Lacking Capitalism: Desiring marketing in times of capitalist crisis

In this paper we analyze the social and historical construction process of marketing, and how it is inherently linked to the reproduction of capitalism in times of crisis. Based on Foucauldian discourse theory, we critically interrogate marketing?s discursive change from a production- and sales-led to a consumption-led paradigm in the 1960s and 1970s. We use Lacan?s (1977, 1998) theory of individual desire as lack, and Laclau and Mouffe?s (1985) logic of antagonism to discuss how the modern individual is constituted as desiring subject. Marketing acts both to produce and fulfil this lack aimed at the satisfaction of customers? needs and desires. Based on Boltanski and Chiapello?s (2005) analysis, we argue that marketing plays an important role in the way capitalism is able to regenerate and legitimize itself through its capacity to incorporate critique and resistance

Matching International Financial Shocks in Emerging Markets

In the present paper, we develop a two-sector general equilibrium model of a small open economy to explore the transmission mechanisms of external financial shocks. In particular, we use a cash-in- advance model with limited participation augmented with a financial friction in the form of a fundamentals-related risk premium on external funds. The friction amplifies the effects of external financial shocks, especially when the economy is highly indebted in foreign currency. For a set of Latin American economies, the theoretical model is calibrated to match the empirical impulse responses of output, investment, trade balance, and domestic credits in response to an adverse shock to the country risk premium. In addition, we analyze the role of monetary policy during the financial crisis.Emerging Markets, Financial Crises, International Capital Markets

Adaptive and active materials: Selected papers from the ASME 2011 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems (SMASIS 11) (Scottsdale, AZ, USA, 18-21 September 2011)

The fourth annual meeting of the ASME/AIAA Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems Conference (SMASIS) took place in sunny Scottsdale, Arizona. Each year we strive to grow and offer new experiences. This year we held a special Guest Symposium on Sustainability along with two focused topic tracks on energy harvesting and active composites to encourage cross-fertilization between these important fields and our community. This cross-disciplinary emphasis was reflected in keynote talks by Dr Wayne Brown, President and founder of Dynalloy, Inc., 'Cross-Discipline Sharing'; Dr Brad Allenby, Arizona State University, 'You Want the Future? You can't Handle the Future!'; and Professor Aditi Chattopadhyay, Arizona State University, 'A Multidisciplinary Approach to Structural Health Monitoring and Prognosis'. SMASIS continues to grow our community through both social and technical interchange. The conference location, the exotic Firesky Resort and Spa, exemplified the theme of our Guest Symposium on Sustainability, being the only Green Seal certified resort in Arizona, and highlighting four elements thought to represent all that exist: fire, water, earth and air. Several special events were held around this theme including the night at the oasis reception sponsored by General Motors, sustainability bingo, smart trivia and student networking lunches, and an Arizona pow-wow with a spectacular Indian hoop dance. Our student and young professional development continues to grow strong with best paper and hardware competitions, scavenger student outing and games night. We are very proud that our students and young professionals are always seeking out ways to give back to the community, including organizing outreach to local high school talent. We thank all of our sponsors who made these special events possible. We hope that these social events provided participants with the opportunity to expand their own personal community and broaden their horizons. Our ultimate goal was to provide a friendly, casual southwestern forum for the exchange of the 'hottest' ideas and latest results. Our sincere appreciation goes to all the presenters for choosing to share their very best work at this conference. SMASIS is divided into seven symposia which span basic research, applied technological design and development, and industrial and governmental integrated system and application demonstrations: * SYMP 1 Multifunctional Materials; * SYMP 2 Active Materials, Mechanics and Behavior; * SYMP 3 Modeling, Simulation and Control; * SYMP 4 Enabling Technologies and Integrated System Design; * SYMP 5 Structural Health Monitoring/NDE; * SYMP 6 Bio-inspired Smart Materials and Structures; and * SYMP 7 Guest Symposium on Sustainability. In addition, the conference introduced a new student and young professional development symposium. Authors of papers in the materials area (symposia 1, 2 and 6) were invited to write a full journal article on their presentation topic for publication in this Special Issue of Smart Materials and Structures . This collection of papers demonstrates the exceptional quality and originality of the conference presentations. We appreciate their efforts in producing this collection of highly relevant articles on smart materials.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98619/1/0964-1726_21_9_090201.pd

Effects of Online Response Inhibition Training in Children with Williams Syndrome: a Pilot Study

Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder which is often accompanied by challenges such as attention difficulties, anxiety, and overfriendliness. While research is mixed, a substantial body of literature suggests that deficits in response inhibition may underlie these difficulties in WS, making response inhibition a possible focus of intervention. However, research to date has not explored interventions that may affect response inhibition in individuals with WS. A recently developed computerized response inhibition training program has shown promise at improving response inhibition in other populations, but research on computerized training for people with WS has not been conducted. The aim of this pilot study was to use a randomized controlled trial with waitlist crossover design to investigate the utility of an online training program at improving response inhibition (as measured by a Go/No-Go task) and parent report of everyday attention difficulties in children and adolescents with Williams syndrome. Results indicated that an immediate treatment effect was not present for the sample and that the treatment group did not show more error reduction than the waitlist group. Overall, improvement in clinical outcomes was not reported by parents after treatment. Error reduction on the lab-based task appeared to be related to symptom reduction at post-treatment but not at follow-up. Scores on the lab-based task three months after completion of training suggest that there may be delayed treatment effects for some participants; the degree of improvement was predicted by the degree of baseline ADHD symptomatology. Implications and future directions for the use of computerized training for individuals with WS are discussed

Parenting Stress in Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Symptomatology

Children with developmental disorders commonly display behavioral, emotional, and adaptive problems. Parents raising these children often undergo stress at clinical levels, which can lead to a host of negative consequences for both parent and child. Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) report significantly higher stress than parents of children with other disorders. Thus, some aspects of autism may present a unique challenge to parents. ASD symptoms are often present in other developmental disorders, which could significantly increase parenting stress. Additionally, the severity of ASD symptoms within a group of children with ASD can greatly vary. Despite rising prevalence estimates of ASD, research on the relationship between ASD symptomatology and stress is scarce. To help remedy this problem, the present study examines relations between ASD symptom severity and parenting stress in a group of children who display varying levels of autism symptoms. This study represents an expansion on prior research that examined characteristics in preschoolers with autism or developmental delay that contribute to maternal stress. This study examines whether diagnostic classification (`autism\u27 vs. `non-autism\u27) is related to parenting stress and whether autism symptom severity (calculated using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 and a measure of social responsiveness) relates to parenting stress across and within participant groups

Torture and the Corrida

In recent years the debate over the moral status of bullfighting has been focused on whether or not it should be characterized as a form of torture. Francis Wolff has argued that it should not be, and Gabriel Andrade has claimed that it should be. But in my view neither author adequately defines bullfighting or torture. In this essay I have three goals. The first is to provide an adequate account of bullfighting, including its structure and meaning. The second is to define the necessary conditions for torture. And the third is to show that bullfighting meets those conditions. Thus, any defense of bullfighting must be a justification of that form of torture

The Future of the Multidisciplinary Clinic

The multidisciplinary clinic is the accepted model for health care delivery related to spina bifida. This article focuses on the factors affecting multidisciplinary care delivery and future challenges for multidisciplinary programs