Moral Grandstanding in Public Discourse: Status-Seeking Motives as a Potential Explanatory Mechanism in Predicting Conflict

Public discourse is often caustic and conflict-filled. This trend seems to be particularly evident when the content of such discourse is around moral issues (broadly defined) and when the discourse occurs on social media. Several explanatory mechanisms for such conflict have been explored in recent psychological and social-science literatures. The present work sought to examine a potentially novel explanatory mechanism defined in philosophical literature: Moral Grandstanding. According to philosophical accounts, Moral Grandstanding is the use of moral talk to seek social status. For the present work, we conducted six studies, using two undergraduate samples (Study 1, N = 361; Study 2, N = 356); a sample matched to U.S. norms for age, gender, race, income, Census region (Study 3, N = 1,063); a YouGov sample matched to U.S. demographic norms (Study 4, N = 2,000); and a brief, one-month longitudinal study of Mechanical Turk workers in the U.S. (Study 5, Baseline N = 499, follow-up n = 296), and a large, one-week YouGov sample matched to U.S. demographic norms (Baseline N = 2,519, follow-up n = 1,776). Across studies, we found initial support for the validity of Moral Grandstanding as a construct. Specifically, moral grandstanding motivation was associated with status-seeking personality traits, as well as greater political and moral conflict in daily life

The Formal Dynamism of Categories: Stops vs. Fricatives, Primitivity vs. Simplicity

Minimalist Phonology (MP; Pöchtrager 2006) constructs its theory based on the phonological epistemological principle (Kaye 2001) and exposes the arbitrary nature of standard Government Phonology (sGP) and strict-CV (sCV), particularly with reference to their confusion of melody and structure. For Pöchtrager, these are crucially different, concluding that place of articulation is melodic (expressed with elements), while manner of articulation is structural. In this model, the heads (xN and xO) can license and incorporate the length of the other into their own interpretation, that is xN influences xO projections as well as its own and vice versa. This dynamism is an aspect of the whole framework and this paper in particular will show that stops and fricatives evidence a plasticity of category and that, although fricatives are simpler in structure, stops are the more primitive of the two. This will be achieved phonologically through simply unifying the environment of application of the licensing forces within Pöchtrager's otherwise sound onset structure. In doing so, we automatically make several predictions about language acquisition and typology and show how lenition in Qiang (Sino-Tibetan) can be more elegantly explained

Multivariate epidemiologic analysis of type 2 diabetes mellitus risks in the Lebanese population

Background: The burden of diabetes in Lebanon requires well-targeted interventions for screening type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and prediabetes and prevention of risk factors. Newly recruited 998 Lebanese individuals, in addition to 7,292 already available, were studied to investigate the prevalence of diabetes, prediabetes and their associated risk factors. Methods: Participants had fasting blood sugar and glycohemoglobin tests in addition to a lipid profile. Clinical and demographic information were obtained from a detailed questionnaire. The relationship between T2DM, its risk factors, and its complications were tested. Comparisons of these risk factors among diabetics, healthy, and coronary artery disease (CAD) patients were performed. Results: The prevalence of T2DM significantly increased with increasing BMI (p < 0.0001). Exercise activity level negatively correlated with the disease (p = 0.002), whereas the prevalence of T2DM (p < 0.0001) and CAD family history (p = 0.006) positively correlated with the affection status. The mean levels of triglycerides and LDL-C were significantly higher in diabetics (1.87; 1.35) compared to individuals with prediabetes (1.63; 1.26) and unaffected controls (1.49; 1.19). People with T2DM showed a significant decrease in HDL-C levels. A strong correlation of overall hyperlipidemia with the diabetes affection status was shown (p < 0.0001). Other comorbid factors such as hypertension (p < 0.0001) and self-reported obesity (p < 0.0001) were highly associated with T2DM and prediabetes. Reproductive health of women showed a strong correlation between giving birth to a baby with a high weight and the occurrence of T2DM and prediabetes later in life (p < 0.0001). Retinopathy and peripheral neuropathy were significantly correlated with diabetes and prediabetes (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The present study shows an alarming prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes in the studied subgroups representative of the Lebanese population. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1758-5996-6-89) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Efektifitas Psikoedukasi Manajemen Waktu pada Pegawai Dinas X

Manajemen waktu adalah kemampuan untuk mengalokasikan waktu dan sumber daya untuk mencapai tujuan. Menciptakan keseimbangan antar pekerjaan dan kehidupan pribadi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui efektifitas psikoedukasi manajemen waktu terhadap pegawai pada Kantor Dinas X. Metode penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini yaitu metode kualitatif dengan metode intervensi psikoedukasi dan teknik pengumpulan data yaitu observasi secara langsung di kantor Dinas X. Sumber data dalam penelitian ini adalah pegawai kantor Dinas X. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukan bahwa dengan psikoedukasi manajemen waktu kepada seluruh pegawai Dinas X mendapatkan pengaruh yang positif dan juga dapat diimplementasikan dengan baik oleh pegawai dengan adanya peningkatan secara positif dalam kinerja yang ditunjukkan

