scholarly journals Aeromobilities and Academic Work

Author(s):  
Claus Lassen

AbstractIncreasingly academic air travel in recent decades is part of a larger transformation and globalisation of modern work life away from the industrial and hierarchical work towards much more flexible, networked and mobile work where air travel often is a critical component. However, the climate crisis and COVID-19 have put such work practices under pressure. Therefore, the chapter first examines the importance of aeromobilities for late modern work, which sets the context of contemporary academic work practices. Next, the chapter particularly examines academic work, where especially physical meetings and face-to-face interaction play a central role in academic work and aeromobilities. The chapter argues here for a more diverse understanding of the meaning and role of such meetings if a lower climate footprint should be achieved. Following, it present a tool that provides a better understanding of which types of meetings particularly require co-presence and face-to-face communication, and which types of meetings that just as well—or perhaps even better and more efficiently—can be carried out as virtual meetings. However, as stressed in the conclusion, such an approach seems to require a much greater focus on ‘aeromobility management’ at academic institutions in the future.

Author(s):  
Kristian Bjørkdahl ◽  
Adrian Santiago Franco Duharte

AbstractIn this introduction, we note how academic work has come to be ever more closely entwined with air travel, and point out that we, in the face of climate crisis, are obliged to transition to other means of academic communication. Such a transition requires a reliable documentation of the consequences of academic flying; a deep understanding of the various reasons why academics fly; as well as sophisticated insight into what can replace flying and how. The introduction explores these themes first through David Lodge’s novels Changing Places and Small World, and then explains how the book’s chapters follow up the research agenda on academic aeromobility, as well as how this agenda can contribute to practical change.


Methodology ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joachim Gerich ◽  
Roland Lehner

Although ego-centered network data provide information that is limited in various ways as compared with full network data, an ego-centered design can be used without the need for a priori and researcher-defined network borders. Moreover, ego-centered network data can be obtained with traditional survey methods. However, due to the dynamic structure of the questionnaires involved, a great effort is required on the part of either respondents (with self-administration) or interviewers (with face-to-face interviews). As an alternative, we will show the advantages of using CASI (computer-assisted self-administered interview) methods for the collection of ego-centered network data as applied in a study on the role of social networks in substance use among college students.


2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michaele L. Morrow ◽  
Shane R. Stinson

ABSTRACT In this case, students assume the role of new accounting staff tasked with the preparation of a personal income tax return and supporting documentation for a client of their firm. Students are provided prior year work papers and client communications, a copy of the prior year's tax return, as well as a letter and supporting documents from the client for the current year. To complete the case, students generate questions based on the initial information provided, meet face-to-face with the client, and roll forward a set of electronic work papers before submitting a complete current year engagement file for senior review. This case adds work papers and client interaction to the traditional tax compliance case to reinforce both the technical and communication skills valued in professional practice. The formulation of questions for the client also allows students to practice discussing technical topics in a non-technical manner and underscores the required balance between attitudes of client advocacy stressed in professional tax practice and legal requirements for “good-faith” tax return reporting. This case is appropriate for an individual income tax course at either the undergraduate or graduate level, and can be easily adapted to increase or decrease difficulty.


2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (01) ◽  
pp. 014-021
Author(s):  
Markus Bender ◽  
Raghavendra Palankar

AbstractPlatelet activation and aggregation are essential to limit blood loss at sites of vascular injury but may also lead to occlusion of diseased vessels. The platelet cytoskeleton is a critical component for proper hemostatic function. Platelets change their shape after activation and their contractile machinery mediates thrombus stabilization and clot retraction. In vitro studies have shown that platelets, which come into contact with proteins such as fibrinogen, spread and first form filopodia and then lamellipodia, the latter being plate-like protrusions with branched actin filaments. However, the role of platelet lamellipodia in hemostasis and thrombus formation has been unclear until recently. This short review will briefly summarize the recent findings on the contribution of the actin cytoskeleton and lamellipodial structures to platelet function.


Author(s):  
Alicja Niedźwiecka

AbstractEye contact is a crucial aspect of social interactions that may enhance an individual’s cognitive performance (i.e. the eye contact effect) or hinder it (i.e. face-to-face interference effect). In this paper, I focus on the influence of eye contact on cognitive performance in tasks engaging executive functions. I present a hypothesis as to why some individuals benefit from eye contact while others do not. I propose that the relations between eye contact and executive functioning are modulated by an individual’s autonomic regulation and reactivity and self-regulation of attention. In particular, I propose that individuals with more optimal autonomic regulation and reactivity, and more effective self-regulation of attention benefit from eye contact. Individuals who are less well regulated and over- or under-reactive and who do not employ effective strategies of self-regulation of attention may not benefit from eye contact and may perform better when eye contact is absent. I present some studies that justify the proposed hypothesis and point to a method that could be employed to test them. This approach could help to better understand the complex mechanisms underlying the individual differences in participant’s cognitive performance during tasks engaging executive functions.


Author(s):  
Julia Eberle ◽  
Karsten Stegmann ◽  
Alain Barrat ◽  
Frank Fischer ◽  
Kristine Lund

AbstractCollaborations are essential in research, especially in answering increasingly complex questions that require integrating knowledge from different disciplines and that engage multiple stakeholders. Fostering such collaboration between newcomers and established researchers helps keep scientific communities alive while opening the way to innovation. But this is a challenge for scientific communities, especially as little is known about the onset of such collaborations. Prior social network research suggests that face-to-face interaction at scientific events as well as both network-driven selection patterns (reciprocity and transitivity) and patterns of active selection of specific others (homophily / heterophily) may be important. Learning science research implies, moreover, that selecting appropriate collaboration partners may require group awareness. In a field study at two scientific events on technology-enhanced learning (Alpine Rendez-Vous 2011 and 2013) including N = 5736 relations between 287 researchers, we investigated how researchers selected future collaboration partners, looking specifically at the role of career level, disciplinary background, and selection patterns. Face-to-face contact was measured using RFID devices. Additionally, a group awareness intervention was experimentally varied. Data was analyzed using RSiena and meta-analyses. The results showed that transitivity, reciprocity and contact duration are relevant for the identification of new potential collaboration partners. PhD students were less often chosen as new potential collaboration partners, and researchers with a background in Information Technology selected fewer new potential collaboration partners. However, group awareness support balanced this disciplinary difference. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of these findings are discussed.


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