Chilling Effect Research Articles

Academic ‘ethics’ and the Schøyen Collection Aramaic incantation bowls: a personal narrative

The Aramaic incantation bowls in the possession of the Schøyen Collection have been the subject of academic controversy and police search. This paper discusses the ethical dimensions of scholarly engagements with the bowls, with a special focus on the actions of University College London and the British Academy. It concludes that there is little evidence of ethical reflection on the part of these institutions, and considers the chilling effects exerted by a wealthy private individual upon academic freedom.

Silenced voices: unravelling India’s dissent crisis through historical and contemporary analysis of free speech and suppression

ABSTRACT In India, the world’s largest democracy, the right to express dissenting opinions has come under increasing pressure due to governmental reactions to violent and non-violent activities and opposition. As well as direct suppression, a concerning trend has arisen whereby individuals and groups may choose to self-censor rather than risk the consequences of speaking out. These outcomes are related in this paper to the treatment of social media, where official policies and laws regulate and censor content on social media on the dubious basis that it is ‘offensive’ or ‘objectionable’. These restraints often lack clear guidelines and are applied arbitrarily, leading to a chilling effect on free speech and the expression of dissenting views. Furthermore, India lacks a comprehensive legal framework to address hate speech, resulting in a patchwork of provisions within the Indian Penal Code that inadequately define and circumscribe hate speech. This article contends that the ‘freedom to criticise’ should be legally better protected to ensure that diverse opinions can be safely held and expressed in order to maintain and reflect the pluralistic nature of Indian democracy.

A review of international trade and investment agreements and nutrition policy space in the Pacific.

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Pacific are heavily reliant on imported foods which are often nutritionally deficient, and typically high in salt, fat, and sugar. To curb nutrition-related non-communicable diseases, nutrition policies are needed to create food environments that promote healthy diets. However, international trade and investment agreements (TIAs) may interfere with the policy space for SIDS to regulate their food environments by requiring member states to meet trade obligations that could conflict with their nutrition policy goals. In this review, we identify real examples of where TIAs have been responsible for changes in Pacific SIDS' nutrition policies alongside the potential for further constraints on healthy nutrition policies from Pacific Island participation in TIAs. In addition, we note the effects of regulatory chill from TIA obligations in Pacific SIDS, whereby healthy nutrition policies are not considered, developed, or implemented due to the threat of trade disputes or the complexity of TIA procedural requirements. Existing literature indicates that TIAs have shaped nutrition policies to fit within the global trade paradigm despite SIDS' nutrition policy imperatives. More can be done locally, regionally, and internationally to increase the importance of nutrition in the trade agenda, leverage regional institutions to champion nutrition regulation and support SIDS in navigating the trade and nutrition policy environment.

Subzero saline chilling with or without prechilling in icy water improved chilling efficiency and meat tenderness of broiler carcasses

Freshly slaughtered carcasses need to be chilled to improve product quality, meat safety, and processing efficiency. This research investigated the effect of subzero saline chilling (SSC) on broiler carcasses with or without prechilling in icy water. Water immersion chilling at 0.5°C (WIC) or SSC at 4% NaCl/-2.41°C (SSC) was a major chilling step. For the combination of pre- and postchilling, the warm water immersion chilling (WWIC) at 10°C was used as prechilling and the WIC as postchilling (WWIC-WIC), and WIC was used as prechilling and the SSC as postchilling (WIC-SSC). The internal temperature of breast fillets was monitored during chilling. Carcasses in a prechiller were transported to a postchiller when their internal temperature reached 15°C. Chilling was completed when the carcass temperature reached 4.4°C or below, and breast fillets were harvested at 3-h postmortem to measure the pH and sarcomere length. Color (L*, a*, and b*) values were evaluated on both breast skin and skinless breast surfaces. Meat tenderness was evaluated using the breast fillets after overnight storage and cooking to an internal temperature of 76°C. The carcasses in the SSC and WIC-SSC showed shorter chilling times (85-91 min) than those (100-144 min) of WIC and WWIC-WIC. A higher chilling yield was observed for the carcasses in WIC-SSC, and a lower cooking yield was seen for the carcasses in WWIC-WIC than other chilling methods (P < 0.05). The breast fillets of broilers in the SSC and WIC-SSC showed lower shear forces and longer sarcomere length than the WIC and WWIC-WIC. No difference was found for L* and a* values, while lower b* value was observed in the SSC than the other chilling methods (P < 0.05). Based on these results, chilling of broiler carcasses in the SSC (4% NaCl/-2.41°C) with or without prechilling in WIC at 0.5°C significantly improved chilling efficiency and meat tenderness, with minor color changes on carcasses.

