External Constraints Research Articles

Health care workers’ self-perceived meaning of residential care work

BackgroundAttracting and supporting a sustainable long-term care (LTC) workforce has been a persistent social policy challenge across the globe. To better attract and retain a sustainable LTC workforce, it is necessary to adopt a unified concept of worker well-being. Meaning of work is an important psychological resource that buffers the negative impacts of adverse working conditions on workers’ motivation, satisfaction, and turnover intention. The aim of this study was to explore the positive meaning of care work with older people and its implications for health care workers’ job satisfaction and motivation to work in the LTC sector.MethodsThis study adopted a qualitative descriptive design that pays particular attention to health care workers; such as nurses, personal care workers; as active agents of the meaning making and reframing of care work in LTC communities in a East Asia city. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirty health care workers in LTC communities in Hong Kong. Thematic analysis was employed for data analysis.ResultsThe research findings indicate that while health care workers perform demanding care work and experience external constraints, they actively construct positive meanings of care work with older people as a helping career that enables them to facilitate the comfortable aging of older people, build affectional relationships, achieve professional identity, and gain job security.ConclusionsThis qualitative study explores how health care workers negotiate the positive meaning of older people care work and the implications of meaningful work for workers’ job satisfaction and motivation to work in the LTC sector. The importance of a culturally sensitive perspective in researching and developing social policy intervention are suggested.

Effects of different loading on the bifurcation of annular elastic rods: Theory vs. experiments

The bifurcation problem of a circular Euler–Bernoulli rod subject to a uniform radial force distribution is investigated under three distinct loading conditions: (i.) hydrostatic pressure, (ii.) centrally-directed, and (iii.) dead load. Previous studies on this apparently ‘familiar’ structural problem have yielded controversial results, necessitating a comprehensive clarification. This study shows that results previously labelled as ‘correct’ or ‘wrong’ simply refer to different external constraints, whose presence becomes necessary only for the two latter loads, (ii.) and (iii.). Moreover, the paper presents the first experimental realization of a circular rod subjected to centrally-directed loads. The experimental findings align with the theoretical predictions and show the exploitation of a new type of load acting on a continuous structural element. The feasibility of this load is demonstrated through the use of inextensible cables and opens the way to applications in flexible robotics when cables are used for actuation.

New energy policy and green technology innovation of new energy enterprises: Evidence from China

The New Energy Demonstration City Policy (NEDCP) is a green development strategy with Chinese characteristics, while new energy enterprises (NEEs) are micro-foundations for quick energy transition to new energy resources. A difference-in-difference-in-differences (DDD) model and green patent application data for A-share listed NEEs in Shanghai and Shenzhen from 2011 to 2019 are used to investigate the effect of NEDCP on the green technology innovation (GTI) of NEEs. We find that the NEDCP can significantly increase the GTI of NEEs. This promotional effect is mainly manifested in green invention patents, which include energy-saving and alternative energy patents. The NEDCP increases the GTI of non-state-owned companies and companies in regions focusing on the development of photovoltaic and biomass energy industries. The NEDCP promotes the GTI of NEEs by alleviating external financing constraints, strengthening internal incentives, and creating a favorable market environment. These findings are important for China to strengthen the GTI ability of enterprises through new energy policies, and can provide references for other developing economies.

Analysis on Influencing Factors of Innovation Behavior of Specialized and New Enterprise Small and Micro Enterprises

As China continues to strengthen the cultivation of specialized and ultra-new small and micro enterprises, and promote the development of related enterprises in China's basic industries, now "specialization and innovation" enterprises have become a new power to enhance the industrial chain power and high-quality development pattern. However, the development of all kinds of "little giant" enterprises is still in the middle and low end of the industrial chain, the core creativity is still very lacking, and it is easy to be eliminated and replaced in the fierce competition of existing technology and innovation. In this regard, from the perspective of "innovation", this paper will use Probit model to empirically analyze the internal and external factors and constraints that affect the innovation behavior of small and medium-sized enterprises, among which government subsidies and human capital cultivation have significant negative and positive effects on enterprise innovation respectively. At the end of the paper, we try to find a way to solve the core problem of "innovation difficulty" of small, medium and micro enterprises under the background of "specialization and innovation" from multiple perspectives.

