-world disparities are also due to decision-maker bias. I describe three flaws inherent in this approach, flaws which undermine any direct contribution of experimental studies to explaining group disparities. First, the decision landscapes used in experimental studies lack crucial components present in actual decisions (Missing Information Flaw). Second, categorical effects in experimental studies are not interpreted in light of other effects on outcomes, including behavioral differences across groups (Missing Forces Flaw). Third, there is no systematic testing of whether the contingencies required to produce experimental effects are present in real-world decisions (Missing Contingencies Flaw). I apply this analysis to three research topics to illustrate the scope of the problem. I discuss how this research tradition has skewed our understanding of the human mind within and beyond the discipline and how results from experimental studies of bias are generally misunderstood. I conclude by arguing that the current research tradition should be abandoned.

A naturally occurring nonapeptide functionally compensates for the CP1 domain of leucyl-tRNA synthetase to modulate aminoacylation activity

2012 ◽  
Vol 443 (2) ◽  
pp. 477-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Tan ◽  
Wei Yan ◽  
Ru-Juan Liu ◽  
Meng Wang ◽  
Xin Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Catalytic Efficiency ◽  
Trna Synthetase ◽  
Modular Construction ◽  
Aquifex Aeolicus ◽  
Trna Synthetases ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Aminoacyl Trna Synthetases ◽  
Editing Domain ◽  
Editing Activity ◽  
Shed Light

aaRSs (aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases) establish the rules of the genetic code by catalysing the formation of aminoacyl-tRNA. The quality control for aminoacylation is achieved by editing activity, which is usually carried out by a discrete editing domain. For LeuRS (leucyl-tRNA synthetase), the CP1 (connective peptide 1) domain is the editing domain responsible for hydrolysing mischarged tRNA. The CP1 domain is universally present in LeuRSs, except MmLeuRS (Mycoplasma mobile LeuRS). The substitute of CP1 in MmLeuRS is a nonapeptide (MmLinker). In the present study, we show that the MmLinker, which is critical for the aminoacylation activity of MmLeuRS, could confer remarkable tRNA-charging activity on the inactive CP1-deleted LeuRS from Escherichia coli (EcLeuRS) and Aquifex aeolicus (AaLeuRS). Furthermore, CP1 from EcLeuRS could functionally compensate for the MmLinker and endow MmLeuRS with post-transfer editing capability. These investigations provide a mechanistic framework for the modular construction of aaRSs and their co-ordination to achieve catalytic efficiency and fidelity. These results also show that the pre-transfer editing function of LeuRS originates from its conserved synthetic domain and shed light on future study of the mechanism.

Fluorescence of the Complexes of 2-Methylnaphthoate and 2-Hydroxypropyl-α-, -β-, and -γ-Cyclodextrins in Aqueous Solution

2002 ◽  
Vol 56 (12) ◽  
pp. 1579-1587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Di Marino ◽  
Franscisco Mendicuti
Keyword(s):  
Aqueous Solution ◽  
Fluorescence Anisotropy ◽  
Intensity Ratio ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Emission Spectra ◽  
Formation Constants ◽  
Dielectric Constants ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Fluorescence Techniques ◽  
Naturally Occurring

Fluorescence techniques were employed to study the inclusion complexes of 2-methylnaphthoate (MN) with 2-hydroxypropyl-α-cyclodextrin (αHPCD), 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (βHPCD), and 2-hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin (γHPCD). Emission spectra of MN show two vibronic bands whose intensity ratio R is very sensitive to the polarity of the medium. The stoichiometry and formation constants of these complexes were investigated by obtaining R as a function of the cyclodextrin (CD) concentration. Results showed identical stoichiometry (1/1) for the three MN/αHPCD, MN/β-HPCD, and MN/γHPCD complexes. Formation constants at 25 °C were 780 ± 15, 2700 ± 130, and 165 ± 10 M−1, respectively. ΔH0 and ΔS0 were obtained from linear van't Hoff plots. Results reveal that the complexation of MN with αHPCD is enthalpy driven. With βHPCD, both the entropy and enthalpy terms favor the process, whereas the formation of the complex with γHPCD is entropically governed. The extrapolation of R at infinite CD concentration allows us to estimate the effective dielectric constants of the inner CD cavities, which are around 50, but which differ from their counterparts, the naturally occurring α-, β-, and γ-CDs. Fluorescence anisotropy, quencher lifetimes, and average lifetimes can also give additional information about the structure and driving forces accompanying the formation of such complexes.

scholarly journals Interstellar and interplanetary solids in the laboratory

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (A29B) ◽  
pp. 416-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Dartois ◽  
Ivan Alata ◽  
Cécile Engrand ◽  
Rosario Brunetto ◽  
Jean Duprat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Interstellar Medium ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Interstellar Matter ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Set Constraints ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Space Environments ◽  
Chemical Conditions ◽  
Extraterrestrial Material ◽  
Shed Light

