bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Send Lazarus
Authors: Eggemeier Matthew T. , Fritz Peter Joseph
Published: January 2021

Contrary to Catholicism, Catholic social teaching, and the commitment to live out the mercy of Jesus Christ, today’s dominant global economic and cultural system, neoliberalism, demands that life be led as a series of sacrifices to the market. This book’s theological critique of neoliberalism begins with recent papal teaching against “economism,” proceeds into a historical and theoretical analysis of neoliberalism’s conception as a discourse in academia and the business community, its rise to global prominence through class warfare, its subtle redefining of human self-understanding via the notion of “human capital,” and its formation of an ethos of mercilessness. Central is treatment of four neoliberal-perpetuated and -exacerbated crises: environmental destruction, slum proliferation, mass incarceration, and mass deportation. This entails plumbing the sacrificial and racist depths of neoliberalism. The book offers an antineoliberal systematic theology founded on Trinitarian mercy, a neighbor anthropology and innkeeper ecclesiology, and a politics of mercy, or a civilizational program grounded in, yet reimagining, the traditional Catholic works of mercy. This coheres with a “playbook” for social transformation that uses the universal destination of goods and abolitionism to direct the corporal works of mercy against the neoliberal utopianism that brought enhanced ecological devastation, slum growth, mass imprisonment, and abuse of migrants. In concert with official Catholic teaching, the Gospel injunction to “be merciful,” and hopeful visions of various people of good will, Send Lazarus urges a robust antineoliberal and antiracist politics, which amounts to a joyous expression of Christic hope for abundant life.
The Geological Unconscious
Authors: Groves Jason
Published: January 2021

Already in the nineteenth century, German-language writers were contending with the challenge of imagining and accounting for a planet whose volatility bore little resemblance to the images of the Earth then in circulation. In The Geological Unconcious, Jason Groves traces the withdrawal of the lithosphere as a reliable setting, unobtrusive backdrop, and stable point of reference for literature written well before the current climate breakdown, let alone the technologies that could forecast those changes. Through a series of careful readings of romantic, realist, and modernist works by Tieck, Goethe, Stifter, Benjamin, and Brecht, the author traces out a geological unconscious—in other words, unthought and sometimes actively repressed geological knowledge—where it manifests in European literature and environmental thought. This inhuman horizon of reading and interpretation offers a new literary history of the Anthropocene in a period where this novel geological epoch, though arguably already underway, remains unnamed and otherwise unmarked. These close readings also unearth an entanglement of the human and the lithic in periods well before the geological turn of cotemporary cultural studies. In those depictions of human-mineral encounters on which The Geological Unconcious lingers, the minerality of the human and the minerality of the imagination becomes apparent. While The Geological Unconcious does not explicitly set out to imagine alternatives to fossil capitalism, in elaborating a range of such encounters and in registering libidinal investments in the lithosphere that extend beyond Carboniferous deposits and beyond any carbon imaginary, it points toward alternative relations with, and less destructive mobilizations of, the geologic.
Southern Christian Work Camps and a Cold War Campaign for Racial and Economic Justice
Authors: Greene Alison Collis
Published: January 2021

This chapter looks at mid-twentieth-century southern Christians who saw interracial work camps in the South as a model for working alternatives to capitalism. Under Nelle Morton’s leadership, the Fellowship of Southern Churchmen organized the first integrated UNRRA cattle boat relief trip to postwar Europe and sent student work groups to support economic cooperatives across the South. These camps revealed both the potential and the limits of white-led activism in the service of racial and economic justice.
Unobservable Monetary Policy Surprises and Exchange Rates
Authors: Gholampour Vahid
Published: January 2021

The paper examines the effect of monetary policy statement shocks on exchange rates. I use Google's Natural Language tools to measure and track changes in the sentiment of FOMC and ECB post-meeting statements. The results reveal a negative relationship between the dollar's value and FOMC statement shocks. Investors sell (buy) the dollar when the sentiment of the FOMC statement is more positive (negative) than the previous one. This negative relationship could be explained by the special status of the U.S. dollar as a safe-haven currency and the significant effect of U.S. monetary policy on other countries' macroeconomic fundamentals. The value of the euro is positively related to ECB statement shocks. The size of the exchange rate response to statement shocks is comparable to that of term structure shocks. There is no material difference between the response of exchange rates in conventional and unconventional times. Statement shocks affect the exchange rates through the information channel.
Undergraduates Attitudes towards Adopting a Flipped Learning Approach in Jordanian Universities: Empirical Study
Authors: Milhem Osamah Abdel Qader Bani , Smadi Tamara Adnan
Published: January 2021

