5,772 research outputs found
Gary Alan Fine : From Small Groups to Peopled Ethnography
No full textThis chapter considers the work of Gary Alan Fine (born 1950), probably the most prolific contemporary cultural ethnographer and one of the key contributors to the sociology of small groups. Fine’s intellectual journey has been punctuated by a series of ethnographic works, from his earlier studies on the Baseball Little League to his recent research on ‘futurework’ and the way prevision is culturally structured, socially organized, and legitimated. Alongside empirical work, and through an interdisciplinary perspective including social psychology, sociology and anthropology (with particular reference to folklore and language studies), Fine has theoretically developed the symbolic interactionist tradition by showing how shared meanings come into existence, are selected and become shared ways of thinking and the fundamental role that everyday interaction in small groups plays in such a process.
Gary Alan Fine’s work highlights the constructed nature of social worlds by emphasizing the set of meanings through which social actors define such worlds and their limits. As we travel by, we shape the map in which they are located and through which we recognize ourselves. As Herbert Blumer maintained, we ‘act toward things on the basis of the meaning that things have’ for us, and such a meaning ‘is derived from, or arises out of, the social interaction that one has with one's fellows’ (Blumer 1969:2). Building on these interactionist premises, Fine devoted his work to the clarification of the process through which meanings emerge, a process whose underspecification is evident also in Blumer's double formulation (‘deriving from’ or ‘arising out of’). Therefore, Fine not only looks at everyday interaction as the locus in which social structures comes (re)produced and enlivened through the enactment of cultural forms, but also posits small groups, with their continued interaction, as the social unit acting as a filter in the collective construction of meanings, frames (Goffman, 1974), narratives, scripts, and all sorts of stories (rumours, urban legends, gossip, jokes ...) – that is, the basic bricks through which we make sense of experienced reality – that together build up to a shared culture, a culture shared beyond the boundaries of small groups and specific communities alike. Through his ethnographic works, Fine has analysed such a process at play in a deeply diverse range of social worlds: from pre-adolescent baseball teams (Fine 1987a), to ‘soft’ communities of competitive chess players (Fine 2015) or amateur mushroomers (Fine 1998); from cultural networks of role-playing gamers (Fine 1983) or self-taught artists (Fine 2004), to professional communities such as those of restaurant cooks (Fine 1996) and weather forecasters (Fine 2007). Furthermore, in line with the traditions of cultural sociology and folklore studies, Fine has directly taken into consideration ‘contemporary legends’ as cultural templates that come differently practiced in interaction by different groups and communities – by black vs. white Americans, for instance (see Fine & Turner 2004) – thereby manifesting broader societal aspects and effects.
After some biographical notes aimed at introducing Gary Alan Fine’s composite theoretical and methodological background and resulting perspective, the chapter considers his whole opus, to suggest that Fine's crucial contribution lies in the ability to recognize the actual presence of social structures as it is translated into specific cultural forms anchored to small group interaction. We close with an overall appreciation of Fine’s contribution to the symbolic interactionist tradition, focusing in particular on his furthering of our understanding of the emotional and the cognitive aspects of interaction as connected to larger cultural processes and structural elements of social life
Mood disorders in familial epilepsy: A test of shared etiology
No full textObjective: Mood disorders are the most common comorbid conditions in epilepsy but the cause remains unclear. One possible explanation is a shared genetic susceptibility to epilepsy and mood disorders. We tested this hypothesis by evaluating lifetime prevalence of mood disorders in relatives with and without epilepsy in families containing multiple individuals with epilepsy, and comparing the findings with rates from a general population sample.
Methods: The Composite International Diagnostic Interview was administered to 192 individuals from 60 families, including 110 participants with epilepsy of unknown cause (50 focal epilepsy [FE], 42 generalized epilepsy [GE], 6 FE and GE, 12 unclassifiable) and 82 relatives without epilepsy (RWOE). Odds ratios (ORs) for lifetime prevalence of mood disorders in participants with versus without epilepsy were computed through logistic regression, using generalized estimation equations to account for familial clustering. Standardized prevalence ratios (SPRs) were used to compare prevalence in family members with general population rates.
