Salient Relationship Research Articles

The Roles of Moat Width and Outer Eyewall Contraction in Affecting the Timescale of Eyewall Replacement Cycle

AbstractThe timescale of eyewall replacement cycle (ERC) is critical for the prediction of intensity and structure changes of tropical cyclones (TCs) with concentric eyewall (CE) structures. Previous studies have indicated that the moat width can regulate the interaction between the inner and outer eyewalls and has a salient relationship with the ERC timescale. In this study, a series of sensitivity experiments are carried out to investigate the essential mechanisms resulting in the diversity of the duration of CEs using both simple and full‐physics models. Results reveal that a larger moat can induce stronger inflow under the same inner eyewall intensity by providing a longer distance for air parcels to accelerate in the boundary layer. Thus, there is greater inward absolute vorticity flux to sustain the inner eyewall. Besides, the equivalent potential temperature (θe) budget indicates that the vertical advection and surface flux of moist entropy can overbalance the negative contribution from the horizontal advection and lead to an increasing trend of θe in the inner eyewall. This suggests that the thermodynamic process in the boundary layer is not indispensable to the inner eyewall weakening. It is also found that the contraction rate of the secondary eyewall, which directly influences the moat width, is subject to the activity of outer spiral rainbands. By directly introducing positive wind tendency outside the eyewall and indirectly promoting a vertically tilted eyewall structure, active convection in the outer region will impede or even suspend the contraction of the outer eyewall and hence extend the ERC timescale.

Mitigating work alienation in public sector service-delivery projects caused by perceived overqualification: the roles of empowering leadership and the psychological contracts

PurposeThe study investigates the nature of an understudied yet salient relationship between perceived overqualification (POQ) and work alienation in project management. It employs relative deprivation theory to propose two dimensions of the psychological contract, i.e. relational and transactional, as underlying mediating mechanisms and how empowering leadership mitigates the adverse effects of POQ.Design/methodology/approachTo this end, in two waves, we surveyed 232 project members of three public-sector information and communication technologies (ICT) projects in Punjab, Pakistan. The data was analyzed using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe key findings are: (1) POQ leads to work alienation, (2) relational and transactional contracts mediate this relationship, and (3) empowering leadership can mitigate the adverse effects of POQ in project management settings.Originality/valueThis research adds valuable insights to the scant POQ literature in public-sector project management settings. It also contributes by identifying the mediating role of relational and transactional psychological contracts and the moderating role of empowering leadership to mitigate the adverse effects of POQ in these settings.

A sufficient condition for a graph to be fractional (k,n)-critical

Toughness implies the topological representation characterization of network graphs. The pioneering works implicated that there are salient relationship between toughness and the existence of fractional factor in various settings. Specifically, Liu and Zhang (2008) [7] determined that G admits a fractional k-factor if t(G)≥k−1k and |V(G)|≥k+1 (k≥2 is an integer), and the toughness bound is tight. A graph G is fractional (k,n)-critical, if removing any n vertices from G the resulting subgraph still admits a fractional k-factor. In this paper, we prove that if k>n, then the original toughness condition (i.e., t(G)≥k−1k) is sufficient for a graph to be fractional (k,n)-critical. Furthermore, we explain why k>n is the extreme boundary to keep the original toughness bound.

Bias Cuts and Data Dumps

Bias Cuts and Data Dumps

Neural responses to instructed positive couple interaction: an fMRI study on compliment sharing.

Love is probably the most fascinating feeling that a person ever experiences. However, little is known about what is happening in the brains of a romantic couple-the central and most salient relationship during adult age-while they are particularly tender and exchanging loving words with one another. To gain insight into nearly natural couple interaction, we collected data from N = 84 individuals (including N = 43 heterosexual couples) simultaneously in two functional magnetic resonance imaging scanners, while they sent and received compliments, i.e.short messages about what they liked about each other and their relationship. Activation patterns during compliment sharing in the individuals revealed a broad pattern of activated brain areas known to be involved in empathy and reward processing. Notably, the ventral striatum, including parts of the putamen, was activated particularly when selecting messages for the partner. This provides initial evidence that giving a verbal treat to a romantic partner seems to involve neural reward circuitry in the basal ganglia. These results can have important implications for the neurobiological mechanisms protecting and stabilizing romantic relationships, which build a highly relevant aspect of human life and health.

