#data validation in excel

[techivehub]

Mastering Data Validation: Ensuring Accuracy and Reliability in Your Data

In today’s data-driven world, the quality of your data can make or break your business decisions. Ensuring that your data is accurate, consistent, and reliable is paramount, and this is where data validation comes into play. Whether you are a seasoned data scientist, a business analyst, or just starting in the field of data management, mastering data validation is crucial for the integrity and usability of your data.

What is Data Validation?

Data validation is the process of ensuring that the data you collect, process, and analyze meets specific criteria and is both accurate and useful. This involves checking the data for errors, inconsistencies, and missing values. The goal is to ensure that your data is clean, reliable, and ready for analysis.

Why is Data Validation Important?

Accuracy and Precision: Valid data ensures that the information you rely on for decision-making is accurate. Inaccurate data can lead to incorrect conclusions and poor business decisions.

Consistency: Consistent data allows for reliable comparisons and trend analysis. Without consistency, it is challenging to track progress or identify patterns over time.

Compliance: Many industries have regulatory requirements for data management. Data validation helps ensure compliance with these regulations, avoiding potential legal issues and penalties.

Efficiency: Clean data reduces the time and resources needed to correct errors and allows teams to focus on productive tasks.

Key Techniques for Data Validation

Input Validation: This is the first line of defense against bad data. Input validation checks the data at the point of entry to ensure it meets predefined criteria. This can include format checks (e.g., ensuring dates are in the correct format), range checks (e.g., values fall within a specific range), and mandatory field checks.

Data Cleansing: This involves identifying and correcting errors in the data. Techniques include removing duplicates, correcting misspellings, and addressing missing values. Data cleansing is crucial for maintaining data integrity.

Cross-Field Validation: This technique checks the relationships between different fields in a dataset. For example, in a dataset of employee records, an employee’s start date should not be after their end date.

Statistical Methods: Statistical techniques can be used to identify outliers and anomalies in the data. These methods help ensure that the data follows expected patterns and distributions.

Automated Tools: Various tools and software can automate the data validation process, making it more efficient and reducing the likelihood of human error. These tools can perform real-time validation and provide immediate feedback.

Best Practices for Effective Data Validation

Define Clear Rules and Criteria: Before you begin collecting data, establish clear validation rules and criteria. This includes defining acceptable ranges, formats, and dependencies.

Use a Combination of Methods: No single validation method is foolproof. Use a combination of input validation, data cleansing, and statistical methods to ensure comprehensive validation.

Regularly Review and Update Validation Rules: As your data needs evolve, so too should your validation rules. Regularly review and update these rules to ensure they remain relevant and effective.

Train Your Team: Ensure that everyone involved in data entry and management understands the importance of data validation and is trained in the appropriate techniques.

Leverage Technology: Invest in automated validation tools to streamline the process and reduce the risk of errors.

Conclusion

Mastering data validation is essential for anyone involved in data management. It ensures the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of your data, leading to better decision-making and increased efficiency. By implementing robust data validation techniques and following best practices, you can significantly improve the quality of your data and drive better business outcomes.

For a deeper dive into the world of data validation, check out our comprehensive guide on TechiveHub: Master in Data Validation. This guide offers detailed insights and practical tips to help you become proficient in data validation and ensure your data’s integrity and reliability.

[attitudetallyacademy]

Introduction

Microsoft Excel is a powerful tool used by students, professionals, and businesses. It helps in data management, calculations, and automation. However, when it comes to data processing, users often face a dilemma: Should they use Power Query or Excel formulas? Both have their advantages, but choosing the right one depends on your specific needs.

Understanding Power Query and Excel Formulas

What is Power Query?

Power Query is a data transformation and automation tool in Excel. It allows users to connect, clean, and reshape data efficiently. It is especially useful when dealing with large datasets. Read more…

📚 Learn Microsoft Excel: Attitude Academy

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[keplerworks]

In an era where data shapes decisions, maintaining accurate data is vital.

Erroneous or inconsistent data can lead to costly mistakes that affect a business's bottom line and reputation.

[mitsde123]

A Beginner’s Guide to Data Cleaning Techniques

Data is the lifeblood of any modern organization. However, raw data is rarely ready for analysis. Before it can be used for insights, data must be cleaned, refined, and structured—a process known as data cleaning. This blog will explore essential data-cleaning techniques, why they are important, and how beginners can master them.

[mitcenter]

What is Data Validation in Excel? How to Improve Data Quality

Data validation is a crucial feature in Excel that helps users control the type of data entered into a cell. By setting specific criteria, you can ensure that only the correct data type is input, which helps in maintaining accuracy and consistency in your spreadsheets. This feature is particularly useful in large datasets where errors can easily go unnoticed, leading to inaccurate results and flawed analyses.

In this blog, we'll explore what is data validation in Excel, how it works, and how you can use it to improve data quality in your spreadsheets.

Understanding Data Validation in Excel

Data validation in Excel allows you to define rules that restrict the type of data that can be entered into a cell. These rules can include restrictions on data type (e.g., whole numbers, decimals, dates), specific values, or even custom formulas. When a user tries to enter data that doesn't meet the criteria, Excel will display an error message, preventing the entry of invalid data.

For example, if you're working with a list of ages, you can use data validation to ensure that only numbers between 1 and 120 are entered. This prevents errors such as negative numbers or extremely high values that would distort the analysis.

Steps to Implement Data Validation in Excel

Implementing data validation in Excel can be done through a few simple steps. Here’s how you can do it:

Identify Your Data Requirements: Before setting up data validation, determine what type of data you want to restrict. This could be a number, date, specific text, or values from a list.

Create a List or Criteria: If your data validation involves specific choices (e.g., a list of departments or categories), prepare the list beforehand. You can do this by typing the options into a separate worksheet or a column in the same sheet.

Select the Target Cells: Click and drag to highlight the cells where you want to apply the data validation rules. This could be a single cell, a column, or a range of cells.

Apply Data Validation Rules: (a) Go to the “Data” tab on the Excel ribbon. (b) Click on “Data Validation” in the Data Tools group.

In the dialog box that appears, under the “Settings” tab, choose the type of validation you want (e.g., whole numbers, dates, or a list).

Specify Your Criteria: Depending on the validation type selected, set up your specific criteria. For instance, if you’re working with a list, select the range where your list is located.

Set Error Alerts: Navigate to the “Error Alert” tab within the Data Validation dialog box. Here, you can create a custom message that will pop up if a user enters invalid data.

Test Your Validation Rules: Once applied, try entering data in the validated cells to ensure your rules work as intended. Adjust if necessary by returning to the Data Validation menu.

This process allows you to precisely control the data being entered, helping maintain the integrity and quality of your Excel spreadsheets.

