When Do Opponents of Gay Rights Mobilize? Explaining Political Participation in Times of Backlash against Liberalism

Existing research suggests that supporters of gay rights have outmobilized their opponents, leading to policy changes in advanced industrialized democracies. At the same time, we observe the diffusion of state-sponsored homophobia in many parts of the world. The emergence of gay rights as a salient political issue in global politics leads us to ask, “Who is empowered to be politically active in various societies?” What current research misses is a comparison of levels of participation (voting and protesting) between states that make stronger and weaker appeals to homophobia. Voters face contrasting appeals from politicians in favor of and against gay rights globally. In an analysis of survey data from Europe and Latin America, we argue that the alignment between the norms of sexuality a state promotes and an individual’s personal attitudes on sexuality increases felt political efficacy. We find that individuals who are tolerant of homosexuality are more likely to participate in states with gay-friendly policies in comparison with intolerant individuals. The reverse also holds: individuals with low education levels that are intolerant of homosexuality are more likely to participate in states espousing political homophobia

Nori 1-motives

Let EHM be Nori's category of effective homological mixed motives. In this paper, we consider the thick abelian subcategory EHM_1 generated by the i-th relative homology of pairs of varieties for i = 0,1. We show that EHM_1 is naturally equivalent to the abelian category M_1 of Deligne 1-motives with torsion; this is our main theorem. Along the way, we obtain several interesting results. Firstly, we realize M_1 as the universal abelian category obtained, using Nori's formalism, from the Betti representation of an explicit diagram of curves. Secondly, we obtain a conceptual proof of a theorem of Vologodsky on realizations of 1-motives. Thirdly, we verify a conjecture of Deligne on extensions of 1-motives in the category of mixed realizations for those extensions that are effective in Nori's sense

Assessment of facial asymmetry before and after the surgical repair of cleft lip in unilateral cleft lip and palate cases

This study was performed to assess facial asymmetry in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) before and after primary lip repair. Three-dimensional facial images of 30 UCLP cases (mean age 3.7 ± 0.8 months) captured 1–2 days before surgery and 4 months after surgery using stereophotogrammetry were analysed. A generic mesh – a mathematical facial mask consisting of thousands of points (vertices) – was conformed on the three-dimensional images. Average preoperative and postoperative conformed facial meshes were obtained and mirrored by reflecting on the lateral plane. Facial asymmetry was assessed by measuring the distances between the corresponding vertices of the superimposed facial meshes. Asymmetries were further examined in three directions: horizontal, vertical, and anteroposterior. Preoperatively, the philtrum and bridge of the nose were deviated towards the non-cleft side. The maximum vertical asymmetry was at the upper lip. The greatest anteroposterior asymmetry was at the alar base and in the paranasal area. The overall facial asymmetry improved markedly after surgery. Residual anteroposterior asymmetry was noted at the alar base, upper lip, and cheek on the cleft slide. In conclusion, dense correspondence analysis provided an insight into the anatomical reasons for the residual dysmorphology following the surgical repair of cleft lip for future surgical consideration

Pride amid Prejudice: The Influence of LGBT+ Rights Activism in a Socially Conservative Society

How do mass publics react to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT+) advocacy efforts in socially conservative societies? We consider how the first-ever LGBT+ Pride in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina influences ordinary citizens' attitudes and behavior regarding LGBT+ support. Using nationwide and local panel surveys, we find that support for LGBT+ activism increased locally after the Pride but did not diffuse nationwide, signaling how proximity mechanisms reinforce Pride effects. In survey experiments, we show that subjects are responsive to both mobilization and counter-mobilization appeals by local activists. We also find evidence from a behavioral experiment that the Pride had a positive effect on shifting the allocation of financial resources toward local pro-LGBT+ activists and away from opposition groups. Finally, in-depth interviews with local LGBT+ activists underscore the challenges facing LGBT+ activism in socially conservative societies but also point to the substantial possibilities of collective action on behalf of minorities at risk

Online Intergroup Polarization Across Political Fault Lines:An Integrative Review

