Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Math Puzzles’ Oldest Ancestors Took Form on Egyptian Papyrus
It’s true. That very British-sounding St. Ives conundrum (the one where the seven wives each have seven sacks containing seven cats who each have seven kits, and you have to figure out how many are going to St. Ives) has a decidedly archaic antecedent.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/science/07first.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
Fear of Others’ Envy Improves Behavior
from Psych Central News
New research suggests the fear of being the target of malicious envy makes people act more helpfully toward people who they think might be jealous of them.The finding is published in the journal Psychological Science.
In earlier studies, researchers Niels van de Ven of Tilburg University and his colleagues Marcel Zeelenberg and Rik Pieters discovered envy actually comes in two flavors: benign envy and malicious envy.
They studied people who showed these two kinds of envy and found that people with benign envy were motivated to improve themselves, to do better so they could be more like the person they envied.
On the other hand, people with malicious envy wanted to bring the more successful person down. Van de Ven and his colleagues wondered what the experience was like for the people who are the target of the envy.
“In anthropology, they say if you are envied, you might act more socially afterward because you try to appease those envious people,” van de Ven said — by sharing your big catch of fish, for example. They wanted to know if these observations from anthropology held up in the psychology lab.
In experiments, he and his colleagues made some people feel like they would be maliciously envied, by telling them they would receive an award of five euros—sometimes deserved based on the score they were told they’d earned on a quiz, sometimes not.
The researchers figured the deserved prize would lead to benign envy, while the undeserved prize would lead to malicious envy. Then the volunteer was asked to give time-consuming advice to a potentially envious person.
People who had reason to think they’d be the target of malicious envy were more likely to take the time to give advice than targets of benign envy.
In another experiment, an experimenter dropped a bunch of erasers as the volunteer was leaving; those who thought they’d be maliciously envied were more likely to help him pick them up.
“This sort of serves a useful group function,” said van de Ven. We all think better-off people should share with others, “but that’s not something we are inclined to do when we are better off.”
This fear of envy can encourage us to behave in ways that improve the social interactions of the group.
Source: Association of Psychological Science
Parental Guidance Key Concept in Child Development
New research suggests the traditional model of nature (genetics) and nuture (environment) as primary factors in childhood development should emphasize the importance of parental guidance. The new wrinkle in child development theory holds that the way a child turns out can be determined in large part by the day-to-day decisions made by the parents who guide that child’s growth.
“This model helps to resolve the nature-nurture debate,” said psychologist George W. Holden at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
“Effective parents are taking nature into account in their nurturing. It’s a slightly different twist.”
Parental guidance is key. Child development researchers largely have ignored the importance of parental “guidance,” Holden says. In his model, effective parents observe, recognize and assess their child’s individual genetic characteristics, then cultivate their child’s strengths.
“It’s been said that parents are the ‘architect’ or the ‘conductor’ of a child’s development. There are lots of different synonyms, but the terms don’t capture the essence that parents are trying to ‘guide,’” Holden says.
“Some parents have more refined goals — like wanting their child to be an athlete or to have a particular career. Some have more general goals — such as not wanting their child to become a criminal. But all are positive goals.”
Holden describes and explains his theory and research in the current issue of the journal Child Development Perspectives.
In decades past, researchers have studied many aspects of parenting that Holden described as “unidimensional” and easier to quantify than guidance. Examples include how parents reinforce their children’s behavior, punish their children or show them love and warmth.
Only in the last decade have researchers studied the role parents play in helping or hindering their child’s progress toward — or abandonment of — a particular course of development, he said.
“It’s not an easy set of behaviors to observe and quantify because it’s more complex in that it relates to parental goals that they have for their children,” he said. “It’s also multi-faceted. It’s not a simple unitary behavior that can be easily and reliably counted up. So there are methodological reasons it hasn’t been studied, and there are also biases and theoretical orientations that have neglected this.”
