Question Asks Research Articles

Can Developing Countries Benefit from a Multilateral Agreement on Foreign Direct Investment?

This essay aims to determine whether developing countries can benefit from a multilateral agreement on foreign direct investment (FDI). For the purpose of this essay, the problem is broken into two separate questions. The first question is whether a multilateral agreement can help increase the flow of FDI into developing countries. The second question asks whether a multilateral agreement can help translate FDI inflows into economic development. The paper is organised in two sections - each devoted to addressing one of the two questions and each presenting a number of discussion points. The last part of this paper includes a brief summary of the main conclusions.

Utility and Language Generation: The Case of Vagueness

This paper asks why information should ever be expressed vaguely, re-assessing some previously proposed answers to this question and suggesting some new ones. Particular attention is paid to the benefits that vague expressions can have in situations where agreement over the meaning of an expression cannot be taken for granted. A distinction between two different versions of the above-mentioned question is advocated. The first asks why human languages contain vague expressions, the second question asks when and why a speaker should choose a vague expression when communicating with a hearer. While the former question is purely theoretical, the latter has practical implications for the computational generation of utterances in Natural Language Generation (NLG).

Targets and Taxes: Explaining the Welfare Orientations of the Australian Public

AbstractAustralia's welfare model – targeted payments alongside low but progressive taxation – exemplifies the targeted approach, prioritizing the needs of poorer citizens within the constraints of low taxation. But does this approach match the welfare orientations of Australia's voters? Does the public hold other views about welfare, emerging out of competing interests in welfare debates? We consider results of two questions included in the Australian Survey of Social Attitudes 2005. The first question asks respondents about four welfare goals that outline competing welfare orientations: targeting poverty, expanding health and education, enforcing the welfare rules and reducing welfare. The second question asks about four taxation goals drawing on similar orientations as established for welfare: targeting tax cuts, taxing for welfare, enforcing tax rules and reducing overall tax. Asking about both enables us to tell whether voters approach tax and welfare ‘consistently’ and to see whether, in Australia's case, there is a preference for Australia's targeting model. We reach three conclusions: (1) voters hold diverse preferences about welfare and taxes, but the targeted model has a relatively strong voter base; (2) voters hold ‘pro‐welfare’ orientations, choosing poverty reduction and expanding public services over both paternalism and cutting welfare, and (3) multivariate analysis indicates a level of consistency in welfare and tax orientations among voters.

How Can I Learn More About Supply Lines for Residential Sprinkler Systems?

This month's question asks about information on residential sprinkler system supply line arrangements. The article recommends the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) as a good resource for more than 300 codes and standards intended to minimize the possibility and effects of fire and other risks. The article discusses the NFPA Standard 13D that offers several options for connecting a sprinkler system to a public water supply.

How Can I Better Prepare for the Water Treatment Plant Operator's Exam?

This month's question asks about studying for the water treatment plant operator exam. The answer discusses educational theory, and lists psychologist Howard Gardner's eight categories of intelligence. The article emphasizes determining your own learning style, and finding educational material that corresponds to your style and the need‐to‐know information for the exam. Forming study groups, discussing study topics with co‐workers, and watching training videos are all suggested for helping with preparation for the exam. The article also provides a list of study resources.

Can We Save Money by Eliminating Our Cross‐Connection Control Program?

This month's question asks about cutting a utility's cross‐connection control program as part of a cost‐cutting effort to help with budget problems. The article stresses the importance of a cross‐connection control program and discusses the distinction between cross‐connection and backflow, describes instances where cross‐connections still exist, provides a list of several programs that are designed to prevent contamination and together are called the multiple‐barrier approach to delivering quality water, and urges utilities to develop a communication program for greater public awareness of cross‐connection control programs.

Changing Faces

As the first major multinational corporation (MNC) comes to Chengdu, China, the home of the Changing Faces Opera, thousands of young, highly skilled Chinese workers had an opportunity to work for this American MNC. The research question asks: How would these highly skilled Chinese workers adapt and make the change—change their face—to work in an American environment? The Schwartz Value Survey and in-depth interviews provide the data to understand the value systems. The results suggest that adaptation is dependent on social systems and how people learn and make sense of the new culture. A new model of values emerges, consistent with Chinese culture in that it is balanced and connected. The interviews show that although values of these Chinese workers may cluster in similar ways as in the West, often the meanings of the values are different from Western concepts.

