Tension Field Research Articles

Scholarship in times of crises: towards a trans-discipline of early childhood

ABSTRACT In this paper I argue for a necessary – and possible – paradigmatic shift in early childhood scholarship that embraces multiplicity, diversity, ambiguity, uncertainty and shared situated knowledge creation in resonse to a profoundly changed global context. The contours of the new paradigm are already emerging as three interconnected fields of tension: First, the increasing recognition, by some international actors, of the complexity and systemic characteristic of early childhood education – contradicted by the persistent promotion of decontextualised approaches by others including OECD. Second, a blurring of boundaries between the Global South and North, in the context of rising inequality within countries. Third, the inability of dominant theories of early childhood education, grounded in disciplinary traditions from outside the field, to conceptualise present experiences and future directions. In conclusion I argue for the need and possibility of a trans-discipline of early childhood with profound implications for comparative work in the field.

Improved Finite Element Method for Inflated Beams with Local Wrinkles

An improved finite element method is proposed for inflatable beams with a global finite deformation and a local wrinkling behavior, based on the corotational approach and tension field theory. The finite deformation is decomposed into a rigid-body displacement in the global coordinate system and a small strain measured in the local coordinate system, by using the corotational approach. The tangent stiffness matrix of a three-node triangular membrane element is presented. With the modified bimodulus constitutive law, a wrinkling model is constructed for determination of the status of element (tension, wrinkled, or slack). To improve the rate of convergence, a consistent tangent material stiffness matrix is embedded into the local coordinate system. Numerical results are in good agreement with the existing experimental data. In some case, the proposed method can obtain more accurate deflection of inflatable beams than the postbuckling analysis of thin shells. A quadratic rate of convergence is observed for the proposed method, and thus the computational efficiency is improved greatly. The limitation of the method is also discussed.

‘Measurable but not quantifiable’: The Swedish Schools Inspectorate on construing “quality” as “auditable”

ABSTRACT ‘Quality’ in education has become a global phenomenon, and is frequently discussed in transnational and national policy. In such discussions, ‘quality’ seems to be both worthwhile and demanded, but at the same time, the concept has also been criticised in previous research as it seems to have attained a ‘common sense’ status. In this context, the role of the Swedish Schools Inspectorate (SSI) is raised, as the SSI is commissioned by the Swedish Government to audit and review ‘quality’ in education. However, as the concept of ‘quality’ is left undefined in policy, the SSI has to enact national policy to review ‘quality’ in its quality audits. Hence, the SSI plays an active part in construing ‘quality’, as it makes it auditable through the indicators and systems it uses when conducting quality audits. Thus, this paper has critically scrutinised underlying assumptions and the discursive effects of how the SSI construes ‘quality’ in different policy proposals. To access and analyse such constructs, this article draws on Bacchi’s (2009) post-structural, Foucault-influenced ‘What’s the problem represented to be?’ (WPR) approach. The results indicate that ‘quality’ is presupposed to be both measurable and elusive at the same time. Hence, the SSI operates in a field of tension, targeting something more elusive than just figures and numbers when it comes to ‘quality’. The discursive effects of these presuppositions have implications for what can be said and thought about ‘quality’ at both national and local levels, as well as for students and school staff who are involved in the educational system.

Theoretical models of key parameters for performance‐based seismic design of new partially connected steel plate shear wall with vertical square tube stiffeners

