bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intimate constraints: a feminist political economy analysis of biological reproduction and parenting in high-support housing in Ontario
Authors: Haley Tobin LeBlanc
Published: December 2017

To date there has been little consideration of the role of housing programs in conditioning the intimate lives of people living with mental illness labels. This article employs a Feminist Political Economy lens with insights from Mad & Disability Studies to interrogate the intimate constraints experienced by some residents in high-support mental health housing in Ontario, Canada. It demonstrates that long-standing medicalized notions of mental illness and system-wide anxiety over the social and financial costs of the reproduction of disabled bodies give rise to these intimate constraints, specifically limitations and control over biological reproduction and parenting practices. In this way, the mechanisms of intimate constraint within high-support housing are not merely holdovers from a time gone by, but are rather part of a mental health care system guided by the principles of neoliberalism under which neo-eugenics is regularly enacted. This is a timely contribution, as the province of Ontario is currently planning to expand the supportive housing system within which high-support housing is situated and because high-support housing in Ontario is rarely studied in relation to feminist political economy and/or mental health care. This article draws on documentary review of governmental and third-sector materials and 38 semi-structured interviews with service providers and residents in the high-support housing system in Ontario. It situates intimate constraints within the long history of eugenics and neo-eugenics in Ontario and Canada, and the classed, raced, and gendered hierarchy of human bodies that is taking on new forms under neoliberalism.
The controlled growth of graphene nanowalls on Si for Schottky photodetector
Authors: Zhou Quan , Liu Xiangzhi , Zhang Enliang , Luo Shi , Shen Jun , Wang Yuefeng , Wei Dapeng
Published: December 2017

Schottky diode with directly-grown graphene on silicon substrate has advantage of clean junction interface, promising for photodetectors with high-speed and low noise. In this report, we carefully studied the influence of growth parameters on the junction quality and photoresponse of graphene nanowalls (GNWs)-based Schottky photodetectors. We found that shorter growth time is critical for lower dark current, but at the same time higher photocurrent. The influence of growth parameters was attributed to the defect density of various growth time, which results in different degrees of surface absorption for H2O/O2 molecules and P-type doping level. Raman characterization and vacuum annealing treatment were carried out to confirm the regulation mechanism. Meanwhile, the release of thermal stress also makes the ideality factor η of thinner sample better than the thicker. Our results are important for the response improvement of photodetectors with graphene-Si schottky junction.
Magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of Ni-Mn-Cr-Sn Heusler alloys under the effects of hydrostatic pressure
Authors: Pandey Sudip , Us Saleheen Ahmad , Quetz Abdiel , Chen Jing-Han , Aryal Anil , Dubenko Igor , Stadler Shane , Ali Naushad
Published: December 2017

The magnetic, thermal, and magnetocaloric properties of Ni45Mn43CrSn11 Heusler alloy have been investigated using differential scanning calorimetry and magnetization with hydrostatic pressure measurements. A shift in the martensitic transition temperature (TM) to higher temperatures was observed with the application of pressure. The application of pressure stabilizes the martensitic state and demonstrated that pressure can be a parameter used to control and tune the martensitic transition temperature (the temperature where the largest magnetocaloric effect is observed). The magnetic entropy change significantly decreases from 33 J/kg K to 16 J/kg K under the application of a hydrostatic pressure of 0.95 GPa. The critical field of the direct metamagnetic transition increases, whereas the initial susceptibility (dM/dH) in the low magnetic field region drastically decreases with increasing pressure. The relevant parameters that affect the magnetocaloric properties are discussed.
Low temperature specific heat of Yb2Ti2O7 single crystals
Authors: Li S. J. , Che H. L. , Wu J. C. , Zhao X. , Sun X. F.
Published: December 2017

We study the specific heat of Yb2Ti2O7 single crystals at low temperatures down to 0.4 K and in magnetic fields along the [110] crystalline direction. There is a small peak near 0.4 K at low magnetic fields, signaturing a first-order transition, and its field dependence is consistent with that for H || [100] but different from that for H || [111]. The experimental data also show a broad peak at about 2 K, which has a nonmonotonic change with increasing field. This road peak is originated from the spin correlations and its field dependence can be understood from the recent numerical linked-cluster calculations [Hayre et al., Phys. Rev. B 87, 184423 (2013)].
Interplay between interface structure and magnetism in NiFe/Cu/Ni-based pseudo-spin valves
Authors: Loving Melissa G. , Ambrose Thomas F. , Ermer Henry , Miller Don , Naaman Ofer
Published: December 2017

