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Amygdala activity to angry and fearful faces relates to bullying and victimization in adolescents.
Relational bullying and victimization are common social experiences during adolescence, but relatively little functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research has examined the neural correlates of bullying and victimization in adolescents. The aim of the present study was to address this gap by examining the association between amygdala activity to angry and fearful faces and peer relational bullying and victimization in a community-based sample of adolescents. Participants included 49 adolescents, 12-15 years old, who underwent fMRI scanning while completing an emotional face matching task. Results indicated that interactions between amygdala activity to angry and fearful faces predicted self-reported relational bullying and victimization. Specifically, a combination of higher amygdala activity to angry faces and lower amygdala activity to fearful faces predicted more bullying behavior, whereas a combination of lower amygdala activity to angry faces and lower amygdala activity to fearful faces predicted less relational victimization. Exploratory whole-brain analyses also suggested that increased rostral anterior cingulate cortex activity to fearful faces was associated with less bullying. These results suggest that relational bullying and victimization are related to different patterns of neural activity to angry and fearful faces, which may help in understanding how patterns of social information processing predict these experiences
Germanyâs NetzDG: A key test for combatting online hate. CEPS Research Reports No. 2018/09, November 2018
Germanyâs Network Enforcement Act, or NetzDG law represents a key test for combatting hate speech on the internet. Under the law, which came into effect on January 1, 2018, online platforms face fines of up to âŹ50 million for systemic failure to delete illegal content. Supporters see the legislation as a necessary and efficient response to the threat of online hatred and extremism. Critics view it as an attempt to privatise a new âdraconianâ censorship regime, forcing social media platforms to respond to this new painful liability with unnecessary takedowns.
This study shows that the reality is in between these extremes. NetzDG has not provoked mass requests for takedowns. Nor has it forced internet platforms to adopt a âtake down, ask laterâ approach. At the same time, it remains uncertain whether NetzDG has achieved significant results in reaching its stated goal of preventing hate speech.
This paper begins by explaining the background that led to the development and passage of NetzDG. It examines the reaction to the law by civil society, platforms and the government. It concludes with suggestions, for platforms, civil society and the authorities, on ways to improve the law to be effective in the fight against online hate while keeping the internet open and free.
CEPS acknowledges the Counter Extremism Projectâs support for this research. The study was conducted in complete independence. It is based on interviews with regulators, company representatives, and civil society activists. The authors take full responsibility for its findings
Editors' introduction to the Special Issue: New opportunities for the EU-Canada Strategic Partnership
How âharder soft governanceâ might help deliver the EUâs new 55 per cent emissions reduction target
In December, EU leaders agreed to set a new target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to at least 55 per cent of 1990 levels by 2030. Drawing on new research, MichĂšle Knodt and Jonas Schoenefeld detail the role âharder soft governanceâ might play in making this target achievable
Softening the surface but hardening the core? Governing renewable energy in the EU
Soft law and governance captured the attention of scholars in the 2000s, andnew policy challenges and the novel introduction ofâharderâelements now drivea (re)turn to these discussions. This article explores the extent to which dynamicsleading towardsâharder soft governanceâ(HSG) appear in the EUâs renewableenergy governance by comparing the 2020 and 2030 Renewable EnergyDirectives. Document analysis and interviews reveal a surface-level softeningbecause the new 2030 directive contains no binding national targets for theMember States. An entrepreneurial Commission has been seeking to introduceâharder elementsâat the core by focusing on implementation, allowing for poten-tially deeper influence on the national energy mixes though the Energy Union.Two main factors drive these changes: the evolving international context of cli-mate change governance, as well as re-configurations of the actors in the EU.Future research should explore the effectiveness of emerging HSG in detai
Einsatz immersiver virtueller RealitĂ€ten prĂ€sentiert ĂŒber ein Head-mounted Display in der neurologischen Rehabilitation
