Human Behavior

Simba Information: Social Science, Humanities Publishing Fell on COVID-19 Disruption – Herald-Mail Media

ROCKVILLE, Md., March 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --The impact of the COVID-19 virus and associated economic disruption will tighten the market for publishing materials in the humanities and social sciences this according to Global Social Sciences & Humanities Publishing 2021-2025, the latest report from Simba Information.

Social science and humanities (SSH) publishing sales fell an estimated 1.5% in 2020 after posting flat results in 2019. Currency movements are estimated to have inflated sales in 2020. The SSH publishing market decline is estimated at 2.5% in constant currency. The market has not posted overall sales growth since 2017 when it grew 1.9%.

Now, after more than a year of coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions, academic and government research budgets are poised to tighten and hinder growth in 2021 and 2022.

However, in the long-term, research in social sciences will have a vast amount to contribute to resolving the massive challenges arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic. A better understanding of human and societal behavior is required to develop effective strategies and policies to reduce viral transmission.

When it comes to infection prevention and control at both the local and international levels, a fuller understanding of areas of study such as politics, international relations, philosophy, economics, psychology, sociology and ethics have all been suggested as meriting urgent consideration by researchers. Behavioral psychology will be critical to solve issues ranging from anti-mask movements to vaccine denial. It is COVID-19's ability to exploit particular aspects of human behavior that allows it to continue to spread from person-to-person.

Some of these areas now have an opportunity to attract research dollars, and in turn spur growth in information and tools geared at these areas of research.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the entire scholarly publishing industry has been to accelerate the transitions that were already taking place, whether it be the move to digital, open access or the push for tools and services to diversity reliance on revenue from content.

Global Social Sciences & Humanities Publishing 2021-2025provides an overview and financial outlook for the global SSH publishing market based on specific research and analysis of the leading competitors' performance. This research was conducted in conjunction with a larger study of the overall market for professional publishing.

The market is divided into five content delivery channels: books, journals, online content, abstracting and indexing and other activities, a category that includes audio, video and CD-ROM information.

Simba also examines leading competitors including: Cengage, EBSCO, Elsevier, Informa, John Wiley & Sons, Oxford University Press, ProQuest, SAGE Publishing and Springer Nature.

About Simba Information

Simba Information is widely recognized as the leading authority for market intelligence in the media and publishing industry. Simba's extensive information network delivers top quality, independent perspective on the people, events and alliances shaping the media and information industry. Simba publishes newsletters and research reports that provide key decision-makers at more than 15,000 client companies around the globe with timely news, analysis, exclusive statistics and proprietary industry forecasts. For more information, please visit http://www.simbainformation.com or call 888-29-SIMBA.

Media Contact:

Dan Strempel

dstrempel@simbainformation.com

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/simba-information-social-science-humanities-publishing-fell-on-covid-19-disruption-301242172.html

SOURCE Simba Information

Read the rest here:
Simba Information: Social Science, Humanities Publishing Fell on COVID-19 Disruption - Herald-Mail Media

Human Behavior

It’s time to wake up, take action | Business – Southernminn.com

OPINIONCynicism runs rampant in our society and has very dangerous consequences. There are some indisputable facts that we all live with. For instance we age every day, the earth revolves around the sun and we have 365 days in a year. We all experience this so there shouldnt be a debate.

So why are there doubts about climate change? We experience more extreme-weather events more often than ever before. We see it and we feel it. Those changes affect our lives in many ways and raise questions about our future.

Wis. Gov. Tony Evers recently appointed me to the Climate Change Task Force to replace recently retired Wis. Sen. Mark Miller, D-16-Monona. The Task Force is comprised of farmers, business leaders, conservationists, tribal leaders and a bipartisan group of state legislators. Since 2019 the Task Force has learned how climate change is impacting Wisconsin. From personal experience and what Ive learned so far from the Task Force, its clear were heading further down a dangerous road if we dont act quickly and boldly enough on the impending climate crisis.

Many can point to the news of the California wildfires or the freezing temperatures in Texas as examples of climate change. But there is an accelerating pattern of extreme-weather events happening here in Wisconsin that calls on us to realize how serious we should be taking climate change.

Flooding, for example, has become much-more frequent and destructive in western Wisconsin in recent years. Higher groundwater levels are a result of our climates increasing temperatures. Increasing temperatures in addition to increased rainfall contribute to those flooding disasters. Scientists expect temperatures to become warmer and rainfall events to increase, which will only make flooding more common and more severe in our rural communities.

