Sex, Drugs, and Reckless Driving: Are Measures Biased Toward Identifying Risk-Taking in Men?

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from SAGE Publications via the DOI in this record.We investigated whether risk-taking measures inadvertently focus on behaviors that are more normative for men, resulting in the overestimation of gender differences. Using a popular measure of risk-taking (Domain-Specific Risk-Taking) in Study 1 (N = 99), we found that conventionally used behaviors were more normative for men, while, overall, newly developed behaviors were not. In Studies 2 (N = 114) and 3 (N = 124), we demonstrate that differences in normativity are reflected in gender differences in self-reported risk-taking, which are dependent on the specific items used. Study 3 further demonstrates that conventional, masculine risk behaviors are perceived as more risky than newly generated, more feminine items, even when risks are matched. We conclude that there is confirmation bias in risk-taking measurement.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by an internal competitive grant from the Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne, awarded to Cordelia Fine, who is also grateful for the support of the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia. This work was also supported by an internal competitive grant from the College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, awarded to Thekla Morgenroth and Michelle Ryan. Michelle Ryan was also supported by a British Academy Mid-Career Fellowshi

The Gendered Consequences of Risk-Taking at Work: Are Women Averse to Risk or to Poor Consequences?

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from SAGE Publications via the DOI in this recordWomen are seen as more risk-avoidant in the workplace, and some have argued that this contributes to occupational gender gaps. Across two correlational and three experimental studies (total N = 2280), we examined the role of consequences of workplace risk-taking in determining the likelihood of taking future risks at work. We found no evidence for overall gender differences in initial risk-taking, and women and men anticipated similar consequences for risks with which they have no experience. However, this stands in contrast to the consequences of risk-taking they have experienced. Here, men reported on average more positive consequences, even for those risks that are more normative for women, translating into a higher likelihood of taking the same risks again. When faced with the same consequences, women and men were equally likely to take the same risks again. Our findings challenge the simple assumption that women are averse to workplace risks and suggest that if and when women do avoid risks, it is because their risk-taking leads to less rewarding consequences. Workplace gender equality initiatives should therefore tackle any inequities of consequences rather than encouraging women to “lean in” and take more risks. Additional online materials for this article are available on PWQ’s website at https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/03616843221084048.European Commissio

Influence of deformation axis onto the length free path of screw dislocations in pure fcc materials

In this paper the influence of crystal's deformation axis orientation on formation of long, strong dislocation junctions which can be barriers that limit the shear zone has been studied. The probability of strong junctions formation has been obtained on the basis of interdislocation contact interactions model. The length of free path of screw dislocations has been defined for different orientations of crystal's deformation axis

An updated survey on the use of geospatial technologies in New Zealand’s plantation forestry sector

