Rapid Modernization Research Articles

THE IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION ON SAUDI MALE MILLENNIALS’ IDENTITY NARRATIVES

The term globalization, encompassing politico-economic and socio-cultural aspects, is widely used to describe the results of rapid modernization on Saudi Arabia in an era of rapid societal transformation. Whilst the outward signs of increased globalization in the Kingdom are highly visible, the underlying effects particularly in terms of the politico-economic and socio-cultural less so. Indeed, globalization is often characterized as inevitable or unstoppable. Yet, in a ‘globalized’ Saudi Arabia the impact of globalization is not always perceived as being positive, in particular its impact on notions of individual, national or Islamic identities. Research conducted for this article demonstrates that young Saudi men identify clearly both positive and negative effects of globalization on identity narratives, whether individual, national or Islamic. Indeed, the issue of how young Saudi men negotiate their identity in light of increased globalization raises important questions regarding the consequences of increased globalization on young Saudi men's sense of their own identity, and by extension the government's promotion of an officially sanctioned Saudi national identity, in an era of rapid societal transformation.

The ancestral and industrialized gut microbiota and implications for human health.

Human-associated microbial communities have adapted to environmental pressures. Doses of antibiotics select for a community with increased antibiotic resistance, inflammation is accompanied by expansion of community members equipped to flourish in the presence of immune effectors and Western diets shift the microbiota away from fibre degraders in favour of species that thrive on mucus. Recent data suggest that the microbiota of industrialized societies differs substantially from the recent ancestral microbiota of humans. Rapid modernization, including medical practices and dietary changes, is causing progressive deterioration of the microbiota, and we hypothesize that this may contribute to various diseases prevalent in industrialized societies. In this Opinion article, we explore whether individuals in the industrialized world may be harbouring a microbial community that, while compatible with our environment, is now incompatible with our human biology.

HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METALS IN URBAN SOIL

Rapid industrialization and modernization of urban cities has resulted to serious environmental contamination by metals, as a result the exposed inhabitants experienced health consequences. Therefore health risk assessment through multiple pathways is required for the health safety of the population. However, few studies to date estimate the health risk of heavy metals via different pathways on urban soils. Samples of urban soils were collected from urban environments of Petaling Jaya, and were analysed for As, Cd, Cr, Cu and Pb. The health risks for adults as a result of ingestion, dermal and inhalation exposure were then estimated. The results showed that the urban soils were polluted with these metals. This could be due to anthropoenic input. The concentration of the metals in soils follows the decreasing order Pb > As > Cr > Cu and Cd. Ingestion is the main route for exposure to heavy metals. Both the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk values are within the permissible limits. Adults could be vulnerable to non-carcinogenic health risk (HI) on exposure to As in urban soil. 
 Keyword: health risk, heavy metals, soils, dusts

Cultural-based challenges of the westernised approach to development in newly developed societies

ABSTRACT Urban theorists and policymakers are increasingly recognising the importance of integrating culture into urban development models. This article provides a critical assessment of Dubai’s integration of cultural planning in its approach to tourism development. It argues that western-influenced modernisation has side-lined indigenous creative resources in the pursuit of a cosmopolitan urban vision. Rapid urbanisation and westernisation of Dubai define and redefine the approaches for tourism development. The article suggests that embracing more culturally focused tourism plans may socially sustain local community and identity affected by rapid modernisation and westernisation in newly developed modern societies such as Dubai.

Water, sanitation and mortality in Swiss towns in the context of urban renewal in the late nineteenth century

ABSTRACTThe modernisation of water supply and sanitation in Swiss towns at the end of the nineteenth century contributed to a reduction in waterborne infectious diseases such as typhoid fever. We analyse the association between mortality rates and these large-scale urban infrastructure projects in 15 major Swiss towns between 1876 and 1901. During this period, Switzerland experienced a rapid economic development and modernisation as well as rising living standards. We used panel data regression models with fixed effects to estimate the effects of the sanitary reforms. In 1876, the average typhoid fever mortality rate was 87 deaths per 100,000 people. In 1901 it had decreased to 10 deaths. We find that the introduction of modern water supply reduced typhoid fever mortality rates by 22 percent. Finally, we show that the modernisation of this central urban infrastructure was a complex, step-by-step process.