AbstractThe composition of interstellar matter is driven by environmental parameters and results from extreme interstellar medium physico-chemical conditions. Astrochemists must rely on remote observations to monitor and analyze the interstellar solids composition. They bring additional information from the study of analogues produced in the laboratory, placed in simulated space environments. Planetologists and cosmochemists access and spectroscopically examine collected extraterrestrial material in the laboratory. Diffuse interstellar medium and molecular clouds observations set constraints on the composition of organic solids that can then be compared with collected extraterrestrial materials analyses, to shed light on their possible links.

scholarly journals Oxygenated Mesoproterozoic lake revealed through magnetic mineralogy

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (51) ◽  
pp. 12938-12943 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah P. Slotznick ◽  
Nicholas L. Swanson-Hysell ◽  
Erik A. Sperling
Keyword(s):  
Iron Oxide ◽  
Intermediate Water ◽  
Low Oxygen ◽  
Mineral Assemblages ◽  
Oxygen Conditions ◽  
Terrestrial Environments ◽  
Anoxic Environment ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
Textural Analyses ◽  
Shed Light

Terrestrial environments have been suggested as an oxic haven for eukaryotic life and diversification during portions of the Proterozoic Eon when the ocean was dominantly anoxic. However, iron speciation and Fe/Al data from the ca. 1.1-billion-year-old Nonesuch Formation, deposited in a large lake and bearing a diverse assemblage of early eukaryotes, are interpreted to indicate persistently anoxic conditions. To shed light on these distinct hypotheses, we analyzed two drill cores spanning the transgression into the lake and its subsequent shallowing. While the proportion of highly reactive to total iron (FeHR/FeT) is consistent through the sediments and typically in the range taken to be equivocal between anoxic and oxic conditions, magnetic experiments and petrographic data reveal that iron exists in three distinct mineral assemblages resulting from an oxycline. In the deepest waters, reductive dissolution of iron oxides records an anoxic environment. However, the remainder of the sedimentary succession has iron oxide assemblages indicative of an oxygenated environment. At intermediate water depths, a mixed-phase facies with hematite and magnetite indicates low oxygen conditions. In the shallowest waters of the lake, nearly every iron oxide has been oxidized to its most oxidized form, hematite. Combining magnetics and textural analyses results in a more nuanced understanding of ambiguous geochemical signals and indicates that for much of its temporal duration, and throughout much of its water column, there was oxygen in the waters of Paleolake Nonesuch.

scholarly journals The Role of Faith Systems and Religions in the Future of Sustainable Development: An Islamic Outlook

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Mamdouh M. A. Sobaihi
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
Distant Future ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Religious Networks ◽  
Development Plans ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Shed Light

Reference material concerning sustainable development has increased dramatically over the last decades, with more and more countries, agencies and businesses following the sustainable development ideals and principles. However, one of the most basic of human institutions has not contributed, and perhaps not allowed to contribute, to the debate. Religion and faith systems have a great potential in influencing not only the definitions of sustainable development but also concepts of human sustainable practices to achieve sustainable development goals. The main obstacle to the fulfillment of this potential appears to be the lack of outreach and acceptance of the scientific community to the religious and faith system institutions and individuals. In this paper, a review of the literature is carried out to shed light on the root of this schism between science and belief systems. In addition, the paper will highlight how the majority of the literature deals with process rather than the individual human being and how to make him/her a better practitioner of sustainability. It is also aimed that the paper shed some light on how religious and faith system ideals can be incorporated into sustainable development plans and systems. The main focus of the paper is to cast light on the religion of Islam and some of the Islamic teachings and Ideals and how they can be incorporated in delivering the message of sustainable development since the religion of Islam is forecast to be the largest faith on the planet in the not too distant future. In conclusion, a discussion on how the various religious networks can deliver the message of sustainability will be discussed.

Culturally Significant Signs, Symbols, and Philosophical Belief Systems within E-Learning Environments

2012 ◽  
pp. 210-243
Author(s):  
Caroline M. Crawford ◽  
Ruth Gannon Cook
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Design ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Narrative Inquiry ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Shed Light

The contextual backdrop of the problem and goal of the study are based within the framework that the researchers wanted to be sure that the courses were unique in their appropriateness to their respective cultures; but they also wanted to see if the course adaptations provided cultural values and perspectives that were fairly consistent and appropriate across cultures and nations. The methodology is qualitative in nature, specifically focused upon development design research and narrative inquiry. The findings suggest that there were several levels of concern: learner concerns; instructional design or teaching concerns; management and organizational concerns; and, technology concerns. This study has addressed the question “what lessons could be learned from semiotic and philosophical instructional imperatives inclusion within e-learning environments?” As such, the interpretation of the findings of the study shed light on the importance of simple mediation tools, such as signs, symbols, and stories. The implications of the findings indicate that more research could shed light on how to help students feel comfortable enough to follow through and complete their e-learning courses. In viewing best practices for e-learning, students’ existent knowledge can be bridged with what they need to know by using a variety of the semiotic tools discussed in this study.

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