Weak Position Research Articles

Shallow vs. Deep Geoethics: Moving Beyond Anthropocentric Views

At its inception, geoethics was envisioned as a type of professional ethics concerned with the moral implications of geoscientific research, applications, and practices. More recently, however, some scholars have proposed versions of geoethics as public and global ethics. To better understand these developments, this article considers the relationship between geoethics and environmental ethics by exploring different aspects of the human-nature relation (i.e., the moral status and role of humans in relation to the non-human world). We start by noting that the main strains of geoethical thought elaborated so far represent examples of environmental virtue ethics and defend moral weak anthropocentric positions (e.g., “ethical”, “responsible” or “enlightened” anthropocentrism). Some scholars propose that such weak anthropocentric geoethics can synthesize the different positions in environmental ethics and move beyond them toward a novel and distinct approach. We compare the meaning and the use of the term “anthropocentrism” in both environmental ethics and geoethics, stressing that although geoethics is inevitably epistemically anthropocentric (i.e., anthropogenic), it does not need to be morally anthropocentric. We consider the compatibility of non-anthropocentric stances with current geoethical theory and argue for the integration of normative non-anthropocentric accounts (e.g., ecocentric) into geoethical debates and geoscience education.

Dynamic reliability analysis of Aerial Building Machine under extreme wind loads using improved QBDC-based active learning

Aerial building machine (ABM) is a new comprehensive construction equipment used for the construction of high-rise buildings, and the research of its wind-induced response is essential for structural safety. However, the traditional reliability estimation for complex structures is generally computationally expensive. This study proposes a novel and time-saving active learning (AL) approach to predict the structural time-variant response and calculate the reliability under extreme wind loads based on improved Query-by-Dropout-Committee (QBDC), Deep Learning (DL) and Probability Density Evolution Method (PDEM). To establish an effective training set, the load sample pool from the turbulent wind field is constructed by the number theory method (NTM). Then a DL surrogate model, aimed to simulate the excitation-response relationship of the structure, is well-trained from data calculated by the Finite Element Method (FEM) under the workflow of the improved QBDC-based AL approach. Lastly, the structural responses predicted by the surrogate model are used to solve the Generalized Density Evolution Equation (GDEE) to obtain the Probability Density Function (PDF) of the structural response. The dynamic reliability can be gained using absorbing boundary condition. To demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach, an ABM in China is taken as a case study. It is found that (1) The external trusses of the platform are weak positions under the horizontal wind loads. It is suggested to append the longitudinal (windward direction) trusses to reduce the local stress and deformation. (2) Under turbulent wind loads with the average speed of 40 m/s, the maximum structural response of the ABM will exceed the threshold value and the reliability is 0.932. (3) The reliability calculation error derived by the proposed approach and the traditional PDEM is within 0.5 % in this study, while the computational efficiency of the AL approach is 77.08 % higher than that of the traditional PDEM. The novelty lies in the proposed active learning approach that can easily obtain the stochastic response and dynamic reliability of the ABM, where the analysis workflow not only has a low computational cost but also maintains a high calculation accuracy.

Nineteenth-Century Richard Wagner: Unconventional Female Roles and Emerging Feminist Discourse

Operas of the 19th century adhered to realism, often drawing inspiration from real-life situations. In the social context of the era, women were often relegated to positions of weakness and lacked societal status, rendering them subject to the scrutiny of male perspectives. However, Richard Wagner's operas distinguished themselves by endowing female characters with prominence and authority. This article seeks to investigate Wagner's effective empowerment of women, focusing on the plot and role analysis of Brnnhilde, the female character from "Die Walkre." Subsequently, a combination of document analysis and literature review are synthesized, showing the diverse perspectives of scholars who have examined Wagner's individualism and his portrayal of female characters in his operas. Ultimately, it is apparent that the formidable female figures in Wagner's operas boldly challenge prevailing social norms, embodying the essence of love and redemption. While scholars hold varying interpretations regarding Wagner's approach to feminism, it is irrefutable that these non-traditional female characters occupy central positions in his works, infused with profound emotions and at the core of dramatic storytelling.