Exploring the Effect of Anti-immigration Rhetoric on Emergency Department Use by Undocumented Adults.

An unwelcoming policy climate can create barriers to health care access and produce a 'Chilling Effect' among immigrant communities. For undocumented immigrants, barriers may be unique and have a greater impact. We used administrative emergency department (ED) data from 2015 to 2019 for a Midwestern state provided under a data use agreement with the state hospital association. General linear modelling was used to estimate the impact of anti-immigrant rhetoric on ED visit intensity among non-elderly adults who were likely Hispanic/Latino with undocumented status. Compared to 2015, the average ED visit intensity among adults who were likely Hispanic/Latino with undocumented status was significantly higher during 2016-2019 when anti-immigrant rhetoric was heightened. The magnitude of this change increased over time (0.013, 0.014, 0.021, and 0.020, respectively). Additionally, this change over time was not observed in the comparison groups. Our findings suggest that anti-immigrant rhetoric may alter health care utilization for adults who are likely Hispanic/Latino with undocumented status. Limitations to our findings include the use of only those likely to be Hispanic/Latino, data from only one Midwestern state and the loss of data due to non-classification using the NYU ED algorithm. Further research should focus on validating these findings and investigating these identification methods and anti-immigrant rhetoric effects among other undocumented groups including children and adults of different race or ethnicity such as black, both those that identify as Hispanic/Latino and those that do not. Developing strategies to improve health care access for undocumented Hispanic/Latino adults also warrants future research.

The Chilling Effects of Surveillance and Human Rights: Insights from Qualitative Research in Uganda and Zimbabwe

Abstract States are increasingly developing and deploying large scale surveillance and AI-enabled analytical capabilities. What is uncertain, however, is the impact this surveillance will have. Will it result in a chilling effect whereby individuals modify their behaviour due to the fear of the consequences that may follow? Understanding any such effect is essential: if surveillance activities interfere with the processes by which individuals develop their identity, or undermine democratic processes, the consequences may be almost imperceptible in the short term but profound over the long term. Currently, surveillance-related chilling effects are not well understood, meaning that insufficient weight is given to their potentially society-wide impacts. This article seeks to help redress this balance. Drawing on empirical research in Zimbabwe and Uganda it highlights how State surveillance has chilled behaviour, with significant implications for rights essential to individual development and democratic functioning, specifically the rights to freedom of expression and to freedom of assembly. Importantly, this qualitative research identifies a pattern of common themes or consequences associated with surveillance in general, allowing us to move beyond hypothetical or individual experiences, and providing a greater understanding of the nuances of surveillance-related effects that can help inform decision-making surrounding large scale digital surveillance.

Dataveillance imaginaries and their role in chilling effects online

The automatic tracing and analysis of personal data on the internet is a common occurrence. So far, the extent of internet users’ sense of such dataveillance and reactions to it remain obscure. This article explores 1) internet users’ dataveillance imaginaries and 2) the role they play for self-inhibited digital communication behaviors in relation to other behavioral responses to a sense of dataveillance. To address these questions, we apply thematic analysis to semi-structured interviews. Our findings show that internet users’ dataveillance imaginaries affect their self-inhibition: Not trusting actors, being aware of advanced workings of dataveillance, being critical of data collecting and monetizing, valuing privacy highly, and evaluating consequences of dataveillance negatively lead to self-inhibition. Such self-inhibition because of a sense of dataveillance, i.e., chilling effects of dataveillance, manifest in not using certain services, not searching for information, and not voicing one's opinion, which is problematic in a democracy. Further behavioral responses to a sense of dataveillance include not changing one's use of services and using privacy enhancing techniques. By shedding light on the role internet users’ dataveillance imaginaries play for their self-inhibition of legitimate digital communication behavior, this article innovatively contributes to the empirical investigation of the chilling effects of dataveillance.

