Weak Constituents Research Articles

Persistent unilateral action

Abstract Many believe that weaker legal constraints make unilateral action easier to reverse than legislation. Yet in some cases, unilateralism survives a successor's determined opposition. I argue that legislative persistence and unilateral transience may arise not only from differences in legal status but also from a selection effect: unilateralism and subsequent rescission can both stem from weak underlying policy-demanding groups. But if unilateralism itself alters the landscape of group power through policy feedback effects, it can survive a purportedly opposed new president. An example is the Trump Administration's failure to depart from the Obama Justice Department's lax stance on cannabis. Weak constituents’ policy demands may thus need to rely on a sympathetic president's unilateral action to begin a feedback loop, subsequently softening opposition. This paper therefore identifies unilateral action as a key tool for shifting policy in an enduring way, explaining its success or failure in terms of interest group power.

Applying a Multi-Sectoral Approach for Programming of Health Interventions: Comparative Analysis of Nutrition and Tobacco Control Amongst Adolescents in Pakistan

Adolescent health is being increasingly featured in global policy discourse on sustainable development. Despite global calls for more joined up working across relevant sectors, there is less known on how to effectively co-opt other sectors for programming of globally recommended adolescent health measures. This paper aimed to assess multisector programming of nutrition versus tobacco control interventions for adolescents in Pakistan from a political economy lens. Both nutrition programming and tobacco control rely on multi-sectoral programming and are one of the foremost areas for adolescent health needs in Pakistan. Data was drawn from 84 key informant interviews across government stakeholders, development partners, civil society organizations, experts and youth groups, review of policy and programming resources and published literature. The study scope was confined to exploring the pathway of programming and early implementation does not extend to evaluation of implementations. Existing frameworks of multi-sector governance were adapted and progress was assessed against i) issue framing, ii) stakeholder coalitions, iii) resourcing and iv) coordination platforms, to understand challenges and opportunities for an effective multi-sector response. Our analysis found important commonalities as well as differences across both nutrition and tobacco control programming in Pakistan. First, adolescents had a weak constituency within nutrition efforts confined to under-nutrition interventions for reproductive health and a gendered nuancing overlooking needs of boys but have featured historically in national Tobacco control frameworks. Second, lack of framing of social-behavioural perspectives in national response was commonly seen for both adolescent Nutrition as well as Tobacco Control constraining coalitions with new stakeholder groups such as youth initiatives, local government, sports, education, and entertainment that are necessary for lifestyle changes in adolescents. Third, Nutrition had opportune multi-sector platforms of the SUN networks available for programming whereas Tobacco Control situated within the health ministry struggled with mandate to steer multi-sector programming and unlock resources held by other sectors. Fourth, we found that horizontal coordination across sectors itself requires dedicated resourcing and capacity which was overlooked. The Pakistan case study adds to contextual insights on success and failure of multisector governance for nutrition providing an analytical contrast with a similar multi-sector issue of tobacco control. We conclude that the process of how multi-sector programming for adolescent nutrition is brought about within countries is equally important as the prescriptive content of globally advocated interventions. We also identified key elements of a pathway to more effective programming that include attention to i) inclusive framing for its domino effect on coalition building, ii) ensuring diversity within core coalitions; iii) an organisational home outside the health sector for programming across sectors; iv) dedicated resourcing for impactful coordination and oversight of multi-sector programming.

Morphology, nano-mechanical properties and bending fracture stress of hind leg material of Cybister japonicus beetle

Biomaterials are complex composites with hierarchical structure and multi-function. The mechanical properties of biomaterials are often outstanding, especially considering their weak constituents. After evolving for millions of years to adapt to water surroundings, the diving beetles Cybister japonicus possess a pair of relatively large flattened hind legs which are optimized for sliding and rowing functions for swimming. In this paper, the morphology and microstructures of the hind leg biomaterial of Cybister japonicus are observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The nano-mechanical properties of the hind leg cuticle are measured with a nano-indentation system and the bending fracture stress is investigated by employing a multi-functional mechanical properties testing machine. The results of this study provide an appropriate biological pattern for the structural design of novel advanced lightweight composites with high specific strength.