The present study investigated the undergraduates’ attitudes towards adopting a flipped learning approach in Jordanian universities. An analytical descriptive approach was adopted. The purposive sampling technique was used to choose a sample. This sample consists from 392 BA students. The researchers selected those students from the faculty of education at the University of Jordan. The forms of the questionnaire were distributed by hand. They were retrieved, but 4 ones have been excluded. The final sample consists from 388 BA students. The researchers concluded that the students show positive attitudes towards adopting this learning approach. They found that the flipped learning approach enables students to learn at their own pace and motivates them to learn. It was found that the flipped learning approach facilitates the process of taking notes and improves the students’ comprehension of information. The researchers recommend enacting policies for encouraging faculty members at Jordanian universities to adopt a flipped instructional approach. They recommend using social media by faculty members at Jordanian universities when adopting a flipped instructional approach. That shall motivate students to learn.
The Role of the Sociocultural Environment of Inclusion in the Modern Educational Institution
Authors: Chernukha Nadiia , Petrova Mariana Mateeva , Vasylieva-Khalatnykova Maryna , Krupnyk Zoriana , Krasilova Yuliia
Published: January 2021

The article presents a consideration of the peculiarities of the organization of the socio-cultural environment of inclusion in a modern educational institution. The new conceptual foundations of social order, as stated in the UN Declaration on Social Development, are the ability of modern society to develop on the basis of tolerance, tolerance, condemnation of discrimination, respect for human diversity, equality of opportunity, solidarity and security. It is noted that the basis of such integration is the concept of a holistic approach, which opens the way to the realization of rights and opportunities for everyone and, above all, provides equal access to quality education. It is emphasized that the principle of accessibility, which is leading in the holistic approach of modern social policy and is formulated on the basis of respect for human rights. The aim of the article is to reveal the content of the socio-cultural environment of inclusion in a modern educational institution. The socio-cultural environment of inclusion in a modern educational institution is analyzed. Analysis of the definitions of socio-cultural environment allowed to form our own definition of the phenomenon for people with disabilities: socio-cultural environment - is the environment of people in the educational institution, including social groups, information flows, the influence of various public organizations, cultural and educational activities; jointly influence the change and formation of internal attitudes and external characteristics of the object and its socialization. The peculiarities of the socio-cultural environment of inclusion in a modern educational institution are determined. A model of the socio-cultural environment of an educational institution for a person with a disability has been developed and represented, which includes external and internal factors influencing its components, contribution flows and products.
The effect of vaginal cleansing performed with normal saline solution or povidone-iodine before elective caesarean section on postoperative maternal morbidity and infection; A prospective randomized controlled study
Authors: KANZA Derya
Published: January 2021

Objective: The present study was designed to determine the effect of vaginal cleansing performed with saline solution or povidoneiodine
before elective cesarean section on postpartum maternal morbidity and postoperative infection.
Patients and Methods: One hundred and eighty primiparae, awaiting elective caesarean section, were assigned into the following three
groups, Group1 (saline solution vaginal cleansing for 30s, n:60); Group2 (povidone-iodine vaginal cleansing for 30s, n:60); Group3
(control group, n:60).
Results: There were statistically significant differences between the 3 groups in terms of the median values for the postoperative
C-reactive protein (CRP) and fever, and visual analogue scale (VAS) score (p<0.001). The median value for the postoperative CRP
level was 26.5 mg/dl, 59.5mg/dl and 62.3mg/dl in the saline solution, povidone-iodine and control groups respectively. The median
value for the VAS score was 3,4 and 4; the incidence of the patients with fever >38°C was 1.7%, 3.4% and 10% in the saline solution,
povidone-iodine and control groups, respectively.
Conclusion: Vaginal cleansing with normal saline solution or povidone-iodine before caesarean section significantly reduced
postoperative pain, fever, and CRP levels. Cleansing of the vagina before cesarean section clinically reduced the number of
postcaesarean wound site infections, and endometritis; however, the reduction was not statistically significant.
Prevalence and Determinants of Anemia among Adolescent Girls: A School-Based Survey in Central Java, Indonesia
Authors: Masfiah Siti , Ayu Maqfiroch Arrum Firda , Rubai Windri Lesmana , Mars WIjayanti Siwi Pramatama , Anandari Dian , Kurniawan Arif , Saryono Saryono , Aji Budi
Published: January 2021

INTRODUCTION: Anemia is the most common and inflexible nutritional problem affecting about 2 billion of the world’s population with a significant impact on human health and social and economic development. Information about anemia prevalence and associated factors among adolescent girls in Indonesia is still limited.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine determinant factors related to anemia among adolescent girls.