What's the Best Way to Tap a Water Main?

This month's question asks about the best way to tap a water main. The answer begins by discussing dry taps and wet, or hot, taps and goes on to discuss valve terminology, the art of tapping, tapping machines, operational considerations, terminology specific to threads and ductile iron main connecting to a copper service line, and computing the correct number of hand turns necessary for engagement.

Expanding Religious Studies: The Obsolences of the Sacred/Secular Framework for Pagan, Earthen, and Indigenous Religion. Part 2: Rethinking the Concept of ‘Religion’ and ‘Maturi’ as a New Scheme

The present article discusses indigenous views concerning religion as part of a contemporary trend that wishes to expand understanding of religious phenomena and be more inclusive of nature worship and Pagan orientations that are otherwise excluded when the sacred is strictly dichotomized from the secular, the profane or the ordinary. Although there are phenomena that are classified academically as ‘religion’, our initial question asks whether an appropriate framework is actually established by the concept. This question is vitally pertinent for the study of nature worship and contemporary Western forms of Paganism as bona fide religious expressions. On the legal front alone, new religious movements often face huge hurdles when it comes to gaining recognition, legitimacy, and their benefits. The academic study of spiritual orientations that counter the already established world religions is part of this expanding arena of potential debate and innovation. In the preceding paper (Part 1) we suggested a new schema of i (yi) and ke (ké) in mutual conversion as a substitution for the ‘sacred secular’ polarity that many authors regard as fundamental to the very concept of religion. In Part 1, however, we assumed the concept of religion as a known premise. The present paper represents an attempt to reconsider the concept and its application range through situations in which the word ‘religion’ is actually used—hopefully to develop a more flexible usage that is more inclusive of traditional, vernacular, and emerging religio-spiritual practices. 
 
 The i-ke principle previously presented was not proposed as a framework for these phenomena but simply to show the methodological inadequacy involved with any a priori assumption concerning universal concepts. Inevitably, humanity’s cultural limitations and divisions make any refined and intelligent concept partial and prejudiced. Ethnocentrism can result when efforts to be objective and universal employ limited notions. Despite the irony involved, a better method might be located through the reverse exploitation: applying indigenous concepts that are already themselves understood as partial and prejudiced to wider areas and diverse traditions while remaining aware of their limitations and unfairness.
 
 Cultural bias does not necessarily or inevitably indicate inadequate public and academic considerations. Indeed, researchers might profitably recognize a dependence upon their own traditions as long as they do not insist upon the superiority and universality of their culture. The application of indigenous concepts need not be restricted to their host cultural regions. For example, interpreting ‘religious’ events in India with European cultural concepts, or those of Japan with African ones, are to be encouraged if exclusiveness or dogmatism are avoided and restricting conditions of indigenous nature are not forgotten. Such a methodology affords the possibility of effectively comparing multiple types of culture. When researchers survey the world from their own cultural perspectives while permitting and encouraging others operating in different traditions to do the same, plural interpretations and explanations of the same phenomenon are likely to emerge. Along with Paul Feyerabend there is no reason to grant unique authority to any inviolate presiding criteria.1 Encompassing a range of different theoretical positions for purposes of comparison is the foundation for a true respect of the diversity of cultural traditions. The proposal of the ‘i-ke mutuality’ is intended to provide an example of indigenous and pluralistic methodology. In the present paper, we attempt a similar analysis concerning the usage of religion as a word or concept.

Framework for Interpreting Long‐Term Trends in Values and Beliefs Concerning Single‐Parent Families