Extreme-weather events caused by climate change have significant economic and public-health implications. In the past 20 years weather disasters cost Wisconsin $100 billion in damages. According to the Wisconsin Hazard Mitigation, theres an estimated $40 billion worth of Wisconsin homes and businesses within a 100-year floodplain. Floods are known to ruin farmer livelihoods, displace families and create significant public-safety hazards.

Floods are the deadliest natural disaster in the United States. Floods also pose dangerous long-term health repercussions. Floods carry contaminated groundwater from nearby Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and expose households to mold contamination, which can lead to upper-respiratory infections.

Were seeing climate change in our own backyard and yet many refuse to believe this reality. I believe those who perpetuate the climate change is a hoax myth are motivated by profit, especially the very-wealthy fossil-fuel-energy corporations. They fear losing billions if we move toward making responsible and sustainable energy decisions.

It reminds me of the way the tobacco industry paid their own researchers to lie about the fact that their products were killing people. It took decades for scientists and doctors to finally convince people that tobacco companies were lying about purposely adding addictive and carcinogenic ingredients just so they could become rich.

What could be the possible motive of climate-research scientists who warn us about climate change? It isnt profit. Our public universities, like the University of Wisconsin, house the foremost research facilities and experts in the world. Their motivations are purely professional and driven by science in their discipline. Whether they prove or disprove a theory doesnt change their wealth or status in society. Theyre motivated to make our world a better place.

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration theres consensus among scientists that climate change is the result of human behavior. Humans are responsible for deforestation and burning fossil fuels at an alarming rate, which have increased carbon-dioxide levels and made our planet warmer.

Humans have caused much of the problem but were able to find solutions. It starts with admitting our problem and being accountable. Then its up to us to do our part. We must set aside the short-term need for profit and embrace the long-term need for survival.

Jeff Smith of Brunswick represents the 31st District of Wisconsin as a member of the Democratic Party.

View original post here:
It's time to wake up, take action | Business - Southernminn.com

Human Behavior

Projection shows Iowa COVID-19 deaths slowing – The Gazette

The Institute for Health Metrics & Evaluation, based at the University of Washington, predicts Iowa COVID-19 infections and deaths will continue to taper through June 1.

By May 1, COVID-19 will have led to the deaths of 5,911 Iowans and 2.4 Iowans will be dying each day, the institute estimates.

The total death toll will increase to 5,960 by June 1, according to the projection, but the pace slows to less than one death per day. The institute estimates use of intensive care beds at Iowa hospitals will fall to 7.1 beds needed May 1 and 2.89 beds June 1.

The institute estimates total infections per day including people not tested at 846 for March 8, but down to 172 on May 1 and 65 on June 1.

The major caveat for these predictions is human behavior.

The institute projects worst-case scenario numbers that reflect the spread of COVID-19 variants, increased mobility of the population and declining mask use. Under these projections, infection rates are more than double the standard prediction and more Iowans die from the disease.

The institute also has projections for 95 percent public mask use in the state, which show fewer infections, hospitalizations and deaths. However, Iowas unlikely to experience that level of mask use, especially as more Iowans are vaccinated and people grow weary of the restrictions.

The institute, which previously was cited by White House coronavirus advisers, predicted in March 2020 that Iowa would reach what then sounded like an astounding 777 deaths by early August. Iowa actually hit that mark earlier than predicted, on July 16.

If you believe local news is essential, especially during this crisis, please subscribe. Your subscription will support news resources to cover the impact of the pandemic on our local communities.

See the article here:
Projection shows Iowa COVID-19 deaths slowing - The Gazette

Human Behavior

Mullen-Johnson: Being heard and understood are vital in relationships – Birmingham Times

By Crystal Mullen-Johnson

Validation is the acknowledgment of your feelings, thoughts and behaviors by receiving verbal or nonverbal feedback. Its essentially experienced by being understood, heard, and accepted. Being heard and understood is vitally important in relationships. Its likely you will experience positive emotions that reassures you are valuable and accepted.

Lets explore 2 types of validation:

Internal Validation

Internal validation occurs when you recognize your potential and you feel confident. It is likely your self-esteem will flourish when you adopt healthy thoughts, recognize your self-worth and believe in your abilities. Internal validation is not motivated by others perception of you. You validate self by setting personal goals and achieving them. Your belief in self is positive and you learn healthy ways to affirm yourself when challenges arise.