Magnetic pseudo spin valves (PSVs) with superconducting Nb electrodes, have been leading candidates for an energy-efficient memory solution compatible with cryogenic operation of ultra-low power superconducting logic. Integration of these PSV Josephson junctions in a standard multi-layer Nb process requires growing high-quality thin magnetic films on a thick Nb bottom electrode (i.e. ≥1.5kÅ, to achieve bulk superconducting properties). However, as deposited, 1.5kÅ Nb exhibits a rough surface with a characteristic rice grain morphology, which severely degrades the switching properties of subsequently deposited PSVs. Therefore, in order to achieve coherent switching throughout a PSV, the Nb interface must be modified. Here, we demonstrate that the Nb surface morphology and PSV crystallinity can be altered with the incorporation of separate 50Å Cu or 100Å Al/50Å Cu non-magnetic seed layers, and demonstrate their impact on the magnetic switching of a 15Å Ni80Fe20/50Å Cu/20Å Ni PSV, at both room temperature and at 10 K. Most notably, these results show that the incorporation of an Al seed layer leads to an improved face centered cubic templating through the bulk of the PSV, and ultimately to superior magnetic switching.
Ab initio understanding of magnetic properties in Zn2+ substitution of Fe3O4 ultra-thin film with dilute Zn substitution
Authors: Huang Zhaocong , Chen Qian , Jiang Sheng , Dong Shuai , Zhai Ya
Published: December 2017

The mechanism of the magnetic properties on the Zn2+ substituted Fe3O4 film have been investigated based on first principle calculations. It is found that the surface effect plays an important role in the occupation of Zn ion, and in turn changes the magnetic moment. It may also destroy the half metallic behavior of Fe3O4 film even if the Zn2+ concentration only is one Zn2+ per unit cell (4%), which is different from that in bulk material.
Structure and soft magnetic properties of Fe-Si-B-P-Cu nanocrystalline alloys with minor Mn addition
Authors: Jia Xingjie , Li Yanhui , Wu Licheng , Zhang Wei
Published: December 2017

Addition of minor Mn effectively improves the amorphous-forming ability and thermal stability of the Fe85Si2B8P4Cu1 alloy. With increasing the Mn content from 0 to 3 at.%, the critical thickness for amorphous formation and onset temperature of the primary crystallization increase from 14 μm and 659 K to 27 μm and 668 K, respectively. The fine nanocrystalline structure with α-Fe grains in size (D) of < 20 nm was obtained for the annealed amorphous alloys, which show excellent soft magnetic properties. The alloying of Mn reduces the coercivity (Hc) by decreasing the D value and widens the optimum annealing temperature range for obtaining low Hc, although the saturation magnetic flux density (Bs) is decreased slightly. The Fe83Mn2Si2B8P4Cu1 nanocrystalline alloy possesses fine structure with a D of ∼17.5 nm, and exhibits a high Bs of ∼1.75 T and a low Hc of ∼5.9 A/m. The mechanism related to the alloying effects on the structure and magnetic properties was discussed in term of the crystallization activation energy.
In-plane reversal of the magnetic anisotropy in (110)-oriented LaCoO3/La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 heterostructures
Authors: Zhang Jing , Yan Xi , Han Furong , Zhang Jine , Liu Dan , Shen Baogen , Sun Jirong
Published: December 2017

The interface engineering of the complex oxides with strongly coupled degrees of freedom opens a wide space for the exploration of novel effects. La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 is one of the most typical complex oxides used for atomic level material engineering. Herein we reported an in-plane reversal of the magnetic anisotropy in (110)-oriented LaCoO3/La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (LCO/LSMO) bilayers grown on (110)-oriented LaAlO3 substrates. Fixing the LSMO layer thickness to 8 nm and varying the LCO layer from 0 to 8 nm, totally six bilayers were fabricated. Without the LCO layer, the LSMO film exhibits an easy axis along the [1-10] direction. However, when the thickness of the LCO layer exceeds 1 nm, a signature of spin-reorientation appears; the easy axis turns from the [1-10] to the [001] direction below 225 K. This tendency is continuously enhanced by increasing the LCO. We reveal that lattice strains are different along these two directions. The magnetic anisotropy is not only controlled by lattice strain but also by structural distortion at interface. This work shows the great potential of the interface engineering with differently structured oxides for the exploration of novel functional materials.
Thermal stability analysis and modelling of advanced perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions
Authors: Van Beek Simon , Martens Koen , Roussel Philippe , Wu Yueh Chang , Kim Woojin , Rao Siddharth , Swerts Johan , Crotti Davide , Linten Dimitri , Kar Gouri Sankar , Groeseneken Guido
Published: December 2017

STT-MRAM is a promising non-volatile memory for high speed applications. The thermal stability factor (Δ = Eb/kT) is a measure for the information retention time, and an accurate determination of the thermal stability is crucial. Recent studies show that a significant error is made using the conventional methods for Δ extraction. We investigate the origin of the low accuracy. To reduce the error down to 5%, 1000 cycles or multiple ramp rates are necessary. Furthermore, the thermal stabilities extracted from current switching and magnetic field switching appear to be uncorrelated and this cannot be explained by a macrospin model. Measurements at different temperatures show that self-heating together with a domain wall model can explain these uncorrelated Δ. Characterizing self-heating properties is therefore crucial to correctly determine the thermal stability.
Super integrable hierarchies associated with spl(2, 1) and Darboux transformations
Authors: He Baiying , Chen Liangyun
Published: December 2017