AbstractThe main problems of steel plate shear walls in current studies can be grouped into two categories: the unexpected bulky column or column failure in fully connected steel plate shear walls (FCSPSWs), and the low shear capacity in steel plate shear walls attached to the beam only (BOSPSW). Therefore, a partially connected steel plate shear wall with vertical square tube stiffeners (PCSPSW‐VSTS) is proposed in this work. There are three contribution points. Firstly, flexural stiffness thresholds of beams for BOSPSW and PCSPSW‐VSTS are proposed to ensure the uniform partial tension fields in the infill plates. Secondly, theoretical models of tension field inclination angles in BOSPSW and PCSPSW‐VSTS are proposed. Comparison results using proposed theoretical models, experiments, and simulations indicate that the proposed equations for the inclination angle can accurately predict the direction of principal tension stress for BOSPSW and PCSPSW‐VSTS. Thirdly, the shear capacity theoretical model of PCSPSW‐VSTS is proposed, which agrees well with experimental and numerical results. Besides, parametric studies of PCSPSW‐VSTS are conducted to investigate energy dissipation behavior and the effect of various stiffeners, which show that the square tube stiffener is efficient and economical, and the behavior of PCSPSW‐VSTS is better than that of FCSPSW in terms of shear capacity and energy dissipation. The proposed theoretical models can be adopted to develop the performance‐based seismic design of BOSPSW and PCSPSW‐VSTS. The proposed theoretical models avoid the simulation, the experiment, and the complicated solution of governing equations, which are suitable for designing buildings with SPSW in high‐intensity areas.

Hysteretic performance of dovetail profiled steel–concrete composite sandwich shear walls

Dovetail profiled steel–concrete composite sandwich shear wall (DPCW) is a novel composite member with the potential to serve as a lateral-resisting member in buildings. The DPCW is composed of two dovetail profiled steel sheets (DPSs) and concrete in between. The dovetail-shaped ribs of DPSs embedded in the concrete can not only enable the steel–concrete composite action without additional connectors but also improve the ductility of the shear wall due to the presence of vertical dovetail-shaped slits in the concrete panel. However, there were limited investigations regarding its hysteretic behaviour. In this paper, the hysteretic performance of DPCWs was investigated by experiments and numerical studies. Six DPCW specimens with different axial compression ratios and shear span ratios were tested subjected to the combined axial and cyclic lateral loads. All specimens failed in a ductile manner with failure modes of local tension fields developed on strips of the DPSs and crushing of concrete at the top and bottom between the dovetail-shaped slits. With the increase of axial compression ratio, the lateral stiffness was increased but the ductility was reduced. Both the deformability and energy dissipation capacity of DPCWs were improved with the increase of the shear span ratio. Then, numerical studies using the commercial software package ABAQUS were performed to further investigate the failure mechanism of DPCWs and the effect of the shear span ratio and axial compression ratio on its lateral behavior. Moreover, based on experimental results and FE analysis, a simplified model was established for evaluating the lateral resistance capacity of DPCWs. The proposed prediction formulae were found to agree with the test results with no more than an 8% discrepancy.

Caring for others: a return to a basic notion for the current medicine

Medicine today is a field of permanent tensions: between structures and individuals, between public policies and individualised patient care, and between patients and their therapists. This article reflects on the notion of care as a way of resolving the problems encountered by health professions by considering one of their fundamental concepts. For this purpose, research was carried out in the medical literature in order to understand the definitions in which care is discussed in current medicine. Based on the findings, three paradigms or constructs related to the notion of care are detailed: a) Patient Centered Care, b) the ethics of care, and c) the idea of Whole Person Care. Even with the notable differences between these constructs, it is possible to rescue the framework of care: the objective being for the good of the patient. Thus, a proposal for the reflection on caring for others is developed, based on what is the concept of ″objective good for the person″ in accordance with the thinking of the philosopher Dietrich von Hildebrand.

Perforated Composite Plate Girders with Intermediate Inclined Stiffeners Subjected to Combined Shear and Bending