METHODE: This is an analytic study with a cross-sectional design, located in three regencies in Central Java Indonesia. This is a school-based survey in several senior high schools in three regencies that have a higher number of stunting cases, as a related indicator of Anemia. A total of 388 adolescent girls have participated in this study. Anemic status was assessed using HB quick-check. Independent variables such as breakfast habit, father’s height, allowance per day, etc. were collected by a structured questionnaire. Data analysis is carried out by univariate, bivariate, and multivariate. Ethical clearance has been approved by Medicine Faculty Ethics Committee, Jenderal Soedirman University.

RESULT: The study found that 26,3% of girls were categorized as having anemia. Results showed that there was a correlation between anemic and breakfast habit (p = 0.07), and allowance per day (p = 0.08), and father’s height (p = 0.01) among adolescent girls.

CONCLUSION: This research highlighted the importance for the adolescent girl of having daily breakfast. Good eating habits can help to reduce the incidence of anemia and its negative adverse health effects.
De wettelijke bedenktijd in het licht van een goede corporate governance
Authors: Niederer N.D.
Published: January 2021

De wettelijke bedenktijd in het licht van een goede corporate governance

Dit artikel bespreekt het spanningsveld tussen de wettelijke bedenktijd en het systeem van corporate governance in het Nederlandse vennootschapsrecht. Teneinde beursvennootschappen aanvullende bescherming te bieden bij een rechtstreeks vijandig overnamebod doet de auteur een voorstel om de reikwijdte van de responstijd uit te breiden.
Analiza wynagrodzeń inżynierów budownictwa na koniec roku 2020
Authors: Kaczorek Krzysztof
Published: January 2021

W niniejszym artykule przeanalizowano próbkę 2677 inżynierów budownictwa pod kątem ich zarobków w zależności od branży, stażu pracy, wielkości miejscowości oraz czasu pracy. Otrzymane wyniki zostały przedstawione
w formie tabelarycznej oraz poddane analizie
i krytycznej ocenie. Ponadto porównano otrzymane dane z danymi pozyskanymi pod koniec 2019 roku, na podstawie czego wyciągnięto wnioski odnośnie do zmian płac budowlanej kadry inżynierskiej w Polsce.
An Intracoastal Waterway and Trading Port System in Prehispanic Northwest Yucatán, Mexico
Authors: Robles Castellanos Fernando , Andrews Anthony P. , Aguilar Rubén Chuc
Published: January 2021

Archaeological explorations and surveys, conducted over the course of the last 140 years, have documented a long history of human occupation of the northwest coast of Yucatán, from Middle Preclassic times (ca. 600 B.C.) to the present. Recent archaeological research, coupled with historic data and oral history, indicate that a 215 kilometer-long estuarine swamp, located behind the narrow coastal barrier beach, served as an intracoastal waterway between Celestún and Dzilám de Bravo. This waterway was a major navigation and trading route in prehispanic and historic times, until the mid-20th century.
Implications of Denmark’s Water Price Reform for Riverine and Coastal Surface Water Quality
Authors: Pizzol Massimo , Molinos-Senante Maria , Thodsen Hans , Andersen Mikael
Published: January 2021

Article 9 of the EU’s Water Framework Directive suggests that Member States should provide “adequate incentives” for efficient use of water resources. Although the Directive is mainly about protecting the ecological quality of water bodies, control of quantity serves as an “ancillary element” in delivering on the objectives. Despite their financial difficulties, Member States have been slow to bring their policies on water pricing up to the wording and 2010 deadline of the Directive’s article 9.

This Article explores the significance of water pricing reform for the ecological quality objectives for surface waters and, as a stepping stone in this analysis, for water resource efficiency. It does so with a catchment-based analysis of implications from water pricing reform introduced in the early 1990s in Denmark. Household water use is found to have been 50% higher per capita before the reform, which introduced full-costpricing and a water supply tax.