Responses of rice cultivars with different cold tolerance to chilling in booting and flowering stages: An experiment in Northeast China

AbstractClimate change has led to an increasing trend in the intensity of global extreme weather events, including chilling. Breeding cultivars with high cold tolerance could be an important pathway to mitigate the negative effects of climate change. For rice, few studies have been focusing on the responses of different cold‐tolerance cultivars on chilling stress. In this study, we selected four japonica rice cultivars and conducted a chilling treatment experiment (with three chilling temperatures and three chilling durations) at the booting and flowering stages in 2020 and 2021 in Northeast China. The results showed that chilling treatment at the booting stage affected the biomass allocation and yield traits more than the chilling treatment at the flowering stage did. Overall, the chilling treatment affected the cold‐sensitive cultivars more than the cold‐tolerant cultivars. Among all the study yield traits, chilling treatment affected spikelet fertility the most, followed by the number of grains per panicle. For every 10°C day increase in CDD at the booting (flowering) stage, the grain yield per plant and spikelet fertility decreased by 4.8–12.8% and 3.6–10.8% (2.1–5.3% and 2.2–4.9%), respectively. Even with the intense chilling treatment, the cold‐tolerant cultivars had relatively high number of effective spikes per plant, grain weight, and stable spikelet fertility, hence they maintained relatively high grain yield. Therefore, it is important to factor in the cold tolerance of the cultivars when assessing the chilling effects on biomass allocation and yield traits for rice. In order to combat the negative effects of extremely low temperature at the reproductive stage on rice grain yield, the future breeding technology could focus on improving the spikelet fertility, grain filling size, and number of spikes per plant.

Reduced health care utilization among young children of immigrants after Donald Trump's election and proposed public charge rule.

Widespread fear among immigrants from hostile 2016 presidential campaign rhetoric decreased social and health care service enrollment (chilling effect). Health care utilization effects among immigrant families with young children are unknown. We examined whether former President Trump's election had chilling effects on well-child visit (WCV) schedule adherence, hospitalizations, and emergency department (ED) visits among children of immigrant vs US-born mothers in 3 US cities. Cross-sectional surveys of children <4 years receiving care in hospitals were linked to 2015-2018 electronic health records. We applied difference-in-difference analysis with a 12-month pre/post-election study period. Trump's election was associated with a 5-percentage-point decrease (-0.05; 95% CI: -0.08, -0.02) in WCV adherence for children of immigrant vs US-born mothers with no difference in hospitalizations or ED visits. Secondary analyses extending the treatment period to a leaked draft of proposed changes to public charge rules also showed significantly decreased WCV adherence among children of immigrant vs US-born mothers. Findings indicate likely missed opportunities for American Academy of Pediatrics-recommended early childhood vaccinations, health and developmental screenings, and family support. Policies and rhetoric promoting immigrant inclusion create a more just and equitable society for all US children.