One of the most important trends of the last half of the 20th century was the dramatic rise in singleparent families through increases in divorce and nonmarital childbearing. There were also shifts during this period in values and beliefs about divorce and childbearing. Single parenthood was also increasing during the first part of the century, and it is likely that these behavioral changes were accompanied by changes in public opinion. Unfortunately, whereas comparable repeated surveys have permitted changes in values and beliefs to be documented for recent decades, such data resources, to my knowledge, do not exist for the first half of the 20th century. This has left an important gap in our understanding of long-term trends in values and beliefs. The interesting paper by Margaret Usdansky (2009) provides an important contribution toward filling this gap. The author conducted a content analysis of the American social science and popular literatures of almost the entire 20th century from 1900 to 1998. The results show a substantial decline in negative depictions of divorce. There was no increase in favorable depictions of divorce but an almost complete disappearance of normative discussion, leading Usdansky to suggest that ambivalence had become the predominant view of Americans toward divorce. However, this trend toward ambivalent acceptance of divorce did not extend to increased acceptance of nonmarital childbearing. I congratulate Usdansky for her important contributions to our knowledge. Like much important research, Usdansky 's research not only provides valuable answers, but raises important new questions. One question concerns the reasons for the differential trends in depictions of divorce and nonmarital childbearing in the popular and scholarly literature across the 20th century. A second question concerns the trends in values and beliefs concerning divorce and nonmarital childbearing prior to 1900. We know that divorce was increasing during the 19th century, but what about public opinion and public depictions concerning divorce and nonmarital childbearing? A third question asks about the forces behind the trends in public opinion before and after 1900. In this paper I discuss these interrelated questions, provide some hypotheses, and suggest additional research. I begin with a discussion of family life in Western societies (defined here as Western Europe and its overseas diaspora) several hundred years ago, with an emphasis on marriage, divorce, and childbearing. I then discuss important ideational forces changing values and beliefs concerning these behaviors. Because of the scope of my discussion relative to the allotted space, my discussion must be general and gloss over the details of individual populations. I also provide only limited citations to the literature and invite interested readers to consult my two recent books for additional documentation (Thornton, 2005; Thornton, Axinn, & Xie, 2007). Historical Background In Western societies several hundred years ago families had central roles in structuring people's activities and experiences, and marriage was central in structuring relationships within families (see Thornton et al., 2007). Marriage was an essential element organizing living arrangements; production and consumption; membership in adult society; and access to love, sex, and childbearing. Marriage was seen as a privileged and honorable status, the way from single dependency to independence, and probably the most important event in the life course. Given the centrality of marriage, it was important not only to individuals but also to families, communities, churches, and governments. The Catholic Church taught that marriage was a sacrament involving God and the couple. Although the Protestant reformers during the 16th century denied that marriage was a sacrament, they taught that it was provided by God. Prior to the 1 6th century, church doctrine and policies were themselves the law of marriage, and the church presided over marriage disputes. …

How Can We Dispose of Membrane Waste?

This month's question asks about residual issues associated with membrane processes for water reuse. The article first discusses various types of membranes that are used in drinking water treatment including microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), reverse osmosis (RO), and nanofiltration (NF). The article then focuses on the two types of RO residuals: concentrate that contains dissolved constituents, particulates and chemicals; and, spent cleaning solutions that are generated intermittently and contain acids, alkaline solutions, detergents and surfactants, and feedwater constitutents.

Reply to Duncan Pritchard and John Campbell

An epistemological how-possible question asks how knowledge, or knowledge of some specific kind, is possible. The main contention of Duncan Pritchard‟s stimulating comments is that what I call „explanatory minimalism‟ appears to offer us just what we are seeking when we ask such a question. This looks like a problem for me given that I defend a version of explanatory anti-minimalism. Pritchard outlines a version of minimalism inspired by the writings of John McDowell and does not find it obvious that this position is lacking in any relevant respect. Nor do I. My minimalism is moderate rather than extreme but Pritchard‟s objections to anti-minimalism are objections to extreme anti-minimalism. Indeed, his comments do not seem to me to have any direct bearing on what I take to be the fundamental disagreement between minimalism and anti-minimalism.

How Can We Determine if Seepage Water Has Been Treated?

This month's question asks if there is a reliable test to determine whether a water sample is groundwater or if it has been treated. This would be helpful in determining the cause of seepage or frequently running sump pumps. The answer discusses two aspects of water that are pertinent to the question, one chemical and one physical: water's ability to combine with chemicals and dissolve minerals; and, its ability to transport materials. Checking for various constituents such as chlorine or fluoride in groundwater, that are usually found in treated water, may indicate treated or untreated water. Performing a water audit is also suggested.

How Can We Remedy Noisy Meters?