Good data availability for the catchment allows the analysis to demonstrate estimates for the improvements in water flows as well as for a specific water quality parameter. Despite the significant reduction in water demand, the main river is affected only at the margin. For smaller streams and brooks, however, there are more notable impacts for water quality and with potential benefits for rare species dependent on clean waters. A small reduction in emission loadings to coastal waters has comparatively high economic value. The Article finds that water pricing has an important role to play for future management.
"The Bottom Calling the Top"—The Selling of Function (PSS) as a Business Model for Sustainability, in Need of Some Assistance from the Legislator
Authors: Karlsson Olle , Kellgren Jan
Published: January 2021

When it comes to policy issues, a legal scholar would traditionally study sustainable taxation from a “top-down” perspective, thus focusing on the legislator and on rational ways to steer economic life in a more sustainable direction. Here, we start at another end—we think of it as “the bottom-calling-the-top” perspective—in order to highlight (1) a relatively new business model and its merits from a circular economy perspective, namely the so called Product Service Systems; (2) how thismodel faces initial problems regarding especially foreseeability and thatit might therefore have problems making its breakthrough; and (3) thusmight need help from the legislator. Business models typically emanatefrom economic life rather than from political discourse, hence the bottom-up perspective and the bottom-to-the-top expression. Withinthe “bottom-calling-the-top” perspective, the focus lies on the needsof the economic actors carrying out their business. This text will contribute to the integration of a “bottom-up” perspective into the sustainable taxation discussion, and we will illustrate how a proper dose of bottom-up perspective might contribute to a more viable discussion.
Bewertung materieller Vermögensgegenstände im Rahmen einer Übertragung dieser aus Wissenschaftseinrichtungen auf Spin-offs
Authors: Gawenko Wladislav , Hinz Michael
Published: January 2021

Übertragungsprozesse im Rahmen einer Ausgründung aus einer Wissenschaftseinrichtung sind ein schwieriges Unterfangen und nehmen viel Zeit in Anspruch. Dies liegt insbesondere an dem fehlenden Know-how und fehlender konkreter Vorgehensweisen der Wissenschaftseinrichtungen bei der Bewertung der zu übertragenden Vermögensgegenstände. Das Ziel dieses Beitrags ist es, eine Vorgehensweise zur Bewertung materieller Vermögensgegenstände vorzuschlagen, die insbesondere Wissenschaftseinrichtungen unterstützt, marktübliche und Spin-off-gerechte Werte zu ermitteln, deren Ermittlung für alle Beteiligten transparent und nachvollziehbar ist. Dazu wird zunächst auf das Kostenverfahren zurückgegriffen. Im nächsten Schritt werden Anpassungen des Kostenverfahrens vorgeschlagen, die sich aufgrund der speziellen Anwendung der materiellen Vermögensgegenstände im Rahmen der Forschung ergeben und notwendig sind. Ein dem vorgeschlagenen Vorgehen vergleichbares Verfahren wurde vom BMWi für die Anwendung in Hochschulen gutgeheißen.
Solution of Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations by Mixture Adomian Decomposition Method and Sumudu Transform
Authors: M. Elzaki Tarig , E. Ahmed Shams
Published: January 2021

This chapter is fundamentally centering on the application of the Adomian decomposition method and Sumudu transform for solving the nonlinear partial differential equations. It has instituted some theorems, definitions, and properties of Adomian decomposition and Sumudu transform. This chapter is an elegant combination of the Adomian decomposition method and Sumudu transform. Consequently, it provides the solution in the form of convergent series, then, it is applied to solve nonlinear partial differential equations.
The Anti-Cancer Effects of Anti-Parasite Drug Ivermectin in Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Zhan Xianquan , Li Na
Published: January 2021

Ivermectin is an old, common, and classic anti-parasite drug, which has been found to have a broad-spectrum anti-cancer effect on multiple human cancers. This chapter will focus on the anti-cancer effects of ivermectin on ovarian cancer. First, ivermectin was found to suppress cell proliferation and growth, block cell cycle progression, and promote cell apoptosis in ovarian cancer. Second, drug pathway network, qRT-PCR, and immunoaffinity blot analyses found that ivermectin acts through molecular networks to target the key molecules in energy metabolism pathways, including PFKP in glycolysis, IDH2 and IDH3B in Kreb’s cycle, ND2, ND5, CYTB, and UQCRH in oxidative phosphorylation, and MCT1 and MCT4 in lactate shuttle, to inhibit ovarian cancer growth. Third, the integrative analysis of TCGA transcriptomics and mitochondrial proteomics in ovarian cancer revealed that 16 survival-related lncRNAs were mediated by ivermectin, SILAC quantitative proteomics analysis revealed that ivermectin extensively inhibited the expressions of RNA-binding protein EIF4A3 and 116 EIF4A3-interacted genes including those key molecules in energy metabolism pathways, and also those lncRNAs regulated EIF4A3-mRNA axes. Thus, ivermectin mediated lncRNA-EIF4A3-mRNA axes in ovarian cancer to exert its anticancer capability. Further, lasso regression identified the prognostic model of ivermectin-related three-lncRNA signature (ZNRF3-AS1, SOS1-IT1, and LINC00565), which is significantly associated with overall survival and clinicopathologic characteristics in ovarian cancer patients. These ivermectin-related molecular pattern alterations benefit for prognostic assessment and personalized drug therapy toward 3P medicine practice in ovarian cancer.
Picturing Peter Bogdanovich
Authors: Tonguette Peter
Published: January 2021

