Intensity, moderation, and the pressures of expectation: calculation and coercion in the street-level practice of welfare conditionality

This article offers a street‐level perspective on welfare conditionality as it was practiced in contracted‐out UK activation programs between 2008 and 2015. Drawing on observation and in‐depth interviews, the article illustrates the ways that behavioral conditionality provided street‐level workers with the means to intensify or moderate activation for particular claimants. Responding to arguments about the curtailment of street‐level discretion, the article argues that in the particular context of target‐driven, work‐first, and otherwise highly constrained services, discretion resided in the ability to intensify or moderate conditionality and its coercive potential—in decisions about how, on whom, and to what extent it would be applied. The article argues that attending to this form of discretion provides an alternative frame through which to view the differentiated treatment typically understood as “creaming” and “parking.” In so doing, the article problematizes accounts that draw clear lines between calculative, normative, and dispositional forms of street‐level reason and practice. It shows how advisors' responses to the “street‐level calculus of choice” were articulated in terms of expectation, where attempts at future‐oriented calculation necessarily entailed making other forms of speculative and normative judgement about claimants and their situations. The article thus contributes to an understanding of both the causes and meaning of differentiated treatment in conditional welfare services

Implications of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard for State and National Ethanol Use

Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Movement of yellowtail snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus Block 1790) and black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci Poey 1860) in the northern Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary as determined by acoustic telemetry

We tagged a total of 14 yellowtail snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus Bloch 1790) and black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci Poey 1860) inside the Conch Reef Research Only Area (a no-take marine reserve) in the northern Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in November 2001. Both species are heavily exploited in the region. Our objective was to characterize site fidelity and movement behavior along the reef tract to the north and south of the release point. Fishes were collected by baited hook and line from the surface, surgically-tagged with coded-acoustic transmitters, and returned to the reef by snorkelers. Tracking of fish movement behavior was conducted by five acoustic receivers deployed on the seafloor from Davis Reef in the south to Pickles Reef in the north. Fishes were tracked for up to eight months. Results indicated that the majority of signal detections for individual fish from both species were recorded at the two Conch Reef receivers. Limited movement from Conch Reef to Davis Reef was recorded, but no signal detections were recorded at the two sites to the north of Conch Reef. These results suggest that both species show site fidelity to Conch Reef. Future studies will seek to characterize this site fidelity with increased temporal and spatial resolution at Conch Reef. (PDF contains 25 pages.

Statistical mechanics and thermodynamics of viral evolution

This paper analyzes a simplified model of viral infection and evolution using the 'grand canonical ensemble' and formalisms from statistical mechanics and thermodynamics to enumerate all possible viruses and to derive thermodynamic variables for the system. We model the infection process as a series of energy barriers determined by the genetic states of the virus and host as a function of immune response and system temperature. We find a phase transition between a positive temperature regime of normal replication and a negative temperature 'disordered' phase of the virus. These phases define different regimes in which different genetic strategies are favored. Perhaps most importantly, it demonstrates that the system has a real thermodynamic temperature. For normal replication, this temperature is linearly related to effective temperature. The strength of immune response rescales temperature but does not change the observed linear relationship. For all temperatures and immunities studied, we find a universal curve relating the order parameter to viral evolvability. Real viruses have finite length RNA segments that encode for proteins which determine their fitness; hence the methods put forth here could be refined to apply to real biological systems, perhaps providing insight into immune escape, the emergence of novel pathogens and other results of viral evolution.Comment: 39 pages (55 pages including supplement), 9 figures, 11 supplemental figure

Determinants and outcomes of motivation in health professions education: a systematic review based on self-determination theory

Purpose: This study aimed at conducting a systematic review in health professions education of determinants, mediators and outcomes of students’ motivation to engage in academic activities based on the self-determination theory’s perspective. Methods: A search was conducted across databases (MEDLINE, CINHAL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and ERIC databases), hand-search of relevant journals, grey literature, and published research profile of key authors. Quantitative and qualitative studies were included if they reported research in health professions education focused on determinants, mediators, and/or outcomes of motivation from the self-determination and if meeting the quality criteria. Results: A total of 17 studies met the inclusion and quality criteria. Articles retrieved came from diverse locations and mainly from medical education and to a lesser extent from psychology and dental education. Intrapersonal (gender and personality traits) and interpersonal determinants (academic conditions and lifestyle, qualitative method of selection, feedback, and an autonomy supportive learning climate) have been reported to have a positive influence on students’ motivation to engage in academic activities. No studies were found that tested mediation effects between determinants and students’ motivation. In turn, students’ self-determined motivation has been found to be positively associated with different cognitive, affective, and behavioural outcomes. Conclusion: This study has found that generally, motivation could be enhanced by changes in the educational environment and by an early detection of students’ characteristics. Doing so may support future health practitioners’ self-determined motivation and positively influence how they process information and their emotions and how they approach their learning activities

Do You Pursue Your Heart or Your Art?: Creativity, Personality, and Love

We examined the associations between love, personality, and creativity for people in relationships of varying durations. Participants (N =1,529) from regions across the U.S. completed an online survey. Consistent with prior work, we found that relationship length was negatively associated with passion, positively associated with commitment, and did not exhibit a significant association with intimacy. For personality, agreeableness was positively associated with passion, intimacy, and commitment, and conscientiousness was positively associated with intimacy and commitment. Additionally, openness was significantly associated with passion and intimacy for men, and emotional stability was significantly associated with intimacy for women. Of note, artistic creative behaviors were negatively associated with all three love components whereas everyday creative behaviors and self-assessed creativity were positively associated with each love component

Oral History Interview with James Kaufman (SOH-071 video recording and transcript)

In this interview, Jim Kaufman, the former managing director of the Modern Theatre and the Theatre Department at Suffolk University, discusses his educational background, early career, and his start at Suffolk University. He describes the evolution of Suffolk’s theatre program and the university’s growth from the 1990s until 2021. He also reflects on the key figures and moments that defined his experience at Suffolk University, including the value of collaboration and the importance of student-led projects.https://dc.suffolk.edu/soh/1057/thumbnail.jp

The future of biofuel (panel discussion)

Biomass energy - United States ; Environmental policy

Analysis of a Proposed First Generation Physical Map of the Human Genome

Cohen and colleagues [1] recently described a project to characterize a human yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) library and offered a 'proposed data analysis strategy' that was said to yield a physical map covering 87% of the human genome. The authors provided no analytical evaluation to test the validity of their novel strategy for constructing 'paths' in the genome. We have now examined the proposed method in detail. Analytical studies show that most paths with at most two YACs or spanning less than 5 cM are valid, but most paths involving four or more YACs or spanning 5 cM or more are invalid. After restricting the map to paths with a high probability of being valid, we conclude that the remaining map properly covers at most 36% of the genome