This paper discusses the ultimate strength of composite plate girders with intermediate inclined stiffeners. The inclination angle of intermediate stiffener, web opening size and span length are the key factors influencing the performance of the composite plate girder. This study used the LUSAS software to develop 20 non-linear finite element models using intermediate stiffener different inclination angles, web opening sizes and span lengths. The intermediate stiffener have an inclination angle of 90°, 75°, 60°, 45° and 30°. The web plates were divided into six or eight sub-panel webs depending on the span length using the intermediate inclined stiffener. The ultimate strength and behaviour of the composite plates are influenced by the inclination angle of the intermediate stiffener, web opening size and span length. Generally, the ultimate strength of the composite plate girder increased when the inclination angle was reduced from 90° to 30° with a corresponding reduction in the web opening size and span length. The increase in the ultimate strength are 44.63% for the web plate with do = 100 mm and L = 3450 mm, 20.41% for the web plate with do = 200 mm and L = 4500 mm, 216.41% for the web plate with do = 100 mm and L = 3450 mm, and 58.89% for the web plate with do = 200 mm and L = 4500 mm due to the formation of tension field on the web panels. The width of the tension field in the plastic hinge increased and shifted depending on the top and bottom flange when using the intermediate inclined stiffener. The composite plate girder with a small web opening of do = 100 mm exhibited a high ultimate strength. The ultimate strength of the composite plate girder with a 60° inclined intermediate stiffener is higher than the intermediate stiffener with a 75° inclination angle. Therefore, the composite plate girder with an inclined intermediate stiffener has a higher ultimate strength.

Thickness demand for concrete panel in design of C-PSW/CE under cyclic loading

In composite plate shear walls-concrete encased (C-PSW/CE), the concrete panels provide out-of-plane restraint to the steel plate for preventing premature buckling. This paper investigates the shear resistance of C-PSW/CE under cyclic loading by experimental study and numerical method. The shear resisting mechanism of the postbuckling steel plate, in which the lateral load is resisted by the incomplete tension field action, is analyzed. The effects of the concrete panel thickness, steel plate thickness, headed stud spacing, concrete strength, and reinforcement ratio of the concrete panel on the hysteretic behavior of C-PSW/CE are studied. A larger thickness of concrete panels and a smaller stud spacing lead to less strength degradation of the walls. Based on the numerical results of 450 C-PSW/CE specimens, the formula is proposed to calculate the thickness demand of the concrete panel in the high-seismic design of C-PSW/CE, which meets the ductile requirement that the shearing strength deterioration of C-PSW/CE is no more than 15% at the drift ratio of 2%.

When cities meet platforms: Towards a trans-urban approach

This paper focusses on the impact that the development and spreading of digital platforms have at urban level. In particular, lean platforms are transforming cities more and more in sites of production and circulation, so to change also actors and roles engaged with urban planning and public policies. Despite we will propose an investigation on a particular service, neither the analysis of a general process shared by all platforms, in the article we will investigate the socio-historical background for platform economy development more in general, in order to propose a methodological approach we call a trans-urban approach.In the first part of the article, we rest on the historical background of our digital era. Analysing the relation between technological innovation and productive organization, we will highlight how platform economy emerges as particular articulation of a more general long-time transition deeply entangled with the so-called “Logistics Revolution”. In the second part, we will consider more in depth the specificities of platform business model in relation with its urban dimension focusing on the platforms territorialization and on platforms conflicts. In the third and final part, we propose a trans-urban approach as an innovative perspective to study the globalized and variegated features of contemporary capitalism, in particular the urban impact of platform economy.The aim is to sketch few features of a new methodological approach towards the urban space as field of tension between several and different perspectives generated by the development of platform economy.This article summarizes some first outputs from Horizon2020 project PLUS (Platform.Labour in Urban Spaces) coordinated by University of Bologna.

Biological Transformation of Manufacturing – From a Vision to Industrial Transfer – Interim Evaluation from the Perspective of Applied Research

The concept of the Biological Transformation of manufacturing addresses the field of tension between the increasing pressure to achieve sustainability and climate goals, economic profitability and the demand for more human centered value creation. The main approach in this concept focuses on developing new solutions to existing challenges through the convergence of the biosphere and the technosphere. Driven by this, numerous research projects and ideas form under this umbrella concept in recent years. Industry also perceives and pursues the concept with increasing interest. However, as with the digital transformation over the last two decades, research into the biological transformation is initially focusing primarily on individual stand-alone solutions although holistic solutions are necessary to, on the one hand exploit the full potential of biological transformation and on the other hand to be profitable to the production industryFor this reason, this paper gives an overview of the status-quo of the transformation from the perspective of applied research and with regard to the potential for a holistic transformation process in industry in order to achieve the climate targets using digitalization with simultaneous human-centric value creation.

