New radio receiver opens wider window to radio universe

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF NATURAL SCIENCES

Research News

IMAGE: DISTRIBUTION OF CO ISOTOPOLOGUES IN THE ORION MOLECULAR CLOUD OBSERVED SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE NEWLY DEVELOPED BROADBAND RECEIVER. view more 

CREDIT: OSAKA PREFECTURE UNIVERSITY/NAOJ

Researchers have used the latest wireless technology to develop a new radio receiver for astronomy. The receiver is capable of capturing radio waves at frequencies over a range several times wider than conventional ones, and can detect radio waves emitted by many types of molecules in space at once. This is expected to enable significant progresses in the study of the evolution of the Universe and the mechanisms of star and planet formation.

Interstellar molecular clouds of gas and dust provide the material for stars and planets. Each type of molecule emits radio waves at characteristic frequencies and astronomers have detected emissions from various molecules over a wide range of frequencies. By observing these radio waves, we can learn about the physical properties and chemical composition of interstellar molecular clouds. This has been the motivation driving the development of a wideband receiving system.

In general, the range of radio frequencies that can be observed simultaneously by a radio telescope is very limited. This is due to the characteristics of the components that make up a radio receiver. In this new research, the team of researchers in Osaka Prefecture University (OPU) and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) has widened the bandwidth of various components, such as the horn that brings radio waves into the receiver, the waveguide (metal tube) circuit that propagates the radio waves, and the radio frequency converter. By combining these components into a receiver system, the team has achieved a range of simultaneously detectable frequencies several times larger than before. Furthermore, this receiver system was mounted on the OPU 1.85-m radio telescope in NAOJ's Nobeyama Radio Observatory, and succeeded in capturing radio waves from actual celestial objects. This shows that the results of this research are extremely useful in actual astronomical observations.

"It was a very emotional moment for me to share the joy of receiving radio waves from the Orion Nebula for the first time with the members of the team, using the receiver we had built," comments Yasumasa Yamasaki, an OPU graduate student and the lead author of the paper describing the development of the wideband receiver components. "I feel that this achievement was made possible by the cooperation of many people involved in the project."

When compared to the receivers currently used in the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the breadth of frequencies that can be simultaneously observed with the new receivers is striking. To cover the radio frequencies between 211 and 373 GHz, ALMA uses two receivers, Band 6 and 7, but can use only one of them at a given time. In addition, ALMA receivers can observe two strips of frequency ranges with widths of 5.5 and 4 GHz using the Band 6 and 7 receivers, respectively. In contrast, the new wideband receiver can cover all the frequencies with a single unit. In addition, especially in the higher frequency band, the receiver can detect radio waves in a frequency range of 17 GHz at a time.

"It was a very valuable experience for me to be involved in the development of this broadband receiver from the beginning to successful observation," says Sho Masui, a graduate student at OPU and the lead author of the research paper reporting the development of the receiver and the test observations. "Based on these experiences, I would like to continue to devote further efforts to the advancement of astronomy through instrument development."

This wideband technology has made it possible to observe the interstellar molecular clouds along the Milky Way more efficiently using the 1.85-m radio telescope. In addition, widening the receiver bandwidth is listed as one of the high priority items in the ALMA Development Roadmap which aims to further improve the performance of ALMA. This achievement is expected to be applied to ALMA and other large radio telescopes, and to make a significant contribution to enhance our understanding of the evolution of the Universe.

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These research results are presented in the following two papers published in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan.

S. Masui et al. "Development of a new wideband heterodyne receiver system for the Osaka 1.85 m mm-submm telescope: Receiver development and the first light of simultaneous observations in 230 GHz and 345 GHz bands with an SIS-mixer with 4-21?GHz IF output" https://doi.org/10.1093/pasj/psab046

Y. Yamasaki et al. "Development of a new wideband heterodyne receiver system for the Osaka 1.85?m mm-submm telescope: Corrugated horn and optics covering the 210-375?GHz band" https://doi.org/10.1093/pasj/psab062

 

Creating a lab mangrove helps to identify new bacteria

KING ABDULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (KAUST)

Research News

 

IMAGE: USING A PIONEERING CULTIVATION STRATEGY, KAUST RESEARCHERS HAVE IDENTIFIED SEVERAL MICROORGANISMS IN RED SEA MANGROVES THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN TO SCIENCE. view more 

CREDIT: © 2021 MORGAN BENNETT SMITH

A pioneering cultivation strategy that recreates a mangrove environment in the lab has enabled identification of novel bacteria residing in Red Sea mangroves and will help improve understanding of mangrove ecosystem stability, resilience and sustainability.

