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Purpose: This paper aims to propose and evaluate an innovative approach to education for sustainable consumption (ESC) which empowers teenagers and young adults to improve sustainable consumption competences. This approach combines pedagogical learning approaches such as real-world learning (e.g. experiential learning and research-based learning) with transformative and transdisciplinary research approaches (i.e. real-world laboratory research). Design/methodology/approach: Through a transdisciplinary research design, the authors explore if real-world experiments (RWEs) offer a suitable approach for sustainable consumption education at schools. RWEs are a research approach for knowledge production, aiming to go beyond temporary interventions, to establish semi-permanent spaces for sustainability transformation and reflexive learning. To evaluate this proposal, the authors study already existing active teaching and learning approaches developed within and for ESC and put these in perspective, to define and understand the RWEs. Findings: Insights from a transdisciplinary research project which applied RWEs as a teaching and learning approach in German schools complement conceptual considerations. As a result, advantages, such as the development of core competencies among learners, but also challenges experienced, are illustrated. Though, the challenges found are not unique to the RWE, rather they point out important potentials for ESC through suggesting systematic changes in educational institutions and teaching approaches. Originality/value: This paper explores RWEs as an active and participatory teaching and learning approach for sustainable consumption education at schools and delivers practical insights and a definition of RWEs as an innovative teaching and learning approach.

Physical experiments in classrooms have many benefits for student learning, including increased student interest, participation and knowledge retention. While experiments are common in engineering and physics classes, they are seldom used in first-year calculus, where the focus is on solving problems analytically and, occasionally, numerically. In this paper, we detail a three-pronged lesson introducing differential equations using analytical, numerical and experimental approaches in a large first-year differential calculus course. Presenting the three approaches in succession allows students to evaluate advantages and disadvantages. The lesson incorporates software and programming and provides opportunities for active, experiential, team-based learning.

Experimental designs in the social sciences have received increasing attention due to their power to produce causal inferences. Nevertheless, experimental research faces limitations, including limited external validity and unrealistic treatments. We propose combining qualitative fieldwork and experimental design iteratively--moving back-and-forth between elements of a research design--to overcome these limitations. To properly evaluate the strength of experiments researchers need information about the context, data, and previous knowledge used to design the treatment. To support our argument, we analyze 338 pre-analysis plans submitted to the Evidence in Governance and Politics repository in 2019 and the design of a study on public opinion support for punitive policing practices in Montevideo, Uruguay. The paper provides insights about using qualitative fieldwork to enhance the external validity, transparency and replicability of experimental research, and a practical guide for researchers who want to incorporate iteration to their research designs.

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to explore how the involvement of workplace teams in experimenting with changes in their work practices through short, time-boxed, experiments (STBEs) can support organizational learning. It is explored how staffs' experiences with experimental practices give rise to shared knowledge and how this is supported by the design of the STBE-procedure. Also explored is how the STBEs support knowledge retainment. Design/methodology/approach: The study builds on the authors' participation in a research and development project across seven financial enterprises in Denmark. Qualitative material was developed as part of the experiments. Theoretically emphasizing experience, knowledge creation through dialogue and knowledge retention, the material was analyzed, focusing on participants' experiences and interactions, as well as on procedures. Findings: The STBEs occasioned direct experience with new work practices for managers and employees. Supported by the STBE-procedure, these experiences generated new knowledge individually, collectively and on an organizational level. The procedure also created routines that can underpin the retainment of the new practices and knowledge related to incorporating it in the organization. Research limitations/implications: The study implicates experience with changes in work practices to be understood as predominantly mindful in opposition to simple, even when the changes appear to be simple. Practical implications: The STBEs are applicable when working with organizational learning related to new work practices. Procedures supporting dialogue and mindful processes appear to be advantageous in relation to learning from experiments. Originality/value: Based on an original research and development project and unique qualitative material, the study adds to discussions on how to best conduct and learn from experiments in organizations.

This paper outlines the development of a Hardware Development Kit (HDK) for a remote training platform on FPGA Devices designed to provide university students pursuing degrees in electronic and informatics engineering (at the bachelor's, master's, and PhD levels) with the tools they need to learn and develop systems related to artificial intelligence, digital signal processing, image processing, digital systems, integrated and embedded systems using an FPGA chip. Through the internet or a local network, students can engage with the platform to conduct engineering experiments. The HDK is equipped with a Raspberry Pi, a screen, a camera, and LEDs to facilitate the transfer of experiment results and to aid in assessing the validity of lab experiment execution. The Raspberry Pi plays a crucial role in the HDK, providing control and monitoring, remote access, data processing, user interface, and integration with other possible systems.

In the article "It's Just an Observation," Robinson and Wainer (Educational Psychology Review 35, Robinson, D., & Wainer, H. (2023). It's just an observation. Educational Psychology Review, 35(83), Published online: 14 August, 2023) lamented that educational psychology is moving toward the dark side of the quality continuum, with fewer intervention studies and randomized controlled trials and a tendency to make causal inferences based on more armchair research using observational data. This paper discussed the challenges of making causal inferences, even with intervention studies and randomized controlled trials. We argued the usefulness of causal assumptions and modeling based on observational data regarding causal discovery while acknowledging their limitations. More importantly, the research rigor can be achieved in experimental or intervention studies as well as in studies using observational data. Showing favoritism could also taint our field by limiting our perspectives, stifling creativity, and diminishing scholarly variety. We should not allow the undue overinterpretation of correlational evidence to undermine the entire field of observational studies.

