Discipline and puppies: the powers of pet keeping

PurposeThis article adopts Foucault's notion of a bipolar technology of disciplinary power and regulatory biopower to address the tension between discipline and freedom in domestic relationships between human and nonhuman animals commonly referred to as “pets.” In doing so, the article examines the promises and pitfalls of thinking through pet keeping as a form of lived, posthumanist critique.Design/methodology/approachThe argument relies on an interview study with 20 pet owners—most of the interviews conducted in their homes together with their pets—to conceptualize how they organize their lives in relation to their pets.FindingsThe analysis shows that the boundaries of the home, the play of power between bodies, and the “conditions of an unconditional love” are central to producing the pet relationship as inherently meaningful and as an indispensable part of the lives of both pet keepers and pets. A balance between discipline and freedom enables the construction of both human and other identities: pet owners produce their pets' subjectivity by speaking of them as autonomous persons, while pets' presence in the home also enables their owners' subjectivity.Social implicationsThe article critically examines interspecies relationships, which by extension can benefit nonhuman animals. It argues that pet keeping can challenge anthropocentrism and unsustainable consumption lifestyles, but it may also reinforce prevailing biopolitical logics, if it remains maintained within a secluded domestic or cultural sphere.Originality/valueThe article draws on original data. While Foucauldian theory has been used to discuss pet keeping, empirical studies of pet keeping that rely on this theoretical framework are scarce.

Analytical Modeling of Carbon Nanoparticle-Based Symmetric p–n Junction

Outstanding physical and electrical properties such as quantum transport, high carrier mobility, excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, high surface area, good optical transparency, strong mechanical strength and easy fabrication make carbon nanoparticles appropriate on nanoelectronic applications. Carbon nanoparticle based p–n junction, as a fundamental structure of nanoscale devices, is analytically presented in this study. The carbon nanoparticle p–n interface reveals an improved transport along the junction in comparison with the conventional p–n junction. Controlling the doping of p–n junction based device partially permit the foundation of carbon nanoparticle based bipolar technology and can overcome application of current in silicon based technology. This paper analytically demonstrates findings on electric field, space charge region width, scalar potential, built-in potential and transport along carbon nanoparticle based p–n junction. The uniqueness of this method is to create a well identified carbon nanoparticle based p–n junction which opens new opportunities for researching high field transport limit in nanoscale devices.

The role of lithic bipolar technology in Western Iberia’s Upper Paleolithic: the case of Vale Boi (southern Portugal)

Scaled or splintered pieces are one of the most common lithic artifacts type in Upper Paleolithic assemblages throughout Europe, especially in its westernmost regions. Despite this, and even after one century of being identified there is still no consensus on how to define, analyze or interpret these tools. In western Iberia, there is a clear lack of comprehensive studies regarding this type of artifacts at a regional scale. In this paper, we present a first techno-morphological analysis of a sample of scaled pieces from the Upper Paleolithic site of Vale Boi. Our first aim was to build upon existing analytical models in order to identify function and possible reduction strategies for these artifacts. Our second goal was to critically evaluate the role of these artifacts within western Iberia’s Upper Paleolithic. Our results showed that functional identification of scaled pieces is still not clear. By comparing our data with other author’s we found that current models could not be applied to the archaeological record, as the attribute variability is too high. Furthermore, in this region, we found that higher frequencies of bipolar technology can be found related to residential sites due to both functional and cultural patterns. While we still cannot define a specific function for these artifacts (intermediate pieces or wedges for working hard raw materials or cores for the extraction of chips and small bladelets), it is clear that they had a major role in the variability and intensification of resource exploitation during the Upper Paleolithic in western Iberia.