Large Sample Survey Research Articles

Political practitioners poorly predict which messages persuade the public

Do political practitioners have good intuitions about how to persuade the public? Longstanding theories that political elites' messages have large effects on public opinion and the large sums spent to secure some practitioners' messaging advice suggest they should. However, findings regarding the surprising limits of expert forecasts in other domains suggest they may not. In this paper, we evaluate how well political practitioners can predict which messages are most persuasive. We measured the effects of [Formula: see text] messages about 21 political issues using a large-sample survey experiment ([Formula: see text] respondent-message observations). We then asked both political practitioners ([Formula: see text] practitioners, [Formula: see text] predictions) and laypeople ([Formula: see text] respondents, [Formula: see text] predictions) to predict the efficacy of these messages. The practitioners we surveyed ranged widely in their experience and expertise with persuasive message design. We find that: (a) political practitioners and laypeople both performed barely better than chance at predicting persuasive effects; (b) once accounting for laypeople's inflated expectations about the average size of effects, practitioners did not predict meaningfully better than laypeople; (c) these results held even for self-identified issue experts and highly experienced practitioners; and (d) practitioners' experience, expertise, information environment, and demographics did not meaningfully explain variation in their accuracy. Our findings have theoretical implications for understanding the conditions likely to produce meaningful elite influence on public opinion as well as practical implications for practitioners.

Disparities in the Levels of Whole-Blood Epstein-Barr Virus between the Cancer and Non-Cancer Populations in Zhejiang, China

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection in patients with and without cancer. MethodsA total of 26,648 participants who underwent whole-blood EBV DNA (WBEBV) assays between January 1, 2020, and August 31, 2023, were included. The chi-square test was used for categorical data analysis, and R software was used to analyze the differences in EBV DNA load levels and the diagnostic capabilities of WBEBV. ResultsPositive rates were 10.2% and 25.4% for healthy controls (HC) and patients, respectively. The positivity rate for EBV-associated neoplasms (EN) was the highest at 7.53%, followed by leukemia (Le) at 5.49%. The subgroup analysis showed that the positivity rate for abnormal proliferation or hyperplasia (APH) was 31.9%, followed by 30.5% for Le. The WBEBV of patients with transplants (TP), especially living-related transplants (LT), was the highest among all subgroups. WBEBV at diagnosis was used to differentiate between infectious mononucleosis (IM) and chronic active Epstein-Barr virus (CAEBV), with a sensitivity of 67.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 57.6–75.8) and specificity of 72% (95% CI: 63.3–79.3). We conclude that the prevalence of EBV infection is low in the healthy population in this region and that a high EBV load at baseline is more common in LT, IM, and Lymphocyte Leukemia (LL). ConclusionThis study used a large-sample survey to characterize the prevalence of whole-blood EBV levels in various diseases, including the stages and subtypes. The EBV detection rate was higher in patients with malignant disease than in those with benign disease. Our study provides clinicians with baseline information regarding EBV-associated diseases.

Odysseus inside the Cyclop’s cave: Turnaround strategy and leadership insights from the struggle against Polyphemu

The present study aspires to perform a thorough examination of the notion of turnaround strategy process within the context of Homer’s Odyssey. More specifically, focusing on Odysseus’ struggle against the one-eyed Cyclop, Polyphemus, we seek to draw some interesting insights into the way a turnaround process unfolds, as well as its key attributes and components. Although the topic of turnaround strategy has attracted significant research attention over the last 50 years, the vast majority of extant studies has focused on the practices of formerly declining companies which mainly originate from developed countries. Furthermore, most of the existing studies are based on quantitative research methodologies, such as large sample surveys. The novelty of the present study is associated with the adoption of a multidisciplinary perspective, whereby modern strategic management and leadership theories are applied in order to analyze and interpret one of the greatest masterpieces of global literature, Homer’ Odyssey. This objective is attained through the employment of a qualitative, case study research methodology. More specifically, the symbolic analysis of Odyssey’s Book 9, indeed yielded some very interesting insights regarding the way a representative turnaround process unfolds, as well as the importance of effective leadership as part of such processes. Based on Odysseus’ actions and behaviors toward his companions during this crisis situation, we conclude that transformational leadership may be the most appropriate leadership style under extraordinary and emergency circumstances.