The time has come, however, to understand the impact of parental guidance, Holden said.
Sophisticated statistical procedures now allow new research techniques such as growth-curve modeling and group-based trajectory analysis. Other child development experts have ventured into the interaction between child and parent trajectories, said Holden.
“I’m certainly not the first to think of this, but I’ve framed it a little differently and I think a little more comprehensively than it’s been discussed before,” Holden said. “I’m sure there are things I haven’t thought of, so hopefully this will generate discussion, research and modification. And I hope it will trickle down to parents so they can see the critical role they can play in helping their children develop in positive ways.”
Pathways or trajectories
In his conceptual framework, Holden hypothesized that parents guide their children’s development in four complex and dynamic ways:
Holden said there are other ways parents influence a child’s progress on a trajectory, such as through modeling desired behaviors, or modifying the speed of development by controlling the type and number of experiences.
Some of the ways in which children react to trajectories include accepting, negotiating, resisting or rejecting them, he said.
“Some factors that also can influence trajectories include the family’s culture, their income and family resources, and the quality of the parent-child relationship,” said Holden. “What this model of parenting helps to point out is that effective parenting involves guiding children in such a way as to ensure that they are developing along positive trajectories.”
Source: Southern Methodist University
“This model helps to resolve the nature-nurture debate,” said psychologist George W. Holden at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
“Effective parents are taking nature into account in their nurturing. It’s a slightly different twist.”
Parental guidance is key. Child development researchers largely have ignored the importance of parental “guidance,” Holden says. In his model, effective parents observe, recognize and assess their child’s individual genetic characteristics, then cultivate their child’s strengths.
“It’s been said that parents are the ‘architect’ or the ‘conductor’ of a child’s development. There are lots of different synonyms, but the terms don’t capture the essence that parents are trying to ‘guide,’” Holden says.
“Some parents have more refined goals — like wanting their child to be an athlete or to have a particular career. Some have more general goals — such as not wanting their child to become a criminal. But all are positive goals.”
Holden describes and explains his theory and research in the current issue of the journal Child Development Perspectives.
In decades past, researchers have studied many aspects of parenting that Holden described as “unidimensional” and easier to quantify than guidance. Examples include how parents reinforce their children’s behavior, punish their children or show them love and warmth.
Only in the last decade have researchers studied the role parents play in helping or hindering their child’s progress toward — or abandonment of — a particular course of development, he said.
“It’s not an easy set of behaviors to observe and quantify because it’s more complex in that it relates to parental goals that they have for their children,” he said. “It’s also multi-faceted. It’s not a simple unitary behavior that can be easily and reliably counted up. So there are methodological reasons it hasn’t been studied, and there are also biases and theoretical orientations that have neglected this.”
The time has come, however, to understand the impact of parental guidance, Holden said.
Sophisticated statistical procedures now allow new research techniques such as growth-curve modeling and group-based trajectory analysis. Other child development experts have ventured into the interaction between child and parent trajectories, said Holden.
“I’m certainly not the first to think of this, but I’ve framed it a little differently and I think a little more comprehensively than it’s been discussed before,” Holden said. “I’m sure there are things I haven’t thought of, so hopefully this will generate discussion, research and modification. And I hope it will trickle down to parents so they can see the critical role they can play in helping their children develop in positive ways.”
Pathways or trajectories
In his conceptual framework, Holden hypothesized that parents guide their children’s development in four complex and dynamic ways:
- • Parents initiate trajectories, sometimes trying to steer their child in a preferred developmental path based on either the parents’ preferences or their observations of the child’s characteristics and abilities, such as enrolling their child in a class, exposing them to people and places, or taking a child to practices or lessons;
• Parents also sustain their child’s progress along trajectories with encouragement and praise, by providing material assistance such as books, equipment or tutoring, and by allocating time to practice or participate in certain activities;
• Parents mediate trajectories, which influences how their child perceives and understands a trajectory, and help their child steer clear of negative trajectories by preparing the child to deal with potential problems;
• Finally, parents react to child-initiated trajectories.