경쟁적 현대성: 경제, 인식론 그리고 포스트모던 문화

This paper argues that postmodernism is not the end of something, as many theorists would have it, a cultural formation that follows something called modernism; rather, postmodernism is the early articulation of a new era of contested modernity. The paper seeks to advance this argument by analyzing the intertextual relation between Edward Hopper’s “The Nighthawks” (1942) and Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner” (1982). Furthermore, this intertextual relationship is reflected epistemologically in a discussion of Lukacs’s notion of realism and Ricoeur’s notion of utopia. The era of multiple or contested modernity is a consequence of the rapid economic modernization of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, and other countries in the region. It signals a new era, in which being advanced or modern is not the monopoly of the West. The paper outlines a three-level model of cultural analysis, where an economic development (contested modernity) is reflected in epistemology (realism and utopia), which informs the cultural domain (postmodern culture). The relationships between the three levels are fluid, dynamic, and multidirectional.

Sport, Science, and the Social Question in Early Twentieth-Century Argentina: An Analysis of Parliamentary Discussions, 1907–1924

This research reveals an unexplored aspect of Argentina’s sport policy-making process during the first three decades of the twentieth century. Contrary to the common assumption that little attention was paid to sport by early twentieth-century politicians, several bills proposing institutional support for the promotion and organization of national sport were presented in the Argentinean legislature. In order to support these proposals, many legislators resorted to medical and physiological discourse as the most important legitimizing force. Poverty, poor hygiene, and epidemic diseases, generated by rapid modernization and urbanization, urged some turn-of-the-century Argentine political elites to attempt a degree of social intervention within the general framework of the liberal-conservative order, as a way to counteract these evils and further advance the national progress enjoyed since the nineteenth century. In this context, sport was ardently advocated by some politicians as a means to raise scientifically the physical and moral constitution of the ‘Argentinean race’.

Fault tree analysis of the causes of urban smog events associated with vehicle exhaust emissions: A case study in Jinan, China

The excessive consumption of fuels associated with rapid industrialization, urbanization, and modernization has caused serious smog events in many Chinese cities. Vehicle exhaust is one of the primary causes of smog events due to the rapid growth of motor vehicle ownership and increased fuel consumption. In this study, fault tree analysis (FTA) was used as a relatively simple but effective way to analyze the causes of smog associated with vehicle exhaust emissions in Jinan, China. First, after the identification of the top event, intermediate events, and basic events, a comprehensive fault tree system for urban smog associated with vehicle exhaust emissions was constructed. Then, during the qualitative analysis stage, minimal cut sets (MCSs) were grouped using Boolean algebra operations, and the original fault tree was simplified to an equivalent tree based on 6 MCSs. Finally, during the quantitative analysis stage, the effects of the 12 basic events on the top event were evaluated and ranked according to the structural importance, probabilistic importance, and critical importance of their analytical measures. Our results indicated that traffic congestion, superabundance of vehicles, poor supervision, and yellow-label vehicles with long use ages had the greatest impact on smog events, with importance degrees of 0.52930, 0.52920, 0.22719, and 0.22716, respectively. These results are consistent with common sense. Although different basic events exert different influences, all of the basic events should be comprehensively taken into consideration and corresponding precautionary measures developed. This research provides a good case study of the application of FTA in the analysis of the causes of urban smog events associated with vehicle exhaust emissions. Our study further demonstrates that FTA is a relatively simple but effective method for the causal analysis of smog, as well as an effective tool for environmental risk management.

