bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sex Ratio in Hawaiian Papaya (Carica papaya L.) Variety ‘Solo’
Authors: Khan Shafiya , Tyagi Anand P. , Jokhan Anjeela
Published: November 2018

Fruits from hermaphrodite Hawaiian varieties are of medium size and preferred by consumers all over the world. Seeds obtained from the fruits of selfed hermaphrodite plants produce almost two third hermaphrodite plants and one-third pistillate plants. These plants can not be identified before the onset of flowering. However, there are conflicting reports in scientific literature on sex ratios obtained from selfed seeds from fruits of hermaphrodite plants. Sex ratios of hermaphrodite, pistillate and staminate plants were determined using seeds from selfed hermaphrodite fruits of a Hawaiian papaya (Carica papaya) variety ?solo?. Bagging flowers on hermaphrodite plants during flowering season to avoid contamination from foreign pollen produced self-seeds. Seeds from fruits of many bagged hermaphrodite flowers were pooled together and grown in large plots. A total of 2633 plants were grown and evaluated for their specific sex at the onset of flowering. Of these 1838 were counted as hermaphrodite, 783 pistillate and only 12 staminate plants. This gave a ratio of 2.34 hermaphrodite plants : 1: pistillate plants ignoring 12 staminate plants. This obtained ratio is in disagreement with earlier reported ratio of 2 hermaphrodite plants : 1 pistillate : 1 non-viable zygotes. However, no viable male progeny was reported from hermaphrodite selfed seeds in earlier studies. One of the explanations for the observed changed ratio could be biased seed selection from the seed lot used for planting.
Performance of FCAE diploma holders at USP
Authors: Dixit U J , Dixit V U , Reddy M V
Published: November 2018

The University of the South Pacific (USP is currently attracting many students who have completed a Diploma at the Fiji College of Advanced Education (FCAE) into its study programmes. These students are not required to do certain courses, mostly those at the first year level, as they had done courses of a similar nature at FCAE and hence these are cross-credited towards their study programme as USP. In order to ensure that the granting of cross-credits for these FCAE courses is justified, USP needs to study the performance of these students. In this paper, we have carried out a statistical analysis using the Cumulative Grade Point Averages (CGPA) of all 67 such students. Results of the analysis indicate that the performance of these students justifies the granting of cross-credits.
romosome analysis in a natural and micropropagated Australian ornamental climber Pandorea pandorana
Authors: Tyagi Anand P , Kancherla S. Latha
Published: November 2018

Chromosome counts were made in natural and tissue cultured Australian ornamental climber Pandorea pandorana (SCH, AF and GS). Diploid (2n) chromosome numbers were found to be 28 in both naturally grown and tissue cultured plants although tissue cultured plants looked different morphologically as compared to naturally grown plants. Information on chromosome numbers obtained in this study would be useful in developing new horticulturally important hybrid varieties through interspecific hybridization.
Genetic fingerprinting of Fijian kava
Authors: Jokhan Anjeela D , McLenachan Patricia A
Published: November 2018

DNA analysis of 15 kava cultivars with 20 primer pairs showed no observable difference in the fingerprint pattern. This indicates that while the Fijian kava cultivars have morphological differences, genetically they are very similar. Similar results have been obtained with Hawaiian kava cultivars. This result indicates that when studying diseases such as the dieback disease in kava, a focus on environmental factors may be needed as controlling factors of the diseases.
Ferrofluid based secant shaped slider bearing
Authors: Bhat M V , Shah Rajesh C
Published: November 2018

An impermeable bearing with a secant shaped slider and a stationary stator was analysed mathematically by taking a ferrofluid lubricant whose flow followed the Jenkins flow behaviour. Expressions were obtained for various bearing characteristics. Computed values were displayed in graphical form. When the magnetization parameter was increased, load capacity of the bearing increased, coefficient of friction decreased, the position of the centre of pressure shifted towards the inlet of the bearing and the friction on the slider was unaltered. Contrary an increase in the material parameter caused decrease in load capacity, increase in friction and coefficient of friction and shift of the position of the centre of pressure towards the inlet.
The cabbage webworm (Hellula undalis) on tickweed (Cleome viscosa) in Samoa
Authors: Ebenebe Adama A. , Achari Saidi R. , Chand Nitesh , Krishna Annas A. , Baleisuva Saula
Published: November 2018