Mangroves are highly productive, dominant coastal ecosystems that line between 60-70 percent of the world's tropical and subtropical coastlines. They harbor diverse microbial communities thought to make up 80 percent of the ecosystem's biomass. Many of the microbial species, families and taxa are unknown to science.

The cultivation strategy was developed by a team of KAUST researchers, including Fatmah Sefrji and Ramona Marasco.

"Red Sea mangroves are particularly interesting because they represent an extreme and unique version of mangrove environments that are exposed to stressful conditions, including high temperatures, salinity and oligotrophy," says Sefrji. "These environmental stresses exert a strong selective force on the mangrove's microbial communities and so favor the presence of unique species and families."

The team's key challenge was to recreate the mangrove environment in the lab so that they could grow the bacteria in their natural setting. They moved portions of the mangrove sediment and seawater to lab-based growth chambers because in artificial media, it is nearly impossible to reproduce all the molecules, such as nutrients and vitamins, and the molecular cross-communication that are necessary for healthy microbial growth.

"It is difficult to successfully cultivate so-called 'microbial dark matter'-- the environmental microorganisms that are unknown to science and have never been cultured before," says Marasco. "There are so many molecules and parameters important for the growth of a given microbial species from a particular setting."

Once the growth chambers were set up, the team cultivated the resident microbial communities by feeding them regularly with nutrients taken from the natural mangrove environment. They then analyzed the genotypes and phenotypes of selected bacterial isolates, discovering a series of new species, and even taxa. Two papers highlight the first two organisms new to science, the bacterium Mangrovivirga cuniculi (new family Mangrovivirgaceae) and a new bacterial strain called Kaustia mangrovi.

"Both organisms grow in the presence of relatively high salinity and temperature and in the pH range typical of mangrove sediment on the Red Sea," says Sefrji. "Despite their similar physiology, each bacterial isolate showed unique physical and biochemical characteristics, confirmed also by the analysis of their genomes."

The researchers hope the identification of these organisms will contribute to a wider understanding of mangroves and provide insight into effective ways of protecting these unique ecosystems, particularly in light of climate change. The ability to cultivate Red Sea mangrove bacteria at scale could have significant implications, and not just for mangroves themselves.

"Cultivating members of a microbial community adapted to the variable and harsh conditions of the Red Sea may represent an important source of metabolites and enzymes for future biotechnological applications," says Marasco. "For example, bacteria that promote plant growth could boost mangrove seedling establishment, while others could confer salt tolerance to cereal crops. We are actively characterizing our novel strains for such capacities."

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Can whale poo help save the planet?

Whales were hunted nearly to extinction. A new report shows how important they are for healthy oceans. They can even help mitigate climate change.

GRID-ARENDAL

Research News

 

Washington, DC (July 6, 2021) --The International Whaling Commission (IWC) was founded to regulate whaling. Today, it also increasingly focuses on the value of live whales for planetary health. A new workshop report confirms the great ecological value of whales to help mitigate climate change, transport nutrients, enhance marine productivity, and promote biodiversity in marine ecosystems.

The world's leading experts gathered for a three-day workshop in April that was co-hosted by the IWC and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). The meeting came in response to a 2016 IWC resolution, introduced by the government of Chile, to compile scientific information about the ecological roles of cetaceans (whales and dolphins).

The workshop discussions focused on a number of primary ecosystem functions of cetaceans: nutrient transport both in the water column and between their foraging and breeding grounds, the impact of "whale falls" (when whales die and sink to the seafloor) on biodiversity and carbon storage, and the role of cetaceans as predators and prey. A series of expert presentations provided compelling evidence of the multi-faceted and beneficial impacts of cetaceans on marine ecosystems, such as their contribution to ocean productivity through their excrement (which can impact fishing yields) and their large bodies acting as carbon sinks (which can contribute to combating climate change).

