El vínculo entre conductas prosociales (de donación) y la cohesión social

A controlled experiment establishes that differences in relational proximity can evoke or suppress a willingness to give to an unrelated cause. Four treatment groups underwent the same set of exercises but two in a closer relational environment and two in a more distant relational environment. Half of the subjects in each relational environment further received an unannounced doubling of pay. On exit, all participants had the option to give to charity. The experiment showed that the charitable giving was driven by relational factors, not by pay. We can learn that prosocial (pro-giving) inclinations interact with the wider social environment, and that these complex relational parameters may be evaluated by easy-to-measure giving patterns.Mediante un experimento controlado se establece que las diferencias en proximidad relacional puede evocar o suprimir una disposición a dar a una causa sin relación. Cuatro grupos de tratamiento se sometieron al mismo conjunto de ejercicios, pero dos en un ambiente relacional más cercano y dos en un entorno relacional más distante. La mitad de los sujetos en cada ambiente relacional recibió un doble pago sin previo aviso. De salida, todos los participantes tuvieron la opción de dar a la caridad. El experimento mostró que la donación caritativa estuvo guiada por factores relacionales y no por el pago. Podemos aprender que las inclinaciones pro-sociales (pro-donación) interactúan con el ambiente social más amplio, y que estos complejos parámetros relacionales pudieran ser evaluados por patrones de donaciones fáciles de medir

Modeling and analysis methodology for aeroelastically tailored chordwise deformable wings

Structural concepts have been created which produce chordwise camber deformation that results in enhanced lift. A wing box can be tailored to utilize each of these with composites. In attempting to optimize the aerodynamic benefits, we have found there are two optimal designs that are of interest. There is a weight optimum which corresponds to the maximum lift per unit structural weight. There is also a lift optimum that corresponds to maximum absolute lift. New structural models, the basic deformation mechanisms that are utilized and typical analytical results are presented. It appears that lift enhancements of sufficient magnitude can be produced to render this type of wing tailoring of practical interest. Experiments and finite element correlations are performed which confirm the validity of the theoretical models utilized

Tailored composite wings with elastically produced chordwise camber

Four structural concepts were created which produce chordwise camber deformation that results in enhanced lift. A wing box can be tailored to utilize each of these with composites. In attempting to optimize the aerodynamic benefits, researchers found that there are two optimum designs that are of interest. There is a weight optimum which corresponds to the maximum lift per unit structural weight. There is also a lift optimum that corresponds to maximum absolute lift. Experience indicates that a large weight penalty accompanies the transition from weight to lift optimum designs. New structural models, the basic deformation mechanisms that are utilized, and typical analytical results are presented. It appears that lift enhancements of sufficient magnitude can be produced to render this type of wing tailoring of practical interest

Realitätskonstruktion in Online-Medien von Qualitätszeitungen

Diese wissenschaftliche Arbeit beleuchtet Realitätskonstruktion in Online-Medien von Qualitätszeitungen vor einem kommunikationswissenschaftlichen Hintergrund. Im Zentrum des Forschungsinteresses steht die Frage nach dem Beitrag zur subjektiven Realitätskonstruktion von abstrakten, politischen Begriffen den diese Online-Medien für ihre Rezipienten leisten. Die subjektive Erfahrbarkeit des Begriffes „Bulgarien“, die subjektive Verarbeitung von vermittelten Informations-Inhalten und die massenmediale Vermittelbarkeit sowie tatsächliche Vermittlung in hochkomplexen Kommunikations-Systemen werden an einigen der wichtigsten kommunikationswissenschaftlichen Theorien diskutiert, wie dem Agenda-Setting-Ansatz oder der Nachrichtenwert-Theorie. Am Beispiel der Berichterstattung vor dem Beginn der Beitrittsverhandlungen zur Europäischen Union wurden Online-Medien von Qualitätszeitungen aus Österreich, dem EU-Raum, aus dem sonstigen Europa und aus den USA innerhalb von ca. 2 Monaten täglich nach Stichworten-Varianten zu „Bulgarien“ abgefragt. Die aggregierten Daten wurden mit einer quantitativen Inhaltsanalyse empirisch ausgewertet. In der Hypothesen-Überprüfung werden u.a. Erkenntnisse zum Umfang, zur Diversifikation und zu den wichtigsten Themen der Berichterstattung über Bulgarien präsentiert und mögliche intervenierende Variablen diskutiert

The link between ‘giving’ behaviours and a healthy social environment

This thesis explores the role of prosocial considerations in society. It suggests that a willingness to take other persons into consideration in one’s resource allocation decisions is an essential element of social cohesion which, in the civic sector, is manifest in giving. An inclination to give is influenced by one’s wider social environment (norms, pressures and incentives) and also by one’s own values and attitudes, which sometimes motivate a person to act for the good or bad of others independently of her social environment. The combination of these factors drives prosocial behaviours like giving to positively impact the wider social environment and the prosocial inclinations of others. The altered social environment then feeds back to the prosocial motivation of the individual. This response and counter-response as people interact determines whether social cohesion expands or contracts over time. Giving behaviours then comprise one, easy-to-measure flow from a highly complex social stock. By monitoring giving behaviours we gain insight into civic sector pro-sociality and the way that the civic sector is contributing to social cohesion. Civic sector cohesion is valuable, and thus I find that giving is associated with a host of better welfare outcomes: improved life-satisfaction, improved trust, improved incomes, improved neighbourhood ratings, improved sense of security and reduced crime and deprivation: In some ways, giving interacts with these factors on a scale comparable to the big social drivers like education, health and wealth, and predicts welfare outcomes better than incomes can. I find that giving within one’s close social circle and giving outside of it both have their own significance. By monitoring giving behaviours then, governments and development agents gain insight into a community’s social strengths and weaknesses, and the way that their interventions are influencing these vital attributes. This provides them with a basis for policy evaluation and adjustment