Context, gender and entrepreneurial intentions

PurposeThis paper aims to explore how gender differences in entrepreneurial intentions (EI) change when entrepreneurship education (EE) is added to the force field of macro-social stimulants and inhibitors of female EI in the particular context of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on a pre-post survey with entrepreneurship students and students with a similar profile enrolled in other courses (N = 246) at three universities. The three main hypotheses are evaluated through independent-samples t-tests and a hierarchical multiple regression analysis.FindingsThe findings indicate a negative effect of gender stereotypes on female students’ EI in the UAE, regardless of the course type. Furthermore, entrepreneurship courses appear to be more successful than other courses in raising the EI of students in general and female students in particular. Finally, adding EE to the equation of macro-social inhibitors and stimulants of female EI in the UAE seems to tip the balance in favor of the influence of economic affluence, rapid modernization and proactive governmental policies to stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit among female residents. That is, at the end of the entrepreneurship courses, there was no significant gender difference in EI anymore and female students are significantly more likely to experience a positive change in EI than male students.Research limitations/implicationsThe literature review identifies the need for future studies to evaluate the impact of variability in sampling and methods among previous studies on gender effects in EE. Building on the findings, future studies could identify which aspects of EE are pivotal for customizing female students’ specific local interests and needs. The study is limited in the sense that the data set did not enable tests of moderators at the course level (which mostly requires more qualitative data) and individual level. In addition, the sample is not representative for all female residents in the UAE at large.Practical implicationsThis study might stimulate (UAE) policymakers to increase the scope and quality of EE. In turn, university administrators are recommended to find ways to compensate the self-selection effect (overcome likely opt-out by female students) when entrepreneurship courses are elective.Originality/valueThis exploration was inspired by the strong emphasis that Julie Weeks put on the gendered impact of macro-level factors in business enabling environments (Weeks, 2011). The empirical analysis builds on a conceptual framework that integrates Krueger’s model of EI, theory on gender stereotypes in entrepreneurship and previous literature on the role of EE (reinforcing or mitigating stereotypes). The study is executed in the relatively unexplored context of the UAE, which offers strong macro-social inhibitors for ánd stimulants of female entrepreneurship.

Economic, social and cultural changes in society due to sustainable tourism development

This study examines the changes in the economic, social and cultural community due to sustainable tourism development in the Kutuh Petulu Village Ubud Bali. The advancement of technology and information is very fast causing all components of life to change both the values ??and culture of society with the rapid modernization in all fields causing changes in the economic, social and cultural, lifestyle that is very dynamic. The problem in this study: How are the economic, social and cultural changes of the community due to sustainable tourism development in the Kutuh Petulu Village of Ubud Bali. The purpose of this study: to understand and describe the meaning and form of environmental, economic, social and cultural changes due to sustainable tourism development in Kutuh Village Ubud, Bali. This study uses a descriptive qualitative method, using proportional sampling techniques consisting of managers of Villas and Hotels as well as people who work in the tourism sector in the Kutuh Petulu Village, Ubud, Bali. Sustainable tourism development is an effort by the government and the community to create jobs for future generations so that Bali's Groos Domestic Product is increasing given the enormity of globalization.

U.S.-China Military-to-Military Relations: Policy Considerations in a Changing Environment

U.S.-China Military-to-Military Relations:Policy Considerations in a Changing Environment Andrew S. Erickson (bio) keywords United States, China, miltary relations, National Defense Authorization Act [End Page 123] executive summary This article examines the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and argues that it is both a relevant instrument of congressional oversight and an appropriate safeguard for U.S. policy in bilateral military relations with China. main argument China's rapid military modernization and increasing assertiveness under Xi Jinping—combined with growing tensions between China and the U.S.—have created a context for bilateral military relations that is significantly worse than in previous eras. This new reality makes it important to revisit the state of U.S.-China military relations with a critical eye. Initial findings suggest that the benefits of such contacts are real but limited, and in some respects they are asymmetric in favor of China's military, with little prospect of major breakthroughs in favor of U.S., allied, or even shared bilateral interests. While a moderate degree of exchange is certainly better than little or no engagement, military relations cannot and will not improve the trajectory of U.S.-China relations. The NDAA is not preventing any activities in the U.S. interest that China would likely reciprocate fully. Transcending the current situation in bilateral military engagements without compromising U.S. interests does not require revisions of the NDAA or marginalization of congressional review, but rather demands progress in Sino-U.S. relations more broadly, which may be difficult under Xi. policy implications • U.S. policy on military relations with China should proceed from a four-fold approach that is (1) clear and cogently communicated, (2) conditional and credible, (3) comprehensive, and (4) consistent. • The U.S. approach should begin with a cautious Hippocratic oath of military engagement ("first, do no harm" to U.S. security interests), which puts the burden of proof on any advocates for changing the NDAA's provisions. • U.S. military relations with China should promote openness, transparency, and innovation in specific tangible areas, particularly those that help avoid incidents when their forces are in close proximity, such as risk avoidance, crisis communication, and deconfliction procedures, as well as those that provide public goods, such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. • Finally, the U.S. military should emphasize equitable reciprocity and pursue a transactional approach that recognizes that progress can occur only to the extent that both sides are fully willing and able to work toward this end. [End Page 124] The U.S. government's executive and legislative branches are engaged in a sweeping re-evaluation of the United States' policy toward the People's Republic of China (PRC). This sea change is driven by perceptions that China is approaching the status of a peer competitor and threatening U.S. leadership in critical advanced industries that underwrite the United States' national security leadership and military power. Beijing is doing so through information operations, influence efforts, and espionage designed to confuse and lower resistance as it seeks to undermine U.S. strength, acquire information to emulate U.S. sources of power, and achieve dominance in critical areas essential to U.S. leadership. While concern is outpacing consensus on what strategies and actions to take, engagement is no longer the default setting for U.S. policy. Official U.S. government and other institutional interchanges with the Chinese state and society, particularly military relations, will increasingly be scrutinized to ensure that they are not undermining U.S. interests. Accordingly, for the United States, China's ongoing lack of transparency regarding both military capabilities and intentions, coupled with its rapid increases in defense spending and wide-ranging military modernization, generates great concern. Defense policy goes to the heart of a nation's vital interests and is necessarily sensitive and contested. This extends to bilateral and multilateral military relationships. Military relations cannot bolster or independently stabilize Sino-U.S. relations. Typically, they serve as an indicator of the overall relationship's broader health, one that is able to influence relations only for the worse. Chinese interlocutors frequently refer to military-to-military relations as "the short stave in the barrel" of the overall relationship...