External Validation

On the other hand, external validation can occur when you are complimented or acknowledged by others. For example, you may remember a time when you received external validation. Imagine your boss complimenting your work performance publicly by offering bonuses or a new luxury vehicle and then publishing your accomplishments in the local newspaper; you would be ecstatic. Your interpretation of self would be positive because you were validated by your boss; you would likely share your accomplishments with family and friends. Of course, you would expect them to validate you, why not, it makes you feel good.

However, external validation isnt always positive. Some use social media for validation to reassure self. Most likely when you feel unworthy you may desire acknowledgment and the need to be accepted by others. This type of negative attention can cause rejection and humiliation if your emotional needs are unfulfilled. To be frank, social media provides the most toxic outlet for external validation. If your feelings arent justified, or ignored, you may experience sadness, worry, and anger.

Why is Validation Important?

Validation is important because it motivates human behavior, fosters relationships and makes us feel good about self. It is built around feeling accepted by others and the value of feeling that you belong. Belongingness is a primary psychological need that promotes personal growth and relationship development. It is important to be surrounded with people that love, support and nurture your self-esteem.

Create a Healthy Balance of Validation:

Create a healthy balance by developing a healthy self-esteem and start living a happier life.

Remember the 4Rs to nurture your self-esteem:

Read positive quotes, mantras, and affirmations.

Recognize your potential and face your fears.

Realize your self-worth and adopt healthy thoughts of self.

Replace needing others validation with your own self-appraisal.

When you properly use validation to develop great confidence; when you recognize you already have all you need to love self; when you search deep within by exploring yourself through self-love and self-compassion, you will experience a level of happiness and contentment you never thought existed. And you can get there through adopting healthy validation practices.

Strive to appreciate how special you are, eliminate self-doubt, and embrace your uniqueness.

Ms. Crystal Mullen-Johnson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LICSW-PIP) and a Registered Play Therapist in Birmingham, AL with more than 16 years of experience in providing counseling. Strive Counseling Services is a private practice located in downtown Birmingham that offers therapeutic mental health services to children (play therapy), adolescents, and adults. Strive offers evidence-based therapeutic modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).Contact us at (205) 721-9893 or http://www.strivebhm.com to inquire about Telehealth Services.

Like Loading...

Read this article:
Mullen-Johnson: Being heard and understood are vital in relationships - Birmingham Times

Human Behavior

Nature takes root on the balance sheet | Greenbiz – GreenBiz

ESG issues continue to gain prominence, with climate change getting the most attention today. We see customers demanding action on carbon emissions, investment firms structuring new green products and governments developing regulations to support the transition to a sustainable future. This has led to a strong focus on two main sectors: energy and transportation.

Of course, moving to renewable energy wherever possible and reducing emissions across cars, shipping and aerospace are important initiatives. If the focus remains narrow, however, all other patterns of consumption will stay the same. This will have a tremendous impact on nature that, in turn, will affect businesses and the global economy.

As with climate-related risks, nature-related risks need to be better understood and acted upon. The World Economic Forum analyzed 163 industry sectors and their supply chains and found over half of the worlds GDP is moderately or highly dependent on nature and its services. Highly dependent industries generate 15 percent of global GDP ($13 trillion), while moderately dependent ones generate 37 percent ($31 trillion). Despite this reliance, human behavior continues to push species into extinction, reduce the worlds acreage of forests and deplete the water supply.

The Financial Stability Board recognized that climate change presents a financial risk to the global economy. By creating the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), a framework is in place for organizations to better understand and report on these risks. This increased awareness is helping companies make more informed strategic decisions, while also providing better access to capital by increasing investors and lenders confidence that a companys climate-related risks are being appropriately assessed and managed.

The TCFD provides a framework to help understand and report on nature-related risk, but only in climate terms. Its framework excludes areas such as plastics in the oceanic food chain and the loss of soil fertility. In response, a Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) will be launched in 2021 to operate alongside the TCFD. The aim is to translate nature-related risks into financial terms and help redirect flows of finance towards nature-positive activities.

Over half of the worlds GDP is moderately or highly dependent on nature and its services.

Valuing the economic benefits of nature is a complicated undertaking, but some firms have been taking steps to tackle the challenge. Puma, a leading sports lifestyle company, believes that businesses should account for and ultimately pay for the cost to nature of doing business. It recognizes that these costs could hit the financial bottom line as a result of new government policies, environmental activism, consumer demand or a growing scarcity of raw materials.

