Suchergebnisse

The possibility of obtaining multiphase steels with considerable fractions of retained austenite, which is of key interest for the occurrence of the transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) effect, is investigated in steels with low amounts of Si and Al. Special emphasis is given to the microstructural observation of this phase, since its volume fraction, distribution and stability, in relation to the carbon content, will determine the efficiency of the TRIP effect and thus of the resulting mechanical properties. Mechanical testing was carried out in order to measure the efficiency of the retained austenite transforming to martensite. ; The authors acknowledge financial support from the European Union through the European Coal and Steel Community programme (ECSC-7210-PR-368) and from the Spanish Ministerio de Educacio´n y Ciencia (Special Action MAT 2002-10810-E). T. De Cock would also like to express his gratitude to the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientı´ficas (CSIC) for financial support in the form of a Ph.D. research grant (I3P program). J.P. Ferrer would also like to thank the MEC for financial support in the form of a Ph.D. research grant (FPI program). ; Peer reviewed

This article offers an overview of how Mexican unions get involved in international union alliances. It is intended to increase our understanding of the prospects for North-South union cooperation, as the ability to construct international alliances is at the heart of union responses to globalisation. Drawing on data gathered from seven Mexican unions affiliated to the International Metalworking Federation (IMF), the authors distinguish three patterns of union involvement: a localist/defensive pattern, which rests on a narrow conception of solidarity and on sporadic relations, rather limited in scope, with other unions affiliated to the IMF; a nationalist/offensive pattern characterised by a broader view of solidarity and by intense exchange of information with other IMF affiliates; and an internationalist/proactive pattern which rests on the community of interest between workers from different countries and on active cross-border coordination of action. A critical condition for cross-border alliances lies in the existence of several power resources. Without these resources a union cannot overcome the acute constraints that it faces. In conclusion, the authors discuss the prospect of union renewal and union empowerment through North-South international union alliances.

Globalization and ''Imagined Worlds'': A Qualitative Study of Children's Drawings from Two Villages in Peru

Globalization is sometimes described in terms of flows delivering resources for the construction of virtual, global worlds. However, the relation between the presence of flows and the actual construction of new imagined worlds is often only assumed and lacks empirical exploration. By analysing drawings made by children in two settlements in Ayacucho, Peru this article initiates such an exploration. The children were asked to draw pictures of how they would like their community to be in the future, and they were interviewed about these drawings. Using an adapted form of Grounded Theory, the analysis "reads out" an understanding of the children's imagined communities. It shows that there were vast differences between the drawings from the two settlements. However, these differences cannot be related to the differences in the presence of television in the respective villages, and thus to a "global flow", in one of the communities. This result questions the link between global flows and the construc-tion of imagined worlds. The article concludes by arguing for additional qualitative research on globalization.

This study addresses depression in late adulthood within the context of Blatt's (1974; 1991) theory of development and vulnerabilities to depression. Participants were a sample of 237 Israeli community-dwelling old adults (age 65–75) in good health and functioning well. The
authors assumed that in this developmental period, normally beset with questions about self-identity and interpersonal relatedness, the associations among Self-criticism, the Neediness component of dependency, and depressive symptomatology are moderated by participants' perceived social
support as well as by their fear of death. As expected, the correlational results confirmed that depression in late adulthood is associated with Self-criticism, Neediness, fear of death, and low perceived social support. Additional results illustrated the protective role of Efficacy and Connectedness,
as well as the buffering roles of social support and low fear of death in the relation between vulnerabilities to depression and depressive symptoms in late adulthood. The overall findings highlight the relevance of personality vulnerability factors in depression in late adulthood and the
need to consider a range of moderating factors that may serve to protectively buffer or exacerbate the impact of personality vulnerability factors.

A range of different communities of interest make knowledge claims regarding the association between environmental hazards and breast cancer, including policy makers, epidemiologists, scientists, activists in the breast cancer/environment movement, and women with breast cancer. The paper considers how the fences and defences between these groupings are maintained through differential relations of power and legitimacy, and how these are challenged by the 'citizen expertise' of those in the movement. This has the potential to yield a repositioning of science in society, based on an eco-social epidemiological paradigm and the paramountcy of public health protection. The paper draws on the author's involvement in the breast cancer/environment movement in the UK and, to a more limited extent, in the Bay Area of California; it also suggests some initial insights from a small-scale pilot study undertaken as part of the Economic and Social Research Council's Science in Society programme. In particular, it considers how the expertise of citizens, captured through a process of community mapping, may usefully contribute to an understanding of breast cancer aetiology that includes experiential, embodied knowledge.

"Gunnar Theissen's article explores the different approaches to investigating and regulating injustices in the aftermath of armed conflict. It reviews the potentials and risks of tribunals, community courts and truth commissions. Moreover the author discusses how amnesty, reparation and grassroots initiatives for reconciliation can contribute to conflict transformation. He points out that practitioners in the field must be aware of the changing power relations and limited options for action in war-tom societies. Third party intervention should encourage local actors to develop their own approaches for dealing with the past. Thus, the current enthusiasm for the emerging international criminal law system should not divert attention from Local initiatives and institutions. Dealing with past injustices turns out to be a long-term process. The degree of understanding that can be reached within a single generation is thus very limited. Reconciliation might be a legitimate vision for post-conflict rehabilitation, but cannot be forced on former enemies. Victims often have good reasons for refusing to reconcile, if past atrocities are not investigated and injustices not abated." (author's abstract)

This article explores the political marginalisation of the Melbourne Jewish Council to Combat Fascism and Anti‐Semitism during the Cold War. Attention is drawn to contending views about the nature of the Council's links with communism. By comparing the Council's response to two coinciding international events during 1952 and 1953 ‐ the anti‐Jewish show trials in Stalinist Eastern Europe, and the Rosenberg spy trial in the USA ‐ evidence is derived confirming the dominance of communist influence within the Jewish Council at that time. In order, I examine the Australian Jewish political context in which the Council operated and its relations with the wider Jewish community prior to the Cold War; explore rival arguments concerning the Council's links with communism and the Australian Communist Party; examine the major features of Stalinist anti‐Semitism and the Council's response to them; recount the Council's reaction to the Rosenberg Spy Trial and Doctors Plot; and conclude that the Council lost influence because it fell under the control of a pro‐Soviet group unwilling to recognise and attack anti‐Semitism on the political left.

