The Future of Nuclear Power: Value Orientations and Risk Perception

Since the turn of the 21st century, there has been a revival of interest in nuclear power. Two decades ago, the expansion of nuclear power in the United States was halted by widespread public opposition as well as rising costs and less than projected increases in demand for electricity. Can the renewed enthusiasm for nuclear power overcome its history of public resistance that has persisted for decades? We propose that attitudes toward nuclear power are a function of perceived risk, and that both attitudes and risk perceptions are a function of values, beliefs, and trust in the institutions that influence nuclear policy. Applying structural equation models to data from a U.S. national survey, we find that increased trust in the nuclear governance institutions reduces perceived risk of nuclear power and together higher trust and lower risk perceptions predict positive attitudes toward nuclear power. Trust in environmental institutions and perceived risks from global environmental problems do not predict attitudes toward nuclear power. Values do predict attitudes: individuals with traditional values have greater support for, while those with altruistic values have greater opposition to, nuclear power. Nuclear attitudes do not vary by gender, age, education, income, or political orientation, though nonwhites are more supportive than whites. These findings are consistent with, and provide an explanation for, a long series of public opinion polls showing public ambivalence toward nuclear power that persists even in the face of renewed interest for nuclear power in policy circles.     

A COMPUTER SIMULATION MODEL OF AN INDUSTRIAL WORK GROUP

The paper illustrates the desirability and feasibility of the computer simulation technique in socio-psychological research. A computer simulation model of a five-man industrial work group is constructed. After the model has successfully passed a two stage validation procedure, an experimentation phase is conducted. In a 2 times 3 replicated factorial experiment, five years of simulated weekly data is used to test several hypotheses which relate the independent variables–supervisory style and worker interpersonal orientation–to productivity, worker job satisfaction and group cohesiveness. The hypotheses were derived from the findings of prior short-lived laboratory and field research. The study indicates that the computer simulation approach is a valuable adjunct to the classical organizational research techniques.     

Dating and Sexual Behavior Among Single Parents of Young Children in the United States

Theory and research on partnered parents suggests trade-offs between parenting and sexuality, with those trade-offs most pronounced among mothers of young children. However, little research has focused on how a growing demographic of single parents negotiates dating and sexual activity. The current study drew upon a 2012 nationally representative sample of 5,481 single Americans 21 years of age and older, of whom 4.3% were parents of a child age five or younger. Dependent variables were sexual thoughts, frequency of sexual activity, number of sexual partners in the past year, dates during the previous three months, and whether one was actively seeking a relationship partner. Covariates included parental age, sex/gender, sexual orientation, education, and income. Using the entire sample of singles, we found no main effects of number (0, 1, 2+) of children aged five years and younger or number of children aged two years and younger on dating and sexual behavior variables. Next, using analyses restricted to single parents (n = 2,121), we found that single parents with a child aged five years or younger, adjusting for covariates, reported greater frequency of sexual activity and first dates but no differences in other outcomes compared with single parents of older children.     

舍勒的质料价值伦理与文化范式现象学

舍勒及其追随者哈特曼提出了质料价值伦理学说.该理论立足于现象学对西方伦理的形式主义、功利主义进行了深刻批判,主张对德性之立足根基的价值本身进行探察.价值的认知与价值的功能化滞后于价值洞见,而正是后者为前者提供了内容,或"质料".价值洞见从根本上发端于情感的家园--心灵,这一过程可以通过情感现象学得到理解.立足于情感现象学,舍勒提出了不同文化背景的人能够探察异质文化价值之根基,从而同情、容忍直至接受异己文化范式,最终实现世界文化与文明的"谐调".舍勒的思想能够在佛教学说中得到回应.     

Empirical Analysis of the Effects of Cyber Security Incidents

We analyze the time series associated with web traffic for a representative set of online businesses that have suffered widely reported cyber security incidents. Our working hypothesis is that cyber security incidents may prompt (security conscious) online customers to opt out and conduct their business elsewhere or, at the very least, to refrain from accessing online services. For companies relying almost exclusively on online channels, this presents an important business risk. We test for structural changes in these time series that may have been caused by these cyber security incidents. Our results consistently indicate that cyber security incidents do not affect the structure of web traffic for the set of online businesses studied. We discuss various public policy considerations stemming from our analysis.     