Pivotal power of small states to save the international liberal economic order: the case from East Asia

Small- and medium-sized states acquire significant influence when regional and global orders are in flux, as in times of power transition. We have observed such dynamics especially since the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, when the competition between two superpowers of the United States (US) and China has intensified in such a way that it affects the soundness of the liberal international economic order (LIEO). These smaller states have become influential in the institutionalization of regional political and economic orders when conditions are right. We argue that the following three aspects of a small state’s attributes influence heavily in shaping their proactive approach to LIEO. The first is its economic structure that shapes its motivation. The second is its polity type that defines internal constraints. The third and final component is its international status that imposes external constraints. This study examines trade policies taken by Vietnam, Indonesia, and South Korea from the 2010s and onward and compares their respective approaches and their impacts on economic order-building in East Asia and beyond.

Art as source of human freedom

The object of research is art and freedom. The subject of the research is art as a manifestation of free will of a person reforming his inner world and freedom as an opportunity for unhindered internal self-determination of a person in the fulfillment of certain goals and objectives; as a process of self-determination of a personality that has passed through the stages of socialization; as a way of human existence associated not only with the renewal and transformation of the external world, with the objectification of everything in it, the diversity and richness of reality, but also with the simultaneous transformation of the human spiritual world. The article attempts to prove, that there is a connection between the social and the individual: the individual cannot exist without the social, since the development and formation of a person takes place under the influence of society. The author came to the conclusion, that creativity is a manifestation of universal freedom, it asserts the value of individuality and is the highest form of intensive development of the psychointellectual level of a person. Freedom manifests itself in creativity and in the ability to realize one's aspirations, thoughts, feelings, desires that an individual is unable to realize in any other way. As a result of his creativity, a person reveals the depth of his spiritual quest, realizes his "I" regardless of whether there are external constraints. The worldview of the creator differs from the existing existence of an individual, and in creativity a person reveals his individual worldview. The creative perception of the world manifests itself in a rethinking of human relations, history, culture, the possibility of being an interpreter, an interpreter of reality.

Predefined-Time Platoon Control of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with Range-Limited Communication

In this paper, the predefined-time platoon control for multiple uncertain unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) under range-limited communication and external disturbance constraints is considered. A novel control scheme, which can guarantee communication connectivity, collision avoidance, and the predefined convergence time simultaneously, is proposed. To achieve disturbance robustness, an observer-based distributed control law is firstly proposed with a time-varying gain. Then, a radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) with an adaptive tuning law is applied to approximate uncertainties of the system. Under the time and error transformation techniques, uniformly ultimate boundedness (UUB) stability of the closed-loop system is guaranteed within predefined convergence time. Compared with the existing results, the proposed method allows the system to have UUB within any predefined time without depending on the initial conditions or system parameters. Finally, simulation results are presented to verify the derived theorem.

Impacts of government ESG policies on corporate green innovation

This paper takes the A-share listed companies from 2014 to 2022 as the research object to explore the impact of China's standardized ESG information disclosure policy on corporate green innovation. The study found that in 2018, the Chinese government's ESG information disclosure policy significantly improved the quality and quantity of corporate green patent innovation. This paper believes that this policy has produced a significant ESG practice strengthening effect, research and development expenditure confirmation effect, and expanded financing channel effect, that is, after the policy implementation, the corporate ESG score and environmental score have increased, the capitalization ratio of R&D expenditure has increased, and external financing constraints have weakened. Our research provides empirical evidence for promoting corporate green transformation through government-standardized ESG information disclosure.

Does state capital equity affect ESG performance of private firms?—based on the perspective of sustainable development of Chinese enterprises

Along with the intensification of global ecological problems, corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues have attracted extensive attention from the investment community, and solving these issues is crucial for sustainable development. However, little is known about the research on equity structure reform on corporate ESG performance, especially state-owned capital on private firms' ESG performance. To this end, we utilize the panel data of 1,589 privately listed firms in China from 2013 to 2021 to explore the impact of state-owned capital on the ESG performance of private firms. The findings suggest that state-owned capital significantly improves the ESG performance of private firms. In addition, the results of mechanism analysis indicate that state-owned capital stimulates ESG performance through the dual path of improving the mitigation of external financial constraint problems and internal control environment problems. We also find that firms' external environmental shocks enhance the extent to which state capital injection into private firms enhances ESG performance, and these external environmental shocks include the strength of environmental regulation in the region, whether the firms' attribute is that of heavily polluting industries, and the strength of external media attention. In summary, our findings support the conjecture that state capital injection into private firms will be followed by enhanced ESG performance, and the external environment is a factor that influences this process. Our study may provide lessons for the sustainable development of private firms and dig deeper into the internal root causes and external shock factors.