Holden said there are other ways parents influence a child’s progress on a trajectory, such as through modeling desired behaviors, or modifying the speed of development by controlling the type and number of experiences.
Some of the ways in which children react to trajectories include accepting, negotiating, resisting or rejecting them, he said.
“Some factors that also can influence trajectories include the family’s culture, their income and family resources, and the quality of the parent-child relationship,” said Holden. “What this model of parenting helps to point out is that effective parenting involves guiding children in such a way as to ensure that they are developing along positive trajectories.”
Source: Southern Methodist University
Information Technology May Aid in Fighting Depression ‘Epidemic’
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on December 6, 2010
A new Australian study suggests information technology can improve the diagnosis and treatment of depression.The use of information technology to decrease medical errors, improve quality of care, and control costs is a promising strategy for health systems across the globe.
In the forthcoming issue of International Journal of Functional Informatics and Personalized Medicine, study authors said depression is rapidly emerging as one of the major health problems now facing society.
They added that the World Health Organization has predicted that depression will be the world’s leading cause of disability by 2020.
“We are noticing a spread of a depression epidemic throughout the whole world,” the team said.
“Usually, an epidemic, such as a swine flu epidemic, has a pathogen associated with it. But, there is no pathogen involved with the depression epidemic.”
The precise causes of depression have not yet been identified although it is clear that many different biological, psychological and social factors are at play in its development.
Moreover, depression often precedes and may cause, directly or indirectly, many chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Using information technology could bring to bear the power of computing in early diagnosis and the development of treatments.
The team has developed a system that integrates three different kinds of patient data as well as the data describing mental health of therapists and their interaction with the patients. This system can be data-mined using standard techniques as well as modern tree-mining techniques so that patterns can be seen in the onset, treatment and management of depression.
“The data describing patients’ activities, bodily functions and feelings as well as the data describing mental health of therapists will be collected and collectively mined to reveal interesting patterns,” the team said.
The patterns that emerge from data mining this information will not only improve our understanding of this disease, but could give practitioners new insights into prevention and treatment.
Their approach balances the fact that no two cases of depression are the same as all patients are individuals and all are different whereas healthcare practitioners do observe similarities in behavior and response to treatment between different patients.
“Patients will be able to receive highly personalized treatments, the therapists will be assisted in making evidence-based decisions, and the scientist will be able to pursue new knowledge revealing true causes of depression whilst developing more effective treatment approaches,” the team said.
Cross-party MPs voice 'profound concern' to Theresa May over plans to bar foreign students
A cross-party group of MPs, including Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, are to voice their "profound concerns" to the home secretary, Theresa May, over her plans to bar tens of thousands of overseas students from coming to study in Britain.
The plans to be detailed today include restricting overseas student visas to those on degree-level courses and are expected to lead to the closure of some English-language schools and other privately-run colleges.
The package means that the home secretary will close the door on up to 120,000 international students from outside the EU who come to Britain to take "below-degree" level courses – about 40% of the annual total.
The Home Office consultation paper being published today forms a key part of the Conservatives' drive to reduce overall net migration from 215,000 in 2009 to "tens of thousands" by the time of the next general election.
MPs representing traditional English-language school centres such as Brighton, Eastbourne and Malvern have joined those from more recent centres such as Sheffield in voicing their "profound concerns" to the home secretary over the moves.
It has been estimated that overseas students contribute £100m annually to the local economy in Brighton alone.
Tony Milns of English UK, which represents 440 English-language colleges or schools, warned that some were likely to close: "A lot of MPs with language colleges or schools in their constituencies are concerned. They realise the economic and other benefits to their constituents of having foreign students spending money."
