Trends in Economic Homogamy: Changes in Assortative Mating or the

Division of Labor in Marriage?

The growing economic resemblance of spouses has contributed to rising inequality

by increasing the number of couples in which there are two high- or two low-
earning partners. The dominant explanation for this trend is increased assortative
mating. Previous research has primarily relied on cross-sectional data and thus has
been unable to disentangle changes in assortative mating from changes in the
division of spouses' paid labor-a potentially key mechanism given the dramatic rise
in wives' labor supply. We use data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics
(PSID) to decompose the increase in the correlation between spouses' earnings and
its contribution to inequality between 1970 and 2013 into parts due to (a) changes
in assortative mating, and (b) changes in the division of paid labor. Contrary to
what has often been assumed, the rise of economic homogamy and its contribution
to inequality is largely attributable to changes in the division of paid labor rather
than changes in sorting on earnings or earnings potential. Our findings indicate that
the rise of economic homogamy cannot be explained by hypotheses centered on
meeting and matching opportunities, and they show where in this process
inequality is generated and where it is not.

Keywords: Assortative mating; Division of paid labor; Economic homogamy;

Inequality; Life course.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28455620/

A comparative analysis of architecture frameworks

Architecture frameworks are methods used in architecture modeling. They provide
a structured and systematic approach to designing systems. To date there has been
little analysis on their roles in system and software engineering and if they are
satisfactory. This study provides a model of understanding through analyzing the
goals, inputs and outcomes of six architecture frameworks. It characterizes two
classes of architecture frameworks and identifies some of their deficiencies. To
overcome these deficiencies, we propose to use costs, benefits and risks for
architecture analysis. We also propose a method to delineate architecture activities
from detailed design activities.
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/1371981

Land Use Spatial Optimization Using Accessibility Maps to Integrate Land

Use and Transport in Urban Areas
The scarcity of urban land resources requires a well-organized spatial layout of
land use to better accommodate human activities, however, as a widely accepted
concept, the integration of land use and transport is not given due consideration in
land use spatial optimization (LUSO). This paper aims to integrate land use and
transport in LUSO to support urban land use planning. Maximizing accessibility
fitness, which follows the underlying logic between land use types and transport
characteristics, is introduced into multi-objective land use spatial optimization
(MOLUSO) modelling to address transport considerations, together with widely-
used objectives such as maximizing compactness, compatibility, and suitability.
The transport characteristics, in this study, are identified by driving accessibility,
cycling accessibility, and walking accessibility. Accessibility maps, which quantify
and visualize the spatial variances in accessibility fitness for different land use
types, are developed based on the empirical results of the relationship between land
use types and transport characteristics for LUSO and addressing policy issues. The
4-objective LUSO model and a corresponding non-dominated sorting genetic
algorithm (NSGA-II) based optimization method constitute a prototype decision
support system (DSS) for urban land use planning. Decision-makers (e.g., planning
departments) can choose an ideal solution to accommodate urban development
needs from a set of Pareto-optimal alternatives generated by the DSS. The
approaches to creating accessibility maps and MOLUSO modelling are
demonstrated by the case study of Eindhoven, the Netherlands. This study
advocates limited changes to the current land use pattern in urban planning, and the
LUSO emphasizes urban renewal and upgrading rather than new town planning.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12061-022-09448-0

City planning policies to support health and sustainability: an international

comparison of policy indicators for 25 cities

City planning policies influence urban lifestyles, health, and sustainability. We

assessed policy frameworks for city planning for 25 cities across 19 lower-middle-
income countries, upper-middle-income countries, and high-income countries to
identify whether these policies supported the creation of healthy and sustainable
cities. We systematically collected policy data for evidence-informed indicators
related to integrated city planning, air pollution, destination accessibility,
distribution of employment, demand management, design, density, distance to
public transport, and transport infrastructure investment. Content analysis
identified strengths, limitations, and gaps in policies, allowing us to draw
comparisons between cities. We found that despite common policy rhetoric
endorsing healthy and sustainable cities, there was a paucity of measurable policy
targets in place to achieve these aspirations. Some policies were inconsistent with
public health evidence, which sets up barriers to achieving healthy and sustainable
urban environments. There is an urgent need to build capacity for health-enhancing
city planning policy and governance, particularly in low-income and middle-
income countries.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214109X22000699

Monitoring innovation metrics in construction and civil engineering: Trends,

drivers and laggards

The study presents and analyzes innovation metrics in construction and civil
engineering, domains which are found to lag behind other fields of science and
technology in terms of innovation output. A specific line of focus is put on
research and development (R&D) both in academia and industry. Scientific
production is analyzed by treating eighteen of the oldest peer-reviewed journals in
the field with over a hundred thousand articles published over the past fifty years.
The aim is to capture and interpret trends with respect to four field verticals: (i)
new materials and systems (hardware), (ii) digitalization, (iii) environmental
impact and (iv) novelty/efficiency. The analysis reveals distinctive rates of
innovation for each vertical, with some slowing down, as innovation becomes
standardized and mainstream, and others peaking up, stemming from developments
in other fields of science. Results are treated with respect to the S-curve technology
maturity framework which accounts for effort and time towards development and
the widely adopted scale of technology readiness levels. Further, corporate
innovation is analyzed through patent search covering twelve key inventors and
various technology focuses. While no straightforward approach exists to present
innovation metrics without considering the broader socio-political and economic
context, the present work seeks to provide a comprehensive monitoring of the
progress in the field which reflects capital, time and effort put together, towards
advancing propositions for future research.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666165921000235

Visual plagiarism in interior design: is it easy to recognise?

This study aims to remove some of the ambiguities of visual plagiarism in interior
design (those related to the visual composition of space represented by line, form,
shape, texture, time, colour, light, etc.) by examining the main detection methods,
the extent of the issue, and the experiences and roles of academic interior
designers. Two main methods were used: an analysis of the primary forms of
visual plagiarism and an applied approach to test the effectiveness of plagiarism.
Additionally, 30 academics in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, who majored in
interior design, were surveyed using an online questionnaire. The results
demonstrated that changing the light and colour while maintaining the rest of the
properties and changing the line, form, and shape are considered visual plagiarism.
However, the results also indicated that visual plagiarism is not always clear for
academics. It is hoped that the results of this study will increase the awareness of
visual plagiarism, enhance ethics in the university environment, and help academic
interior designers apply scientific methods to detect plagiarism in design projects.
This study can also assist regulatory authorities to manage complaints and disputes
in plagiarism cases.

https://edintegrity.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1007/s40979-022-00101-4