World Literature and Defeat

This essay underscores the importance of seeking refuge in literary aesthetics by arguing that Goethe’s concept of world literature was formulated in compensation for the shock of military defeat, political collapse, and foreign occupation. The refugee became a figure of identification in Goethe’s writing in the 1790s and his Orientalist Nachdichtungen. The Goethean mode of reading distant literatures entails identifying with other writers who are often already marginalized within their own cultures. This manner of engaging with non-European texts refuses to establish a pantheon of great works precisely because it relies on a writerly interest in rediscovering one’s own identity by reading foreign literature from a position of insecurity and weakness. The goal of reading is always the reconstruction of the self through a strange text. With its eagerness to establish a monumental cultural figure, the nineteenth and early twentieth-century canon marginalized precisely those unGerman texts in which Goethe most effectively dismantled his own authorial status. Only with the demise of colonial empires and the defeat of Nazi Germany did a more modest, anti-hegemonic mode of reading remerge.

Networking capability as a moderator of resourced based view, market orientation, information technology, and effectuation on SMEs internationalization

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of resourced based view, market orientation, implementation of information technology, effectuation and networking capability on the internationalization of Small and Medum Enterprises (SMEs) and the indirect influence between these variables with networking capability as a moderator. The research method uses a quantitative approach. The population and sample in this study are SMEs throughout East Java, Indonesia that have made efforts to internationalize, with data obtained from the Export Center Surabaya office, which is an institution formed by the East Java Provincial Trade Service and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce. 1346 SMEs were recorded at the Export Center Surabaya office and a sample of 300 SMEs was obtained. The analysis technique used in this study is SEM PLS, which is to determine validity, reliability, and hypothesis testing. The results of the study show that resourced based view, market orientation, information technology implementation, effectuation and networking capability on SMEs internationalization have a positive and significant effect. Networking capability as a moderator can strengthen the influence of resourced based view and market orientation towards the internationalization of SMEs. Meanwhile, in the effectuation and implementation of information technology relationship with SMEs internationalization, networking capability as a moderator is in a weak position, that is it produces a negative coefficient, with a t-statistic value greater than the t-table.

Thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitters with a LUMO-extended boron-containing acceptor for high-efficiency and long-lifetime blue OLEDs

DOBNA's LUMO extension and the introduction of a protecting group in the weak position of the donor group result in high efficiency and long lifetime of the device.

Chinese Female Individual Independence and Fertility Desire ----from the Perspective of Feminism

In response to the aging population, the Chinese government has changed the birth policy to change the population structure. However, encouraging fertility policy faces the challenge of women's independence consciousness and the reality of striving for gender equality. The core of women's independence consciousness is to change their weak position in the labor market and pursue a more equal division of labor within the family. Under this pursuit, women's attitude towards fertility has also changed, and the value of fertility to women has been measured. This study aimed to explore the effect of female independence awareness on female reproductive choice. The study focuses on the dual pressure and role contradiction of women in the family and workplace under the sense of independence, and gives appropriate policy advice. The results show that under the influence of women's independent consciousness, women's control of their reproductive rights will make women more independent to their reproductive choices. In addition, the discrimination in the workplace and the pressure of family affairs that they may face after giving birth will make the reality of life different from the vision of pursuing career and independence, and this difference will also make women more cautious about their reproductive choices.