"It is meaningful that the commission embraced the principles of the resolution that we proposed in 2016 for the protection of these marine mammals," said Jose Fernandez, Chilean commissioner to the IWC. "It is a strong recognition -- of a permanent and visionary nature -- about the need and obligation of our society to strengthen an ethical imperative. Its effects will translate into an instrument of enormous effectiveness for the protection and sustainable use of marine resources and ocean ecosystems, as well as to tackle the harmful effects of climate change."

"Scientific evidence demonstrating the valuable role of cetaceans as ecosystem engineers, including their ability to sequester carbon and enhance biodiversity, is expanding each day," said Dr. Joe Roman, a conservation biologist at the Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont and the lead author of a primary report prepared for the workshop. "It is critical that the IWC and its members consider this evidence as part of their ongoing efforts to manage and recover cetacean populations."

The workshop highlighted how commercial whaling has contributed to the slaughter of nearly 3 million whales in the 20th century alone, significantly diminishing the animals' ability to mitigate climate change. As some whale populations have recovered following decades of protection, they have resumed their role in helping fix and store carbon. However, that beneficial role continues to be hindered by other threats to cetaceans, particularly bycatch in fishing gear.

"Commercial whaling not only caused the extinction or near extinction of several whale populations, but it also resulted in the catastrophic loss of their ecosystem benefits," said Sue Fisher, marine animal consultant for the Animal Welfare Institute. "We must learn from the mistakes of the past and, for the sake of the whales and ocean health, end commercial whaling once and for all."

"As the world grapples with the dire consequences of climate change, it is imperative that all solutions -- large and small -- are considered to mitigate these threats," said Steven Lutz, senior program officer and blue carbon lead at GRID-Arendal, a United Nations Environment Programme partner based in Norway. "Protecting cetaceans is essential to promoting oceanic blue carbon as a nature-based solution to our changing climate, and it's time for the governments of the world to recognize this important value at the United Nations climate change conference in November."

"The decimation of cetacean populations over the last 200 years has knocked the marine ecosystem out of balance," said Astrid Fuchs, policy manager at Whale and Dolphin Conservation. "We now know that by helping whale and dolphin populations recover, they can help to heal the ocean as part of a nature-based solution to climate and ecological emergencies. For this to happen, the IWC and its member countries must urgently strengthen protections for cetaceans, reducing the risks from bycatch, whaling, pollution and ship strikes, and creating safe places for them to live and breed."

"During the last five decades (i.e., within a whale species' life expectancy), humans have come to learn about their intelligence, social complexities, and whale culture. Now, science reveals more and more about their important role for a healthy ocean and nature-based solution to climate change," said Fabienne McLellan, co-director of international relations at OceanCare focusing to end direct hunts. "While whales became THE symbol for the environmental movement in the 1970s, they should be truly treated as THE symbol for our ocean as our life-support system. We need to protect them with all our efforts, as our life depends on them."

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Improving transparency of integrated assessment models related to climate change

WILEY

Research News

 

 

Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) connect trends in future socio-economic and technological development with impacts on the environment, such as global climate change. Critics have taken issue with the transparency of IAM methods and assumptions as well as the transparency of assessments of IAMs by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.

An article published in WIREs Climate Change that's co-authored by officials at the IPCC documents various activities underway to enhance the transparency of IAMs and their assessments.

"The purpose of this paper is to document how both the IAM community and IPCC are working to enhance transparency and to suggest some criteria for judging the success of these efforts," the authors wrote. "Transparency does not in itself guarantee scientific closure, but it facilitates debate and provides a clearer evidence base for policymakers."

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Repurposed drugs present new strategy for treating COVID-19

Virtual screening of 6,218 drugs and cell-based assays identifies best therapeutic medication candidates

THE KOREA ADVANCED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (KAIST)

Research News

IMAGE: A SCHEMATIC REPRESENTATION OF COMPUTATIONAL DRUG REPURPOSING STRATEGY. DOCKING-BASED VIRTUAL SCREENING CAN RAPIDLY IDENTIFY NOVEL COMPOUNDS FOR COVID-19 TREATMENT AMONG FROM THE COLLECTION OF APPROVED AND CLINICAL TRIAL DRUGS.... view more 

CREDIT: KAIST

A joint research group from KAIST and Institut Pasteur Korea has identified repurposed drugs for COVID-19 treatment through virtual screening and cell-based assays. The research team suggested the strategy for virtual screening with greatly reduced false positives by incorporating pre-docking filtering based on shape similarity and post-docking filtering based on interaction similarity. This strategy will help develop therapeutic medications for COVID-19 and other antiviral diseases more rapidly. This study was reported at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).

