The Nexus between Methods and Power in Sociological Research

This article develops an integrative perspective on the nexus between power and sociological research methods. By reflecting upon two of the most widely used methodological approaches in sociology – standardized survey research and qualitative interview research – we develop a comprehensive heuristic framework for examining the ways in which the use of sociological methods affects and intersects any social scientific practice: (1) the power effects that societies and institutional settings exert on methods and the use of methods, (2) power in the use and implementation of methods, and (3) the power effects that methods and the use of methods exert on societies and institutional settings

A escola em movimento em prol da promoção da competência de leitura: uma revisão teórica

Este artigo trata da promoção da leitura na escola. Há diversas razões teóricas e evidências prévias a favor da integração do movimento físico no processo de ensino-aprendizagem. Busca-se entender se essa integração é plausível especificamente para a aprendizagem da leitura e como ela pode ocorrer. Por meio de uma revisão de literatura, considerando predominantemente estudos da Alemanha, objetiva-se identificar as razões relacionadas ao processo da leitura, da alfabetização e do letramento. Discutem-se as razões à luz do modelo de processamento textual de Walter Kintsch e Teun van Dijk e da teoria de rubicão de Heinz Heckhausen. Apresentam-se razões a respeito de processos cognitivos de leitura, da volição e da motivação que apoiam o pressuposto de que a aquisição da competência de leitura recebe estímulos importantes pela oferta de aulas em movimento. É plausível que a inserção de movimento atue sobre os objetivos que o leitor quer alcançar por meio da leitura. A autoestima corporal parece ter um impacto positivo na volição pela leitura e uma influência no autoconceito do leitor. Expõem-se também algumas atividades de ensino e aprendizagem para aulas fisicamente ativas de leitura ao nível da alfabetização e do letramento, encontradas na literatura específica. Realiza-se uma diferenciação entre atividades de ensino e aprendizagem em movimento que acompanham a aprendizagem e que a facilitam.The current article addresses the promotion of reading at school. There is previous evidence and several theoretical arguments in favor of the integration of physical movement in the teaching-learning process. The question is raised as to whether this integration is plausible, specifically for learning to read, and how it could occur. Through a literature review, considering predominantly German studies, the objective is to identify the arguments related to the process of reading and literacy. The arguments are discussed in the light of the Text Processing Model by Walter Kintsch and Teun van Dijk and Heinz Heckhausen’s Rubicon theory. Arguments are presented regarding cognitive reading processes, volition, and motivation, which support the assumption that the acquisition of reading competence gains important stimuli through the offer of classes on the move. It seems plausible that the insertion of movement acts on the goals that the reader wants to achieve through reading. Body self-esteem seems to have a positive impact on volition through reading and an influence on the reader’s self-concept. Some teaching and learning activities are put forward for physically active reading classes in terms of literacy, found in the specific literature. Differentiation is made between teaching and learning activities on the move, which accompany and facilitate learning

Learning What you Really, Really Want: Towards a Conceptual Framework of New Learning in the Digital Work Environment

Digitization and globalization are leading to changing demands in the world of work. To cope with these, employees must constantly learn and develop. Analogous to the New Work movement, the future of learning seems to belong to New Learning, in which protean and empowered learners pursue learning opportunities to achieve subjectively valuable learning outcomes and personal growth. This meaningful and socially-embedded kind of learning enables learners to learn what they really, really want to learn. In the literature, however, there is a lack of models and theories on New Learning. The present paper introduces a conceptual framework of New Learning building on psychological theories in terms of a causal chain whose ten propositions can be empirically examined in future studies. An important premise is that, in addition to personal characteristics of the learner, the socio-technical environment and (digital) tools and methods play an important role for New Learning. The paper concludes by setting a future research agenda and discussing the practical implications of New Learning

A proof of the corrected Sister Beiter cyclotomic coefficient conjecture inspired by Zhao and Zhang