This month's question asks about solutions for excessively noisy meters that are most noticeable when customers use their irrigation systems. The answer discusses several reasons for noisy meters including: loose pipes with broken or missing pipe strapping; changes in temperature causing pipe material to expand or contract; air in pipes; and, water hammer. The solution of using a water hammer arrestor may only decrease the symptom, not address or solve the underlying problem. The article provides examples of several issues that may be the root cause of the noise, including positioning of the water meter during installation, replacement parts that are not the right size or are installed incorrectly, meter age, and moving the meter out of the house.

Mean mass-specific metabolic rates are strikingly similar across life's major domains: Evidence for life's metabolic optimum.

A fundamental but unanswered biological question asks how much energy, on average, Earth's different life forms spend per unit mass per unit time to remain alive. Here, using the largest database to date, for 3,006 species that includes most of the range of biological diversity on the planet-from bacteria to elephants, and algae to sapling trees-we show that metabolism displays a striking degree of homeostasis across all of life. We demonstrate that, despite the enormous biochemical, physiological, and ecological differences between the surveyed species that vary over 10(20)-fold in body mass, mean metabolic rates of major taxonomic groups displayed at physiological rest converge on a narrow range from 0.3 to 9 W kg(-1). This 30-fold variation among life's disparate forms represents a remarkably small range compared with the 4,000- to 65,000-fold difference between the mean metabolic rates of the smallest and largest organisms that would be observed if life as a whole conformed to universal quarter-power or third-power allometric scaling laws. The observed broad convergence on a narrow range of basal metabolic rates suggests that organismal designs that fit in this physiological window have been favored by natural selection across all of life's major kingdoms, and that this range might therefore be considered as optimal for living matter as a whole.

What Are You Telling Customers About Radiation?

This month's question asks about radiation in drinking water. The article begins by defining radiation, and provides the current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for radionuclides in drinking water such as: alpha particles; beta particles and photon emitters; radium 226 and radium 228; and, uranium. The source of radioactive materials in drinking water is discussed, along with treatment technologies for removing radioactive materials, a USEPA‐created easy‐to‐use real world decision‐tree, aid with Radionuclides Rule compliance, and USEPA‐developed software to help estimate radionuclide concentrations in treatment residuals called Software Program to Ascertain Residual Radionuclide Concentrations (SPARRC).

Be Part of the Recycling Solution

This month's question asks about the recycling of bottled water bottles. The answer first provides statistics from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) on the percentage recycled of all plastics generated for the year 2006, the most recent year that the USEPA has published data. The article discusses the material from which plastics are made, the recycling code numbers that are stamped on the bottom of plastic containers, and the different recycling programs offered depending on the community in which you live. The USEPA website is given as a resource for further information on recycling.

How Do I Formulate a Pump Maintenance Schedule?

This month's question asks about formulating a pump maintenance schedule. The article provides a brief overview of pump design considerations first, which is necessary in planning a preventive maintenance schedule. Pump curves relate information on how the pump is performing related to capacity, head, pump efficiency and brake horsepower. The manufacturer can provide the shop pump curve, and the pump installer can generate a field pump curve for particular models. Generating your own pump curve on a periodic basis is important for comparing to the field pump curve to observe changes in performance. The article describes how pump performance can be indicated by comparing a graph of the flow vs. head readings of a pump with the operating curve of the pump.

What Should I Know About Aquifer Storage and Recovery?

This month's question asks about aquifer storage and recovery (ASR). The answer provides the basic definition of ASR as a means of recharging an aquifer with water to be stored and used when needed. The article lists examples of how ASR is used, explains legal aspects of ASR, discusses capabilities and characteristics of aquifers, along with the physical and geochemical aspects of aquifers that can affect an ASR program.

Economically Forced to Work: A Critical Reconsideration of the Lottery Question

The lottery question asks whether you would stop working, continue working in the same job or continue working in a different job if you won a sum of money large enough to allow you to live on it comfortably for the rest of your life without working. This literature review reports the results of 22 surveys carried out between 1955 and 2005 where this issue was raised in connection with basic income, and devotes specific attention to how the results have hitherto been analyzed. Used as a measure of employability, other dimensions of the lottery question, such as occupational discontent and satisfaction beyond economic necessity, have been largely overshadowed despite their prominence in the statistical material. The prevalence of non-financial employment commitment (NEC) has also been overestimated because of an analytical dichotomy between those who would continue working and those who would stop working completely if finances permitted. Suggestions for further studies include a clear distinction between non-financial commitment to current employment and to employment as such.