The ethnic conflict which erupted in the small South Pacific nation of Solomon Islands in late 1998 resulted in the loss of over 100 lives, the displacement of 30,000 people, the overthrow of an elected government, and severe damage to the country's economy and polity. Actual fighting took place only in and around the capital, Honiara, and in other parts of Guadalcanal between militant groups from Guadalcanal and from the neighbouring island of Malaita. Fighting was initiated by Guadalcanalese youth who believed that immigrant Malaitans had taken their land without proper compensation, were denying them job opportunities, and had been disrespectful of their culture. But the conflict impacted on Solomon Islands as a whole such that the country is now on the verge of bankruptcy, its government is unable to deliver services and relies on cash handouts as a proxy for governing, the police force is compromised and divided, the lack of reintegration of militarised and disaffected gangs of youth continues to threaten community relations already traumatised by the conflict, and most Provinces which make up the Solomons are demanding either separate statehood or independence. ; AusAID

This article explores the political marginalization of the Melbourne Jewish Council to Combat Fascism & Anti-Semitism during the Cold War. Attention is drawn to contending views about the nature of the Council's links with communism. By comparing the Council's response to two coinciding international events during 1952 & 1953 -- the anti-Jewish show trials in Stalinist Eastern Europe, & the Rosenberg spy trial in the US -- evidence is derived confirming the dominance of communist influence within the Jewish Council at that time. In order, I examine the Australian Jewish political context in which the Council operated & its relations with the wider Jewish community prior to the Cold War; explore rival arguments concerning the Council's links with communism & the Australian Communist Party; examine the major features of Stalinist anti-Semitism & the Council's response to them; recount the Council's reaction to the Rosenberg Spy Trial & Doctors Plot; & conclude that the Council lost influence because it fell under the control of a pro-Soviet group unwilling to recognize & attack anti-Semitism on the political Left. Adapted from the source document.

Since the late 1970s, mainland China has embarked on an unprecedented economic reform. This reform not only helped China move away more successfully from a centrally planned economy than the former Soviet Union and its East European satellites, it also improved the quality of life for China's massive population, especially its urban population. While the impact of this reform on family life such as household composition, marriage patterns, childbearing decisions, and inter-generational relationships has been well documented, research on family life satisfaction during this political and economic transformation is nearly nonexistent. To fill this research void, we use the 1993 China Housing Survey conducted in Shanghai and Tianjin to explore the determinants of family life satisfaction among married urban Chinese. Our Confirmatory Factor Analysis conceptualizes family life satisfaction as a multi-dimensional concept, encompassing satisfaction with marriage, family economy, family relations, and family life in general. The OLS regression analysis indicates that varying individual characteristics, marital and parental roles, kinship, social and political ties, and community context are predicative of family life satisfaction in urban China. Gender differences in these determinants are noticeable.

The North American population is approximately 80% urbanized and spends almost 90% of the time indoors. Accordingly, the built environment is the most important–one might almost say "natural" — human environment. Urban settlements incorporate within their boundaries natural ecosystems of plant and animal life (often highly adapted to the urban environment), and are in turn incorporated within wider bioregions and global ecosystems. But urban settlements are not just built and natural physical environments, they are social, economic, cultural and political environments; the whole constitutes an urban ecosystem. These ecosystems have profound implications for the physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual well-being of their human inhabitants, as well as for human beings remote from these urban ecosystems. Therefore, this paper discusses urban ecosystems and human health and presents a framework for indicators of environmental health in the urban setting based on such an understanding. The concepts of environmental viability, ecological sustainability, urban livability, community conviviality, social equity, and economic adequacy are discussed in relation to human health and are used to organize proposed candidate indicators for urban ecosystems and public health.

In an interview conducted 10 Mar 2001 in Bangkok, Thailand, Bello -- an internationally recognized leader of the global justice movement & Director of Focus on the Global South, Bangkok -- ponders globalization & whether it represents a new era for capitalism & for the world economy in general. Implications for relations between the First & Third Worlds are discussed, eg, in terms of a reconfiguration of labor, cross-border union organizing, & intercapitalist competition. The antiglobal movement is reviewed, & the role of Marxists in it is considered; comparisons are drawn between old & potentially new forms of socialism. The benefits & drawbacks of an Anglo-American, European, & Japanese model of global capitalism are weighed, & the role of international organizations (eg, the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, & World Trade Organization) in the creation of a global capitalist structure is discussed. It is argued that for disarticulated economies to become reintegrated, international institutions must be created that support the reinvigoration of the community, local, & national economy. One way to accomplish this would be by dismantling the aforementioned central organizations & strengthening regional, local, & international bodies like the International Labor Organization. Huge, "jurrassic" organizations like transnational corporations come under special criticism. K. Hyatt Stewart