Paying attention to meaning

Several paradigms show that responses to one event compromise responses to a second event for around 500 ms. Such effects are generally attributed to attentional capacity limitations associated with processing information in the first event. In a task in which targets could be distinguished only by their meaning, we varied the semantic relationship between distractors and targets following at different lags. Semantic relatedness alone produced a classic attentional blink. We conclude by discussing how attention theory might best accommodate these new effects

THE IMPACT OF MIGRATION AND REMITTANCES ON RURAL INCOMES IN CHINA

New Economics of Labor Migration (NELM) theory posits a complex relationship between migrants and household income generation. This paper uses NELM and original survey data to examine the impacts of migration on income sources in Northeast China. Migration is found to increase farm incomes but decrease self-employed incomes.migration, remittances, China, self-employment, income sources, Consumer/Household Economics, Labor and Human Capital,

Post-processing partitions to identify domains of modularity optimization

We introduce the Convex Hull of Admissible Modularity Partitions (CHAMP) algorithm to prune and prioritize different network community structures identified across multiple runs of possibly various computational heuristics. Given a set of partitions, CHAMP identifies the domain of modularity optimization for each partition ---i.e., the parameter-space domain where it has the largest modularity relative to the input set---discarding partitions with empty domains to obtain the subset of partitions that are "admissible" candidate community structures that remain potentially optimal over indicated parameter domains. Importantly, CHAMP can be used for multi-dimensional parameter spaces, such as those for multilayer networks where one includes a resolution parameter and interlayer coupling. Using the results from CHAMP, a user can more appropriately select robust community structures by observing the sizes of domains of optimization and the pairwise comparisons between partitions in the admissible subset. We demonstrate the utility of CHAMP with several example networks. In these examples, CHAMP focuses attention onto pruned subsets of admissible partitions that are 20-to-1785 times smaller than the sets of unique partitions obtained by community detection heuristics that were input into CHAMP.Comment: http://www.mdpi.com/1999-4893/10/3/9

Using Social Media as a Tool to Complement Advocacy Efforts

Community practitioners must leverage a variety of tools in order to promote and advocate for social change. Social media are relatively innovative tools for informing and mobilizing communities in an advocacy effort. As part of a coordinated effort, social media align well with the principles of community psychology by enabling individuals to contribute to participatory dialogue about social issues, collaborate on change efforts, and establish a sense of community. These tools can enhance supporters’ advocacy engagement and can help sustain efforts in the midst of inevitable challenges. However, social media alone are not sufficient for promoting social change, but should be used to enhance traditional organizing strategies. In addition to synthesizing literature across empirical and practitioner (e.g., communication consultants) sources, real-world examples are provided to illustrate how social media can enhance advocacy efforts. This article presents findings from an extensive literature review to serve as a resource for community practitioners on ways to enhance advocacy efforts with social media.&nbsp

Feminist Corporate Social Responsibility:Reframing CSR as a Critical Force for Good

While corporate social responsibility (CSR) research is now impressively broad, we identify fresh opportunities at the intersection of feminist and critical analysis to reframe this field as a force for good. We focus on the epistemological grounding of CSR in its potential to understand and change how managerial activity is interpreted and influenced for progressive ends. We approach this through a reading of the debate on CSR's limited practical use, to imagine a better methodological and purposeful future for CSR. This involves a different, feminist, political and ethical stance for researchers in relation to CSR as an object, to bring CSR theory and practice into alignment in order to revive its sense of purpose as a driving organizational force for good. Our change‐orientated approach is based on a reading of Judith Butler's notion of critique as praxis of values; it is politically aware, reflexive, and focused on the goal of good organization to address grand, often existential, challenges. We conclude by showing how this approach to CSR brings a more transparent way of analysing practice, requiring reflexive action on the part of those working with CSR initiatives both as practitioners and as researchers to co‐produce better futures

Using Social Media as a Tool to Complement Advocacy Efforts

Community practitioners must leverage a variety of tools in order to promote and advocate for social change. Social media are relatively innovative tools for informing and mobilizing communities in an advocacy effort. As part of a coordinated effort, social media align well with the principles of community psychology by enabling individuals to contribute to participatory dialogue about social issues, collaborate on change efforts, and establish a sense of community. These tools can enhance supporters’ advocacy engagement and can help sustain efforts in the midst of inevitable challenges. However, social media alone are not sufficient for promoting social change, but should be used to enhance traditional organizing strategies. In addition to synthesizing literature across empirical and practitioner (e.g., communication consultants) sources, real-world examples are provided to illustrate how social media can enhance advocacy efforts. This article presents findings from an extensive literature review to serve as a resource for community practitioners on ways to enhance advocacy efforts with social media.&nbsp

Technical Bulletins: NPDES Phase II Stormwater Permitting

In December 1999, the new National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II regulations were published. These regulations, which regulate stormwater discharges to U.S. waters, are mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and implemented in the state by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC)

Energy conservation improvement of the existing building park, constraints and challenges: case of granite traditional constructions in the United Kingdom.

The increase in energy price has sparked a debate in the UK as to what would be the best way to address this problem. The British Prime Minister gave a straightforward and radical answer, suggesting that, existing building stock should be improved to reach a certain standard. The goal is to reduce the energy consumption to ensure a reduction in the running cost of household asset in the UK. The government initiative was to make grants available to dwellings that shows a lack of energy efficiency this includes the increase of insulation of the buildings envelop as well as renewable energy generator and end use equipments. The CO2 emissions per capita and the reduction of the national dependency on finite fossil fuel resources are achievable via major refurbishment programmes of both owners occupied and rented properties. Many of the easy measures have been done, leaving only the major areas that need addressing. These areas are complex and expensive therefore home owners and private landlords are deterred from addressing them. Incremental improvements are no longer cost or physically effective, however; therefore a holistic and integrated approach to buildings refurbishment is required. Dealing with the existing building stock will become an important topic for architects, town planners and civil engineers [1]. The aim of this research is to present the different possible scenarios of refurbishment based on the most popular building typologies in the UK