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This paper presents ELECON - Electricity Consumption Analysis to Promote Energy Efficiency Considering Demand Response and Non-technical Losses, an international research project that involves European and Brazilian partners. ELECON focuses on energy efficiency increasing through consumer´s active participation which is a key area for Europe and Brazil cooperation. The project aims at significantly contributing towards the successful implementation of smart grids, focussing on the use of new methods that allow the efficient use of distributed energy resources, namely distributed generation, storage and demand response. ELECON puts together researchers from seven European and Brazilian partners, with consolidated research background and evidencing complementary competences. ELECON involves institutions of 3 European countries (Portugal, Germany, and France) and 4 Brazilian institutions. The complementary background and experience of the European and Brazilian partners is of main relevance to ensure the capacities required to achieve the proposed goals. In fact, the European Union (EU) and Brazil have very different resources and approaches in what concerns this area. Having huge hydro and fossil resources, Brazil has not been putting emphasis on distributed renewable based electricity generation. On the contrary, EU has been doing huge investments in this area, taking into account environmental concerns and also the economic EU external dependence dictated by huge requirements of energy related products imports. Sharing these different backgrounds allows the project team to propose new methodologies able to efficiently address the new challenges of smart grids.

Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) is a way of collecting data in people's natural environments in real time and has become very popular in social and health sciences. The emergence of personal digital assistants has led to more complex and sophisticated EMA protocols but has also highlighted some important drawbacks. Modern cell phones combine the functionalities of advanced communication systems with those of a handheld computer and offer various additional features to capture and record sound, pictures, locations, and movements. Moreover, most people own a cell phone, are familiar with the different functions, and always carry it with them. This paper describes ways in which cell phones have been used for data collection purposes in the field of social sciences. This includes automated data capture techniques, for example, geolocation for the study of mobility patterns and the use of external sensors for remote health-monitoring research. The paper also describes cell phones as efficient and user-friendly tools for prompt manual data collection, that is, by asking participants to produce or to provide data. This can either be done by means of dedicated applications or by simply using the web browser. We conclude that cell phones offer a variety of advantages and have a great deal of potential for innovative research designs, suggesting they will be among the standard data collection devices for EMA in the coming years.

The Internet nowadays is a significant source of information, being important the construction of
educational sites resulting from scientific research to foster pedagogical reflections. It is also important to
support possibilities of relations between transversal themes, big problems of society that must be
contextualized in school, in educational practice. In Physical Education, capoeira, part of the movement body
culture, should also be addressed during the pedagogical practice. We evaluated a blog developed to address the
Transversal Themes and Capoeira, taking into consideration the opinions of 23 teacher participants (12 women
and 11 men, mean age 30 years). We opted for qualitative research and analysis of content from a questionnaire
developed to evaluate the blog. The analysis was divided into two categories: presentation of the educational
blog developed and analysis of results from the evaluation of participants, this category being divided into three
subcategories: opinions about the design and configuration of the blog, interest and motivation; considerations
about the transversal themes. The results were positive in terms of consistency, language, appropriateness of content to the topic and audience, visualization, reliability and conceptual rigor of the blog. All participants said
they could use the content proposed in the blog for the development of their classes. From these results, it is
considered that the blog can become a virtual educational material, assisting teachers in the teaching-learning
process, helping the didactic process in Physical Education classes.

Carbon can produce a wide variety of systems and nanostructures with different dimensionality as exemplified by fullerenes, nanotubes and graphene, all with peculiar properties of great interest for fundamental and applied research. In this framework sp-hybridized carbon atoms can arrange to form atomic wires with size dependent functional properties. The sp form of carbon has a long story passing through astrophysics and minerals found in meteor craters and, although still considered elusive and unstable, nowadays a number of nano-systems constituted by or containing sp-carbon wires have been produced and characterized. As graphene is considered the thinnest material (one-atom thick), carbon atomic wires represent true 1-dimensional systems (one- atom diameter) with a great potential for nanoscience and nanotechnology. The status of research on carbon atomic wires is here discussed, starting from the description of ideal systems to real structures, showing that the properties can be tuned by controlling the wire length (i.e. number of carbon atoms) and termination (atom, molecular group or nanostructure). Synthesis techniques are presented as well as strategies to have stable wires. A particular attention will be given to the use of vibrational spectroscopy to provide insight on the structure and electronic properties of these systems. Perspectives for novel devices based on the exploitation of the electronic properties of these systems are also discussed.