Cabbages (Brassica spp.) are important components of the diet of many South Pacific island people, but their production is often constrained by pests and diseases. Leaf-eating caterpillars, particularly Crocidolomia pavonana, Plutella xylostella and Hellula undalis, are the most important insect pest constraints in Samoa. In 2006, it was observed that H. undalis infests a wild plant, Cleome viscosa, in Samoa. Field surveys, laboratory and cage experiments were then conducted from 2007 to 2009 to investigate aspects of the ecology of H. undalis in Samoa. The study showed that H. undalis is present on C. viscosa throughout the year. Findings also suggest that parasitism of H. undalis in Samoa is either negligible or non-existent. Only Brassica rapa chinensis, Brassica oleracea capitata and C. viscosa were confirmed as hosts of H. undalis. Laboratory and cage experiments suggested that C. viscosa was more attractive for H. undalis larval feeding than the Brassica spp. However, overall indication from this study is that the main role of C. viscosa, under field conditions, is as source of recruitment of H. undalis onto cultivated hosts. We recommended that C. viscosa should be controlled in cabbage growing areas.
Effect of clouds on Ku-band satellite link in tropical island countries – preliminary report
Authors: Ramachandran V. , Prasad Ashneel
Published: November 2018

Dependence of radio wave attenuation by cloud water content has been investigated by analyzing simultaneous records of the strength of Ku-band satellite downlink and 'insolation'. Preliminary analysis suggests that with increasing cloud coverage in the satellite downlink path, the cloud induced attenuation also increases. The cloud attenuation showed a logarithmic dependence on reduction in insolation. In Fiji, a tropical island country, the maximum attenuation of Ku-band signals by cloud was ~ 11%.
Postharvest handling practices and the development of histamine in Giant Trevally (Caranx ignobilis) fish: The case of Fiji
Authors: Lako Jimaima , Solo Madeline , Ishigaki Minoru
Published: November 2018

The study aimed at assessing the post-harvest handling practices of artisanal spear-gun fishers in Fiji and its impact in the development of histamine. The study employed in-depth interviews of artisanal fishers on their postharvest handling practices, and its relationships in the development of histamine in Giant Trevally (Aranxignobilis) fish. The Giant Trevally fish were further exposed to three different temperatures; 0°C, combination of 5°C and 28°C, and 28°C prior to histamine determination. Results revealed that spear-gun fishers do not normally ice their fish and rarely gut their catch during the fishing trips. However fish are only iced when received by middlemen and vendors once fish arrive at the landing sites, when stored in the recycled freezer containers. Fish are usually displayed un-gutted without ice on drained and tiled stalls, however used ice at the landing site are further reused to cool fish stored in the recycled freezer containers (above 5°C) alternatively every 2 h throughout the day for display on the counters (28°C) for sale. Any unsold fish are returned into the recycled freezer containers for sale the next day. Histamine determination revealed that after 35 h postharvest i.e. further storage at 0°C and at combination temperatures of 5°C and 28°C (recycled every 2 h) the histamine levels went below the Food Drug Administration (FDA) permitted levels (50 ppm). However, fish stored at 28°C had increased histamine concentration levels up to 193.2 ppm of 15 h post-harvest. The study demonstrated the importance of time and temperature control at postharvest handling of fish in tropical countries.
Very low numbers of endangered Oceania humpback whales seen in Fijian waters
Authors: Miller C. , Batibasiga A. , Sharma-Gounder S. , Solomona P.
Published: November 2018

Intensive commercial whaling caused significant declines in Southern Hemisphere humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) populations. In Fiji, land-based humpback whale surveys undertaken from 1956 to 1958 documented maximum weekly counts of more than 150 humpback whales in parts of the Bligh waters. These records provide an invaluable point of comparison to present-day observations as they occurred immediately prior to very large humpback whale catches in Antarctic waters to the south – and on potential migration routes – of humpback whales breeding in Fijian waters. We report here on a three-year (2010–2012) land-based survey also conducted in the Bligh waters during which a total of 33 individuals over 480 h were counted from Ovalau Island and 68 individuals over approximately 300 h were observed from Makogai Island. These findings suggest a large decrease in numbers of humpback whales seen in Fiji waters since commercial whaling operations.
Pyrite micromorphology in three Australian Holocene sediments
Authors: Bush Richard T. , Sullivan Leigh A.
Published: November 2018

The distribution and morphology of pyrite in 3 Holocene estuarine sediments
were examined using light microscopy, analytical scanning electron microscopy,
and X-ray diffraction. The distribution and morphologies of pyrite were
similar with pyrite being dispersed throughout the soil matrices as well as
concentrated in root remnants and other macropores. The pyrite occurred in
both framboidal and irregularly shaped dense clusters from 4 to 15 µm
diameter, and also in loose clusters. Individual crystals in these clusters
ranged in size from 1 to 2 µm. Pyrite crystals exhibited octahedral,
pyritohedral, and equant anhedral (i.e. rounded globular) habit. Organic
matter coatings and clay coatings were common around pyrite at each site. Thin
coatings of monosulfide with an acicular morphology occurred around some
framboidal clusters at one site. The distribution of framboids and individual
crystals in the clayey matrix, root remnants, and other macropores indicates
that the pyrite in these sediments has formed in situ.
These data have important implications for the rate of sulfide oxidation and
acid production from these soils.
Genetically defining populations is of limited use for evaluating and managing human impacts on gene flow
Authors: Stow Adam J. , Magnusson William E.
Published: November 2018