Judicial Reform in Serbia in Light of “the Venetian Concept” of the Rule of Law

This paper analyses the influence of the standards of the Venice Commission in the area of the rule of law in the course of Serbian judicial reforms. The author first “sketches” the constitutional “path” of the idea of judicial independence and the rule of law in Serbia. He derives an “extract” from the “jurisprudence” of the Venice Commission in the area of the rule of law, which refers to the standards of an independent judiciary summarised in a document called the Rule of Law Checklist. The normative framework, which has been set by the constitutional amendments from 2022 and judicial laws from 2023, is a positive step on the way to building a national rule of law that will be compatible with international standards. In the coming period, Serbia will face numerous external and internal challenges. The Commission points to the relatively weak material position of judges, the lack of interest of young lawyers in applying for judicial positions, the large gap between retiring judges and young people. The Commission particularly emphasises the importance of building a legal culture. The author considers that segment essential for the success of the process that has begun. The author underlines that the international standards of the rule of law must not have absolute supremacy vis-à-vis the real needs of their adaptation to the national political, legal and social environment of the country in question. It is necessary to strive for a dynamic balance that will, in the long term, provide the conditions for the rule of law of national content that confirms the generally accepted civilisational values and achievements of the international legal community. Every step in that process must be carefully thought out and undertaken

Probabilistic analysis of tunnel face seismic stability in layered rock masses using Polynomial Chaos Kriging metamodel

Face stability is an essential issue in tunnel design and construction. Layered rock masses are typical and ubiquitous; uncertainties in rock properties always exist. In view of this, a comprehensive method, which combines the Upper bound Limit analysis of Tunnel face stability, the Polynomial Chaos Kriging, the Monte-Carlo Simulation and Analysis of Covariance method (ULT-PCK-MA), is proposed to investigate the seismic stability of tunnel faces. A two-dimensional analytical model of ULT is developed to evaluate the virtual support force based on the upper bound limit analysis. An efficient probabilistic analysis method PCK-MA based on the adaptive Polynomial Chaos Kriging metamodel is then implemented to investigate the parameter uncertainty effects. Ten input parameters, including geological strength indices, uniaxial compressive strengths and constants for three rock formations, and the horizontal seismic coefficients, are treated as random variables. The effects of these parameter uncertainties on the failure probability and sensitivity indices are discussed. In addition, the effects of weak layer position, the middle layer thickness and quality, the tunnel diameter, the parameters correlation, and the seismic loadings are investigated, respectively. The results show that the layer distributions significantly influence the tunnel face probabilistic stability, particularly when the weak rock is present in the bottom layer. The efficiency of the proposed ULT-PCK-MA is validated, which is expected to facilitate the engineering design and construction.

Protecting Infrastructure Networks: Solving the Stackelberg Game with Interval-Valued Intuitionistic Fuzzy Number Payoffs

Critical infrastructure is essential for the stability and development of modern society, and a combination of complex network theory and game theory has become a new research direction in the field of infrastructure protection. However, existing studies do not consider the fuzziness and subjective factors of human judgment, leading to challenges when analyzing strategic interactions between decision makers. This paper employs interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy numbers (IVIFN) to depict the uncertain payoffs in a Stackelberg game of infrastructure networks and then proposes an algorithm to solve it. First, we construct IVIFN payoffs by considering the different complex network metrics and subjective preferences of decision makers. Next, we propose a lexicographic algorithm to solve this game based on the concept of a strong Stackelberg equilibrium (SSE). Finally, we conduct experiments on target scale-free networks. Our results illustrate that in an SSE, for the defender in a weak position, it is better to defend nodes with high degrees. The experiments also indicate that taking fuzziness into account leads to higher SSE payoffs for the defender. Our work aims to solve a Stackelberg game with IVIFN payoffs and apply it to enhance the protection of infrastructure networks, thereby improving their overall security.

Pertanggungjawaban Negara Atas Keadaan Persero BUMN Yang Pailit

Bankruptcy is a situation that could occur in a state-owned company. Istaka Karya is one of several state-owned companies. After going through several years with financial conditions that never improved, various news reports about this company with various active participation in the world of construction, finally officially closed due to bankruptcy in 2023, with a series of debts to creditors as well as arrears in salary payments to its employees. This research aims to analyze the legal certainty obtained by creditors, as well as the state's responsibility in the event of the bankruptcy of a state-owned company. The results of this research show the weak position of creditors in obtaining their rights. Therefore, to provide legal certainty, not only based on Law Number 37 of 2004 concerning Bankruptcy and Postponement of Debt Payment Obligations, but the directors must also be fully responsible for all debts to creditors using personal assets owned, but not including assets that have been declared bankrupt by the Commercial Court.

