International Trade Under the Rule of Law Conference

The central focus of the conference was the dispute settlement system of the World Trade Organization (WTO), with a view toward exploring the need for a superstructure of international law governing trade and economic cooperation between countries

No. 5 - International Trade under the Rule of Law: An American Society of International Law Centennial Regional Meeting

Organized and sponsored by the Dean Rusk Center and designated an American Society of International Law Centennial Regional Meeting, this conference focused on the Dispute Settlement System (DSS) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) with a view toward discussing the need for a superstructure of international law governing trade and economic cooperation between states

The politics of access in fieldwork: Immersion, backstage dramas and deception

YesGaining access in fieldwork is crucial to the success of research, and may often be problematic because it involves working in complex social situations. This paper examines the intricacies of access, conceptualizing it as a fluid, temporal and political process that requires sensitivity to social issues and to potential ethical choices faced by both researchers and organization members. Our contribution lies in offering ways in which researchers can reflexively negotiate the challenges of access by: 1. Underscoring the complex and relational nature of access by conceptualizing three relational perspectives – instrumental, transactional and relational – proposing the latter as a strategy for developing a diplomatic sensitivity to the politics of access; 2. Explicating the political, ethical and emergent nature of access by framing it as an ongoing process of immersion, backstage dramas, and deception; and 3. Offering a number of relational micropractices to help researchers negotiate the complexities of access. We illustrate the challenges of gaining and maintaining access through examples from the literature and from Rafael’s attempts to gain access to carry out fieldwork in a Police Force

The role of networks to overcome large-scale challenges in tomography : the non-clinical tomography users research network

Our ability to visualize and quantify the internal structures of objects via computed tomography (CT) has fundamentally transformed science. As tomographic tools have become more broadly accessible, researchers across diverse disciplines have embraced the ability to investigate the 3D structure-function relationships of an enormous array of items. Whether studying organismal biology, animal models for human health, iterative manufacturing techniques, experimental medical devices, engineering structures, geological and planetary samples, prehistoric artifacts, or fossilized organisms, computed tomography has led to extensive methodological and basic sciences advances and is now a core element in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research and outreach toolkits. Tomorrow's scientific progress is built upon today's innovations. In our data-rich world, this requires access not only to publications but also to supporting data. Reliance on proprietary technologies, combined with the varied objectives of diverse research groups, has resulted in a fragmented tomography-imaging landscape, one that is functional at the individual lab level yet lacks the standardization needed to support efficient and equitable exchange and reuse of data. Developing standards and pipelines for the creation of new and future data, which can also be applied to existing datasets is a challenge that becomes increasingly difficult as the amount and diversity of legacy data grows. Global networks of CT users have proved an effective approach to addressing this kind of multifaceted challenge across a range of fields. Here we describe ongoing efforts to address barriers to recently proposed FAIR (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, Reuse) and open science principles by assembling interested parties from research and education communities, industry, publishers, and data repositories to approach these issues jointly in a focused, efficient, and practical way. By outlining the benefits of networks, generally, and drawing on examples from efforts by the Non-Clinical Tomography Users Research Network (NoCTURN), specifically, we illustrate how standardization of data and metadata for reuse can foster interdisciplinary collaborations and create new opportunities for future-looking, large-scale data initiatives

No. 5 - International Trade under the Rule of Law: An American Society of International Law Centennial Regional Meeting

Organized and sponsored by the Dean Rusk Center and designated an American Society of International Law Centennial Regional Meeting, this conference focused on the Dispute Settlement System (DSS) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) with a view toward discussing the need for a superstructure of international law governing trade and economic cooperation between states

A multi-criteria decision-making analysis for the selection of fibres aimed at reinforcing asphalt concrete mixtures

In the last few years, fibers have been proposed as one of the most important additives for the development of reinforced asphalt mixtures. The optimal fiber selection is a very complex task, as an extensive range of criteria and alternatives have to be taken into account. Decision support systems have been applied in the construction sector, but not for selecting fibers for bituminous mixtures. To fill this gap, two Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Analysis methodologies for the selection of the best fiber to be used in Asphalt Concretes are presented in this paper. The Weighted Aggregate Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) methodology and the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) integrated with Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) are used to evaluate the effect of various types of fibers on the mechanical performance of bituminous mixtures. Given the uncertainty involved, a stochastic simulation is proposed using the Monte Carlo method. A statistical analysis is carried out to verify the results obtained. Both methods of multi-criteria analysis were effective, with TOPSIS being slightly more conservative in the assignment of performance scores. Synthetic fibers proved to be a suitable option as did fibers with high tensile strength and elastic modulus