The International Review for the Sociology of Sport, the Journal of Sport and Social Issues and Sociology of Sport Journal have individually and collectively been subject to a systematic content analysis. By focusing on substantive research papers published in these three journals over a 25-year time period it is possible to identify the topics that have featured within the sociology of sport. The purpose of the study was to identify the dominant themes, sports, countries, methodological frameworks and theoretical perspectives that have appeared in the research papers published in these three journals. Using the terms, identified by the author(s), that appear in the paper's title, abstract and/or listed as a key word, subject term or geographical term, a baseline is established to reflect on the development of the sub-discipline as represented by the content of these three journals. It is suggested that the findings illustrate what many of the more experienced practitioners in the field may have felt subjectively. On the basis of this systematic, empirical study it is now possible to identify those areas have received extensive coverage and those which are under-researched within the sociology of sport. The findings are used to inform a discussion of the role of academic journals and the recent contributions made by Michael Silk, David Andrews, Michael Atkinson and Dominic Malcolm on the past, present and future of the 'sociology of sport'.

Population expansion in many New South Wales (NSW) local government areas (LGA) has resulted in an increase in demand for local infrastructure and services that has far outstripped sources of local government revenue. This paper looks at two important sources of local government revenue in NSW, municipal rates and Section 94 contributions, as a source of funding increased demand and maintenance of infrastructure. It examines some recent and potentially long-term trends of both these revenues within different economic climates. An analysis and comparison of data over the period from June 2006 through to June 2010 against data collected for the period ending June 1993 forms the basis of this research. The research objective is to compare changes in the relativity of these revenue types and assess their application as a source of local government revenue. Data collected from the Department of Local Government NSW is compared with the findings of an earlier study, conducted by Barnes and Dollery (1996), in determining their relativity. The provision and maintenance of infrastructure by local government is essential for growth in the economy and is a valuable asset to be used by the community. Two types of funding for this infrastructure, among others, is sourced from municipal rates and developer charges levied under Section 94 contributions either by the developer providing the infrastructure, or a contribution towards its funding (Barnes and Dollery 1996).

Prior to the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) on September 20, 2011, many observers predicted that allowing lesbian, gay and bisexual troops to serve openly would harm the military, and a group of more than 1,000 retired general and flag officers predicted that repeal could "break the All-Volunteer Force." This study is the first scholarly effort to assess the accuracy of such predictions about the impact of DADT repeal on military readiness. We conducted our research during the half-year period starting six months after repeal and concluding at the one year mark, and we pursued ten separate research strategies including in-depth interviews, survey analysis, on-site field observations, pretest/posttest quasi experimentation, secondary source analysis, and a comprehensive review of media articles. Our goal was to maximize the likelihood of identifying evidence of damage caused by repeal, and we made vigorous efforts to collect data from repeal opponents including anti-repeal generals and admirals, activists, academic experts, service members and watchdog organizations. Our conclusion, based on all of the evidence available to us, is that DADT repeal has had no overall negative impact on military readiness or its component dimensions, including cohesion, recruitment, retention, assaults, harassment, or morale. If anything, DADT repeal appears to have enhanced the military's ability to pursue its mission.

