Lower probability models for uncertainty and nondeterministic processes

An extension to the class of conventional numerical probability models for nondeterministic phenomena has been identified by Dempster and Shafer in the class of belief functions. We were originally stimulated by this work, but have since come to believe that the bewildering diversity of uncertainty and chance phenomena cannot be encompassed within either the conventional theory of probability, its relatively minor modifications (e.g., not requiring countable additivity), or the theory of belief functions. In consequence, we have been examining the properties of, and prospects for, the generalization of belief functions that is known as upper and lower, or interval-valued, probability. After commenting on what we deem to be problematic elements of common personalist/subjectivist/Bayesian positions that employ either finitely or countably additive probability to represent strength of belief and that are intended to be normative for rational behavior, we sketch some of the ways in which the set of lower envelopes, a subset of the set of lower probabilities that contains the belief functions, enables us to preserve the core of Bayesian reasoning while admitting a more realistic (e.g., in its reduced insistence upon an underlying precision in our beliefs) class of probability-like models. Particular advantages of lower envelopes are identified in the area of the aggregation of beliefs.

The focus of our own research is in the area of objective probabilistic reasoning about time series generated by physical or other empirical (e.g., societal) processes. As it is not the province of a general mathematical methodology such as probability theory to a priori rule out of existence empirical phenomena, we are concerned by the contraint imposed by conventional probability theory that an empirical process of bounded random variables that is believed to have a time- invariant generating mechanism must then exhibot long-run stable time averages. We have shown that lower probability models that allow for unstable time averages can only lie in the class of undominated lower probabilities, a subset of lower probability models disjoint from the lower envelopes and having the weakest relationship to conventional probability measures. Our research has been devoted to exploring and developing the theory of undominated lower probabilities so that it can be applied to model and understand nondeterministic phenomena, and we have also been interested in identifying actual physical processes (e.g., flicker noises) that exhibit behavior requiring such novel models.     

A Movement’s Legacy: Southern Echo and the Continued Struggle for Racial Justice in the Delta

Recent research has complicated popular understandings of the civil rights movement, calling into question its timeline, key players, and biggest victories. Scholars have highlighted the role of community organizing, arguing that capacity-building and leadership development were the movement’s real wins. Yet little research has examined how contemporary organizers view and use this history in their current work. Drawing upon interview and observational data from a qualitative case study, this article explores how one Delta organization, Southern Echo, responds to the movement of the 1950s and 1960s in its organizing today. We argue that Echo organizers and leaders see the civil rights movement as an ongoing struggle, and we show that Echo adopts a critical stance in analyzing past civil rights work; Echo’s structure and strategies are a direct response to this history. Our analysis offers a new, critical perspective to understandings of the civil rights movement.     

Sociological Perspectives on Japanese Manga in America

Japanese popular culture has, according to journalist Roland Kelts, “invaded” the United States in the 21st century, and in particular Japanese comics, known as manga, have successfully “conquered America,” according to Wired magazine. Within the publishing trade itself, the medium's cultural and commercial success became known as the “manga revolution” or the “manga boom.” Yet despite all of this excitable rhetoric, there has thus far been scant sociological research into the particularities of this emerging phenomenon, and what exists is widely dispersed across multiple humanities and social science disciplines. This essay therefore aims to unite this scattered literature and provide a comprehensive survey of sociological perspectives on Japanese manga in America. I identify and explore three main substantive trends in the scholarly discourse: (i) studies of gender and sexuality and the homoerotic manga genres known as boys' love or yaoi; (ii) intellectual property, copyright, and the global digital piracy of manga colloquially known as “scanlation”; and (iii) studies of cultural production and the political economy of the American manga industry. This essay concludes with a discussion of the limitations these perspectives have in common and suggests a more critical research program drawing upon an expanded theoretical toolkit.     

Team-Based Volunteerism with the Seriously Ill: A Qualitative Analysis from 10 Volunteers' Perspectives

Volunteers offer means through which social workers may extend their ability to support individuals with serious illnesses near the end of life. This study explored the experience of volunteers on teams organized initially as a grassroots movement in response to stigmatized and often socially isolated people with HIV/AIDS dying in the community. Volunteer care teams later expanded to individuals with other serious illnesses. This model spread as a means of meeting the growing need for practical support for seriously ill homebound individuals. Yet, little has been reported in the scientific literature about the interworkings of these teams and their optimal level of functioning. Qualitative inquiry, in the form of semi-structured interviews, explored perspectives of 10 volunteers with experience in volunteer team caring and identified the social processes that shaped their work. The volunteers discussed balance between positive life meaning gained from volunteer work, lessons learned, and negative aspects of a volunteer team approach to caring for the seriously ill in the community. Further investigation is warranted to validate the volunteer care team approach as a cost-effective tool to help seriously ill individuals and caregivers.     

The effect of earthworms on roadway-derived Zn deposited as a surface layer in storm water retention basin soils

Increased urban development, including an increase in impervious surfaces has the potential to alter the biogeochemistry of surface systems due to storm water runoff contaminated with potentially toxic trace metals (e.g. Zn, Cu and Pb). A major source for urban metals is dust that accumulates on roadways. This roadway dust is derived from vehicle wear sources and tends to be enriched in trace metals such as Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, Ni and Cr. This continuous source is then being transported via storm water runoff to receiving systems, such as storm water retention systems, which become important focusing environments for trace metal deposition. The fate of these roadway derived metals and their bioavailability once deposited in these urban ecosystems is not well understood. In this investigation we tested the hypothesis that the distribution and form of surface deposited roadway-derived Zn is a function of earthworm processes and is species dependent. The results of this investigation indicate that roadway dust derived Zn deposited as a surface layer on urban soils is readily removed from the surface in less than 30 days whether earthworms are present or not. However, after 90 days, the presence of earthworms and the life habit of the earthworm species present was found to have a significant impact on the physical and chemical cycling of roadway derived trace metals in storm water retention basin soils.     

Innovation and Development of Social Structure of Accumulation (SSA) Theory: A Discussion with Lü Shoujun

The social structure of accumulation (SSA) theory is one of the important schools of Western Marxist economics, but China’s theoretical circles do not fully understand its developmental path or its latest research findings. This is reflected in the comments about the SSA School in Lü Shoujun’s paper, “Grasping Intermediate-Level Analysis of Contemporary Capitalism: The Evolution of the French Regulation School’s Theoretical System.” We need to give a clearer explanation of the relation between SSA theory and the French Regulation School. In particular, we need to review the major innovations and developments in SSA theory in recent years, including its theoretical analysis of the 2008 financial crisis, of sustainable SSA (SSSA) theory, and of China SSA (CSSA) theory.     

Innovative activity in small businesses: Competitive context and organization level

The effect of market type and product technology on innovation was studied using data from 3800 employees in 88 small businesses. Results demonstrate that: (1) organizational context effects on innovative activity are significant at administrative and strategic levels, (2) organizational members in consumer markets initiate more innovations but implement fewer than organizational members in industrial markets, (3) members of service-providing organizations report less innovative activity than those in goods-producing organizations, and (4) operative level employees appear to play a small role in the innovation process.