Attacks Against Journalists in Brazil: Catalyzing Effects and Resilience During Jair Bolsonaro’s Government

Attacks on journalists have become a growing concern in democracies around the world. Past scholarship suggests that such attacks could lead to a chilling effect of journalists self-censoring their reporting. However, there is limited empirical work that substantiates the effects of attacks on journalists. To empirically test the existence of chilling effects, this mixed-methods study uses the conditions of journalism under Jair Bolsonaro’s government in Brazil as an exploratory case study. We investigate how attacks ( N = 901) and propaganda messages ( N = 518,853) impacted news coverage ( N = 20,998) in the first two years of Bolsonaro’s government, based on time series analysis and in-depth interviews with journalists ( N = 18). Our results suggest that, despite the increase in government attacks, Brazilian journalists do not exhibit chilling effects; instead, they display what we call catalyzing effects. Our time series results showed that an increase in state propaganda leads to an increase in news coverage. Furthermore, our qualitative data affirms the concept of catalyzing effects. Findings from the interviews suggest that catalyzing effects operate as a form of resilience among journalists. Catalyzing effects do not necessarily manifest as more coverage, but as persistent coverage despite ongoing criticisms and threats (both social and physical). Our findings offer a path forward, highlighting the importance of bringing the discussion about violence and attacks against journalists back to the community of journalists experiencing this hostility. Network support, journalists said, has been crucial, which points to the need for a solidarity infrastructure that supports journalists’ constructive role in society.

“Divisive Concepts” Legislation Reaching into Tennessee Secondary Classrooms Has “Chilling Effect” on Teachers

Recent legislation in Tennessee regarding “divisive concepts” in secondary education negatively impacts teachers. It causes them to question previously taught content for fear that parents or administrators might deem it too controversial, which could put educators’ jobs in jeopardy. Secondary educators used various approaches when handling potentially “divisive” material, such as changing “hot button” terms while teaching the same basic content, “watering down” lessons to ensure they will not be targeted, or cutting out all potentially controversial subjects altogether. These are examples of the “chilling effect” caused by certain types of legislation. Another example is the recent book banning in Tennessee that resulted in many teachers cutting out their classroom libraries completely to avoid trouble. The increasing legislative reach into secondary classrooms has important implications for both students and teachers, such as contributing toward the growing teacher shortage statewide or leaving students as unprepared voters and citizens. Therefore, educators must speak out about the negative impacts of legislative overreach.

Performance, Credibility and #MeToo Testimony in Rush v Nationwide News Pty Ltd

ABSTRACT Rush v Nationwide News, a defamation case between Geoffrey Rush and the publishers of the Daily Telegraph, has been credited with exerting a ‘chilling effect’ on the #MeToo moment in Australia. The case presents an opportunity to explore both the influence of the #MeToo moment on testimony and how such testimony is received, interpreted and evaluated through legal institutions and the processes of justice. Through a close textual reading of court transcripts, media reporting and the judgment of Justice Michael Wigney, this article traces connections between the #MeToo moment, the testimony of the alleged victim-survivor, Eryn Jean Norvill and its circulation and reception within and beyond the courtroom. Taking a law and performance theoretical framework, I argue that both chief protagonists engaged in a performative approach to narrative self-construction in the adversarial courtroom – Rush as a theatrical genius, and Norvill as a #MeToo advocate – that profoundly influenced Justice Wigney's assessment of their credibility as witnesses, providing a platform for the judicial destruction of Norvill's credibility and denying her the truth of her own experience as a victim-witness of workplace sexual harassment. Indeed, the highly performative nature of this case and its connection to the assessment of witness credibility exposes the influence of a range of sexual harassment myths within Justice Wigney's judgment. In this way, Rush v Nationwide News starkly exposes the ongoing epistemic priority of masculine normativity within adversarial justice, veiled within the cloak of neutrality, objectivity and reason that frames the assessment of witness credibility.

The effects of chilling and forcing temperatures on spring synchrony between larch casebearer and tamarack