The diversity of religious beliefs still surprises even scholars most familiarwith these phenomena. What is most surprising is the sheer numberof practices that reflect relations between deities and men – ranging from"devotion", "cooperation", to trying to "trick" deities. There have beenmany theories explaining the cause of these relations and the diversityof religious beliefs including the simplest, that these relations are true andreflect an ontological order.Leaving the question regarding the existence of supernatural beingsaside, we're still left with a very interesting issue of human beliefs. Whydo we have such different beliefs? Why are we so attached to them? Do theyhave anything in common? What were the origins of religious beliefs? Did they changed through time?Pascal Boyer, French anthropologist studying the human mind and theprocess of learning among other issues tries to answer these, and otherquestions. He bases his answers on scientific researches of other scholars – anthropologists, evolutionary biologists, cognitive psychologists andlinguists. Boyer employs researches from such different scientific fieldsto find a new and very interesting way to try to reach the origins of religious beliefs, to reconstruct the process of forming beliefs concerning themetaphysical/non-physical world. He also tries to explain the nature of relations between men and deities. As a result of his efforts he created a theory explaining beliefs and religious behaviors that refers only to the mechanisms of human brain, and this theory is the subject of this article.

AbstractLanguage brokering is a common phenomenon, whereby children of immigrant parents mediate both verbally and with written documents between their parents and other different language speakers or writers, converting meanings in one language into meanings in another. This paper explores some of the moral identities – the interplay between moral ideals and individuals' personal identities – adults construct from their memories of their activities as child language brokers. Qualitative research on adults who were, and to a large extent still are, language brokers for their parents, found that in the context of parent‐teacher meetings, some individuals recast their behaviours in a manner that rendered themselves as good, honest, ethical and well‐behaved students. This paper argues that the moral identities individuals construct from memories of their childhood experiences have social and cultural dimensions, and are contingent upon the context and the situation. The paper also has policy implications with regards to the status of the child, and the relationship of that status to cultural context and expectation, given that the circumstances of their lives cannot be removed. Regarding policy, this research could inform practitioners, schools, and the general public about the impact of language brokering experiences on children, and may help in some way to alleviate the stress/burdens associated with language brokering. Additionally, it could bring about increasing understanding of how people establish identities based on their lived experiences.

The 1987 publication ofWomen and Music in Cross-Cultural Perspectives, the first anthology on the topic of women and music in the field of ethnomusicology, marked a critical turn in the scholarship. The ethnographic-focused essays on women's genres and roles in music in diverse societies around the world, including the Middle East, presented new analytical frameworks and research on authority, gender and access, and notions of power and performance. Today, research on the musical practices of women continues to expand in ethnomusicology and in fields such as anthropology. Many scholars now acknowledge the centrality of gender for locating "how society is in music and music is in society." This is a particularly important approach for the Middle East and North Africa, where the undervaluing or silencing of women's musical practices and abilities had continued to dominate ethnomusicology. An important study to break from the paradigm was Virginia Danielson's 1997 monograph on Umm Kulthum. Danielson analyzes the development and the construction of a musical and a social "voice," looking at what it means for this particular artist to bothbethe voice of andhavea voice in colonial and postcolonial Egypt. In the discussion that follows I outline the academic trajectory of writings on women and music in Morocco, which I have divided into three distinct historical moments, each exemplifying different approaches to the subject matter: work by 20th-century French colonial scholars, by contemporary European and American scholars, and by contemporary Moroccan scholars.

ABSTRACTIt is necessary to infuse a consistent supply of improved seed varieties into local sub‐Saharan African crop production to improve low crop yields. The best distribution channel for the improved seed varieties may be small‐scale commercial seed companies, but local entrepreneurs struggle to determine whether such businesses are viable. Using a multi‐echelon supply chain approach, a decision support system (DSS) was designed to help African seed entrepreneurs make informed decisions about small‐scale seed chain businesses. Specifically, entrepreneurs make decisions about where to locate seed enterprises, with which farmers to contract, and where to store seed. Optimization and simulation modeling are used to evaluate infrastructure variables such as distance, transportation cost, and storage loss and cost in three development level areas. Currently, the decision tool is used in Mozambique, Malawi, Kenya, and Tanzania. The model has supported the start‐up of at least 17 small seed companies that are now introducing improved seed varieties into villages and farms. The DSS applies decision science research in a humanitarian application and offers important managerial implications about supply chain infrastructure to nongovernmental organizations and humanitarian groups. Such applications are vital as groups such as USAID, the Gates Foundation, and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi‐Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) continue to move toward micro‐enterprise, value chain, and market‐oriented development programs.

