The spontaneous emergence of conventions: An experimental study of cultural evolution

How do shared conventions emerge in complex decentralized social systems? This question engages fields as diverse as linguistics, sociology, and cognitive science. Previous empirical attempts to solve this puzzle all presuppose that formal or informal institutions, such as incentives for global agreement, coordinated leadership, or aggregated information about the population, are needed to facilitate a solution. Evolutionary theories of social conventions, by contrast, hypothesize that such institutions are not necessary in order for social conventions to form. However, empirical tests of this hypothesis have been hindered by the difficulties of evaluating the real-time creation of new collective behaviors in large decentralized populations. Here, we present experimental results-replicated at several scales-that demonstrate the spontaneous creation of universally adopted social conventions and show how simple changes in a population's network structure can direct the dynamics of norm formation, driving human populations with no ambition for large scale coordination to rapidly evolve shared social conventions

Vaccines and more: the response of Dark Web marketplaces to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

Early analyses revealed that dark web marketplaces (DWMs) started offering COVID-19 related products (e.g., masks and COVID-19 tests) as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic started, when these goods were in shortage in the traditional economy. Here, we broaden the scope and depth of previous investigations by considering how DWMs responded to an ongoing pandemic after the initial shock. Our dataset contains listings from 194 DWMs collected until July 2021. We start by focusing on vaccines. We find 248 listings offering approved vaccines, like Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca, as well as vendors offering fabricated proofs of vaccination and COVID-19 passports. Then, we consider COVID-19 related products. We show that, as the regular economy has become able to satisfy the demand of these goods, DWMs have decreased their offer. Next, we analyse the profile of vendors of COVID-19 related products and vaccines. We find that most of them are specialized in a single type of listings and are willing to ship worldwide. Finally, we consider a broader set of listings mentioning COVID-19, in order to assess the general impact of the pandemic on the broader activity of DWMs. Among 10,330 such listings, we show that recreational drugs are the most affected among traditional DWMs product, with COVID-19 mentions steadily increasing since March 2020. We anticipate that our results will be of interest to researchers, practitioners, and law enforcement agencies focused on the study and safeguard of public health

Comparison of Care Patterns and Rehospitalizations for Mechanically Ventilated Patients in New York and Ontario

Rationale: Mechanically ventilated patients require complex care and are at high risk for rehospitalization, but different systems of care may result in different hospital discharge practices and rates of rehospitalization. Objectives: To compare lengths of hospitalization, discharge patterns, and rehospitalization rates in New York (NY) in the US and Ontario (ON) in Canada. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of mechanically ventilated patients who survived an acute care hospitalization in NY or ON from 2010-2012, using linkable administrative healthcare data. Measurements and Main Results: The primary outcome was the cumulative incidence of first rehospitalization within 30 days of discharge, accounting for the competing risk of death. Of 71,063 mechanically ventilated patients in NY, and 41,875 in ON who survived to hospital discharge, median length of initial hospital stay was similar in NY versus ON (15 days, Interquartile range (IQR) 8-28 vs 16 (9-30)), but was systematically shorter in NY when stratified by patient subgroups of different illness severity. Fewer patients in NY were discharged directly home (53.6% versus 71.4%). Of patients in NY, 15,527 (cumulative incidence 21.9%) had a first rehospitalization within 30 days versus 5,531 (cumulative incidence 13.2%) in Ontario, p<0.001. Incidence of rehospitalization was higher in NY across all subgroups assessed, with the greatest differences among patients with a tracheostomy (29.8% versus 13.3%, p<0.001), those who received dialysis during the hospitalization (31.9% versus 17.0%, p<0.001), and for patients not discharged directly home (27.6% versus 13.1% p<0.001). Conclusions: Mechanically ventilated patients who survive to hospital discharge in NY have shorter hospital stays, with higher rehospitalization rates within 30 days compared with ON

"I'm a professor, which isn't usually a dangerous job": Internet-facilitated harassment and its impact on researchers

While the Internet has dramatically increased the exposure that research can receive, it has also facilitated harassment against scholars. To understand the impact that these attacks can have on the work of researchers, we perform a series of systematic interviews with researchers including academics, journalists, and activists, who have experienced targeted, Internet-facilitated harassment. We provide a framework for understanding the types of harassers that target researchers, the harassment that ensues, and the personal and professional impact on individuals and academic freedom. We then study preventative and remedial strategies available, and the institutions that prevent some of these strategies from being more effective. Finally, we discuss the ethical structures that could facilitate more equitable access to participating in research without serious personal suffering.Accepted manuscrip

A comparative state-level analysis of carbon capture and storage (CCS) discourse among U.S. energy stakeholders and the public