This paper discusses the behavior of large-scale reinforced concrete deep beams that failed in shear and were monitored with full field-of-view, digital image correlation (DIC) equipment. Six shear-critical deep beams, measuring 4.88 x 1.11 m, were tested to failure. The specimens were point-loaded and simply supported, with three members examining the influence of asymmetrical loading conditions. The members were tested with various loading plate sizes and shear span-depth ratios. High-resolution displacement and strain field data obtained throughout loading are used to examine the member response. Principal compressive strain field diagrams of the deep beams at peak load are discussed. The paper presents crack patterns and crack kinematics, including crack widths and crack slips along critical shear cracks, determined from the DIC data throughout loading. The paper discusses crack dilatancy--that is, crack slips versus crack widths--along critical shear cracks, throughout loading, and at multiple locations. The results improve understanding of the detailed displacement field response of large shear-critical reinforced concrete deep beams, which can be used to improve kinematic and constitutive models, such as aggregate interlock models, for large-scale members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the response of reinforced concrete shell elements subjected to all eight stress resultants (in-plane shear, two out-of-plane shears, torsion, two axial loads, and two moments). Twelve new experiments subjected to different combinations of in-plane and out-of-plane loads are presented. The experiments examine the influence of varying quantities of transverse shear reinforcement and concrete strengths. The paper also presents a new nonlinear, high-powered, macro finite element model called Shell II. The Shell II method is a three-layered model based on the equations of the Modified Compression Field Theory and is capable of predicting the full three-dimensional load-deformation response of shell elements subjected to combined loads. Shell II is also used to examine the experimental results in the context of in-plane versus out-of-plane shear-stress interaction diagrams. The results highlight the importance of considering combined loading in predicting the response of shells in three dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How much should an entrepreneur experiment and when should they pivot? Do the answers to these questions change if the entrepreneur is subject to behavioral biases, such as overconfidence? In this paper, we develop a conceptual logic to address these questions. We focus on the design of a "program of experimentation," which we define as a sequentially interdependent set of experiments and pivot decisions an entrepreneur undertakes to develop a viable business idea. This conceptualization highlights two dimensions of program design: the number of experiments to run and the pivot threshold for evaluating experimental outcomes. Our computational model suggests that while experimenting and pivoting can improve new venture performance, it can also be taken too far. Programs of experimentation that generate frequent and early pivots may impede learning and underperform more conservative programs that generate fewer pivots. We also show that an effectively designed program of experimentation can partially remedy an entrepreneur's behavioral biases. Our work informs ongoing scholarly efforts to more fully understand the Lean Startup's strengths and limitations and advances the theoretical apparatus underlying a scientific approach to venturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Space truss analogy and collapse mechanisms are the theoretical methods which are available at present to predict the collapse loads of single-cell concrete box-girder bridges. It is observed that of the two formulations, the one based on a collapse mechanism is found to be more versatile and better suited to box sections. The eccentric load acting on the top flange of a box girder may be resolved to symmetric and antisymmetric components. The antisymmetric component may again be resolved as torsion component and distortion component. However, no researcher has extended this concept to determine an equation for the estimation of collapse load. The present study proposes a theory for calculating the collapse load of single-cell concrete box-girder bridges considering pure torsion and distortion mechanisms. The box girder is treated as a folded plate structure subjected to the vertical and horizontal components of the load in the plane of each plate. It is assumed that plastic hinges are developed at the four corners of the box girder for distortion mechanism and the cross section causes pure twisting without distortion for torsion mechanism. The proposed pure torsion and distortion mechanisms are incorporated in the existing collapse mechanism method and the modified method is validated with the experimental results available in the literature. Estimation of the ultimate load carrying capacity of existing concrete box-girder bridges is discussed in this paper. Among the various simplified theoretical models available to predict the collapse load of single-cell concrete box-girder bridges, the collapse mechanisms theory yields the most accurate results according to the existing literature. To the existing, pure bending and distortion-bending mechanisms, two more mechanisms (torsion and distortion mechanisms) are proposed in the current paper to make the collapse mechanisms theory more conclusive. With the introduction of these two new mechanisms, the collapse load of existing single-cell concrete box-girder bridges subjected to unsymmetrical loading can be predicted by taking the lowest value obtained from: (i) pure bending mechanism; (ii) distortion-bending mechanism; (iii) torsion mechanism; and (iv) distortion mechanism. This will help the bridge engineers to ascertain the functioning of existing as well as new concrete box-girder bridges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of optimisation methods is the stagnation of population P, which results in a local solution for the task. This problem can be solved by employing an archive for good historical solutions outperformed by the new better offspring. The archive A was introduced with the variant of adaptive differential evolution (DE), and it was successfully applied in many adaptive DE variants including the efficient jSO algorithm. In the original jSO, the historical good individuals replace the random existing positions in A. It causes that outperformed historical solution from P with lower quality to replace the stored solution in A with better quality. In this paper, a new approach to replace individuals in archive A more progressively is proposed. Outperformed individuals from P replace solutions in the worse part of A based on the function value. The portion of A selected for replacement is controlled by the input parameter, and its setting is studied in this experiment. The proposed progressive archive is employed in the original jSO. Moreover, the Eigenvector transformation of the individuals for crossover is applied to increase the efficiency for the rotated optimisation problems. The efficiency of the proposed progressive archive and the Eigen crossover are evaluated using the set of 29 optimisation problems for CEC 2024 and various dimensionality. All the experiments were performed on a standard PC, and the results were compared using the standard statistical methods. The newly proposed