The publication of today's consultation paper was postponed a fortnight ago after the business secretary, Vince Cable, was inadvertently photographed holding a briefing paper warning against making the UK less attractive to overseas students.
Ministers say that their proposals will ensure that legitimate and high-quality universities will be protected from the curb in overseas student numbers and the consequent key income flow from their higher fees. They also plan to exempt those colleges who qualify for "highly trusted sponsor status".
The package of measures to be detailed today includes a new English-language test for prospective students; an academic progress test for those applying to extend their study stay in Britain; and a reduction in the 10-hour limit that an overseas student on a "below-degree" level course can work. There is also likely to be a curb on the number of dependents they can bring with them.
Further curbs are expected on the 38,000 overseas students who graduate in Britain and are then allowed to stay on to work after their studies.
The immigration minister, Damian Green, told the Mail on Sunday that student visas had been handed out to those who were illiterate, of no fixed abode, or who thought that hospitality management "enabled someone to work in a hospital".
Universities UK said that the consultation over student visas had already caused considerable uncertainty as colleges were already recruiting students for the next academic year: "We do not think that international students should be counted as migrants. They are not here for economic reasons, their time in the UK does not count towards any later application for settlement, unlike workers, and they have no recourse to public funds," chief executive Nicola Dandridge said.
The plans to be detailed today include restricting overseas student visas to those on degree-level courses and are expected to lead to the closure of some English-language schools and other privately-run colleges.
The package means that the home secretary will close the door on up to 120,000 international students from outside the EU who come to Britain to take "below-degree" level courses – about 40% of the annual total.
The Home Office consultation paper being published today forms a key part of the Conservatives' drive to reduce overall net migration from 215,000 in 2009 to "tens of thousands" by the time of the next general election.
MPs representing traditional English-language school centres such as Brighton, Eastbourne and Malvern have joined those from more recent centres such as Sheffield in voicing their "profound concerns" to the home secretary over the moves.
It has been estimated that overseas students contribute £100m annually to the local economy in Brighton alone.
Tony Milns of English UK, which represents 440 English-language colleges or schools, warned that some were likely to close: "A lot of MPs with language colleges or schools in their constituencies are concerned. They realise the economic and other benefits to their constituents of having foreign students spending money."
The publication of today's consultation paper was postponed a fortnight ago after the business secretary, Vince Cable, was inadvertently photographed holding a briefing paper warning against making the UK less attractive to overseas students.
Ministers say that their proposals will ensure that legitimate and high-quality universities will be protected from the curb in overseas student numbers and the consequent key income flow from their higher fees. They also plan to exempt those colleges who qualify for "highly trusted sponsor status".
The package of measures to be detailed today includes a new English-language test for prospective students; an academic progress test for those applying to extend their study stay in Britain; and a reduction in the 10-hour limit that an overseas student on a "below-degree" level course can work. There is also likely to be a curb on the number of dependents they can bring with them.
Further curbs are expected on the 38,000 overseas students who graduate in Britain and are then allowed to stay on to work after their studies.
The immigration minister, Damian Green, told the Mail on Sunday that student visas had been handed out to those who were illiterate, of no fixed abode, or who thought that hospitality management "enabled someone to work in a hospital".
Universities UK said that the consultation over student visas had already caused considerable uncertainty as colleges were already recruiting students for the next academic year: "We do not think that international students should be counted as migrants. They are not here for economic reasons, their time in the UK does not count towards any later application for settlement, unlike workers, and they have no recourse to public funds," chief executive Nicola Dandridge said.
WikiLeaks founder Assange may surrender to British police
London:
Julian Assange's lawyer was arranging to deliver the WikiLeaks founder to British police for questioning in a sex-crimes investigation of the man who has angered Washington by spilling thousands of government secrets on the Internet.
Lawyer Mark Stephens told reporters in London that the Metropolitan Police had called him to say they had received an arrest warrant from Sweden for Assange. Assange has been staying at an undisclosed location in Britain.