Back in 2011, the company worked with Trucost to develop an environmental profit and loss (EP&L) account to help measure and manage environmental impacts across its operations and supply chain. An extension to this analysis helped assess the environmental impacts of a product at each stage of its lifecycle, from the generation of raw materials and production processes all the way to the consumer phase when the owner uses, washes, dries, irons and ultimately disposes of a product. The work helped Puma realize the value of natures services, without which it could not sustain its operations.

The Dow Chemical Company is another example of a company that is taking action. Its 2025 sustainability goals include one for valuing nature, which is a commitment to consider nature in all business decisions. The valuing-nature goal builds on work that began in 2011 in partnership with The Nature Conservancy.

Scientists, engineers and economists from both organizations have worked together to create tools to assess the various services that nature provides to Dows operations and the community, including water, land, air, oceans and a variety of plant and animal life. But much more is needed. While certain steps are being taken, it is important to ask what really has been accomplished to date.

According to a 2020 report by the World Wildlife Fund, nature is worth $125 trillion, but humanitys increasingly destructive behavior is having catastrophic impacts. The report points out that human activities have caused the worlds wildlife populations to plummet by more than two-thirds in the last 50 years. In addition, marine ecosystems have been negatively affected through overfishing and pollution, and deforestation is increasing the abundance of carbon dioxide in the air.

Without question, nature is an even bigger issue than climate change. After all, climate change accelerates as nature is harmed.

As the TNFD is launched, more information should become available to better understand the monetary value of nature. Once nature firmly takes root on the balance sheet, more companies likely will make investments that will help heal the natural ecosystem and preserve the worlds wealth.

Excerpt from:
Nature takes root on the balance sheet | Greenbiz - GreenBiz

Human Behavior

Internet trends suggest COVID-19 spurred a return to earlier values and activities – University of California

Staying connected

Patricia Greenfield also is the senior author ofa second articlein the Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies special issue. Greenfield and lead author Genavee Brown, a psychology lecturer at Northumbria University in Newcastle, England, found that people who increased their use of video calls, voice calls and text messaging to stay in touch with family and friends during the COVID-19 pandemic had higher levels of well-being than people who did not.

American values, attitudes and activities have changed dramatically during COVID-19, according to a new study of online behavior.

Researchers from UCLA and Harvard University analyzed how two types of internet activity changed in the U.S. for 10 weeks before and 10 weeks after March 13, 2020 the date then-President Donald Trump declared COVID-19 a national emergency. One was Google searches; the other was the phrasing of more than a half-billion words and phrases posted on Twitter, blogs and internet forums.

The study is thelead research articlein a special issue of the journal Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies dedicated to the pandemic.

Patricia Greenfield, a UCLA distinguished professor of psychology and senior author of the research, said the study determined that the pandemic inspired a resurgence of community-oriented values, with people thinking more about supporting one another. Use of the word help on Twitter increased by 37 percent in the period after March 13, while use of the word share increased by 24 percent.

The research also found that use of the word sacrifice more than doubled on Twitter from before the pandemic to the period after March 13.

Sacrifice was a complete nonstarter in U.S. culture before COVID, Greenfield said.

The change, the authors wrote, signified that Americans were placing more value on the welfare of others even if it meant putting their own lives at risk. One example was peoples willingness to participate in the large Black Lives Matter demonstrations, even in the midst of a pandemic, said Noah Evers, a Harvard undergraduate psychology major and the studys lead author.

At the same time, there was strong evidence of the nations collective mindset returning to a more rural form of society. The use of words referring to basic needs for food, clothing and shelter increased significantly across Google searches, Twitter, internet forums and blogs. For instance, Google searches increased by 344 percentfor grow vegetables and by 207 percentfor sewing machine, while Twitter mentions of Home Depot increased by 266 percent.

Drawing conclusions about shifting psychology from search engine and social media activity might seem to be a stretch, but Greenfield said there are good reasons to put stock in the findings. For one thing, Greenfield said, language provides a window into peoples concerns, values and behavior. In addition, the same types of shifts were evident in both types of internet activity the authors studied.

Internet activity also revealed a dramatic increase in peoples concerns about mortality. After March 13, when the death toll began increasing dramatically, search activity for the word survive increased by 47 percent, for cemeteries by 41 percent, for bury by 23percent and for death by 21 percent.