Steel plate girders behaviour under shear loading

The ultimate shear resistance of a plate girder with the transversely stiffened web has a significant component of postbuckling strength. Tension field theories explain the mechanics behind the generation of the postbuckling strength and predict the ultimate shear resistance of a stiffened web panel. Current research shows that the assumptions made in these theories are not in agreement with the actual postbuckling mechanics and these theories also neglect some important parameters which affect the postbuckling strength. It is important to review the background research in the development of tension field theories to understand the current research. The main objectives of this paper are to focus on the historical development of Tension field theories, discuss the general mechanism proposed by the Tension field theories and the limitation of these as outlined by the current research. In addition, it also provides details of the additional parameters affecting the postbuckling strength.

Being in Control of Noise Levels Improves the Perception of Airplane Seat Comfort

Abstract. The aviation industry is constantly making compromises when designing comfortable airplane cabins. Providing passengers with a pleasant acoustic environment without adding weight to the cabin structure is a field of tension that challenges cabin interior designers. The aim of this study was to investigate whether noise levels affect the comfort and physical discomfort experienced by airplane passengers, and whether control influences comfort perception. To this end, 30 participants experienced three conditions (silence, aircraft engine noise at 75 dB, and the same noise with the ability to use earplugs), and comfort and discomfort were measured using a questionnaire. It was concluded that aircraft engine noise negatively affected the airplane passengers’ comfort experiences. Having the ability to control this noisy environment with earplugs resulted in the lowest reported physical discomfort.

Geistlosigkeit. Reflexionen zur Aktualität von Søren Kierkegaards Konstruktion des Selbst im Spannungsfeld von Immanenz und Transzendenz

Spiritlessness. Reflections on the topicality of Søren Kierkegaard’s construction of the self in the field of tension between immanence and transcendence: One of the most suggestive and provocative concepts developed by the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard is the concept of “spiritlessness”. Spiritlessness is conceived of as a state of mind which cuts out transcendent possibilities at the benefice of reduced immanent probabilities and thus hinders the individual to become a true Self. The present paper asks for the topicality of Kierkegaard’s dialectics of “spirit” and “spiritlessness” for the constitution of the Self in the 21st cntury.

LAUREEN MYRACLE'S INTERNET GIRLS AND CENSORSHIP: DIGITAL COMMUNICATION AS A CHALLENGE TO IDEOLOGICAL CONTROL THROUGH LANGUAGE AND AS A FIELD FOR FACING GENDER ROLES

Taking L. Myracle’s Internet Girls novel series as a starting point, this article tries to investigate and hopefully unveil the reasons behind the censorship imposed on the series by the “gatekeepers of canonicity and morality.” The article is a literature review and semi-content analysis. After a brief discussion about the term Young Adult literature and the subversion of the argumentut forws pard as a justification of the banning of the books, we examine the relationship between the epistolary novelistic form and the female voice. Finally, we focus on the most distinctive feature of the novels: the exclusive use of online chatting to advance the narrative. The role of digital communication in Y.A. literature and the youth’s idiomatic language on the net are also discussed. Our main argument is that the root causes triggering the adult censors’ distress and challenging their standards are not the controversial sexuality and attitudes of the characters. Rather, it is their language and writing in internet chatting. Digital communication is imbued with webspeak. It becomes a field of intergenerational tension, a vehicle of undermining pedagogical censorship. This type of communication evades the absolute control of some adults not savvy in webspeak. A number of these individuals -possibly a social group that is over-represented in the teaching and school librarian professions- perceive digital communication as a threat to traditional language codes. Their reaction to the Internet Girls concerns not only the content of the books but –first and foremost– the style and the code these books are written. What is more, the girls’ “digital” conversations allow for free self- expression. Prescribed boundaries of politically correct female attitude are transgressed leading to harsher adult public outcry.