Types of Data Validation in Excel

Excel offers several types of data validation to suit different needs. Here are some common types:

Whole Number: Restricts entries to whole numbers within a specified range.

Decimal: Allows decimal numbers within a specific range.

List: Lets users select from a predefined list of values.

Date: Restricts entries to dates within a specific range.

Time: Limits entries to times within a specific range.

Text Length: Controls the number of characters in a text entry.

Custom: Allows you to use a custom formula to define the validation criteria.

Benefits of Using Data Validation in Excel

Using data validation in Excel is essential for quality data analysis which offers numerous benefits:

Improves Data Accuracy: By restricting data entry to specific criteria, you reduce the risk of errors.

Enhances Consistency: Ensures that data follows a consistent format, making it easier to analyze.

Saves Time: Prevents the need for manual data cleaning by catching errors at the point of entry.

Guides Users: Custom error messages can help guide users to enter the correct data, reducing confusion.

Reduces Redundancy: By validating data, you can avoid duplicate entries, ensuring that your dataset remains clean and organized.

How to Improve Data Quality Using Data Validation

Data validation is a powerful tool, but it's just one part of improving data quality. Here are some additional tips to ensure high-quality data in Excel:

Use Consistent Formats: Ensure that all data entries follow a consistent format, such as dates in the same format (e.g., DD/MM/YYYY).

Regularly Audit Your Data: Periodically check your data for inconsistencies, errors, or missing values.

Leverage Conditional Formatting: Use conditional formatting to highlight cells that don't meet specific criteria, making it easier to spot errors.

Implement Drop-Down Lists: Where possible, use drop-down lists to limit data entry to a predefined set of options.

Use Data Cleaning Tools: Excel offers several tools like "Remove Duplicates" and "Text to Columns" that can help clean up your data.

Conclusion

Data validation in Excel is a powerful feature that can significantly improve the quality of your data. By setting specific criteria for data entry, you can reduce errors, enhance consistency, and ensure that your data is reliable and accurate. Combined with other data management practices, data validation can help you maintain high standards of data quality, making your analyses more trustworthy and actionable.

[the-hwaelweg]

My boss wants me to contribute to an Excel tips and tricks presentation and now I'm in the XKCD comic like "what does the average person (interns aside) know about excel??" Like surely we all know about creating custom filters and customizing the ribbon and conditional formatting and remove duplicates and the count characters formula, right?? Like....is that basic? That seems basic?? Am I in too deep?? Help, what would you want to learn how to do in Excel besides create charts and macros (which other people are doing)?

[jcmarchi]

What to Expect from Your Forex Trading Tools - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/what-to-expect-from-your-forex-trading-tools-technology-org/

What to Expect from Your Forex Trading Tools - Technology Org

When engaging in the foreign exchange market, having the appropriate tools at your disposal can make a difference. With the forex market operating 24 hours a day, five days a week, it becomes a fast-paced environment. To navigate this landscape effectively and make informed trading decisions, traders must rely on sophisticated forex trading tools. This article will explore what traders expect from these tools regarding their functionality, accuracy, convenience, and support.

Forex, stock market trading – illustrative photo. Image credit: Adam Śmigielski via Unsplash, free license

Functionality: A Comprehensive Set of Essential Features

Tools for Forex trading have an array of features specifically designed to enhance traders’ experience and decision-making abilities. These functionalities are crucial in analyzing market trends, executing trades efficiently, managing risks effectively, and optimizing performance.

Real-time Data Feeds

Among the fundamental functions, forex trading tools offer real-time data feeds, encompassing currency prices, historical data, charts, quotes, news updates, economic calendars, and more. Traders can gain insights into price movements and make better-informed decisions.

Technical Analysis Tools

Advanced charting software integrated into these tools empowers traders with various technical analysis capabilities. From trend lines to Fibonacci retracements and moving averages, these tools provide ways to perform in-depth analysis. Traders can customize indicators and use drawing tools to identify entry or exit points.

Automated Trading

Many trading platforms offer features such as Expert Advisors (EAs) or algorithms. These features enable traders to execute trades based on predefined strategies or conditions as per the trader sets.

Accuracy: Reliable Data for Informed Trading Decisions

Accurate data plays a significant role in trading, as even minor discrepancies can significantly impact trade execution and market evaluation. Forex trading tools excel at providing up-to-date information. 

Order Execution

A reliable trading tool ensures swift order execution, minimizing the chances of slippage or requotes. Advanced platforms offer access to market liquidity providers, reducing latency in trade execution.

Historical Data Validation

Access to historical data is crucial for backtesting strategies and analyzing past performance. Forex trading tools provide data traders can rely on to validate their approach.

Convenience: Accessible and User Friendly Platforms

A proficient forex tool offers functionalities and focuses on providing a great user experience. These tools make trading activities easier for traders, eliminating the need for added effort or dealing with complexities.

Intuitive User Interface

Forex trading tools have an easy-to-use interface that caters to beginners and experienced traders. With navigation, personalized layouts, customizable dashboards, and presented information, these tools ensure a seamless trading experience.

Mobile Support

Flexibility is crucial in the fast-paced forex market. Trading tools that offer support through applications enable traders to monitor the market, conduct analyses, and execute trades.

Support: Assistance When You Need It

Traders may inevitably face challenges or have queries while using trading tools. Having prompt and dependable customer support is invaluable to ensure seamless trading operations.

Technical Support

A notch forex tool provider offers round-the-clock support for any platform-related issues or inquiries a trader might encounter during their trading journey.

Educational Resources

Traders can significantly enhance their skills and knowledge base through various training materials. These resources include video tutorials, webinars, articles, and access to a community.

Conclusion

Trading tools greatly facilitate successful trades in the market. These tools offer functionalities that provide accurate data feeds for decision-making, convenient access through user-friendly interfaces, and reliable support when needed. Evaluating your requirements before selecting the right trading tool that aligns with your trading goals is crucial, as this will ultimately contribute to your success in the forex market.

[thefantastickatinator]

Dropout should hire more trans women.

That said, a couple things about the data set floating around showing disproportionality in casting:

1. 7 of the top 9 (those cast members who appear in over 100 episodes, everyone else has under 70 appearances) are members of the core dimension 20 cast, aka “the intrepid heroes”. This cast has been in 7 of the 22 seasons, with those seasons usually being 20-ish episodes long (the other seasons are between 4-10 episodes long typically). That’s approximately 140 episodes for each of the main intrepid heroes cast members just for these seasons (not including bonus content like live shows). Brian Murphy has appeared 154 times, which means almost all of his appearances were on D20 intrepid heroes campaigns.

