“Why Don’t They Just Use Cloth?” Gender Policy Vacuums and the Inequalities of Diapering

Drawing on feminist theories of parenting and the welfare state, I analyze experiences of diaper need as a case of how gender, class, and race inequalities shape the social organization of caregiving and limited policy responses. Data from in-depth interviews with 70 mothers who experienced diaper need and 40 diaper bank staff revealed obstacles low-income mothers face in managing lack of access to children’s basic needs and how gendered assumptions of parental responsibility thwart public diaper support efforts. I use this case to theorize gender policy vacuums: These occur when gender disparities and ideologies prevent systematic responses to structural problems. Empirically this study contributes to understandings of diaper need as a problem of the gender structure that cannot be solved with alternative diapering methods that assume middle-class, white, androcentric privileges. Theoretically it illuminates key mechanisms by which feminized care labor is devalued and rendered invisible and how this erasure rationalizes lack of redress for gendered inequalities and creates policy gaps around caregiving.

The Central Bank Shift to Market Maker of Last Resort: The Unintended Consequences of Unconventional Monetary Policies

We analyze the transition of central banks from lenders to market makers of last resort. The adoption of unconventional monetary policies characterizes this transition. In their new role as market makers, central banks engage in the latter by extending and reinforcing interventions in other markets than the traditional bank reserves market. We then explain that the difference between the two roles is one of degree rather than kind. In both cases, the prevention of liquidity shortages is a primary concern. As conventional policies become inadequate, central banks resort to unconventional policies to escape a general liquidity shortage at the zero lower bound. However, these unconventional policies do not solve the structural problems in financial and real markets. Both conventional and unconventional monetary policies cause price distortions, in particular on asset markets. The policies of the market maker of last resort prevent necessary readjustments of cyclical divergences between real and financial markets.

Thermodynamic Analysis of a Jet Engine Using a Liquid Propellant

Combustion-chamber is a critical component of the propulsion engine, which is widelyused in the space industry and aeronautics. The goal of this article is to perform a numericalanalysis on the combustion process using a liquid-type propellant. The steps that must be followeduntil total combustion is achieved are emphasized. It concerns the fuel feeding phase, its injectionand the combustion operation. The amount of combustion products and the energy generated areevaluated. It has been shown that the liquid propellant may present an efficient alternative fuelthan the kerosene. In addition, the temperature of combustion does not exceed a certain limit toavoid structural problems in the chamber. The parametric survey allowed determining the range ofthe most influence factors, including the pressure, mixture richness, velocity and flow rates ofinjection for the fuel and oxidizer. The number and type of injectors revealed a considerableinfluence on the velocity and flow rates of injection. To maximize thrust force and systempropulsion, a careful selection of chamber material and ignition methods is required. A thorough inspection on the issues of walls cooling showed the necessary survey of maximum temperaturesthat may be reached during the combustion. Finally, an investigation of the thermal exchangethrough the walls will be very interesting.

Announcing a New Registered Report Article Type at the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research

Purpose: This editorial introduces the new registered reports article type for the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research . The goal of registered reports is to create a structural solution to address issues of publication bias toward results that are unexpected and sensational, questionable research practices that are used to produce novel results, and a peer-review process that occurs at the end of the research process when changes in fundamental design are difficult or impossible to implement. Conclusion: Registered reports can be a positive addition to scientific publications by addressing issues of publication bias, questionable research practices, and the late influence of peer review. This article type does so by requiring reviewers and authors to agree in advance that the experimental design is solid, the questions are interesting, and the results will be publishable regardless of the outcome. This procedure ensures that replication studies and null results make it into the published literature and that authors are not incentivized to alter their analyses based on the results that they obtain. Registered reports represent an ongoing commitment to research integrity and finding structural solutions to structural problems inherent in a research and publishing landscape in which publications are such a high-stakes aspect of individual and institutional success.