"We are in the process of making arrangements to meet with police by consent," Stephens said Monday, declining to say when Assange's interview with police would take place.
Scotland Yard refused to comment.
The 39-year-old Australian is wanted on suspicion of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion in Sweden, and the case could lead to his extradition. Interpol placed Assange on its most-wanted list on Nov. 30 after Sweden issued an arrest warrant. Last week, Sweden's highest court upheld the detention order.
Assange has denied the accusations, which Stephens has said stem from a "dispute over consensual but unprotected sex." The lawyer has said the Swedish investigation has turned into a "political stunt."
The pressure on WikiLeaks mounted from other quarters Monday: Swiss authorities closed Assange's bank account, depriving him of a key fundraising tool. And WikiLeaks struggled to stay online despite more hacker attacks and resistance from world governments, receiving help from computer-savvy advocates who have set up hundreds of "mirrors" - or carbon-copy websites - around the world.
In one of its most sensitive disclosures yet, WikiLeaks released on Sunday a secret 2009 diplomatic cable listing sites around the world that the U.S. considers critical to its security. The locations include undersea communications lines, mines, food suppliers, manufacturers of weapons components, and vaccine factories.
Pentagon spokesman Col. David Lapan called the disclosure damaging and said it gives valuable information to the nation's enemies.
"This is one of many reasons why we believe WikiLeaks' actions are irresponsible and dangerous," Lapan said.
WikiLeaks has been under intense international scrutiny over its disclosure of a mountain of classified U.S. cables that have embarrassed Washington and other governments. U.S. officials have been putting pressure on WikiLeaks and those who help it, and is investigating whether Assange can be prosecuted under espionage law.
In what Assange described as a last-ditch deterrent, WikiLeaks has warned that it has distributed a heavily encrypted version of some of its most important documents and that the information could be instantly made public if the staff were arrested.
For days, WikiLeaks has been forced by governments, hackers and companies to move from one website to another. WikiLeaks is now relying on a Swedish host. But WikiLeaks' Swedish servers were crippled after coming under suspected attack again Monday, the latest in a series of such assaults.
It was not clear who was organizing the attacks. WikiLeaks has blamed previous ones on intelligence forces in the U.S. and elsewhere.
WikiLeaks' huge online following of tech-savvy young people has pitched in, setting up more than 500 mirrors.
"There is a whole new generation, digital natives, born with the Internet, that understands the freedom of communication," said Pascal Gloor, vice president of the Swiss Pirate Party, whose Swiss Web address, wikileaks.ch, has been serving as a mainstay for WikiLeaks traffic.
"It's not a left-right thing anymore. It's a generational thing between the politicians who don't understand that it's too late for them to regulate the Internet and the young who use technology every day."
Meanwhile, the Swiss postal system's financial arm, Postfinance, shut down a bank account set up by Assange to receive donations after the agency determined that he provided false information regarding his place of residence in opening the account. Assange had listed his lawyer's address in Geneva.
"He will get his money back," Postfinance spokesman Alex Josty said. "We just close the account."
Assange's lawyers said the account contained about $41,000. Over the weekend, the online payment service PayPal cut off WikiLeaks and, according to Assange's lawyers, froze $80,000 of the organization's money.
The group is left with only a few options for raising money now - through a Swiss-Icelandic credit card processing center and accounts in Iceland and Germany.
Monday marked the first day that WikiLeaks did not publish any new cables. It was unclear whether that had anything to do with the computer attacks.
Julian Assange's lawyer was arranging to deliver the WikiLeaks founder to British police for questioning in a sex-crimes investigation of the man who has angered Washington by spilling thousands of government secrets on the Internet.
Lawyer Mark Stephens told reporters in London that the Metropolitan Police had called him to say they had received an arrest warrant from Sweden for Assange. Assange has been staying at an undisclosed location in Britain.
