Revisiting Union Decline: An Analysis of Organized Labor\u27s Crisis

Abstract: I explore the sources of union decline from 1970-2008, inspecting the shifting prominence of different causes at different points in time. Using a relational approach which views labor and capital as actors that gain or lose power at the expense of each other, I find that U.S. union decline is the result of several institutional transformations that benefitted capital relative to labor. Capital was advantaged and labor was disadvantaged due to: 1) the financialization of the economy in the 1980s, 2) weakening protections of labor policy by the 1970s, 3) the reconfiguration of productive capital in the 1970s and 1980s, 4) an anti-union business offensive gaining momentum in the 1970s, and 5) the failure of unions to sufficiently organize new members throughout the entire period. Combined, this confluence of factors led to a steep decline in union membership. Results highlight the complex nature of temporal dynamics in capital-labor power struggles

Interfacial properties of the apolipoprotein Cs: implications for the regulation of lipoprotein catabolism and atherosclerosis

The risk of cardiovascular disease increases with elevated plasma levels of very-low density lipoproteins (VLDL) and chylomicrons. The human apolipoprotein Cs (apo C1, C2, C3) are small secretory proteins that circulate in plasma and play unique roles in the metabolism of VLDL and chylomicrons. ApoC2 is the required cofactor for lipoprotein lipase (LPL) which hydrolyzes plasma triacylglycerol. ApoC3 promotes VLDL synthesis in hepatocytes and both apoC1 and apoC3 inhibit LPL. The molecular details of these processes are largely unknown, but we hypothesized that apoC functions depend on protein structure, protein:lipid interactions, and surface pressure. Each apoC contains amphipathic N- and C-terminal helices that bind to and remodel lipid surfaces. Surface pressure—or the density of amphipathic molecules—increases significantly as LPL hydrolyzes triacylglycerol in VLDL. To probe the effects of protein structure and surface pressure on protein:lipid interactions, we used wild-type and point mutant variants of the apoCs, which differed in helical content and hydrophobicity. We used Oil-Drop Tensiometry to characterize the adsorption, conformational rearrangement, and desorption of each protein at lipid/water interfaces that mimic the core and surface of VLDL. This technique measured the effect of protein adsorption on surface pressure, and the surface area and pressure response of protein/lipid/water interfaces to volume changes that mimic lipogenic and lipolytic processes. We showed that the degree of protein amphipathic α-helical structure correlated with lipid affinity and provide a model for phenotypes in subjects with point mutations in apoC2 and apoC3. Each apoC exhibited multiple, pressure-dependent conformations at lipid surfaces, which indicates that the C-terminus of apoC2 likely desorbs from lipid at higher pressures to interact with LPL. ApoC3 exhibited a marked preference for lipid in the VLDL core, which provides novel insight into its role in VLDL assembly and secretion

Network governance and health care policy

As a paradigm, network governance is trumping “public administration” or traditional models of government. Policies taking a network governance approach seem to have a greater chance of goalattainment. Is network governance in health care policy a means of bridging the ideological divide, what with national health policy initiatives tripping on partisan hurdles? One example of network governance (as expounded by Stephen Goldsmith and William Eggers in their 2004 book) at the state level is high-risk health insurance programs (HRPs)

