Breakdown of the Internet under intentional attack

We study the tolerance of random networks to intentional attack, whereby a fraction p of the most connected sites is removed. We focus on scale-free networks, having connectivity distribution of P(k)~k^(-a) (where k is the site connectivity), and use percolation theory to study analytically and numerically the critical fraction p_c needed for the disintegration of the network, as well as the size of the largest connected cluster. We find that even networks with a<=3, known to be resilient to random removal of sites, are sensitive to intentional attack. We also argue that, near criticality, the average distance between sites in the spanning (largest) cluster scales with its mass, M, as sqrt(M), rather than as log_k M, as expected for random networks away from criticality. Thus, the disruptive effects of intentional attack become relevant even before the critical threshold is reached.Comment: Latex, 4 pages, 3 eps figure

The Role of Psychological Resilience and Family Dysfunction in the Relationship Between Parental Behavioural Addictions and Adult Mental Health

The current study assesses the mediating role that family dysfunction and psychological resilience have in the relationship between growing up with a parent with parental addictions and developing mental health difficulties and/or addiction in adulthood. Participants included 292 adults (76.1% women), who completed an online questionnaire reporting on whether their parent(s) had behavioural addictions, their family environment during childhood, the degree of substance and behaviours dependence, and psychological symptoms and psychological resilience in the present. It was found that parental behavioural addictions were linked to more disruptive family environments during childhood and that disruptive family environments were then linked to reduced levels of psychological resilience, which in turn were linked to lower levels of mental health. Overall, the results suggest that a disruptive family environment during childhood together with psychological resilience seem to play a key role when looking at long–term negative impact of parental behavioural addictions

Harnessing the Power of Faith: Resilience, Compassion and Psychological Well-being Amongst Women in Contexts of Global Precarity

This research is the product of an innovative partnership between a secular university based in the UK (Goldsmiths University of London) and a faith-based (Christian) humanitarian not for profit based in the US (Convoy of Hope). Despite coming from different traditions, both partners bring a wealth of experience and shared values, and both are committed to being changemakers in their respective areas of policy and public engagement. The common vector for changemaking has been a shared desire to make a difference to the life outcomes of women living in contexts of multiple challenge and precarity, particularly in the Global South, and who are accessing the Women’s Empowerment programme of Convoy of Hope. The research has evolved out of close listening and experimentation and trying to understand each other’s cultures and language, even when that has occasionally seemed a little disorientating and confusing. The research was also conducted in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic which directly affected all the women with whom we worked because of the multiple challenges they are already facing. But these women, and the research teams with whom we worked in the field, showed huge resilience and determination to ensure the research was carried effectively and efficiently for the sake of producing an impactful piece of research

Differences in post-traumatic growth: Individual quarantine, COVID-19 duration and gender

ObjectiveThis study focuses on positive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and aims to identify associations between gender, individual quarantine and duration of the COVID-19 (short- medium- and long-term pandemic), and posttraumatic growth (PTG).MethodThe data was collected via an online survey in Israel, and included 1,301 participants, 543 participants experienced short-term pandemics, 428 participants experienced medium-term pandemics and 330 participants experienced long-term pandemics. Most of the participants were female (73.6%), ranging from 18 to 89 years-old. The participants answered questions about their demographic background, individual quarantine experiences and ranked their PTG level.ResultsThe results indicate a significant main effect of gender and pandemic duration (short-, medium- and long-term pandemic). Women reported higher PTG levels than men, and participants experiencing short-term pandemic reported significantly lower PTG levels than participants experiencing medium- or long-term pandemic. There was also a significant interaction between gender and pandemic duration regarding PTG and a significant interaction in PTG by gender, pandemic duration and individual quarantine.ConclusionThe discussion addresses the findings in the context of traditional gender roles and gender differences in finding meaning and worth in home confinement situations

The impact of trauma work – A meta-synthesis on vicarious trauma and vicarious trauma growth

The current work examines the impact on trauma workers of working with people who have been traumatised within the framework of both vicarious trauma (VT) and various posttraumatic growth (VPTG) by using a meta-synthesis of findings from 20 published qualitative papers. The synthesis found that the impact of trauma work can potentially increase short and long term levels of distress and that such psychological impact can be managed through personal and organisational coping strategies. It was also found that trauma work leads to changes in schemas and day-to-day routines and that these changes can be both negative and positive. Such changes correspond to both VT and VPTG, but for VPTG to occur, trauma workers will need to be exposed to the client’s own growth

Evidence for rolling circle replication of tandem genes in Drosophila

Extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) is one characteristic of the plasticity of the eukaryotic genome. It is found in various organisms and contains sequences derived primarily from repetitive chromosomal DNA. Using 2D gel electrophoresis, we have previously detected eccDNA composed of chromosomal tandem repeats throughout the life cycle of Drosophila. Here, we report for the first time evidence suggesting the occurrence of rolling circle replication of eccDNA in Drosophila. We show, on 2D gels, specific structures that can be enriched by benzoylated naphthoylated DEAE-cellulose chromatography and were identified in other systems as rolling circle intermediates (RCIs). These RCIs are homologous to histone genes, Stellate and Suppressor of Stellate, which are all organized in the chromosomes as tandem repeats. RCIs are detected throughout the life cycle of Drosophila and in cultured fly cells. These structures are found regardless of the expression of the replicated gene or of its chromosomal copy number

Exposure to continuous political violence: rational and experiential thinking styles, coping styles and post traumatic stress symptoms

Cognitive style is considered an important determinant of individual behavior. The aim of the present study was to examine the relations between rational and experiential thinking styles, coping styles and Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) symptoms among civilians exposed to continuous and ongoing exposure to political violence. Three-hundred and thirty-two Israeli adult citizens living in the south region of Israel reported on their experiences of exposure to political violence as well as level of PTS, coping styles, and preference toward rational and experiential processing style. Results showed that low rational thinking was related with elevated PTS, both directly and indirectly through the mediation of high emotion-focused coping. The findings suggest that rational thinking may serve as a protective factor against stress related to chronic exposure to political violence; conversely, a preference for low rationality may be a risk factor

Topology of products similarity network for market forecasting

The detection and prediction of risk in financial markets is one of the main challenges of economic forecasting, and draws much attention from the scientific community. An even more challenging task is the prediction of the future relative gain of companies. We here develop a novel combination of product text analysis, network theory and topological based machine learning to study the future performance of companies in financial markets. Our network links are based on the similarity of firms’ products and constructed using the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) filings of US listed firms. We find that several topological features of this network can serve as good precursors of risks or future gain of companies. We then apply machine learning to network attributes vectors for each node to predict successful and failing firms. The resulting accuracies are much better than current state of the art techniques. The framework presented here not only facilitates the prediction of financial markets but also provides insight and demonstrates the power of combining network theory and topology based machine learning