Partitioning genetic variation into panmictic units is one of the most commonly used techniques in genetic studies of wild organisms. For conservation, the rationale is to identify units for management, most often referred to as populations. Describing these populations provides a measure of genetic differentiation, but they are only management units in relation to specific objectives. In situ conservation activities are mostly constrained to landscape (or ‘seascape’) units. With continuing habitat fragmentation, maintaining gene flow and genetic variation is an underlying objective for many conservation activities. Spatially explicit genetic approaches can describe how gene flow varies across a landscape, but the popular approach of identifying populations has limited and specific application. The statistical tests and sampling procedures used seldom allow for the spatial extent of genetic panmixia to be precisely defined. Gene flow, genetic variation and genetic detection of individual movements can be estimated without reference to populations. Furthermore, the term ‘population’ is used inconsistently in the literature and is often poorly defined. Formulating appropriate questions for management requires that the unit of study is clearly described, and often this could be organisms inhabiting defined areas of the landscape. Resources for conservation management are limited, so geneticists working on gene flow in wild organisms need to frame questions relevant to specific management needs and carefully consider the language and approaches employed.
Effective detection methods for medium-sized ground-dwelling mammals: a comparison between infrared digital cameras and hair tunnels
Authors: Paull David J. , Claridge Andrew W. , Cunningham Ross B.
Published: November 2018

Context
Conservation planning for threatened species depends on improved knowledge of the whereabouts of critical populations and thus the development of optimal detection methods.

Aims
To compare the effectiveness of infrared cameras and hair tunnels for detecting small to medium-sized ground-dwelling mammals in south-eastern Australian forests.

Methods
Reconyx PC90 cameras were paired with Handiglaze hair tunnels at 110 stations in south-eastern New South Wales. All devices were baited using rolled oats, peanut butter and pistachio essence and left in situ for a minimum duration of 30 days. Camera detection data were analysed for the first 15 and 30 days, whereas hair-tunnel detection data were analysed for the entire duration of deployment. Linear mixed models with site as a random effect and device as a fixed effect were developed for mammal species richness. Linear mixed logistic regression models for binary data were developed for detection probabilities of five taxa of interest, namely, Isoodon, Perameles, Potorous, Trichosurus and Wallabia.

Key results
Hair tunnels detected eight mammal species, whereas cameras detected 18 species. Modelled detection rates using cameras were 3.16 ± 0.21 species per site after 15 days and 4.24 ± 0.23 species per site after 30 days, whereas hair tunnels detected 0.34 ± 0.21 species over the entire deployment. Cameras were therefore approximately 9–12 times better at measuring mammal richness than were hair tunnels, depending on survey duration. In all calculations, the probability of detecting the five taxa of interest was significantly greater using cameras than using hair tunnels.

Conclusions
Infrared cameras and hair tunnels offer ethical advantages over direct detection methods such as cage trapping for small to medium-sized ground-dwelling mammals. Cameras also offer practical benefits because they work for protracted periods, without frequent checking by field researchers. Cameras are more effective at detecting a wide range of species than are hair tunnels and are significantly better for detecting the taxa we examined. Unlike hair tunnels, cameras sometimes allow for the identification of individual animals, and provide information about frequency of habitat use, reproductive status and aspects of behaviour.

Implications
On a unit by unit basis, infrared cameras are a far more efficient way to census a broad spectrum of ground-dwelling mammals than are hair tunnels.
2. The biological origins of music
Authors: Margulis Elizabeth Hellmuth
Published: November 2018

Vocal and instrumental music exists in all known human cultures. The age and ubiquity of music seem to argue that its origins are biological. But the diversity of musical practices around the world seems to argue, instead, that its origins are cultural. This diversity extends to the very notion of what constitutes music. “The biological origins of music” first considers what musical features tend to be shared across cultures. It then looks at how neuroimaging can identify the regions of the brain that engage when listening to music, how music can affect human life and wellness, and the evolutionary origins of music. It also considers whether nonhuman animals can be musical.
3. Reinforced concrete
Authors: Sharr Adam
Published: November 2018

Reinforced concrete lends itself to a structural form called the cantilever, where a slab or beam is hung outwards from one side, suspended without columns, counter-weighted by a mass of structure behind. ‘Reinforced concrete’ explains how concrete structures came to represent radically opposing ideas of high capitalism and communism in the 20th century. It explores how concrete—paradoxically liquid and solid, formless and formed, natural and human-made—became associated with attempts to rethink social order and mechanized production. The work of Le Corbusier is described, with the development of Garden Cities, megastructures, and brutalism. Concrete encouraged the reimagination of modern architecture, but its peculiarities also exposed modern architecture to question.
1. Are you who you say you are?
Authors: Fairhurst Michael
Published: November 2018

