Aim/Purpose: The integration of knowledge through the transdisciplinary method with the three concepts civilization, ideology, and geopolitics (CIG) enables the analysis of international relations in a new perspective and the informing strategists of countries, organizations, analysts, clients, etc. These three concepts express the transdisciplinarity that offers a new theoretical explanation and the informing science approach. Background: The integration of knowledge using the three concepts for the analysis of international relations has found adequate explanations from 1890 until the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan. Therefore, the CIG model theoretically and practically finds support for more than a century, as argued in the paper. Methodology: The present paper uses a mixed theory based on transdisciplinary methodology and informing science. The literature was reviewed to find and build the theoretical basis and provide appropriate examples. The theory is also based on the model used by Francis Fukuyama in his books on building and dissolution of states (middle-range theory). Contribution: This paper enables the rethinking of the limitations of research on a theoretical and practical basis that is done in many scientific circles, not to eliminate others but to enrich science even more. Findings: In the paper, the main findings are the following: Integrating the three CIG concepts according to the transdisciplinary method offers a new perspective to explain international relations using the IS method; The integration of the three concepts is worthwhile after 1980, when the model of cabinet governments falls, Bismarck falls, and public opinion starts to emerge; It was after 1980 that theories of civilization and geopolitics began to emerge along with ideologies to apply in practice; These three concepts offer explanations based on a CIG zone and in the periphery of the CIG zone. In the CIG zone the security sphere is more stable and long-term, while in periphery the cooperation is temporary and not long termed; The paper shows that the Cold War period is divided into two periods; The paper also finds that CIG explains with examples the events that happened after the Cold War and until present days; The paper also shows, based on the strategies of the superpowers, how they are extending their influence based on the CIG concepts. The paper also shows new patterns of cooperation and clashes between the superpowers’ security zones, which also provide an explanatory perspective for the USA withdrawal from Afghanistan. (We do not talk in the paper about the Afghanistan issue and USA withdrawal). Recommendation for Researchers: Scientific attributes in the integration of knowledge give researchers a more open and comprehensive perspective to make more accurate and practical analyses of international relations. According to this model, other theories are enriched that use the transdisciplinary method, IS, and the CIG as a model for the integration of knowledge. Future Research: Researchers and practitioners of this CIG model can find answers such as “Why did the USA fail in Afghanistan and why was it successful in Kosovo?” as well as other questions about finding a solution for Iraq, cooperation with China, etc.

Aim/Purpose: The aim of this paper is to examine Gen Z students located in a representative region of the United States when it comes to technology use, news and information gathering behaviors, civic engagement, and social concerns and whether differences exist based on institutional type. The purpose is to report this information so that academics can better understand the behaviors, priorities, and interests of current American students. Background: This paper investigates the mindset of Generation Z students living in the United States during a period of heightened civic unrest. Through the lens of the Theory of Generations, Uses and Gratifications Theory, and Intersectional Theory, this study aims to examine the Gen Z group and compare findings across populations. Methodology: An electronic survey was administered to students from 2019 through 2022. The survey included a combination of multiple responses, Likert scaled, dichotomous, open-ended, and ordinal questions. It was developed in the Survey Monkey system and reviewed by content and methodological experts to examine bias, vagueness, or potential semantic problems. The survey was pilot-tested in 2018 before implementation in order to explore the efficacy of the research methodology. It was then modified accordingly before widespread distribution to potential participants. The surveys were administered to students enrolled in classes taught by the authors, all of whom are educators. Participation was voluntary, optional, and anonymous. Contribution: This paper provides insight into the mindset of Generation Z students living in the United States, which is helpful to members of academia who should be informed about the current generation of students in higher education. Studying Generation Z helps us understand the future and can provide insight into the shifting needs and expectations of society. Findings: According to the findings, Gen Z are heavy users of digital technologies who use social media as their primary source for gathering news about current events as well as information for schoolwork. The majority of respondents considered themselves to be social activists. When institutional type was considered, there were notable differences with the students at the Historically Black College or University (HBCU), noting the greatest concern with a number of pressing issues, including racial justice/Black Lives Matter, women’s rights, gun violence, immigration reform, and human trafficking. Less significance across groups was found when LGBTQIA+ rights and climate change were considered. Recommendation for Researchers: As social media continues to proliferate in daily life and become a vital means of news and information gathering, additional studies such as the one presented here are needed. In other countries facing similarly turbulent times, measuring student interest, awareness, and engagement is highly informative. Future Research: Future research will explore the role that influencers have in opinion formation and the information-gathering habits of Gen Z.

The promise of a closer union between organizational and historical research has long been recognized. However its potential remains unfulfilled: the authenticity of theory development expected by organization studies and the authenticity of historical veracity required by historical research place exceptional conceptual and empirical demands on researchers. We elaborate the idea of historical organization studies, organizational research that draws extensively on historical data, methods and knowledge to promote historically informed theoretical narratives attentive to both disciplines. Building on prior research, we propose a typology of four differing conceptions of history in organizational research: history as evaluating, explicating, conceptualizing, and narrating. We identify five principles of historical organization studies - dual integrity, pluralistic understanding, representational truth, context sensitivity and theoretical fluency - and illustrate our typology holistically from the perspective of institutional entrepreneurship. We explore practical avenues for a creative synthesis, drawing examples from social movement research and micro-history. Historically informed theoretical narratives whose validity derives from both historical veracity and conceptual rigor, afford dual integrity that enhances scholarly legitimacy, enriching understanding of historical, contemporary and future-directed social realities.