Researchers screened 6,218 drugs from a collection of FDA-approved drugs or those under clinical trial and identified 38 potential repurposed drugs for COVID-19 with this strategy. Among them, seven compounds inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication in Vero cells. Three of these drugs, emodin, omipalisib, and tipifarnib, showed anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in human lung cells, Calu-3.

Drug repurposing is a practical strategy for developing antiviral drugs in a short period of time, especially during a global pandemic. In many instances, drug repurposing starts with the virtual screening of approved drugs. However, the actual hit rate of virtual screening is low and most of the predicted drug candidates are false positives.

The research group developed effective filtering algorithms before and after the docking simulations to improve the hit rates. In the pre-docking filtering process, compounds with similar shapes to the known active compounds for each target protein were selected and used for docking simulations. In the post-docking filtering process, the chemicals identified through their docking simulations were evaluated considering the docking energy and the similarity of the protein-ligand interactions with the known active compounds.

The experimental results showed that the virtual screening strategy reached a high hit rate of 18.4%, leading to the identification of seven potential drugs out of the 38 drugs initially selected.

"We plan to conduct further preclinical trials for optimizing drug concentrations as one of the three candidates didn't resolve the toxicity issues in preclinical trials," said Woo Dae Jang, one of the researchers from KAIST.

"The most important part of this research is that we developed a platform technology that can rapidly identify novel compounds for COVID-19 treatment. If we use this technology, we will be able to quickly respond to new infectious diseases as well as variants of the coronavirus," said Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee.

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This work was supported by the KAIST Mobile Clinic Module Project funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF). The National Culture Collection for Pathogens in Korea provided the SARS-CoV-2 (NCCP43326).

-About KAIST

KAIST is the first and top science and technology university in Korea. KAIST was established in 1971 by the Korean government to educate scientists and engineers committed to industrialization and economic growth in Korea.

Since then, KAIST and its 67,000 graduates have been the gateway to advanced science and technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship. KAIST has emerged as one of the most innovative universities with more than 10,000 students enrolled in five colleges and seven schools including 1,039 international students from 90 countries.

On the precipice of its semi-centennial anniversary in 2021, KAIST continues to strive to make the world better through its pursuits in education, research, entrepreneurship, and globalization. For more information about KAIST, please visit http://www.kaist.ac.kr/.

-About Institut Pasteur Korea

Institut Pasteur Korea (IPK) is a non-profit research institute established in 2004 as part of the scientific cooperation between the Rep. of Korea and France, focusing on infectious diseases. Utilizing its core research capabilities, cell- and image-based screening platforms, to understand disease mechanisms and accelerate the development of new treatments, IPK contributes to addressing unmet global health issues, including emerging infectious diseases such as COVID-19, MERS, Zika fever, viral hepatitis, tuberculosis, antibiotic resistance, cancer, and neglected diseases.

By providing fundamental technologies to bridge Korean and international bio-pharma science and promote multi-disciplinary projects globally, IPK stands at the forefront of drug discovery research contributing to Korea's scientific, intellectual, and technical resources as well as its global infectious disease preparedness and response. IPK is an integral member of the Institut Pasteur International Network (IPIN), consisting of 33 members located in 25 countries. (http://www.ip-korea.org)

Study of indigenous language education in Russia leads to intercontinental collaboration

A publication by Kazan Federal University saw light in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development.

KAZAN FEDERAL UNIVERSITY

Research News

The rationale for the research is in the fact that despite the high number of recognized Indigenous groups who are struggling to maintain their languages, cultures, and identities in Russia, there is little research done on the matters of cultural and linguistic revitalization. This study sought to address this gap by exploring the views of two Indigenous groups, Karelian and Mari, on the development of their Indigenous languages and educational strategies to protect and revive their languages. The study relied on in-depth one-on-one interviews with 20 participants, ten from each Indigenous group.