Many aspects of modern life raise questions about individual identity: how we prove that we are who we say we are, and how we can be sure that another person is who he or she claims to be. ‘Are you who you say you are?’ considers the different ways of establishing personal identity and the fundamentals of biometrics. In principle, any human characteristic can be used as a biometric data source provided it meets the following four basic criteria: universality, uniqueness, permanence, and collectability. The source of the measurement data used for identification—biometric modality—can be either physiological or behavioural. Some applications of biometric systems are also considered.
3. Making biometrics work
Authors: Fairhurst Michael
Published: November 2018

In order to assess the practicality or suitability of a particular biometric modality in any given application, or to judge how effective biometrics-based identity monitoring is likely to be in a particular situation, we need to understand the principal issues that affect a chosen modality. ‘Making biometrics work’ examines the relevant technologies of four major modalities—fingerprints, iris patterns, facial images, and the handwritten signature. All modalities offer both advantages and disadvantages, and performance will depend very much on the nature of the proposed application, the nature of the population who will be the primary users of the system, and the environment in which it is to operate.
5. Predictive biometrics
Authors: Fairhurst Michael
Published: November 2018

Is there any reason why the data captured in a biometric system could not be used for other sorts of prediction too? ‘An introduction to predictive biometrics’ looks at how instead of supplementing conventional data with soft biometric data, conventional biometric data might be used to predict some soft biometric characteristics of an individual. Predictive biometrics has expanded considerably in recent years, with the two most frequently studied characteristics being age and gender using, for example, biometric iris data. Recent studies are taking predictive biometrics further still, aiming to predict so-called ‘higher level’ individual characteristics, such as those which reflect an individual’s mental or emotional state.
1. Perfect letters
Authors: Luna Paul
Published: November 2018

Typography is design for reading; a set of visual choices designed to make a written message more accessible, more easily transmitted, more significant, or more attractive. Some letters are more legible, some are designed for particular technologies, and some strike us as having intrinsic emotional associations. What determines the shapes of the letters we use? ‘Perfect letters’ explains how our capital alphabet comes from the letters the Romans cut in stone, and our small letters come from the handwriting of Renaissance scribes. It also discusses the invention of printing in the 1440s, the ‘new typography’ movement of the 1920s that promoted sans serif typefaces, and more recent ideas about letter construction.
In Search of New Benchmarks: Using L2 Lexical Frequency and Contextual Diversity Indices to Assess Second Language Writing
Authors: Monteiro Kátia R , Crossley Scott A , Kyle Kristopher
Published: November 2018

Lexical items that are encountered more frequently and in varying contexts have important effects on second language (L2) development because frequent and contextually diverse words are learned faster and become more entrenched in a learner’s lexicon (Ellis 2002a, b). Despite evidence that L2 learners are generally exposed to non-native input, most frequency and contextual diversity metrics used in L2 research represent what is produced by native speakers of English. This study develops and tests indices of lexical frequency and contextual diversity based on L2 output. The L2 indices were derived from an L2 English learner adult corpus that contained three sub-corpora based on language levels (i.e. low, medium, and high). These indices were used to predict human scores of 480 independent essays from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). First language (L1) indices reported by the Tool for the Automatic Analysis of Lexical Sophistication (TAALES) were also calculated. Three regression analyses were run to predict human scores using L2 indices, L1 indices, and combined indices. The results suggested that the L2 model explained a greater amount of variance in the writing scores and that the L2 model was statistically superior to the L1 model. The findings also suggested that contextual diversity indices are better predictors of writing proficiency than lexical frequency for both the L2 and the L1 models. Finally, an index from the lower level learner sub-corpus was found to be the strongest predictor. The findings have important implications for the analysis of L2 writing in that the L2 benchmarks are more predictive than the L1 benchmarks. These findings could extend human and machine scoring approaches as well as help explain L2 writing quality.
Dynamic transcriptome profiling dataset of vaccinia virus obtained from long-read sequencing techniques
Authors: Tombácz Dóra , Prazsák István , Szűcs Attila , Dénes Béla , Snyder Michael , Boldogkői Zsolt
Published: November 2018

Background

Poxviruses are large DNA viruses that infect humans and animals. Vaccinia virus (VACV) has been applied as a live vaccine for immunization against smallpox, which was eradicated by 1980 as a result of worldwide vaccination. VACV is the prototype of poxviruses in the investigation of the molecular pathogenesis of the virus. Short-read sequencing methods have revolutionized transcriptomics; however, they are not efficient in distinguishing between the RNA isoforms and transcript overlaps. Long-read sequencing (LRS) is much better suited to solve these problems and also allow direct RNA sequencing. Despite the scientific relevance of VACV, no LRS data have been generated for the viral transcriptome to date.

Findings

For the deep characterization of the VACV RNA profile, various LRS platforms and library preparation approaches were applied. The raw reads were mapped to the VACV reference genome and also to the host (Chlorocebus sabaeus) genome. In this study, we applied the Pacific Biosciences RSII and Sequel platforms, which altogether resulted in 937,531 mapped reads of inserts (1.42 Gb), while we obtained 2,160,348 aligned reads (1.75 Gb) from the different library preparation methods using the MinION device from Oxford Nanopore Technologies.