Drawn from interviews conducted from 2003 to 2019, Picturing Peter Bogdanovich is a unique double portrait of a filmmaker and a fan. As the director of such New Hollywood classics as The Last Picture Show, What’s Up, Doc?, and Paper Moon, Peter Bogdanovich is considered one of the first superstar directors of the 1970s, whose celebrity equaled that of many movie stars of the era. Growing up as an admirer of Bogdanovich’s films, film critic and journalist Peter Tonguette first had the chance to interview Bogdanovich for an online magazine piece in 2003—kicking off what became a decade-and-a-half series of conversations about his life and his films. The first part of the book features Tonguette’s exhaustive, film-by-film survey of Bogdanovich’s career and personal account of getting to know Bogdanovich; the second features a Q&A drawn from sixteen years’ worth of interviews, encompassing all of his film and TV projects, his background, his triumphs, his tragedies. The result is a film book like few others in its depth and detail.
The Whigs' America
Authors: Pearson Joseph W. , Gilbreath Dick
Published: January 2021

This book is about politics, exploring the general outlook of a group of Americans called Whigs. The Whigs were one of the two great political parties in the United States between the years 1834 and 1856, battling their opponents the Jacksonian Democrats for offices, prestige, and power. This book explores how Whiggish Americans understood human nature, society, and the role of the state, and explains how they reflected on the past and anticipated the future. A Whig worldview resonated with a vast array of future-looking people in large cities and small villages, in factories and on farms, and in the varied state houses across the country, as well as the in halls of Congress. The Whig Promise attracted those Americans seeking middle-class achievement, community, and meaning through collaborative effort and self-control in a world growing more and more impersonal.
THOUGHTS ON BOUNDARIES IN THE RUSSIAN LINGUISTIC CONSCIOUSNESS: BACKGROUND AND TRADITIONS
Authors: Milovanova Maria , Matrusova Alexandra
Published: January 2021

The article raises issues of understanding the boundaries in the Russian linguistic worldview, comparing mental imagery of boundaries in the native speakers of the Russian language and of other languages. Based on song lyrics and an extensive associative survey, the authors draw conclusions about the key features of the perception of boundary in the Russian language native speakers, communication boundary and dialogue as surmounting of boundary
Distanční výuka při opatřeních spojených s koronavirovou pandemií – pohled očima učitelů, žáků a jejich rodičů
Authors: Rokos Lukáš , Vančura Michal
Published: January 2021

Cílem prezentované studie bylo zjistit, jaké jsou pohledy aktérů vzdělávací­ho procesu na distanční výuku, která byla plošně zavedena ve spojitosti s epidemií ko­ronaviru. Za tímto účelem byl připraven vlastní dotazník, který byl následně distribu­ován učitelům, rodičům a žákům vybrané základní školy v Jihočeském kraji. Celkem bylo od všech skupin respondentů prostřednictvím Google Forms získáno 522 do­tazníků (29 od učitelů, 255 od rodičů a 238 od žáků). Bylo zjišťováno, jakým způso­bem je zajištěna komunikace mezi jednotlivými skupinami respondentů, kolik času jim zabere příprava, plnění a kontrola zadaných úkolů, které předměty vnímají žáci jako nejobtížnější, ale zjišťován byl i subjektivní pohled všech skupin respondentů na distanční výuku. Ukázalo se, že na sledované škole bylo díky technickému zajištění zapojení žáků kompletní. Problémem však byla míra jejich zapojení a celková aktivita v distanční výuce. Učitelé pro komunikaci se žáky i rodiči používali různé platfor­my a aplikace, což se pro dlouhodobější řešení distanční výuky jeví jako nevhodné. Jako další riziko pro úspěšnou realizaci distanční výuky se jednoznačně jeví absence metodické podpory pro rodiče žáků. Ačkoliv vzhledem k náhlosti situace spolupráce na dané škole probíhala téměř bez obtíží, realizovaná sonda odkrývá oblasti, na které by se mohl zaměřit další pedagogický výzkum.
Techno-Satyagraha
Authors: Allen Michael ,   Eastern Illinois University
Published: January 2021