Based on the Lie superalgebra spl(2, 1) and the TAH scheme, we generate (1+1)-dimensional and (2+1)-dimensional super soliton hierarchies associated with spl(2, 1). And by using the super-trace identity on Lie superalgebras, we construct the super-Hamiltonian structures of these new super soliton hierarchies. At last, we also obtain the Darboux transformations of the (1+1)-dimensional super soliton hierarchy.
Behavioral state modulates the ON visual motion pathway of
Drosophila
Authors: Strother James A. , Wu Shiuan-Tze , Rogers Edward M. , Eliason Jessica L. M. , Wong Allan M. , Nern Aljoscha , Reiser Michael B.
Published: December 2017

Significance

Animal visual systems are typically thought of by analogy to cameras—sensory systems providing continuous information streams that are processed through fixed algorithms. However, studies in flies and mice have shown that visual neurons are dynamically and adaptively retuned by the behavioral state of the animal. In
Drosophila
, prominent higher-order neurons in the visual system respond more strongly to fast-moving stimuli once the animal starts walking or flying. In this study, we systematically investigated the neurobiological mechanism governing the behavioral-state modulation of directionally selective neurons in
Drosophila
. We show that behavioral activity modifies the physiological properties of critical neurons in this visual motion circuit and that neuromodulation by central feedback neurons recapitulates these effects.
Gender disparities in colloquium speakers at top universities
Authors: Nittrouer Christine L. , Hebl Michelle R. , Ashburn-Nardo Leslie , Trump-Steele Rachel C. E. , Lane David M. , Valian Virginia
Published: December 2017

Significance

Recently, research has focused on identifying gender gatekeepers—people or practices that may (unintentionally) engage in, create, or maintain gender disparities. In the current research, we examine gender differences in academic colloquium speakers. Colloquium talks lead to enhancement of a researcher’s reputation, networks, research collaborations, and sometimes result in job offers. Results from our three studies indicate that women are underrepresented relative to men as colloquium speakers across six disciplines. To examine the role of self-selection, we find that women neither decline talk invitations at greater rates nor question the importance of talks more than men do. Finally, we show that the presence of women as colloquium chairs (and potentially committee members) increases the likelihood of having female colloquium speakers.
Organic matter processing by microbial communities throughout the Atlantic water column as revealed by metaproteomics
Authors: Bergauer Kristin , Fernandez-Guerra Antonio , Garcia Juan A. L. , Sprenger Richard R. , Stepanauskas Ramunas , Pachiadaki Maria G. , Jensen Ole N. , Herndl Gerhard J.
Published: December 2017

Significance

Circumstantial evidence indicates that especially deep-ocean heterotrophic microbes rely on particulate organic matter sinking through the oceanic water column and being solubilized to dissolved organic matter (DOM) prior to utilization rather than on direct uptake of the vast pool of DOM in the deep ocean. Comparative metaproteomics allowed us to elucidate the vertical distribution and abundance of microbially mediated transport processes and thus the uptake of solutes throughout the oceanic water column. Taken together, our data suggest that, while the phylogenetic composition of the microbial community is depth stratified, the composition and substrate specificities of transporters considered in this study are ubiquitous while their relative abundance changes with depth.
Remote electrochemical modulation of pK
a
in a rotaxane by co-conformational allostery
Authors: Ragazzon Giulio , Schäfer Christian , Franchi Paola , Silvi Serena , Colasson Benoit , Lucarini Marco , Credi Alberto
Published: December 2017

Significance

Rotaxanes are species in which a macrocyclic molecule—the ring—is interlocked with a dumbbell-shaped component—the axle. The translational motion of the ring along the axle provides the basis for constructing molecular machinery. In this paper we show that such a dynamic process enables the transfer of chemical information between two distant sites; as a result, the acidity of one site can be reversibly modulated by redox switching at the other site. Possibilities emerge not only for the rational design of species with tailor-made acid–base properties but also for the development of model systems to understand some of Nature’s most effective regulatory mechanisms—namely, allostery and proton-coupled electron transfer.
Antagonistic actions of juvenile hormone and 20-hydroxyecdysone within the ring gland determine developmental transitions in
Drosophila
Authors: Liu Suning , Li Kang , Gao Yue , Liu Xi , Chen Weiting , Ge Wei , Feng Qili , Palli Subba R. , Li Sheng
Published: December 2017

