An integrated model for conceptualising visual competence in scientific research and communication

Visual representation in both natural and social sciences is an important and growing area of research and an ever‐growing practice, given the rapidly developing visual imaging technologies. This article seeks to contribute to our understanding of the complex processes and decisions that go into producing and using visual representations as prime vehicles of knowledge building and dissemination. To that aim the author develops an integrated theoretical model for disclosing and interrelating the vast array of aspects in representational practices that affect the appearance and the uses that can be made of their visual end products. This knowledge will help towards developing scientific integrity and optimising expressive capabilities in scientific visual culture. In developing the model, explicit attention is paid to the diverse nature of referents in scientific research, the complex interplay across various types of ‘translation processes’ in arriving at legible and valid data, the imminent ambiguities and growing hybridity of visual representational methods and techniques, and the determining role of purpose and the urgent need to develop a more encompassing set of visual competencies among scholars.     

Frame Correction Modelling with Applications to the German Register‐Assisted Census 2011

Frame corrections have been studied in census applications for a long time. One very promising method is dual system estimation, which is based on capture–recapture models. These methods have been applied recently in the USA, England, Israel and Switzerland. In order to gain information on subgroups of the population, structure preserving estimators can be applied [i.e. structure preserving estimation (SPREE) and generalized SPREE]. The present paper extends the SPREE approach with an alternative distance function, the chi‐square. The new method has shown improved estimates in our application with very small domains. A comparative study based on a large‐scale Monte Carlo simulation elaborates on advantages and disadvantages of the estimators in the context of the German register‐assisted Census 2011.     

Nested patterns in urban butterfly species assemblages: respective roles of plot management,park layout and landscape features

Increasing numbers of cities are currently developing sustainable policies aimed at promoting urban biodiversity and ecological dynamics through the planning of green networks and the implementation of more sustainable management practices. These human activities can strongly influence environmental factors on which the organization of ecological communities at different scales depends. Thus, it is of fundamental importance to understand the relative impact of local management, green space design and landscape features on the distribution and the abundance of species in urban areas. On the basis of 2 years of butterfly surveys in urban public parks within an extensive Mediterranean metropolitan area, Marseille (South-East France), the aim of this paper is to provide a better understanding of the effect of these three environmental scales (plot, park, landscape) on the composition and organization of species assemblages. Using variation partitioning and nestedness analysis on ecological data aggregated at plot-level and park-level respectively, we demonstrate the preponderant effect of landscape scale features on urban butterfly assemblages. Our results also highlight an important co-variation of plot management, park layout and urban landscape features, in their interaction with the community structure of urban butterflies. Although there is no significant species-area relationship, significantly nested patterns arise in species composition. Selective colonization appears as a driving force constraining the constitution of species assemblages within the city. However, a prospective study on adjacent more natural areas suggests that biotic limitations, interspecific competition and habitat filtering may play an important role if a larger portion of the urbanization gradient is explored, which remains to be investigated.     

Labour Market Participation of French Women over the Life Cycle, 1935–1990

Employment histories with multiple spells and time varyingcovariates help identify determinants of labour markettransitions of women in France between 1935 and 1990. Higher educatedwomen were more likely to become inactive, but returned to work also moreeasily, especially when they added work experience. Being married,whether mother or not, induced a rearrangement of time betweenstaying at home and labour, in rendering exit from employment morelikely and return from inactivity to employment less likely. Exits from employment were lessfrequent for mothers of larger families, while return toemployment decreased with the total number of children, in spite of thegrowing financial needs of larger families. Transitions betweenemployment and inactivity increased with favourable economicconditions. However, involuntary exits from employment were moreprobable during economic downturns.     

Taking the visual turn in research and scholarly communication key issues in developing a more visually literate (social) science

This article identifies some major impediments on the road to more visually literate forms of research and scholarly communication and advances some ideas for improvement. These recommendations relate to each of the following issues: the indispensable awareness for the magnitude of types of visual representations and their distinct implications, the need for clarifying the role of aesthetics in a scientific discourse, the need for a more explicit visual methodology and theory, the crucial role of technology, the importance of staying tuned with our audiences, and of fostering a thoughtful eclecticism and interdisciplinary exchange.

Making progress in each of these domains will result in an improved “visual scientific literacy,” a term that could be used to denote a set of skills and attitudes which manifests itself as very proficient visual thinking and acting throughout the complete research process. More visually literate scholars will be able to take better advantage of visual reality as a field for research and of the growing supply of representational tools and techniques to make sense of it and to communicate about it in an appropriate manner.     

The Reshaping of Mexican Labor Exports under NAFTA: Paradoxes and Challenges

From the perspective of the political economy of development, this article analyzes the role played by Mexican labor in the U.S. productive restructuring process under the aegis of the North American Free Trade Agreement. By conceptualizing the labor export–led model it dissects three basic mechanisms of regional economic integration: maquiladoras, disguised maquilas, and labor migration. Not only does this analytical framework cast light on the contributions made by Mexican migrants to the economies of the United States and Mexico, it also reveals two paradoxes: the broadening of the socioeconomic asymmetries between the two countries, and increased socioeconomic dependence on remittances in Mexico.     

Local perceptions of socio-ecological drivers and effects of coastal armoring: the case of Moorea,French Polynesia

Population and Environment - This paper presents a transdisciplinary study focusing on the socio-ecological mechanisms at play in the alteration of Moorea’s (French Polynesia) coastline....     

Vertical and Horizontal Inequality in Ecuador: The Lack of Sustainability

We analyse the evolution of vertical and horizontal inequality in Ecuador in the long-run (1990–2016), as well as during and after the recent commodities boom (2005–2014). Using data from censuses, living standard measurement surveys, and employment surveys we show that Ecuador has made significant progress in reducing inequality, particularly since 2000. However, inequality has not decreased further since 2011. We argue that a key factor behind the reduction and ensuing stagnation of inequality is the dynamic of oil revenues, particularly regarding its effect on economic growth and on the financing of redistributive policies. Using the decomposition of the Gini coefficient by income source proposed by Lerman and Yitzhaki (Rev Econ Stat 67:151–156, 1985) we show that during the last decade there has been a shift away from market sources towards sources of income derived from government expenditures. Following the end of the commodities boom, this process is no longer sustainable. Indeed, we show that the underlying causes that led to the change in the sources of income started long before the end of the boom. The temporary shock following the 2008 financial crisis already affected the structure of Ecuador’s public finances and its current account. And, since around 2011, its institutions and labour market indicators have also deteriorated. We conclude that sustainable inequality reductions require improving the current institutions.

     

The Immediate Effects of Changes in Life Circumstances on Volunteering Decisions in the USA

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations - This study tests how changes in social background (homeownership status and employment status) and changes in household...