Knowledge and Attitudes About HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Among Sexually Active Black and Latina Cisgender Women: Findings from the 2017 and 2018 New York City Sexual Health Survey.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective tool to prevent HIV, yet it is underutilized among women. The current study aims to evaluate the awareness, attitudes, and perceptions of PrEP among a large survey sample of Black and Latina women in New York City (NYC). Interviewer-administered surveys were conducted in high HIV incidence neighborhoods in NYC among Black, Latina, and Afro-Latina women who reported recent sex with a man in 2017 (n = 398) and 2018 (n = 405). About 40% of participants were aware of PrEP, whereas 30.4% indicated interest in using it. The top reason for not utilizing it was low HIV risk perception. However, most participants supported the idea that using PrEP meant asserting control over their health (94.1%). Primary care providers and obstetricians/gynecologists were participants' preferred sources for PrEP (91.6%). Across survey cycles, compared to non-Black Latina participants, Black participants had significantly higher PrEP awareness (44.4% vs. 29.1%). PrEP awareness was also significantly higher among survey participants in 2018 (45.2%) than in 2017 (34.3%). Less than half of the participants were aware of PrEP, but those who were aware expressed largely positive attitudes toward the medication. Our findings may inform future PrEP implementation strategies to optimize awareness and access to PrEP among women disproportionately affected by HIV, like focusing on personal empowerment instead of risk-based messaging and training women's sexual health care providers in PrEP provision.

Remnant cholesterol is more positively related to diabetes, prediabetes, and insulin resistance than conventional lipid parameters and lipid ratios: A multicenter, large sample survey.

Not many large-sample investigations are available that compare the potency of the relationship of remnant cholesterol (RC) and other lipid parameters with diabetes and prediabetes. The goals of our study are to discover the relationship between RC and prediabetes, diabetes, and insulin resistance (IR) and to investigate RC, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), non-HDL-C, triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), TC/HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C, and TG/HDL-C, which are the lipid parameters that are most positively related to diabetes, prediabetes, and IR. This research enrolled 36 684 subjects from China's eight provinces. We employed multiple logistic regression analysis for testing the relationship between lipid parameters and diabetes, prediabetes, and IR. After adjusting for potential confounders, and comparing the results with other lipid parameters, the positive relationship between RC and diabetes (odds ratio [OR] 1.417, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.345-1.492), prediabetes (OR 1.555, 95% CI: 1.438-1.628), and IR (OR 1.488, 95% CI: 1.404-1.577) was highest. RC was still related to diabetes, prediabetes, and IR even when TG <2.3 mmol/L (diabetes: OR 1.256, 95% CI: 1.135-1.390; prediabetes: OR 1.503, 95% CI: 1.342-1.684; and IR: OR 1.278, 95% CI: 1.140-1.433), LDL-C <2.6 mmol/L (diabetes: OR 1.306, 95% CI: 1.203-1.418; prediabetes: OR 1.597, 95% CI: 1.418-1.798; and IR: OR 1.552, 95% CI: 1.416-1.701), or HDL-C ≥1 mmol/L (diabetes: OR 1.456, 95% CI: 1.366-1.550; prediabetes: OR 1.553, 95% CI: 1.421-1.697; and IR: OR 1.490, 95% CI: 1.389-1.598). RC is more positively related to diabetes, prediabetes, and IR than conventional lipids and lipid ratios in the general population, the relationships between RC and diabetes, prediabetes, and IR are stable, even if HDL-C, LDL-C, or TG are at appropriate levels.

Development and validation of the Chinese Rural Middle-aged and Elderly Health Literacy Scale

IntroductionA notable deficiency lies in the absence of tailored instruments for comprehensively evaluating the health literacy of middle-aged and elderly residents in rural areas of China. Given the context of...