The U.S. Response to the Belt and Road Initiative: Answering New Threats with New Partnerships

The U.S. Response to the Belt and Road Initiative:Answering New Threats with New Partnerships Arzan Tarapore (bio) The United States has embraced a policy of "strategic competition" with China.1 This competition is most acute in East Asia, where Chinese policies directly challenge the United States' long-standing strategic primacy. China has primed its rapid military modernization to disrupt and deter U.S. forces and has used coercive force to assert territorial revisionism in the South China Sea. But the competition spans multiple regions and dimensions. China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) seeks to build Chinese influence across the entire Eurasian landmass and adjacent waters, often at a cost to U.S. interests. Washington has denounced BRI as a "predatory" program that builds influence through corrupt and secretive "debt trap" deals.2 But alongside its economic edifice, BRI is also freighted with strategic implications. The new trade and infrastructure deals will increase Chinese leverage to shape partner nations' preferences, edge out U.S. influence, and expand Chinese military presence.3 South Asia illustrates these political-military dimensions of BRI. China is cultivating an increasingly dependent ally in Pakistan and building a sprawling military presence across the Indian Ocean region, while India and its partners scramble to mount a counterbalance. This essay outlines the implications of these dynamics for U.S. policy. It shows, first, how BRI in South Asia threatens U.S. strategic interests and how the United States is responding through new partnerships with India and other countries. The essay concludes by discussing some recommended principles for the future of U.S. policy in the Indo-Pacific. [End Page 34] How BRI Threatens U.S. Strategic Interests On the surface, BRI offers tangible and immediate economic benefits for regions like South Asia. The region's developing states have a desperate demand for the speedily constructed transportation, energy, and telecommunications infrastructure that BRI promises. The terms and modalities of BRI projects have generated skepticism and opposition, which may prompt China to adjust its approach in its decades-long BRI campaign. More fundamentally, the concept of BRI—and its South Asian centerpiece, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)—presents a broad threat to U.S. interests in at least three ways. First and most directly, BRI shields governments that harbor anti-U.S. interests and entrenches their inimical policies. The clearest example of this is Pakistan. The United States and Pakistan have long endured a relationship that oscillates between amity and estrangement. After years of mounting frustration over Pakistan's support for terrorist networks, Washington ultimately cut most aid in 2018.4 CPEC, however, was there to cushion the blow. With a source of lavish financial patronage, Pakistan is now free to persist with its strategy of using militant proxy groups for influence in Afghanistan and attacks against India. Not only is China more tolerant of Pakistan's destabilizing policies; it actively shields Pakistan from external pressure—most prominently, by repeatedly blocking UN action against terrorists such as Masood Azhar, the leader of Jaish-e-Muhammad, who claims sanctuary in Pakistan.5 China's patronage of Pakistan, with CPEC at its center, has also contributed to sharpening strategic alignments in the region. Pakistan is now financially beholden to China and firmly within its orbit. Even if the United States were to resume military aid to Pakistan, which is unlikely in the short term, the entrenched presence of CPEC means that Washington would struggle to recover even the minor influence it previously held. The United States, which has simultaneously made clear its support for India, can no longer serve as a credible intermediary in the perennial security crises between India and Pakistan. In February 2019, as India considered its response to the terrorist attack in Pulwama, U.S. national security adviser John Bolton deviated from decades of U.S. practice and encouraged [End Page 35] the Indian military's retaliation at Balakot.6 With greatly diminished external brakes on escalation, India and Pakistan were able to introduce unprecedented levels of risk to the crisis.7 Through BRI, China has and will continue to also shape the political trajectories of other states in the region. The examples of Mahinda Rajapaksa...