Structural Changes and Sustainable Economic Development of the Republic of Serbia in a Pandemic

The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic are important and relevant for sustainable development. The aim of this chapter is to review the existing model of economic development, because the COVID-19 pandemic has called into question the effects of structural changes in the economy and manufacturing industry in Serbia. The main contribution of this chapter is the review of development results which show that Serbia is in the process of economic recovery, but that it has not yet embarked on the path of sustainable economic development due to numerous structural problems. Serbia has experience with unsustainable economic development, and this is a strong argument in favor of sustainable concept implementation. In addition, this chapter provides empirical research on structural and technological changes. The obtained results can be used by economic and industrial policy makers to influence the consequences of COVID-19 and to avoid the slowdown of structural reforms. There will be numerous economic, environmental, social, and especially health challenges whose solutions must be sustainable.

New multiobjective optimization algorithm using NBI-SASP approaches for mechanical structural problems

Various engineering design problems are formulated as constrained multi-objective optimization problems. One of the relevant and popular methods that deals with these problems is the weighted method. However, the major inconvenience with its application is that it does not yield a well distributed set. In this study, the use of the Normal Boundary Intersection approach (NBI) is proposed, which is effective in obtaining an evenly distributed set of points in the Pareto set. Given an evenly distributed set of weights, it can be strictly shown that this approach is absolutely independent of the relative scales of the functions. Moreover, in order to ensure the convergence to the Global Pareto frontier, NBI approach has to be aligned with a global optimization method. Thus, the following paper suggests NBI-Simulated Annealing Simultaneous Perturbation method (NBI-SASP) as a new method for multiobjective optimization problems. The study shall test also the applicability of the NBI-SASP approach using different engineering multi-objective optimization problems and the findings shall be compared to a method of reference (NSGA). Results clearly demonstrate that the suggested method is more efficient when it comes to search ability and it provides a well distributed global Pareto Front.

A Design Task for Sivas Grand Mosque’s Minaret: Vertical Construction/Formal Articulation/Visual Stimuli

As well as a design process, experimental practices in architectural education are associated with the analytical approaches of visual thinking and visual reasoning. The main purpose of this study was to explore creative methods for devising a vertical construction through visual reasoning. In terms of experimental practices, design research is based on exploration while the primary research area in architecture is reframed by constantly renewed approaches. Accordingly, the hypothesis of this study was that creative methods would improve when the creation of a vertical construction in architectural education is nourished by visual stimuli. The study searched for a construction that plasticized the vertical spatiality of Sivas Grand Mosque’s minaret. The method was shaped by a prerequisite dialogue that rests on visual stimuli. The expected outcome of this dialogue was that the minaret as a pure form would be subjected to an abstraction and, a design proposal then developed for its current structural problems. The results indicated a two-fold appreciation of design. First, when the minaret was maintained within the idea of stabilization rather than being construed as a pure form, the search for a creative method of vertical construction was handled in the context of static preservation. Second, when Sivas Grand Mosque’s minaret as an imaginary design tool was construed as a pure form and the abstraction level increased through visual reasoning, the outcomes gradually demonstrated an approach akin to experimental practices

As Variações Linguísticas Vivenciadas no Cotidiano Escolar das Turmas do 2º Ano do Ensino Médio da Escola de Referência Odorico Melo / Language Variations In The Daily School Classes of the 2nd Year of High School at the Odorico Melo Reference School