The largest coefficient (in absolute value) of a cyclotomic polynomial $\Phi_n$ is called its height $A(n)$. In case $p$ is a fixed prime it turns out that as $q$ and $r$ range over all primes satisfying $p<q<r$, the height $A(pqr)$ assumes a maximum $M(p)$. In 1968, Sister Marion Beiter conjectured that $M(p)\leq (p+1)/2$. In 2009, this was disproved for every $p\ge 11$ by Yves Gallot and Pieter Moree. They proposed a Corrected Beiter Conjecture, namely $M(p)\leq 2p/3$. In 2009, Jia Zhao and Xianke Zhang posted on the arXiv what they thought to be a proof of this conjecture. Their work was never accepted for publication in a journal. However, in retrospect it turns out to be essentially correct, but rather sketchy at some points. Here we supply a lot more details. \par The bound $M(p)\le 2p/3$ allows us to improve some bounds of Bzd\k{e}ga from 2010 for ternary cyclotomic coefficients. It also makes it possible to determine $M(p)$ exactly for three new primes $p$ and study the fine structure of $A(pqr)$ for them in greater detail.Comment: 20 pages, 3 tables, outcome of MPIM Internship project in 2015+202

New measurement approaches to identifying spatial concentrations of poor and low-income households in German city regions

The question of whether 21st-century urbanization dynamics are leading to a suburbanization of poverty in Western city regions has been on the agenda of spatial researchers and housing policymakers for over a decade now. Persistent reurbanization trends are putting increased pressure on inner-city housing markets, resulting in affordability problems for low-income households. Evidence from the US and the UK shows that financing mechanisms in the real estate sector were severely disrupted in the aftermath of the financial crisis in 2009 and subsequent years, with many households losing their homes and being forced to move. Though social security systems and social housing policies generally have a moderating effect, they vary widely across Western countries. Against this background, this paper presents three spatial observation methods tailored to the spatial analysis of poverty concentrations in Germany. The methods are based on three popular conceptualizations of poverty: material poverty, relative poverty, and the concept of neighbourhood deprivation. The main novelty presented in this paper is a cold-spot analysis of purchasing power in 33 city regions using interactive map visualizations and complemented by socioeconomic indicators. Expert feedback verifies the validity of the approach which addresses a "blind spot" in assessing poverty in Germany, where many low-income households are increasingly exposed to risks of poverty despite not qualifying for social benefits.Seit über einem Jahrzehnt gehen Raumwissenschaftler der Frage nach, ob die Urbanisierungsdynamiken des 21. Jahrhunderts zu einer Suburbanisierung von Armut in westlichen Stadtregionen führen. Persistente Trends der Reurbanisierung verstärken den Druck auf innerstädtische Wohnungsmärkte, einkommensschwache Haushalte sind so erheblichen Engpässen für bezahlbares Wohnen ausgesetzt. Forschungsergebnisse aus den Vereinigten Staaten und Großbritannien verweisen auf die Nachwirkungen der Finanzmarktkrise 2009 und ihre disruptiven Auswirkungen auf die Eigenheimfinanzierung, als in der Folge zahlreiche Haushalte umziehen mussten. Sozialpolitik und soziale Wohnraumversorgung sind zwar generell dazu konzipiert, diese Effekte nach Möglichkeit abzufedern, sie funktionieren in den westlichen Industrieländern allerdings sehr verschieden. In diesem Zusammenhang präsentiert der vorliegende Beitrag drei Ansätze zur räumlichen Analyse von Armutskonzentrationen in Deutschland. Die Messmethoden basieren auf drei verbreiteten Armutskonzepten: der materiellen Armut, der relativen Armut und dem Konzept der benachteiligenden Lage. Die zentrale Neuerung des Beitrags besteht in einer Cold-Spot Analyse der Kaufkraft in 33 Stadtregionen, die als interaktive Kartendarstellung im Internet verfügbar ist und durch sozioökonomische Indikatoren ergänzt wird. Rückmeldungen aus Expertengesprächen bestätigen die Passfähigkeit der Messmethode im Hinblick auf einen "blinden Flecken" in der deutschen Armutsforschung. Dieser betrifft eine hohe Zahl einkommensschwacher Haushalte, die zwar keine Sozialhilfe erhalten, aber dennoch zunehmend armutsgefährdet sind

Single-cell analysis of CHO cells reveals clonal heterogeneity in hyperosmolality-induced stress response

