Future Promises Research Articles

Future Promises for Contemporary Social and Cultural Geographies of the Sea

AbstractSeventy per cent of the Earth’s surface is sea. Yet, until recently social and cultural geographers have failed to pay much attention to this aspect of the world in which we live, with the most notable contributions deriving from historical perspectives. This study examines the work characterising this area of research before outlining possible reasons for the failure of consistent and comprehensive examination of the seas and ships for social and cultural geographers who take a more contemporary focus. The sea has been typically understood as inferior to and marginal from the land and invisible in modern consciousness, yet it is nonetheless a vital space and one that is integral to the workings of the world as we currently know it. This study travels through the ways in which modern‐day examinations of the maritime world are developing before outlining future promises that are surfacing for more contemporary social and cultural geographies of the sea. The study offers an overview of the relationship between social and cultural geography and the sea, contending by way of a conclusion for a greater volume of contemporary work considering maritime spaces to expand and deepen geographic understandings of the watery world.

Previous Commitments and Future Promises: The Relationship between Military Capacity, Alliance Reliability, and Future Alliance Potential 1950-2005

In a recent article, Gibler examines how previous alliance violations affect future alliance potential during a leader’s tenure among dyads (2008). Gibler shows reputation plays a role, however his models do not consider how power and democracy serve as mediating influences on the reputation effects of alliance violation. We argue his theoretical argument fails to address the effects of constraints on involuntary defection from security commitments. Involuntary defection arises from two different but endogenous sources: 1) a lack of tangible military resources and 2) a lack of sufficient domestic support among the principal veto players to fulfill the commitment. Rationalists argue the effects involuntary defection on reputation should be treated differently when considering future cooperation (Chayes & Chayes 1995; Langlois & Langlois 2004). Our interest is in how state reputations, as opposed to leader reputations, are affected by alliance violation with respect to future alliance formation when states violate alliances due to constraints. Thus, we pose the following question: What effects do democracy, military capacity, and previous alliance violation have on future alliance potential for states? Though a crisp set analysis (Ragin 1989, 2000), we examine the effects of reputation, power, and democracy on future alliance commitments on a sample of 60 states in the modern era.

Cationic Liposomes as Non‐Viral Carriers of Gene Medicines: Resolved Issues, Open Questions, and Future Promises

AbstractChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract, please click on HTML or PDF.

Safety Innovation and the Transition Zone: Current Trends, Future Promises and Issues

Safety Innovation and the Transition Zone: Current Trends, Future Promises and Issues

Current and Future Promises of Transgenesis for Agricultural Livestock in a Global Marketplace

This paper addresses the context of decisions about the application of biotechnology in livestock agriculture. It specifically addresses the role of transgenic livestock in agriculture. Key innovations in livestock genetics and reproductive technology in the last century have laid the foundations upon which genetic engineering can be applied to livestock in the post-genomics era. Transgenesis is not an end in itself; its only justification in agriculture is to benefit the quality of life of man, or animals, or to achieve better use of environmental resources. Comparisons are drawn with the successes of agronomic biotechnology and contrasts with the structure and biology of the livestock and crop industries. Tools for highly efficient gene introduction in livestock are now available. Transgenic traits can now be superimposed on elite selected livestock genetics, but will have to prove their efficacy and economic worth in the context of herds owned by diverse producers. Transgenic manipulation of livestock can facilitate precision agriculture, minimizing the use of antibiotics and pesticides, and can bring increased efficiency to the processing industry. Criteria for selection of valuable transgenes are discussed, including biologic function and compatibility with market infrastructure. Some useful transgenes will target production; others will offer new products. Transgenesis offers a new paradigm in disease control and can assist in preserving genetic diversity. Outside agriculture, transgenic livestock have an important role in biopharmaceutical production. Biotechnology, including transgenic livestock, will play a key role in meeting the challenge of feeding the world population, while creating and maintaining sustainable agricultural systems.

Breast Cancer Susceptibility Genes: Current Challenges and Future Promises

Breast Cancer Susceptibility Genes: Current Challenges and Future Promises

The Ship as a Scientific Instrument in the Eighteenth Century

Au XVIII e siecle, les bateaux etaient consideres comme des instruments scientifiques permettant de voyager et connaitre ainsi la geographie, la topographie et la meteorologie a travers le monde

Research and Programs for Adolescent Mothers: Missing Links and Future Promises

The theoretical perspectives of ecological and family systems approaches are used to discuss the literature pertaining to the impact of adolescent parenthood on families and the possibilities for intervention. These approaches permit understanding development and adaptation in terms of the interactions with the environment and in terms of interactions within a full family system including grandmothers. There are changes in family circumstances changes in various family members and the effects of the role of fathers on the development of children which is an important direction for future research. In contrast to the negative stereotypic picture of adolescent mothers there are studies that indicate variability in the life courses of these women. Intervention studies address teenage mothers changes in terms of economic pathways and fertility. It is suggested that interventions to prevent 2nd children emphasize the interaction between the ecological context and individual qualities by tailoring programs to the characteristics of different subgroups and to decision-making processes and risk-taking behavior. Empirical studies of whether parenthood support services enhance the desirability of parenthood are needed. The few studies available on the effects on children indicate that the children of teenage mothers are at a developmental disadvantage. Other studies point to ecology as posing a greater risk to child development. Few studies investigate how teenage mothers treat their offspring. Only 1 study has explored the changes over time of teenage mothers life course change on childrens changes. The results reveal that school performance was improved with mothers in a stable marriage and improved educational status; high fertility in the preschool years had negative consequences. Most studies of interventions focus on the mother and only indirectly on the child. Effectiveness can be viewed as improved life courses of mothers benefit children or a direct evaluation of child outcomes. It is known that early enrichment programs would benefit children of teenage mothers but Head Start serves only 19% of impoverished children. Little attention has focused on the effects of early grandmotherhood either point in time or longitudinal or as products of interventions. The few studies of the system of mother/child/grandmother are discussed in terms of coresidence child care and parenting. Even with limited research and underdeveloped interventions recommendations are made for services for children intervention approaches and prevention as well as research that incorporated a larger family and social perspective.

Geothermal Resource Development for Electric Power Generation in Indonesia: Results and Future Promises: ABSTRACT

Indonesia is one of the largest developing countries in southeast Asia; therefore, energy demand tends to increase continuously. Fortunately, large amounts of energy resource potentials are available, among which is energy from geothermal resources. Some of these energy resources comprise exportable commodities such as oil, natural gas, and coal; others are for domestic consumption such as hydrothermal and geothermal energy. During the next several years the Indonesian government intends to accelerate development of nonexportable energies used to generate electrical power in order to save exportable energies that can bring foreign currencies. Therefore, geothermal has become a priority goal. Moreover, this type of energy is of particular interest because Indonesia has a large geothermal energy potential related to the Circum-Pacific volcanic belts. These geothermal manifestations are spread throughout almost the entire archipelago, except the island of Kalimantan. Geothermal exploration in Indonesia began in 1929 when some shallow wells were drilled in Kamojang, West Java. Actual exploration for geothermal energy to generate electricity commenced in 1972. Preliminary reconnaissance surveys were made by the Volcanological Survey of Indonesia. In 1982, the state oil company, Pertamina, was placed in charge of exploration and development activities for geothermal energy in different fields, either by itsmore » own activities or in the form of joint-operation contracts with foreign companies. In addition, the state electrical company, PLN, is responsible for installing a power plant to generate and distribute electricity. Presently, several projects are at different stages of maturity. Some fields are in an exploration stage, and others are already developed.« less