The Role Of Distinction In Dialectical Analyses Of Socioecology: Metabolic Rift, World Ecology, And Urban Political Ecology

The concept of metabolism, as applied to the interrelations between human society and the rest of nature, has been one of the most fruitful iterations of socioecological thought over the last few decades. Here we will examine specific orientations of metabolic thought commonly employed in the social sciences, and their depiction of metabolism as it relates to the “society–nature” problematic and elaborate on the role of the dialectical method when analyzing socioecological processes and distinctions between society and the rest of nature. We will review two overarching uses of metabolism: the theory of metabolic rift and a hybridist metabolic approach to socio-nature. While the former regards society as an emergent property of nature, the latter regards distinctions between the two as undialectical and dualist. First, we review each of these approaches and how they differ in their application of the dialectical method. Then we explore some of the analytic implications of these differing approaches. We contend that a dialectical method that allows for, and encourages, analytical distinction is essential, and that the metabolic rift theory provides an important potential for advancing socioecological analysis in an era of anthropogenic environmental change through its use of analytical distinction between social and environmental phenomena

Insecurity for compact surfaces of positive genus

A pair of points in a riemannian manifold $M$ is secure if the geodesics between the points can be blocked by a finite number of point obstacles; otherwise the pair of points is insecure. A manifold is secure if all pairs of points in $M$ are secure. A manifold is insecure if there exists an insecure point pair, and totally insecure if all point pairs are insecure. Compact, flat manifolds are secure. A standing conjecture says that these are the only secure, compact riemannian manifolds. We prove this for surfaces of genus greater than zero. We also prove that a closed surface of genus greater than one with any riemannian metric and a closed surface of genus one with generic metric are totally insecure.Comment: 37 pages, 11 figure

Human Resources and the Resource Based View of the Firm

The resource-based view (RBV) of the firm has influenced the field of strategic human resource management (SHRM) in a number of ways. This paper explores the impact of the RBV on the theoretical and empirical development of SHRM. It explores how the fields of strategy and SHRM are beginning to converge around a number of issues, and proposes a number of implications of this convergence

Star Architecture as Socio-Material Assemblage

Taking inspiration from new materialism and assemblage, the chapter deals with star architects and iconic buildings as socio-material network effects that do not pre-exist action, but are enacted in practice, in the materiality of design crafting and city building. Star architects are here conceptualized as part of broader assemblages of actors and practices ‘making star architecture’ a reality, and the buildings they design are considered not just as unique and iconic objects, but dis-articulated as complex crafts mobilizing skills, technologies, materials, and forms of knowledge not necessarily ascribable to architecture. Overcoming narrow criticism focusing on the symbolic order of icons as unique creations and alienated repetitions of capitalist development, the chapter’s main aim is to widen the scope of critique by bridging culture and economy, symbolism and practicality, making star architecture available to a broad, fragmented arena of (potential) critics, unevenly equipped with critical tools and differentiated experiences

Mortality from circulatory diseases by specific country of birth across six European countries: test of concept

Background: Important differences in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality by country of birth have been shown within European countries. We now focus on CVD mortality by specific country of birth across European countries. Methods: For Denmark, England and Wales, France, The Netherlands, Scotland and Sweden mortality information on circulatory disease, and the subcategories of ischaemic heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease, was analysed by country of birth. Information on population was obtained from census data or population registers. Directly age-standardized rates per 100 000 were estimated by sex for each country of birth group using the WHO World Standard population 2000-25 structure. For differences in the results, at least one of the two 95% confidence intervals did not overlap. Results: Circulatory mortality was similar across countries for men born in India (355.7 in England and Wales, 372.8 in Scotland and 244.5 in Sweden). For other country of birth groups-China, Pakistan, Poland, Turkey and Yugoslavia-there were substantial between-country differences. For example, men born in Poland had a rate of 630.0 in Denmark and 499.3 in England and Wales and 153.5 in France; and men born in Turkey had a rate of 439.4 in Denmark and 231.4 in The Netherlands. A similar pattern was seen in women, e.g. Poland born women had a rate of 264.9 in Denmark, 126.4 in England and Wales and 54.4 in France. The patterns were similar for ischaemic heart disease mortality and cerebrovascular disease mortality. Conclusion: Cross-country comparisons are feasible and the resulting findings are interesting. They merit public health consideratio

Single-cell and metagenomic analyses indicate a fermentative and saccharolytic lifestyle for members of the OP9 lineage

OP9 is a yet-uncultivated bacterial lineage found in geothermal systems, petroleum reservoirs, anaerobic digesters and wastewater treatment facilities. Here we use single-cell and metagenome sequencing to obtain two distinct, nearly complete OP9 genomes, one constructed from single cells sorted from hot spring sediments and the other derived from binned metagenomic contigs from an in situ-enriched cellulolytic, thermophilic community. Phylogenomic analyses support the designation of OP9 as a candidate phylum for which we propose the name ‘Atribacteria’. Although a plurality of predicted proteins is most similar to those from Firmicutes, the presence of key genes suggests a diderm cell envelope. Metabolic reconstruction from the core genome suggests an anaerobic lifestyle based on sugar fermentation by Embden–Meyerhof glycolysis with production of hydrogen, acetate and ethanol. Putative glycohydrolases and an endoglucanase may enable catabolism of (hemi)cellulose in thermal environments. This study lays a foundation for understanding the physiology and ecological role of the ‘Atribacteria’.United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Exobiology Grant EXO-NNX11AR78G)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant MCB 0546865)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant OISE 0968421)United States. Dept. of Energy (Grant DE-EE-0000716)Nevada Renewable Energy ConsortiumUnited States. Dept. of Energy. Office of Science. Joint Genome Institute (Contract DE-AC02-05CH11231

Heavy-Ion-Induced Electronic Desorption of Gas from Metals

During heavy-ion operation in several particle accelerators worldwide, dynamic pressure rises of orders of magnitude were triggered by lost beam ions that bombarded the vacuum chamber walls. This ion-induced molecular desorption, observed at CERN, GSI, and BNL, can seriously limit the ion beam lifetime and intensity of the accelerator. From dedicated test stand experiments we have discovered that heavy-ion-induced gas desorption scales with the electronic energy loss (dEe/dx) of the ions slowing down in matter; but it varies only little with the ion impact angle, unlike electronic sputtering