Democracy in the United States and Europe is said to be at the crossroads. I review five recent books that seek to diagnose and cure this ‘crisis’. Explanations range from institutional dysfunction ...and elite maleficence to technological change and rising economic inequality. Remedies include everything from institutional engineering to moral persuasion. Collectively, the books raise two important questions: is this really a crisis and if it is, can democratisation theory, the branch of political science dedicated to explaining why regimes rise and fall, tell us why? I conclude that if we are to explain the deconsolidation of well-established democracies in which all of the usual pre-conditions had been met, then we must first question the linear narrative about democracy being a naturally legitimate form of regime.
Online burnup measurement of a single irradiated spherical fuel element using gamma spectrometry has been applied for years on HTR-10. This reactor has a complex operation history for varies ...experiments, which raises the uncertainty over the non-destructive measured burnup. In this research, three irradiated spherical fuel elements with different burnup were deconsolidated, and their coated particles were analysed by both radiometric methods based on Cs-137 activity and mass spectrometric methods based on neodymium and actinide mass. The burnup distribution in each spherical fuel element was indicated by fractional U-235 burnup of particles from various radii and relatively uniform. The inventory of Cs-137 in one spherical fuel element was measured by on- and off-line gamma spectrometry and results showed tiny differences. Destructively measured Cs-137 activities from particles indicate negligible portion of Cs-137 in the graphite matrix. Burnup calculated from Cs-137 by radiometric method and Nd-148 by mass spectrometric method were compared. Results showed that the two values were not significantly different for fuels with a clear radiation history, but differences were observed in the fuel with a complex radiation history.
•The burnup of irradiated HTR-10 fuel was analysed using gamma and mass spectrometry.•The burnup distribution in irradiated HTR-10 fuel was generally uniform.•Burnup of the complex radiation history spherical fuel element was re-evaluated by neodymium.
A consolidated memory can be transiently destabilized by memory retrieval, after which memories are reconsolidated within a few hours; however, the molecular substrates underlying this ...destabilization process remain essentially unknown. Here we show that at lateral amygdala synapses, fear memory consolidation correlates with increased surface expression of calcium-impermeable AMPA receptors (CI-AMPARs), which are known to be more stable at the synapse, whereas memory retrieval induces an abrupt exchange of CI-AMPARs to calcium-permeable AMPARs (CP-AMPARs), which are known to be less stable at the synapse. We found that blockade of either CI-AMPAR endocytosis or NMDA receptor activity during memory retrieval, both of which blocked the exchange to CP-AMPARs, prevented memory destabilization, indicating that this transient exchange of AMPARs may underlie the transformation of a stable memory into an unstable memory. These newly inserted CP-AMPARs gradually exchanged back to CI-AMPARs within hours, which coincided with the course of reconsolidation. Furthermore, blocking the activity of these newly inserted CP-AMPARs after retrieval impaired reconsolidation, suggesting that they serve as synaptic “tags” that support synapse-specific reconsolidation. Taken together, our results reveal unexpected physiological roles of CI-AMPARs and CP-AMPARs in transforming a consolidated memory into an unstable memory and subsequently guiding reconsolidation.
Are younger generations less supportive of democracy than older generations? This article adds to ongoing scholarly debates on young people’s support for democracy. We contribute to the field by ...using evidence from a conjoint experiment embedded in a survey with a representative sample of the Finnish population (n = 1030) to examine whether support for core democratic principles is weaker among the younger generations (Generation Z and Millennials) than the older generations (Generation X and Baby Boomers). Our results do not support the expectation that the younger generations in Finland would be systematically less committed to democratic norms than the older generations. However, we find some generational differences in responses to different democratic norm violations. Our findings make a second contribution to the field of youth and democracy by extending our analyses to the youngest generations of age, Generation Z, whose democratic support has not yet been broadly examined. Our study contributes both to the ongoing debate on democratic deconsolidation in established democracies as well as to the literature on young people’s attitudes towards democratic institutions.
