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A Complex Border: Intractability and the Physical Roots of Discursive Legitimations in Cyprus
No full textThe Cypriot conflict is one of the most intractable conflicts of the modern era, and the collapse of complexity among the actors in the conflict—mainly the Republic of Cyprus, North Cyprus, and Turkey—appears to be the main cause of the continued “no war, no peace” state. Subsequent socio-psychological self-organization among these actors then produces conflict-perpetuating feedback loops and dynamics. These dynamics include identity narratives, narratives of “the other,” and narratives of the nature of the conflict, which, at the grassroots level, can legitimize ongoing engagement in the conflict, whereas peace is painted as an undesirable and undeserved/unjust compromise. Given this, there is a lack of root narrative research on the Cypriot case; less still are works connecting intractability in the Cypriot conflict to the border dynamics in Cyprus. Indeed, border studies indicate that borders can function as both symbolic and physical attractors for the conflict, for they may become fonts of past and present traumas and grievances as well as direct obstructions towards building cross-cutting bonds. As such, there is a need to increase our scholarly understanding of how the border between Cypriots affects both the conflict dynamics and, therefore, the success of peace processes within the context of the Cypriot conflict. This article will analyze the socio-political mechanics as well as prevalent narratives regarding the conflict on both sides of Cyprus to locate the dominance and impact of the border and to hypothesize how physical barriers and unaddressed grievances can perpetuate conflict and undermine peace negotiations
Supply Chain Challenges in Commercial Aircraft Manufacturing
No full textSupply chain problems not only arose from the vast distances among suppliers located in different countries, but issues of communication developed that made it difficult to coordinate the activities of all these diverse manufacturers. Natural disasters, shipping problems and geopolitical tensions contributed to delays. Rising trade barriers disrupted the supply chains as components moved back and forth among suppliers and eventually to final assembly. Further complications arose when suppliers were not capable of meeting the specifications for the components and the timelines assigned to them.
Supply chain disruptions challenged manufacturers’ ability to deliver planes on time. Aircraft manufacturers struggled to find engines and other components. Delays in aircraft deliveries left airlines without planes, so they continued to fly older less efficient planes.
In addition to the supply chain disruptions, the aircraft manufacturers contributed to their own problems. Fuel leaks, smoke in the cabin, fires and crashes plagued manufacturers and led to aircraft groundings with concerns over performance, reliability and safety. Airlines suffered groundings and delayed deliveries. Groundings continued until it was determined what caused these problems. This led to supply problems for the airlines since planes were not arriving and existing models of those planes were grounded. Airlines continued flying older jets that were not as fuel efficient and cost more to operate. Aircraft manufacturers incurred financial penalties tied to the delays. In addition, manufacturers covered the costs associated with fixing the problems once the planes were certified to return to service subject to fixing the problems.
The tariffs and other trade barriers imposed by the U.S, on imports during the 2025 trade war caused more disruptions to Boeing’s supply chain than to Airbus. Tariffs, reciprocal tariffs, retaliatory tariffs, and trade barriers impacted Boeing’s sales in the global market. Even though Boeing planned to navigate the trade war through a variety of measures, the future offered many challenges for Boeing
Comparison of PCR-Based Methods for the Detection of Canned Tuna Species
No full textCanned tuna is susceptible to mislabeling due to its high consumer demand, complex global supply chains, and range of prices. DNA barcoding of a short fragment of the mitochondrial control region (CR), termed the CR mini-barcode, has been established as an effective method for tuna species identification. However, the high level of DNA degradation in canned tuna products reduces the effectiveness of this method. Therefore, this study aimed to compare CR mini-barcoding to targeted (i.e., real-time or multiplex) PCR-based methods to determine the most effective approach for canned tuna species identification. DNA was extracted in duplicate from 24 canned tuna products labeled as albacore, skipjack, yellowfin, and light tuna. Each sample was analyzed with CR mini-barcoding, real-time PCR, and multiplex PCR. The top-performing targeted method also underwent sensitivity testing using binary species mixtures. Real-time PCR showed the highest species identification rate, with 100% of products detected, followed by CR mini-barcoding (33%) and multiplex PCR (29%). Real-time PCR also showed excellent sensitivity, detecting 0.1%–1% of the target species in fresh and heat-treated binary species mixtures. Multiplex PCR and real-time PCR showed similar effectiveness in terms of cost and time, with a price of US$6 per sample and a total time of 3–6 h when testing all targeted species. Although CR mini-barcoding required greater costs and time, it allowed for sequencing-based detection of a range of species in the products. In conclusion, a combination of real-time PCR and CR mini-barcoding is recommended to allow for rapid screening of target species along with sequencing-based confirmation. Practical Applications