And during the 10 weeks after Trumps emergency declaration, there were 115percentmore mentions on Twitter of the phrase fear of death than in the 10 weeks before.

Death went from something taboo to something real and inevitable, Evers said, adding that he frequently discussed plans for death with his family for the first time during that period.

Of all the words the authors analyzed, the one whose usage increased the most during the pandemic was sourdough, as baking bread became a trendy pastime while people were instructed to stay at home.

Google searches for sourdough increased by 384 percentafter the pandemic began, and Twitter mentions shot up by 460 percent. Baking bread surged as well: Google searches for the phrase increased by 265 percent, and Twitter mentions rose 354 percent.

Given that bread is considered the most basic food, the fact that increases in sourdough and baking bread were so large across Google searches and social media suggests that the survival motive is an important factor in shifting values and activities during the pandemic, Greenfield said.

Greenfield said the psychological and behavioral changes remind her of social interactions she observed in an isolated Mayan village in Chiapas, Mexico, that she has studied since 1969. When she began her work there, life expectancy was very low, approximately 35percentof children died before age 4 and basic resources like food were scarce.

Death was very much a part of life, she said. People would go to the cemetery every week to put food and drink on family graves and would look after one another, she said. With greater focus on mortality and helping others, were moving in that direction.

Its remarkable how quickly these changes have occurred in the United States during the pandemic. As mortality rose during the pandemic and people lost their jobs, the lifestyles of 21st century America began, in many fundamental ways, to increasingly resemble those of that Maya village.

How lasting will the changes be? Greenfield expects the behavioral trends will likely reverse as the threat from COVID-19 recedes and Americans feel more prosperous and safer. However, based on the aftermath of the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009, she predicts the changes will be more enduring for American teenagers and people in their 20s, whose values are more likely to be shaped by the pandemic.

Said Evers: Perhaps this means that todays youth will, in the future, create a country more attuned to sharing and helping others, or just that baking sourdough bread will always have a special place in our hearts.

The study was a family affair: Evers conceived the idea and methodology before developing it with Greenfield, his grandmother. The papers co-author is Gabriel Evers, Noahs younger brother, a high school student at Crossroads School in Santa Monica who is spending the year at Mulgrave School in Vancouver, British Columbia. The brothers carried out the data analysis of Google Trends and social media; this is the second publication on which Noah Evers has collaborated with Greenfield.

Follow this link:
Internet trends suggest COVID-19 spurred a return to earlier values and activities - University of California

Human Behavior

Getting to Know: A Q&A with Ripon College professor and now U.S. citizen Henrik Schatzinger – Ripon Commonwealth Press

Ripon College Professor Henrik Schatzinger stands outside of Ripon Colleges East Hall after officially becoming a U.S. citizen. Hes taught at Ripon since 2009.

Ripon College congratulated Henrik Schatzinger last week Thursday on social media for officially becoming a U.S. citizen.

The associate professor of politics and government and co-director of the Center for Politics and the People joined the faculty at Ripon College in 2009.

Before gaining his U.S. citizenship, Schatzinger experienced a 20-year journey in which he filled out a lot of paperwork that included multiple visas.

In a Facebook post by Ripon College, he thanked the people who helped him at various stages in the process. Schatzinger now has U.S., German, and Finnish citizenship, but hes all about America right now.

The Commonwealth recently caught up with Schatzinger for a Q&A about his path toward citizenship.

Heres the conversation:

Q. According to Ripon College, you have U.S., German and Finnish citizenship. What country are you originally from?

A. I grew up right next to Kiel, Germany, on the southwestern shore of the Baltic Sea. Kiel is about an hour north of Hamburg. Kiel is known for high-tech shipbuilding, its maritime centers, its university, the largest sailing event in the world known as Kiel Week and the Kiel Canal, the busiest artificial waterway in the world. By the way, Wisconsins Kiel got its name from one of the settlers families who came from Kiel, Germany, and named it after their German hometown. I also have Finnish citizenship because my mother is from Finland and we applied for my Finnish citizenship when I was a child. I had to show my ties to Germany and Finland in order to keep these citizenships.

Q. What was it like in Germany?

A. I always loved living close to the water. There are wonderful walkways around the Kiel Fjord where people are allowed to rollerblade/inline skate, and that was one of my favorite activities as a college student. I often did that in the evening when the cruise ships from around the world arrived or left. The ships blew their horns and happy people were waving at us. I always enjoyed that and it never got old. I also loved the fact that we had great beaches nearby where I hung out with friends.