In this paper we review research evidence on psychosocial interventions for adult survivors of torture and trauma. We identified 40 studies from 1980 to 2010 that investigated interventions for adult survivors of torture and trauma. Population subtypes include resettled refugees, asylum seekers, displaced persons, and persons resident in their country of origin. Settings include specialized services for torture and trauma, specialized tertiary referral clinics, community settings, university settings, as well as psychiatric and multidisciplinary mental health services. Interventions were delivered as individual or group treatments and lasted from a single session to 19 years duration. The studies employed randomized controlled trials, nonrandomized comparison studies and single cohort follow-up studies. In all, 36 of the 40 studies (90%) demonstrated significant improvements on at least one outcome indicator after an intervention. Most studies (60%) included participants who had high levels of posttraumatic stress symptomatology. Improvements in symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms were found following a range of interventions. Little evidence was available with regard to the effect on treatment outcomes of the amount, type, or length of treatment, the influence of patient characteristics, maintenance of treatment effects, and treatment outcomes other than psychiatric symptomatology. The review highlights the need for more carefully designed research that addresses the shortcomings of current studies and that integrates the experience of expert practitioners.

AbstractManuscript TypeEmpiricalResearch Question/IssueThis study investigates the effects of corporate governance factors on the firm performance and executive compensation linkage. Specifically, we examine how domestic corporate‐appointed directors, bank‐appointed directors and foreign ownership moderate the relationship between firm profitability, sales growth, and executive bonus pay in Japanese firms.Research Findings/InsightsUsing a sample of the largest Japanese manufacturing companies from 1997 to 2007, we find that corporate‐appointed directors positively moderate the relationship between firm growth and bonus pay, while foreign shareholders exhibit a positive moderating effect on the relationship between firm profitability and bonus pay. Bank‐appointed directors are straddled between their profitability orientation and relational role: They link firm profitability and bonus pay, but also show positive influence on the firm growth and bonus pay relationship.Theoretical/Academic ImplicationsThis study makes a contribution to research on ownership heterogeneity and executive compensation by empirically showing that different owners and directors affiliated with certain ownership groups have varied implications on the firm performance–executive pay relationship. It also makes a contribution to research on corporate governance change by providing insights on how different actors facilitate shifts in the linkage between performance and pay.Practitioner/Policy ImplicationsOur findings offer insights to stakeholders to pay attention to ownership structure and board composition in acknowledging the varied financial motivation of executives to pursue growth and/or profitability.

In the context of recent debates about same‐sex marriage, consensually nonmonogamous (CNM) relationships have recently begun making their way into media discussions. In the current research, we investigated whether stigma is attached to these nonnormative romantic relationships and, conversely, whether halo effects surround monogamous relationships. In Study 1 we analyzed open‐ended responses to the question "what are the benefits of monogamy?". The most commonly mentioned benefits included the promotion of commitment and health (especially the prevention of sexually transmitted infections [STIs]). In Study 2, descriptions of CNM relationships were strongly stigmatized and a substantial halo effect surrounded monogamous relationships. Specifically, monogamous relationships were rated more positively than CNM relationships on every dimension (both relationship‐relevant and arbitrary relationship‐irrelevant factors) that we examined and across diverse social groups, including CNM individuals themselves. In Study 3, we conducted a person perception study in which participants provided their impressions of a monogamous or a CNM relationship. The monogamous couple was rated overwhelmingly more favorably than the CNM relationship. Finally, in Study 4, we replicated the findings with a set of traits that were generated with regard to relationships in general (rather than monogamous relationships, specifically) and with a broader set of arbitrary traits. Across all studies, the results consistently demonstrated stigma surrounding CNM and a halo effect surrounding monogamy. Implications for future research examining similarities and differences between monogamous and CNM relationships are discussed.