Significance

In vertebrates, steroid hormones regulate developmental transition from juveniles to adults. Insect steroid hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), coordinates with juvenile hormone (JH) to regulate metamorphosis; however, the precise cross-talk mechanism is not well understood. Here, we report that JH and 20E antagonize each other’s biosynthesis in a major endocrine organ of
Drosophila
larvae: JH suppresses ecdysone biosynthesis and inhibits metamorphosis, whereas 20E suppresses JH biosynthesis and promotes metamorphosis. These data answer a long-standing question on how the mutual antagonism between the two major insect hormones regulates metamorphosis and may help to understand the hormonal regulation of developmental transition in mammals.
Evolutionary transition from blood feeding to obligate nonbiting in a mosquito
Authors: Bradshaw William E. , Burkhart Joshua , Colbourne John K. , Borowczak Rudyard , Lopez Jacqueline , Denlinger David L. , Reynolds Julie A. , Pfrender Michael E. , Holzapfel Christina M.
Published: December 2017

The spread of blood-borne pathogens by mosquitoes relies on their taking a blood meal; if there is no bite, there is no disease transmission. Although many species of mosquitoes never take a blood meal, identifying genes that distinguish blood feeding from obligate nonbiting is hampered by the fact that these different lifestyles occur in separate, genetically incompatible species. There is, however, one unique extant species with populations that share a common genetic background but blood feed in one region and are obligate nonbiters in the rest of their range:
Wyeomyia smithii
. Contemporary blood-feeding and obligate nonbiting populations represent end points of divergence between fully interfertile southern and northern populations. This divergence has undoubtedly resulted in genetic changes that are unrelated to blood feeding, and the challenge is to winnow out the unrelated genetic factors to identify those related specifically to the evolutionary transition from blood feeding to obligate nonbiting. Herein, we determine differential gene expression resulting from directional selection on blood feeding within a polymorphic population to isolate genetic differences between blood feeding and obligate nonbiting. We show that the evolution of nonbiting has resulted in a greatly reduced metabolic investment compared with biting populations, a greater reliance on opportunistic metabolic pathways, and greater reliance on visual rather than olfactory sensory input.
W. smithii
provides a unique starting point to determine if there are universal nonbiting genes in mosquitoes that could be manipulated as a means to control vector-borne disease.
Controlled molecular self-assembly of complex three-dimensional structures in soft materials
Authors: Huang Changjin , Quinn David , Suresh Subra , Hsia K. Jimmy
Published: December 2017

Significance

We demonstrate a unique growth mode to form complex 3D shapes in hydrogels by invoking the bottom-up approach analogous to cell enlargement and proliferation found in living animal tissues and plants. For this purpose, we control the oxygen concentration to modulate polymerization of monomers in porous hydrogel, wherein postgelation networks continue to expand––a process similar to the growth of living tissues in nature. The applicability of this experimental technique to a variety of situations in biology is demonstrated with several examples of the formation of complex 3D architectures through successful biomimetics of tissue morphogenesis in both animals and plants. These results offer possibilities for a diverse set of applications in tissue engineering, soft robotics, and flexible electronics.
N-Glycan–dependent protein folding and endoplasmic reticulum retention regulate GPI-anchor processing
Authors: Liu Yi-Shi , Guo Xin-Yu , Hirata Tetsuya , Rong Yao , Motooka Daisuke , Kitajima Toshihiko , Murakami Yoshiko , Gao Xiao-Dong , Nakamura Shota , Kinoshita Taroh , Fujita Morihisa
Published: December 2017

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchoring of proteins is a conserved posttranslational modification in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Soon after GPI is attached, an acyl chain on the GPI inositol is removed by post-GPI attachment to proteins 1 (PGAP1), a GPI-inositol deacylase. This is crucial for switching GPI-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) from protein folding to transport states. We performed haploid genetic screens to identify factors regulating GPI-inositol deacylation, identifying seven genes. In particular, calnexin cycle impairment caused inefficient GPI-inositol deacylation. Calnexin was specifically associated with GPI-APs, dependent on N-glycan and GPI moieties, and assisted efficient GPI-inositol deacylation by PGAP1. Under chronic ER stress caused by misfolded GPI-APs, inositol-acylated GPI-APs were exposed on the cell surface. These results indicated that N-glycans participate in quality control and temporal ER retention of GPI-APs, ensuring their correct folding and GPI processing before exiting from the ER. Once the system is disrupted by ER stress, unprocessed GPI-APs become exposed on the cell surface.
Hydrodynamics of electrons in graphene
Authors: Lucas Andrew , Fong Kin Chung
Published: December 2017

Generic interacting many-body quantum systems are believed to behave as classical fluids on long time and length scales. Due to rapid progress in growing exceptionally pure crystals, we are now able to experimentally observe this collective motion of electrons in solid-state systems, including graphene. We present a review of recent progress in understanding the hydrodynamic limit of electronic motion in graphene, written for physicists from diverse communities. We begin by discussing the ‘phase diagram’ of graphene, and the inevitable presence of impurities and phonons in experimental systems. We derive hydrodynamics, both from a phenomenological perspective and using kinetic theory. We then describe how hydrodynamic electron flow is visible in electronic transport measurements. Although we focus on graphene in this review, the broader framework naturally generalizes to other materials. We assume only basic knowledge of condensed matter physics, and no prior knowledge of hydrodynamics.
Low regularity Poincaré–Einstein metrics
Authors: Bahuaud Eric , Lee John
Published: December 2017