Moral grandstanding and political polarization: A multi-study consideration

The present work posits that social motives, particularly status seeking in the form of moral grandstanding, are likely at least partially to blame for elevated levels of affective polarization and ideological extremism in the U.S. In Study 1, results from both undergraduates (N = 981; Mean age = 19.4; SD = 2.1; 69.7% women) and a cross-section of U.S. adults matched to 2010 census norms (N = 1,063; Mean age = 48.20, SD = 16.38; 49.8% women) indicated that prestige-motived grandstanding was consistently and robustly related to more extreme ideological views on a variety of issues. In Study 2, results from a weighted, nationally-representative cross-section of U.S. adults (N = 2,519; Mean age = 47.5, SD = 17.8; 51.4% women) found that prestige motivated grandstanding was reliably related to both ideological extremism and affective polarization

Bibliometric study of SAARC Countries Research Trends in Public Health using Scopus database

Public health is facing a current covid-19 crisis situation in the world. This study aims to analyze particular the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries\u27 public health research interest and growth. This bibliometric study selected the Public Health keyword from Scopus database geographical area selected was only SAARC countries in the title only and retrieved 1720 published articles. The time period selected was from 1957 to March 2021. 5758 authors were identified to published relevant studies on total over an average of 7.34 years in public health. The data retrieval most productive three main publishing countries India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Most productive institutions and authors are from India. Bibliometric analysis showed growth in international collaboration with the USA among most SAARC countries. The most productive journal was found to be “Indian Journal of Public Health” and the most productive author Ramasam, Y. J having a total of publication 57. This bibliometric analysis provides an inclusive overview of the public health research conducted in SAARC countries, which helps researchers, policy makers, and practitioner better understand the development of public health care and possible practice implications. Future Public health research should be dedicated to filling in the gaps between SAARC Countries health care research

Circulating levels of dickkopf-1, osteoprotegerin and sclerostin are higher in old compared with young men and women and positively associated with whole-body bone mineral density in older adults

Summary: Bone mineral density declines with increasing older age. We examined the levels of circulating factors known to regulate bone metabolism in healthy young and older adults. The circulating levels of dickkopf-1, osteocalcin, osteoprotegerin and sclerostin were positively associated with WBMD in older adults, despite the average WBMD being lower and circulating dickkopf-1, osteoprotegerin and sclerostin being higher in old than young. Purpose: To investigate the relationship between whole-body bone mineral density (WBMD) and levels of circulating factors with known roles in bone remodelling during 'healthy' ageing. Methods: WBMD and fasting plasma concentrations of dickkopf-1, fibroblast growth factor-23, osteocalcin, osteoprotegerin, osteopontin and sclerostin were measured in 272 older subjects (69 to 81 years; 52% female) and 171 younger subjects (18-30 years; 53% female). Results: WBMD was lower in old than young. Circulating osteocalcin was lower in old compared with young, while dickkopf-1, osteoprotegerin and sclerostin were higher in old compared with young. These circulating factors were each positively associated with WBMD in the older adults and the relationships remained after adjustment for covariates (r-values ranging from 0.174 to 0.254, all p<0.01). In multivariate regression, the body mass index, circulating sclerostin and whole-body lean mass together accounted for 13.8% of the variation with WBMD in the older adults. In young adults, dickkopf-1 and body mass index together accounted for 7.7% of variation in WBMD. Conclusion: Circulating levels of dickkopf-1, osteocalcin, osteoprotegerin and sclerostin are positively associated with WBMD in community-dwelling older adults, despite the average WBMD being lower and circulating dickkopf-1, osteoprotegerin and sclerostin being higher in old than young

Oral Rehabilitation of Patients Sustaining Orofacial Injuries: The UPenn Initiative

Tissue injuries in the oral and maxillofacial structures secondary to trauma, warfare, ablative cancer, and benign tumor surgery result in significant losses of speech, masticatory and swallowing functions, aesthetic deformities, and overall psychological stressors and compromise. Optimal oral rehabilitation remains a formidable challenge and an unmet clinical need due to the influence of multiple factors related to the physiologic limitations of tissue repair, the lack of site and function-specific donor tissues and constructs, and an integrated team of multidisciplinary professionals. The advancements in stem cell biology, biomaterial science, and tissue engineering technologies, particularly the 3-dimensional bioprinting technology, together with digital imaging and computer-aided design and manufacturing technologies, have paved the path for personalized/precision regenerative medicine. At the University of Pennsylvania, we have launched the initiative to integrate multidisciplinary health professionals and translational/clinical scientists in medicine, dentistry, stem cell biology, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine to develop a comprehensive, patient-centered approach for precision and personalized reconstruction, as well as oral rehabilitation of patients sustaining orofacial tissue injuries and defects, especially oral cancer patients