Der Einsatz von virtueller RealitĂ€t (VR) in der psychologischen Forschung, der Psychotherapie und in der Neuropsychologie ist nichts Neues. Allerdings hat sich in den letzten Jahren durch die Entwicklung und stetige Verbesserung von Head-mounted Displays (HMD) eine völlig neue Darbietungsweise von virtuellen Inhalten aufgetan. Durch die hohe Immersion wurde eine bis dato nicht fĂŒr möglich gehaltene ErlebnisqualitĂ€t von virtueller RealitĂ€t ermöglicht. Im Gegensatz zu anderen psychologischen Disziplinen fand der Einsatz von Head-mounted-Displays in der Neuropsychologie bisher noch wenig Beachtung. Anders als wenn virtuelle RealitĂ€t auf einem PC-Bildschirm oder Fernseher dargestellt wird, versetzt ein Head-mounted Display den Benutzer viel direkter und unabdingbarer in die kĂŒnstlich geschaffene Umwelt. Der englische Dichter und Philosoph Samuel Taylor Coleridge bezeichnete 1817 die FĂ€higkeit und Bereitschaft des sich Einlassens auf ein fiktives (literarisches) Werk als âwillentliche Aussetzung der UnglĂ€ubigkeitâ (Coleridge, 2009). Auch bei Filmen oder Computerspielen willigt der Zuschauer oder Spieler ein, sich auf die Illusion einzulassen. Die Schwelle zur âwillentlichen Aussetzung der UnglĂ€ubigkeitâ wird durch den hohen Grad an Immersion und PrĂ€senz, der durch HMDs erzeugt wird, sowie die völlige Ausblendung der realen Umwelt noch einmal deutlich reduziert. Neuropsychologische Störungsbilder können Denkvermögen, Aufmerksamkeit, GedĂ€chtnis, Sprachvermögen, Motorik, Persönlichkeit, Verhalten und visuelle Wahrnehmung beeintrĂ€chtigen. Vor diesem Hintergrund ist es entsprechend von hoher Bedeutung, zunĂ€chst die Technik der VR und HMDs genau zu beleuchten, um den Patienten durch deren Anwendung keinen Schaden zuzufĂŒgen, und gleichzeitig das enorme therapeutische Potenzial dieser GerĂ€te darzustellen. Die vorliegende Arbeit schafft zunĂ€chst einen Ăberblick ĂŒber das breitgefĂ€cherte Gebiet der VR und die Technik der HMDs sowie deren Einsatz. Die technischen Aspekte der Darstellung von virtuellen Inhalten werden aufgezeigt und bio-psychologischen Gesichtspunkten gegenĂŒbergestellt. Als Ausgangsebene der Recherche wird speziell die therapeutische Nutzung von HMDs bei Menschen mit neuropsychologischen Störungsbildern herangezogen und mögliche Fallstricke und Nebenwirkungen eruiert. Ebenso wird anhand aktueller Beispiele das Spektrum des Einsatzgebietes von virtueller RealitĂ€t prĂ€sentiert auf HMDs aufgezeigt. Die zwei anschlieĂenden Studien untersuchen den Einsatz von HMDs an neurologischen Patienten. In der ersten Studie wurden grundlegende Erkenntnisse ĂŒber die Wirksamkeit und VertrĂ€glichkeit von VR prĂ€sentiert ĂŒber ein HMD bei neurologischen Patienten gewonnen. Bei 20 Patienten zwischen 30 und 85 Jahren mit den Krankheitsbildern Hirninfarkt, Hirnblutung, Critical-Illness-Polyneuropathie und SchĂ€del-Hirn-Trauma wurden die physiologischen Parameter Hautleitwert und Pulsfrequenz erhoben sowie das emotionale und das körperliche Wohlbefinden und die Akzeptanz des Verfahrens abgefragt. Es wurde eine virtuelle Entspannungstherapie mit einer akustische Phantasiereise und der Kontrollbedingung âMandala ausmalenâ verglichen. Eine maĂgebliche Erkenntnis war, dass durch die Umsetzung der vorangegangenen theoretischen Ăberlegungen dieser Arbeit keinerlei Nebenwirkungen bei den Patienten zu beobachten waren, welche durch die HMDs ausgelöst wurden. Ebenso zeigte sich eine hohe Akzeptanz des Virtual-Reality-Verfahrens durch die teilnehmenden Patienten. Bei den objektiven Parametern konnte kein signifikanter Effekt nachgewiesen werden. Es zeigte sich dagegen ein positiv empfundenes Arousal, welches die Patienten subjektiv als angenehm und entspannend interpretierten. Die zweite Studie untersuchte, ob die Anwendung von VR prĂ€sentiert ĂŒber ein HMD bei 28 Patienten mit linksseitigem visuellem Neglect als Add-on einer konventionellen Neglect-Therapie ĂŒberlegen ist. Die eingesetzte Technologie löste bei den Neglect-Patienten keine Nebenwirkungen aus. Therapeutisch zeigte sich ein unmittelbarer Effekt nach der ersten VR-Anwendung bei einer Linienhalbierungsaufgabe und einem Zahlendurchstreichtest. Dieser Effekt verschwand jedoch zwei bis drei Tage nach der ersten Anwendung wieder vollstĂ€ndig. Die HĂ€lfte der Patienten nahm dreimal innerhalb einer Woche an der VR-Therapie teil. Bei ihnen konnte ein signifikanter Effekt auch zwei bis drei Tage nach der dritten VR-Anwendung nachgewiesen werden. Die Patienten verbesserten sich signifikant in der Linienhalbierungsaufgabe, im Zahlendurchstreichtest und in den SaarbrĂŒcker Lesetexten. Die gefundenen Ergebnisse beider Studien ermutigen zu weiterer Forschung ĂŒber den Einsatz von virtueller RealitĂ€t prĂ€sentiert ĂŒber Head-mounted Displays zur UnterstĂŒtzung und Erweiterung der Therapie bei neuropsychologischen Störungsbildern
A neural biomarker of psychological vulnerability to future life stress.