Gandhi scholars agree that he was a critic of capitalism, if not capital or capitalists. Nevertheless, they disagree about his relationship to socialism. Some emphasize Gandhi’s claim that the modern Western canon of socialism is incompatible with the philosophy of nonviolence. Others emphasize his occasional affirmation that he is a socialist, regarding socialism as a beautiful ideal of equality. Gandhi moves back and forth between conditional endorsements of capitalists and socialism’s beautiful ideal. In this article, I ask why Gandhi never specifies any clear economic preference for the philosophy of nonviolence. Is he confused and incapable of reaching practical judgments about what nonviolence demands in terms of economics? I answer this question in two ways. First, I argue that passing back and forth over the partial and fallible viewpoints of capitalists and socialists of various stripes is consistent with Gandhi’s method of experiments in truth. The passing-over method extends from experiments in devotion to constructive experiments in economics, laying the foundation for integrating distinctively human life goals or puruṣārthas. Second, and perhaps more surprisingly, I consider the background to Gandhi’s use of this method as applied to economics in Kauṭilya’s classical Arthaśāstra. Scholars often characterize Kauṭilya as both a socialist and a realist. While establishing the world’s first welfare state, his Arthaśāstra is also tied deeply into the material-spiritual concerns of the puruṣārthas, combining economics with duty, earthly pleasure, and transcendence. In this latter respect, however, Kauṭilya’s realism concedes too much to the contextual realities of his time concerning imperial conquest and caste. Gandhi emerges from this inquiry as another kind of realist in his constructive experiments with diverse economic perspectives, equally attuned to the contextual realities of his age. Gandhi succeeded—where Kauṭilya failed—to integrate economics with the spiritual goals of the puruṣārthas. I contend that Gandhi’s back and forth method in economics provides contemporary Gandhians with a way to address new contextual realities of the digital or “gig” economy through techno-satyagraha.
De-Sign as a Destiny of Negation
Authors: Seif Farouk Y. ,   Semiotic Society of America
Published: January 2021

Boundaries and borders are undefined and ambiguous paradoxical phenomena, but there is a prevalent repudiation of their ephemerality and transitoriness. Crossing unaccustomed boundaries and traversing untried borders can be achieved by understanding the boundless scope of design and semiotics. Since the idea of design and the doctrine of signs are not restricted by either the humanities or sciences, De-sign (fusion of design and signs) is a boundaryless and transdisciplinary perspective that cannot tolerate cultural enclaves, social dogmas, and an insistence on absolute reality. Engaging in the de-sign process is a journey of negation through which human beings can traverse unfamiliar borders while maintaining their familiar boundaries. In negation, we experience paradoxical thinking and cognitive dissonance, which are associated with all antinomies intrinsic to De-sign. These antinomies can be endured by recognizing the audacity of design and the resilient role of signs. Negation goes beyond the perception of rigid borders and the acceptance of absolute boundaries, which frequently incite ethnocentrism and trigger xenophobia. The destiny of negation depends on a sense of wonder, awareness of epistemological fallibilism, and uncommon sense in order to persevere through contradictions between distinctiveness and sameness. Axiologically, where establishing boundaries can maintain identities, traversing borders can never diminish distinctiveness. Paradoxically, by delving into unfamiliar boundaries and crossing over untried borders, we discover ways to transform our own boundaries and reframe our conception of borders. Boundaries are more than barriers; the distances between them are bridges of invisible relations for thrivability and breakthrough insights.
No Consensus on Ella
Authors: Brehany John F. ,   The National Catholic Bioethics Center
Published: January 2021

When the FDA labeled ulipristal acetate (UPA; Ella is the product sold in the United States by HRA Pharma) an “emergency contraceptive,” Catholic and pro-life leaders criticized the decision, identified Ella as an abortifacient, and agreed it should not be used by Catholic institutions and providers.1 Ron Hamel, senior ethicist for the Catholic Health Association, shared this conclusion. In 2014, however, Hamel ended a review article by stating, “If, however, the consensus is correct, then there would seem to be sufficient moral certitude at this time to make use of UPA in Catholic hospitals.” Below I question whether a relevant consensus exists and argue that the scientific evidence militates against, rather than in favor of, use of UPA/Ella by Catholic providers.
Actual Human Persons Are Sexed, Unified Beings
Authors: Bedford Elliott Louis , Eberl Jason T. ,   The National Catholic Bioethics Center
Published: January 2021