Abolishing the Act on System of Choice in Swedish eldercare: on arguments and replacements in the municipalities

PurposeSince 2009 Swedish municipalities may apply the Act on System of Choice (LOV) in, among other things, eldercare. About half of the 290 Swedish municipalities have chosen this within home-care services for older citizens, thus creating conditions for a welfare mix where private and public providers compete. Some of these municipalities later made decisions to abolish LOV. This article aims to analyse the arguments put forward by municipal politicians to abolish LOV and discusses if the case of abandoning LOV represents a case of re-municipalization.Design/methodology/approachQualitative method was used to analyse decision protocols and media materials from 20 Swedish municipalities that had abolished LOV in home-care services.FindingsThe article shows that politics and ideology seem to have only a limited significance in abolishing LOV. The most important arguments found in the empirical materials were instead pragmatic and related to the transaction costs: in smaller municipalities about the weak position of private providers and in larger municipalities about reported cases of welfare crime and extensive needs to control and review. In smaller municipalities, LOV was replaced by public monopoly and in larger municipalities by other types of procurements.Originality/valueWith its focus on eldercare in party-dominated municipalities, the article adds knowledge to the literature on drivers of re-municipalization but also discusses possible delimitations of the concept of re-municipalization.

Perlindungan Hukum Terhadap Konsumen Pre Project Selling Perusahaan Pengembang Properti Yang Dinyatakan Pailit

Pre-Project Selling consumers are in the weakest position in bankruptcy, because in addition to being the last creditor, consumers also cannot be said to be the owner if there is no AJB. The Curator's action to put the apartment building into bankruptcy is in accordance with the provisions of the law. Legal protection involves both preventing and repressive protections. In terms of preventive action, the sale and purchase agreement (PPJB) legally made according to Article 1338 of Civil Law serves as the law governing all parties in the contract. The PPJB which is binding to both consumers and business people sets forth rights and obligations that both have to understand. The rights of the consumers involve receiving the house as the object within the time as agreed upon. Moreover, the law requires the business people to run the business in good faith. The parties responsible to provide goods and/or services according to the orders made must not break the terms set out in a contract and must provide redress. This redress consists of that given through commercial court, consumer redress according to the position as concurrent creditors, or redress of the company through civil lawsuits. Law concerning bankruptcy and Consumer Protection Law have different solutions, but these two laws affect each other and are connected when a property company is declared bankrupt.

Determinants of Family Empowerment in Utilizing Health Services in Kupang, Indonesia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Complications during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum are responsible for maternal deaths, however, childbirth in health facilities is far from the Strategic Plan target (88.9%). The majority of Timorese people still live with their parents, so care decisions depend on the parents/relatives. There is a tradition of "Se'i-tatobi), namely that mothers and babies will bathe in hot water and have a fire during the postpartum period. Apart from that, Timorese society is a patriarchal society where women do not have a significant position which can be seen from the weak position of women relative to men. Method. This research uses mixed method research, this research looks for the influence between variables, carried out with a cross-sectional research design. The research target population is families (mother-in-law, biological mother, or other relatives involved) who have pregnant women in the third trimester of pregnancy in Kupang Regency. The number of puskesmas in Kupang Regency is 26 puskesmas. The sample required is relatively large, the minimum required is up to 50 data samples for a predictor (independent) variable. It can select relationships because it uses a non-linear log transformation approach to predict odds so it uses a logistic regression analysis test. Result. Based on the data above, it shows that of the ten independent variables, there are 2 variables, namely parity and husband's job, which do not affect family empowerment, while the variables of mother's age, mother's education, husband's age, husband's education, place of birth of last child, helper, access, birth status are significant. influencing family empowerment. Conclusion Based on the data above, the mother's age, mother's education, husband's age, husband's education, place of birth of the last child, helper, and access also show family empowerment which significantly influences the family's ability to use it.