We revisit the construct of political polarization and current distinctions between issue-driven and affective polarization. Based on our review of recent research on polarization from psychology, political science, and communication, we propose to treat polarization as a process that integrates the concepts of social identification (collective self-definition) with ideologically opposed camps - that is, psychological groups based on support or opposition to specific socio-political issues and policies (related to issue-driven polarization), and that of ideological and psychological distancing between groups (related to affective polarization). Furthermore, we discuss the foundations of polarizing groups – and more specifically, the role of conflicting collective narratives about social reality in providing an initial platform for polarization in a technologically networked world. In particular, we highlight the importance of online media in facilitating and enhancing polarization between ideologically opposed camps. As a theoretical contribution, the review provides a more functional conceptualization of polarization that can explain how polarization may occur across partisan fault lines and in domains outside of politics. We conclude with a discussion of new pathways to the study of polarization which this integrative conceptualization opens

Contrastive Learning Can Find An Optimal Basis For Approximately View-Invariant Functions

Contrastive learning is a powerful framework for learning self-supervised representations that generalize well to downstream supervised tasks. We show that multiple existing contrastive learning methods can be reinterpreted as learning kernel functions that approximate a fixed positive-pair kernel. We then prove that a simple representation obtained by combining this kernel with PCA provably minimizes the worst-case approximation error of linear predictors, under a straightforward assumption that positive pairs have similar labels. Our analysis is based on a decomposition of the target function in terms of the eigenfunctions of a positive-pair Markov chain, and a surprising equivalence between these eigenfunctions and the output of Kernel PCA. We give generalization bounds for downstream linear prediction using our Kernel PCA representation, and show empirically on a set of synthetic tasks that applying Kernel PCA to contrastive learning models can indeed approximately recover the Markov chain eigenfunctions, although the accuracy depends on the kernel parameterization as well as on the augmentation strength.Comment: Published at ICLR 202

The effect of facial expression on facial symmetry in surgically managed unilateral cleft lip and palate patients (UCLP)

Aim: To evaluate the symmetry of facial expression in surgically managed UCLP patients. Materials and methods: The study was conducted on 13 four-year-old children. Facial images were captured at rest and at maximum smile using stereophotogrammetry. A generic mesh, which is a mathematical facial mask consisting of a fixed number of indexed vertices, was utilised for the assessment of facial asymmetry. This was quantified by measuring the disparity between the left- and right-hand sides of the face after superimposing the original 3D images on their mirror copies. Results: Residual asymmetries at rest were identified at the vermillion of the upper lip and at the nares with a deviation of the philtrum towards the scar tissue. Vertical and anteroposterior asymmetries were identified on the cleft side. At maximum smile, the asymmetry increased noticeably at the vermillion of the upper lip and at the alar base. In the mediolateral direction, the philtrum deviated towards the cleft side with a significant increase of the asymmetry scores. Discussion: Asymmetry of the upper lip has significantly increased at maximum smile as a result of the upward forces of all perioral lifting muscles, which affected the lip directly. Conclusions: The innovation of this study is the measurement of facial asymmetry for the objective outcome measure of the surgical repair of UCLP. The philtrum was the main site of residual asymmetry, which indicates the need for refining the primary repair of the cleft lip. Further corrective surgery may be required

A new strain-based finite element for plane elasticity problems

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a new quadrilateral strain-based element. The element has five nodes, four at the corners as well as an internal node. Design/methodology/approach Through the introduction of the internal node, the numerical performance of the element proved to be superior to existing elements in the literature, even though a static condensation is required. Findings From several numerical examples, it is shown that convergence can be achieved with the use of only a small number of finite elements. The proposed element can be used to solve general plane linear elasticity problems resulting in excellent results. Originality/value The results obtained are comparable with those given by the robust element Q8

An innovative virtual reality training tool for orthognathic surgery

Virtual reality (VR) surgery using Oculus Rift and Leap Motion devices is a multi-sensory, holistic surgical training experience. A multimedia combination including 360° videos, three-dimensional interaction, and stereoscopic videos in VR has been developed to enable trainees to experience a realistic surgery environment. The innovation allows trainees to interact with the individual components of the maxillofacial anatomy and apply surgical instruments while watching close-up stereoscopic three-dimensional videos of the surgery. In this study, a novel training tool for Le Fort I osteotomy based on immersive virtual reality (iVR) was developed and validated. Seven consultant oral and maxillofacial surgeons evaluated the application for face and content validity. Using a structured assessment process, the surgeons commented on the content of the developed training tool, its realism and usability, and the applicability of VR surgery for orthognathic surgical training. The results confirmed the clinical applicability of VR for delivering training in orthognathic surgery. Modifications were suggested to improve the user experience and interactions with the surgical instruments. This training tool is ready for testing with surgical trainees