The Psychological Well‐Being of Unaccompanied Minors: A Longitudinal Study of Adolescents Immigrating From Russia and Ukraine to Israel Without Parents

This paper examines the psychological well‐being of high school adolescents immigrating from Russia and Ukraine to Israel without parents. Data were collected in a 3‐year longitudinal study that covered the premigration through postmigration periods. Immigrant adolescents were compared with nonemigrating adolescents in Russia and Ukraine. Psychological well‐being of immigrants was highest in the premigration period. During the process of immigration, general self‐esteem, body image, social competence, school competence, and loneliness followed a U‐curve: they declined in the 1st year after immigration and improved in the 3rd year after immigration. Emotional and behavioral problems of immigrants increased in the 1st year after immigration and did not change in subsequent years. At the end of the 3‐year period, self‐esteem exceeded the premigration level, emotional and behavioral problems and loneliness remained below the premigration level, while body image, social competence, and school competence returned to the premigration level. Throughout the entire immigration period, the psychological well‐being of immigrants was higher than that of nonemigrating adolescents. Premigration psychological well‐being as well as perceived social conditions in the host country (discrimination and social support) predicted postmigration psychological well‐being. The results obtained are discussed in light of the stress‐coping model of immigration and ecological systems theory.     

HIV seroprevalence and risk behaviors among clients attending tuberculosis clinics in Miami-Dade County,Florida, 1989–1996

Miami-Dade County is a major HIV epicenter and a port of entry for immigrants from nations with high endemic rates of tuberculosis (TB). We analyzed data from an unlinked (blinded) serosurvey of clients attending four Miami TB clinics to elucidate the dynamic HIV seroprevalence patterns in relation to demographics and risk behaviors. Data were analyzed from 3,107 consecutive TB patients at four TB treatment clinics over eight years. Overall HIV seroprevalence was 23.6% with a significantly higher infection rate for men (26.6%) compared to women (17.3%) (p < 0.0001). In rank order, the HIV infection rates were 30.3% for black non-Hispanics, 24.7% for white non-Hispanics and 14.2% for Hispanics. U.S.-born clients had significantly higher HIV rates compared with foreign-born clients (32.4% vs. 18.5%, p < 0.0001). HIV rates declined over six years from (32.5% to 15.9%, p < 0.0001) with significant trends observed for men and women; and for blacks, whites and Hispanics. Seroprevalence was 15.7% for clients identifying heterosexual contact as their only risk. Highly significant increases in seroprevalence above this heterosexual-contact-only `baseline', were found for clients disclosing the following high-risk behaviors: male-to-male sex, drug injection, smoking crack cocaine, receiving or giving money/drugs for sex, and sexual contact with a drug injector or HIV-infected partner. While highly significant elevations in HIV seroprevalence were associated with each of these definitive risk behaviors, even the baseline HIV infection rate of 15.7% in heterosexual-contact-only clients was markedly higher than that of the general population. These findings underscore the need to obtain routine HIV serology on all TB patients.     

Habitat rehabilitation in urban waterways: the ecological potential of bank protection structures for benthic invertebrates

Compensating for the adverse ecological impacts of waterway development and improving their ecological functioning to achieve good ecological potential (GEP) have become mandatory within the European Union (EU). The technical rehabilitation measures presented here aim to functionally minimize the hydraulic impacts of navigation on aquatic biota in highly urbanized waterways. Their ecological functioning and potential to enhance biodiversity locally was assessed by comparing their macro-invertebrate community composition with nearby non-restored sites. Rehabilitation led to lower hydraulic impact on the littoral zone, which in turn led to the presence of otherwise missing macrophytes and the occurrence of organic mud habitats colonized by invertebrates typically rare in urban waterways. While the control sites were dominated by few, mostly invasive taxa in vast numbers, the rehabilitated sites exhibited a highly diverse community with 22 protected mollusc and insect taxa typically found in the oxbow communities of natural rivers. This major improvement was however not detected using the core metrics of the legally required national assessment tools of the EU Water Framework Directive. Overall results proved the success of this type of rehabilitation measure with respect to improving biodiversity, but they also showed the limiting and key factors influencing the macro-invertebrate communities of highly deteriorated urban waterways. Indeed, future implementations of this type of rehabilitation measure should consider spatial extent, water exchange rates, temporal succession of vegetation and adaptive management to improve its ecological functioning.     

Examining the Benefits of Intergenerational Volunteering in Long-Term Care: A Review of the Literature

This review examines the benefits of intergenerational interactions between youth volunteers and residents of long-term care homes. Five articles met the criteria for review. Benefits for youth included developing new communication and career-related skills, improved attitudes toward older adults, and the development of meaningful relationships and friendships. Benefits for residents were engagement in activities with the students, enhanced well-being and, for residents with aphasia, improved communication abilities. Further research is needed to evaluate the impact of intergenerational volunteer programs, especially for secondary students as volunteers.