algorithm with the progressive archive approach performs substantially better than the original jSO, especially when 20 or 40 % of the worse individuals of A are set for replacement. The Eigen crossover increases the performance of the proposed jSO algorithm with the progressive archive approach. The estimated time complexity illustrates the low computational demands of the proposed archive approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper primarily presents an investigation into rectangular hollow section (RHS) cross- (or X-) connections with the branches fully laterally offset and loaded in axial tension. A set of 10 full-scale experimental specimens, carefully fabricated with noncritical welds, are tested in the laboratory, and the results are used to validate nonlinear finite-element models. To enhance the range of available data, the calibrated models are varied in an expanded parametric numerical study. A chord failure limit-state model based on a yield-line mechanism, which was identified in prior research on branch compression loading, is verified herein for branch tension loading. Furthermore, the limit state of branch failure is investigated by means of the combined experimental and numerical database produced. Design recommendations for laterally offset cross-connections loaded under branch tension, based on chord and branch failure modes, are presented. The application of current design recommendations for traditional cross-connections (with centered branches) to connections with full-width branches and laterally offset branches is also evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering education stands as the linchpin of any advanced society. The onus of nurturing highly skilled technocrats, primed to yield tangible outputs, lies squarely with educational institutions. Engineering, inherently an embodiment of applied science, mandates engineers to wield scientific principles adeptly in resolving societal, industrial, and national quandaries. Presently, industries find themselves compelled to furnish engineers with supplementary training to bolster their efficacy and productivity. This paper undertakes an exploratory journey into a suggestive methodology, which advocates for the integration of innovative experimental techniques into engineering education with reference to NEP2020 suggested by government of India. It endeavors to juxtapose the conventional model of engineering practical education against the proposed paradigm, which endeavors to kindle intuitive cogitation, analytical acumen, and problem-solving prowess among technocrats. Additionally, the paper scrutinizes the facets of skill development and delineates the merits and demerits inherent in both educational systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental designs in the social sciences have received increasing attention due to their power to produce causal inferences. Nevertheless, experimental research faces limitations, including limited external validity and unrealistic treatments. We propose combining qualitative fieldwork and experimental design iteratively—moving back-and-forth between elements of a research design—to overcome these limitations. To properly evaluate the strength of experiments researchers need information about the context, data, and previous knowledge used to design the treatment. To support our argument, we analyze 338 pre-analysis plans submitted to the Evidence in Governance and Politics repository in 2019 and the design of a study on public opinion support for punitive policing practices in Montevideo, Uruguay. The paper provides insights about using qualitative fieldwork to enhance the external validity, transparency and replicability of experimental research, and a practical guide for researchers who want to incorporate iteration to their research designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the appropriateness of using simulations in academic research, questioning when simulations are the right tools for theorizing but emphasizing their suitability when data are unavailable or mathematical models are intractable. Using an example that models entrepreneurial lean-startup philosophy the author focuses on a specific simulation-based study by Chen, Elfenbein, Posen, and Wang, which explores the optimization of experiments and pivoting in entrepreneurial decision-making. Several omissions and limitations in the simulation are highlighted, including the lack of consideration for competition, the oversimplified representation of upside optionality, the absence of heterogeneity in experiments and pivots, and the neglect of endogeneity in the experimentation period. The article concludes by urging researchers to justify the use of simulations and apply them more carefully, considering their relative strengths and potential limitations.

Social media users are not just potential consumers of political content they are also potential producers and distributors. In this paper, we test whether political predispositions or the popularity of posts best explains users' engagement with political content on Facebook. Using a large-scale survey deployed in Denmark, we utilize a 2 × 2 × 3 survey experiment that manipulates the partisan sponsor of a political message, the number of likes attributed to that message, and the nature of the comments attached to that post. Our findings indicate that individuals are most likely to like, comment, and share political content that aligns with their political predispositions, as the choice to like, share and comment political content on Facebook is largely unaffected by likes and comments from other users. Though we recognize the dangers of obstinacy in democratic discourse, we are somewhat assured by these findings, as it shows that those who engage with political content do not follow a blind herd mentality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under service conditions, R-UHPFRC (Reinforced Ultra High Performance Fiber Reinforced Cementitious composite) beams exhibit residual deflection after loading–unloading. This is due to the tensile strain hardening behavior of UHPFRC. The precise calculation of deflection is thus relevant and was not addressed previously. This paper proposes a material model for UHPFRC under loading–unloading and a numerical layered model for the calculation of stress and strain distribution in the cross section. Then, a curvature-based analytical model is presented for calculation of deflection of a beam. This method is finally compared and validated against experimental results as obtained from four-point bending of full-scale R-UHPFRC beams. This research reveals the need for a specific material model for UHPFRC subjected to loading–unloading for the precise calculation of the structural response of elements and members under repetitive loading, such as service or fatigue loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization and incorporation of glass fiber-reinforced plastics (GFRP) in structural applications and architectural constructions are progressively gaining prominence. Therefore, this paper experimentally and numerically investigates the use of GFRP I-beams in conjunction with concrete slabs to form composite beams. The experimental design incorporated 2600 mm long GFRP I-beams which were connected compositely to concrete slabs with a 500 mm width and 80 mm thickness. The concrete slabs are categorized into two groups: concrete slabs cast using normal-strength concrete (NSC), and concrete slabs prepared using high-strength concrete (HSC). Various