Presence In Virtuality \u3e Reality | Review & Commentary

Presence In Virtuality \u3e Reality | Review & Commentary Meyers, M., & Sonnenfeld, A. Presentation It has been demonstrated in previous literature that participants may feel more present in virtuality than in reality. Why is this? Our team of researchers propose that this phenomenon neither suggest invalidity in both objective and subjective presence measurement - nor invalidity of the construct itself. Presence, as the experience of being in an environment, is refined in our review from insight gained from three psychological schools of thought which have conflicted for over twenty years. Just as our definitions of presence evolved over the last two decades, however - so have we as a society. If individuals are capable of experiencing a heightened sense of present in virtuality than reality, then we must understand what the root cause of this contradiction is - and discuss the implications of such a phenomena for our own experiences in the real world. What does it mean to experience an environment – to feel present – and how do we measure this phenomenon? What could cause individuals, both in the present and future, to feel more present in a virtual world than a real one? To what extent have our virtual interactions taken precedence over our daily interactions? Does our embodied presence impact our lives more so than our physical presence? How can we – living in reality – design our experiences to match the involvement and immersion afforded by computer interfaces and virtual environments? The researchers attempt to answer these questions using the support of previous research in this domain – combining the perspectives of human factors and applied psychological research, human-computer interaction, business (via experiential design), and philosophy. The researchers identify what elements of virtuality make it more appealing to the experience of the individual than reality, propose design solutions for our experience in reality, and outline a foundation for future research. Without continued investigation with support of the scientific community, modern society may remain unguided – perpetuating toward a future in which it will be impossible to feel present in reality, when virtual alternatives are both just as easily accessible and significant

A Conceptual Model of Transfer of Training via Virtual Environments

A Conceptual Model of Transfer of Training via Virtual Environments Sonnenfeld, N.A., & Meyers, M. Presentation A review of Transfer of Training (ToT) literature over the last several decades reveals both significant advancements and gaps in our conceptualization of the transfer process and its contributing factors - especially in the domain of training via the use of virtual environments. Updating our current model of the transfer of training process is necessary to ensure adequate preparation for personnel operating in extreme environments - particularly for those training for small unit operations in dynamic environments for extended periods of time - such as those in combat warfare, space exploration & operations, the medical operation room, and other domains in which lives are at stake. A general recognition of the impact of trainee characteristics, training design, and work environment upon transfer is not enough for the quantification and analysis of training and systems. Building from the Baldwin & Ford (1988) Transfer of Training model, the researchers expand upon existing literature regarding the inputs, outputs, and outcomes of training transfer to propose a synthesized model of transfer of training via the use of virtual environments, as a foundation for future inquiry into this dynamic process. Inclusion of previous reviews – among novel perspectives on the virtual experience, learning in virtual environments, presence, experiential design, and on the assessment and evaluation of the Transfer of Training construct - enable this fundamental work to inspire and provide framework for the next generation of applied training research

Next-Gen Virtual Reality: A Comparative Study of Immersive Tendency and Differential Presence

Advancement in Virtual Reality (VR) interface technology in recent years has grown exponentially, resulting in the design and modification of a great number of devices to bring the experience of virtual environments (VE) to the user in ways only barely conceivable just two decades ago, for a variety of applications ranging from gaming to education to simulation-based training (SBT). Our study examines how the experience of being in one environment when one is physically situated in another (known as presence) is measured in current virtual reality interfaces against standard interface systems, both available as a conglomerate of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) devices. Statistical analyses will be conducted to determine the quality of the relationship between reported scores of immersive tendency – the affinity of an individual to become absorbed by a fictitious environment – and reported presence in the virtual environment. Individual immersive tendency will be measured with the Immersive Tendencies Questionnaire (ITQ) developed by Witmer & Singer (1998) and presence by the Temple Presence Inventory (TPI) developed by Lombard, Ditton, & Weinstein (2009). Results of this experiment will answer the following two research questions: “Is an individual’s presence in a virtual environment significantly increased via the use of the virtual reality interface as compared to a standard interface?” and, if a significant difference is found, “What is the quality of the relationship between one’s immersive tendency and the difference in presence scores between the interfaces?” The virtual environment to be used in this experiment is that of ARMA III, a commercial game created by the same developers of the Virtual Battlespace series commonly used in military-grade simulation-based training. This is to retain eternal validity of our experiment for the application of our research for military training and to enhance the significance of our experiment in virtual environments research. Furthermore, a Simulation Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) will be used to assess a baseline score of cyber-simulation sickness for use of this generation of combined commercial-off-the-shelf virtual reality interface systems. This study among future investigations with these VR systems will have a profound impact across the domains of training psychology, human factors, education, and human-computer integration