Соціальне вчення Митрополита Андрея Шептицького як чинник економічного піднесення Галичини (кінець ХІХ – початок ХХ ст.)

The article deals with the principles and elements of social teaching as well as socio-economic activities of the UGCC Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytskyi in the context of their influence on economic development and formation of cooperative movement in Galicia in the late XIX – early XX century. It has been shown that the development of appropriate agricultural and cooperative education as well as active support of the private initiative by UGCC clergy appeared to be the key prerequisites for the successful cooperation. Andrei Sheptytskyi became not only an influencer but also initiator and active leader of the implementation of social teaching principles into practice of socio-economic transformations that prompted a rapid modernization of the economic and increased efficiency of economic and social processes. Thanks to the implementation of ideas and principles of social teaching, a real revolution occurred in many public spheres such as education, banking, cooperation and entrepreneurship. However, the crucial results of spreading social teaching ideas were changing in the economic culture and activities of Ukrainians, who henceforth considered not only their personal interest but tended to develop such a model of economic interaction, which creates a "positive sum” effect for other society members and for society as a whole. The optimal organizational form that allowed combining interests of different economic agents was cooperation, which, thanks to the ascetic work of the Metropolitan, covered almost all spheres of Ukrainian society life, became an economic base for solving most economic and social problems, and shaped an effective national business environment.

Crónicas travestis: El periodismo transgresor de Alfonsina Storni, Clarice Lispector y María Moreno by Mariela Méndez