2. The other 2 in the top 9 are Sam Reich and Mike Trapp, who are both hosts of long running shows (Game Changer and Um, Actually)

3. 198 of the 317 episodes that noncis “TME” people have appeared in can be attributed to ally Beardsley alone (there is some crossover where for example alex and ally have both appeared in the same episodes). Erika ishii has been in 67 of the 317 noncis “TME” episode appearances i don’t know how much crossover there is between them but i don’t think they’ve been on d20 together so i doubt it’s more than 20. It could be as many as 250 of the 317 episodes that have either erica or ally. Both Erika and ally are majorly skewing the results for the data

4. Over 3/4 of people have no listed gender identity in the spreadsheet - most of them have 1-2 appearances, but a few have 3-4 appearances. I’m pretty sure these people aren’t included in the data at all (some of them i’m p sure are not cis like jiavani and bob the drag queen)

5. The data collector has assigned “tme” and “tma” to various cast members.

TME: transmisogyny exempt

TMA: transmisogyny affected

Now, tranmisogyny can affect trans women, trans femmes, and nonbinary people, and occasionally masculine appearing cis women.

I personally do not believe that an outside person can assign you a label deciding whether or not you experience certain types of oppression- and yet that is what the data collector has done.

I think a more accurate label would be amab/afab, or more honestly- “people i think are amab or have said they are amab and then everyone else”

6. The data does not include many of their newer shows such as Very Important People, Gastronauts, Play it By Ear, and Monet’s Slumber Party, all of which feature trans people (MSP, Gastronauts, and VIP are all hosted by noncis people)

What I think the data more accurately shows:

- Dimension 20 has a “main cast” who have appeared in the majority of episodes

- Dropout has some “regulars” who appear on the majority of their content/shows (sam has referenced multiple times that brennan is one of the first people he calls whenever someone can’t show up for something since he’s nearly always down for anything) - none of these people are trans women

Final thoughts:

I think eliminating “hosts” and the “intrepid heroes” from THIS TYPE of data set would be more appropriate because they massively skew the data when crunching the numbers for dropout shows. Especially since I can tell from the excel sheet that there are shows missing. Examining d20 sidequests and the guests on the other shows will give a more accurate representation of casting. Hosts should be analyzed separately as that’s a different casting process.

Also imagine if we referred to men and women as “misogyny exempt” and “misogyny affected” when doing demographics. Or if someone did a data collection of the number of POC appearances in dropout episodes and sorted it by “racism affected” and “racism exempt” - so weiiiiird

TLDR: the data set has massive issues with its methodology and that should be considered. That doesn’t make what trans women are saying less valid.

In other words: spiders brennan is an outlier and should not have been counted

[beansprean]

colin robinson: truly the windows update of men <3

My Familiar’s Ghost part 75

Masterpost

See the latest pages on Patreon!

(ID in alt and under cut)

ID: 1a. Close up on a small projector with light beaming out of its lens. 1b. Waist up of Colin standing in front of the fireplace in the fancy room, holding his laptop in one hand and gesturing behind him with the other, where a vinyl screen has been lowered. A color coded excel sheet with a list of vampires on the y axis and known familiars on the x axis is being projected on it. Each name is highlighted either red, green, or gray. Colin grins and says, 'For everyone's convenience, I've made a handy-dandy excel sheet cross-referencing known familiars with their current or former vampire masters. I would like to highlight the vampires G-man here killed in his recent rampage; no doubt they left some familiars out of work, haha!' 1c. Close up on the excel sheet as an error pops up that says 'this value doesn't match the data validation restrictions defined for this cell'. Offscreen, Colin continues: 'As you can see here, I-oh, darn. Hang on, I think I'm on the wrong cell. 1d. Repeat. Another error pops up over top of the original that says 'there's a problem with this formula'. Colin says, 'Whoopsie! Didn't mean to hit that, haha! Butterfingers over here!' 1e. Repeat. Another popup with the original error appears on top. On top of that, an error that says 'runtime error 7: out of memory'. On top of that, an error that says 'not enough resources to display correctly'. Colin mutters to himself offscreen: 'Let me see, uh...tab...function...nope. Control plus...s? Oh, I think I took a screen shot. Gotta remember that one, heh!' 1f. Repeat. Another error appears on top saying 'microsoft excel has stopped working. hang on while windows reports the problem to microsoft' with a loading bar. Colin says, 'Oh, dag nabbit. Excel, who approved this vacation time?'

2a. Close up on Laszlo slumped in the loveseat, head propped up on a fist with half-closed eyes blearily focusing on the screen. Behind him, Nadja is holding Dolly's body over her head like earmuffs to block the sound of Colin's voice, her mouth open in a frustrated groan. Dolly has her palms over her own ears. Offscreen, Colin chuckles in delight and says 'Don't worry, I can get her going again. Let me try to reset...' 2b. Close up of Guillermo leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, eyes closed as he nods off. 2c. Close up on Nandor leaning back in his chair, eyes closed and mouth slack as he resists sleep. Colin continues offscreen: 'Ope. That was restart. Oh, uh... 'configuring windows updates'... Well, hopefully that won't take too long. 2d. Reverse shot, wide, of Colin standing by the projector screen as Nandor suddenly sits straight up in the foreground, eyes squeezed shut and face turned away from Colin toward the viewer. He whips his left arm out toward the projector screen and shouts 'Enough!' The screen bursts into flame, startling Colin who had been tapping fruitlessly at his laptop. /end ID

[silver-soul00]

I would like to examine Jenna Ortega's portrayal of Wednesday Addams. The character may be interpreted as being on the autism spectrum, according to certain analyses.

Although the script does not make this characterization explicit, many of the protagonist's behavioral traits and peculiarities correspond with criteria recognized in the autism literature.

I want to look closely at these links in this long study.

PREMISES MUST BE MADE ON THIS TOPIC

1)Interpretation as a possibility rather than a definitive fact

Crucially, interpretation is a vital process grounded in observations and correlations with behavioral characteristics linked to the autism spectrum in the scholarly literature. The purpose of reading Wednesday in this key is to investigate the ways in which neurodivergence may be subtly represented in television fiction.

This viewpoint does not limit how the work is read; rather, it enhances the conversation about its meanings since, like any complex literature, the series can be interpreted in a variety of ways. The neurodivergent interpretation is just one of many possible interpretations, but it is legitimate provided it is backed up by reasoned arguments and supporting data.

Since a work becomes a part of a wider cultural conversation after it is published, many works in critical literature are examined in ways that go beyond the author's original goal.

2) The nature of open narratives

In order to allow audiences to assign many meanings to them, narrative works—particularly those that delve into intricate subjects—are frequently purposefully ambiguous. Although the protagonist of the Wednesday series never identifies herself as autistic, she does display several behavioral symptoms that are typically linked to neurodivergence. This ambiguity is common in works that allow for the subjectivity of the audience. In his book Opera aperta, Umberto Eco describes how stories are created by the interplay of the author, text, and audience rather than being fixed into a single meaning.