Towards autistic flow theory: A non‐pathologising conceptual approach

AbstractFlow states are heightened moments of concentration, motivation and enjoyment, leading to total absorption in the present moment. A striking parallel exists between flow states and phenomenological accounts of autistic daily life. We analyse the components of flow theory alongside autistic autobiographical accounts to explore similarities and differences, in doing so moving toward an understanding of autistic flow theory. We highlight the considerations and opportunities this may hold for future autism research, in particular the advantage that this offers a non‐pathologising approach to researching autism, one which helps to explain contextualised behaviour (i.e., alignment between the situation and what is happening in one's mind). Drawing on autistic autobiographical accounts, we outline four principles: (1) autistic people are uniquely placed to discover and manage flow; (2) autistic flow may qualitatively diverge from traditional models of flow; (3) difficulties maintaining and exiting flow for autistic people highlight a need to examine transitions into and out of flow; and, (4) internal and external constraints to flow highlight there is unrealised autistic potential yet to be discovered. The implications of an autistic flow theory are discussed in terms of how it can impact (a) our conceptual understanding of autism providing alternative explanations to previously researched phenomena, and (b) how we build enabling environments for autistic people that allow flow to flourish across educational practice, wellbeing and research contexts.

The Effectiveness of Patrol Implementation by the Padang Police Traffic Unit in Combating Wild Racing

One of the efforts made to prevent Kamtibmas disturbances by the Police is to conduct patrols, which are regulated in the Regulation of the Head of the Security Maintenance Agency of the National Police of the Republic of Indonesia Number 1 of 2017 concerning Patrols. This is important because it is an essential need for everyone in various aspects of life, and is free from all worries, threats, disturbances of kamtibmas. One of the triggers for kamtibmas disturbances is the wild racing action that occurred in Padang City. Research is descriptive analytical with a normative juridical approach supported by an empirical juridical approach. Based on the results of research and analysis obtained first, the effectiveness of the implementation of patrols by the Padang Police Traffic Unit in tackling wild racing has not been maximally proven until now there are still wild racing actions at several road points in Padang City. In addition, the actions of the Police only use repressive measures, namely fines based on traffic violations. Second, the obstacles encountered in the implementation of patrols by the Padang Police Traffic Unit in tackling wild racing include internal obstacles , namely the absence of a Special Unit that handles wild racing actions so that it is limited to control and disbandment, as well as the lack of personnel of the Padang Police Station considering the large number of illegal racing actors who often move around in holding wild racing actions. External constraints are the absence of integrated cameras with traffic units at road points that are used as wild racing actions so that patrols must still be carried out directly to areas prone to wild racing and betting culture among people who love speed racing and the absence of special facilities and places or racing arenas in Padang City.

The impact of corporate financialization on the export scale of the film industry—Evidence from China

Based on the data of listed companies from 2010 to 2022, this paper analyzes the impact of corporate financialization on the export scale of the film industry. The results show that the financialization behavior of enterprises has a positive impact on the export scale of the film industry. Monetary policy moderates the impact of corporate financialization on corporate financing constraints. Under the loose monetary policy, the promotion effect of short-term financialization behavior on the internal financing capacity of enterprises is enhanced, and the negative effect of long-term financialization behavior on the external financing constraints of enterprises is alleviated.

Hidden systems in primary care cancer detection: an embedded qualitative intervention development study.

UK cancer mortality is worse than in many other high-income countries, partly because of diagnostic delays in primary care. To understand beliefs and behaviours of GPs, and systems of general practice teams, to inform the Think Cancer! intervention development. An embedded qualitative study guided by behaviour change models (COM-B [Capability, Opportunity, Motivation - Behaviour] and theoretical domains framework [TDF]) in primary care in Wales, UK. Twenty qualitative, semi-structured telephone interviews with GPs were undertaken and four face-to-face focus groups held with practice teams. Framework analysis was used and results were mapped to multiple, overlapping components of COM-B and TDF. Three themes illustrate complex, multilevel referral considerations facing GPs and practice teams; external influences and constraints; and the role of practice systems and culture. Tensions emerged between individual considerations of GPs (Capability and Motivation) and context-dependent external pressures (Opportunity). Detecting cancer was guided not only by external requirements, but also by motivational factors GPs described as part of their cancer diagnostics process. External influences on the diagnosis process often resulted from the primary-secondary care interface and social pressures. GPs adapted their behaviour to deal with this disconnect. Positive practice culture and supportive practice-based systems ameliorated these tensions and complexity. By exploring individual GP behaviours together with practice systems and culture we contribute new understanding about how cancer diagnosis operates in primary care and how delays can be improved. We highlight commonly overlooked dynamics and tensions that are experienced by GPs as a tension between individual decision making (Capability and Motivation) and external considerations, such as pressures in secondary care (Opportunity).