Q. What brought you to the United States and when did you come?

A. I already wanted to come to the United States as a high school student because I was fascinated by American music, sports, the countrys diversity and economic success, and the sheer size of the country and its tremendous geographic variety. It was too expensive for my family to make it possible for me to go at the time, but I was lucky enough that as a graduate student at the University of Kiel, I received a full scholarship for an exchange program at the University of Kansas (KU), along with a Fulbright grant. That allowed me to come here. After my first year at KU, I transferred into their masters program in political science and finished that degree.

Q. What brought you to Ripon?

A. After [graduating from] the University of Kansas, I worked as a legislative assistant in the German Parliament, the Bundestag, but I knew I wanted to come back to the United States as soon as possible. So I did my Ph.D. at the University of Georgia and worked then at the Campaign Finance Institute in Washington D.C., a small, nonpartisan think tank. But I always enjoyed teaching and applied for jobs around the country. I had my first interview at Ripon College for the position of assistant professor of politics and government and I was extremely lucky to receive an offer. Marty Farrell, back then the department chair of politics and government, and the whole community were incredibly welcoming.

Q. What do you like about the United States and, specifically, Ripon?

A. My enthusiasm for the United States is as great as it ever was. I generally appreciate Americans optimism, individualism and self-reliance, openness to ideas and entrepreneurial spirit. Also, I like the elbow room America offers because of its geographic size. Germany is roughly the size of New Mexico, with over 82 million people. Its a little cramped for me. Ripon is special because of its people: a lot of people care deeply about keeping the city vibrant, welcoming and charming, and I think they are succeeding in their efforts. Also, we have a lot of high-quality businesses for such a small city, ranging from downtown stores to bars and restaurants, to commercial powerhouses such as Alliance Laundry. Let me also note that having a high-quality newspaper in town that informs citizens about what is happening in town is really important for keeping the republic alive: ask cities that have lost their daily or weekly local papers and you will hear about the problems when they were suddenly confronted with a dearth of information.

Ripon College congratulated Henrik Schatzinger last week Thursday on social media for officially becoming a U.S. citizen.

Q. What ways could America and Ripon improve?

A. I teach American politics and government, so I am not telling you anything new when I say that political ideology has become a form of mega-identity through which people see the world. I believe the rise in political polarization over the last decades has deep-rooted causes: for example, economic and demographic changes that have come rather fast and that will continue to do so. Change is hard, and it has brought difficulties that are real and painful for many families, and those challenges have contributed to a rise in income and wealth inequalities. So the general challenge that I see for Ripon and the country as a whole is to resist finger pointing, but to work constructively together to meet those challenges and honor the founders motto: e pluribus unum, out of many, one.

Q. In your role as the co-director of the Center for Politics and the People, you help to bring discussions of current events and world issues to a rural community. Why is that important to you and what do you enjoy about it?

A. I like to look at all political issues from all angles without resorting to emotionally charged language, and thats what the Center for Politics and the People at Ripon College allows me to do. We invite people from all walks of life to have open discussions about issues that interest and affect people in our community. There is just too much tribal rhetoric out there that divides people. I think what we need is more analysis, cool-headedness and pragmatism. Not everything is automatically bad because it comes from the other side.

Q. What do you enjoy about being an associate professor of politics at Ripon College?

A. What I enjoy about working at Ripon College is closely working with students in the classroom, but also outside the classroom when it comes to trying to help with internships, career preparation, and guiding my own research internships. I also think Ripon Colleges work environment is very collegial and supportive. I have the opportunity to teach a lot of different classes from media and politics to interest group politics and that makes it a lot of fun. What I specifically enjoy about studying American politics is the fact that there is so much data that allows us to test hypotheses about political processes and political behavior, which in turn allows us to learn a lot about the state of American politics and government. I study human behavior in a political context. That also means that politicians are not all that different from the rest of us. They respond to incentives, and how they act is often a rational outcome given the environment in which they operate.

Q. How did you get into the world of academia and how is it rewarding?

A. I got into academia because I get to ... teach students and conduct original research. Last year, my colleague Steve Martin and I published a book titled Game Changers: How Dark Money and Super PACs are Transforming U.S. Campaigns, and I am now working on a new book that focuses on outside money in local elections. I love teaching because it allows me to share my passion for politics, and I enjoy research because it is intellectually challenging and stimulating, and forces me to stay on top of the developments in my field.