Results: Compared with RWOE, ORs for mood disorders were significantly increased in participants with FE (OR = 2.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1 - 5.2) but not in those with GE (OR = 1.0, 95% CI = 0.4 - 2.2). In addition, prevalence of mood disorders was increased in individuals with epilepsy who had ≥1 relative with FE. Compared with general population rates, mood disorders were significantly increased in individuals with FE but not in those with GE. Rates were also increased in RWOE, but not significantly so (SPR = 1.4, P = 0.14).
Significance: These findings are consistent with the hypothesis of shared genetic susceptibility to epilepsy and mood disorders, but suggest (1) the effect may be restricted to FE, and (2) the shared genetic effect on risk of mood disorders and epilepsy may be restricted to individuals with epilepsy, that is, to those in whom the genetic risk for epilepsy is “penetrant.”Peer reviewedThis is the accepted version of the following article: Insel BJ, Ottman R, Heiman GA. Mood disorders in familial epilepsy: A test of shared etiology. Epilepsia. 2018;00:1–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/epi.13985, which has been published in the Early View form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/epi.13985/full. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with the Wiley Self-Archiving Policy [https://authorservices.wiley.com/author-resources/Journal-Authors/licensing-open-access/open-access/self-archiving.html]
Gas volume fraction and velocity profiles: vertical and inclined bubbly air-water flows
No full textUpward inclined gas-liquid flows are frequently encountered in the oil industry and data relating to the local gas volume fraction distribution and the local gas velocity distribution is important, for example, in pressure gradient prediction and in modeling oil well 'blowouts'. In this paper measurements are presented of the local gas volume fraction distribution and the local axial gas velocity distribution which were taken in bubbly air-water flows in an 80 mm diameter pipe which was inclined at angles of 0°, 15° and 30° to the vertical. Qualitative arguments are presented to explain the influence of the liquid superficial velocity on the local gas volume fraction distribution in inclined flow and also to explain the very high axial gas velocities observed towards the upper side of the inclined pipe
How "Chicagoan" are Gary Becker's Economic Models of Marriage?
No full textThis paper describes Gary Becker’s theoretical models of marriage. At the micro-level, these are all rational choice models. At the market level, Becker offers two major types of models: partial equilibrium models based on Price Theory as taught by Marshall and Friedman and optimal sorting models based on optimal assignment models. The paper examines some of the possible intellectual influences on Becker’s theory of marriage, compares Becker’s research on marriage with that of some scholars interested in intra-marriage distribution, and documents that Becker’s students at Chicago were more interested in Becker’s Friedmanian models of marriage than in his optimal assignment models.
A citizen's guide to employment, inflation, income, and the Oregon economy
No full textR. Bruce Rettig, David R. Darr, Ludwig M. Eisgruber, John P. Farrell, A. Gene Nelson, Gary W. Sorenson.This archived document is maintained by the State Library of Oregon as part of the Oregon Documents Depository Program. It is for informational purposes and may not be suitable for legal purposes.Includes bibliographical references.Mode of access: Internet from the Oregon Government Publications Collection.Text in English
Spread spectrum communications emulator design
No full textIssued as R & D status reports [nos. 1-4], Contract funds status reports [nos. 1-8], and Final report, Project no. E-21-T12Final report has author: Gary J. SaulnierFinal report has title: Spread spectrum communications emulator desig
As-grown carbon nanotube quantum dots with superconducting contacts
No full textThe progress in fabrication technology and the miniaturization of nanostructured devices in the recent past has attracted a lot of interest in the field of electronic circuits on the nanoscale where the system's spatial dimensions allow for the investigation of quantum phenomena. Since their first identification by S. Iijima in 1991, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been implemented in electronic junctions making use of their extraordinary electronic and mechanical properties. The investigation of CNT quantum dots (QDs) has given insight into their intrinsic electronic properties, but since certain intrinsic electronic features of CNTs are often masked by disorder that is introduced during the device preparation process, the need for very clean CNTs without any defects has lead to the fabrication of as-grown CNT devices by J. Cao et al. in 2005. Since their introduction, such devices have been shown to be nearly defect-free and have lead to a considerable number of interesting results. In contrast to conventionally prepared CNT devices, the basis of the fabrication scheme is the synthesis of the CNT being the very last production step. This prevents residues of post-fabrication processes from sticking to the CNT and the electron radiation applied to the device for imaging and localization is avoided. However, this process needs the electrodes to be pre-fabricated which drastically limits the choice of contact materials, mainly by the CNT growth process at high temperatures. Therefore, platinum (Pt) is the main candidate for normal metal contacts at the moment.