Wednesday is a multifaceted, nuanced figure who lends itself to numerous interpretations.

Her inability to fit in with society's expectations could be interpreted as both a neurodivergent characteristic and an act of personal revolt. This complexity makes it possible for various individuals with various backgrounds to reflect themselves in the persona. The narrative's open-ended structure not only validates but also promotes a variety of interpretations, such as Wednesday's potential neurodiversity example.

3) Support from academic research

There is strong scientific evidence to support the idea that Wednesday reflects characteristics of the autistic spectrum. According to Simon Baron-Cohen's research on autism, Wednesday's challenges with reading and following social norms, for instance, can be examined in the context of theory of mind. According to this view, persons on the spectrum could find it difficult to comprehend the feelings and intentions of others, which frequently leads to direct and unfiltered conversations like Wednesday's.

Additionally, Wednesday's compulsive devotion to her particular hobbies, like writing mystery books and solving mysteries, can be explained by Dinah Murray's theory of monotropism.

The tendency of autistic people to concentrate on a small number of subjects with greater intensity than that of most neurotypical people is known as monotropism. In addition to being a behavioral trait, this quality is a resource that can foster innovation and excellence in particular fields.

Studies on sensory sensitivity, such those conducted by Tavassoli et al. (2014), offer a foundation for comprehending Wednesday's distinct aesthetic preferences. It is possible to interpret his rejection of vivid colors and exciting surroundings as a reaction to sensory overload, which is a regular occurrence in autistic individuals.

Because of the strong theoretical foundation these research offer, the interpretation of Wednesday as neurodivergent is not only tenable but also supported by empirical evidence.

This viewpoint is in line with Roland Barthes' theory of the "death of the author," which holds that a work's meaning is established by the relationship between the text and its readers rather than by the author's intention.

As a result, my analysis is a valid addition to a larger conversation rather than an over-reading.

4) Implicit representation and diversity

Not all depictions of psychiatric or neurological disorders are overt.

Narratives frequently favor implicit representations, letting the audience make their own judgments.

Because it avoids simplifying a complicated feature to a single name or diagnostic, this technique can be especially effective. Wednesday serves as an illustration of how neurodivergence can be portrayed in the media without succumbing to simplicity or stereotypes.

The implicit representation of autistic characteristics in Wednesday allows the audience to reflect on neurodivergence without bias. It also normalizes these characteristics as part of the personality of a strong and independent character, avoiding pathologization.

This type of storytelling is important in a society that seeks to promote greater inclusion and understanding of individual differences.

5) Interpretation does not diminish other readings.

Other interpretations are not excluded by one interpretation.

Wednesday is a symbol of independence and self-determination, a gothic heroine who rejects conformity, or a rebellious young lady who violates conventional standards. These interpretations are enhanced by reading Wednesday as an autistic character, which presents a fresh viewpoint without discounting the others.

6) The importance of debate

Promoting a more inclusive society requires conversations on topics like how neurodivergence is portrayed in the media, the discourse that results is worthwhile, even if some people think this reading is excessive.

Thoughts on how neurodivergence is portrayed and understood in popular culture are sparked by critical conversations.

Furthermore, the debate raises awareness about the challenges and opportunities linked with neurodiversity.

Characters like Wednesday, who represent identifiable elements of the autistic spectrum, can be portrayed in a way that normalizes these traits and lessens the stigma attached to them.

Whether or whether the authors' intention was to specifically depict autism, this is an important finding.

Background before we begin, what is autism?

According to the DSM-5, autism is a neurodevelopmental disease that is typified by sensory abnormalities, repetitive behaviors, limited interests, and challenges with social interaction and communication.

The term "autism spectrum," which acknowledges a range of unique presentations, was created in response to the heterogeneity of manifestations.

According to recent studies, individuals on the spectrum may display extreme narrow interests, brutal honesty, and trouble understanding social norms, in fact, these characteristics are linked to resilience, divergent thinking, and authenticity, even though they are frequently problematic in social situations.

Setting the atmosphere for a more in-depth reading, Wednesday Addams, as she is portrayed in the Netflix series, seems to be the ideal representation of many of these characteristics.

Wednesday appears to have trouble fitting in with society's standards. She frequently responds to conversations with straightforward, uncensored language, ignoring emotional conventions.

This conduct might be connected to the social "readability" issues that Baron-Cohen attributes to autistic people's defective theory of mind.

The protagonist, in particular, favors an approach that puts substance above form and deviates from the implicit rules of social relations.

The difficulty some individuals on the spectrum may have in modifying their language to meet the expectations of their interlocutors are reminiscent of her stark honesty and lack of superficial empathy.

But as Grandin said, this kind of engagement may also be seen as an expression of genuineness, which Wednesday is a prime example of.

Her intense devotion to particular hobbies, like writing mystery novels and solving mysteries, is another pertinent aspect of the character's characteristics.

People on the autistic spectrum typically devote time and energy to activities they find significant, and this intensity is typical of them.

According to Murray et al.'s theory of monotropism, Wednesday's attention is concentrated on a small number of subjects with a level of engagement that is above average.

In addition to being a characteristic of her personality, the enthusiasm with which she pursues her hobbies is a strength that helps her succeed in her undertakings.

This feature emphasizes one of autism's best traits: the capacity to concentrate intently on a subject and acquire highly specialized abilities.

Wednesday's preference for austere settings and her unfavorable response to bright colors point to an unusual level of sensory sensitivity. People with autism frequently have distinct aesthetic preferences and may be hypersensitive or hyposensitive to stimuli in their environment.

Wednesday's rejection of Enid's vibrant dorm, where she clearly suffers from sensory overload, is a reflection of this tendency.

Her decision to only wear black clothing and stay away from stimulating situations highlights her need to regulate her environment to feel at ease. Research has shown that autism is associated with enhanced sensory perception, which can have a significant impact on a person's lifestyle and personal choices.

Wednesday develops close relationships with a small number of individuals, including Eugene and Enid, despite his seeming emotional distance.

This pattern of selective relationships is consistent with the behavior of many people on the spectrum, who often prefer meaningful interactions to superficial relationships.

Moreover, her ability to empathize indirectly with others emerges in her protective actions toward the few friends she considers important. Her friendship with Enid, in particular, shows how Wednesday is able to build a meaningful relationship despite personality differences.

This kind of bonding is emblematic of the relationships that many autistic people form: deep, authentic, and based on mutual respect.

Continuing with the analysis, it is useful to expand the consideration of Wednesday Addams and her possible coding as an autistic character by delving into the social and cultural context in which the representation of neurodivergence is placed.