Q. You had a 20-year journey to citizenship and said that you had to fill out a lot of paperwork. Could you describe your journey?

A. I think the path to U.S. citizenship is more difficult and takes much longer than many realize. I went through three different visa categories, optional practical training, got a green card through my employer and visited various embassies to get to this point. The paperwork is not the biggest problem, it is the long wait times in between that can weigh on you psychologically. I also remember that in 2002, a year after I had been in the United States, I needed to suddenly demonstrate that I had access to $40,000 in liquid cash in case of an emergency. I was lucky that my godfather was willing to vouch for me at that point and that he was able to offer the necessary documentation. I dont know what I would have done otherwise. Broadly speaking, the last major congressional immigration reform bill passed in 1990, and a lot has changed in 31 years. I believe that the time for major immigration reform has come.

Q. What did it feel like to finally get U.S. citizenship?

A. I feel joy and pride, and have a new sense of belonging and responsibility. The legal ramifications do not go beyond voting and jury duty, but the bigger change for me is a new sense of emotional attachment to the United States.

Q. Do you have any final thoughts or anything else youd like to share?

A. A lot of people have helped along the way, both in Germany and here in the United States, and I am deeply grateful for all that support. It took a village to get to the point of citizenship and I will never forget all those who have assisted me on my journey.

View original post here:
Getting to Know: A Q&A with Ripon College professor and now U.S. citizen Henrik Schatzinger - Ripon Commonwealth Press

Human Behavior

The memes we read might influence how we love, study finds – PsyPost

The way we love depends on a wide array of factors, not all of them internal. Indeed, the expectations we have of our partners are subject to outside influences, including the information we digest, in all its forms. One of the most basic of these forms is the meme. These individual units of cultural transmission pass from person to person and from one generation to the next.

The prevalence and importance of social media has made the sharing of internet memes a primary method of communicating ideas today. Short and punchy, memes are pervasive and often emotionally salient, making them prime candidates for influencers of human behavior. This observation led a team of researchers to explore the influence of romantic memes on relationship beliefs. Their research is published in Psychological Studies.

To test the relation between meme consumption and romantic beliefs, the authors primed participants with memes that were either toxic (promoting jealousy, reassurance seeking, unrealistic expectations and insecurity) or which underscored the value of gratitude, selflessness, unconditional love, tolerance, and freedom in relationships. Participants were then assessed for relationship satisfaction and romantic beliefs.

The results of the study indicate that brief exposure to toxic memes can indeed have an effect on romantic beliefs. Those exposed to toxic beliefs as well as the control group were both more likely to agree with statements focused on jealousy and insecurity, attachment and dependence, and materialistic exchange.

None of the groups, however, differed as regarded relationship satisfaction. The authors offer the explanation that humans tend to use cognitive strategies to reassure themselves of their romantic decisions, although future research will need to further explore the relation between beliefs and satisfaction to confirm this.

Nonetheless, the findings are significant: even brief exposure to toxic memes was sufficient to alter romantic beliefs. Considering the barrage of memes that most people and especially youth encounter in their daily lives, their importance where relationships are concerned is difficult to overstate. Understanding why and how external factors influence the way we engage with and love others is an important step on the path to forming better, healthier relationships.

The study, Romantic Memes and Beliefs: Influence on Relationship Satisfaction, was authored by Jigisha Gala and Nishrin N. Ghadiyali.

Go here to see the original:
The memes we read might influence how we love, study finds - PsyPost

Human Behavior

Gartner predicts 75% of VCs will be using AI instead of their gut feel to make decisions by 2025 a path th – Business Insider India

This impossible to quantify inner voice grown from personal experience is decreasingly playing a role in investment decision making, said Patrick Stakenas, a senior research director at Gartner. The traditional pitch experience will significantly shift by 2025 as VC and private equity (PE) investors turn to leveraging AI and data science insights for due diligence.

The wheels of this transformation are already in motion. Stock markets around the world have opened their doors to AI-led funds, called quant funds and startups like Motherbrain and SignalFire are applying data to venture capital around the world.

The Project One hedge fund, on the other hand, is a pure AI model. The brainchild of Andrew Sobko and Rami Jachi uses an alpha-learning AI model which continues to adapt and update itself without human involvement for manual data collection and processing.