Conclusions

By applying cutting-edge technologies, we were able to generate a large dataset that can serve as a valuable resource for the investigation of the dynamic VACV transcriptome, the virus-host interactions, and RNA base modifications. These data can provide useful information for novel gene annotations in the VACV genome. Our dataset can also be used to analyze the currently available LRS platforms, library preparation methods, and bioinformatics pipelines.
Random Eigenfunctions on Flat Tori: Universality for the Number of Intersections
Authors: Chang Mei-Chu , Nguyen Hoi , Nguyen Oanh , Vu Van
Published: November 2018

We show that several statistics of the number of intersections between random eigenfunctions of general eigenvalues and a given smooth curve in flat tori are universal under various families of randomness.
Robust clinical marker identification for diabetic kidney disease with ensemble feature selection
Authors: Song Xing , Waitman Lemuel R , Hu Yong , Yu Alan S L , Robins David , Liu Mei
Published: November 2018

Objective

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is one of the most frequent complications in diabetes associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. To accelerate DKD risk factor discovery, we present an ensemble feature selection approach to identify a robust set of discriminant factors using electronic medical records (EMRs).

Material and Methods

We identified a retrospective cohort of 15 645 adult patients with type 2 diabetes, excluding those with pre-existing kidney disease, and utilized all available clinical data types in modeling. We compared 3 machine-learning-based embedded feature selection methods in conjunction with 6 feature ensemble techniques for selecting top-ranked features in terms of robustness to data perturbations and predictability for DKD onset.

Results

The gradient boosting machine (GBM) with weighted mean rank feature ensemble technique achieved the best performance with an AUC of 0.82 [95%-CI, 0.81–0.83] on internal validation and 0.71 [95%-CI, 0.68–0.73] on external temporal validation. The ensemble model identified a set of 440 features from 84 872 unique clinical features that are both predicative of DKD onset and robust against data perturbations, including 191 labs, 51 visit details (mainly vital signs), 39 medications, 34 orders, 30 diagnoses, and 95 other clinical features.

Discussion

Many of the top-ranked features have not been included in the state-of-art DKD prediction models, but their relationships with kidney function have been suggested in existing literature.

Conclusion

Our ensemble feature selection framework provides an option for identifying a robust and parsimonious feature set unbiasedly from EMR data, which effectively aids in knowledge discovery for DKD risk factors.
Super-Power Politics in Iron II and the Role of Vassal States
Authors: Matthews Victor H.
Published: November 2018

This chapter focuses attention on the division of David’s and Solomon’s kingdom into two separate states: Israel in the north and Judah in the south. The aftermath of that event and the subsequent interaction with both comparable states in Transjordan and the international super powers are chronicled both in the biblical narrative and in inscriptional evidence from these political rivals. Of particular importance is how these two minor political entities responded to their forced role as vassal states. Archaeological evidence of the Iron II period also provides a great deal more information on settlement patterns, various aspects of state formation, and the development of new technologies that energize the ancient economy.
Introduction
Authors: Maier Harry O.
Published: November 2018

The chapter considers the formation and contents of the New Testament in the context of the Roman Empire. It sketches theories about the date and formation of the New Testament canon by distinguishing between scripture and canon. It argues that the canon is best understood as a gradual gathering of collections into a canon, and describes representative papyri and codices as witnesses to New Testament writings. It presents a sketch of the ancient world and the Roman Empire relevant to New Testament study. It argues for an understanding of early Christianity as a shifting and dynamic lived religion of practices and beliefs in differing spaces specific to and changing according to particular social contexts, and that was configured and imagined in often creative ways. It discusses definitions of the nomenclature—“Christian,” “Christianity,” “Jew,” and “Judaism”—and the need to avoid anachronisms when using them.
The Self and Others
Authors: Maier Harry O.
Published: November 2018

The chapter contrasts ancient and modern views of the self through attention to physiological theories, lists of virtues and vices, and emphasis on social relations. It describes the medical theories of Hippocrates and Galen and their theories of the four humors to account for health and sickness. It treats ancient physiological theories of male and female gender, including their formation and their place in hierarchical models of the physical world and the self. It considers the emphasis on self-mastery and virtue in the creation of the self. It describes differing understandings of the self as found in Platonism, Aristotelianism, Stoicism, and Epicureanism. It discusses various Jewish models of the self as found in Philo, intertestamental literature, and Qumran, as well as the concept of evil inclination (yēșer) in intertestamental writings, the New Testament, and early Christian writings. It describes Paul’s unsystematic presentation of the self, its creation, and its preservation through ritual and daily practices.
Community-Based Prevention of Youth Behavioral Health Problems
Authors: Fagan Abigail A. , Hawkins J. David , Catalano Richard F. , Farrington David P.
Published: November 2018