For a long time, neurodivergence has been portrayed in a simplistic way, frequently linked to stereotypes that highlight exceptional but socially isolated intelligence, as exemplified by Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory or Raymond in Rain Man.

However, these portrayals fall short of capturing the richness and diversity of the experiences of individuals on the autism spectrum.

On the other hand, characters like Wednesday Addams, who exhibit distinguishable characteristics without making a clear declaration, add to a more complex and approachable story, again from my very personal viewpoint.

Wednesday is an illustration of implicit representation, which enables viewers to examine neurodivergence dynamics without labels or assumptions.

This method is especially effective since it encourages introspection without imposing any particular meaning. Characters that are not specifically identified as autistic might work as cultural mirrors, providing insights to better comprehend neurodivergence in the context of human diversity, according to psychologist Stuart Murray, author of Autism and Representation.

Wednesday, with her behavioral rigidity, sensory sensitivity, and stark honesty, reflects several characteristics associated with the autistic experience without reducing the character to a single dimension.

The narrative setting in which Wednesday takes place is an important factor to take into account.

Nevermore Academy is an outcast school that accepts students who have unusual features.

Because of this atmosphere, which values diversity and inclusivity, Wednesday's uniqueness is not only accepted but also cherished.

As a reflection of the expanding cultural interest in neurodiversity, the school becomes a metaphor for a society that values and acknowledges difference.

Wednesday's portrayal in the series reinforces the need of fostering environments that accept and encourage neurodivergent individuals, as highlighted by studies like Silberman's in Neurotribes.

The character's capacity for self-determination is another intriguing feature. Wednesday defies others' expectations and relentlessly pursues her own objectives.

In the context of neurodivergence, where autonomy and the freedom to establish one's own identity are major concerns, this quality is especially pertinent. Allowing people on the spectrum to express their uniqueness without outside pressure is essential, according to psychologist Michelle Dawson. Wednesday serves as an example of this autonomy by demonstrating that variety is a strength rather than a barrier.

It's fascinating to see how the public responds to figures like Wednesday from a sociological standpoint. Her widespread appeal indicates that audiences nowadays are becoming more receptive to role models who defy expectations.

The media is vital in influencing the public's imagination at a time when autism awareness is growing.

The idea that neurological variation should not be "cured" or "corrected," but rather accepted, is normalized by Wednesday's portrayal as a strong, independent young woman who could be seen as neurodivergent.

Wednesday's interactions with other characters and her relationship with her vivacious roommate, Enid Sinclair, further strengthen this interpretation by highlighting a contrast that enables the issue of complementarity between contrasts to be addressed.

Wednesday is challenged by Enid's emotional and open attitude to overcome her inflexibility and embrace various emotional expressions.

According to Milton (On the ontological status of autism), this type of relationship exemplifies the idea of "mutual involvement," which is crucial for fostering understanding between neurotypicals and neurodivergents.

Lastly, Jenna Ortega's contribution to the character's interpretation cannot be overlooked.

The character's interpretation as autistic is deepened by her performance, which places an emphasis on exact motions, a monotone speaking tone, and calibrated eye contact.

[pekoehoneyncream]

König MBTI Type

Quick Run Down: The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality typing device based on Carl Jung's theory of psychological types. It sorts people into 16 different personality types based on four pairs of opposite traits: Extraversion (E) vs. Introversion (I), Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N), Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F), & Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P)

König is ISTP

Introversion, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving.

(Fair warning, most of this is ripped straight from mbti sites, w/ minor wording edits from me)

Core Characteristics:

Independent and Self-Reliant: They value their independence and prefer to operate autonomously. ISTPs are often self-sufficient and capable of handling tasks on their own without needing much external support.

Practical and Realistic: They approach challenges with a practical mindset, focusing on finding effective and efficient solutions. They might prefer hands-on methods and immediate fixes rather than theoretical discussions. They favor tangible, factual information over abstract theories. This preference for concrete data helps them feel more grounded.

Practical and Hands-On: ISTPs are highly practical and enjoy working with their hands. They are skilled at understanding how things work and prefer to learn through direct experience rather than theoretical concepts.

Detail-Oriented Focus: When engaging in activities or projects, they pay close attention to the specifics and details. This focus helps them manage tasks effectively but can also lead to heightened stress if things don’t go as planned.

Tendency to Withdraw: When feeling overwhelmed, they may retreat into solitude to process their thoughts and regain composure. This withdrawal helps them recharge and regain a sense of control.

Reserved and Private: They tend to keep their thoughts and feelings to themselves, sharing personal insights only with those they trust deeply. This preference for privacy helps them manage their internal world without external pressures.

In Relationships:

Pros:

Problem-Solving Skills: ISTPs are excellent at tackling problems head-on with a logical and practical approach. In a relationship, this means they often find effective solutions to challenges, making them reliable partners in difficult situations. Their ability to stay calm under pressure can be a grounding force.

Loyalty: Despite their reserved nature, ISTPs are deeply loyal to those they care about. In both romantic and platonic relationships, they’re committed and will go to great lengths to support their loved ones. Their loyalty often creates a strong sense of trust and security.

Adventurous Spirit: ISTPs love new experiences and are often spontaneous, which can make relationships exciting and full of unexpected adventures. They’re the type to surprise you with an impromptu road trip or encourage you to try something new. This keeps the relationship dynamic and engaging.

Self-Reliance: They tend to be very independent and don’t demand constant attention, giving their partners or friends plenty of space. This independence can be refreshing, as they don’t cling to others for validation. It allows for a balanced relationship where both parties can maintain their own identities.

Practical Support: ISTPs are hands-on and often express care through actions rather than words. They’ll fix things, solve problems, or help out in practical ways, making them reliable when it comes to getting things done. This practical support is often appreciated in both romantic and friendship contexts.

Cons:

Emotional Reservedness: ISTPs can struggle to express their emotions, which might leave their partners or friends feeling disconnected or unsure about where they stand. This emotional distance can sometimes be mistaken for a lack of interest or care. It might require patience to navigate their reserved nature.

Difficulty with Open Communication: While ISTPs are great at solving practical problems, they might avoid or downplay issues that involve deeper emotional or relational complexities. This can lead to misunderstandings or unresolved conflicts in the relationship. Partners and friends may find it challenging to get them to open up about their feelings.

Overly Independent: ISTPs often pride themselves on their self-sufficiency, which can make it difficult for them to ask for help or rely on others, even when they need it. This independence can lead to unnecessary struggles, as they might push themselves too hard rather than leaning on their partner or friends. It can also create a sense of distance, as they may not share their challenges, leaving others feeling shut out or unable to support them.