"Through our study of praxeology, there is no guessing," said Sobko in a statement. "We are fully aware of the facts associated with human behavior and involvement, which is why we moved to eliminate the error-prone component from our proprietary algorithm."

Advertisement

AI to find the next big unicornInvesting in startups is just as, if not more, risky than investing in the money market.

Around 90% of startups in India fail within the first five years of their inception, according to a report by the IBM Institute of Business Value and Oxford Economics. Thats enough to give investors pause when mulling over whether or not to invest in a new business.

This way, models using AI can predict if a startup is investment worth before the fundraising process even begins.

One such machine learning system is the EQT Ventures-backed Motherbrain. It applies its algorithm to historical data in order to identify promising investment candidates. It uses a combination of factors, which are included but not limited to, financial information, web ranking, app ranking and social network activity. EQT Ventures already makes 30% of its decisions through the data-analysis platform.

Such startups also solve the problem of finding interesting investment targets before anyone else. InReach Ventures, a UK-based VC firm, developed a model in-house to help find new and upcoming businesses. What used to be a handcrafted job has become significantly scalable. You become 10 times more productive, InReach founder Roberto Bonanzinga told the Financial Times.SEE ALSO:The first-ever leaders summit of the QUAD may be another signal that it's ready for something more formal

Kerala High Court issues notice to central government over the chilling effects of Indias new IT Rules for digital news

This new super Earth is 70% bigger than our planet, but it's also more than 50 times hotter

Originally posted here:
Gartner predicts 75% of VCs will be using AI instead of their gut feel to make decisions by 2025 a path th - Business Insider India

Human Behavior

Fossil found in Iran cave part of ‘missing link’ in human migration: archaeologist – Tehran Times

TEHRAN A human fossil found in Kaldar cave, western Iran, is part of a missing link in Homo sapiens migrating, Iranian archaeologist Behrouz Bazgir has said.

Given the handful of Homo sapiens human fossils so far revealed across the world, the discovery of human fossils not only in the Kaldar cave but anywhere in the world could reveal a large part of the missing link in the migration of intelligent humans, CHTN quoted Bazgir as saying on Monday.

The discovery was made during the third archaeological season conducted in Kaldar cave seeking to achieve the historiography of the Middle Paleolithic strata, and to obtain human fossils, the archaeologist explained.

He made the remarks during the 18th Annual Symposium on the Iranian Archaeology, jointly organized by the Iranian Center for Archaeological Research (ICAR), Research Institute of Cultural Heritage & Tourism (RICHT), and National Museum of Iran.

Nearly one decade of archaeological surveys at Kaldar cave has concluded that parts of this western Iranian shelter date more than 63,000 years.

Kaldar is a key archaeological site that provides evidence of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in Iran. The cave is situated in the northern Khorramabad valley of Lorestan province and at an elevation of 1,290m above sea level. It measures 16meters long, 17meters wide, and sevenmeters high.

In 2019, in one of the significant archaeological finds of Iranian history, the cave yielded fresh evidence for its Paleolithic residents; including traditions of making [stone] tools related to the Middle Paleolithic and Upper Paleolithic eras. In the same year, archaeologists excavated stone tools and a fragment of a fossilized skull, attributed to Homo sapiens. The cave has also yielded weapon fragments crafted by Neanderthals.

Excavations at the site in 20142015 led to the discovery of cultural remains generally associated with anatomically modern humans (AMHs) and evidence of a probable Neanderthal-made industry in the basal layers. It also offers an opportunity to study the technological differences between the Mousterian and the first Upper Paleolithic technologies as well as the human behavior in the region.

In taxonomy, Homo sapiens is the only extant human species. The name is Latin for wise man and was introduced in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus (who is himself also the type specimen). Neanderthals are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans in the genus Homo, who lived within Eurasia from circa 400,000 until 40,000 years ago.

Lorestan was inhabited by Iranian Indo-European peoples, including the Medes, c. 1000 BC. Cimmerians and Scythians intermittently ruled the region from about 700 to 625 BC. The Luristan Bronzes noted for their eclectic array of Assyrian, Babylonian, and Iranian artistic motifs, date from this turbulent period. The region was incorporated into the growing Achaemenid Empire in about 540 BC and successively was part of the Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanid dynasties.

AFM/

See the original post:
Fossil found in Iran cave part of 'missing link' in human migration: archaeologist - Tehran Times