We all experience a host of common life stressors such as the death of a family member, medical illness, and financial uncertainty. While most of us are resilient to such stressors, continuing to function normally, for a subset of individuals, experiencing these stressors increases the likelihood of developing treatment-resistant, chronic psychological problems, including depression and anxiety. It is thus paramount to identify predictive markers of risk, particularly those reflecting fundamental biological processes that can be targets for intervention and prevention. Using data from a longitudinal study of 340 healthy young adults, we demonstrate that individual differences in threat-related amygdala reactivity predict psychological vulnerability to life stress occurring as much as 1 to 4 years later. These results highlight a readily assayed biomarker, threat-related amygdala reactivity, which predicts psychological vulnerability to commonly experienced stressors and represents a discrete target for intervention and prevention
Foundations and the Ambiguity of Success and Failure : A Case Collection
The Hertie School releases its findings from an international research project "Foundation Successes and Failures: Implications for Policy and Management â Developing a Case studies Repertoire". Professor Helmut K. Anheier led the research project, which was made possible by the Robert Bosch Foundation. The project looks at 20 case studies of philanthropic foundations from a range of fields in seven countries including Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom. The primary intended purpose is to be used by foundation boards, foundation staff training and executive education. The vignettes may also serve teaching purposes at university master level programs, particularly in public policy and business schools. For example, several will become teaching cases at the Harvard Business School.One major conclusion based on the collection of case studies is that 'success' and 'failure' are not as clear cut as it would appear. Any claims of failure or success should be approached with caution, and there are no simple solutions for high impact results or maximized philanthropic contributions. Despite ambiguity, planning and performance measures are better than none at all. A fuller analysis will be forthcoming as a book in 2017 published by Helmut K. Anheier and Diana Leat (London: Routledge)
Mapping Charge-Transfer Excitations in Bacteriochlorophyll Dimers from First Principles
Photoinduced charge-transfer excitations are key to understand the primary
processes of natural photosynthesis and for designing photovoltaic and
photocatalytic devices. In this paper, we use Bacteriochlorophyll dimers
extracted from the light harvesting apparatus and reaction center of a
photosynthetic purple bacterium as model systems to study such excitations
using first-principles numerical simulation methods. We distinguish four
different regimes of intermolecular coupling, ranging from very weakly coupled
to strongly coupled, and identify the factors that determine the energy and
character of charge-transfer excitations in each case. We also construct an
artificial dimer to systematically study the effects of intermolecular distance
and orientation on charge-transfer excitations, as well as the impact of
molecular vibrations on these excitations. Our results provide design rules for
tailoring charge-transfer excitations in Bacteriochloropylls and related
photoactive molecules, and highlight the importance of including
charge-transfer excitations in accurate models of the excited-state structure
and dynamics of Bacteriochlorophyll aggregates
What's next for the European coal heartland? Exploring the future of coal as presented in German, Polish and Czech press
This article addresses the future of coal in the European coal heartland, i.e. in the area of Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, which together account for nearly 57% of coal consumption and 87% of coal-mining jobs in the EU. It approaches the problem within the interpretative tradition of social research and explores the coverage of the future of coal in major newspapers and political magazines in the three countries. The results show that despite similar material conditions, the issue is presented in a fundamentally different manner as the media tend follow the dominant energy policy paradigm in their countries: in Germany, they facilitate the phase-out policies; in Poland, they act as an inhibiting factor; while in the Czech Republic, their coverage echoes the political uncertainty around lignite mining in the northwest part of the country. The results also suggest that the media act mainly as a platform for the countriesâ decision makers and energy policy stakeholders to voice their perspectives. The prevalent media coverage thus simultaneously enable and constrain policy options by promoting dominant discourses and preventing alternative views from surfacing
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