Reviewed by: Crónicas travestis: El periodismo transgresor de Alfonsina Storni, Clarice Lispector y María Moreno by Mariela Méndez Ashley Brock Méndez, Mariela. Crónicas travestis: El periodismo transgresor de Alfonsina Storni, Clarice Lispector y María Moreno. Beatriz Viterbo Editora, 2017. 312 pp. Crónicas travestis traces a novel genealogy between the journalism of Alfonsina Storni (Argentina, 1892-1938), Clarice Lispector (Brazil, 1920-77), and María Moreno (Argentina, 1947-), focusing on the subversive engagement of all three writers with the conventions of the women's column and drawing connections between this body of work and Moreno's post-dictatorship journals alfonsina and El Teje. Méndez argues that, by introducing the genre-bending fluidity of the crónica, writing under multiple (sometimes gender-crossing) pseudonyms, and subtly parodying the prescriptions of the rigidly normative genre of the columna femenina, Storni, Lispector, and Moreno each destabilize gender binaries while laying bare the constructedness of gendered identity. In this way, Méndez reads these key figures in twentieth-century Latin American proto-feminist and feminist journalism as anticipating theories of gender performativity (Judith Butler), cross-dressing (Marjorie Garber), and queer temporality (J. Jack Halberstam). Méndez is not the first to associate these trailblazing women writers with a subversively feminist political project; she acknowledges a debt, for example, to the work of Gwen Kirkpatrick and Francine Masiello. The originality of Méndez's study lies in its engagement with contemporary queer theory as well as in its comparative nature. The connection between the two Argentine writers is well-established [End Page 415] (Moreno invokes Storni in calling the feminist journal she launches in 1983 alfonsina), but as Méndez points out, Storni's journalism receives far less critical attention than does her poetry. Clarice Lispector's journalism has been similarly overshadowed by her renowned fiction. Moreover, reading the Brazilian author alongside her Spanish American counterparts remains a rare comparative move. It is one that proves fruitful for Méndez, whose study not only moves between Argentine and Brazil but also unites several distinct historical moments in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Méndez's analysis encompasses Storni's columns "Feminidades" and "Bocetos Femeninos" (in La Nota and La Nación, respectively, 1919-21), Lispector's columns "Correio Feminino-Feira de Utilidades" and "Só para Mulheres" (in Correio da Manhã and Diário da Noite, respectively, 1959-61), and Moreno's columns "La Mujer" and "Señores" (in Tiempo Argentino, 1982-86), as well as Moreno's writing in the journals alfonsina (1983-84) and El Teje (2006-10). Diligently attending to the historical and cultural specificities that make the context in which each author worked distinct, Méndez identifies compelling commonalities between them. She points, for example, to how all three writers entered the public space of journalism at times when the prevailing ideology (often linked to the state) sought to usher women back into domestic roles and regulate their bodies. This reactionary ideology rears its head not only in moments associated with conservative politics, such as during the last dictatorship in Argentina, but also in moments of rapid modernization and progressivism, such as the 1920s in Argentina, the late 1950s in Brazil, and Argentina's return to democracy in the 1980s. Crónicas travestis unfolds over four chapters, the first two building the case for comparison among the women's columns authored by the three writers in question and the last two analyzing Moreno's post-dictatorship journals as the most overt expression of a radical gender politics that has its roots in these earlier columns. The first chapter focuses on the difficulties and discomforts each author faced as a woman occupying public space and the common response of creating a multiplicity of public personas (some of them male) behind which to hide and between which to move. Méndez argues that, for these writers, the mask becomes a political praxis that troubles the possibility of fixing identity and questions notions of authority and authorship (97). Chapter two analyzes how Storni and Lispector queer the genre of the women's column through rhetorical cross-dressing, by which Méndez means not only writing in a...

Hawajskie prawodawstwo wyborcze w latach 1840–1864

The history of the Kingdom of Hawaii (1810–1893) is a story of the rapid modernization and westernization of the island society, including its legal system. Hawaiian electoral law existed since 1840, when The House of Representatives with elective members was established by the first constitution. The edict issued then was an imprecise, even primitive, regulation of the rules of electing deputies. People entitled to vote voted by sending letters to the monarch. The electoral act of 1850 can be regarded as much more modern one. It should be emphasized that at that time the right to vote was universal (though only for male citizens). The article presents the Hawaiian electoral legislation till the reform of 1864, when important changes took place.

An Overview Of Urban Village Open Spaces And Outdoor Thermal Comfort In Malaysia

The level of the thermal environment in urban villages open spaces plays a significant role in the personal satisfaction of a city. The different weather and climate attributes of countries as indicated by their geographical location and natural conditions directly affect people's behavior and utilization of open spaces. Hence, a naturally cognizant urban structure arrangement should give high preference to the level of comfort ramifications of urban microclimate. This paper provides an overview of urban villages in Malaysia discussing the tropical climate thermal comfort in their open areas. Malaysia still has some traditional urban villages that have not been replaced by contemporary residential projects due to the rapid modernization and urban growth within the city, keeping their design and characteristics. These characteristics affect the level of the thermal environment and the quality of life of the villages' inhabitants. This review should serve as a motive for local authorities to maintain many of the villages’ existing characteristics particularly those that help mitigate the UHI effect namely the large proportion of vegetation when faced with the pressure of urban growth. The overview enhances thermal comfort’s knowledge and understanding of urban open spaces in tropical climate context amongst stakeholders of urban development. Keywords: thermal comfort, tropical climate, urban village, outdoor spaces, Malaysia

Leader-follower game-theoretic method towards carbon-economy trade-off in a key construction project group