We prove the existence of a

C

1
,
1

C^{1,1}

conformally compact Einstein metric on the ball that has asymptotic sectional curvature decay to

−
1

-1

plus terms of order

e

−
2
r

e^{-2r}

where

r
r

is the distance from any fixed compact set. This metric has no

C
2

C^2

conformal compactification.
Character
Authors: Murphet Julian
Published: December 2017

Character is a property of narrative and discursive textuality, even as it is also a moral and ethical category referring to individual and collective norms of behavior and motive. This double valence has affected the concept since Aristotle and Plato first began the unfinished, centuries-long project of literary theory. On the one hand, stemming from Aristotle, there has been a tradition of formalist conceptions of character, understanding it as a device used by writers to drive narrative momentum and effect transformations within the discourse. The domain of action, and its variously entailed reactions and consequences, was thought to belong to the agents of narrative discourse by rights, while what was generally called their “character” typically concerned the incidental qualifications and explanations of their actions in speech and thought. Once that distinction is made, however, there are smaller and smaller units into which agency can logically be subdivided, and more and more arbitrary and capricious qualities of character used to flesh out an abstract narratological principle. The histories of formalism, structuralism, and poststructuralism attest to this labor of specialization and fissiparous subdivision of the bound concepts of agent and character. On the other hand, stemming from Plato, we see a centuries-long interest in the mutually interactive relations between imaginary persons, or fictional selves, and the fashioning of public or social selves in regimes of education and discipline. The question of the role of literary characters in the formation of good citizens, or indeed delinquent ones, is one that refuses to go away, since it has proven impossible to separate fiction from reality in the complex processes of self-fashioning through which every subject must go. One last matter of interest has exerted more theoretical influence over the concept in recent years, and that is the topic of affects: the qualities and intensities of human feelings can be seen to have had a major bearing on the writing and elaboration of fictional beings, and vice versa, at least since the late 19th century.
Contemporary Literature from Singapore
Authors: Gui Weihsin
Published: December 2017

Literature in Singapore is written in the country’s four official languages: Chinese, English, Malay, and Tamil. The various literatures flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with the rise of print culture in the British colony, but after independence in 1965, English became emphasized in both the education system and society at large as part of the new government’s attempts to modernize the country. Chinese, Malay, and Tamil were seen as mother tongue languages to provide Singaporeans with cultural ballast while English was regarded as a language for administration, business, and scientific and technological development. Correspondingly, literatures in other languages than English reached a plateau in terms of writerly output and readership during the 1970s and 1980s. However, since 1999, with the state’s implementation of the Renaissance City Plan to revitalize arts and culture in Singapore, there have been various initiatives to increase the visibility of contemporary Singaporean writing both within the country itself and on an international scale. Translation plays a key role in bridging the linguistic and literary divides wrought by the state’s mother tongue policies, with several works by Cultural Medallion winners in different languages translated into English, which remains at present the shared language in Singapore. Literary anthologies are also invaluable forms through which the concepts of a national literature and national identity are expressed and negotiated. A number of anthologies involving Singaporean authors and those from other countries also highlight the growing international presence of and interest in Singaporean literature. Several anthologies also focus on the topic of urban space, city life, and the rapid transformation of Singapore’s physical environment. Writings about gender and sexuality have also become more prominent in single-author collections or edited anthologies, with writers exploring various inventive and experimental narrative forms. A number of poets and writers are also established playwrights, and theater has historically been and continues to be an extremely vital form of creative expression and cultural production. Graphic novels, crime and noir fiction, and speculative and science fiction publications are also on the rise, with the awarding of the Singapore Literature Prize to Sonny Liew’s The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye signaling that these genres merit serious literary consideration. A number of literary publications and materials related to Singaporean literature can be found on the Internet, such as the journal Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, the website Singapore Poetry, and the database Poetry.sg. Various nonprofit organizations are also working toward increasing public awareness about literature through events such as Singapore Poetry Writing Month, the Migrant Worker Poetry Competition, the Singapore Writers Festival and National Poetry Festival, and also through projects that exhibit poetry in train stations and on public thoroughfares.
Serialization and Victorian Literature
Authors: Bernstein Susan David , Chavez Julia McCord
Published: December 2017