parameters like the type of concrete (normal and high-strength concrete), type of stiffeners bonded to the composite section (bolt–epoxy or bolt only), and inclusion of corrugated metal sheets were investigated. To obtain the full shear connection between the GFRP I-sections and concrete slabs, two rows of shear connectors in the form of bolts were utilized. These shear connectors were erected to the top flange of the GFRP I-sections to compositely connect between the GFRP I-beams and the concrete slabs as well as the corrugated metal sheets. The strengthening of the shear webs of GFRP I-beams with GFRP T-section stiffeners resulted in an enhancement in the flexural and shear strength. The failure loads in the case of the bolt–epoxy connection for the stiffeners were 8.2% and 10.0% higher than those in the case of bolt only when the concrete compressive strengths were 20.1 MPa and 52.3 MPa, respectively. Moreover, the effect of the concrete compressive strength was vital where the failure loads increased by 79.9% and 77.1% when HSC was used instead of NSC for the cases of bolt–epoxy and bolt only, respectively. The epoxy adhesive used in conjunction with mechanical connectors, specifically bolts, resulted in sufficient composite action and delayed shear failure within the web of the GFRP beam. For the specimens with bolt–epoxy connection, strain levels in the concrete slabs were consistently higher than in the other specimens with bolts alone at the same loading level. The concrete slabs integrated with HSC registered strain levels that were 20.0% and 21.8% greater for bolt–epoxy and bolt-only connections, respectively, when compared to those using normal-strength concrete (NSC). This discrepancy can likely be credited to the enhanced composite interaction between the concrete slabs and the GFRP I-beams. In addition, ABAQUS software (version 6.2) was used to develop FE models to analyze the tested composite beams and provide a parametric study using the verified models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An influential perspective argues that voters use interest group ratings and endorsements to infer their representatives' actions and to hold them accountable. This paper interrogates a key assumption in this literature: that voters correctly interpret these cues, especially cues from groups with whom they disagree. For example, a pro-redistribution voter should support her representative less when she learns that Americans for Prosperity, an economically conservative group, gave her representative a 100 per cent rating. Across three studies using real interest groups and participants' actual representatives, we find limited support for this assumption. When an interest group is misaligned with voters' views and positively rates or endorses their representative, voters often: (1) mistakenly infer that the group shares their views, (2) mistakenly infer that their representative shares their views, and (3) mistakenly approve of their representative more. We call this tendency heuristic projection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In the article It’s Just an Observation, Robinson and Wainer (Educational Psychology Review 35, Robinson, D., & Wainer, H. (2023). It’s just an observation. Educational Psychology Review, 35(83), Published online: 14 August, 2023) lamented that educational psychology is moving toward the dark side of the quality continuum, with fewer intervention studies and randomized controlled trials and a tendency to make causal inferences based on more armchair research using observational data. This paper discussed the challenges of making causal inferences, even with intervention studies and randomized controlled trials. We argued the usefulness of causal assumptions and modeling based on observational data regarding causal discovery while acknowledging their limitations. More importantly, the research rigor can be achieved in experimental or intervention studies as well as in studies using observational data. Showing favoritism could also taint our field by limiting our perspectives, stifling creativity, and diminishing scholarly variety. We should not allow the undue overinterpretation of correlational evidence to undermine the entire field of observational studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Realistic vibration predictions of railway bridges during high-speed train crossings require reliable dynamic input parameters for the applied calculation model. In particular, the dynamic stiffness and damping properties of the ballast superstructure for the mathematical consideration of the vertical track–bridge interaction (TBI) significantly influence the generated calculation results. However, due to a striking scattering of model-related characteristic values available in the literature, adequate and realistic consideration of the dynamic properties of the vertical TBI in vibration predictions is associated with considerable uncertainties. This uncertainness illustrates the need to determine experimental-based and reliable characteristic values. For targeted and isolated research of dynamic characteristics of vertical TBI, a unique large-scale test facility was developed at the Institute of Structural Engineering at TU Wien, which replicates a section of ballast superstructure on a railway bridge on a scale of 1:1 and excited to vertical movements. This paper presents the essential results and findings from the experiments, focusing on determining the ballast superstructure’s dynamic stiffness and damping characteristics, which can subsequently be implemented in practical applications for vibration predictions. As a result of the experiments, model-related dynamic stiffness and damping parameters are provided to describe the vertical TBI. In addition, the experiments are used to identify destabilization processes occurring in the ballast superstructure as a result of vertical vibrations. The investigations include the vertical TBI’s displacement and acceleration behavior and the track’s settlement behavior due to the entire structure’s vertical movements. These investigations allow for assessing the currently valid, internationally, and nationally normatively prescribed permissible accelerations for railway bridges due to train crossings. The conclusion is that short-term excessive vertical accelerations of the ballast superstructure caused by train passage do not destabilize the ballast bed or considerably change the track position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis paper presents a method to create a high-fidelity gearbox thermal model. A hybrid analytical-empirical model is presented, it is based on the thermal network approach and experiments are used to determine some unknown parameters of the model. A test campaign was led on a four stages helical gear unit and consisted of cooling measurements, no-load tests and loaded tests. These experiments were performed under different rotational speeds and loads. The results show that the developed thermal model provides an accurate prediction of the thermal behavior of different components of the gearbox (namely rolling element bearings and oil) by only using few thermal sensors. These results are corroborated by power losses measurements which demonstrate that the model can estimate the gear unit efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce a new family of mechanisms for one-sided matching markets, denoted pick-an-object (PAO) mechanisms. When implementing an allocation rule via PAO, agents are asked to pick an object from individualized