397 research outputs found
From community to assemblage? : ICT provides a site for inclusion and exclusion in the global south
The role of information and communication technology (ICT) in development has been discussed from two distinctly different perspectives: some view it as a means for opening new alleys for the facilitation of development and democracy, while others assess it as counterproductive. Furthermore, it has been emphasised that people in cities and rural areas utilise ICT in different ways, as do people with wealth and education compared to poor people. In Africa, Kenya has declared itself an ICT hub. The state has emphasised ICT in promoting services, much less freedom of expression. This article discusses ICT and development via the filter of assemblage, a key concept developed by Deleuze and Guattari (2004/1980. A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia. London: Continuum.). They emphasised fluidity as well as micro- and macro-level dichotomies. When communities based on sharing and consistent social order meet new technology, the change goes deeper than that of improved services. The basic difference might be the fact that a community is constructed on cultural ties developed over time, which strengthens immobility and stability, while an assemblage is characterised by mobility and fluidity. Thus, a system of values, hierarchies, and inherited traditions is challenged, mixed with ânewâ problems brought about by individualised behaviour.Peer reviewe
Twenty five years after KLS: A celebration of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics
When Lenz proposed a simple model for phase transitions in magnetism, he
couldn't have imagined that the "Ising model" was to become a jewel in field of
equilibrium statistical mechanics. Its role spans the spectrum, from a good
pedagogical example to a universality class in critical phenomena. A quarter
century ago, Katz, Lebowitz and Spohn found a similar treasure. By introducing
a seemingly trivial modification to the Ising lattice gas, they took it into
the vast realms of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. An abundant variety
of unexpected behavior emerged and caught many of us by surprise. We present a
brief review of some of the new insights garnered and some of the outstanding
puzzles, as well as speculate on the model's role in the future of
non-equilibrium statistical physics.Comment: 3 figures. Proceedings of 100th Statistical Mechanics Meeting,
Rutgers, NJ (December, 2008
Heritability of non-speech auditory processing skills
Recent insight into the genetic bases for autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, stuttering, and language disorders suggest that neurogenetic approaches may also reveal at least one etiology of auditory processing disorder (APD). A person with an APD typically has difficulty understanding speech in background noise despite having normal pure-tone hearing sensitivity. The estimated prevalence of APD may be as high as 10% in the pediatric population, yet the causes are unknown and have not been explored by molecular or genetic approaches. The aim of our study was to determine the heritability of frequency and temporal resolution for auditory signals and speech recognition in noise in 96 identical or fraternal twin pairs, aged 6â11 years. Measures of auditory processing (AP) of non-speech sounds included backward masking (temporal resolution), notched noise masking (spectral resolution), pure-tone frequency discrimination (temporal fine structure sensitivity), and nonsense syllable recognition in noise. We provide evidence of significant heritability, ranging from 0.32 to 0.74, for individual measures of these non-speech-based AP skills that are crucial for understanding spoken language. Identification of specific heritable AP traits such as these serve as a basis to pursue the genetic underpinnings of APD by identifying genetic variants associated with common AP disorders in children and adults
Towards evidence-based marketing: The case of childhood obesity
Contentious commodities such as tobacco, alcohol and fatty foods are bringing marketing under scrutiny from consumers and policymakers. Yet there is little agreement on whether marketing is harmful to society. Systematic review (SR), a methodology derived from clinical medicine, offers marketers a tool for providing resolution and allowing policymakers to proceed with greater confidence. This article describes how SR methods were applied for the first time to a marketing problem -- the effects of food promotion to children. The review withstood scrutiny and its findings were formally ratified by government bodies and policymakers, demonstrating that SR methods can transfer from clinical research to marketing
Measurement of Ï production in pp collisions at âs = 2.76 TeV