Effects of SARS-COVID-19 lockdown on menstrual patterns: A transversal large sample survey

ObjectiveTo elucidate the presence, importance, and characteristics of menstrual changes related to stressful circumstances during the COVID-19 lockdown in Spain. Study designAn online survey was administered in Spain to menstruating women aged 15–55 who had not contracted COVID-19. It collected information on activities during the lockdown, sexual activity, perceptions of emotional status, any changes in menstrual characteristics, and impact on quality of life. The analysis of menstrual changes was limited to responders who did not use hormonal contraception. ResultsA total of 6449 women answered the survey, and 4989 surveys were valid for the final analysis. 92.3% of women had at least one menstruation period during the lockdown, while 7.7% had amenorrhea. Quality of life (QoL) associated with menstruation worsened in 19% of women, did not change in 71.7%, and improved in 1.6%. For 50.1% of the women, global QoL worsened during the lockdown; 41.3% remained about the same and 8.7% reported improvement. Sexual activity during the lockdown decreased in 49.8% of the respondents, remained unchanged in 40.7%, and increased in 9.5%. As far the menstrual changes are concerned, there were no statistically significant differences in amenorrhea incidence, regularity of the menstrual cycle, or the amount or duration of menstrual bleeding in non-hormonal contraceptive users when evaluated by the length and characteristics of isolation, the perception of exposure to COVID-19 and the economic or employment situation. Conversely, we found statistically significant differences according to the intensity of changes in emotional status due to lockdown stressors and changes in regularity, duration, and heaviness of menstruation. ConclusionChanges in emotional status, but not the length and intensity of the isolation or exposure to the disease, significantly influenced menstrual disturbances during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Prevalence of nicotine dependence among smokers aged 40 years and older in China

BackgroundNicotine dependence, also known as tobacco dependence, is a common chronic disease and a major risk factor for chronic respiratory diseases. The present study was designed to determine the prevalence of nicotine dependence and its changes among smokers aged 40 years and older in China, to analyze the characteristics of nicotine dependence among smokers, and to provide a reference for smoking cessation interventions. MethodsThe data were sourced from nationally representative large-sample surveys conducted during 2014–2015 and 2019–2020 in the Chinese population, covering 125 counties (districts) in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. Variables related to smoking and nicotine dependence among residents ≥40 years old were collected in face-to-face interviews. A total of 20,062 and 18,975 daily smokers were included in the 2014–2015 and 2019–2020 surveys, respectively. The severity of nicotine dependence was evaluated according to the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence and Heaviness of Smoking Index. The level and change in nicotine dependence among daily smokers aged ≥40 years were estimated using a complex weighted sampling design, and their influencing factors were analyzed. ResultsLevels of nicotine dependence among daily smokers aged ≥40 years in China could be divided into very low, low, medium, high, and very high, accounting for 31.1%, 27.9%, 13.4%, 20.5%, and 7.1% of the total, respectively. The average Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence score was 3.9 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.8–4.0), with the prevalence of medium–high nicotine dependence being 41.0% (95% CI: 39.0–42.9%) and that of high and very high nicotine dependence being 27.6% (95% CI: 26.0–29.3%), both of which were significantly higher in men than in women (both P < 0.001). Among daily smokers, those with a low education level, age at smoking initiation <18 years, and with smoking duration of ≥20 years had a higher degree of nicotine dependence. In terms of geographic region, the level of medium–high nicotine dependence in South China was higher than in other areas, and the decline in the prevalence of high nicotine dependence was the greatest in Northwest China (P < 0.001). The prevalence of medium–high and high and very high nicotine dependence was significantly higher in men with chronic respiratory symptoms, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and/or chronic respiratory diseases than in men without these conditions (all P < 0.05). The prevalence of high and very high nicotine dependence in women with chronic respiratory symptoms and chronic respiratory diseases was significantly higher than that in women without these conditions (both P < 0.05). Compared with that during 2014–2015, the prevalence of high nicotine dependence among daily smokers decreased during 2019–2020 by 4.5 percentage points in the total population (P < 0.001) and by 4.8 percentage points in men (P < 0.001), with no significant change seen in women (P > 0.05). Additionally, the prevalence of high nicotine dependence in men with chronic respiratory symptoms and COPD decreased by 6.7 and 4.7 percentage points, respectively (P < 0.05), but showed no significant change in women with these conditions (P > 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of medium-high nicotine dependence was higher among daily smokers who were male; 50–59 years old; unmarried/divorced/widowed/separated; engaged in agriculture, forestry, husbandry, fishery and water conservancy; had a low education level; started smoking before the age of 18 years; and smoked for more than 20 years. ConclusionsThe past few years have seen a slight decline in the prevalence of high (severe) nicotine dependence among smokers aged ≥40 years in China. However, 41.0% of daily smokers had medium-high nicotine dependence, and 27.6% had high or very high nicotine dependence, with notable differences in population and geographic distributions. Development of tailored interventions, optimization of smoking cessation service systems, and integration of smoking cessation into the management of chronic diseases will effectively reduce the burden of nicotine dependence in China.