Women in the Multiple Field of Tension: Everyday Wartime Life in East Prussia

The article analyses the everyday life of civilians in East Prussia during the Second World War, with a special focus on the Klaipėda (Memel) region, a former territory of Lithuania, which was annexed by the German Reich in March 1939. Since the Wehrmacht recruited a large number of men in 1941 in the former Memel region, a great shortage of labour also arose in this northern part of East Prussia. At the same time, numerous labour camps were set up in the region, for both foreign and forced labourers, and prisoners of war. Foreign workers were employed in most agricultural enterprises, which were run by women, thus creating many sources of tension. The women were dependent on close cooperation with the workers, but had to keep a safe distance and report to the Nazi authorities, as well as to their men who were on the front line. The paper focuses on the situation of women who lived and worked in familiar surroundings during the war, but whose lives were nevertheless greatly influenced by the war.

Economics in the Social Science Spectrum: Evolution and Overlap with Different Academic Areas

Causes for the distinct and growing separation of the academic domains of economics and neighboring fields are ongoing processes of specialization, fragmentation, and evolution. Thanks to the proliferation of publications and knowledge in economics, degrees of specialization have emerged. One of the great paradoxes in economics is the existence of mainstream economics, which is taught to undergraduate students and dominates textbooks, alongside new contributions that enter the arena via other disciplines (e.g., psychology, history, and law). The paper delineates some developments in economics over the last 100 years oscillating between continuity and change. Especially, the interplay between different domains in the social sciences is discussed as fields of tension and cooperation between economics and other disciplines. The message of the article is that economics is not a homogeneous body of being, content, and learning. Economics has a diverse knowledge base on a theoretical and methodological level with different forms of economic capacity, conceptual sensitivity, and methodological rigor. Many different approaches coexist with corresponding camps of authors. A multiplicity of topics and discourses can be observed with an interesting division of economics with one branch focused on mathematics, econometric tools, and applications, and the other branch moving towards increasing social scientification with strong links to psychology, history, philosophy, and sociology. The Oxford credo of politics, philosophy, and economics (PPE) has undergone a revival in this respect.

Bluesen i Sverige före 1960

The Blues in Sweden before 1960: varying conceptions of a genre This article presents a review of the various meanings and shapes of blues as a genre in Sweden c. 1920–1960, drawing primarily on presentations in newspapers and jazz magazines, and recordings. Blues has been construed as an African American music, rising from specific social conditions; as an American music, a source for and subgenre of jazz; and as a part of music in the international modern society in general. In 1923 blues was introduced as a new dance, and many new tunes were promoted as blues; medium tempo, chromaticism and altered chords seem to be the distinguishing traits. From the mid-thirties, blues was discussed as a predecessor to jazz as well as a jazz genre format (‘12-bar blues’). The rising interest in blues is followed through audience reactions in press, recordings, and jazz criticism. Jazz critics tended to promote country blues and Bessie Smith as authentic forms, while Josh White’s performances during his annual tours in the fifties were praised for his consummate artistry. The trad jazz boom, boogie woogie piano, skiffle and rock’n’roll all used the 12-bar format. In parallel, blues was also an occasional pop song denomination signalling melancholy. Identifying as a blues singer was not an option; this would change during the sixties. Four fields of tension are identified: blues as a specific expression for African American experience vs. blues as a genre suited for Western modernity in general; blues as a subgenre to jazz vs. blues as an autonomous sphere; blues considered as genuine folk music vs. blues as popular music; and blues as a genre of mainly historical significance vs. blues as having contemporary relevance.