Serialization, a publication format that came to dominate the Victorian literary marketplace following its deft adoption by marketing master Charles Dickens in the 1830s, is a transcendent form. It moves across not only print formats and their temporal cycles of distribution (daily or weekly installments in periodicals, monthly part-issue numbers, volumes), but also historical time and place. The number and varieties of serial publications multiplied during the middle of the 19th century due to the improved technology of printing, the cheaper cost of paper production, and the abolition of taxes on advertising. Moreover, serialization continues to be a staple in popular culture today; the long-form serial on television may be the most obvious descendent of the Victorian novel issued in parts. The history of the Victorian serial in its many forms spans from its roots in the 18th century to its reconfiguration following the advent of radio, television, and the internet. The most prevalent accounts of the serial have focused on the economics of the literary marketplace and print culture including the sharp increase of periodicals at midcentury. In recent years, scholars have come to understand the serial as a reflection of historically specific concepts of time and space, as an important location of experimentation and collaboration, as a book technology that fosters critical thinking and active reading, and as an object of transatlantic, even global, circulation. New studies of serial forms include digital approaches to analysis, web-based resources that facilitate serial reading, and comparative work on 21st-century media that underscores the continued role of serialization to create imagined communities within cultural life.
Social Norms in Organizations
Authors: Dannals Jennifer E. , Miller Dale T.
Published: December 2017

Social norms are a powerful force in organizations. While different literatures across fields have developed differing definitions and categories, social norms are commonly defined as and divided into descriptive norms, i.e., the most commonly enacted behavior, and prescriptive norms, i.e., the behavior most commonly viewed as acceptable or appropriate. Different literatures have also led to differing focuses of investigation for social norms research. Economic theorists have tended to examine social norm emergence by studying how social norms evolve to reduce negative or create positive externalities in situations. Organizational theorists and sociologists have instead focused on the social pressures which maintain social norms in groups over time, and eventually can lead group members to internalize the social norm. In contrast, social psychologists have tended to focus on how to use social norms in interventions aimed at reducing negative behaviors. Integrating these divergent streams of research proves important for future research.
Decision Making Theories in Foreign Policy Analysis
Authors: Mintz Alex , Sofrin Amnon
Published: December 2017

Key theories of foreign policymaking include: the rational actor model, prospect theory, poliheuristic theory, cybernetic theory, bureaucratic politics, and organizational politics; and, at the group level, groupthink, polythink, and con-div. These theories are based on unique decision rules, including maximizing, satisficing, elimination by aspect, lexicographic, etc. A new, two-group model of foreign policy decision-making includes a decision design group and a decision approval group.
Challenges and Possibilities of Empirical International Relations Theory: Evidence From Research in Brazil
Authors: Barasuol Fernanda , Reis da Silva Andre
Published: December 2017

Much of the debate in international relations (IR) theory in the past decades has concerned epistemological matters and the possibility of empirical research in the field. Most of this debate happened either within the United States or between Americans and Europeans, translating the general trend of keeping the theoretical core of the discipline centered around its geographical (developed) core. Brazilian international relations provides an additional peripheral view to IR theory (IRT). It is worth analyzing how theory has been used in Brazilian teaching and research, with the aim of understanding how Brazilian academics have used different theoretical approaches to understand their objects of study. With this objective, it is important to look into teaching syllabi, PhD dissertations, and articles published in academic journals in the field of international relations. There are considerable differences between teaching and research in Brazil, with the first following traditional American textbook standards. Research, however, shows considerably different theoretical and methodological bases.
Terrorism as a Global Wave Phenomenon: Anarchist Wave
Authors: Rapoport David C.
Published: December 2017

The First Wave of global terrorism began in Russia. After Russia was humiliated in the Crimean War (1853–1856), Czar Alexander II decided to make it more like Western states which seemed so much stronger. In 1861, he freed 25 million serfs, roughly one third of Russia’s population. He then established local self-governments, “Westernized” the judicial system, abolished capital punishment, greatly expanded universities, etc. But the changes proved difficult. The serfs had little money to buy properties necessary for their livelihoods, and the Czar refused to establish a national legislature. Narodnaya Volya (People’s Will), a small group greatly influenced by anarchists, was formed in 1879, and in 1881 it assassinated Alexander II. Members were university students; women constituted one third of the group, the first time women had ever been involved in terrorist activity. Russian terrorism persisted for 40 odd years, though individual groups rarely lasted more than 5 years.

Assassinating prominent public figures was the principal tactic, and martyrdom was then sought in court trials. Efforts were always made to seek international support, i.e., foreign bases, Diasporas, other radical groups, etc. Two kinds of terrorist groups emerged on six continents: nationalists and anarchists. Anarchists produced the “Golden Age of Assassination” (1892–1901) in which more monarchs, presidents, and prime ministers were assassinated than ever before. The Wave’s high point was from 1890 to 1910. But that high point produced furious antiterrorist sentiment and no significant support from the poor, forcing many anarchists to abandon assassination and seek other methods like syndicalism for achieving their goals.