Labor codes have been voluntarily adopted and used by manufacturers in emerging economies for the past two decades, as a means of ensuring minimally acceptable or core labor standards for workers. However, far too little is known of the potential benefits from the voluntary adoption of labor codes to the manufacturer, and prior human resource management research has been virtually silent on the business implications of their use for emerging economy manufacturers participating in global supply chains. Drawing on previous work across multiple disciplines and proposing a framework that extends human resource management theory more explicitly and rigorously to the context of emerging economy manufacturing, I theorize and demonstrate that the voluntary adoption of a labor code may constitute an effective human resource investment in emerging economies in improving establishment-level employee outcomes and operational and financial performance. The hypotheses are tested using longitudinal data on a sample of apparel manufacturing plants in Sri Lanka. Implications of this study include providing insight into how to expand the scope and relevance of human resource management theory to better understand research and practice in emerging economies.

British Vogue's editor says skinny models are back "in", partly fuelled by weight loss drug Ozempic.

President-Elect Donald Trump reaffirmed his commitment to protecting the Second Amendment by announcing his push for national concealed carry reciprocity.

Mental health problems in the country are on the rise.

Random Photo: It's Monday Once Again

Singer takes you on a three-and-a-half hour journey spanning over 18 years of music

If confirmed, this would mark the third consecutive bi-weekly drop in prices of petroleum products

This week: New concept cars, a turbine Batmobile, good news for U.S. automakers and holiday weekend car events.

Plus: Pink Camaro pace car, weekend car events.

Queen Camilla addresses health concerns after resuming Royal duties

Queen Camilla addressed her health concerns after returning to Royal duties following chest infection, due to which she took a brief break from work.

The Queen attended The Booker Prize Foundation at Clarence House...

In a historic shake-up, both Muslim and Jewish voters introduced fresh dynamics to the 2024 presidential election. While Jewish Americans largely continued their Democratic support, a noticeable minority within select locales--such as zip codes in New York City -- shifted toward President-elect Donald Trump.

Penalties have been a reoccurring problem for Maryland during the Mike Locksley era, and though the Terrapins tamped them down last season, they are racking up quick again in 2024.

Former Duke star Kyle Singler's cryptic Instagram post saying he fears for his life has drawn an outpouring of concern and support from former teammates and others.

The first meeting of Work Package 5 (EU BON testing and validation of concepts, tools, and services) was held between 2^nd and 4^th April, 2013 in the Doñana Biological Station, in Spain. 23 people from 10 different institutions (7 of the EU BON consortium) worked towards building a draft on Principles and Guidelines for establishing and operating EU BON test sites.

During the meeting the members agreed on starting documenting each of the sites, using a common format to be decided in May on the Informatics Task Force meeting of WP2 (Data integration and interoperability) in Norway. A data inventory will also be built in each of the sites, adding monitoring protocols in stepwise fashion.

In addition the meeting served to get a better view of the variety of Ecosystems in Doñana as well as the monitoring protocols that are being conducted in this area. 

ECOSCOPE (Network of Biodiversity Research Observatories) associates the SINP (Information System on Nature and Landscapes) to a shared event that will focus on the complementarity between "research - expertise" on biodiversity through the emerging concept of "Essential Biodiversity Variables" (EBVs).

The seminar, scheduled for Monday, November 3, 2014 in Paris, is open to scientists, observatories’ managers and their teams, and to all who are involved in the study of the state and dynamics of biodiversity for research and expertise.

The aims of this seminar are to increase awareness and understanding of EBVs, their interest for observatories (visibility, synergies) to benefit to observatories’ scientific managers and data users. It is also to define how this concept can be implemented at national scale, in connection with international initiatives. 

Programme will be available in available in September, for registration: follow the link !

A new EU BON acknowledged paper "Advancing species diversity estimate by remotely sensed proxies: A conceptual review" has been recently published in the journal Ecological Informatics.

Abstract: 

Many geospatial tools have been advocated in spatial ecology to estimate biodiversity and its changes over space and time. Such information is essential in designing effective strategies for biodiversity conservation and management. Remote sensing is one of the most powerful approaches to identify biodiversity hotspots and predict changes in species composition in reduced time and costs. This is because, with respect to field-based methods, it allows to derive complete spatial coverages of the Earth surface under study in a short period of time. Furthermore, remote sensing provides repeated coverages of field sites, thus making studies of temporal changes in biodiversity possible. In this paper we discuss, from a conceptual point of view, the potential of remote sensing in estimating biodiversity using various diversity indices, including alpha- and beta-diversity measurements.