Corporate social responsibility and credit rating around the world: The role of societal trust

AbstractWe hypothesize that societal trust alleviates moral hazard concerns that undermine credit rating agencies’ perceived value of corporate social responsibility (CSR). We test our hypothesis using a large global sample and find a more salient relationship between CSR and credit rating only in countries with high societal trust. Our findings reconcile the mixed empirical worldwide evidence on this relationship. Additional tests provide further evidence that it is societal trust, not other country‐level factors, that drives our results.

In-depth understanding of molecular mechanisms of aldehyde toxicity to engineer robust Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Aldehydes are ubiquitous electrophilic compounds that ferment microorganisms including Saccharomyces cerevisiae encounter during the fermentation processes to produce food, fuels, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. Aldehydes pose severe toxicity to the growth and metabolism of the S. cerevisiae through a variety of toxic molecular mechanisms, predominantly via damaging macromolecules and hampering the production of targeted compounds. Compounds with aldehyde functional groups are far more toxic to S. cerevisiae than all other functional classes, and toxic potency depends on physicochemical characteristics of aldehydes. The yeast synthetic biology community established a design-build-test-learn framework to develop S. cerevisiae cell factories to valorize the sustainable and renewable biomass, including the lignin-derived substrates. However, thermochemically pretreated biomass-derived substrate streams contain diverse aldehydes (e.g., glycolaldehyde and furfural), and biological conversions routes of lignocellulosic compounds consist of toxic aldehyde intermediates (e.g., formaldehyde and methylglyoxal), and some of the high-value targeted products have aldehyde functional group (e.g., vanillin and benzaldehyde). Numerous studies comprehensively characterized both single and additive effects of aldehyde toxicity via systems biology investigations, and novel molecular approaches have been discovered to overcome the aldehyde toxicity. Based on those novel approaches, researchers successfully developed synthetic yeast cell factories to convert lignocellulosic substrates to valuable products, including aldehyde compounds. In this mini-review, we highlight the salient relationship of physicochemical characteristics and molecular toxicity of aldehydes, the molecular detoxification and macromolecules protection mechanisms of aldehydes, and the advances of engineering robust S. cerevisiae against complex mixtures of aldehyde inhibitors. KEY POINTS: • We reviewed structure-activity relationships of aldehyde toxicity on S. cerevisiae. • Two-tier protection mechanisms to alleviate aldehyde toxicity are presented. • We highlighted the strategies to overcome the synergistic toxicity of aldehydes.

Voices of Young Mothers on Relational Issues Leading to Out-of-Wedlock Pregnancy and its Protective Measures: A Qualitative Exploration

INTRODUCTION: Adolescents learn through experimenting and interactions with others. Experimenting romance and sexuality issues if not properly guided, can result in an out-of-wedlock unplanned pregnancy. This study aims to explore factors leading to out-of-wedlock pregnancy among pregnant teenagers and factors that may prevent such occurrence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two in-depth interviews (IDI) and two focus group discussions (FGD) were conducted in this qualitative study. The study involved 22 participants from a local governmental body shelter home in Peninsular Malaysia. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Three salient relationship themes that led to teenage pregnancy were i) an enjoyable relationship with peers, ii) poor family relationship, and iii) intimate relationship with boyfriends. Some of the proposed ways that may protect teenagers from pregnancy include i) careful selection of friends, ii) controlling the desire in risky experimentation, and iii) wiser use of smartphones or/and social media. CONCLUSION: Relational issues with parents, peers and boyfriends are important factors as it could lead to out-of -wedlock pregnancy among adolescents and youths. It is also necessary for the current educational system to emphasize on building positive relationships with peers, being more assertive, and the safe use of social media among youths.