The Long-term Effect of Cantonese Usage under the Dominance of Mandarin on Academic Performance

Researches on the effect of bilingualism/diglossia on academic performance conclude disparately yet converge on the children of early school age. This research aims to figure out the longer-term influence of Cantonese usage on academic performance by conducting a large sample survey and the Chinese reading literacy assessment of PISA 2018 on 100 young citizens aged 18 to 25 in Guangdong province. In addition to reconfirming the vastness of Cantonese-Mandarin bilinguals in Guangdong province, China, The Language History Questionnaire 3 detected a categorically strong dominance of Mandarin in the Cantonese districts of Guangdong. Nevertheless, it is still not suggested that the Guangdong parents preclude Cantonese from family language planning out of worry about the childrens academic performance, drawing on the result that no negative effect of Cantonese usage was found in the correlation test.

Development and validation of Adaptability to Return-to-Work Scale (ARTWS) for cancer patients.

The research on cancer patients returning to work in China is still in its infancy, and there is no research and discussion on the adaptability to return-to-work for cancer patients. It is critical to develop the Adaptability to Return-to-Work Scale (ARTWS) for cancer patients and evaluate its psychometric properties. The items of the initial scale were compiled based on the theoretical model and literature review results. Through two rounds of Delphi expert consultation (N = 15) and a pilot survey (N = 40), the initial scale was further checked and revised. Conduct a large sample survey (N = 376) and the construct validity and reliability of the ARTWS were assessed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The final ARTWS consisted of 24 items. "Focusing on rehabilitation," "Rebuilding Self-efficiency," and "Adjusting plans" as common factors in determining adaptability to return to work for cancer patients, and the cumulative variance contribution rate for these three factors was 66.6%. The S-CVI of the total scale was 0.979. The Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.937 and the 2-week test-retest reliability was 0.814. ARTWS has good correlation validity and can be used as a tool to measure the adaptability of cancer patients' return to work. The presentation of the manuscript in Research Square (https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2323264/v1).

LAND-USE FILTERING FOR NONSTATIONARY SPATIAL PREDICTION OF COLLECTIVE EFFICACY IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT.

Collective efficacy-the capacity of communities to exert social control toward the realization of their shared goals-is a foundational concept in the urban sociology and neighborhood effects literature. Traditionally, empirical studies of collective efficacy use large sample surveys to estimate collective efficacy of different neighborhoods within an urban setting. Such studies have demonstrated an association between collective efficacy and local variation in community violence, educational achievement, and health. Unlike traditional collective efficacy measurement strategies, the Adolescent Health and Development in Context (AHDC) Study implemented a new approach, obtaining spatially-referenced, place-based ratings of collective efficacy from a representative sample of individuals residing in Columbus, OH. In this paper we introduce a novel nonstationary spatial model for interpolation of the AHDC collective efficacy ratings across the study area, which leverages administrative data on land use. Our constructive model specification strategy involves dimension expansion of a latent spatial process and the use of a filter defined by the land-use partition of the study region to connect the latent multivariate spatial process to the observed ordinal ratings of collective efficacy. Careful consideration is given to the issues of parameter identifiability, computational efficiency of an MCMC algorithm for model fitting, and fine-scale spatial prediction of collective efficacy.