Background: Geospatial technologies have developed rapidly in recent decades and can provide detailed, accurate data to support forest management. Knowledge of the uptake of geospatial technologies, as well as barriers to adoption, in New Zealand’s plantation forest management sector is limited and would be beneficial to the industry. This study provides an update to the 2013 benchmark study by Morgenroth and Visser. Methods: An online survey was sent to 29 companies that own or manage plantation forests in New Zealand. The survey was split into seven sections, composed of multiple-choice and open-ended questions, on the topics of: demographic information, data portals and datasets, global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers, and four remote-sensing technologies. These included aerial imagery, multispectral imagery, hyperspectral imagery, and light detection and ranging (LiDAR). Each section included questions relating to the acquisition, application and products created from each remote-sensing technology. Questions were also included that related to the barriers preventing the uptake of technologies. To determine the progression in the uptake of these technologies the results were compared to Morgenroth and Visser's study conducted five years' earlier. Results: Twenty-three companies responded to the survey and together, those companies managed approximately 1,172,000 ha (or 69% of New Zealand’s 1.706 million ha plantation forest estate (NZFOA, 2018)). The size of the estates managed by individual companies ranged from 1,000 ha to 177,000 ha (quartile 1 = 19,000 ha, median = 33,000 ha, quartile 3 = 63,150 ha). All companies used GNSS receivers and acquired three-band, Red-Green-Blue, aerial imagery. Multispectral imagery, hyperspectral imagery and LiDAR data were acquired by 48%, 9% and 70% of companies, respectively. Common applications for the products derived from these technologies were forest mapping and description, harvest planning, and cutover mapping. The main barrier preventing companies from acquiring most remotely-sensed data was the lack of staff knowledge and training, though cost was the main barrier to LiDAR acquisition. The uptake of all remote-sensing technologies has increased since 2013. LiDAR had the largest progression in uptake, increasing from 17% to 70%. There has also been a change in the way companies acquired the data. Many of the companies used unpiloted aerial vehicles (UAV) to acquire aerial and multispectral imagery in 2018, while in 2013 no companies were using UAVs. ESRI ArcGIS continues to be the dominant geographic information system used by New Zealand’s forest management companies (91%), though 22% of companies now use free GIS software, like QGIS or GRASS. The use of specialised software (e.g. FUSION, LAStools) for LiDAR or photogrammetric point cloud analysis increased since 2013, but most forestry companies who are processing .las files into various products (e.g. digital terrain model) are using ArcGIS. Conclusions: This study showed that there had been a progression in the uptake of geospatial technologies in the New Zealand plantation forest management sector. However, there are still barriers preventing the full utilisation of these technologies. The results suggest that the industry could benefit from investing in more training relating to geospatial technologies

Modulating medial prefrontal cortex activity using real-time fMRI neurofeedback: Effects on reality monitoring performance and associated functional connectivity

Neuroimaging studies have found ‘reality monitoring’, our ability to distinguish internally generated experiences from those derived from the external world, to be associated with activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of the brain. Here we probe the functional underpinning of this ability using real-time fMRI neurofeedback to investigate the involvement of mPFC in recollection of the source of self-generated information. Thirty-nine healthy individuals underwent neurofeedback training in a between groups study receiving either Active feedback derived from the paracingulate region of the mPFC (21 subjects) or Sham feedback based on a similar level of randomised signal (18 subjects). Compared to those in the Sham group, participants receiving Active signal showed increased mPFC activity over the course of three real-time neurofeedback training runs undertaken in a single scanning session. Analysis of resting state functional connectivity associated with changes in reality monitoring accuracy following Active neurofeedback revealed increased connectivity between dorsolateral frontal regions of the fronto-parietal network (FPN) and the mPFC region of the default mode network (DMN), together with reduced connectivity within ventral regions of the FPN itself. However, only a trend effect was observed in the interaction of the recollection of the source of Imagined information compared with recognition memory between participants receiving Active and Sham neurofeedback, pre- and post- scanning. As such, these findings demonstrate that neurofeedback can be used to modulate mPFC activity and increase cooperation between the FPN and DMN, but the effects on reality monitoring performance are less clear

A new approach to a powered knee prosthesis: Layering powered assistance onto strictly passive prosthesis behavior

This article describes a novel approach to the control of a powered knee prosthesis where the control system provides passive behavior for most activities and then provides powered assistance only for those activities that require them. The control approach presented here is based on the categorization of knee joint function during activities into four behaviors: resistive stance behavior, active stance behavior, ballistic swing, and non-ballistic swing. The approach is further premised on the assumption that healthy non-perturbed swing-phase is characterized by a ballistic swing motion, and therefore, a replacement of that function should be similarly ballistic. The control system utilizes a six-state finite-state machine, where each state provides different constitutive behaviors (concomitant with the four aforementioned knee behaviors) which are appropriate for a range of activities. Transitions between states and torque control within states is controlled by user motion, such that the control system provides, to the extent possible, knee torque behavior as a reaction to user motion, including for powered behaviors. The control system is demonstrated on a novel device that provides a sufficiently low impedance to enable a strictly passive ballistic swing-phase, while also providing sufficiently high torque to offer powered stance-phase knee-extension during activities such as step-over stair ascent. Experiments employing the knee and control system on an individual with transfemoral amputation are presented that compare the functionality of the power-supplemented nominally passive system with that of a conventional passive microprocessor-controlled knee prosthesis