Experimental study on cyclic shear performance of steel plate shear wall with different buckling restraints

The buckling-restrained cold-formed steel plate shear wall (SPSW) is a new type of shear wall that integrates building and structural functions. It consists of an embedded steel plate, hat-section steel strips, two thermal and sound insulation layers, two oriented strand board (OSB) plates. In order to study the cyclic shear performance of SPSW with different buckling restraints, six SPSW specimens with different buckling restraints and one SPSW specimen without buckling restraints were tested with hinged frame. The test results showed that the hat-section steel strips (i.e. stiffeners) can significantly decrease the outward buckling deformation of the embedded steel plate, thus preventing the formation of tension field on the diagonal direction of SPSW and improving the energy dissipation capacity, ductility and bearing capacity of the SPSW. Among all the specimens, the cross-shaped buckling restraints has the highest efficiency in improving the bearing capacity of the SPSW, followed by the X-shaped. In addition, as the number of steel strips increases, the restraint effect of steel strips, the energy dissipation capacity and the plastic deformation performance of specimens are also gradually improved. Finally, the shear capacities of all SPSW specimens are calculated by according to existing international design standards. As can be seen from the results, the design rule in AISC is the most conservative, while the design method of Eurocode 8 is most accurate.

Modified plate frame interaction method for evaluation of steel plate shear walls with beam-connected web plates

Steel plate shear walls with beam-connected web plates (B-SPSW) are considered effective configurations in alleviating the tension field effects on vertical boundary elements through the detachment of web plates from them. It is critical to establish robust analytical models while investigating these setups. The plate-frame interaction approach (PFI), initially introduced for traditional SPSWs, is a widely used model that separately analyses the web plate and the surrounding frame. The purpose of this study was to propose a modified PFI (MPFI) method for B-SPSWs in light of their unique properties. Additionally, the buckling phenomena were thoroughly explored to justify thicker plates in the aforesaid configurations. Finite element models were created to determine the accuracy of the newly generated MPFI method equations for B-SPSWs. The numerical specimens were chosen to illustrate a variety of practical uses for these systems. Finally, the MPFI accurately predicted the strength and stiffness of the case studies, and significant overlaps between the MPFI diagrams and the numerical backbone curves were detected. The ratio of MPFI shear capacity to shear yield strength was found to be between 0.93 and 1.04 in numerical specimens. However, it was determined that the use of thick infill plates resulted in the premature production of plastic hinges in the frame, hence reducing the shear capacity envisaged.

Narratives and images of the future for final disposal

Abstract. The search for a final repository in Germany lies in the field of tension between a past characterized by conflicts and a future-oriented process shaped by the repository site selection procedure. An examination of the history of social conflicts can be of assistance for the organization of participation concepts and positively influence the discourse. In this context, narratives play a special role in the discourse strategies. Over the course of the research project “Public participation in the search for a repository site: challenges of an intergenerational self-questioning and learning procedure” (Brohmann et al., 2021) narratives were analyzed by the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and future images for the repository were developed. Narratives consolidate very different discourse elements and therefore provide coherent tales. These are important narratives and temporally structured descriptions that refer to the past and can encroach upon the present. They are simultaneously open with respect to the future (Geiger, 2006), which makes them interesting for the development of future images. In turn, concrete perceptions, wishes and visions for aspects not yet experienced in the present are elucidated in future images. In the context of the search for a repository site, it is the “sociotechnical futures” (Lösch et al., 2019) that can be used with technical and political means for the accompanying construction of a social task. Sociotechnical futures designate different and possibly contrary futures, the sketching of which are usually related to larger public debates. Starting from a theoretical and conceptional classification of narratives and future images, an empirical examination is carried out in which qualitative social research methods and technology assessment concepts were applied. Using qualitative guideline-assisted interviews, experts were questioned about their present perspectives on the site selection procedure for a repository for highly radioactive nuclear waste. This also included the consideration of the context and reflections on futures to be expected. The interviews were evaluated by qualitative content analysis and the results consolidated in narratives. In a further step, the narratives were further developed in a reflection workshop with young adults and future images were conceptualized starting from various developmental pathways. The results and the recommendations for action derived from them for the participation process of the search for the repository site are the central subject of the presentation. Special emphasis is placed on the challenge of an intergenerational participation. Then, whereas (conflict afflicted) narratives encroach on the discourse in the present (and future) but “new” players without (conflict) experience participate in the discourse, this places a special challenge on the participation process as a whole, as interpretive patterns and expectations are also debated over and over again.