Hyperosmolality can occur during industrial fed-batch cultivation processes of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells as highly concentrated feed and base solutions are added to replenish nutrients and regulate pH values. Some effects of hyperosmolality, such as increased cell size and growth inhibition, have been elucidated by previous research, but the impact of hyperosmolality and the specific effects of the added osmotic-active reagents have rarely been disentangled. In this study, CHO cells were exposed to four osmotic conditions between 300 mOsm/kg (physiologic condition) and 530 mOsm/kg (extreme hyperosmolality) caused by the addition of either high-glucose-supplemented industrial feed or mannitol as an osmotic control. We present novel single-cell cultivation data revealing heterogeneity in mass gain and cell division in response to these treatments. Exposure to extreme mannitol-induced hyperosmolality and to high-glucose-oversupplemented feed causes cell cycle termination, mtDNA damage, and mitochondrial membrane depolarization, which hints at the onset of premature stress-induced senescence. Thus, this study shows that both mannitol-induced hyperosmolality (530 mOsm/kg) and glucose overfeeding induce severe negative effects on cell growth and mitochondrial activity; therefore, they need to be considered during process development for commercial production

Patterns of childhood maltreatment and intimate partner violence, emotion dysregulation, and mental health symptoms among lesbian, gay, and bisexual emerging adults: A three-step latent class approach

Background: Childhood abuse and neglect (CAN) and intimate partner violence victimization (IPV) is prevalent among lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals (LGB). Identification of distinct patterns of childhood and adult victimization, including technology-mediated and face-to-face IPV, and their cumulative relations to mental/behavioral health challenges, among LGB people is needed to facilitate identification of at-risk individuals. Objective: Using latent class analysis, we first sought to identify patterns of lifetime interpersonal victimization, primarily five types of CAN and IPV in LGB emerging adults. Second, we examined if LGB-status and race/ethnicity predicted classmembership; third, we assessed differences between the latent classes on emotion dysregulation, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and alcohol use. Participants: Participants were 288 LGB adults between 18-29 years (M = 25.35, SD = 2.76; 41.7% gay/lesbian) recruited via Amazon MTurk. Methods and Results: The 3-step LCA identified five-latent classes: high victimization, childhood emotional abuse and neglect, cybervictimization, adult face-to-face IPV, and lower victimization. People of color (including Hispanics) were more likely to be in the high victimization class, and bisexual individuals, especially bisexual women, in the childhood emotional abuse and neglect class. High victimization and childhood emotional abuse and neglect classes had elevated emotion dysregulation levels and depression and anxiety symptoms, and the high victimization class reported the highest levels of alcohol use. Conclusion: Findings suggest a detrimental effect of cumulative interpersonal victimization on emotion dysregulation and the mental/behavioral health of LGB emerging adults, with bisexuals and LGB-people of color at heightened risk of cumulative victimization and of related mental/behavioral health challenges

The Relationship between Sexual Orientation Outness, Heterosexism, Emotion Dysregulation, and Alcohol Use among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Emerging Adults

Introduction Research demonstrates that both proximal personal characteristics (e.g., outness, emotion dysregulation) and distal stressors (e.g., heterosexism) may be associated with harmful alcohol use among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals. No study has systematically examined the factors linking LGB identity outness to harmful alcohol use. The current cross-sectional study bridges this gap by testing a sequential mediation model wherein heterosexist experiences (HE) and emotion dysregulation (ER) were hypothesized to mediate the relationship between outness and alcohol use. Method Participants were 264 LGB emerging adults in the age range of 18-29 years (M/SD = 25.46/2.74; 16.7% lesbian, 23.1% gay, 60.2% bisexual). Result Findings showed that 8.3% scored above a cutoff indicating harmful alcohol use. Findings supported the hypothesized serial mediation linking low levels of outness with harmful alcohol use via HE and ER, with a significant serial indirect effect (B = −.002, CI = −.004 — −.0004) and indirect effects via both HE (B = −.01, CI = −.02 – −.002) and ER (B = −.01, CI = −.02 – −.003). Conclusion Heterosexist experiences and emotion dysregulation are potential links in the association between outness and harmful alcohol use

Introduction to the AfricaGEO 2018 Conference Special Issue of the South African Journal of Geomatics

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