Supervisory Performance Approach in Improving the Professional Competence of Islamic Religious Education Teachers in Madrasah Aliyah, Gorontalo Province, Indonesia

Purpose: This research aims to investigate Islamic Education supervisors' performance in enhancing teachers' professionalism in Madrasah Aliyah in the Gorontalo Province. Methods: Employing a qualitative approach, this descriptive-analytic study involves 72 teachers and 8 supervisors from 32 Madrasah Aliyah. Primary data are gathered through interviews, observations, and questionnaires, while secondary data are derived from official documents related to education in the region. Using the Interactive analysis model, the results indicate a significant improvement in the supervisors' performance, characterized by a harmonious, cooperative, and partnership-oriented approach with teachers. Result and Conclusion: The result of studies are that the performance of supervisors of Islamic Religious Education at Madrasah Aliyah in Gorontalo Province has experienced a significant increase. The supervision carried out is harmonious, cooperative, and prioritizes the concept of partnership with teachers. Supervisors not only act as superiors, but also as creative partners in providing guidance to teachers. An open attitude towards criticism and recognition of one's own shortcomings is a characteristic of the supervision approach carried out. The supervisory measures implemented to improve the professional competence of Islamic Religious Education teachers cover a number of aspects. Alignment of vision, mission and perception of implementation of supervision and Islamic religious education is the main focus. Creating a conducive work environment, building cooperation, guiding personnel, and increasing mutual commitment are also strategic steps in efforts to improve the quality of education. However, there are several internal and external obstacles that affect supervisory performance. Internal obstacles involve the awareness and responsibility of supervisors, professional abilities in supervision, and religious motivation which is still uneven. Meanwhile, external constraints involve teachers' attitudes towards supervision, differences in seniority, and welfare conditions that influence teaching performance. Supervisory facilities and infrastructure, unsupportive means of transportation, and lack of communication between parties are also inhibiting factors. Thus, it is necessary to take corrective steps and strategic planning to overcome these obstacles in order to increase the effectiveness of supervision and increase the professional competence of Islamic Religious Education teachers at Madrasah Aliyah in Gorontalo Province. Research Implications: The implications of this research underscore the need for improvement strategies and planning to enhance the effectiveness of Islamic Education supervision and the professionalism of teachers in Madrasah Aliyah in the Gorontalo Province. Originality/ Value: The results indicate a significant improvement in the supervisors' performance, characterized by a harmonious, cooperative, and partnership-oriented approach with teachers. Supervisory measures involve aligning visions and missions, creating a conducive working environment, building collaboration, and enhancing collective commitment. Internal and external constraints are identified as inhibiting factors that require remediation.

Robust distributed Nash equilibrium seeking for high-order systems with disturbances and coupling constraints

The objective of this article is to tackle the problem of distributed searching for generalized Nash equilibrium (GNE) for high-order multi-agent systems (MASs) that are subject to external disturbances and coupling constraints. To address disturbances and linear equality constraints while ensuring that high-order agents achieve the task of seeking a GNE, a novel approach has been developed that utilizes gradient descent algorithms, extended state observers, and state feedback control. By utilizing the proposed algorithm, the agents' behavior will ultimately converge to a small range around the GNE points. The proposed algorithm's effectiveness is validated through two numerical simulations.

Free vibration analysis of laminated anisotropic doubly-curved shell structures reinforced with three-phase polymer/CNT/fiber material

The present work investigates the vibrational response of laminated anisotropic doubly-curved shell structures reinforced with Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) short fibers. The fundamental equations are derived from a curvilinear reference system of principal coordinates, employing the Equivalent Single Layer (ESL) methodology. Furthermore, a general variation in laminate thickness is considered. The unknown field variable is described using higher order theories through the unified formulation, taking into account a general interpolation of the unknown variables with Lagrange polynomials across the physical domain. The Hamiltonian Principle is adopted for the derivation of the dynamic equilibrium equations, which arediscretized numerically by using the Generalized Differential Quadrature (GDQ) method. In addition, an efficient isogeometric NURBS-based mapping is adopted for the distortion of the physical domain. The boundary conditions of the differential problem are modelled through a general distribution of linear elastic springs along the lateral surfaces of the three-dimensional doubly-curved solid. The theory is then applied to study the vibrational modes of structures with different curvatures and lamination schemes, taking into account a general distribution of CNTs along the thickness direction. The homogenized properties of CNTs layers are obtained from the Mori-Tanaka procedure, which accounts for the agglomeration effects of the dispersed nanofibers within the matrix. Unlike previous studies focusing on doubly-curved shells reinforced with composite materials and CNTs, the present formulation enables to derive the vibration characteristics of structures made of generally anisotropic materials with general orientations. Furthermore, the calibration of the parameters for the linear elastic springs’ distribution leads to general external constraints within a single element, thus reducing the computational cost of the problem.

