Social rejection and meaning-making in young people with facial dermatological differences

Socioanthropological theories predict that individuals with visible differences will be judged and treated more negatively (Langlois et al., 2000). Empirical research is largely supportive of this hypothesis, with studies demonstrating implicit and explicit reactions from observers that devalue and marginalize people who are visibly different (Stone, 2022). Research looking for psychological difficulties in people with visible differences because of presumed socially rejecting experiences has found equivocal outcomes, with some studies finding no difference or better functioning in visibly different participants (Andersson et al., 2011). In order to understand the space between socially rejecting experiences and psychological adjustment, this study used inductive qualitative methodology to hear the experiences of young people with visible differences and their impact on their psychological development. Reflexive thematic analysis of individual interviews with ten 11- to 14-year-olds with chronic dermatological facial differences revealed that all experienced social rejection from their peers. Participants described the process of trying to understand and manage these experiences while building a positive sense of self. This study succeeded in confirming that young people with visible dermatological differences experience social rejection. It also went further in indicating multifactorial pathways linking social rejection with psychological development which might account for equivocal findings in studies that assume a simple relationship. Implications for research and clinical practice are considered

The mediating role of reflective functioning and general psychopathology in the relationship between childhood conduct disorder and adult aggression among offenders

Background The nature of the pathway from conduct disorder (CD) in adolescence to antisocial behavior in adulthood has been debated and the role of certain mediators remains unclear. One perspective is that CD forms part of a general psychopathology dimension, playing a central role in the developmental trajectory. Impairment in reflective functioning (RF), i.e., the capacity to understand one's own and others' mental states, may relate to CD, psychopathology, and aggression. Here, we characterized the structure of psychopathology in adult male-offenders and its role, along with RF, in mediating the relationship between CD in their adolescence and current aggression. Methods A secondary analysis of pre-treatment data from 313 probation-supervised offenders was conducted, and measures of CD symptoms, general and specific psychopathology factors, RF, and aggression were evaluated through clinical interviews and questionnaires. Results Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a bifactor model best fitted the sample's psychopathology structure, including a general psychopathology factor (p factor) and five specific factors: internalizing, disinhibition, detachment, antagonism, and psychoticism. The structure of RF was fitted to the data using a one-factor model. According to our mediation model, CD significantly predicted the p factor, which was positively linked to RF impairments, resulting in increased aggression. Conclusions These findings highlight the critical role of a transdiagnostic approach provided by RF and general psychopathology in explaining the link between CD and aggression. Furthermore, they underscore the potential utility of treatments focusing on RF, such as mentalization-based treatment, in mitigating aggression in offenders with diverse psychopathologies

The China firm: American elites and the making of British Colonial society

What roles did Americans play in the expanding global empires of the nineteenth century? Thomas M. Larkin examines the Hong Kong–based Augustine Heard & Company, the most prominent American trading firm in treaty-port China, to explore the ways American elites at once made and were made by British colonial society. Following the Heard brothers throughout their firm’s rise and decline, The China Firm reveals how nineteenth-century China’s American elite adapted to colonial culture, helped entrench social and racial hierarchies, and exploited the British imperial project for their own profit as they became increasingly invested in its political affairs and commercial networks. Through the central narrative of Augustine Heard & Co., Larkin disentangles the ties that bound the United States to China and the British Empire in the nineteenth century. Drawing on a vast range of archival material from Hong Kong, China, Boston, and London, he weaves the local and the global together to trace how Americans gained acceptance into and contributed to the making of colonial societies and world-spanning empires. Uncovering the transimperial lives of these American traders and the complex ways extraimperial communities interacted with British colonialism, The China Firm makes a vital contribution to global histories of nineteenth-century Asia and provides an alternative narrative of British empire

Characteristics of patients with stroke who fall during inpatient rehabilitation

Little is known about the demographic and functional profile of patients who fall while undergoing inpatient stroke rehabilitation on Prince Edward Island. This analysis of a reporting database revealed the majority of patients who suffered a fall during their treatment over a four-year period fell only once and were older adult males. Patients who fell more than once were equally represented by male and female patients. Longer admission length for this group was observed to be associated with younger age, higher fall frequency, and lower FIM measures of motor function at admission. Developing a local profile of patients who fall can help raise staff awareness that can contribute to long-term patient safety in the high fall-risk environment of inpatient rehabilitation