The Syntax of Hoo‐Resultatives in Taiwanese Southern Min*

AbstractThis article investigates the hoo‐resultative construction in Taiwanese Southern Min from the syntactic perspective. Specifically, it is argued that the morpheme hoo in hoo‐resultatives is responsible for causativizing an otherwise non‐unaccusative secondary predicate in resultative formation. The restriction with respect to the occurrence of object pronouns in the sentence‐final position is argued to result from prosodic considerations that ban two consecutive weak constituents from surfacing on the right edge. It is also suggested that the counterpart of this particular hoo in resultatives of Mandarin Chinese is covert and has no phonetic content. This view offers a systematic way to capture several cross‐linguistic contrasts with respect to resultatives between Taiwanese Southern Min and Mandarin Chinese.

Question worth 20 million lives: Why federal housing assistance has not had its Obamacare

AbstractThe equitable character of a policy determines its progressiveness, yet some domestic policies are more equitable than others. The question of how and why this is the case is addressed by studying federal housing and health policies in the United States, a critical case known for its rampant inequalities in both sectors. Although social equity is a fundamental aspect of welfare provision, explaining differences in coverage and government support among policy areas remains a weakness in the literature. This comparative historical analysis shows that both housing assistance and health care suffered from inequities almost as early as their inception. But a progressive reform took shape with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and extended coverage to 20 million people formerly uninsured. This essay tackles an unsolved puzzle: Why has such grand policy reform never taken place in housing where more than 20 million people are eligible for assistance but do not receive help? We found that it is largely explained by housing assistance distinctiveness with regard to its weak constituency, racial connotation and low public concern. We conclude with the analytical payoffs of studying social equity, both for political scientists and observers of social affairs.

Deformation Experiments on Bowland and Posidonia Shale\u2014Part II: Creep Behavior at In Situ pc\u2013T Conditions

To unravel their long-term creep properties at simulated reservoir conditions, we conducted constant stress deformation experiments at elevated confining pressures, pc = 50–115 MPa, and temperatures, T = 75–150 °C, on Posidonia (GER) and Bowland (UK) shale, which exhibit varying petrophysical and mechanical properties. Depending on applied pc–T conditions and sample composition, recorded creep curves exhibit either only a primary (decelerating) or additionally a secondary (quasi-steady state) and a tertiary (accelerating) creep phase during deformation. At high temperature and axial differential stress and low confining pressure, creep strain is enhanced and a transition from primary towards secondary and tertiary creep behavior is observable. Creep strain of Posidonia shale, which is rich in weak constituents (clay, mica, and organic content), is enhanced when compared to creep strain recorded during deformation of either carbonate- or quartz-rich Bowland shale. Electron microscopy observations revealed that creep strain is mainly accommodated by the deformation of weak minerals and local pore space reduction. In addition, microcrack growth occurred during secondary creep. An empirical correlation between creep strain and time based on a power law was used to describe the decelerating creep phase, also accounting for the influence of confining pressure, temperature, and axial differential stress. The results suggest that the primary creep strain can be correlated with mechanical properties determined from short-term constant strain rate experiments such as static Young’s modulus and triaxial compressive strength.

Stressed and Unstressed Syllable Alternation in Educated Edo (Nigerian) English

Standard British English (SBE) rhythm is characterised by stressed and unstressed syllable alternation. Phonological investigations from non-native English such as Nigerian English (NE) have claimed that NE differs remarkably from SBE, especially in the area of rhythm. Existing phonological studies on Educated Edo English (EEE) – a sub-variety of NE – have been on word and variable stress while studies on stressed and unstressed syllable alternation have been rare. This study, therefore, investigated the extent to which Educated Edo English Speakers (EEES) stressed and unstressed syllable alternation conforms to SBE rhythm. Prince and Liberman’s (1977) metrical theory, which explains the alternation of strong and weak constituents in SBE rhythm units, served as a theoretical framework. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 150 (75 males and 75 females) EEES while 2 SBE speakers served as Native Baselines (NB). Speech Filing System (SFS) version 1.41 was used to record the production of a validated instrument of 40 rhythm units, with stressed and unstressed syllable alternation. The recordings were transcribed and subjected to a perceptual analysis (frequency and percentages). Out of 6000 expected instances of stressed and unstressed syllable alternation, the participants had 694 (11.6%), while inappropriate use was higher, with 5,306 (88.4%). The performance of EEES males showed 5.7% and the females 5.9%. The grids of EEES showed proliferation of Strong/Strong (S/S) juxtaposition of stressed and unstressed syllables in rhythm units, compared to the NB alternation of Weak/Strong (W/S) or Strong/Weak (S/W). Results confirmed that EEES alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables in rhythm units differ ‘markedly’ from those of the SBE form.