This study explores how and why the citizenries of Japan, Korea, and Taiwan engage in deconsolidating the liberal democratic system in which they live. For this exploration, the study conceptualizes ...democratic deconsolidation as a two-phase psychological movement and analyses it as the realignment of system affiliation. The analysis of the Asian Barometer Survey recently conducted in these countries reveals that pluralities of their citizenries are psychologically disposed to realign themselves with a hybrid or autocratic system. It also reveals that democratic learning and socioeconomic modernization, two significant influences on democratic consolidation, do little to keep East Asians from joining in the deconsolidation movement. These findings suggest that the deconsolidation of democracy not be equated with a reversal of its consolidation.
The stamping molding with self‐resistance electric (SRE) heating is advantageous for the mass production of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRT) because of its short production cycle and ...energy efficiency. The mechanism of SRE heating is different from traditional oven heating. The impact on CFRT laminates under loading is ambiguous. In this article, the tensile testing systems with SRE heating and traditional heating were designed. The temperature distribution, mechanical response, strain, and failure mode of carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 6 (CFR‐PA6) laminates under SRE heating are studied and contrasted with traditional heating. Specifically, to measure the full‐field strain distribution, digital‐image correlation (DIC) technique and high‐speed camera were introduced. It is found that the electric resistance fluctuates in tensile test with SRE heating and shown temperature sensitivity. Temperature distribution of the specimen under SRE heating is relatively uniform. Besides, the mechanical properties (i.e., tensile strength and elastic modulus) of CFR‐PA6 seem to be insensitive to heating mode. DIC results show that deconsolidation phenomenon makes the specimen fracture randomly. Inversely, heating method has an obvious influence on failure modes. To be specific, there are more shearing damage in traditional heating during high temperature. High current under SRE heating causes corrosion on fiber surface and destroy the fiber‐resin matrix interface.
Indonesia as a post-authoritarian democratic country has made impressive progress in its democratic transition. However, there is a significant contradiction in the democratic process, particularly ...in policy and law-making. This article queries to what extent democratic deconsolidation contributes to the ratification of the Omnibus Law on Job Creation in Indonesia. This research uses a qualitative method by using academic literature, news analysis, and official government documents. The study employs various theoretical approaches, including horizontal accountability by Wolfgang Merkel, discursive participation by Jürgen Habermas, and democratic civil-military relations by Samuel Huntington. The first finding shows that the accumulation of Joko Widodo's political power has affected the quality of debate and the agreement during the deliberation of the Omnibus Law in the parliament. Second, the opaque process by limiting public participation has narrowed the space for the democratic mobilization of the citizens. Third, the increasing number of retired armed forces in domestic affairs has resulted in the dual function of military power in securing the country and the economic development agenda. The study shows that the deconsolidation of democracy has contributed to the ratification of the Omnibus Law on Job Creation which was deliberated through a non-transparent mechanism.
As an effective heating method, self‐resistance electric (SRE) heating was applied for welding, hot stamping and curing process of composites. In this study, the characterization of Joule heating and ...deconsolidation behavior of continuous carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 6 (CFR‐PA6) laminate under SRE heating were investigated. A series of experiments were performed to build the relationship among geometry sizes, current density and temperature response. Then the relationship between the temperature rising rate and current density of CFR‐PA6 laminate with twill weave fabric was determined. The temperature evolution of specimen with a hole under SRE heating was also discussed. Furthermore, the deconsolidation behavior of CFR‐PA6 specimens under SRE heating as well as oven heating was characterized through macroscopic and mesoscopic properties. The interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) tests of specimens were also conducted. The results indicate that the temperature response of CFR‐PA6 laminate is mainly determined by the current density and their relationship can be described by a quadratic function. It is found that voids appear both inside the fiber bundles and resin‐rich areas owing to the thermal mismatch between the resin and carbon fibers after SRE heating, while no voids inside the fiber bundles were observed after oven heating. The deconsolidation behavior of laminate after SRE heating reduces the ILSS.
Self‐resistance electric heating is an effective heating method for continuous carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 6 composites. The Joule heating and deconsolidation behavior of CFR‐PA6 composites under SRE heating were characterized.
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