The findings show that despite older generations' relative proficiency and interest in their respective Indigenous languages, motivation to master them is fading among younger Indigenous populations. There is also a lack of opportunities to learn the languages including informal settings despite protections within the federal legal system. The participants identified three reasons for the rapid decrease of language speakers which include assimilation of the Indigenous groups, differences in rural and urban development, and globalization.

We singled out three areas where the research results can be implemented. First, those responsible for education policy for the country's indigenous population can draw on the findings of the study to develop educational initiatives. Second, the study design can be used to conduct similar studies with a different sample. Third, the results of qualitative research will be used to design a tool for quantitative research on the problems of this project.

During the project, the team members held a number of meetings with overseas colleagues and agreed to start developing the design of a collaborative study planned for 2022-2023. The purpose of the future research is to conduct a comparative analysis of the ways of adapting the UN Declaration on Indigenous Peoples and the national educational laws adopted on its basis (including laws for cultural and linguistic revival) in Russia, Mexico, Taiwan, Bolivia, Australia, and Canada.

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Nearly 8% of men who have sex with men estimated to have syphilis globally

Syphilis prevalence 15x higher than men in the general population

LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE & TROPICAL MEDICINE

Research News

Led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Avenir Health, the research team carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of syphilis prevalence among MSM between 2000 to 2020, drawing on data from 275 studies involving more than 600,000 study participants across 77 countries.

The worldwide prevalence of syphilis among MSM was 15x higher than most recent estimates for men in the general population (7.5% versus 0.5%). Researchers further estimated the prevalence across eight regions of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and six regions of the WHO. Latin America and the Caribbean region had the highest prevalence of syphilis (10.6%), whereas Australia and New Zealand had the lowest (1.9%). There is, therefore, an urgent need to quantify the burden of syphilis in this high-risk group.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. When diagnosed, syphilis is easily treated with penicillin. One study found that annual screening and treatment of at least 62% of sexually active MSM is necessary to achieve local elimination.

Dr Matthew Chico, Associate Professor at LSHTM and lead author, said: "Men tend to be disadvantaged when it comes to syphilis testing and treatment. Women are routinely screened for syphilis at their first antenatal care visit, and are offered testing at family planning services. Men in general do not have the same number of contacts with the health system as women, and MSM face additional barriers due to stigma and shaming.

"As diseases go, syphilis is terribly deceptive. In the primary and secondary stages of infection, skin lesions, such as chancre or rash, may present, only to then disappear as if the person has been cured. Unfortunately, without treatment, the bacterium will slowly invade internal organs, and can lead to physical deformity, loss of vision, dementia, and even death. There is no good reason for this to happen. We have effective treatment."

Dr Motoyuki Tsuboi, from LSHTM and the study's first author, said: "The Global Health Sector Strategy of the WHO has an ambitious target to reduce global syphilis incidence by 90% between 2018 and 2030. We hope our findings - the first global prevalence estimates of syphilis among MSM - will serve as a catalyst for action."

In this new study, pooled estimates of syphilis among MSM were highest (8.7%) in regions where HIV prevalence is more than 5%. Lower-middle income countries also had a high burden (8·7%). Countries with low-income status had the lowest syphilis prevalence estimates among MSM (3.8%). Syphilis prevalence estimates were high among studies exclusively involving male sex workers, transgender women, and transgender women sex workers.

Among studies conducted from 2000 to 2009 and 2010 to 2020, global syphilis prevalence was estimated to be 8·9% and 6·6% respectively. However, four of eight SDG regions - Europe and Northern America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Oceania [excluding Australia and New Zealand]) - showed higher estimates between 2015 and 2020 than 2010 and 2014.

Dr Tsuboi said: "Syphilis prevalence among MSM is unacceptably high at the global and SDG regional levels, particularly in lower-middle, upper-middle, and high-income countries, where cases appear to be increasing and where HIV prevalence is high. Urgent action is needed."

The researchers say that it is difficult to know if syphilis prevalence among MSM will be altered by the COVID-19 pandemic. While there is evidence the pandemic has impacted MSM sexual activity, there have also been reports that MSM have experienced difficulty accessing STI testing and treatment due to COVID-19, potentially translating into fewer syphilis cases being diagnosed, treated and removed from the MSM population.