Abstract Spring phenological synchrony can be important for tree‐insect interactions. Depending on the magnitude and direction of phenological shifts, overwintering insects could be affected in many ways, for example, facing starvation or having to contend with increased chemical or physical defences of host trees. If temperature has different influences on the phenology of trees and insects, climate change can alter spring phenological synchrony. In this experiment, we exposed tamarack seedlings and larch case bearer larvae from Minnesota, USA, to a variety of chilling and forcing temperatures and measured spring phenology (twig bud break and larval activation). We additionally measured case bearer performance on seedlings that were exposed to different forcing × chilling levels, tracking larval survivorship to adulthood. Warmer forcing enhanced larval activation and bud break, but larval development slowed down past 21°C. Higher chilling temperatures accelerated bud break, but the effect was inconclusive for larvae. There was no chilling × forcing interaction for either species. Spring activity accelerated more quickly with increases in temperature for larvae than for seedlings, resulting in increased phenological synchrony at warmer temperatures. Activation rates for overwintering larvae were highest at 27°C, while survivorship to adulthood following spring activation was highest at 21°C. At temperatures at or beyond 27°C, no larvae reached adulthood. Warmer winters and springs will likely initially increase spring synchrony between tamarack and larch case bearer, exposing larvae to younger, potentially more nutritious foliage, but extremely warm spring temperatures may decrease survivorship of larvae to adulthood.

Effects of stepwise chilling with calcium incubation on proteolysis and tenderization in postmortem goose muscle

White Roman goose (12-wk-old male, N=30) carcasses were obtained from a local government-inspected slaughter plant at approximately ∼10-min postmortem. Each carcass was individually sealed in a zip-lock bag and chilled immediately in a water bath at 15°C for 1 h. Both sides of Pectoralis major muscles were excised from each carcass and incubated in 30 mM CaCl2 or 30 mM EDTA at 15°C for 5 h. After incubation, calcium-incubated and EDTA-incubated breast muscles were vacuum-packaged individually and stored at 5°C for 72 h. Control samples (without CaCl2 or EDTA incubation) were directly vacuum-packaged and chilled in a water bath at 15°C for 5 h and stored at 5°C for 72 h. Muscle specimens were taken from the left side of breast muscles at 1 h of chilling (∼1-h postmortem) and at 5 h of incubation at 15°C (∼6-h postmortem), as well as 24, 48, and 72 h of aging at 5°C for measuring the activities of calpain-1 and calpain-11 as well as the contents of 80 kDa calpain-1 subunit and desmin. The samples of shear force value and myofibril fragmentation index (MFI) were taken from the right side of breast muscle at 24 h and 72 h of 5°C storage. Our results showed that the decrease of the activities of calpain-1 and calpain-11 and the contents of 80 kDa calpain-1 subunit and desmin was more rapid (P < 0.05) in calcium-incubated samples than in control and EDTA-incubated samples. The shear force was lower, but the MFI was higher in calcium-incubated samples than in control and EDTA-incubated samples (P < 0.05). Therefore, our results suggest that the calpain-mediated proteolysis and tenderization in postmortem goose muscle could be greatly enhanced by combine effects of stepwise chilling with calcium incubation at 15°C and thereafter aging at 5°C. With applying this procedure, commercial slaughter plants may have an alternative way to improve the tenderness of goose meat.

Left Behind: Medicaid Immigrant Exclusions and Access to Maternal Health Care Across the Reproductive-Perinatal Continuum.

Noncitizen immigrants are often excluded from accessing critical safety-net programs, such as Medicaid. Access to health care plays a central role in current policy debates on maternal health. Yet, immigrant exclusions are rarely considered in maternal health policy research. Through open-ended interviews with 31 policymakers, researchers, and program administrators, we examined state variations in approaches to providing care for pregnant, post, and intrapartum immigrant women. We found four themes: (a) a patchwork safety-net exists that provides some access to immigrants ineligible for Medicaid; (b) patchwork coverage leads to patchwork care, which can contribute to maternal health inequities; (c) immigrant Medicaid policy is assembled along a hierarchy of deservingness based on documentation status; (d) Trump-era public charge rules and political climate may have a substantial chilling effect on benefit uptake regardless of eligibility. We discuss implications for efforts to expand Medicaid postpartum and address the maternal health crisis.

