Partisans have biased perceptions of objective conditions. At first glance, the COVID-19 pandemic would appear to be an example of this phenomenon. Noting that most citizens have consistently agreed about the pandemic, I argue that we have overlooked pre-political factors that are as influential as partisanship in shaping citizens’ responses to the pandemic. I identify one such construct in perceived vulnerability to infectious disease (PVD). In one cross-sectional study and one panel study, I find that the influence of PVD on citizens’ perceptions of COVID-19 equals that of partisanship. I also find that PVD can moderate the influence of partisanship on perceptions of harmfulness, nearly erasing the impact of being a Republican on perceiving COVID-19 as a threat. When led by PVD as well as partisanship to accurately perceive harm, citizens, including Republicans, attribute more responsibility to former president Donald Trump for his failed handling of the crisis.

Establishing the distribution of belief in something, especially something that spans cultures and times, requires close attention to empirical evidence and to certain inadequacies in our concept of belief. Arguments from divine hiddenness have quickly become one of the most important argument types in the philosophy of religion. These arguments and responses to them typically rely on robust but relatively undefended empirical commitments as to the distribution of belief in God. This article synthesizes results from psychology, anthropology, and the cognitive science of religion to show that the distribution of belief in God is much more messy and much more philosophically interesting than is currently appreciated. I then derive some implications for how one might reconceive the hiddenness debate in light of these findings.

This paper investigates tail asymptotics of stationary distributions and quasi-stationary distributions (QSDs) of continuous-time Markov chains on subsets of the non-negative integers. Based on the so-called flux-balance equation, we establish identities for stationary measures and QSDs, which we use to derive tail asymptotics. In particular, for continuous-time Markov chains with asymptotic power law transition rates, tail asymptotics for stationary distributions and QSDs are classified into three types using three easily computable parameters: (i) super-exponential distributions, (ii) exponential-tailed distributions, and (iii) sub-exponential distributions. Our approach to establish tail asymptotics of stationary distributions is different from the classical semimartingale approach, and we do not impose ergodicity or moment bound conditions. In particular, the results also hold for explosive Markov chains, for which multiple stationary distributions may exist. Furthermore, our results on tail asymptotics of QSDs seem new. We apply our results to biochemical reaction networks, a general single-cell stochastic gene expression model, an extended class of branching processes, and stochastic population processes with bursty reproduction, none of which are birth–death processes. Our approach, together with the identities, easily extends to discrete-time Markov chains.

To investigate the influence of clay mineral microstructures on mechanical properties across varying hydration levels, this study employed molecular dynamics simulations to conduct uniaxial tensile strength tests in three orthogonal directions (x, y, z) using illite, montmorillonite and kaolinite. The moisture content was varied from 0% to 10% in 1% increments and from 0% to 50% in 10% increments. The observations highlight the role of water molecules in disrupting the inherent microscopic atomic structure of clay minerals, leading to diminished stability and a decline in tensile strength. As moisture content increased, there was a pronounced increase in the layer spacing of all three clay minerals, indicative of their hydration expansion behaviour. Concurrently, discernible reductions in both the tensile strength and Young's modulus of the clay minerals were observed.

This article proposes a novel theory of the truth of doctrine. A signpost theory of the truth of doctrine is informed by practice-based philosophy of science. I argue that a theory of the truth of doctrine needs to explain the construction, use, and judgement of doctrine. So, I raise questions about the truth of doctrine in reference to the relation between a theory of the truth of doctrine and the role of doctrine in the religious practice of believers. I argue that a signpost theory of the truth of doctrine learns from an empirical understanding of measurement and modelling in scientific practice. The examples of entropy and time provide insights into the construction, use, and judgement of measurements and modelling in scientific practice. An empirical understanding of measurement in scientific practice provides resources for linking representations with reality without ignoring the contextual construction, use, and judgement of representations. I conclude with a brief articulation of how a signpost theory of the truth of doctrine learns from an empirical understanding of measurements and models in scientific practice by highlighting the similarities and differences between the construction, use, and judgement of doctrine and of scientific representations.

The lifting problem for universal quadratic forms over a totally real number field K consists of determining the existence or otherwise of a quadratic form with integer coefficients (or $\mathbb {Z}$-form) that is universal over K. We prove the nonexistence of universal $\mathbb {Z}$-forms over simplest cubic fields for which the integer parameter is big enough. The monogenic case is already known. We prove the nonexistence in the nonmonogenic case by using the existence of a totally positive nonunit algebraic integer in K with minimal (codifferent) trace equal to one.

Controversies continue as to how many pharyngeal arches, with their contained arteries, are to be found in the developing human. Resolving these controversies is of significance to paediatric cardiologists since many investigating abnormalities of the extrapericardial arterial pathways interpret their findings on the basis of persistence of a fifth set of such arteries within an overall complement of six sets. The evidence supporting such an interpretation is open to question. In this review, we present the history of the existence of six such arteries, emphasising that the initial accounts of human development had provided evidence for the existence of only five sets. We summarise the current evidence that substantiates these initial findings. We then show that the lesions interpreted on the basis of persistence of the non-existing fifth arch arteries are well described on the basis of the persistence of collateral channels, known to exist during normal development, or alternatively due to remodelling of the aortic sac.