Major counter-terror practices were developed that are still employed. Police forces were re-made. They had always worn uniforms and responded to illegal actions after they occurred, but pre-emption efforts were then required to make it impossible for acts to happen. Uniforms were removed to observe actions without being identified in the process and to enable infiltration. Prisoners could not be treated as criminals. To avoid producing martyrs, Russia abandoned public trials. In 1 year, more than 1,000 were sentenced to death and were hanged or shot secretly within 24 hours. The treatment of criminals depended on the acts they committed. But terrorists had information about actions others would do, and torture was revived everywhere to gain that information. Terrorists could not be treated as prisoners of war because they did not follow the rules of war.
Nonstandardized Englishes in Mainstream Literacy Practice
Authors: Smith Patriann
Published: December 2017

The term Englishes refers to the many different varieties of the English, and represents both standardized and nonstandardized forms. Nonstandardized Englishes is used to refer to Englishes that do not adhere to what has been determined to be Standard English within a given context, such that they are referred to as dialects, Creoles, or New Englishes (e.g., African American English). Standardized Englishes is used to refer to the counterparts of the nonstandardized Englishes that have been typically adopted for use in literacy classrooms (e.g., Standard American English).

The field of literacy has addressed nonstandardized Englishes by either focusing on the nonstandardized varieties in isolation from standardized Englishes or by advancing literacy instruction in mainstream classrooms that emphasizes dialect-English speakers’ mastery of standardized Englishes. This approach reflects standard monolingual English ideology and traditional notions of the English language. Operating based on standard monolingual English perspectives implicitly reinforces the view that standardized Englishes and their users are privileged and that speakers of nonstandardized Englishes and their users are inferior. In addition, adhering to traditional notions of English based on their geographical and nation-based use, as opposed to their function based on school, offline, or online contexts regardless of geography, reinforces the concept of the English language as a system and fails to emphasize its communicative and contextual purposes as demanded by our postmodern era of globalization, transnationalism, and internationalization. A translingual approach to Englishes can serve as an alternative to current ways of thinking about literacy instruction because it addresses the needs of both standardized and nonstandardized English-speaking populations. Literacy instruction reframed based on this approach is critical for students’ successful interaction across linguistic and cultural boundaries in the context of the 21st century.
Convergence Theory and the Salmon Effect in Migrant Health
Authors: Namer Yudit , Razum Oliver
Published: December 2017

For decades, researchers have been puzzled by the finding that despite low socioeconomic status, fewer social mobility opportunities, and access barriers to health care, some migrant groups appear to experience lower mortality than the majority population of the respective host country (and possibly also of the country of origin). This phenomenon has been acknowledged as a paradox, and in turn, researchers attempted to explain this paradox through theoretical interpretations, innovative research designs, and methodological speculations.

Specific focus on the salmon effect/bias and the convergence theory may help characterize the past and current tendencies in migrant health research to explain the paradox of healthy migrants: the first examines whether the paradox reveals a real effect or is a reflection of methodological error, and the second suggests that even if migrants indeed have a mortality advantage, it may soon disappear due to acculturation. These discussions should encompass mental health in addition to physical health.

It is impossible to forecast the future trajectories of migration patterns and equally impossible to always accurately predict the physical and mental health outcomes migrants/refugees who cannot return to the country of origin in times of war, political conflict, and severe climate change. However, following individuals on their path to becoming acculturated to new societies will not only enrich our understanding of the relationship between migration and health but also contribute to the acculturation process by generating advocacy for inclusive health care.
Issues in Data Collection: International Conflict
Authors: Gleditsch Kristian Skrede , Beardsley Kyle , Polo Sara M. T.
Published: December 2017

Conflict data sets can shed light on how different ways of measuring conflict (or any other international relations phenomenon) result in different conclusions. Data collection procedures affect our efforts to answer key descriptive questions about war and peace in the world and their relationship to other features of interest. Moreover, empirical data or information can answer some pointed questions about world politics, such as, “Has there been a decline in conflict in the international system?” The development of data on characteristics relevant to the study of international relations has undeniably allowed a great deal of progress to be made on many research questions. However, trying to answer seemingly simple descriptive questions about international relations often shows how data rarely speak entirely for themselves. The specific ways in which we pose questions or try to reach answers will often influence our conclusions. Likewise, the specific manner in which the data have been collected will often have implications for our inferences. In turn, proposed answers to descriptive questions are often contested by other researchers. Many empirical debates in the study of international relations, upon closer inspection, often hinge on assumptions and criteria that are not made fully explicit in studies based on empirical data.
Postcolonialism in International Relations
Authors: Wilkens Jan
Published: December 2017

Some of the main genealogies within postcolonial scholarship are discussed, with a focus on key thinkers, such as Edward Said, Homi Bhabha, Gayatri Spivak, Aníbal Quijano, and Walter Mignolo. Key concepts, such as colonial discourse theory, development, and subaltern studies are presented. The discussion of postcolonial thought is embedded in a reflection on its relation to other theoretical paradigms and social theories (e.g., poststructuralism, world-system theory, Marxism). This focus seeks to highlight some of the main contours of the field, while also pointing out the ways postcolonialism has shaped the discipline of international relations (IR).
Poststructuralism and Postmodernism in International Relations
Authors: Çalkıvik Aslı
Published: December 2017