The mediating role of sleep problems and depressed mood between psychological abuse/neglect and suicidal ideation in adolescent childhood: a multicentred, large sample survey in Western China

BackgroundAdolescent suicidal ideation are associated with factors including psychological abuse/neglect, sleep problems, and depressed mood, but the systematic effects of these factors on suicidal ideation remain unclear, which is a research gap this work aims to fill.MethodsA multi-center, the cluster sampling method was employed to collect general demographic data, such as age, gender, the experience of being left behind, and parents’ marital status, from 12,192 students across 17 secondary schools in China. The Child Psychological Abuse and Neglect Scale (CPANS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Chinese version of the Depressed mood, Anxiety and Stress Scale − 21 Items (DASS-21) and Chinese version of Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation Inventory (PANSI) were utilized. Data were analyzed using t-tests, chi-square tests, correlation analyses, and structural equation modeling mediation analyses.ResultsThe prevalence of psychological abuse/neglect and adolescent suicidal ideation was 34.8% and 13%, respectively. This mediation analysis suggests that, in the relationship between psychological abuse/neglect and suicidal ideation, sleep problems and depressed mood play both parallel and sequential mediating roles.ConclusionSleep problems and depressed mood play a mediating role in the development of suicidal ideation in adolescents. Good sleep habits and depressed mood interventions help reduce the risk of suicidal ideation in adolescents who experience psychological neglect/abuse.

The association between health literacy and e-cigarette use: evidence from Zhejiang, China.

The worldwide popularity of electronic cigarettes (ECIG) is becoming a public health concern. Compared to conventional cigarettes (CIG), the harm caused by ECIG is more insidious. Studies have shown that lower health literacy (HL) is associated with CIG use; however, the relationship between HL and ECIG use remains controversial. Because ECIG emerged more recently than CIG, there are fewer relevant studies, and the sample populations and evaluation methods of HL in existing studies differ. This study conducted a large-sample survey to examine the relationship between HL and ECIG use. As part of the 2022 China Health Literacy Survey, a total of 60,998 valid questionnaires were collected from September to November in 2022 using a stratified multistage probability proportional to the population size sampling frame. Chi-square tests and multinomial logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between HL and ECIG use. Some demographic variables were included as covariates in the analysis. The study showed that the average HL score and the HL level of Zhejiang residents in 2022 were 42.8 and 30.8%, respectively. The prevalence of CIG and ECIG was 19.7 and 1.0%, respectively; 19% of participants exclusively used CIG, while only 0.3% of participants used ECIG exclusively; dual users accounted for 0.6%. After adjusting for covariates, adequate HL was associated with lower odds of ECIG-exclusive use (odds ratio [OR] = 0.452, p < 0.001), CIG-exclusive use (OR = 0.833, p < 0.001), and dual use (OR = 0.632, p < 0.001). Young age, male sex, unmarried status, high-income status, and absence of chronic disease were also associated with ECIG use. HL was a protective factor against both patterns of ECIG use, especially ECIG-exclusive use. Health policymakers and public health practitioners should consider HL as a potential measure for ECIG control.

Establishing Research instrument to measure inclusiveness of adaptive methodologies in engineering education

Engineering Education has been a key to socioeconomic growth of India (developing economy). However, during the last decade there has been less enrollment in engineering institutes especially across rural India which has even led to closure of some institutes. It is conjectured that this problem can be addressed by adaptive educational strategies. Hence it is necessary to understand the efforts taken by engineering institutes in practicing adaptive educational strategies. The objective of this study is to design and test a reliable survey instrument to understand the extent of existence of adaptive education in engineering educational institutes. For the same, a research survey instrument with 8 constructs involving 57 items related to adaptive educational techniques was developed. A pilot survey comprising 61 students at various engineering institutes was carried out and its analysis was done using SPSS software. The reliability test was carried out by checking Cronbach alpha. Research instrument so tested, found reliable since scale reliability for all constructs lies within permissible range. Descriptive Statistics, demographics and related cross tabulation, and correlation between the constructs were established. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was carried out. It was found from the result that the constructs are independent of demographic variables. Out of 08 constructs, 04 are factorable based on BTS, KMO and PCA tests. The deviation of mean from the top ratings of likert scale indicates the need of adaptive system inclusiveness in almost all educational parameters. The Research instrument can be used for large sample surveys.