This research provides a practical recommendation regarding the use of genetic methods for detecting species in canned tuna. Implementation of the recommended methodology is expected to enhance consumer protection and help regulatory agencies enforce accurate labeling
Learning from COVID-19: Clinical Trials, Health Information Technology, and Patient Mortality
No full textDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, deaths per case in the United States decreased from 7.46% in April 2020 to 1.76% in April 2021. One mechanism that could explain this decline is a learning effect associated with testing of new treatments by hospitals. Hospitals that participated in clinical trials developed better organizational capabilities to diagnose and treat COVID-19 patients. Simultaneously, hospitals used health information technologies (IT) that integrated health information across healthcare providers to facilitate greater learning and sharing of best practices. Using US county-level data on clinical trial participation, use of health IT, and COVID-19 cases and deaths, we show that hospitals in counties that participated in clinical trials, and those with greater IT capabilities, exhibited a lower rate of COVID-19 deaths. Consistent with the learning effect hypothesis, counties with greater hospital IT capabilities performed relatively better at treating COVID-19 patients several months into the pandemic. Counties with hospitals that participated in COVID-19 clinical trials also learned faster, with the learning effect of clinical trials being moderated by hospital health IT capability. We posit that clinical trials and use of health IT systems can help hospitals to achieve lower mortality rates in the long run by enhancing learning effects
Life Course and Cohort Patterns in Screen Time Among School-Aged Children in the United States
No full textObjective To assess the independent effects of lifecycle (age), historical (period), and generational (cohort) differences that influence the trends in extreme (\u3e3 hours/day) screen time (TV watching plus computer use) among school-aged children in the United States. Study design We used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and hierarchical age–period–cohort statistical techniques to decompose, describe, and explain the population-level, secular patterns in extreme daily screen viewing time among 5 to 15-year-olds between 1999 and 2018. Results We found that 58% of school-aged children engaged in extreme daily screen time. The probability of extreme screen time is greater with each additional year of age, and those children aged 5 to 15 years old who belong to earlier-born cohorts have greater odds of extreme screen time compared with those of children from more recent birth cohorts. Specifically, for each additional annual increase in age, the probability of engaging in extreme screen time increases by nearly 40%, but this increase slows at the rate of 1% with every passing year throughout the life course. Regarding the negative cohort effect, we observed a decline in the predicted probabilities of extreme screen time among those born after 1995, with the lowest point among the 2000 birth cohort. Also, our results suggest that child and family sociodemographics, as well as the household economic environment and family structure, are associated with extreme screen time. Conclusions Population-level and family-based initiatives should focus on preventing the escalation in the amount of screen time exposure with increasing age
Phi Beta Kappa, Psi of California Chapter, Induction Ceremony 2025
No full texthttps://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/pbk_induction_ceremony_2025/1004/thumbnail.jp
Phi Beta Kappa, Psi of California Chapter, Induction Ceremony 2025
No full texthttps://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/pbk_induction_ceremony_2025/1014/thumbnail.jp
Phi Beta Kappa, Psi of California Chapter, Induction Ceremony 2025
No full texthttps://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/pbk_induction_ceremony_2025/1016/thumbnail.jp
Phi Beta Kappa, Psi of California Chapter, Induction Ceremony 2025
No full texthttps://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/pbk_induction_ceremony_2025/1017/thumbnail.jp
Phi Beta Kappa, Psi of California Chapter, Induction Ceremony 2025
No full texthttps://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/pbk_induction_ceremony_2025/1025/thumbnail.jp