Going a step further by using superconductors as contacts to such clean, as-grown devices is a promising goal and starting point for both, the fabrication of as-grown CNTs with S contacts and the prospect of new effects and observations, since the combination of CNT QDs with superconducting (S) electrodes has already been shown to be a nice tool for several applications. This project is about the road from the fabrication of such devices to their characterization by electronic transport measurements at both, room temperature and cryogenic temperatures. In the end, despite functional S contacts, clear signs of the S proximity effect in as-grown CNT devices could not be observed. However, the fabrication scheme itself was established and resulted in clean devices that lead to some other interesting results in the field of inelastic cotunneling and electron-phonon coupling.
The initial steps were first, to select S materials suitable for this special fabrication scheme and second, to check them for the S proximity effect on CNT QDs. In the beginning, test with rhenium (Re) contacts on a conventionally prepared CNT device worked quite well, meaning it was possible to observe the S gap in the density of states of the leads in transport measurements. Therefore, in the next step Re was applied as contact material for as-grown CNT devices, since it provides the important feature of surviving the CNT growth process unaltered in its S properties. It was possible to measure devices of good cleanliness, but unfortunately, it was not possible to observe any S proximity effect on as-grown CNT devices. Therefore, much effort was put into finding alternative S materials and the improvement of the CNT-S interface.
The first concept was to add a thin contact layer of tungsten (W) on top of the Re contacts where the idea was that W is supposed to form much stronger bonds to CNTs. This results in a better electrical coupling and should increase the chance for Cooper pair injection. Additional investigations were done on Re/W alloys and niobium nitride (NbN) contacts. However, no Cooper pair injection was observed. Hence, it is suggested that some effects at the interface cause a dephasing and a breaking of the Cooper pairs. Nevertheless, on the road to the actual goal of this thesis, some interesting results were observed:
For example, as-grown CNTs contacted to NbN/Pt double layer systems showed clean and stable QDs. On one of them, tilted resonances within the Coulomb blockaded region were observed and initially considered as renormalized inelastic cotunneling thresholds. This first assumption was disproved by several features that could not be explained by means of cotunneling events. Therefore, this interpretation was discarded and the picture of a parallel double QD system was taken into account. This offered a stability diagram consisting of two superimposed Coulomb diamond patterns. In addition, one of them was assumed to be accompanied by a series of excited state lines. Due to their equidistance and combined appearance with negative differential conductance, they were interpreted as originating from tunneling induced vibrational excitations of a suspended part of the CNT. This is affirmed by the fact that the energy separation matches the excitation energy of the longitudinal stretching mode for the length of a suspended part of the CNT
[Review of] Gary Soto. Baseball in April and Other Stories
No full textGary Soto\u27s previous prose collections (Living Up the Street: Narrative Recollections -- 1985, Small Faces -- 1986, and Lesser Evils: Ten Quartets -- 1988) all contained stories about growing up, but this latest book focuses exclusively on the trials and tribulations of children and young teenagers. The eleven sketches in Baseball in April range in subject from broken Barbie dolls to championship marble tournaments, and all reveal a compassionate, understanding insight as well as the deft handiwork of a fine writer. For those who do not understand Spanish, the author has supplied a short appendix with translations of words and expressions. Artist Barry Root\u27s dust jacket depicting a red pickup full of boys and baseball gear is a splendid one that invites the reader to delve into the volume
Starting Small in an Unfamiliar Environment
No full textMotivated by a characteristic way in which firms in developed countries make their decisions regarding cooperation with potential partners from less developed countries, we design a simple model of a DC firm's search for an LDC partner/supplier and the subsequent relationship between the two parties. Matched firms can start small' with a trial order or pilot project of variable size in order to gain information about the ability of the LDC firm to successfully carry out a large project. We derive results relating whether and how the parties start small to the characteristics of the large project and to the matching environment. Among other results, we show how risk and search cost are associated with the propensity to start small and we establish a connection between starting small and the expected longevity of successful partnerships. We also address methods of contract enforcement and demonstrate the relationship between starting small and monitoring.
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