Changing selection on amino acid substitutions in Gag protein between major HIV-1 subtypes.

Amino acid preferences at a protein site depend on the role of this site in protein function and structure as well as on external constraints. All these factors can change in the course of evolution, making amino acid propensities of a site time-dependent. When viral subtypes divergently evolve in different host subpopulations, such changes may depend on genetic, medical, and sociocultural differences between these subpopulations. Here, using our previously developed phylogenetic approach, we describe sixty-nine amino acid sites of the Gag protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) where amino acids have different impact on viral fitness in six major subtypes of the type M. These changes in preferences trigger adaptive evolution; indeed, 32 (46 per cent) of these sites experienced strong positive selection at least in one of the subtypes. At some of the sites, changes in amino acid preferences may be associated with differences in immune escape between subtypes. The prevalence of an amino acid in a protein site within a subtype is only a poor predictor for whether this amino acid is preferred in this subtype according to the phylogenetic analysis. Therefore, attempts to identify the factors of viral evolution from comparative genomics data should integrate across multiple sources of information.

“Broken Home”: (De)constructing the Moral Standards of Mobility for Atlanta’s Early Black Public Housing Families

The public housing program was designed as a stepping-stone into upward socioeconomic mobility when the first developments were constructed for White and Black households in the 1930s. White residents were able to save and move into private housing with greater speed than Black residents, who faced both external and internal constraints on their socioeconomic status. As a result of this decreased mobility, scholars and policymakers soon associated public housing developments with impoverished Black containment, categorizing it as the home of the underclass and those who are stuck in place. This article employs a Du Boisian approach to understand the categorical differences and political economic conditions shaping mobility rates among Atlanta’s early Black public housing families. Using historical documents and approximately 40 years of administrative data collected from the first Black public housing development in Atlanta, Georgia by housing managers, Du Bois, and a group of research assistants from Atlanta University, this article examines how internal and external constraints shaped Black tenant mobility. It demonstrates how housing administrators and their actions shaped eviction rates—and by default, public housing’s ability to advance Black tenant mobility—through elite housing managers’ moral judgments of impoverished Black families.

Impact of post-Dobbs abortion restrictions on maternal-fetal medicine physicians in the Southeast: a qualitative study

BackgroundThe US Supreme Court overturned federal abortion protections in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Many states in the Southeastern US responded with restrictive policies that limit and criminalize abortion care. ObjectiveTo characterize the impacts of abortion restrictions on maternal fetal medicine physicians (MFMs) in the Southeastern US post Dobbs. Study DesignWe conducted qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 35 MFMs in 10 Southeastern states between February and June 2023. Our recruitment strategy relied on convenience and snowball sampling. Audio-recorded interviews were analyzed using Dedoose software and a descriptive qualitative approach that incorporated deductive and inductive approaches. ResultsEmergent themes were identified, and a conceptual framework was developed based on overarching themes. We found that abortion laws and external constraints following Dobbs resulted in ethical, professional, and legal challenges for MFMs that led to changes in clinical practice and deviations from patient-centered care. These forced changes resulted in negative impacts on MFMs such as increased fear, hypervigilance, and increased workload for MFMs. The changes also prompted concerns about health risks and negative emotional impacts for patients. Supportive colleagues, hospital systems, and policies were associated with decreased stress, emotional distress, and disruption of healthcare delivery. ConclusionsAbortion restrictions in the Southeastern US limit the ability of MFMs to provide or facilitate abortions in the setting of fetal anomalies and maternal health risk. MFMs perceived these restrictions to have negative professional and emotional repercussions for themselves, as well as negative impacts on patients. Supportive colleagues and clear guidance from hospital systems and departments on how to interpret laws were protective. Our findings have implications for the MFM workforce and patient care in the region.

Demographic Diversity and Economic Research: Fields of Specialization and Research on Race, Ethnicity, and Inequality

Using dissertation research topics found in the EconLit database and large-scale algorithmic methods that identify author demographics based on names, we explore the link between race and ethnicity and fields of economic research. We find that underrepresented racial and ethnic minority (URM) researchers are more likely to write dissertations in some unexpected subfields of economics but limited evidence that they are more likely to write dissertations on racial topics once we include basic controls. These descriptive results may be due to limitations in the data, intrinsic motivations, or external constraints.