Constituency orientation in Irish politics: video statements of the candidates in the Irish general election 2016

ABSTRACTThe constituency orientation of Irish politicians is a recurring topic in Irish political science. Its analysis has predominantly focused on TDs. This article uses a content analysis of candidate video statements in the 2016 general election in order to assess the strength of constituency orientation among Irish politicians. The results show a distinct geographical pattern, with a band of strong constituency orientation along the West coast extending into a corridor that reaches far into the East of the country. Differences between urban and rural areas and between centre and periphery shape this pattern, indicated by the weak constituency orientation in Dublin and Cork constituencies. Results also indicate differences between parties and some political statuses, while the gender of the candidates is of no relevance. Although the material does not permit a clear distinction between effects of political culture and short-term considerations, taken together the results indicate that localism in Irish politics matters, but in more complicated ways than usually depicted.

Multiplexed Engineering and Analysis of Combinatorial Enhancer Activity in Single Cells

The study of enhancers has been hampered by the scarcity of methods to systematically quantify their endogenous activity. We develop Mosaic-seq to systematically perturb enhancers and measure theirendogenous activities at single-cell resolution. Mosaic-seq uses a CRISPR barcoding system to jointly measure a cell's transcriptome and its sgRNA modulators, thus quantifying the effects of dCas9-KRAB-mediated enhancer repression in single cells. Applying Mosaic-seq to 71 constituent enhancers from 15 super-enhancers, our analysis of 51,448 sgRNA-induced transcriptomes finds that only a small number of constituents are major effectors oftarget gene expression. Binding of p300 and RNAPII are key features of these constituents. We determine two key parameters of enhancer activity in single cells: their penetrance in a population andtheir contribution to expression in these cells.Through combinatorial interrogation, we find that simultaneous repression of multiple weak constituents can alter super-enhancer activity in a mannergreatly exceeding repression of individual constituents.

The hierarchical structure and mechanical performance of a natural nanocomposite material: The turtle shell

Turtle shells protect themselves from predatorial attack, which could provide ideas and pathways for bioinspired synthetic materials. Despite with relatively weak constituents and low biomineralization, turtle shells possess unusually robust mechanical properties due to their well organized and layered structures that are accurately designed from nanoscale to macroscale in nature. Minerals (calcium phosphate and calcium sulfate polycrystal mixture) randomly disperse in the keratin, and forming organic-inorganic nanocomposite platelets. Such platelets are basic building blocks that stack orderly and compactly in the radial direction, and constructing individual platelets into a layered micro-configuration. The outstanding tensile mechanical performance of turtle shells has much relationship with rehydration and the growth orientation of the keratin cells. Compressive mechanical properties, growth texture of keratin, topography and mineral components’ distribution of turtle shell are investigated by AFM experiment effectively. Such excellent mechanical properties of turtle shells, which integrated with nanocomposite ingredients and layered structure, may inspire the biomimetic strategies for advanced multi-functional materials, especially for artificial armor.

Mental Alienation and African Identity: Exploring Historical Perspectives in Response to the Crises of African Societies

This paper argues that the colonially-motivated alienation of the African mind, which plays a major role in the moral crisis, corruption, war and anarchy on the African continent, makes the possibility of a true African identity uncertain. Writers often premise African identity on historical, cultural and psychological factors but these factors now appear to be weak constituents of this identity because of severe crisis facing the moral and communitarian foundations on which this identity rests. The present problem of the African state is dual-natured. First is that her rich moral heritage of dignity, discipline, diligence, faithfulness, honesty and sound integrity is being eroded. Second is that the spate of intolerance sweeping across some parts of Africa, resulting from unmitigated acceptance of alien western doctrines inappropriate for her culture, grossly infests her systems with a high level of intolerance and anarchy capable of making her social order like Hobbes’ state of nature in which human life is “nasty, brutish and short.” These situations, worst still, have horridly affected the meaningful and constructive development of the continent and rank her people among the poorest in the world, despite her rich natural and human resources. Using the critical and argumentative methods of empirical, conceptual and historical analysis, this paper explores the rich moral background of the Yorubas, among other cultures, as case study, and urges a return to the moral ideals that once dominated and characterized African states.

Quality and durability of some marble deposits in the southern schist belt (Nigeria) as construction stones

The quality and durability of some marble deposits from Nigeria as construction stones were evaluated. Results indicate that the whitish-pinkish-greyish marbles were pure to relatively pure (generally ≥85 wt% calcite) and possess geotechnical properties that appeared to be controlled largely by mineralogy and texture. While the coarse-grained variety indicated good performance as a result of favourable geotechnical properties such as relatively high values of bulk density, specific gravity, strength, and low water absorption, the fine- and medium-grained varieties would likely perform marginally due to comparatively poor geotechnical properties they possess. Caution is, however, required particularly for outdoor purposes, as weak constituents (chlorite and graphite) were present in some samples and appreciable material loss was recorded in all during laboratory experimentation. This could denote, generally, that the quality of marble stones may be progressively lowered by repeated changes of temperature and other climatic conditions, as is the case in a tropical region like Nigeria.