Research on the Growth Characteristics of the Electrical Tree at Polyethylene/Silicone Rubber Composite Interface Under Power Frequency Voltage

During operation, the composite interface of the cable joint will experience a tangential electric field. When the composite interface has insulation defects, it is easy to experience interface discharge. Electrical tree is a phenomenon of electrical degradation and it’s a precursor of polymer breakdown. It is observed in the laboratory that under the power frequency voltage, the electrical tree will initiate at the composite interface, and the tree growth will finally lead to the interface breakdown. This paper investigates the development of an electrical tree at the composite interface of polyethylene/silicone rubber under power frequency voltage through microscopic observation. The results show that the air gap of the interface is the weak position of insulation, and the electrical tree will be initiated from the triple junction of the air gap and the impacted area of the two materials. The increase in voltage amplitude will speed up the initiation. High amplitudes also promote the electrical tree. The electrical tree shape will be changed from a branch structure at low voltage to a single branch structure at high voltage. The study on the electrical tree at the interface provides a visual display of the degradation process of the material before the breakdown at the composite interface.

Influence of injection pressure on gas adsorption and desorption of anthracite

In this paper, THM model and coal molecular model are established to study the gas adsorption and desorption behavior in coal seam at different injection pressures. The results show that, the total energy decreases during the adsorption process and increases in the desorption process. CO2 has a stronger adsorption capacity which is in a dominant position in the competition adsorption process, while N2 is in a weak position. The order of the diffusion coefficient is N2>CH4(CH4–N2) > CH4(CH4–CO2) > CO2. The diffusion coefficient does not necessarily increase with the increase of injection pressure. At the same injection pressure, the relative concentration of CH4 in the CH4–CO2 system is greater than that in the CH4–N2 system, and injection of CO2 to promote CH4 desorption is significantly better than the injection of N2. With the increase of injection pressure, the average relative concentration of CH4/CO2/N2 in the vacuum layer increased. The optimal injection pressure for N2 injection to promote CH4 desorption is 2 MPa, and the reasonable injection pressure for CO2 injection is 1–3 MPa.

Experimental study on the seismic performance of a full-scale two-story traditional timber frame on sloped land

In traditional timber structures built on hilly areas, columns of varying lengths are utilized to accommodate sloped terrain. This structural feature renders these structures more susceptible to seismic damage than structures built on flat land. To investigate the seismic performance of traditional timber structures on sloped land, the quasi-static test was conducted on a full-scale two-story timber frame on sloped land (FSL), while an identical frame on flat land (FFL) was served as a comparative reference. This study analyzed the deformation characteristics, bearing capacity, and energy dissipation capacity of the frame on sloped land, as well as its weak positions and failure mechanisms. The test results indicate that the frame on the upper ground is the weak position compared to the frame on flat land. Short columns of the upper frame have greater inclination angles, leading to larger pull-out lengths of the mortise-tenon joints, and the column foot becomes more susceptible to slipping and lifting. Although the FSL has a greater bearing capacity than the FFL under the same horizontal displacement, it experiences a more significant deformation and is more prone to tenon failure and column foot sliding out of the foundation stone. With excessive deformation, gravity becomes a detrimental factor for structures on sloped land to resist horizontal overturning moments, which would accelerate the collapse of the structure.

