Reconstruction as a Long-Term Process. Memory, Experiences and Cultural Heritage in the Irpinia Post-Earthquake (November 23, 1980)

Reconstruction after an earthquake is often seen as a material issue, which concerns “objects” such as houses, roofs, and streets. This point of view is supported by the mass media showing the work progress in the disaster areas, especially in conjunction with anniversaries. Rather, we should consider reconstruction as a complex social process in which cultural backgrounds, expectations, and ideas of the future come into play, without neglecting geological, historical, legislative, economic, and political factors. Combining oral history sources and archival records, the article shows the paths taken by two small towns among the most affected by the earthquake of 23rd November 1980 (Mw 6.9). These towns have made opposite reconstruction choices (in situ and ex novo) representing two classical and different ways in which human societies can face their past and think their own future. A careful analysis of these forty-year experiences, with a special focus on cultural heritage, provides useful indications for post-disaster reconstructions in which more attention to the process, and not just to the final product, should be paid.

ANIMAL-DERIVED FOOD INDUSTRY: RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES DUE TO FARM ANIMAL WELFARE

ABSTRACT Farm animal welfare (FAW) has emerged in recent years as a potential material issue for the animal-derived food products industry. The issue is global in scope, given the large trade flows and multinational structure of many companies in the agribusiness industry, a critical sector of the Brazilian and international economy. This exploratory study is an attempt to map the agendas of companies in the industry and compare them with the agendas of the principal stakeholders for a better understanding of the risks and opportunities facing the intangible assets of companies with regard to FAW. The mapping was carried out by consulting websites and corporate sustainability reports. The overarching result of the study is to show that the industry as a whole is neglecting FAW as a material issue.

Progressivist gender-based activism as a means of social antagonism in Hungary through two case studies

The endorsing of ?progressive? issues is embedded in the imaginary of the East-West slope. It is especially issues defined more in terms of recognition than redistribution and framed in terms of individual tolerance that have become emphatic signifiers of ?progress?, ?Western?/?European? values, and thus the civilizational and moral hierarchy of the East-West slope. Aligning oneself with these issues (such as LGBT rights, liberal anti-racism, liberal feminism) on the periphery of Europe is a means of distinguishing oneself against the rest of the ?backward? country or region. As a strategy of raising one?s social status it is a tool of social antagonism. We look at two case studies from Hungary to analyse how progressivist narratives are enmeshed in self-colonization. We conduct discourse analysis to examine how self-appointed advocates activate the West-East hierarchy as they claim to morally elevate society, and how this progressivist narrative feeds a populist mobilization that increasingly uses ?gender? as a symbol for corrupting foreign forces. We argue that representing social issues such as women?s disadvantages as a matter of tolerance rather than as a deep-seated, structural, material issue serves as a mutual legitimating mechanism for the progressivist actors who accomplish it and the region?s position in the global world order.

Attempts to Monopolize

Laws, like gardens, need occasional pruning to remove doctrinal clutter and costly weeds. The attempt to monopolize provision of Section 2 of the Sherman Act is a prime candidate for pruning and should be repealed. The decriminalization of Section 2 makes the attempt to monopolize provision no longer appropriate. The attempt provision fills no important gap in antitrust enforcement and generates unnecessary and significant costs and doctrinal complexities that burden litigation. So long as the attempt to monopolize provision remains in place, courts should discard specific intent as an element of the claim. “Specific intent” is incoherent, confusing, potentially prejudicial, and an unnecessary legal fiction. It erroneously suggests to the factfinder that an intention to gain monopoly power itself makes the challenged conduct an unlawful attempt to monopolize. Evidence of subjective intention (state of mind) should be admissible only as relevant to a specific material issue such as the legitimacy of asserted business justifications or competitive effects. The probative weight of evidence of intent or state of mind should be limited to the issue for which it was admitted.

Material and Tribology Issues of Self-Lubricating Copper Matrix Composite

This chapter addresses fundamental issues (i.e. material issue and tribology issue) of the self-lubricating copper matrix composite under dry sliding contact. The development of metal matrix composites for tribological applications relies largely on a trial-and-error method because no adequate knowledge from tribology is involved. To make good metal matrix composites for tribological applications, knowledge from both materials science and tribology are required. This chapter comprehensively introduces the tribological aspect of self-lubricating copper matrix composites for tribological applications. The main mission of this chapter is to introduce the tribological consideration in fabricating copper matrix composite (Cu- graphite and Cu-SiO2 composites as examples) for tribological application. Material aspect (e.g. mixing method, sintering temperature) is briefly reviewed. The main concern is variations of chemical composition, microstructure, and property of tribo-layer of copper matrix composites sliding against different counter-face materials and under different operating conditions.

Population, Environmental Discourse, and Sustainability

This chapter considers the relationship between population growth and environmental sustainability. This is presented as both an objective, material issue of demographic change and environmental resources and a normative one regarding the quality of life. The discussion begins with Maltuhusian arguments popular in the mid-twentieth century limits to growth discourses, continues with an overview of the 1970s opposition to this discourse, and concludes with an assessment of the challenges that both a growing population and a legacy of racist and misogynist discourse advocating limits to population pose for contemporary efforts to achieve sustainable development. While the chapter is sympathetic to the environmentalist claim that any ecological problem is harder to solve with more people, it finds few signs that any politically or ethically acceptable framework exists that would allow current environmental theorists to advocate population stabilization strategies.

Material and Tribology Issues of Self-Lubricating Copper Matrix Composite

This chapter addresses fundamental issues (i.e. material issue and tribology issue) of the self-lubricating copper matrix composite under dry sliding contact. The development of metal matrix composites for tribological applications relies largely on a trial-and-error method because no adequate knowledge from tribology is involved. To make good metal matrix composites for tribological applications, knowledge from both materials science and tribology are required. This chapter comprehensively introduces the tribological aspect of self-lubricating copper matrix composites for tribological applications. The main mission of this chapter is to introduce the tribological consideration in fabricating copper matrix composite (Cu- graphite and Cu-SiO2 composites as examples) for tribological application. Material aspect (e.g. mixing method, sintering temperature) is briefly reviewed. The main concern is variations of chemical composition, microstructure, and property of tribo-layer of copper matrix composites sliding against different counter-face materials and under different operating conditions.

Can medication management review reduce anticholinergic burden (ACB) in the elderly? Encouraging results from a theoretical model

ABSTRACTBackground:Review of recent journal articles and various relevant current textbooks provides strong evidence to show that anticholinergic burden is a material issue in frail and at-risk patients. This study assesses the anticholinergic burden in a group of patients in residential care facilities and then applies a theoretical intervention model. It is based on a scoring system known as the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden (ACB) scale, and attempts to reduce the anticholinergic burden while maintaining therapeutic benefits.Methods:A database of 691 patients was analyzed for each individual's ACB based on the scale of scoring produced by groups of experts in the area. A theoretical intervention was then conducted using relevant, evidence-based practice guidelines for clinical therapeutics in Australia. The intervention had the aim of reducing the total ACB without affecting the apparent intended effectiveness of the prescribed therapy.Results:Of the 35% (n = 242) patients who score at least 1 point on the ACB, a reduction is achievable in 59% of the cases. In particular, the reduction from a clinically significant score of 3 or above to 2 or below for 49 of those patients is possible in 85% of the cases. Overall, this represents a reduction from 7.10% to 1.01% for the entire population. It is also found that of the 246,960 counts of items dispensed (both prescription and non-prescription) for these patients, 47,334 (or 19.2%) of these were of agents on the ACB scale.Conclusions:The study found that it appears to be possible that the total ACB of a group of 691 patients can be significantly reduced.