Carving 3D architectures within glass: Exploring new strategies to transform the mechanics and performance of materials

Combining high strength, hardness and high toughness remains a tremendous challenge in materials engineering. Interestingly nature overcomes this limitation, with materials such as bone which display unusual combinations of these properties in spite of their weak constituents. In these materials, highly mineralized “building-blocks” provide stiffness and strength, while weak interfaces between the blocks channel non-linear deformation and trigger powerful toughening mechanisms. This strategy is also exploited in multilayered ceramics, fiber-reinforced composites, and more recently in topologically-interlocked materials. In this work we apply these concepts to the toughening of glass panels by incorporating internal architectures carved within the material using three-dimensional laser engraving. Glass is relatively stiff and hard but it has no microstructure, no inelastic deformation mechanism, low toughness and poor resistance to impacts. We demonstrate how introducing controlled architectures in glass completely changes how this material deforms and fails. In particular, our new architectured glass panels can resist about two to four times more impact energy than plain glass. Our architectured glass also displays non-linear deformation, progressive damage and failure contained within a few building blocks. This work demonstrates how micro-architecture, bio-inspiration and top-down fabrication strategies provide new pathways to transform the mechanics and performance of materials and structures.

Microstructure based modeling of ductile fracture initiation in press-hardened sheet metal structures

The manufacturing of sheet metal components with spatially varying microstucture composition and mechanical properties using press-hardening technology is now an established practice in the automotive industry. To estimate the performance envelopes of such components, a multi-scale approach to ductile fracture prediction based on mean-field homogenization is proposed. Two non-interacting fracture criteria are formulated in terms of the local average stress field, referring to inter-phase and intra-phase fracture mechanisms. The overall ductility is governed by the weakest constituent or interface present in the multiphase material. Moreover, instabilities related to the strain localization problem at the macroscale are treated by embedding discontinuities in the element formulation. These are triggered by a localization criterion derived via bifurcation analysis of the homogenized material. Issues concerning numerical implementation include a forward Euler scheme for integrating the mean-field equations, suitable for explicit finite element analysis of heterogeneous materials. Tensile specimens with ten distinctly different microstructure compositions are evaluated, for which useful predictions of the overall force–displacement response and fracture elongations are demonstrated.

High-performance TiO2 nanoparticle/DOPA-polymer composites.

Many natural materials are complex composites whose mechanical properties are often outstanding considering the weak constituents from which they are assembled. Nacre, made of inorganic (CaCO3 ) and organic constituents, is a textbook example because of its strength and toughness, which are related to its hierarchical structure and its well-defined organic-inorganic interface. Emulating the construction principles of nacre using simple inorganic materials and polymers is essential for understanding how chemical composition and structure determine biomaterial functions. A hard multilayered nanocomposite is assembled based on alternating layers of TiO2 nanoparticles and a 3-hydroxy-tyramine (DOPA) substituted polymer (DOPA-polymer), strongly cemented together by chelation through infiltration of the polymer into the TiO2 mesocrystal. With a Young's modulus of 17.5 ± 2.5 GPa and a hardness of 1.1 ± 0.3 GPa the resulting material exhibits high resistance against elastic as well as plastic deformation. A key feature leading to the high strength is the strong adhesion of the DOPA-polymer to the TiO2 nanoparticles.

Design and characterization of a biomimetic composite inspired to human bone

ABSTRACTMany biological materials are generally considered composites, made of relatively weak constituents and with a hierarchical arrangement, resulting in outstanding mechanical properties, difficult to be reached in man‐made materials. An example is human bone, whose hierarchical structure strongly affects its mechanical performance, toughness in particular, by activating different toughening mechanisms occurring at different length scales. At microscale, the principal toughening mechanism occurring in bone is crack deflection. Here, we study the structure of bone and we focus on the role of the microstructure on its fracture behaviour, with the goal of mimicking it in a new composite. We select the main structural features, the osteons, which play a crucial role in leading to crack deflection, and we reproduce them in a synthetic composite. The paper describes the design, manufacturing and characterization of a newly designed composite, whose structure is inspired to the Haversian structure of cortical bone, and that of a classic laminate developed for comparative reasons. We conclude with a critical discussion on the results of the mechanical tests carried out on the new composite and on the comparative laminate, highlighting strengths and shortcomings of the new biomimetic material.