Factors and framing effects in support for net zero policies in the United Kingdom.

Achieving ambitious carbon reduction targets requires transformative change to society, with behaviour change playing an important role. Climate change mitigation ('net zero') policies are needed to accelerate and support such behaviour change. This study examined factors and framing effects in public support for net zero policies in the United Kingdom (UK), making use of a large probability sample (ntotal = 5,665) survey conducted in August 2021. It found that net zero policies are widely supported, with only taxes on red meat and dairy products being supported by less than half of the UK public. Climate worry and perceived fairness were the strongest and most consistent predictors of policy support for net zero policies. The results further suggest that support for net zero policies can be increased by emphasising the co-benefits of the policies, in particular where they are beneficial for health. However, the framing effects were very small. In contrast, public support for net zero policies is lower when potential lifestyle and financial costs are mentioned. This suggests that perceived fairness of the distribution of costs and lifestyle implications of policies are crucial for building and maintaining support for net zero.

Gender difference in association between clinical symptoms and alexithymia in chronic schizophrenia: A large sample study based on Chinese Han population

BackgroundAlexithymia, a prevalent social cognitive impairment in schizophrenia, remains insufficiently studied. Though some studies propose a link between alexithymia and clinical symptoms of schizophrenia, this connection lacks consistent confirmation. Additionally, there is limited research on gender difference in alexithymia among schizophrenia patients. To fill this gap, our study aimed to conduct a large-sample survey of Chinese Han patients with chronic schizophrenia to explore whether there are gender differences between clinical symptoms and alexithymia. MethodsWe obtained sociodemographic characteristics of 987 schizophrenia patients, measured their clinical symptoms using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and assessed their self-reported alexithymia using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). ResultsIn patients with chronic schizophrenia, the prevalence of alexithymia did not differ between genders (male: 35.51 % vs. female: 26.91 %, P = 0.018). Correlation and linear regression analyses revealed that PANSS scores and TAS-20 scores were widely correlated in both male and female patients. In particular, multiple linear regression analysis showed that the TAS total score was positively correlated with negative symptoms and cognitive symptoms in male patients, while it was positively correlated with negative symptoms and depressive symptoms in female patients. ConclusionOur study suggests that the prevalence of alexithymia in patients with chronic schizophrenia does not differ between genders. Negative symptoms are related to the TAS-20 total score in both male and female patients, while cognitive symptoms are only related to the TAS-20 total score in male patients, and depressive symptoms are only related to the TAS-20 total score in female patients.

Cancers attributable to overweight and obesity in Italy

Background & aimsOverweight and obesity are associated with multiple cancers. We quantified the burden of cancer attributable to overweight and obesity in Italy. MethodsWe estimated sex- and cancer site-specific population attributable fractions (PAFs) combining relative risks (from recent meta-analyses) with national obesity prevalence data (from a large sample survey conducted in 2005, to account for a 15-year lag period). Using nationwide mortality statistics and cancer registries data, we estimated the number of cancer cases and deaths attributable to overweight and obesity in Italy in 2020, based on the counterfactual scenario of a body mass index < 25 kg/m2. Results3.6% of cancers in men and 4.0% in women in Italy were attributable to overweight and obesity, corresponding, respectively, to over 6900 and 7200 diagnoses in 2020. Attributable deaths were over 3600 in men and 2700 in women. PAFs (attributable cases) of overweight and obesity in men and women were, respectively, 38.1% (215 cases) and 21.8% (49 cases) for esophageal adenocarcinoma, 19.1% (1715 cases) and 14.5% (585 cases) for liver, 18.7% (1692 cases) and 16.7% (747 cases) for kidney, 13.7% (938 cases) and 10.1% (749 cases) for pancreatic, and 10.2% (2389 cases) and 3.4% (690 cases) for colorectal cancers. In women, PAFs were 22.3% (1859 cases) for endometrial and 5.7% (2556 cases) for post-menopausal breast cancer. ConclusionsThe cancer burden associated with overweight and obesity in Italy is considerable, but smaller compared to other high income countries, likely because of the lower prevalence of overweight and obesity in the Italian population.