Original Source: 

Rocchini D, Hernández-Stefanoni J L, He KS (2014) Advancing species diversity estimate by remotely sensed proxies: A conceptual review. Ecological Informatics. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2014.10.006

In 2013, Doñana Biological Reserve will host the first meeting of WP5 EU BON testing and validation of concepts, tools, and services, focusing on the organization and planning of the forthcoming WP5 tasks. The meeting will take place in Palacio de Doñana, Huelva, Spain, from 2 to 4 April 2013.
The aim of the meeting is to bring together the experts in charge of the implementation of the WP5 tasks with the people responsible for the data architecture (WP2), the tools developers (WP3, 4) and the policy and dialogue responsible partners (WP6, 7, 8). The meeting aims at providing a precise definition of the responsibilities of the partners involved and discussing the organization of the work process.

Programme will be available in available in September, for registration: follow the link !

The couple joined in on the Norwegian DJ's track "Stargazing."

The post Watch: Gronk and Camille Kostek join Kygo onstage at Boston concert appeared first on Boston.com.

Linda Beavert never thought she’d be able to enjoy retirement. “I've just sailed through it. I know because God's held my hand, you know.  He answers, and he leads me and there's just no better peace, no better confidence.” For most of their thirty-seven-year marriage, Linda and her husband struggled financially, even though they both worked full-time. “I was never comfortable about our money situation. We didn't know about budgeting; we never budgeted, and we lived from hand to mouth, just...

It was a year or so ago when my article intimated to a result, to a given test, to a controversial subject, to confirm what us plasterers have known for years. When it comes to control joints in relation to cracking in stucco, let me boldly state: Lath cut or continuous performs the same.

The industry and our customers regularly submit questions to the company. In order to address these inquiries, Simon Baker, president of Huntsman Building Solutions, wanted to answer as many of these most common questions.

Triangle, VA — United Mine Workers of America President Cecil E. Roberts recently called proposed legislation that would reduce the scope of mine safety inspections in West Virginia and amend the state’s underground ventilation laws “one of the most outrageous attempts to slash critical protections for miners’ safety and health on the job that I have ever seen.”

Sydney — Need to reset your attention during a complex work task? A five-minute break is all it takes.

The Johnson Controls headquarters campus at Glendale, Wisconsin has the largest concentration of buildings on one campus to ever receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification.

The Wallflowers and DJ Spencer Ludwig scheduled to perform an after-hours concert tonight, exclusively for ISC West attendees and exhibitors.

How can I teach complex concepts, such as center of mass and physics, that are required to instruct operators on the use of heavy equipment?

Port Fourchon, LA — The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s rollback of certain provisions of a rule intended to prevent a repeat of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig disaster will maintain safety and environmental protections, the agency claims, as advocacy groups announce their intention to fight the move.

The FTC's new rule has triggered a lawsuit from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, raising concerns about legal costs and economic impact on businesses.

Seattle alarm companies were given just two weeks' notice that, starting October 1, the police department will no longer respond to unverified intrusion alarms.

I’m having a hard time getting a good seal between my chemical gloves and the sleeve of my suit. How can I make sure I’m protected?

A government shutdown would limit OSHA inspections to “life and property,” and a new initiative on respirable crystalline silica wouldn’t “get off the ground,” agency administrator Doug Parker said Sept. 27.

Ann Arbor, MI — Around 3 out of 4 workers have kept quiet when they’ve had an illness that could infect their co-workers, according to a recent study.

Baltimore – Chronic violators have declined and industry compliance has improved in the mining industry in the past five years, but a recent increase in fatalities at metal/non-metal mines is a concern, Mine Safety and Health Administration chief Joseph A. Main told audience members March 16 at the annual convention of the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association.

Austin, TX — A perceived growing shortage of commercial motor vehicle drivers and potential changes to hours-of-service rules are the top issues affecting the trucking industry, according to an annual survey conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute.

San Diego — For the second straight year, a driver shortage and hours-of-service rules are the top two issues affecting the trucking industry, according to the results of an annual survey conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute.

San Diego — Several safety-related issues earned a spot on the American Transportation Research Institute’s recently released list of top trucking industry concerns.

Arlington, VA — Wanted: input from trucking industry stakeholders on the most critical issues facing the industry.

Silver Spring, MD — At least 53 sanitation workers in the United States (44) and Canada (nine) died from on-the-job injuries in 2019 – a 10.2% decrease from 2018, according to a recent analysis from the Solid Waste Association of North America.

Most statistical data on phishing attacks point to employee/personnel education, said Daniel DeBlasio vice president of sales, BQT Solutions America Inc.

The decision to join this program highlights the mutual commitment that both companies share in supporting AV programmers to ensure clients' needs are met while completing projects reliably and efficiently.

Lincoln, NE – Nebraska prison officials need to address inmate violence against employees – as well as the overall safety culture – in the state’s correctional facilities, according to the results of a survey of correctional workers released June 1 by the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services.

In Episode 19, the S+H editorial team discusses the benefits and challenges of being a one-person safety team. Also: Julia Abate, executive director of The Ergonomics Center at North Carolina State University, answers our questions about ergonomic concerns as more workers return to their physical work locations.

San Mateo, CA — Nearly 2 out of 3 frontline workers don’t feel safe on the job, results of a recent survey show.