The politics of in-work benefits: The case of the ‘active income of solidarity’ in France

In-work benefits have been introduced in a number of Bismarckian welfare regimes in a context of austerity despite being targeted at politically weak constituents and representing a deviation from prevailing welfare institutions. This article addresses this puzzle by looking at the introduction in 2008 of an in-work benefit scheme in France, the Active Income of Solidarity. The analysis reveals that this reform was the result of a cross-cutting alliance between the conservative party and employers, as well as parts of the socialist party and the union movement. The alliance was possible thanks to actors’ multiple interpretations of the reform. The reform was difficult to oppose given its support by experts and public opinion and because it entailed an increase in revenues for low-income workers.

Speech rhythm in Korean: Experiments in speech cycling

Korean has not been unanimously classified for rhythm class, and it lacks stress. Thus, it does not fit into views that rhythm rests on alternations of metrical strength. The goal was to examine what, if any, elements are used in Korean for rhythm purposes. It was hypothesized that the onsets of accentual phrases act as beats. The materials were 6 sentences; each was 9 syllables and three APs long. The number of syllables in each AP varied. Syllable composition also varied between CV and CVC. Native speakers repeated each sentence, fitting each repetition into beat intervals at three different metronome rates. Each AP was expressed as a ratio of the entire cycle. Two experiments were conducted. The first experiment suggests that speakers keep AP onsets in phase although syllable count and composition also affect phase. The results support our hypothesis that AP onsets operate similarly to stresses. The second experiment that used waltz rhythm showed that it is the only level of prominence, and no differentiation between the strength of these beats, such that it would produce waltz rhythm, is possible. The results suggest that Korean rhythm is not characterized by multiple levels of alternation between strong and weak constituents.

Identification of Deformation Mechanism in Abalone Shells Through AFM and Digital Image Correlation

In contrast to man-made materials, nature can produce materials with remarkable mechanical properties from relatively weak constituents. Nacre from seashells is a compelling example: despite being comprised mostly of a fragile ceramic (polygonal calcium carbonate tablets), it exhibits surprisingly high levels of strength and toughness. This performance is the result of an elegant hierarchical microstructure containing a small volume fraction of biopolymers at interfaces. The product is a composite material that is stiff and hard yet surprisingly tough, an essential requirement to protect the seashell from predators. Building a comprehensive understanding of the multi-scale mechanisms that enable this performance represents a critical step toward realizing strong and tough bio-inspired materials. This paper details a nanoscale experimental investigation into the toughening mechanisms in natural nacre and presents a way to translate this understanding to the design of new bioinspired composites. In situ three point bending fracture tests are performed to identify and quantify the toughening mechanisms involved during the fracture of natural nacre at the nanoscale. At the macro and micro scales, previous fracture tests [1,2] performed in situ enabled observation of spreading of damage outward from the crack tip. In this study, fracture tests are performed in situ an atomic force microscope to link the larger-scale damage spreading to sliding within the tablet-based microstructure. To quantify the magnitude of sliding and its distribution, images from the in situ AFM fracture tests are analyzed using standard and new algorithms based on digital image correlation techniques which allow for discontinuous displacement fields. Ultimately, this comprehensive methodology provides a framework for broad experimental investigations into the failure mechanisms of bio- and bio-inspired materials.

Tablet-level origin of toughening in abalone shells and translation to synthetic composite materials

Nacre, the iridescent material in seashells, is one of many natural materials employing hierarchical structures to achieve high strength and toughness from relatively weak constituents. Incorporating these structures into composites is appealing as conventional engineering materials often sacrifice strength to improve toughness. Researchers hypothesize that nacre's toughness originates within its brick-and-mortar-like microstructure. Under loading, bricks slide relative to each other, propagating inelastic deformation over millimeter length scales. This leads to orders-of-magnitude increase in toughness. Here, we use in situ atomic force microscopy fracture experiments and digital image correlation to quantitatively prove that brick morphology (waviness) leads to transverse dilation and subsequent interfacial hardening during sliding, a previously hypothesized dominant toughening mechanism in nacre. By replicating this mechanism in a scaled-up model synthetic material, we find that it indeed leads to major improvements in energy dissipation. Ultimately, lessons from this investigation may be key to realizing the immense potential of widely pursued nanocomposites.