Simulating supermassive black hole mass measurements for a sample of ultramassive galaxies using ELT/HARMONI high-spatial-resolution integral-field stellar kinematics

ABSTRACT As the earliest relics of star formation episodes of the Universe, the most massive galaxies are the key to our understanding of the stellar population, cosmic structure, and supermassive black hole (SMBH) evolution. However, the details of their formation histories remain uncertain. We address these problems by planning a large survey sample of 101 ultramassive galaxies (z ≤ 0.3, |δ + 24°| &amp;lt; 45°, |b| &amp;gt; 8°), including 76 per cent ellipticals, 17 per cent lenticulars, and 7 per cent spirals brighter than MK ≤ −27 mag (stellar mass 2 × 1012 ≲ M⋆ ≲ 5 × 1012 M⊙) with ELT/HARMONI. Our sample comprises diverse galaxy environments ranging from isolated to dense-cluster galaxies. The primary goals of the project are to (1) explore the stellar dynamics inside galaxy nuclei and weigh SMBHs, (2) constrain the black hole scaling relations at the highest mass, and (3) probe the late-time assembly of these most massive galaxies through the stellar population and kinematical gradients. We describe the survey, discuss the distinct demographics and environmental properties of the sample, and simulate their HARMONI Iz-, Iz + J-, and H + K-band observations by combining the inferred stellar-mass models from Pan-STARRS observations, an assumed synthetic spectrum of stars, and SMBHs with masses estimated based on different black hole scaling relations. Our simulations produce excellent state-of-the-art integral field spectrography and stellar kinematics (ΔVrms ≲ 1.5 per cent) in a relatively short exposure time. We use these stellar kinematics in combination with the Jeans anisotropic model to reconstruct the SMBH mass and its error using a Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation. Thus, these simulations and modellings can be benchmarks to evaluate the instrument models and pipelines dedicated to HARMONI to exploit the unprecedented capabilities of ELT.

Diverging pathways: the effects of initial legal status on immigrant socioeconomic and residential outcomes in France

Abstract Drawing on a unique, large-sample survey from France, Trajectories and Origins (TeO), this article provides an empirical assessment of the effects of migrants’ initial legal status on socioeconomic attainment focusing on three outcomes: household income, neighbourhood disadvantage, and concentration in immigrant neighbourhoods. Legal status effects are identified using a twofold strategy. First, our data comprise an exceptionally rich set of information on premigratory characteristics, which allows us to disentangle the effect of initial legal status from migratory selection processes. Furthermore, we implement an instrumental variable design to correct for the endogeneity of initial legal status. Findings show that some of the initial legal status effect is due to selection, whether measured by observable premigratory characteristics or other unobservable variables. Nonetheless, we also find robust evidence that refugees durably face socioeconomic disadvantage in terms of income and are more likely to live in immigrant-dense neighbourhoods. We discuss how these findings contribute both empirically and theoretically to the literature on the civic stratification of migrants’ pathways: first, by highlighting that we should disentangle the long-term civic stratification mechanisms from sorting into legal status categories, and second, by stressing that the theory should be more specific about which legal status categories are decisive in creating hierarchies between migrants.

Understanding and measuring young people’s sustainability actions

Young people foster sustainability in many ways, ranging from low-effort personal practices to highly devoted sustainability actions. These actions and behaviors embody the sustainability agency of the youth. In this article, we shed light on the repertoire and dimensionality of the youth’s sustainability efforts. Using factor analytic methods to analyze a large survey sample (N = 940), we argue that the youth’s sustainability agency emerges in a multitude of actions, and that sustainability actions are distinct from traditional pro-environmental behaviors. However, the distinction between actions and behaviors is more about the degree of effort, commitment, and publicity, than about sustainability dimensions. We encourage researchers and educational specialists to consider sustainability actions and behaviors in a broad sense, including the continuums of individual–collective, public–private sphere, and low–high effort.