The production of Ï(1S), Ï(2S) and Ï(3S)
mesons decaying into the dimuon final state is studied with
the LHCb detector using a data sample corresponding to an
integrated luminosity of 3.3 pbâ1 collected in protonâproton
collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of âs = 2.76 TeV. The
differential production cross-sections times dimuon branching
fractions are measured as functions of the Ï transverse
momentum and rapidity, over the ranges pT < 15 GeV/c
and 2.0 < y < 4.5. The total cross-sections in this kinematic
region, assuming unpolarised production, are measured to be
Ï (pp â Ï(1S)X) Ă B
Ï(1S)âÎŒ+ÎŒâ
= 1.111 ± 0.043 ± 0.044 nb,
Ï (pp â Ï(2S)X) Ă B
Ï(2S)âÎŒ+ÎŒâ
= 0.264 ± 0.023 ± 0.011 nb,
Ï (pp â Ï(3S)X) Ă B
Ï(3S)âÎŒ+ÎŒâ
= 0.159 ± 0.020 ± 0.007 nb,
where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic
Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic
This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic
Effects of correctional boot camps on offending
Background: Correctional boot camps were first opened in United States
adult correctional systems in 1983. Since that time they have rapidly grown,
first within adult systems and later in juvenile corrections, primarily within the
United States. In the typical boot camp, participants are required to follow a
rigorous daily schedule of activities including drill and ceremony and physical
training, similar to that of a military boot-camp. Punishment for misbehavior
is immediate and swift and usually involves some type of physical activity
like push-ups. Boot-camps differ substantially in the amount of focus given to
the physical training and hard labor aspects of the program versus therapeutic
programming such as academic education, drug treatment or cognitive skills.
Objectives: To synthesize the extant empirical evidence on the effects of
boot-camps and boot camp like programs on the criminal behavior (e.g., postrelease
arrest, conviction, or reinstitutionalization) of convicted adult and juvenile
offenders.
Search Strategy: Numerous electronic databases were searched for both
published an unpublished studies. The keywords used were: boot camp(s),
intensive incarceration, and shock incarceration. We also contacted U.S and
non-U.S. researchers working in this area requesting assistance in locating
additional studies. The final search of these sources was completed in early
December of 2003.
Selection Criteria: The eligibility criteria were (a) that the study evaluated
a correctional boot camp, shock incarceration, or intensive incarceration
program; (b) that the study included a comparison group that received either
probation or incarceration in an alternative facility; (c) that the study participants
were exclusively under the supervision of the criminal or juvenile justice
system; and (d) that the study reported a post-program measure of criminal behavior,
such as arrest or conviction.
Data Collection and Analysis: The coding protocol captured aspects of
the research design, including methodological quality, the boot-camp program,
the comparison group condition, the participant offenders, the outcome
measures and the direction and magnitude of the observed effects. All studies
were coded by two independent coders and all coding differences were resolved
by Drs. MacKenzie or Wilson. Outcome effects were coded using the
odds-ratio and meta-analysis was performed using the random effects model.
Main Results: Thirty-two unique research studies met our inclusion criteria.
These studies reported the results from 43 independent boot-camp/comparison
samples. The random effects mean odds-ratio for any form of recidivism was
1.02, indicating that the likelihood that boot camp participants recidivating was roughly equal to the likelihood of comparison participants recidivating.
This overall finding was robust to the selection of the outcome measure and
length of follow-up. Methodological features were only weakly related to outcome
among these studies and did not explain the null findings. The overall
effect for juvenile boot camps was slightly lower than for adult boot camps.
Moderator analysis showed that studies evaluating boot-camp programs with
a strong treatment focus had a larger mean odds-ratio than studies evaluating
boot camps with a weak treatment focus.
Conclusions: Although the overall effect appears to be that of âno difference,â
some studies found that boot camp participants did better than the
comparison, while others found that comparison samples did better. However,
all of these studies had the common element of a militaristic boot camp
program for offenders. The current evidence suggests that this common and
defining feature of a boot-camp is not effective in reducing post boot-camp
offending
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