Overly Critical: ISTPs' focus on logic can sometimes make them overly critical or blunt, especially when they feel something isn’t efficient or doesn’t make sense. This can hurt the feelings of those who are more sensitive, even if the ISTP doesn’t intend to cause harm. Their straightforwardness might be misinterpreted as insensitivity.

Need for Alone Time: ISTPs value their alone time highly and might withdraw unexpectedly to recharge, which can be confusing or hurtful to those who don’t understand this need. This withdrawal isn’t a reflection of the relationship’s value but rather a necessity for time alone without any judgment. However, it can create tension if the other person feels neglected.

Risk-Taking Behavior: Their adventurous nature can sometimes lead to impulsive decisions that may cause concern or stress for those around them. This risk-taking behavior can be thrilling but also unpredictable, leading to instability in the relationship. Partners and friends might struggle to keep up with or support their spontaneous actions.

PekoeHoneynCream's Masterlist

[jointhefediverse]

💫 Join the Fediverse! 💫

Greetings, fellow bloggers! We welcome you to join us in discovering, honoring, and promoting the potential future of social networking—commonly referred to as the "Fediverse."

The Fediverse, or Federation Universe, refers to a collective of online platforms that utilize the web protocol known as ActivityPub, which has set a standard of excellence in regards to both protecting and respecting users' online privacies.

There's a good chance in the past few years that you've caught wind of the fedi family's critically acclaimed Mastodon; however, there are many other unique platforms worth your consideration...

✨ Where To Begin?

Conveniently enough, from the minds of brilliant independent developers, there already likely exists a Fediverse equivalent to your favorite socials. Whether it's an opinion from the critics, or from the community alike—the following popular websites are commonly associated with one another:

Friendica 🐰 = Facebook Mastodon 🐘 = Twitter Pixelfed 🐼 = Instagram PeerTube 🐙 = YouTube Lemmy 🐭 = Reddit

It's worth mentioning, too, a few other sites and forks thereof that are worthy counterparts, which be: Pleroma 🦊 & Misskey 🐱, microblogs also similar to Twitter/Mastodon. Funkwhale 🐋 is a self-hosting audio streamer, which pays homage to the once-popular GrooveShark. For power users, Hubzilla 🐨 makes a great choice (alongside Friendica) when choosing macroblogging alternatives.

✨ To Be Clear...

To address the technicalities: aside from the "definitive" Fediverse clients, we will also be incorporating any platforms that utilize ActivityPub-adjacent protocols as well. These include, but are not limited to: diaspora*; AT Protocol (Bluesky 🦋); Nostr; OStatus; Matrix; Zot; etc. We will NOT be incorporating any decentralized sites that are either questionably or proven to be unethical. (AKA: Gab has been exiled.)

✨ Why Your Privacy Matters

You may ask yourself, as we once did, "Why does protecting my online privacy truly matter?" While it may seem innocent enough on the surface, would it change your mind that it's been officially shared by former corporate media employees that data is more valuable than money to these companies? Outside of the ethical concerns surrounding these concepts, there are many other reasons why protecting your data is critical, be it: security breaches which jeopardize your financial info and risk identity theft; continuing to feed algorithms which use psychological manipulation in attempts to sell you products; the risk of spyware hacking your webcams and microphones when you least expect it; amongst countless other possibilities that can and do happen to individuals on a constant basis. We wish it could all just be written off as a conspiracy... but, with a little research, you'll swiftly realize the validity of these claims are not to be ignored any longer. The solution? Taking the decentralized route.

✨ Our Mission For This Blog

Our mission for establishing this blog includes 3 core elements:

To serve as a hub which anybody can access in order to assist themselves in either: becoming a part of the Fediverse, gaining the resources/knowledge to convince others to do the very same, and providing updates on anything Fedi-related.

We are determined to do anything within our power to prevent what the future of the Internet could become if active social users continue tossing away their data, all while technologies are advancing at faster rates with each passing year. Basically we'd prefer not to live in a cyber-Dystopia at all costs.

Tumblr (Automattic) has expressed interest in switching their servers over to ActivityPub after Musk's acquisition of then-Twitter, and are officially in the transitional process of making this happen for all of us. We're hoping our collective efforts may at some point be recognized by @staff, which in turn will encourage their efforts and stand by their decision.

With that being stated, we hope you decide to follow us here, and decide to make the shift—as it is merely the beginning. We encourage you to send us any questions you may have, any personal suggestions, or corrections on any misinformation you may come across.

From the Tender Hearts of, ✨💞 @disease & @faggotfungus 💞✨

[thewomancallednova]

Pen Pals

Oh fuck that was beautiful

shit what was the last episode i called "the best tng episode" yet, cause it might have been dethroned

okay i also gotta say that i have madly misrepresented this episode in the past. Like, in my memory from 15 years ago this episode was "Data makes a pre-warp friend, her home planet is threatened by geology, Picard so we gotta let them die because of the prime directive, but I guess we can make an exception for Data's friend if he insists, and then everyone except Data's friend dies." And that is not at all what happens!

At least up until the "we gotta let them all die" point, because they have a discussion about the prime directive and fate and it's excellent. Geordi, Troi, Data and Pulaski are the pro-saving the planet's people side and Picard, Worf and (weakly) Riker are the anti-saving the planet's people side. And it's a really good discussion. That Picard ends by basically saying "well if we save people from volcanoes, then we'd also have to save them from slavery, and where'd that bring us?" And then Data fucking plays the recording of this ten-year old girl asking for help and everyone gets emotionally affected enough to say fuck the prime directive, let's save these people if we can. And then they do! It's fucking great!

And I love that this gently bends Picard. Like, the Picard of Symbiosis would not have gone for this and the episode doesn't outright changes him, it just nudges him ever so slightly in the right direction to make him a little better. Although yes, it is fucked up that he needed to hear that little girl's pleas for help first. But he got there anyway!

At one point Riker and Troi are walking down the corridor and Troi giggles unprompted and like honestly, yeah same girl.

I forgot Picard's a horsegirl! As if his character wasn't redeemed enough in this episode already!

I also love that Data is entirely driven by emotions here, like literally everything he does in this episode, it's all emotion. Not a "oh in this scene he is clearly happy or heartbroken" or whatever, every single fucking bit from him answering "Is anybody out there" with a "yes" is entirely emotions. Love that for him. I do find it a bit weird that At the end Picard goes all "well you are a bit closer to undersatnding huamnity by experiencing remembrance and regret." Like you wouldn't say that to a child that just had their first friendship break-up or something, right? Like, yes, it's cool that Data got to experience these things for the first time, but it's odd to frame them as steps on the path to humanity, when we would never frame them as such for any other being that experiences them. Data is a human being admit it already you cowards!