Preventing childhood and adolescent behavioral health problems such as substance use, delinquency, violence, school drop-out, and mental health problems can reduce the social and financial costs that can occur following these behaviors. Using a public health approach, prevention scientists from diverse fields have created and tested a variety of interventions to reduce the risk factors and increase the protective factors related to these problems. A growing number of these interventions have been demonstrated as effective—that is, they prevent the onset and/or reduce the frequency of multiple behavioral health problems. However, these evidence-based interventions (EBIs) are not widely used by community-based organizations. This chapter discusses how community-based prevention systems, particularly the Communities That Care (CTC) system, can help build the capacity of local communities to implement EBIs. The core components and effectiveness of CTC are reviewed and compared to other community-based prevention systems.
Going Underground
Authors: McAlpine Kenneth B.
Published: November 2018

This chapter charts the birth and growth of the demoscene, an online community of digital artists and musicians who create and share real-time procedural artworks. Part of the digital underground, the ethos was, and remains, one of pushing systems to their limits and so became a natural home for chiptune. The chapter begins by exploring the roots of the demoscene in the computer hacking scene of 1970s California, a community who believed strongly that computer software should be free. As software protection systems were introduced to prevent unauthorized copying, highly skilled ‘crackers’ removed them, highlighting their achievements with elaborate audiovisual digital graffiti. Over time, competition to create the most extravagant artwork and music became an end in itself, creating the demoscene. Today, this vibrant community thrives and has become bigger and slicker than ever, although, as some interviewees suggest, in so doing it may have lost some of its countercultural charm.
Ambience
Authors: Lysaker John T.
Published: November 2018

Chapter 4 explores and theorizes Eno’s approach to ambient music. It begins with a clear precursor, Erik Satie’s musique d’ameublement—furniture music. Like Satie, Eno sought sounds that could blend into and color various situations without commanding the attention of the hearer. But he also wanted music that could engage listeners who elect to attend to the activity of the assembled sounds, which distances it from other background music like Muzak. Because “ambient” has exploded into a diverse musical genre, Music for Airports is contrasted with other ambient works from the like of Aphex Twin, Moby, Gas, and Thomas Köner. What seems to distinguish Music for Airports is its ability to elicit our attention without captivating it through musical developments. Instead, it initiates a kind of reverie, opening spaces for thought in ordinary living environments.
1934–1935
Authors: Steichen James
Published: November 2018

This chapter examines the March 1935 performances of the American Ballet at the Adelphi Theater in New York City, the official premiere of the company and its new repertoire. Preparations for the engagement revealed ongoing disagreement about the direction of the enterprise, and the performances met with a mixed reception. The engagement was an occasion for Kirstein and others to debate the goals and mission of the organization, and dance critic John Martin was one of many critical voices contributing to debate on their efforts. The American Ballet’s activities were in part a response to the Russian ballet companies then active in the United States, notably the troupe led by choreographer Léonide Massine. Massine’s recent innovation of “symphonic ballet” was one of many artistic trends with which Balanchine’s work was in dialogue, most notably in his ballet Serenade.
1935
Authors: Steichen James
Published: November 2018

This chapter revisits the circumstances by which the American Ballet became the resident dance company at the Metropolitan Opera in 1935. Many accounts have construed this engagement as a surprise development, but in fact the company lobbied heavily to secure it, and were successful thanks to Edward Warburg’s close ties with the management of the opera and the Juilliard organization. Evidence reveals that choreographer Ruth Page had been a leading candidate before internal dynamics at the opera led to the selection of Balanchine. During these negotiations the American Ballet had the opportunity to perform again for the public, in part in the course of a short-lived cross-country tour. This ambitious tour was cut short as a result of mismanagement on the part of Warburg and led to questions about whether the American Ballet was in fact ready to assume their new role at the opera.
Firearm Law and Policy
Authors: Pirelli Gianni
Published: November 2018

In this chapter, the authors provide a review of firearm-related laws (i.e., federal, state, landmark legal cases), policies (e.g., “Stand Your Ground,” background checks, child access prevention), and programs (e.g., Project ChildSafe). The mixed research related to the effectiveness of these firearm policies and laws, as well as program evaluation, is summarized. Issues related to the intersection of gun-involved violence and suicide, gun ownership, and mental illness are addressed. Moreover, gun restoration programs and firearm ownership disqualification systems are discussed, as well as the important court cases related to these complicated issues. While the media and public opinion have influenced much of the legislation related to gun ownership and gun control, the authors provide the reader with a foundational knowledge of the available empirical literature related to such.
Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence
Authors: Pirelli Gianni
Published: November 2018

In this chapter, the authors provide an overview of domestic (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) with respect to the relevant definitions, statistics, and research associated with them. First, they present various definitions and types most commonly accepted in the professional literature as well as the association with firearm misuse in these contexts. Furthermore, the authors present psychological components and theories of DV and IPV, including battered woman syndrome and its utility in court proceedings and the like. In addition, they present various high-profile DV and IPV incidents involving firearms, including those that have involved celebrities, athletes, citizens, and law enforcement personnel. Lastly, the authors review laws, regulations, and protective orders associated with DV and IPV scenarios.
Widowhood
Authors: Andrade Nathanael
Published: November 2018