The Madding Campus: the impacts of heteronormativity, neuronormativity, and class on graduate creative writing education

In this dissertation, I set out to examine what may be the experience of neurodivergent/mad/disabled graduate students in low-residency graduate creative writing education and how the workshop model might be reimagined toward a more inclusive instructional space. The dissertation drew on new materialism and mad studies as a theoretical base for the research. Using fiction-based research rooted in autoethnographic inquiry, literature review, imagination, and writing-as-research, I produced a campus novel, The Madding Campus, that explores the intersections of neurodivergence, gender, and class among students in a low-residency Master of Fine Arts program, to examine the narratives sent by and produced in writing education, broaden society's understanding of and disrupt assumptions about who belongs in postsecondary settings, and increase the cultural representation of mad and neurodivergent students. I selected the campus novel for its fit of form to subject, as well as the long history of campus novels as a vehicle for social critique. The dissertation begins with a preface and introduction, followed by the research novel, a recommendations and conclusions chapter, and an autoethnographic essay that served as pre-writing and one of many sources for the project. The Madding Campus draws attention to and asks readers to consider the multiplicity of experiences within graduate creative writing programs and to contemplate ways such programs might operate differently

Prediction of long-term photovoltaic power generation in the context of climate change

Accurate long-term prediction of power generation in photovoltaic (PV) power stations is crucial for preparing generation plans and future planning. Quantitative prediction of future power generation from PV stations not only contributes to the stable operation of the local power system but also assists managers in formulating regional energy policies to promote renewable energy consumption. We utilized the NEX-GDDP-CMIP6 high-resolution climate dataset and employed the Vine Copula method for post-downscaling. This approach enabled high-resolution forecasts of key meteorological factors under different shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) scenarios (SSP245 and SSP585) for a PV power station in Yunnan, China. Additionally, we developed the KM-PSO-SVR power generation prediction model, which enables future accurate long-term PV power generation prediction. The results show that the Vine Copula multi-model ensemble downscaling model can effectively simulate the changes in key meteorological factors in the PV power station area. The KM-PSO-SVR model exhibited good simulation performance, with a mean absolute error of 0.843, root mean square error of 1.136, and correlation coefficient of 0.874 during the validation period. The results indicate that during the decade spanning from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2034, radiation and wind speed will be decrease, while the temperature is expected to increase. In the SSP245 scenario, there is a 1.585 % increase in the average annual power generation during the future carbon peaking period (2025–2034). However, the SSP585 scenario, representing higher future emissions, shows a lower increase of 1.479 %

Picturing China's photovoltaic energy future: Insights from CMIP6 climate projections

Vigorous development of solar photovoltaic energy (PV) is one of the key components to achieve China's “30•60 Dual-Carbon Target”. In this study, by utilizing the outputs generated by CMIP6 models under different shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) and a physical PV model (GSEE), future changes in PV power generation across China are provided for the outlined carbon neutralization period (2051–2070). The results reveal distinct spatiotemporal characteristics in the changes in PV output across China. Overall, compared to the historical period, annual PV power generation is projected to decrease in northern regions and Tibet Plateau with a maximum decrease of ∼4 % under the high emission scenario (SSP585), while southern and central regions exhibit significant increases. Remarkably, under the green development pathway (SSP126), PV power generation is expected to rise by over 10 % in these regions. The magnitude of decrease in the north and increase in the south is projected to become more pronounced with the continuous increase of future carbon emissions. It is anticipated that the three northern regions of China will experience greater decreases in PV power generation in winter compared to other seasons, especially under SSP585. Additionally, the southeast region shows the smallest increase in summer PV generation out of all seasons. Moreover, under SSP126 trajectory, most regions in China exhibit reduced inter-annual and intra-annual variability in PV generation compared to the historical levels. This suggests that pursuing a sustainable path could substantially mitigate potential risks associated with PV generation fluctuations in China