Recently, Edward Furton commented on an article that we published in Health Care Ethics USA concerning the philosophical and theological anthropology informing the discussion of appropriate care for individuals with gender dysphoria and intersex conditions. We appreciate the opportunity to clarify the points we made in that article, particularly the metaphysical mechanics underlying our contention that, as part of a unified human person, the human rational soul is sexed. We hope this more in-depth metaphysical explanation shows that Furton’s concern, while valid insofar as our position may have needed clarifying, is nevertheless ill-founded with respect to our contention that actually existent human rational souls are sexed.
A Critique of “Gender Dysphoria” in DSM-5
Authors: Furton Edward J. ,   The National Catholic Bioethics Center
Published: January 2021

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is the guidebook for psychiatric practice in medicine. In the fifth edition (DSM-5), published in 2013, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) significantly revised the section on gender identity disorder, which it renamed gender dysphoria. In previous editions, the conviction that one’s sex did not match one’s gender was treated as a mental disorder in need of psychiatric treatment. In DSM-5, the remedy for that same conviction was changed to hormonal and surgical procedures to give the patient the appearance of the opposite sex. A complete reversal of this sort is surprising, as it implies that all previous guidance on this question was in error. The change is even more perplexing given that little evidence shows that hormonal or surgical interventions actually improve the psychological health of the sufferer.
The Ethics of New Age Medicine
Authors: Pacholczyk Tadeusz ,   The National Catholic Bioethics Center
Published: January 2021

Patients who face serious illnesses are sometimes attracted to alternative medicines, also referred to as “holistic,” “integrative” or “new age” medicines. These can include treatments like homeopathy, hypnosis, “energy therapies” like Reiki and acupuncture, and herbal remedies, among others. Some of the health improvements observed with alternative remedies may be due not only to the placebo effect but also to the added time, attention, and focused concern patients tend to receive from alternative practitioners compared to traditional physicians. This can translate into modified habits and changed lifestyles, leading to various health benefits.
Against Covert Moral Bioenhancement
Authors: Wilger Kevin ,   The National Catholic Bioethics Center
Published: January 2021

Moral bioenhancement is an area of bioethical and scientific research dedicated to altering or augmenting moral beliefs, will, and behavior through biomedical interventions. Small advances in the field have been made in recent years. Researchers have primarily focused on evaluating subjects’ moral behavior or beliefs after administering certain drugs or stimulating suspected regions of interest in the brain. Theoretical models indicate that the scope of such interventions can be increased only through covert moral bioenhancement. However, covert moral bioenhancement is illicit because it fails to respect the dignity of the patients through informed consent. These difficulties demonstrate the dangers of the utilitarian worldview that is rampant in modern society. Almost any action carried out on the human person can be justified on the basis of a weak moral calculus and an imagined good.
The Decline of Scientific Credibility
Authors: Smith Carr J. ,   The National Catholic Bioethics Center
Published: January 2021

There are several factors behind the decline of scientific credibility. First, electronic communication facilitates the dissemination of the ridiculous as well as the sublime. Second, the establishment after World War II of a large number of well-paid, government-funded scientific posts has increased the incentive for self- promotion. Third, as George Orwell noted, “in our age there is no such thing as ‘keeping out of politics.’” Fourth, the domination of relative truth in the softer, more subjective sciences is slowly creeping into the harder, supposedly more objective sciences. Lastly—this contributing factor will strike science supremacists as pejorative—the abolition of the classical liberal arts education has adversely affected abstract reasoning skills.
An Ethical Theory for the Care of Veterans
Authors: Oberdorf Margaret ,   The National Catholic Bioethics Center
Published: January 2021

The US Department of Veterans Affairs is charged with the care of our nation’s veterans. Given that the VA’s patients and employees are as diverse as the nation itself, an overarching ethical theory is needed to inform its bioethical decision making and guide it as an organization. Among the major ethical theories, natural law is the most consistent with the unique mission and moral obligation of the VA. Natural law provides a set of objective and universal principles which are accessible to veterans and employees alike. It would clarify acute bioethics issues at the individual level and also serve as a basis for sound organizational ethics. While implementation might prove challenging, ultimately this theory is the only rational approach for an organization like the VA because its standards are equally accessible to all.
Editing the Human Germline
Authors: Morgan Thomas ,   The National Catholic Bioethics Center
Published: January 2021