We examine the likely acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine in the period prior to political polarization around vaccine mandates. Two representative cross-sectional surveys of 1,000 respondents were fielded in August and December 2020. The surveys included items about the COVID-19 vaccine and vaccine mandates. Respondents self-identifying as liberal were the least likely to believe the vaccine had undisclosed harmful effects (p< .001), conservatives were the most likely (p < .001), and moderates fell in between. Individuals with a bachelor’s degree were less likely to think the vaccine had undisclosed harmful effects than individuals without a bachelor’s degree (p < .001), and 60.5% of those individuals did not support a government vaccine mandate. Political ideology was more often strongly associated with avoiding government involvement compared to education level. In summary, both liberal political ideology and higher education were significantly associated with endorsing intended vaccine uptake. We discuss these results in terms of positive versus negative rights.

This article argues for a fundamental raison d’être reconceptualization of international investment law (IIL) through Martha Fineman’s ‘vulnerability theory’. The theory helps identify the structural sources of IIL’s shortcomings, whilst philosophically challenging the one-sided view that foreign investors are entitled to protections, but are free from obligations vis-à-vis the communities affected by their undertakings. Emphasizing the productive power of the state to take positive action that acknowledges ordinary citizens’ embeddedness within, and dependence upon, surrounding structures, the vulnerability theory challenges the hegemonic perception of the state as a source of danger – a view which has hitherto undermined both the potency and the enforceability of investor obligations. Used as a heuristic device in studying both IIL’s existing structures and the potential avenues for reimagining it, Fineman’s theory not only shines a novel light on the foundational premises of IIL, but also grants theoretical traction to existing ideas about improving the system.

The current study explored the impact of genetic relatedness differences (ΔH) and sample size on the performance of nonclassical ACE models, with a focus on same-sex and opposite-sex twin groups. The ACE model is a statistical model that posits that additive genetic factors (A), common environmental factors (C), and specific (or nonshared) environmental factors plus measurement error (E) account for individual differences in a phenotype. By extending Visscher’s (2004) least squares paradigm and conducting simulations, we illustrated how genetic relatedness of same-sex twins (HSS) influences the statistical power of additive genetic estimates (A), AIC-based model performance, and the frequency of negative estimates. We found that larger HSS and increased sample sizes were positively associated with increased power to detect additive genetic components and improved model performance, and reduction of negative estimates. We also found that the common solution of fixing the common environment correlation for sex-limited effects to .95 caused slightly worse model performance under most circumstances. Further, negative estimates were shown to be possible and were not always indicative of a failed model, but rather, they sometimes pointed to low power or model misspecification. Researchers using kin pairs with ΔH less than .5 should carefully consider performance implications and conduct comprehensive power analyses. Our findings provide valuable insights and practical guidelines for those working with nontwin kin pairs or situations where zygosity is unavailable, as well as areas for future research.

We implemented 2 interventions to improve utilization and contamination at our institution: kits to improve appropriate sample collection and an electronic order alert displaying appropriate indications of fungal blood cultures. An electronic order alert when ordering fungal blood cultures was associated with decreased utilization without decrease in positivity rate.

University students face vast mental health challenges, and both attitudinal and structural barriers to seeking care. Embedding interventions in college courses is one solution. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is an ideal candidate intervention given its emphasis on values, context, and skill building from a transdiagnostic perspective. This study embedded a brief ACT intervention in a required freshman seminar that was delivered by trained but unlicensed graduate students. In two class sessions of the freshman seminar taught by the same instructor, one session was randomly assigned to receive the course as usual, and one session received the ACT intervention. ACT content was delivered to all students in the intervention course on five consecutive weekly class periods. Students in both classes who chose to participate in the study completed assessments before and after the intervention and at follow-up. There were no significant changes with tests that were run, including non-parametric tests given the small sample sizes. Descriptively, the intervention group had slight improvements in wellbeing and mindfulness and decreases in distress, and the control group had worsened wellbeing, mindfulness and distress. A moderate portion of intervention group students enjoyed the intervention and indicated use of ACT skills, particularly mindfulness. Results suggest that this classroom-based intervention was feasible and acceptable, but further study should occur given small sample sizes. Future work should continue course-based ACT interventions, and should also explore potential applications of student training to deliver interventions given the shortage of mental health providers on college campuses.

This paper presents the results of research, which highlights the situation during the pandemic in sectors characterised by low wages and a high turnover of workers. The empirical basis is formed by company case studies in the meat industry, postal services, and mask production in Germany and Austria. This paper discusses the significance of different locations (at and beyond the workplace) and forms (‘exit’ and ‘voice’) of labour unrest in sectors of the economy that are characterised by a predominance of the use of migrant labour. It questions how conflicts over migrant labour have been articulated and possibly changed in the pandemic, and what factors may have contributed not only to an upsurge but also to the containment, regulation, and repression, of labour unrest.

There is a great need for new practices to match evolving theories in decolonizing and democratizing the field of African history. This article is a report on a research practice undertaken in the Central Region of Ghana in which researchers worked with teachers to deliver a community-based history experience for high school teachers. The historians contributed lessons in methodology as well as an approach that valued the students as co-creators. Students selected their own research topics and produced original interpretations for their community. The evidence from this intervention suggests benefits for researchers, students, and community members. Although it required a great deal of preparation and learning on the part of the historians, this kind of practice may build community confidence in the researcher, foster valuable partnerships, produce more accurate information and interpretations, and nurture the development of future historians from local communities.