Top Management Team Fault Lines and Stock Price Crash Risk: Evidence from China

Synopsis The research problem This study examined whether and how top management team (TMT) fault lines formed by diversity and division affect stock price crash risk (hereafter, crash risk). Motivation Prior studies have documented how a single characteristic or the demographic diversity of managers affects real economic activities. However, TMT fault lines, formed by the structure of executives’ demographic diversity, remain untapped in crash risk research. Given the potential monopoly of the TMT on information, it is important to determine whether TMT fault lines influence the distribution of bad news. This study therefore explored how TMT fault lines reduce crash risk through the private leakage of bad news by subgroups and the moderating role of analysts in this process. The test hypotheses We hypothesized that firms with a strong TMT fault line have low stock price crash risk. Moreover, subgroups divided by TMT fault lines have a greater chance of leaking bad news when firms are followed by more analysts, thereby reducing the stock price crash risk to a greater extent. Target population We examined 19,228 annual observations of Chinese publicly listed firms from 2008 to 2021. Adopted methodology We applied ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and moderation analysis to our study. Analyses We evaluated the microgovernance factors affecting crash risk from a novel perspective — internal TMT conflict. First, we performed regression analysis on a sample of Chinese publicly listed firms to determine whether TMT fault lines reduce crash risk and the effect of analysts on this relationship. Second, we performed cross-sectional variation tests for the main regression. Finally, we investigated the effect of a CEO-CFO coalition on crash risk, given that the unequal status of subgroups may reduce the monitoring capacity of any subgroup in a weaker position. Findings We found that TMT task-related fault lines are negatively associated with crash risk and positively moderated by analysts. Meanwhile, the TMT biodemographic fault lines do not have a significant influence on crash risk. We also demonstrated that the monitoring effect of TMT task-related fault lines is stronger when external governance is weaker. Finally, additional analysis implies that the monitoring effect of a CEO-CFO coalition fault line remains effective, but this effect is weaker.

Marital Quality in Financial Anxiety: A Critical View of Theodore Dreiser’s The Financier

This article is an attempt to explore the extreme love for money that disturbs the feelings and emotional attachments of the protagonist in Theodore Dreiser’s The Financier. The desire of Frank Cowperwood for materialistic objects without aesthetic sense covers the whole events of the plot. The violation of religious values, social ethics and norms to become part of the upper class. He always remained busy in money making and business and several times changed houses to well-furnished and decorated houses to show his family a very prosperous and upper-class family. He shifted his family because he did not feel easy with those who were financially weak; they considered themselves as members of the upper class. Frank Cowperwood sacrificed relations; he married Lillian for money, but later on, he got interested in Aileen for money and sacrificed relations with Lillian for Aileen and Money. The whole novel is revolved around the concept of materialism. Values are ignored, Relationships are sacrificed, and the weak position of religion is only to gain financial success. Frank Cowperwood gained financial power, though he violated all social and religious values. The qualitative approach is applied in textual analysis with a Marxist lens for an oriented conclusion. This research is beneficial for literary people to explore the new dimensions of literary pieces.

The Benefits of the Everyone In Initiative and the Deeper-Rooted Problems It Revealed for Migrants Experiencing Homelessness

This article addresses the broad research aim of understanding migrants’ experiences of homelessness during the Coronavirus Disease of (COVID-19) pandemic through a novel combination of linguistic and sociological analysis. In our analysis of life story interviews, we find that the United Kingdom (UK) Government’s Everyone In initiative, which suspended eligibility criteria to provide support and accommodation to those experiencing homelessness or deemed to be at risk of rough sleeping, was hugely beneficial for migrants. This indicates what is possible when there is the political will to end rough sleeping. In its analysis of life stories gathered during the pandemic, the article proceeds to identify deeper-rooted problems relating to the weak and restricted structural position of migrants experiencing homelessness. Having spent time in the UK with an ‘inferior status’, with limited access to work and welfare, economic and social capital, and often with experiences of trauma in the UK and/or in their countries of origin, many of our research participants express a lack of control and a sense of being controlled in their conditions of existence. Further, their isolation and loneliness in the individual rooms provided in the emergency accommodation is indicative of a deeper-rooted sense of separation deriving from years spent sleeping rough or living in temporary and insecure accommodation. Experiences of isolation and the sense of a lack of control are corrosive to mental health, and during the pandemic, mental health problems were also exacerbated by welfare checks and other rule-based practices that are potentially re-traumatising.