menus. These choices may be rejected later on, and these agents are presented with new menus. When the procedure ends, agents are assigned the last object they picked. We characterize the allocation rules that can be sequentialized by PAO mechanisms and the ones that can be implemented in a robust truthful equilibrium. We justify the use of PAO as opposed to direct mechanisms by showing that its equilibrium behavior is closely related to the one in obviously strategy-proof (OSP) mechanisms, but implements commonly used rules, such as Gale-Shapley DA and top trading cycles, which are not OSP implementable. We run laboratory experiments comparing truthful behavior when using PAO, OSP, and direct mechanisms to implement different rules. These indicate that agents are more likely to behave in line with the theoretical prediction under PAO and OSP implementations than their direct counterparts. This paper was accepted by Yan Chen, behavioral economics and decision analysis. Funding: This research is funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant 72033006]. R. Hakimov was supported by the Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung [Project 100018_189152]. Supplemental Material: The data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4908. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The post-buckling behavior of a beam that is subjected to lateral constraints is of relevance to a range of medical and engineering applications, such as endoscopic examination of internal organs, the insertion of a guidewire into an artery in-stent procedures, root growth, deep-drilling, and more. In this paper, we address a disconnect between the existing literature and the reality of these systems, in which the lateral constraints are flexible and experience nonlinear deformations. As a step towards bridging this gap, we consider a beam undergoing planar deformations that is laterally constrained by a nonlinear springy wall, i.e., a wall that is laterally pushed by the beam against a nonlinear spring. Based on a simplified mathematical model, we obtain closed-form analytical solutions, which provide valuable insights and intuition. For example, we show that important features of the behavior, such as the transition from point contact to line contact and switching to the next mode, are dictated solely by a non-dimensional force, regardless of all other parameters of the system, and that the full description of the behavior is possible by means of two non-dimensional quantities that describe the relative stiffness of the nonlinear spring compared to that of the beam. The results also highlight the fundamental differences between the behavior with a stiffening spring or with a softening spring, such as the number of attainable modes and the monotonicity of the overall force-displacement relation. These results are then validated by experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a pioneer paper, Featherston (Featherston, Sam. 2007. Data in generative grammar: The stick and the carrot. Theoretical Linguistics 33. 269–318) advocated the use of better controlled data in theoretical linguistics. Despite diverging on many aspects, most syntactic theories are now testing their hypotheses with more data than a few linguists' intuitions. I will examine the consequences of this empirical turn on two syntactic phenomena: long-distance dependencies (LDD) and ellipsis. In a series of recent experiments (Liu, Yingtong, Elodie Winckel, Anne Abeillé, Barbara Hemforth & Edward Gibson. 2022. Structural, functional and processing perspectives on linguistic islands effects. Annual Review of Linguistics 8. 495–525), most of the syntactic constraints ('island constraints') on LDD have shown less crosslinguistic variation and more cross-construction variation than previously thought. Corpus and experimental data have also shown elliptical clauses to be more flexible than expected under deletion-under-identity theories (Poppels, Till. 2022. Explaining ellipsis without identity. The Linguistic Review 39. 341–400). These are challenges for most syntactic theories, which call for taking discourse factors more seriously into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To comprehensively grasp, predict, and address the complexity of white collar crime, robust measurement tools are imperative. The burgeoning interdisciplinary interest in this domain has spurred the development of diverse assessment tools aimed at capturing offending behavior and its proxies. In the present paper, we provide an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of several commonly employed measures, including official statistics, victimization surveys, self‐report surveys, and (quasi)experimental measures. Drawing insights from this review, we then introduce a novel behavioral measure: the donation method. Although the task was originally designed to examine behaviors of interest to behavioral economists, we carefully outline strategies to refine and implement the donation method to assess white collar crime, addressing challenges such as task suitability and controlling for respondent behavior. Additionally, we provide a sample task to illustrate how such a tool could be used within this field. We conclude by underlining the appeal of adopting innovative measurement tools like the donation method to advance our collective understanding of white collar crime. By advocating for its widespread adoption and providing guidance for its use, we endeavor to catalyze progress in the field, facilitating unique insights and, potentially, more efficacious strategies for confronting and surmounting the methodological obstacles inherent in studying this elusive form of criminal activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interfirm innovation projects often require tight collaboration among firms with complementary skills and resources. The success of such projects depends on all firms generating high-quality outputs, which can be difficult to attain for aspects of quality that are not easily observable or contractible. We consider a setting with a focal firm and its collaborating firm (henceforth, the collaborator) engaging in a joint project, in which they make their quality decisions over time, respectively, and study the firm's decision to communicate its quality output progress to its collaborator voluntarily. We first develop normative predictions using game-theoretic models by analyzing a reporting (respectively, revealing) case, in which the firm can report a not necessarily truthful quality (the truthful quality) to the collaborator. We find that the firm should be indifferent between reporting and not reporting for all project values and should be indifferent between revealing and not revealing (prefer revealing) for high (low) project values. To test this prediction, we run an experiment following a 2 × 3 design, varying the project value (high and low) and the form of communication (no communication, reporting, and revealing). We find that the quality provision is significantly lower than the normative prediction in all treatments. When the project value is high, the decision to report is beneficial to the firm (regardless of the reported quality) because the decision signals the firm's intention to contribute high quality. The decision to reveal is also beneficial for a firm; however, a different mechanism is at play in this case. The decision itself does not directly affect the quality provisions, but the revealed quality does as the collaborator waits to observe the truthful revealed quality and incorporates this information in choosing a quality later. By contrast, when the project value is low, neither reporting nor revealing are beneficial for a firm. In particular, the decision to report no longer acts as a positive signal as it is used by firms trying to deceive the collaborator and get an advantage. This paper was accepted by Vishal Gaur, operations management. Funding: The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, the City University of New York and the University of Texas at Dallas. Support for this project was provided by a PSC-CUNY Award, jointly funded by the Professional Staff Congress and the City University of New York. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.03180. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What can public attitudes towards the integration of co-ethnic migrants teach us about social integration in newly diverse societies? Research finds that South Koreans prefer co-ethnic migrants from culturally similar or desirable origins, but it says little about the integration of migrant groups. Existing data and qualitative studies suggest considerable barriers to fully incorporating otherwise preferred migrants. Focusing on integrating North Korean migrants in South Korea – a relatively privileged migrant group that enjoys substantial resettlement support but encounters barriers to full integration – this paper addresses the research gap by testing competing explanations of migrant incorporation. Informed by Intergroup Threat Theory (ITT), the study examines how threats defined as realistic or symbolic shape native attitudes toward these migrants. Using a conjoint survey experiment to measure preferences for economic, political, and social integration, we find South Koreans favor North Korean migrants with extended residence in South Korea, which is a marker for diminishing realistic and symbolic intergroup threats. Conversely, migrants signaling stronger affiliations to North Korea or lacking diverse social ties in South Korea fail to alleviate intergroup threat concerns and consequently face discrimination. Our findings offer insights into integration policy and contribute to the migration and citizenship literature and contemporary Korean Studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing literature in philosophy of science focuses on the role of aesthetics in scientific practice, with the experiment recently recognized for its aesthetic value. However, the literature on aesthetics in experimentation grows out of case studies from the history of science, leaving open the question as to how contemporary scientists experience aesthetics in their experimental work. In this paper we offer the first qualitative, empirical analysis of aesthetic experiences regarding experimental practice, drawing from in-depth interviews with 215 scientists in four countries. We identify six categories of aesthetic experience we find in experimentation, their function, and new questions emerging from our study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovative reactor concepts are being studied by several research institutions and private entities for their role against climate change and energy poverty. The Generation IV International Forum, committed for more than 20 years in support of advanced reactors, has drawn up a series of objectives for the new class of nuclear plants, among which is an improvement in safety and economy through passive safety systems for the removal of decay heat. One of the most studied technologies is the lead fast reactor (LFR), whose coolant has a high boiling point, excellent shielding capabilities, and good heat transfer in forced and natural circulation, as well as neutron properties suitable for a hard spectrum. These allow for designing systems with high simplification and wide safety margins. On the other hand, opacity, corrosion, and innovative design choices require demonstration of the technology in experimental campaigns before using it in the industrial field. In recent years, Westinghouse Electric Company has begun the conceptual study of an intermediate size LFR [~460 MW(electric)] which, by exploiting the opportunities of the technology, aims at marketability over the next decade. One of the features is a passive heat removal system that allows, through different heat exchange mechanisms including conduction, convection, and radiation, for the transfer of decay heat from the reactor block to a pool of water inside the containment. The system is designed for indefinite heat removal thanks to channels that allow outside air to replace water following complete boiling. For the geometry of the system, the size, the materials, and the heat transfer mechanisms, an experimental activity is required to validate the prediction of the calculation codes and potentially support design optimization. The UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has recently subsidized the design, procurement, installation, and operation of the Passive Heat Removal Facility, an experimental facility to study the innovative safety system. This paper presents the activities of scaling, design, pretesting, and installation of that facility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Models of statistical discrimination typically assume that employers make rational inference from (education) signals. However, there is a large amount of evidence showing that most people do not update their beliefs rationally. We use a model and two experiments to show that employers who are conservative, in the sense of signal neglect, discriminate more against disadvantaged groups than Bayesian employers. We find that such non-Bayesian statistical discrimination deters high-ability workers from disadvantaged groups from pursuing education, further exacerbating initial group inequalities. Excess discrimination caused by employer conservatism is especially important when signals are very informative. Out of the overall hiring gap in our data, around 40% can be attributed to Bayesian statistical discrimination, a further 40% is due to non-Bayesian statistical discrimination, and the remaining 20% is unexplained or potentially taste-based. This paper was accepted by Marie Claire Villeval, behavioral economics and decision analysis. Funding: F. Mengel thanks the European Research Council for financial support [Starting Grant 805017]. P. Campos-Mercade acknowledges funding from the Danish National Research Foundation [Grant DNRF134 (CEBI)]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4824. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiments have led some philosophers to conclude that the reference determination of natural kind terms is neither simply descriptive nor simply causal‐historical. Various theories have been aired to account for this, including ambiguity, hybrid, and different‐idiolects theories. Devitt and Porter (2021) hypothesized that some terms are covered by one theory, some another, with a place for all the proposed theories. The present paper tests hypotheses that the term 'Rio de Janeiro Myrtle' is simply causal‐historical but the term 'rice' is hybrid. For, whereas the former term is of scientific but little practical interest, the latter is not: rice is a significant part of the human diet. So, we predicted there would be two factors to the reference determination of 'rice': a superficial‐descriptive one and a deep‐causal one. Our experiments confirmed these hypotheses using the methods of elicited production and truth value judgments. We take our results to support the hybrid Theory of 'rice' rather than the ambiguity or different‐idiolects theory. We were not testing 'myrtle' but, surprisingly, our results implied that 'myrtle' was partly descriptive and so like 'rice' but not 'Rio de Janeiro Myrtle'. A follow‐up experiment confirmed these puzzling results. More investigation is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does the threat of political violence affect wellbeing? We argue that political violence induced by elections reduces wellbeing as it provokes emotional reactions like anxiety and fear. There is a lingering effect from political violence that reemerges with new rounds of elections, and that reduces wellbeing. To test this claim, we employ an experimental analysis in Côte d'Ivoire. We motivate political violence via a treatment about the 2020 election, and the proximity of the 2020 election. We find that each has a negative effect on wellbeing. In Côte d'Ivoire, we also consider the direct effect of political violence on wellbeing, and find that it is inversely associated with wellbeing. Finally, we extend the analysis of election proximity to Nigeria during the 2023 election. The results here show that proximity is (i) inversely associated with wellbeing and (ii) that it is directly associated with the expectation of political violence. In all cases, political violence lowers self‐assessed wellbeing. We argue that this effect is likely to be greater for women than men, but find that it is generally true for the latter. We conclude the paper with considerations about its generalizability, ideas for future research, and policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hands-on experiments with overturning some prisms (partially filled with water) lead students to a conjecture which can be confirmed by using a 3D geometry programme and reinterpreting the process of overturning of a prism in an appropriate way. But such confirmations are not a proof and particularly cannot answer the question why something is the case. Hence, a way is shown how the observed phenomena can be explained and proven in an elementary way, thereby also answering the question why. This paper focuses on presenting ideas to deal with the topic in several ways: physical experiments using prisms partially filled with water, 3D geometry e.g. of GeoGebra, and establishing mathematical proofs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To receive a patent, an inventor must meet certain inventive and procedural standards. Their invention must be novel, nonobvious, and written in such a way that any person skilled in the inventive subject can make and use the invention without undue experimentation. This process is far from objective. An inventor is not always communicating within their own social circle. An inventor is required to communicate their invention so that a patent examiner believes a person having ordinary skill in the art ("PHOSITA") would recognize the invention as nonobvious. Moreover, a fictitious skilled person must be able to make and use the described invention without undue experimentation, and a patent examiner will judge whether the patent application's written description has met this standard. Many inventors choose to navigate this difficult communication path with the help of a patent practitioner; this can either help to ease or exacerbate communication obstacles between examiners and inventors. As shown in this Article, the largely homogenous patent gatekeepers--practitioners and examiners--erect communication barriers to entry for inventors from underrepresented minority groups. Inventors must ensure the majority-group-based practitioners and examiners recognize valuable distinctions of the invention over current technology and understand how to use the new invention without undue experimentation. When the patent practitioner and examiner communities do not share the same primary cultural experience as an inventor or an invention's expected users, this hurdle compounds. Some inventors are disproportionately burdened when describing their invention; some must supplement the practitioners' and examiners' lack of systemic cultural capital more than others. Through a case study of Black hair-care patents, this Article adds to the literature by highlighting hermeneutical injustices for Black inventors through a cultural-capital lens. This Article is the first in a series of papers showing how the majority-culture bias in patent law and the lack of resources to bridge minority- and majority-group-derived cultural-capital gaps disparately affect those inventing in minority-group cultural spaces. The cultural gap between minority-group inventors and patent practitioners, nearly all of whom are majority group, leads to inadequate and unequal representation and decisionmaking. This Article calls upon the United States Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO"), patent attorneys, and academics to create a more equitable patent system by altering patent practice, legal education, and ethics rules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Twelve rack-to-spine-bracing shear connections were experimentally investigated. • Comprehensive test data were generated using digital image correlation technique. • A component-based analytical model is established for the shear connections. • Three-dimensional behavior of individual components are analytically determined. • Design and construction recommendations for the shear connections are provided. High-rise steel storage racks are cold-formed thin-walled steel frames, which achieve their lateral strength and stiffness by the use of a spine bracing system in the down-aisle direction commonly located at a short horizontal distance away from the main rack frames. The shear connections between the main rack frame and the spine bracing system play a dominant role in the effectiveness of the spine bracing system. This paper experimentally investigates the behavior of the shear connections used in industrial practice between a steel storage rack and the spine bracing system with posts using four groups of three nominally identical connection specimens. By employing a digital image correlation (DIC) system, the tests generate comprehensive data and establish the real-time deformation fields of individual components of such shear connections. Based on the component-based approach, a linear-elastic analytical model is developed for the type of shear connections under consideration. The proposed analytical model explicitly captures the behavior of the individual connection components, including the three-dimensional flexural bending of endplates, as well as the distortions of the open sections of the upright and the bracing post. Based on the proposed model, this paper quantifies the contribution of each component towards the total deformation of the shear connections. The investigation establishes that the cross-sectional distortion of the bracing post and the out-of-plane bending of the upright web are the most flexible components of such shear connections. Recommendations associated with the shear connections under consideration are proposed for the rack designers and manufacturers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper delivers a comprehensive analysis of the thermomechanical behavior of steel–concrete (SC) composite elements under elevated temperatures, up to 200 °C, as these can be encountered in accidental scenarios within nuclear power plant operations. The focus lies on the thermal buckling of external thin steel plates. We undertake