The Conventional Constitution

The political convulsions of the past decade have fueled acute interest in constitutional norms or “conventions.” Despite intense scholarly attention, existing accounts are incomplete and do not answer at least one or more of three major questions: (1) What must all constitutional norms do? (2) What makes them conventional? (3) And why are they constitutional? This Article advances an original theory of constitutional norms that answers these questions. First it defines them and explains their general character: they are normative, contingent, and arbitrary practices that implement constitutional text and principle. Most scholars have foregone examining how norms are conventional or have relegated them to coordinating behavior, like rules requiring drivers to stick to one side of the road. By contrast, this Article argues that constitutional norms are constitutive conventions, which constitute values into practices; they are akin to conventions of etiquette that concretize concepts like “politeness.” Constitutional norms implement abstract principles, like the separation of powers, or indeterminate text, such as “advice and consent,” into specific behavior and action. By understanding constitutional norms as constitutive conventions, this Article explains norms’ salient features, basic functions, and relationship to the Constitution. Norms are normative because they command respect and allegiance. They are contingent, because they depend on political, social, and intellectual conditions to emerge and endure. They are arbitrary, because they represent one of many possible ways of realizing constitutional text and principle. And they are constitutional because the values they implement arise from the Constitution itself. This Article animates its theory through case studies of three constitutional norms: blue slips, the norm against court packing, and executive non-interference in law enforcement. It concludes by questioning the use of historical practice in constitutional interpretation. It suggests that when scholars and judges draw on norms that are intrinsically contingent and arbitrary, they embed unstated normative assumptions about the past and how it should constrain the future.

Implementation of Statistical Analysis to Determine Optimum Ultimate Pit

The ultimate pit may affect other aspects in the life of a mine such as economical, technical, environmental, and social aspects. What makes it even more complex is that most often there are many pits which are economically minable. This calls for a heuristic approach to determine which of these pits is the ultimate pit. This study presents a means of selecting an ultimate pit during design operations of the Hebei Limestone mine. During optimization processes of the mine, many pit shells were created using Whittle Software. Normally, Whittle Software optimizes these processes and assigns a revenue factor of 1 for the ultimate pit. Unfortunately, the pit shells created did not satisfy the criteria with a revenue factor of 1 based on the parameters. As a result of this, statistical analysis was implemented to further understand the relationship, variability, and correlation of the pit shells created (data). Correlation Analysis, K-means++ Analysis, Principal Component Analysis, and Generalized Linear models were used in the analysis of the pit shells created. The results portray a salient relationship of the optimization variables. In addition, the proposed method was tested on Whittle Sample projects which satisfy the selection of ultimate pit selection with a revenue factor of 1. The results show that the proposed model produced almost the same results as the Whittle model with a revenue factor of 1 and was also able to determine the ultimate pit in cases which did not satisfy the Whittle selection criteria.

The Environmental Significance of Chemistry Variations in the Rivers around Taiwan

Chemistry variations in the rivers are key indexes of weathering mechanisms. This paper presents a chemical variation examination of water samples acquired from 11 Taiwanese rivers to assess the relationships between chemical and physical weathering based on the variations of major dissolved ions. One salient relationship is illustrated by the discovery that huge amount of water discharge is the vital factor associated with the dilution of ion concentrations. The total dissolved solid discharge from the investigated rivers is approximately 10 Mt/yr, prominently, 60% of the dissolved ions are attributed to the outcrop of silicate. Finally, it is noted that only 4% of the total dissolved solid discharge is observed in the total delivered material in river water, which is practical with the characteristics of weathering mechanism, most of the materials transported into river water undergo little chemical weathering.

URBANIZATION AND RURAL–URBAN CONSUMPTION DISPARITY: EVIDENCE FROM CHINA

The objective of this paper is to investigate the impacts of urbanization on influencing the rural–urban consumption disparity in China, a research gap which has not been bridged so far. Adopting a provincial dataset from 1997 to 2014, a generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator is employed to reveal the impact of urbanization on the ratio of per capita consumption expenditure of the urban households to the rural households, along with other socioeconomic variables. Empirical results show salient relationship between increasing urbanization ratio and declining rural–urban inequality. Significant impact of education costs on increasing the rural–urban inequality is also observed. Other factors that increase the disparity include foreign investment and gross regional product (GRP) indices. Industrial structure, costs of housing and health care are insignificant factors. The results of this study help in understanding China’s new urbanization development strategy in a better way.

Does Tax-Benefit Linkage Matter for the Incidence of Social Security Contributions?