In late 267 or early 268, Zenobia’s husband Odainath was assassinated. Who killed him and why is controversial. Many theories have been proposed, but none can be said to be conclusive. Some sources implicate disgruntled Palmyrenes, often a relative. One even points the finger at Zenobia. Other sources suggest the involvement of the emperor Gallienus’s staff. Both Palmyrenes and Gallienus’s court were probably involved. What is more certain is that Zenobia had to ensure that her husband received a proper burial. This chapter also narrates the arrangements that Zenobia made for Odainath’s funeral. Zenobia had her husband’s corpse prepared, gave him a public burial involving processions and solemn rituals, and likely laid him to rest in a temple tomb.
The Brahman as a Celibate Renunciant
Authors: McGovern Nathan
Published: November 2018

This chapter looks at the articulations of Brahman identity that understood the Brahman to be a celibate renunciant, namely, those of the Buddhists and the Jains. The earliest texts of the Buddhists (Aṭṭhaka Vagga and Pārāyaṇa Vagga) and Jains (Āyārāṅga Sūtra) portray their founders and ideal monks as Brahmans, with no intent to criticize or polemicize against an external group of “real” Brahmans. Indeed, the brahmacarya espoused by the Buddhists and Jains had deep roots in the Vedic tradition, provided continuity between their own groups and more Vedic-oriented groups, and may in some ways have been more “traditional” than the temporary brahmacarya (i.e., “Vedic studentship”) of householder Brahmans. Buddhists and Jains were oblivious to a distinction between “Brahmanical” and “non-Brahmanical” among renunciatory groups, but they did maintain a strong distinction between their own celibate, renunciatory lifestyle and that of householders.
The Emergence of the Snake and the Mongoose
Authors: McGovern Nathan
Published: November 2018

This chapter gives evidence that the conception of Brahmans and śramaṇas as two mutually antagonistic groups arose over time. It shows, through comparison of the earliest Buddhist texts (Aṭṭhaka Vagga and Pārāyaṇa Vagga) with later narrative framings of and commentaries upon these texts, that the original Buddhist claim to Brahmanhood was transformed over time into a metaphor as the householder Brahmans increasingly succeeded in arrogating the identity to themselves.
Tatars and Cossacks
Authors: Kozelsky Mara
Published: November 2018

Chapter 3 addresses the month-long Allied march from Evpatoria on Crimea’s western shore toward Sevastopol, and includes the Battle of Alma. Chaos followed upon the heels of the enemy invasion as Commander A. S. Menshikov abandoned Evpatoria to the enemy in order to retrench around Sevastopol. Failure to address civilian needs in surrounding regions exacerbated fears of widespread Tatar mutiny. He assigned irregular Cossack forces, many of whom had been waging a war of conquest against Muslim tribes in the Caucasus, to settle order in Crimea. These Cossacks were not counted in military coffers, and so were left to extract food and supplies from local populations. Civilians protested their treatment, and a campaign of terror followed.
The Feeding Ground
Authors: Kozelsky Mara
Published: November 2018

In 1848, fewer than 650,000 people lived in Crimea and the larger province of Tauride. Seven years later, with the onset of war, the population of the peninsula swelled with an additional 300,000 soldiers and 100,000 horses. When the military supply chain collapsed in the fall of 1854, the military turned to Crimea and the surrounding region. Starving soldiers even ate work horses and oxen, further impeding delivery of new supplies from the interior. The result was an immediate subsistence crisis, which lasted through the conclusion of the war and well after demobilization. This chapter details debates over how the military secured food and other resources, whether through requisitioning and market channels. It analyzes the collapse of the provisioning system, and failed efforts at reform.
People’s War, or War against the People?
Authors: Kozelsky Mara
Published: November 2018

With the war going badly for Russia in the winter of 1854–1855, the tsar and his advisors debated the feasibility of partisan warfare. Top advisors debated the loyalty of populations along the imperial borderland as well as the use of scorched earth tactics. The new military leader of Crimea, M. D. Gorchakov, proved (in theory, at least) to be more sympathetic to the plight of civilians than his predecessor A. S. Menshikov. Terror against Tatars abated. Yet, others in the military administration remained suspicious. Secret police exiled Tatars they believed to be traitors, while the new military governor orchestrated the forced relocation of thousands of coastal Tatars to the interior. Not all officials supported the persecution of Tatars. Several protested their relocation and brought it to a halt. This chapter shows that Russian oppression of Tatars evolved in shifting wartime conditions and was not a foregone conclusion.
Colonizing Frontiers
Authors: Idris Murad
Published: November 2018