AbstractPerceptions of the potential of emerging technologies like carbon capture and storage (CCS) are constructed not just through technical and economic processes but also through discourse, i.e. through compelling narratives about what a technology is, what a technology might become and why it is needed and preferable to competing technologies. The influence of discourse is particularly important in the innovation phases prior to commercialization when innovation activities are focused on research, development and demonstration, and when feasibility and costs of alternatives systems cannot yet be tested by market dynamics. This paper provides a state-level comparative analysis of CCS discourse in the U.S. to provide insights about the socio-political context in which CCS technology is advancing and being considered in four different states: Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, and Texas. This research combines analysis of interviews of state-level energy stakeholders and media analysis of state-level newspapers. In semi-structured interviews, state-level energy policy stakeholders were asked to explain their perceptions of the potential opportunities and risks of CCS technology within their unique state context. Interview texts were coded to assess the frequency and extent of various different frames of CCS opportunities and risks including technical, political, economic, environmental, aesthetic, and health/safety. A similar coding scheme was applied to analysis of state-level newspaper coverage of CCS technology. Here, the frequency of these different framings of CCS opportunities and risks in state-level print media was assessed. This analysis demonstrates wide variation in state-level CCS discourse and perceptions of the potential opportunities and risks associated with CCS technology. This mixed-methods approach to characterizing the socio-political context for CCS advancement in these four states contributes to improved understanding of state-level variation in energy technology innovation, provides valuable information about energy technology development in these specific states, and also offers insight into the very different sub-national discourses associated with emerging low-carbon energy technologies in the U.S

Human Monkeypox Outbreak Caused by Novel Virus Belonging to Congo Basin Clade, Sudan, 2005

TOC Summary: This virus should be considered endemic to the wetland areas of Bentiu, Unity State, Sudan

Healthcare Comics

This comic, and the series of workshops that produced it, emerged from a partnership between the Comics Studies team in the School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, and the School of Dentistry, both at the University of Dundee in Scotland. In recent years we have produced many comics about oral health and homelessness, oral health and public engagement, and several other themes. This led to a series of workshops as part of the postgraduate student-learning Forum for Public Engagement, Inclusion, and Impact. This forum aims to raise awareness of health/oral health inequalities in culturally diverse groups. Over the course of three intensive workshops, ten students who were undertaking Masters programmes in Dental Public Health (MDPH) and Public Health (MPH) worked together to produce three stories, which are presented here. In each case, the aim was to think about ways to use comics to communicate an important health message, but also to show the impact health professionals can make on the experience of patients and the public more generally.Working in Dundee Comics Creative Space, and with help from Dr Damon Herd and Thushani Indumani Devi Wijesiri, the students worked in groups to produce scripts and sketches, which comics artist Clio Ding, who joined the workshops online from Singapore, then used to produce the final comics. The students did a fantastic job and responded with huge enthusiasm and creativity, and we are all very grateful to Clio for bringing these stories to life

Healthcare Comics

This comic, and the series of workshops that produced it, emerged from a partnership between the Comics Studies team in the School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, and the School of Dentistry, both at the University of Dundee in Scotland. In recent years we have produced many comics about oral health and homelessness, oral health and public engagement, and several other themes. This led to a series of workshops as part of the postgraduate student-learning Forum for Public Engagement, Inclusion, and Impact. This forum aims to raise awareness of health/oral health inequalities in culturally diverse groups. Over the course of three intensive workshops, ten students who were undertaking Masters programmes in Dental Public Health (MDPH) and Public Health (MPH) worked together to produce three stories, which are presented here. In each case, the aim was to think about ways to use comics to communicate an important health message, but also to show the impact health professionals can make on the experience of patients and the public more generally.Working in Dundee Comics Creative Space, and with help from Dr Damon Herd and Thushani Indumani Devi Wijesiri, the students worked in groups to produce scripts and sketches, which comics artist Clio Ding, who joined the workshops online from Singapore, then used to produce the final comics. The students did a fantastic job and responded with huge enthusiasm and creativity, and we are all very grateful to Clio for bringing these stories to life

Synthetic algal-bacteria consortia for space-efficient microalgal growth in a simple hydrogel system

Abstract: Photosynthetic microalgae are an attractive source of food, fuel, or nutraceuticals, but commercial production of microalgae is limited by low spatial efficiency. In the present study we developed a simple photosynthetic hydrogel system that cultivates the green microalga, Marinichlorella kaistiae KAS603, together with a novel strain of the bacteria, Erythrobacter sp. We tested the performance of the co-culture in the hydrogel using a combination of chlorophyll-a fluorimetry, microsensing, and bio-optical measurements. Our results showed that growth rates in algal–bacterial hydrogels were about threefold enhanced compared to hydrogels with algae alone. Chlorophyll-a fluorimetry–based light curves found that electron transport rates were enhanced about 20% for algal–bacterial hydrogels compared to algal hydrogels for intermediate irradiance levels. We also show that the living hydrogel is stable under different environmental conditions and when exposed to natural seawater. Our study provides a potential bio-inspired solution for problems that limit the space-efficient cultivation of microalgae for biotechnological applications