Spatial variation in soil inorganic nitrogen across an arid urban ecosystem

We explored variations in inorganic soil nitrogen (N) concentrations across metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, and the surrounding desert using a probability-based synoptic survey. Data were examined using spatial statistics on the entire region, as well as for the desert and urban sites separately. Concentrations of both NO₃-N and NH₄-N were markedly higher and more heterogeneous amongst urban compared to desert soils. Regional variation in soil NO₃-N concentration was best explained by latitude, land use history, population density, along with percent cover of impervious surfaces and lawn, whereas soil NH₄-N concentrations were related to only latitude and population density. Within the urban area, patterns in both soil NO₃-N and NH₄-N were best predicted by elevation, population density and type of irrigation in the surrounding neighborhood. Spatial autocorrelation of soil NO₃-N concentrations explained 49% of variation among desert sites but was absent between urban sites. We suggest that inorganic soil N concentrations are controlled by a number of ‘local’ or ‘neighborhood’ human-related drivers in the city, rather than factors related to an urban-rural gradient.     

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.     

Social innovation,an answer to contemporary societal challenges? Locating the concept in theory and practice

Social innovation discourses see in social challenges opportunities to make societies more sustainable and cohesive through inclusive practices, coproduction and pro-active grassroots initiatives. In this paper we are concerned first that the concept has been stretched in so many directions that it is at breaking point. We illustrate this by documenting the varied uses of social innovation in different academic and policy discourses. Second, we assume that, if social innovation is to be a useful concept for policy-makers, then it must tell us something about what adjustments are needed to develop an effective political economy that is social innovation ready. Finally, we argue that what is needed is more theoretical and empirical work to help social innovation to develop into an effective policy tool.     

Studying to Stay: Understanding Graduate Visa Policy Content and Context in the United States and Australia

As the global mobility of students has continued to grow, many of those who obtain their degrees abroad are seeking opportunities to stay in the countries where they received their education. Responding to these trends, several host countries have devised visa schemes to enable international graduates to remain in the country and work after graduation. Using a summative content analysis approach, this article provides an analysis of the content of the Optional Practical Training and Temporary Graduate Visa programmes situated within the economic, political and social contexts of the United States and Australia respectively. Graduation from a domestic institution is the core requirement of these programmes, directly implicating higher education in immigration issues and placing higher education institutions at the border of the state. As such, we must consider HEIs not only as a temporary home for globally mobile student sojourners but as the starting point for transnational talent on complex migration journeys.     

Approaches to the study of urban ecosystems: The case of Central Arizona—Phoenix

CAP LTER focuses on an arid-land ecosystem profoundly influenced, even defined, by the presence and activities of humans and is one of only two LTER sites that specifically studies the ecology of an urban system. In this large-scale project, biological, physical, and social scientists are working together to study the structure and function of the urban ecosystem, to assess the effects of urban development on surrounding agricultural and desert lands, and to study the relationship and feedbacks between human decisions and ecological processes.Our interdisciplinary investigations into the relationship between land-use decisions and ecological consequences in the rapidly growing urban environment of Phoenix are of broad relevance for the study of social ecological systems and cites in particular. Refinements in our conceptual model of social ecological systems focuses our attention on recognizing the scales and periodicities of ecological and human phenomena, understanding the means and impacts of human control of variability in space and time, and finally an evaluation of the resilience of various aspects of socio-ecological systems especially their vulnerabilities and their potential for adaptive learning.     

Planning in a free market economy

This paper is based on a research study project on Premises and Process of Introducing Strategic Planning in a Company. It presents and discusses some major findings of the study concerning the content of strategic decisions, the elements of a planning system, the process of introducing strategic planning and the impact of environmental conditions upon the strategic planning system.     

Podiatrists in a Weberian Spirit: Medical Care Specialists Seeking Full Professional Status and Recognition

Abstract

This paper examines the extent to which teaching strategies provide socialization experiences to young women that foster the skills needed to promote their early careers. The study is guided by literature on formal social relations in schools and workplaces. Data from three methods are examined: classroom observations of female students preparing for work, personal interviews with the students and discussions with their teachers, and a mail survey of their employers. Noncollege women who can demonstrate to employers that they can successfully manage workplace rules and regulations are more likely to be rated as successful at work and obtain available promotions than are their peers without these skills. However, the work organizations they enter provide little formal access to power, and teachers do not socialize all female students for work in ways that will help them be successful in situations involving employers and clients. Further research clearly is needed on how success in work settings is influenced by the type of organizational skills acquired in formal settings such as schools. Particular attention should be paid to the preparation of women and other socially disadvantaged groups.     

Rape,storytelling and social media: how Twitter interrupted the news media’s ability to construct collective memory

Abstract

This study, using the Mary Kay LeTourneau interview on ABC’s 20/20 television program, investigates how social media coupled with citizens’ voices interact with mainstream media in the telling of a story and the construction of collective memory. Grounded in discourse analysis, this research examines the 20/20 story and accompanying Twitter conversations to understand how dominant and feminist ideologies about gender, rape, sexual violence, sexuality, and love are presented and (re)articulated in these texts. In doing so, this study considers how a newly opened public sphere via social media may have the capabilities to influence our collective memories and remove some of this long-held power away from traditional mainstream media.