Eloise Stonborough, Associate Director of Policy and Research at Stonewall, (she/her) said: "Sexually transmitted infections, including syphilis, can cause severe health problems if untreated. These figures provide an important insight into the increased prevalence of syphilis infections for men who have sex with men. It's important that everyone, including LGBTQ+ people and those at higher risk, is supported to understand how to protect themselves against syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections.

"It's also vital that healthcare services are inclusive and welcoming of all lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer people, so everyone feels comfortable getting the help and support they need."

The authors acknowledge limitations of the study, including the fact that Eastern and South-Eastern Asia contributed 55% of the global data points, most of which were from China where the prevalence of syphilis among MSM was slightly higher than the overall global total. This has the effect of slightly skewing upward the pooled prevalence estimates. Another limitation is that one-third of the data points relied on convenience sampling.

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For more information or interview requests, please contact press@lshtm.ac.uk.

A copy of the embargoed paper is available upon request.

Notes for Editors

Publication

Motoyuki Tsuboi, Jayne Evans, Ella P Davies, Jane Rowley, Eline L Korenromp, Tim Clayton, Melanie M Taylor, David Mabey, R Matthew Chico. Prevalence of syphilis among men who have sex with men: a global systematic review and meta-analysis from 2000-20. Lancet Global Health. DOI:10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00221-7

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a world-leading centre for research, postgraduate studies and continuing education in public and global health. LSHTM has a strong international presence with over 3,000 staff and 4,000 students working in the UK and countries around the world, and an annual research income of £180 million.

LSHTM is one of the highest-rated research institutions in the UK, is partnered with two MRC University Units in The Gambia and Uganda, and was named University of the Year in the Times Higher Education Awards 2016. Our mission is to improve health and health equity in the UK and worldwide; working in partnership to achieve excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of knowledge into policy and practice. http://www.lshtm.ac.uk

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Populist anti-foreign aid rhetoric has an impact on the public - but only among fans of populist politicians, study shows

UNIVERSITY OF EXETER

Research News

 

Populist anti-foreign aid rhetoric works - but only fans of populist politicians are convinced by hostile messages about charity abroad, a new study shows. Those who distrust populist politicians are significantly less susceptible to these messages.

The research shows international aid institutions and non-populist politicians should not be unduly worried about the impact of populism on global development cooperation.

Those wanting to convince the public about the importance of foreign aid should focus on communicating their message transparently and clearly, and using local partnerships.

The research, by A. Burcu Bayram from the University of Arkansas and Catarina Thomson from the University of Exeter, is published in the International Studies Quarterly.

Dr. Thomson said: "Populists are not converting pro-aid individuals with their rhetoric; they are preaching to those predisposed to be converted. Populist parties and politicians continue to portray overseas aid spending as the enemy of prosperity "at home", and this has an impact on public attitudes.

"We have found those most likely to be swayed by anti-foreign aid populist rhetoric are those who have favourable views of populist leaders. This means the situation for those wanting to make the case for foreign aid isn't necessarily as bleak as many fear. The Conservative Party backlash to cuts is a good example of this.

"The effect of negative comments about foreign aid is moderated by whether people think populist leaders stand up for the little guy or scapegoat those in other nations. The future of global development might not be as bleak as previously feared in the age of populism."

Dr Bayram said: "We found people who trust populist leaders are more persuaded by populist rhetoric against aid than those who are suspicious of populists. Populist rhetoric against foreign development aid has a larger impact on the willingness to provide such aid when people think populist leaders represent the will of the people than when they think populist leaders scapegoat others."

Academics surveyed 1,600 American and 1,200 British adults during 2017 and 2018. First they measured their political views, asking if they saw populist leaders as the kind of leaders who "stand up for the little guy" or "scapegoat out-groups" for America or Britain's problems. Participants were asked to read a hypothetical scenario showing how leaders had handled multilateral development aid in different ways. One group were told the U.S. President or Prime Minister had said people prefer to help children in their country first; another were told the President or Prime Minister blamed elites for exaggerating the situation of global poverty and manipulating the people and another were told the President or Prime Minister said it was not their country's responsibility to help. A control group was told the President or Prime Minister had called for a congressional or parliamentary committee to evaluate a request from UNICEF's for more funding.

Participants were then asked about their willingness to contribute funds to UNICEF, and if the American or British government should provide additional funds to UNICEF.