Resumo: As variações linguísticas representam as diferentes formas de falar o idioma de uma nação, tendo em vista que a língua padrão de um país não é homogênea, constituindo uma característica inerente a todas as línguas naturais em reflexo das diferenças socioculturais e contextuais durante a produção de fala por parte de um indivíduo. O contraste vivenciado por tais diferenças traz consigo problemas estruturais como o preconceito linguístico que afeta diretamente o cotiado das pessoas. Diante disto, a presente pesquisa teve como objetivo analisar o preconceito linguístico no ambiente escolar perante as variações linguísticas vivenciadas no cotidiano escolar das turmas do 2ª ano do Ensino Médio. Este estudo configurou-se como uma pesquisa descritiva de caráter quanti-qualitativo, realizada com as turmas do 2º ano do ensino médio da Escola de Referência Odorico Melo da cidade de Parnamirim - PE, tendo o questionário como instrumento de coleta de dados, analisados pelo o método indutivo. Nessa perspectiva os resultados apontaram as variações linguísticas como um processo natural da língua e que os alunos podem compreendê-las firmando sua importância para o desenvolvimento de suas competências comunicativas em sala de aula, tanto na língua escrita quanto na língua oral, em detrimento do preconceito linguístico declarado visível e inerente no dia a dia em seu ambiente escolar, assim como o ensino mecânico da língua portuguesa em caráter retrógrado. Apesar do reconhecimento da variação linguística, os alunos consideram o seu nível de fala assertivo, mas admitem conviver em um espaço diversificado, marcado pelo o contexto das variações setoriais e socioeconômicas, que estão intimamente ligadas às atitudes preconceituosas que podem impactar no seu desenvolvimento escolar desencadeando uma série de problemas.---Abstract: Linguistic variations represent the different ways of speaking the language of a nation, considering that the standard language of a country is not homogeneous, constituting an inherent characteristic of all natural languages, reflecting the sociocultural and contextual differences during speech production by an individual. The contrast experienced by such differences brings with it structural problems such as linguistic prejudice that directly affects people's shares. In view of this, this research aimed to analyze linguistic prejudice in the school environment in the light of linguistic variations experienced in the daily school life of 2nd year high school classes. This study was configured as a descriptive quantitative and qualitative research, carried out with the 2nd year of high school classes at the Odorico Melo Reference School in the city of Parnamirim - PE, using the questionnaire as a data collection instrument, analyzed by the the inductive method. From this perspective, the results showed linguistic variations as a natural language process and that students can understand them, confirming their importance for the development of their communicative skills in the classroom, both in written and oral language, to the detriment of prejudice linguistic declared visible and inherent in the day-to-day in its school environment, as well as the mechanical teaching of the Portuguese language in a retrograde character. Despite the recognition of linguistic variation, students consider their level of speech assertive, but admit to living in a diverse space, marked by the context of sectorial and socioeconomic variations, which are closely linked to prejudiced attitudes that can impact their school development, triggering a series of problems.

Achievements against problems: for 60th anniversary of human capital theory

The article considers the most important achievements of the human capital theory. Taking into account the theory’s versatility and ambiguity of approaches to its main theses, advisability of a systemic view on its evolution and role in modern science is indicated. The 60th anniversary of the official birth of the theory in 1962 was taken as a special reason for rethinking its achievements. There are given the main scientific human capital theory’s results, which expanded, deepened and supplemented the scientific knowledge over the period from the end XX century until the beginning of the XXI century. Among the results are the increasing importance of investments in human development, development of economic growth theories, classification and systematization of human productive qualities, development of interdisciplinary researches of human being and human capital, accumulation of empirical researches’ data bases, optimization of investment policies in different countries and regions, actualization of studying trends and problems in the field of science and education, development of futuristic ideas, extension of labor market researches, improvement of the personnel management theory and methodology. It has been emphasized that the existence of modern approaches to human capital development does not mean their widespread implementation in practice: an objective reality imposed by many factors does not always contribute to the effective use of individuals’ productive qualities. For Russia there are singled out the following factors: the economy’s structural problems, imbalances in supply and demand in the labor market, discrepancy between available human capital and quality of jobs, and some other factors that can neutralize positive effects of the human capital development.

Poverty issues, including the working poverty in Russia

Subject. The poverty of the population with all features and factors of its manifestation causes deep structural problems that affect the development of the national economy. Objectives. The aim of the study is a comprehensive analysis of the poverty of the population category, using statistical data, identification of causes of the gap in the level of salaries of Russian and foreign specialists, determination of factors that have the greatest impact on the development of working poverty in Russia. Methods. The study draws on methods of logical and statistical analysis. Results. We considered approaches to the definition of poverty in Russia and other countries, analyzed absolute and relative poverty in Russia, the impact of subsistence minimum on the definition of poverty, assessed nominal and real incomes of the population. The ratio of the average per capita income of the population and the subsistence minimum decreased over the past decade, however, the poverty was not overcome during this period. The per capita income in Russia turned out to be low, real incomes continue to decline. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a decline in wages can be traced, both in space and in time. Conclusions. Worsening the poverty situation in the country creates a chain of problems related to the distrust of the State policy in the social and labor spheres, expanded production slowdown, an increase in social tension in the society. A reduction of working poverty should be a priority task for the State.