"We are in the process of making arrangements to meet with police by consent," Stephens said Monday, declining to say when Assange's interview with police would take place.
Scotland Yard refused to comment.
The 39-year-old Australian is wanted on suspicion of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion in Sweden, and the case could lead to his extradition. Interpol placed Assange on its most-wanted list on Nov. 30 after Sweden issued an arrest warrant. Last week, Sweden's highest court upheld the detention order.
Assange has denied the accusations, which Stephens has said stem from a "dispute over consensual but unprotected sex." The lawyer has said the Swedish investigation has turned into a "political stunt."
The pressure on WikiLeaks mounted from other quarters Monday: Swiss authorities closed Assange's bank account, depriving him of a key fundraising tool. And WikiLeaks struggled to stay online despite more hacker attacks and resistance from world governments, receiving help from computer-savvy advocates who have set up hundreds of "mirrors" - or carbon-copy websites - around the world.
In one of its most sensitive disclosures yet, WikiLeaks released on Sunday a secret 2009 diplomatic cable listing sites around the world that the U.S. considers critical to its security. The locations include undersea communications lines, mines, food suppliers, manufacturers of weapons components, and vaccine factories.
Pentagon spokesman Col. David Lapan called the disclosure damaging and said it gives valuable information to the nation's enemies.
"This is one of many reasons why we believe WikiLeaks' actions are irresponsible and dangerous," Lapan said.
WikiLeaks has been under intense international scrutiny over its disclosure of a mountain of classified U.S. cables that have embarrassed Washington and other governments. U.S. officials have been putting pressure on WikiLeaks and those who help it, and is investigating whether Assange can be prosecuted under espionage law.
In what Assange described as a last-ditch deterrent, WikiLeaks has warned that it has distributed a heavily encrypted version of some of its most important documents and that the information could be instantly made public if the staff were arrested.
For days, WikiLeaks has been forced by governments, hackers and companies to move from one website to another. WikiLeaks is now relying on a Swedish host. But WikiLeaks' Swedish servers were crippled after coming under suspected attack again Monday, the latest in a series of such assaults.
It was not clear who was organizing the attacks. WikiLeaks has blamed previous ones on intelligence forces in the U.S. and elsewhere.
WikiLeaks' huge online following of tech-savvy young people has pitched in, setting up more than 500 mirrors.
"There is a whole new generation, digital natives, born with the Internet, that understands the freedom of communication," said Pascal Gloor, vice president of the Swiss Pirate Party, whose Swiss Web address, wikileaks.ch, has been serving as a mainstay for WikiLeaks traffic.
"It's not a left-right thing anymore. It's a generational thing between the politicians who don't understand that it's too late for them to regulate the Internet and the young who use technology every day."
Meanwhile, the Swiss postal system's financial arm, Postfinance, shut down a bank account set up by Assange to receive donations after the agency determined that he provided false information regarding his place of residence in opening the account. Assange had listed his lawyer's address in Geneva.
"He will get his money back," Postfinance spokesman Alex Josty said. "We just close the account."
Assange's lawyers said the account contained about $41,000. Over the weekend, the online payment service PayPal cut off WikiLeaks and, according to Assange's lawyers, froze $80,000 of the organization's money.
The group is left with only a few options for raising money now - through a Swiss-Icelandic credit card processing center and accounts in Iceland and Germany.
Monday marked the first day that WikiLeaks did not publish any new cables. It was unclear whether that had anything to do with the computer attacks.
Tanushree says no to social networking with fans
At a time when celebrities are getting closer to their fans through the online medium, actress Tanushree Dutta says she connects to social networking sites just for her friends, not fans. She is available on Facebook, but her settings are such that she cannot be found in the general search category and adds only close friends. "I have kept the account active only to keep in touch with my school friends and some friends who are out of the country. Even after that I log on very rarely like once in three months," she said. The actress says all other accounts by her name are fake, and fans must not mistake the imposters for her.
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