Also love that Pulaski is the one to openly acknowledge and validate it! Hell yeah character arcs!

Okay I was so cought up in everything else, but Wesley is great in this too! He has his first "command", leading a team of scientists to analyse the weird shit happening in this sector! And he's a bit insecure about commanding people who are older and more experienced than him, and then Riker gives him a pep talk, and then he gets better at it. Also loved that Wesley immediately questioned the hierarchies in place, good lad, Wes!

When Wesley approaches Riker for help in Ten Forward, Riker tells his companion that it's a "family emergency" and like. I never thought about that. But Riker is like a great ersatz father for Wesley, and a much better choice than Picard (who I think gets stereotyped into the role due to his closeness to Jack and shipping with Beverly. There's even fan theories out there that actually Picard is Wesley's biological father. No idea why, but they're there). Riker's the one who pushes for Wesley to become an acting ensign, he supports him every step of the way, he saves his life in Justice, And they both have some stuff going on with their own fathers (Riker's sucks and Wesley's is dead). Picard shares a connection with Wes' mother and that one conversation about not getting into the Academy first try. Which is nice, but now that I'm looking at it like this I really wanna see more of Riker mentoring Wes.

This is kind of funny to watch post-Discovery, with Saru's backstory basically being similar to Sarjenka's in that they're both from a pre-warp planet and figure out how to communicate with a Starfleet Lieutenant Commander.

Also, this is the longest Trek episode yet, at eight weeks, it's on par with TOS's The Paradise Syndrome.

I think this is also the first notable example of the TNG crew going rogue, with them clearly violating the prime directive, having Riker beam Data down instead of O'Brien, so that only Riker would be implicated in the crime and so on.

Sarjenka really could have used a lesson in internet safety, because you are not supposed to tell strange androids your family details! It could have been Lore instead of Data!

[evidence-based-activism]

Men Underestimate and Women Overestimate Their Own Sexual Violence

Time for an excellent new (2024) article "Gender Differences in Sexual Violence Perpetration Behaviors and Validity of Perpetration Reports: A Mixed-Method Study".

What this study did:

This study asked 23 men and 31 women to "think out loud while privately completing [the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Perpetration (SES-SFP) survey] and to describe (typed response) behaviors that they reported having engaged in on the SES". The researchers asked anyone who "reported no such behavior ... to describe any similar behaviors they may have engaged in". They then analyzed differences in the quantitative responses (numerical values on the SES) and the qualitative responses (written descriptions and think-aloud audio).

What this study found (broad strokes):

Men’s sexual violence (SV) perpetration was more frequent and severe than women’s

Men’s verbal coercion was often harsher in tone and men more often than women used physical force (including in events only reported as verbal coercion on the SES)

Women often reported that their response to a refusal was not intended to pressure their partner or obtain the sexual activity*

Two women also mistakenly reported experiences of their own victimization or compliance (giving in to unwanted sex) on SES perpetration items, which inflated women’s SV perpetration rate

Quantitative measurement can miss important qualitative differences in women and men’s behaviors and may underestimate men’s and overestimate women’s SV perpetration

*This phrasing is poor (in my opinion) the authors are emphasizing genuine differences in men and women's reported behavior for ambiguous situations (not just their internal intent). Specifically, women would endorse responses for behaviors that (most) people would not actually consider a form of sexual violence. For example, women often indicated that the behaviors they were reporting were all pre-refusal (i.e., the women stopped and respected when their partner said no/told them to stop). Other "seducing" behaviors (e.g., kissing/touching) were also reported by women because their partner ultimately refused. Men did not report these types of behaviors, which the authors suggest is possibly because women may be more likely to remember experiences where they wanted to engage in sex with someone who did not because this violates social norms. It's also possible that men are more likely to consider these behaviors acceptable provided they stop when refused. (Ironically this suggests that the anti-feminist hyperbole that people will start recording "normal sexual interactions" as violence ... has only affected women.)

Lots more details below the cut (I use a mix of - unmarked - quotes and paraphrasing):

Quantitative data

The overall prevalence of sexual perpetration of significantly inflated due to intentional over-sampling of likely perpetrators (particularly female perpetrators). This is reasonable because the authors are interested in examining differences among self-reported perpetrators, not in establishing incidence/prevalence rates.

Even without taking the qualitative aspects into consideration (i.e., looking only at the quantitative data), men reporting SV perpetration reported more frequent offenses than women (re-offended more often). Men were also more likely to report more severe acts of violence (per the original tactic-act, the tactic specific, and sexual act specific continua).

Differences in severity identified via qualitative analysis

Men’s verbal coercion was more often stronger; more deceptive, persistent, or intimidating; or otherwise harsher in tone (e.g., "She kept refusing to do anything with me. I remember saying to her “just cause you’re on your period doesn’t mean I can’t get head.” I then remember repeating my intentions with her and almost gaslighting her and making her feel that she must not love me."). Proportionally more men described continually asking or persisting after repeated refusals, getting angry, telling lies, making false promises, and trying to make their partner feel guilty.

Women’s verbal coercion was predominantly expressing disappointment or pouting after a single refusal (e.g., “I got upset and said whatever and rolled over the opposite way”)

Also a difference in intent that could only be identified in the qualitative data. 35% of women who perpetrated explicitly said they had not intended to pressure their partner, change their partner’s mind, or obtain the sexual activity after their partner refused (e.g., "I respected him not trying to do anything further, though, and did not attempt anything further."). No men explicitly said they had not intended to pressure their partner or obtain the sexual activity and [men] more often than women explicitly said that they had intended to (e.g., "I think it was one time where I just kept pressuring . . . Didn’t happen, but the pressure was there, that’s for sure. I definitely asked more than a couple times.")

A few of women’s SV perpetration behaviors appeared more like attempts to advocate for equity in their own sexual pleasure or to stick up for themselves in response to a partner’s coercion (e.g., "I really love receiving oral sex. But sometimes my partner ignores that and directly goes to the penetration. So, I stop him and make him do it because I also feel like being properly aroused to get a better sexual experience.")

False negatives

Some participants that did not mark any of the perpetration items still described similar experiences. Most were not coercive (e.g., asking and “respecting” a refusal, clarifying an unclear refusal) but a couple were clear false negatives. There appears to be an issue with some behaviors not clearly fitting into any of the described categories (e.g., Even the physical force SES items refer only to more extreme force (holding down, pinning arms, having a weapon).)

There were many more cases where a less severe offense was marked (i.e., coded as a true positive for perpetration but for incorrect offense in severity analysis). Specifically, men reported only verbal coercion but then described physical behaviors, so the tactic report was incorrect or incomplete (e.g., "We were experimenting with different things and I did not necessarily ask for their consent before putting my finger in their butt." was coded by one man as verbal coercion).