We study the earnings responses to three large increases in employer Social Security contributions (SSCs) in France. We find evidence of full pass-through to workers in the case of a strong and salient relationship between contributions and expected benefits. By contrast, we find limited pass-through of employer SSCs to wages for reforms that increased SSCs with no tax-benefit linkage. Together with a meta-analysis of the literature, we interpret these results as evidence that tax-benefit linkage and its salience matter for incidence, a claim long made by the literature but not backed by direct empirical evidence to date.

Romantic Crushes Promote Variety‐Seeking Behavior

Consumers making repeat consumption choices often need to decide whether to stick to their favorite option or to select something different. Understanding the situational factors that influence their willingness to seek more or less variety in consumption is of both theoretical and practical importance. The current research proposes that a salient relationship state—romantic crush—can increase consumers' variety‐seeking tendency in unrelated consumption situations. Building on the compensatory consumption literature, we suggest that the lack of reciprocal response in the romantic crush experience may lower consumers' sense of control in the romantic relationship. Therefore, they are motivated to restore their sense of control by making more varied choices in consumption domains. Five studies provide support for this hypothesis. In line with our control‐restoration account, the effect disappears when consumers' sense of control is boosted via other means. Moreover, the effect is specific to the experience of a romantic crush and cannot be generalized to other types of romantic relationship (e.g., initial stage of love).

Elevated C-reactive protein and posttraumatic stress pathology among survivors of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks

BackgroundSystemic inflammation has emerged as a promising marker and potential mechanism underlying post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The relationship between posttraumatic stress pathology and systemic inflammation has not, however, been consistently replicated and is potentially confounded by comorbid illness or injury, common complications of trauma exposure. MethodsWe analyzed a large naturalistic cohort sharing a discrete physical and mental health trauma from the destruction of the World Trade Center (WTC) towers on September 11, 2001 (n = 641). We evaluated the relationship between multiple physical and mental health related indices collected through routine evaluations at the WTC Environmental Health Center (WTC EHC), a treatment program for community members exposed to the disaster. C-Reactive Protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation, was examined in relation to scores for PTSD, PTSD symptom clusters (re-experiencing, avoidance, negative cognitions/mood, arousal), depression and anxiety, while controlling for WTC exposures, lower respiratory symptoms, age, sex, BMI and smoking as potential risks or confounders. ResultsCRP was positively associated with PTSD severity (p < 0.001), trending toward association with depression (p = 0.06), but not with anxiety (p = 0.27). CRP was positively associated with re-experiencing (p < 0.001) and avoidance (p < 0.05) symptom clusters, and trended toward associations with negative cognitions/mood (p = 0.06) and arousal (p = 0.08). ConclusionsIn this large study of the relationship between CRP and posttraumatic stress pathology, we demonstrated an association between systemic inflammation and stress pathology (PTSD; trending with depression), which remained after adjusting for potentially confounding variables. These results contribute to research findings suggesting a salient relationship between inflammation and posttraumatic stress pathology.

Increased perceived stress is related to decreased prefrontal cortex volumes among older adults

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Several of the brain regions vulnerable to increased levels of stress (i.e., hippocampus and prefrontal cortex) are also known to undergo disproportionate decline during normal aging. To date, surprisingly little research has examined the effects of stress on the brain among healthy human populations, much less in the elderly. The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between chronic stress and brain morphometry in regions known for their involvement in the stress response, namely the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala, in a sample of healthy older adults. Method: The Perceived Stress Scale and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were collected in 28 older adult individuals aged 65 to 90 years. Gray and white matter volumes in various regions of interest in the prefrontal cortex and medial temporal lobes were calculated using semiautomated segmentation tools. Results: Perceived stress was negatively correlated with overall prefrontal cortex (PFC) volume, specifically in overall white matter volume of the PFC. Additionally, perceived stress was negatively correlated with gray and white matter volumes in lateral regions of the PFC, specifically, in the ventrolateral and dorsolateral PFC. Perceived stress was not significantly related to medial temporal lobe volumes. Conclusions: These findings suggest that among healthy older adults, there is a salient relationship between prefrontal cortex volumes and levels of perceived stress. This research fills a critical gap in the current literature and provides initial groundwork for future studies investigating the relationship between perceived stress and the prefrontal cortex in the context of healthy aging.