Due to rapid urbanization and modernization, the construction sector now generates one third of all greenhouse gas emissions in China. Using an equilibrium strategy combined with the carbon allowance allocation, this study presents a synergistic Stackelberg model based on a construction project planning framework to deal with cumulative CO2 emissions. The bi-level model simultaneously considers the sequential decision-making relationship between the authority (leader) and the enterprises' interactive objectives and constraints. Unlike previous research, this bi-level model gives a holistic analysis of the interactivity of multiple stakeholders, thereby enabling the inherent conflicts and equilibrium between environmental protection and decision makers' profits to be reconciled and balanced. To deal with the bi-level model complexity, an interactive solution method that integrates an evolutionary mechanism and improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO) is designed for solving a construction supply planning problem. The robustness and practicality of the proposed methodology are then validated in a real world case, and sensitivity analyses under different carbon emissions quotas are also given. The results indicate that the methodology can systematically reduce carbon emissions in the Chinese construction sector, and when the authority has a strict emissions reduction altitude, construction practitioners are able to attain high carbon efficiencies; therefore, the model provides valuable strategy guidance for policymakers and business executives.

Exposure to commonly-used phthalates and the associated health risks in indoor environment of urban China

Rapid urbanization and modernization have increased exposures to phthalates from synthetic materials used indoors in China. However, exposure to phthalates from indoor environment and the associated health risks to the urban population have not been adequately characterized and documented. In this study, we summarized the recent measurements of five commonly-used phthalates in indoor environment in urban China and documented their distributions. Based on the activity patterns and exposure factors of Chinese population, Monte-Carlo simulation was used to derive their exposures. On average, the daily intake of all the targeted phthalates was 3.6 μg/kg/day for adults; and for children it ranged from 4.4 μg/kg/day to 8.1 μg/kg/day. For children, the total risk from exposures inside residences and offices was 32%–90% and 4%–19%, respectively. From commuting environments and other indoor environments, it was 5%–31%, and 3%–26%, respectively. For adults, the total risk from residences and offices was 26%–78% and 9%–35%. Additionally, from commuting environments and other indoor environments, it was 8%–35% and 5%–11%, respectively. The non-carcinogenic risk assessment was based on a cumulative Tolerable Daily Intake (TDIcum), with means ranging from 0.18 to 0.41, which was mainly as a result of exposure to DiBP and DnBP. The means for lifetime cancer risk resulting from DEHP exposure ranged from 0.4 × 10−6 to 2.0 × 10−6 for urban population groups. For 80% of working adults and 40%–75%% of children, their cancer risks exceeded the EPA's benchmark (1.0 × 10−6). The present study could provide important information for decision makers to reduce indoor phthalate exposures as well as the associated health risks for larger population groups in Chinese cities.

Acculturated Otherness. Christian Churches and Wedding Chapels in Modern Japanese Society

During the latter half of the nineteenth century, the Japanese government ended the centuries-long Japanese policy of isolation and initiated a rapid modernization effort that aimed to create a competitive Japanese nation state. In addition to such changes as new family law, compulsory education, and redistribution of property, the government contracted foreign experts with the goal of importing western knowledge. As a result, civil engineers, artists, and physicians started moving to Japan, as did missionaries. This resulted in intense cultural encounter and negotiation, in the course of which Christian faith and Western church architecture became acculturated in Japan. This article sketches the socio-cultural and technological parameters shaping Japanese Christian church buildings from the 1860s onwards as well as the transfer of meanings and forms from an explicitly Western tradition into a Western-looking and yet entirely Japanese tradition of Christianity. It sketches a second line of transfer as well, that reinterpreted the ‘church’ as an architectural form into the Wedding-Chapel-Romanticism of the non-Christian Japanese mainstream wedding industry.

Thermal performance and economic study of an energy piles system under cooling dominated conditions

The rapid modernization has been mainly based on non-renewable fossil-fuels sources with the associated uncontrolled release of greenhouse gases impacting negatively on our environment. New renewal energy technologies, like shallow geothermal systems can help to solve this problem. This method harnesses constant and moderate ground temperature that is used to assist in the air conditioning of buildings. This technology is growing rapidly because it consumes less conventional energy for operation, which in turn results in fewer CO2 emissions. A group of energy piles was installed and instrumented as part of the foundation system of a new five-story building constructed in Texas A&M University, USA. This setup is used in this research to explore the performance of this technique to control the building temperature under cooling-dominated weather conditions. This study found that integrating energy piles in building foundations could be an economical and environmentally friendly solution also under such climate conditions, but attention should be paid to the thermodynamic efficiency of the system when unbalanced pile-ground heat-transfer cycles take place through the year.