Chapter 5 focuses on the opposition between civilized commodious peace and uncivilized war, or the notion that peace brings prosperity, whereas war is unproductive. Hobbes’s idealization of peace denies the ways in which the things of peace can come from and bring about violence and war. Ibn Khaldūn helps us ask how, for whom, and when peace becomes a basic desire. In both cases, this economy of peace’s morals grows out of a political economic arrangement. This arrangement of peace produces frontiers, or spaces in which other laws, or lawlessness, is upheld. With Ibn Khaldūn, the desert nomad becomes the sedentary dynasty’s enemy and its past. Hobbes’s heavily neglected discussions (and slippages) of settler colonialism and empire frame his understanding of peace, its sanitized “commodious” insinuates, its antonyms in the savage and nomad, and the ways it spreads war and death across the globe.
Introduction
Authors: Khader Serene J.
Published: November 2018

This chapter introduces the central argument of Decolonizing Universalism. The book seeks a way out of the anti-imperialism/normativity dilemma, according to which we face a choice between (a) opposing imperialism and reducing feminism to a parochial Western conceit or (b) opposing gender injustice and embracing Western chauvinism. The solution to this dilemma is a universalism that does not treat Western values and interests as exhaustive of feminist normative possibilities. Nonideal universalism is a position according to which feminism is opposition to sexist oppression and transnational feminisms is a justice-enhancing praxis. This conception of transnational feminisms makes it possible to imagine a genuinely normative feminist position that does not license justificatory or constitutive imperialist intervention—and that does not require commitment to controversial forms of individualism or autonomy or to gender-role eliminativism. The introduction also discusses the book’s methodology and situates the book’s project within contemporary political philosophy and feminist theory.
Gender Role Eliminativism
Authors: Khader Serene J.
Published: November 2018

This chapter asks whether postcolonial defenses of feminized power and criticisms of the incorporation of women into a gender-neutral public sphere can be understood as compatible with feminism. It argues that the tools of nonideal universalism can explain why many such postcolonial views are more compatible with feminism than is often thought. Three missionary-feminist confusions identified here—the idealization of the territorial public, the idealization of Western cultural forms, and the culturalist category error—impede Western feminist attempts to render accurate normative judgments about “other” women’s exercises of power. Normative guidelines for a transnational feminist position capable of avoiding these confusions will recognize that judgments about resistance concern justice enhancement rather than justice achievement, that resistance should be judged according to a historical baseline, that feminist normative ideals need not function as blueprints, and that information about imperialism and global structures is important when determining which strategies for resistance are likely to be effective. The chapter also discusses how these normative guidelines can be used to explain how Leila Ahmed’s defense of Muslim women’s homosociality and Nkiru Nzwgwu’s defense of a gender-differentiated public can be made compatible with feminism.
Part-Time Employment and Aesthetic Labor Among Middle-Class Youth
Authors: Besen-Cassino Yasemin
Published: November 2018

This chapter addresses work experience from the perspective of the young people themselves so as to capture varied lived experiences of youth employment and unemployment. Research to date has provided an incomplete picture of youth unemployment, failing to focus on part-time work. For youth, part-time jobs are becoming scarce and more difficult to locate. With the economic recession, not only are employers in the retail and service sector less likely to hire but young people find themselves in competition with unemployed older workers and immigrant workers, rendering these jobs more competitive than ever before. Moreover, with the rise in youth unemployment and with recently intensifying aesthetic labor requirements, young people do not have the same extent of opportunities for interacting with diverse groups of workers from a range of backgrounds, including those who have been socially and economically disadvantaged.
Intertroupe Rivalries
Authors: Woodfield Ian
Published: November 2018

Joseph II’s failed scheme to swap the Austrian Low Countries for Bavaria provoked the formation of a league of states opposed to this reconfiguration of Europe. In order to repair the damage done to his reputation in the German-speaking world, he reinstated the recently disbanded Singspiel, so that it could compete with the Italian troupe. A lighthearted contest in the Orangerie at Schönbrunn inaugurated two years of intense operatic rivalry. Thanks to Dittersdorf’s hit success Der Apotheker, which overshadowed the impact of Figaro, the German party established an early ascendancy, but the Italians struck back with an opera featuring Spanish fashion. Martín y Soler’s Una cosa rara was greeted with storms of applause at its premiere on the name day of the fiancée of Archduke Franz, second in line to the Habsburg Monarchy.
Corporate Justice within Efficiency Horizons
Authors: Singer Abraham A.
Published: November 2018

This chapter expands on the idea of norm-governed productivity. Because this approach opens the door for a more straightforwardly political assessment of corporate hierarchy, this chapter considers how theories of workplace democracy stack up against this view of corporate efficiency. It argues that radical and participatory democrats are prone to error by essentially doing the mirror image of what the Chicago school does: where Chicago school scholars conflate firms for markets and obscure their cooperative nature, radical democrats often mistake firms for purposive communities and obscure their economic nature. While democratic theorists are right that undefended authority exists within firms and is a problem, they are often in danger of utterly discounting efficiency. It concludes with a more exact enunciation of norm-governed productivity, which emphasizes the manner in which efficiency concerns necessitate a bounded application of noneconomic values.