Risk aversion and inequity aversion in demand for unemployment benefits

This paper is an empirical study of what motivates net contributors to support redistributive policies. While studies in the area have tended to consider broad measures of inequality and support for redistribution in general, we focus on a single, salient relationship between local unemployment rates and demand for spending on unemployment benefits. Using a particularity of the Spanish labour market, we estimate how workers’ stated preferences for unemployment benefits spending respond to changes in the local unemployment rate. We then decompose this response into the part explained by risk aversion, and thus demand for insurance, and the part explained by inequity aversion. Our results suggest that increases in local unemployment rates lead to increased demand by workers for unemployment benefits spending. Moreover, our results are consistent with an insurance motive driving this relationship but provide little support for inequity aversion. Our results suggest that studies of the relationship between inequality and demand for redistribution might benefit from considering both the source and measure of the inequality and the instrument of redistribution.

Is Income Redistribution a Form of Insurance, a Public Good or Both?

This paper is an empirical study of what motivates net contributors to support redis- tributive policies. While studies in the area have tended to consider broad measures of inequality and support for redistribution, we focus on a single, salient relationship between local unemployment rates and demand for spending on unemployment benefits. Using a particularity of the Spanish labour market we estimate how workers? stated preferences for unemployment benefits spending respond to changes in the local unemployment rate. We then decompose this response into the part explained by risk aversion, and thus demand for insurance, and the part explained by the public good nature of the redistribution. Our results suggest that increases in local unemployment rates lead to increased demand by workers for unemployment benefits spending. Moreover, our results are consistent with an insurance motive driving this relationship but provide little support for any public good component. Our results suggest that studies of the relationship between inequality and demand for redistribution might benefit from considering both the source and measure of the inequality and the instrument of redistribution.

Examining the educative aims and practices of decision-makers in sport for development and peace organizations

Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) policy-makers and practitioners continue to offer ambitious claims regarding the potential role of sport-based programs for promoting social change. Yet, it is important to put sport under a critical lens in order to develop a more balanced and realistic understanding of the role of sport in society. Whether SDP programs result in positive or negative outcomes depends on the structures and processes of the implementing organizations. Hence, SDP researchers are paying more attention to the organizational approaches of these agencies. Scholars also argue the outcomes of SDP programs depend on the relationship of these organizations with broader community education and health promotion efforts. Despite the claims of many SDP programs, little remains known about the educational goals of these programs and their relationship with broader educational efforts. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to critically examine the role of education among a randomly selected sample of nonprofit SDP organizations in urban settings across the USA. Findings from in-depth interviews with 17 executive directors indicate a broad range of educative aims, but also innovative organizational practices, highlighting a salient relationship between education and SDP in the USA. Prominent themes emerged related to program models and organizational approaches, academic enrichment programming, partnerships with educational institutions and education-focused nonprofits, and educational outcomes. These findings are examined and implications for future SDP research are also discussed. Although important work is emerging in SDP literature on how educational values are delivered in these programs [Spaaij, R., & Jeanes, R. [2013]. Education for social change? A Freirean critique of sport for development and peace. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 18, 442–457], findings from this study also help stimulate a critical dialogue on the educative aims and practices of decision-makers in SDP organizations.

Tokens of trauma: The ageing experience of Shoah survivors in a Jewish support centre.

This paper explores the traumatic memories of ageing Shoah survivors who attend a Jewish social and therapeutic support facility in London (UK). The study investigates the perceived differences in trauma within a diverse group of members who partake in the day centre. The difference in Shoah experience contextualises how survivors of ghettos and concentration camps possess a salient relationship with food, notably bread which acts as an enduring symbol of catastrophe for participants. The meanings that underlie death amongst camp survivors are evaluated, where decisions regarding the end of life stage can be interpreted as a shared experience with those who perished during the Shoah. Results exemplify how religious and cultural elements of Judaism mediate the trauma that has become thoroughly embodied for participants. survival is steeped in intersubjective acts of remembrance, offering a novel contribution to the anthropological study of genocide.