an integrated approach, combining an experimental campaign and numerical simulations, to investigate thermal buckling phenomena. Using these findings, along with principles from thermoelasticity and thin plate theory, we establish an analytical model to guide preliminary SC element design. The efficacy of this model is ascertained through rigorous comparisons with experimental and numerical results. The paper concludes by demonstrating the model's practical utility for thermal buckling verification through a relevant case study. • Local thermal buckling in SC elements was studied via experiments and simulations. • Database expansion and key buckling factor identification conducted numerically. • Analytical formulas for SC design were derived from thermoelasticity and plate theory. • Formulas were validated against numerical and experimental data for reliability. • Significance of diagonal connector spacing in SC walls was demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As basic units of oil tankers and bulk carriers, corrugated bulkheads are usually subjected to lateral loads such as liquid cargo pressure. In this paper, the experiments have been designed and carried out to investigate the collapse modes and ultimate strength of corrugated bulkheads and plane bulkheads under lateral pressure. In the experiment, pure air pressure was used to apply uniformly distributed lateral pressure. The results show that ultimate capacity of corrugated bulkhead is significantly larger than that of traditional T-shaped stiffened plane bulkhead under the same weight of materials. The corrugated bulkhead reaches the ultimate limit state after three plastic hinges formed on the corrugation, and experimental results agree well with the nonlinear finite element analysis. In addition, through numerical analysis, it is found that the boundary conditions considered in this paper have little effect on the ultimate strength of corrugated bulkheads when in-plane displacements are restrained, and the stress and displacement distributions of the mid-span corrugation are similar with five bays of corrugations and above, and can well reflect the corrugated bulkheads in real ships. The results of this paper are helpful to understand the mechanism of corrugated bulkheads collapse and provide references for ultimate strength experimental designs of corrugated bulkhead structures. • Experiments have been designed and carried out for both corrugated and plane bulkhead structures under lateral pressure, by using the test method of pure air pressure loading without any intermediate medium between the tank and the air. This experimental setup can be further extended to such experiments with combined axial and lateral loads. •Numerical analyses are carried out, and both the ultimate strengths and collapse modes match well with the experiments. Collapse behavior has been carefully discussed based on experimental and numerical results. • The design advantages of the corrugated bulkhead are verified by the comparative experimental and numerical analysis of the corrugated bulkhead and the plane T-shaped stiffened plate bulkhead. • The elastic behavior, inelastic behavior and ultimate limit state of corrugated bulkhead under lateral pressure are obtained by comprehensive experimental test and finite element analysis. Also, it has reference value for the evaluation of the ultimate capacity of the corrugated bulkhead model in the actual ship. • The collapse mode of corrugated bulkheads has similarity with that of fixed/simply supported beams at both ends. It is found that when three plastic hinges are generated in middle and ends of the center corrugation, the corrugated bulkhead has reached ultimate limit state. • The results by NFEM show that the discrepancy on the ultimate pressure of corrugated bulkhead under clamped and simply supported boundary conditions is small only when the in-plane displacement is fully restrained at the boundaries, and the clamped supported boundary conditions have better robustness and matches well with the experimental results. • It is found that when the number of corrugations is small (e.g., three in this study), the distribution of stress and displacements of the central corrugations changes obviously compared with original case, indicating that it is greatly affected by boundary constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fire resistance of building assemblies can be determined through testing or by numerical modelling. As testing of building assemblies is expensive and time-consuming, the development of numerical modelling methods is gaining momentum. One of the challenges in modelling assemblies' thermal performance is insulation dimensional shrinkage at elevated temperatures. To address this challenge, this paper presents a comprehensive experimental investigation into the shrinkage of glass and mineral fibre insulation materials under elevated temperature conditions. Initially, a series of tests was conducted to establish the temperature range within which significant shrinkage occurs for both types of insulation. Then, visual observations and measurements were recorded to assess the physical and dimensional changes of the insulation materials within the identified temperature range for shrinkage, indicating distinct responses of glass and mineral fibre insulation to thermal exposure. Compared to width and length variations, thickness reduction in insulation was more significant. Overall, the insulation thickness decreased as the exposed temperature increased. The glass fibre insulation completely melted at 710 °C, while mineral fibre insulation disintegrated at 1000 °C. In addition, empirical equations were derived to assess the thickness variations of these insulations at elevated temperatures, which can greatly enhance the accuracy of future thermal models under fire scenarios. Lastly, potential areas for future research are identified. • Glass fibre shrinks notably between 600 °C and 710 °C; mineral fibre, 700 °C to 1000 °C. • Glass fibre melts at 710 °C; mineral forms shell at 850 °C, disintegrates at 1000 °C. • Proposed equations to predict insulation thickness changes at high temperatures. • Comparative analysis with full-scale tests confirms the study's findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new track vehicle model over rigid horizontal and inclined surfaces. • A model that accounts for the distribution of the normal forces along the track. • Pure turning over inclines can cause substantial sliding. • Analytical modeling is validated with experimental results. This paper studies the locomotion of a robot fitted with flexible rubber tracks while driving and climbing over rigid horizontal and inclined surfaces. We developed a model that accounts for sliding during rotation and the distribution of the normal forces along the track. On horizontal surfaces, we found that the size of the robot (width and length) and the normal force distribution along the track had a substantial influence on its turning speed and radius, whereas the coefficient of friction (COF), the robot's mass and inertia had a much lesser influence. The model shows that on inclined surfaces, even on relatively small slopes, the robot substantially slides downwards as it tries to rotate. The results of the model and the simulations were validated using a tracked vehicle that was built and tested on a solar panel. The experimental results of the turning radius and rotational speed were within 2% of the model (see video). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]