Poststructural/postmodern international relations (IR) is a mode of critical thinking and analysis that joined disciplinary conversations during the 1980s and, despite the dismissive reception it has initially faced, it is a vibrant and expanding area of research within the field today. Providing a radical critique of politics in modernity, it is less a new paradigm or theory. Instead, it is better described as “a critical attitude” that focuses on the question of representation and explores the ways in which dominant framings of world politics produce and reproduce relations of power: how they legitimate certain forms of action while marginalizing other ways of being, thinking, and acting. To elaborate the insights of poststructuralism/postmodernism, the article starts off by situating the emergence of these critical perspectives within the disciplinary context and visits the debates and controversies it has elicited. This discussion is followed by an elaboration of the major themes and concepts of poststructural/postmodern thought such as subjectivity, language, text, and power. The convergences and divergences between poststructuralism and its precursor—structuralism—is an underlying theme that is noted in this article. The third and fourth sections make central the epistemological and ontological challenges that poststructuralism/postmodernism poses to disciplinary knowledge production on world politics. While the former focuses on how central categories of IR such as state and sovereignty, violence, and war were problematized and reconceptualized, the latter attends to the poststructuralist/postmodern attempts to articulate a different political imaginary and develop an alternative conceptual language to think the international beyond the confines of the paradigm of sovereignty and the modern subject. The article concludes with a brief look at the future directions for poststructural/postmodern investigations.
The Power and International Politics of Money
Authors: Selmier W. Travis
Published: December 2017

War, trade, and money synergistically developed over three millennia, each proving important to the emergence of nation-states. By the 19th century, fiduciary money—forms of money based on trust, such as paper money—catalyzed the development of national monetary and banking systems. As nexus of international finance and metropole of the world’s largest empire, the United Kingdom garnered political and economic power. But over the course of two world wars, power shifted to the United States. Small successes and great failures of the interwar period influenced creation of Bretton Woods institutions, completing a transformation from an international monetary system into an international financial system [IFS], which included not only monetary flows but also a formal, institutionalized system of governance. The dollar’s flows became the IFS’ lifeblood, engendering structural power for the United States, which has been held in place through reserve currency status, institutional stickiness through banking and currency trading, and ideational influence. Introduction of the Euro and attempts in Asia to dismantle the “Asian Bloc” have shaken, but not removed, American structural power. Money’s foundations have always rested on trust, trading, and risk taking; emergence of extensive credit and virtual money, and related security concerns, bring forth new topics resting on these old foundations.
Virtue Ethics and International Relations
Authors: Ainley Kirsten
Published: December 2017

Virtue Ethics (VE) is a way of thinking about how to behave well which focuses on the character of moral agents and the nature of the good life. This contrasts with dominant approaches to international ethics which prioritize the identification or development of moral rules or duties (deontological approaches) or the consequences of actions (consequentialist approaches). The relevance of virtue ethics to international affairs is established by setting out the critique of the dominant law-based approaches offered by VE and then exploring the positive contribution VE can make. Virtue ethicists argue that character and a concrete conception of the human good are central to ethics—that the right question to ask when working out what it means to be ethical is not “what should I do” but “what sort of person should I be?” The three central concepts in VE—virtue, practical wisdom, and flourishing—have not been applied systematically qua VE in international political theory or international relations, but their appearance in various guises in recent scholarship suggests avenues for future research. Four such avenues are identified, ranging from the moderate to the radical, which offer innovative ways to confront key ethical dilemmas faced in international affairs.
Challenges to Traditional International Relations Theory Posed by Environmental Change
Authors: Dyer Hugh
Published: December 2017

Changes in the environment can impact international relations theory, despite enjoying only a limited amount of attention from scholars of the discipline. The sorts of influence that may be identified include ontology, epistemology, concepts, and methods, all of these being related to varying perspectives on international relations. It is likely that the most profound implications arise at the ontological level, since this establishes assumptions about, for example, whether the world we wish to understand is both political and ecological. However, more recently the recognition of the practical challenge presented by the environment has become widespread, though it has not yet translated into a significant impact on the discipline of international relations, even when theoretical implications are noted. It is now almost obligatory to include the environment in any list of modern international relations concerns, as over time it has become necessary to include peace, underdevelopment, gender, or race, as they quite rightly became recognized as significant aspects of the field. Moreover, the environment, as a relatively novel subject matter, has naturally brought some critique and innovation to the field. However, studies of the environment are also subject to such descriptors as “mainstream” and “radical” in debates about how best to tackle the subject. As is often the case, the debates are sharpest among those with the greatest interest in the subject.