The wrong kind of information

AbstractAgents, some with a bias, decide between undertaking a risky project and a safe alternative based on information about the project's efficiency. Only a part of that information is verifiable. Unbiased agents want to undertake only efficient projects, but biased agents want to undertake any project. If the project causes harm, a court examines the verifiable information, forms a belief about the agent's type, and decides the punishment. Tension arises between deterring inefficient projects and a chilling effect on using the unverifiable information. Improving the unverifiable information always increases overall efficiency, but improving the verifiable information may reduce efficiency.

The Big Chill? How Journalists and Sources Perceive and Respond to Fake News Laws in Indonesia and Singapore

ABSTRACT Media freedom has deteriorated across the world over the past 15 years with populist leaders attacking journalism in both democratic and repressive states. Since the rise of online misinformation and disinformation, concern is growing that governments are using fake news language and related laws to muzzle the press. Studies find labelling reporters and their stories as fake news can threaten journalistic norms and practices and have implications for trust relationships with sources and audiences. Less understood is the effects of fake news laws on journalism. This article addresses this gap and examines consequences for journalistic practices in Singapore and Indonesia when journalists and sources are targets of fake news laws. Through 20 in-depth expert interviews with journalists, editors, their sources and fake news experts in Indonesia and Singapore, the article identifies “chill effects” on reporting when faced with the threat of new legal sanctions. However, it also identifies adaptations to newsroom practices to manage this threat. We conclude with lessons learned from the Asia Pacific on how journalists in other jurisdictions might manage the potential chilling effects on news reporting when fake news laws are in place.

ELECTRIC HEATING CLOTHING FOR MOTORCYCLISTS

In recent years motorcycling becomes more and more popular. It is known that even in relatively warm weather, moving air is cooler and constant exposure to wind when riding may cause a chilling effect that leads to hypothermia. Motorcyclists may lose the ability to concentrate and react on changing traffic conditions when they have hypothermia. We propose the use of electric heating elements in the jacket so that motorcyclist comforts increase. This element receives the energy from the worked engine of the motorcycle. It is located between the two fabrics layers (top and lining) and is made of nichrome wire. The heating is carried out by connecting this element with the power supply system of the motorcycle. In research, we use two types of packages that differ by top fabrics and two connection circuits. The studies were carried out in three different environmental conditions (air temperature, wind speed, and air humidity). Standard test methods were used for performance testing. The effectiveness of electric heating elements used in underwear space for increasing the thermal properties of motorcyclist clothing is proven. It was established that the use of an electric heating element is effective only with a thermocontroller in the electrical circuit. The results of our investigation confirmed the effectiveness of electric heating elements being used in motorcyclist jackets.

Diabetes Prediction with the Help of Machine Learning

“The first WHO Global Report on Diabetes was launched on World Health Day 7th April 2016 and was dedicated to Diabetes” (Roglic G. WHO Global report on diabetes, 2016). Diabetes was recognized as a serious medical condition even in ancient times, but it does not appear that clinicians or other physicians dealt with it frequently. Increases in the prevalence of this disease over the past few decades have had a chilling effect on human health and development. This research is all about diabetic patients and how diabetes can be detected early using data science and machine learning algorithms. Based on diagnostic measurements, the purpose of the research is to make a diagnostic determination as to whether a patient suffers from diabetes.

Digitisation and Sharing of Collections: Museum Practices and Copyright During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This article concerns the conflict between copyright and museums’ digitisation and online sharing of collections. This issue has recently become particularly important in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors outline the concept of a virtual museum and present the most important copyright provisions in EU law that may create obstacles for cultural institutions in realising virtual counterparts. To perceive copyright as the main obstacle in the process of digitisation and online sharing of collections is not unusual. Hence, the article briefly presents legal framework of the European copyright applicable to such situations. The authors argue that although copyright offers a range of possibilities for museums interested in digitising their collections, at the same time it is responsible for a chilling effect, resulting in fear of potential infringement and liability. The authors conclude that the EU’s development of new legislation, coinciding with the need for digitisation and online sharing of cultural heritage caused by the pandemic, has favoured public interest at the expense of creators’ rights, but still lacks satisfactory legal tools for effectively allowing cultural institutions to digitise and share their collections.