In the UK, among the participants exposed to anti-aid populist rhetoric, those who believe that populist leaders scapegoat others were 31 percentage points less likely to want to reduce aid funding compared to those who believe populist leaders stand up for "the little guy". They find similar results in the U.S..

About 12 per cent of British respondents expressed strong support for funding UNICEF while about 22 percent said they were strongly opposed. Around 16 percent of Americans were strongly in favour of funding UNICEF and 23 percent were strongly opposed.

Those in the UK told their leader wanted to help children in their country first, global poverty was exaggerated or it was not their country's responsibility to help, were 6 percentage points more likely to say funding should definitely not be given to UNICEF, compared with those told their leader would get an outside body to consider the charity's request.

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Do I buy or not?

UNIVERSITY OF WÜRZBURG

Research News

IMAGE: THE SHOPPING TROLLEY OFTEN CONTAINS NOT ONLY WHAT IS NEEDED, BUT ALSO THINGS THAT ARE BOUGHT SPONTANEOUSLY. PSYCHOLOGISTS HAVE INVESTIGATED HOW IMPULSE PURCHASES COME ABOUT. view more 

CREDIT: (PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF WUERZBURG)

You have probably often said to yourself: "This time, I will only buy what I need!" But then you still ended up coming home with things that were not on your shopping list.

How can you prevent such impulse buying? A team from the Chair of Psychology II at Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany, looked at this question. The answer is not that simple, says psychologist Dr Anand Krishna. It depends on what type of person you are: a pleasure-seeker or a person who focuses on security.

Anand Krishna and his JMU colleagues Sophia Ried and Marie Meixner have published their results in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.

Sometimes you buy out of curiosity, sometimes you want to indulge yourself

Sometimes you buy spontaneously, out of pure curiosity. For example, there's a treat you've never tried before. Or you want to treat yourself to something. It could be a chocolate bar, a pretty decorative piece for the living room or a great pair of jeans.

Sometimes you're really happy about the spontaneous purchase. Sometimes, you have a guilty conscience: Money is already tight! However, many people manage to suppress the impulse to reach for a chocolate bar. And they do so when they are in a situation in which they are particularly sensitive to risks.

Dr Krishna emphasises that it is not possible to say that certain customers are predisposed to impulse buying. However, the research results so far give a clue as to how people who want to protect themselves from such purchases should proceed.

How to protect yourself from impulse buying

According to the JMU psychologist, people of pleasure are spontaneous by nature. If they are feeling well and are geared to enjoyment, they will spontaneously reach for an article that promises to give them even more pleasure. At the same time, a relatively small impulse is enough for these people to stop themselves from making a spontaneous purchase: "This can be, for example, a small note in the wallet that says 'Stop!' or something similar," says Krishna.

Then there are the security-oriented people. For them, a warning note in the wallet alone would not help. Security people need time. And in general: even impulse buying does not happen so quickly with them. "Does this really taste as good as it looks?" Such thoughts may go through their minds at the sight of a fine chocolate. They also need more time to say "No!" to the treat. It seems to help them more if they look more often at a note saying "No impulse buying today!" when walking through the shop.

Security people take a tad longer

The research results are interesting especially since one might actually think that security-oriented people are generally more likely to avoid impulse purchases. But this is not the case. If they are in a positive motivational state, they are just as tempted to treat themselves to something good as pleasure-seekers. The big difference is that no matter what they end up doing, it takes them a tad longer cognitively to act.

These findings arose from a laboratory study with around 250 participants. Two experiments were conducted.

The results are interesting for marketing, but also for consumer protection. "The latter because impulse buying can be a problematic and undesirable behaviour for many people," says Anand Krishna. To help, it is important to know that there are two types of people, that different cognitive processes necessitate different methods to prevent impulse buying, and most importantly, that the current situation plays a big role.

Motivational state plays an important role

They have honestly earned the reward in the form of a new pair of jeans, the pleasure-seeker thinks - and buys spontaneously, following what is called in psychology a promotion focus. "Let's say they had ice cream shortly before, so they're attending to rewards and pleasure anyway, and use the chance to get even more pleasure," explains the JMU researcher.