False negative may have occurred, in part, because behaviors that were themselves no different than those performed in consensual sex were not adequately captured. This is a problem given that previous qualitative research has also found that initiating or going ahead with penetration without asking or following a refusal is a common SV perpetration behavior used by men (i.e., this type of behavior may be recorded as either a false negative or a less severe offense in quantitative scales).

When women reported verbal coercion only, but then described initiating sexual acts without asking, they almost always initiated non-penetrative sexual acts in contrast to men who more often described penetrative sexual acts without asking.

The SES may underestimate use of physical force and, especially, men’s rape and attempted rape.

False positives

Some participants reported perpetration on the SES that their description showed was not forceful, coercive, or engaged in without consent or following a refusal. Men explained that they did not engage in the behavior, misread or misinterpreted the SES question, or clicked the wrong response. Some women reported these same problems, but two "were reports of victimization or giving in to unwanted sex" (i.e., mistakenly reported victimization as perpetration).

Notably, three out of the four men with false positives reported other instances of SV perpetration on the SES whereas two of the four women with false positives did not report other perpetration and, therefore, inflated women’s perpetration rate.

Taken together, our analysis of false negatives and false positives suggests that the SES likely underestimates men’s SV perpetration and overestimates women’s perpetration.

This doesn't even account for instances reporting no intent to perpetrate (as described above). But the fact that many women reported no intent may further support the conclusion that women overreport or are more likely to remember and report because their coercion violates social expectations

Verbalized thought processes

In general, most participants appeared to understand and interpret the SES as intended

But there was evidence that the distinction between attempted and completed acts on the SES may be unclear for some respondents (e.g, one woman said "I also don’t understand what they mean by “tried.” Like does this mean that . . . You simply spoke to them, and they said no? Does this mean that you were engaged in an act and they pushed you off? Or does this mean that something disrupted you? So, this question doesn’t seem very clear to me.")

Second, participants used different items on the SES to report having used a specific category of tactic that is not mentioned in the measure. For example, some participants described kissing and sexually touching their partner without asking to try to arouse them and reported this as verbal tactics to obtain non-penetrative sexual contact. This may have underestimated attempted and completed sexual coercion (because the intent was to engage in penetrative sex). It may also have overestimated non-consensual non-penetrative sexual contact category (the most frequent category for female offenders) since research also finds that partners often use nonverbal cues including kissing and touching to communicate about sexual interest.

There was also confusion about the meaning of “getting angry” or "showing displeasure". Some participants (particularly women) indicated these could refer to internal feeling as opposed to external expression or be a “normal human reaction to . . . feeling rejection” that does not necessarily include a purposeful attempt to manipulate.

Other problems: (1) confusion on if intoxication only applied to alcohol, (2) too many tactics listed in a single question resulting in confusion, (3) participant frequency estimates were rough estimates likely contributing to a significant underestimation problem, (4) participants wouldn't endorse items that specified "without consent" even if they later described coercive behaviors suggesting different phrasing may be needed, (5) participants reported shock at the severity of the tactics asked about, which may indicate SV is not normalized among non-perpetrators or may indicate that less severe tactics are not being captured

Concerning (4) above: Other research indicates that while conceptually narrower, asking about behaviors done after someone resisted or indicated “no” (i.e., post-refusal persistence) results in higher rates of self-reported SV perpetration than asking about behaviors done without consent or when the other person did not want to.

Citation: Jeffrey, Nicole K., and Charlene Y. Senn. “Gender Differences in Sexual Violence Perpetration Behaviors and Validity of Perpetration Reports: A Mixed-Method Study.” The Journal of Sex Research, Feb. 2024, pp. 1–16. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2024.2322591.

[jsapharmaguideline]

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[lazyyogi]

My Upcoming Research Study: The Effects of Yogic Breathing on Chronic Sinus Symptoms

This week I have been putting together a presentation that I will be giving about my new research project. It's a study of a yogic breathing technique called Bhramari Pranayama as an adjunctive treatment for people with chronic nose and sinus issues.

Essentially the premise is this:

Our sinuses produce nitric oxide, which then in turn effects our nasal airway and our lungs. The nitric oxide can improve nasal airflow, up-regulate mucociliary clearance, and enhance anti-viral immune activity. Additionally, humming actually temporarily increases the amount of nasal nitric oxide released by about 15 fold. Therefore my study is intended to examine the effects of this pranayama technique that utilizes humming on patients with chronic nose and sinus symptoms.

Typically for patients with these symptoms, we start them out on a steroid nasal spray (flonase) as well as sinus irrigations (something like a neti pot).

I always hear from people outside the medical field about how no one studies these things--non-pharmacologic interventions, the beneficial effects of non-proprietary supplements, or other alternative medical options. People often think that if big pharma (or someone expecting to profit) isn't paying for a study, it cannot happen.

This really isn't true likely 90-99% of the time. The problem isn't funding. I'm conducting a prospective randomized control study with human subjects in order to evaluate the benefits of yogic breathing for patients--something that if found to be helpful will bring in no additional monetary profit for anyone. How much will my study cost? $0.

But do you know what it did require?

Two things: interest and opportunity.

Firstly I, a resident physician, had an idea. I learned about nasal nitric oxide and thought it was cool. I read about how humming has a bolusing effect by transiently increasing nitric oxide output by 15x. And then I recalled that there are pranayama techniques that utilize humming.

With my interest piqued, I spoke with one of my bosses, an attending physician at an academic medical center. He's the head of our Rhinology and Skull Base Neurosurgery division and he is cool as hell. He's all about healthy lifestyle and benefiting patients as much as possible. He loved the idea immediately.

And lastly we roped in a medical student. Med students are very helpful with doing the grunt work of collecting the data into spreadsheets, running the statistical analyses and such. Sometimes they bring some excellent ideas of their own as well. In return for their work, med students are often given a significant portion credit upon publication of the study and this allows them the opportunity to add some scholarly publications to their CV. I don't really need more publications under my name, but they do.

My point with sharing all of this is that people often claim there are health benefits to doing or imbibing certain things but that they'll never be studied because there's no money to be made. And it may be true that private companies such as those in the pharmaceutical industry may not have such interest; their existence in a capitalistic economy relies on profitability. But this is part of why academic institutions are so important--because learning and discovery is part of the essential mission there. Profit doesn't dictate their avenues of research.

When it comes to the study and validation of alternative/complimentary medicine, the focus really needs to be on raising awareness and interest. Talk to your doctors, nurses, physician assistants, etc. The good ones listen. The younger they are, the more likely they are to be open-minded about it too (the older ones are hit or miss--some are so cool and some are very old school).

Just some errant thoughts this week as I work on my slide deck.

LY