The situation is different if the pleasure-seeker has just come from a conversation at their bank. Despite their basic orientation towards pleasure, the risks of spending too much money are active in their mind. They suppress their impulse and walk past the great pair of jeans, even without much time for reflection.

Goods that certain customers might gladly buy on one day are therefore left behind on another. This is what the results from the Würzburg psychology department suggest. And this is independent of how they are presented. Because it seems to depend on the emotional state in which the customers enter the shop.

The question of what security-oriented customers do when they have to act under time pressure is still open. For example, if they don't want to buy the chocolate bar because they stood on the scales in the morning and they showed two kilos too much. Maybe they still reach for the candy when they have to hurry to the checkout, because there is not enough time to reflect. But more experiments are needed to clarify this.

 

Buried treasure: New study spotlights bias in leadership assessments of women

The UToledo research highlights the continuing bias in leadership assessments of women and explores the contradictions between the perception and the reality of women's leadership.

UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO

Research News

A new study conducted before COVID-19 busted open the leaky pipeline for women in leadership underscores the bias that men are naturally presumed to have leadership potential and women are not and highlights the increased efforts needed by organizations to address the incorrect stereotype post-pandemic.

The research published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology highlights the continuing bias in leadership assessments of women, explores the contradictions between the perception and the reality of women's leadership, and shows why the slow rate of career advancement for women will likely continue at a snail's pace.

"The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women's career progression will likely be felt for years to come as many women stepped away from the workforce," said Dr. Margaret Hopkins, professor of management in The University of Toledo's John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation and lead author of the study. "This can only exacerbate the slow progress of women moving more fully into senior leadership roles -- something that organizations and society must be fully attentive to correcting."

The contemporary view of effective leadership places a strong emphasis on social skills, flexibility and engaging others, behaviors typically associated with women.

But when women exhibit gender role behaviors such as teamwork and empathy, they also pay a price in their leadership performance assessments.

Based on data collected from a sample of 91 senior leaders in one U.S. financial services organization over three years, women were penalized in performance evaluations when they displayed those leadership characteristics.

On the other hand, women also were viewed negatively when exhibiting stereotypical masculine behaviors such as a competitive drive to achieve, task orientation and directing others. Men were positively evaluated for their leadership potential when exhibiting those same behaviors.

"Entrenched archetypes that define leadership as a masculine enterprise remain in spite of data that relates more stereotypical feminine behaviors to effective leadership," said Hopkins, an expert on women in leadership, executive coaching and emotional intelligence. "Our study found no evidence of acknowledging this more contemporary view of leadership when organizations actually assess women's performance and potential for leadership."

The researchers discovered that whether women demonstrated people-oriented, relational skills or whether they exhibited achievement-oriented behaviors, there was a negative effect on their leadership performance assessments and leadership potential appraisals. However, this was not the case for the male leaders in the study.

In order to change the dynamic, Hopkins said there are best-practice strategies that both women and organizations can take.

"My co-authors and I do not support the notion that the onus is on the women to change," Hopkins said. "Rather, organizational structures and systems must change to provide leadership opportunities for both women and men in equal measure."

She said organizational decision-makers can investigate organizational policies and practices to determine how they might be contributing to impediments for women in leadership roles.

Not only should leadership assessment instruments be examined for possible bias, but also the methods by which individuals conduct assessments of women leaders should be reviewed for inherent bias.

"Hiring procedures, training and development opportunities, benefits packages, leave policies, and performance, salary and promotional evaluations can all play a part in contributing to gender stereotypes," Hopkins said. "Organizational systems that rely on a limited framework for essential leadership behaviors will restrict their ability to recruit and develop outstanding leaders."

To help mitigate these inaccurate perceptions and biases of their leadership performance and potential, Hopkins suggests that women find both female and male allies and sponsors, create strategic networks, seek high-profile assignments to highlight their skills and abilities, and develop and communicate their individual definitions of career success.

The financial services organization at the focus of this study is one of the Top 100 U.S. Best Banks named by Forbes magazine. The sample of senior leaders included 26 women and 65 men, representative of the gender composition of the senior leadership team.

The researchers said a comparison of males and females in one organization ensured that any observed gender differences were not due to factors such as differences in industries or management hierarchies across organizations.

Researchers from UToledo, Bowling Green State University, Case Western Reserve University and San Diego Gas and Electric collaborated on the study.

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