In 2015 Sarah Gray called on scientists and researchers to advance experimental germline therapy as the means to eradicate disease. Yet as compelling as Gray’s argument was, any effort to permanently edit the human germline would bring about fundamental and irreconcilable injustices. It may be highly beneficial to change genes and their regulatory activities in plants and animals, but the weight of scientific curiosity now favors applying this technology to humans. Some specialists argue that our accumulated knowledge should be exploited aggressively so that other precious children will be spared the brief, tortured life of Baby Boy Gray.
Brains, Machines, and the Persons in Between
Authors: Reilly Christopher M. ,   The National Catholic Bioethics Center
Published: January 2021

The ethical implications of brain–machine interface (BMI) are mind-boggling. Connecting a person’s brain to a computer or other machine and successfully transmitting thoughts and instructions bidirectionally has enormous potential for therapeutic applications in health care; but great harm can come from meddling with fragile human brains, succumbing to the temptations of cognitive enhancement, and exposing vulnerable individuals to the power relations formed among owners, generators, users, and sellers of what was once considered the private realm of human thoughts.
Morally Illicit Cells in Medical Research
Authors: Moy Alan B. ,   The National Catholic Bioethics Center
Published: January 2021

The Catholic Church missed an opportunity to be more proactive and change the course of secular biotechnology when unethical cell lines were first introduced several decades ago. No ethical alternative human cell lines to the HEK293, WI-38, and MRC-5 have been generally accepted by the scientific community. While some animal cell lines are used in creating safe alternative vaccines, no alternative human cell lines for producing vaccines, biologics, or gene therapy have met the scientific rigor of efficacy and safety of these cell lines. It is both possible and within reach to create ethical human cell lines to replace current morally objectionable lines used for producing biologics (proteins and vaccines), but it will take considerable research that requires financial support. Dignitas personae should be backed by leadership and supported by stakeholders.
Ten Harms of the “Equality” Act
Authors: Zalot Jozef ,   The National Catholic Bioethics Center
Published: January 2021

On May 17, 2019, the United States House of Representatives passed the Equality Act by a vote of 236 to 173. This bill is touted by supporters as a necessary measure to protect individuals from unjust discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Yet, when one reads the bill it very quickly becomes evident that it goes far beyond this stated claim. There are many harms that arise from the so-called Equality Act.
Deactivation of Pacemakers at the End of Life
Authors: Barker Virgil M. ,   The National Catholic Bioethics Center
Published: January 2021

The liceity of deactivating pacemakers and implantable cardio-defibrillators at the end of life has been considered only recently. The current discussion divides into two main camps: those who view deactivation as the moral equivalent of the withdrawal of other life-sustaining interventions, and those who hold deactivation as the equivalent of physician-assisted suicide. Some authors contend that similar to a transplanted organ, the pacemaker establishes an organic unity with the human body. Hence, its deactivation is equivalent to the removal or disabling of an organ. On the contrary, the relationship of a pacemaker to the human body is similar to other supportive mechanical devices. There are burdens associated with the presence of these devices. In the face of a terminal diagnosis, the deactivation of a cardio-pacemaker is morally similar to the withdrawal of other extraordinary measures currently accepted within the Catholic moral teachings.
The 'Future Internet' and crime: Towards a criminology of the Internet of Things
Authors: Milivojević Sanja , Radulski Elizabeth
Published: January 2021

The Internet of Things (IoT) is poised to revolutionise the way we live and communicate, and the manner in which we engage with our social and natural world. In the IoT, objects such as household items, vending machines and cars have the ability to sense and share data with other things, via wireless, Bluetooth, or Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) technology. "Smart things" have the capability to control their performance, as well as our experiences and decisions. In this exploratory paper, we overview recent developments in the IoT technology, and their relevance for criminology. Our aim is to partially fill the gap in the literature, by flagging emerging issues criminologists and social scientists ought to engage with in the future. The focus is exclusively on the IoT while other advances, such as facial recognition technology, are only lightly touched upon. This paper, thus, serves as a starting point in the conversation, as we invite scholars to join us in forecasting-if not preventing-the unwanted consequences of the "future Internet".
Turkish Language teacher candidates' perceptions of the concept of digital story: A metaphor study
Authors: Donmuş Kaya , Eroğlu Mehmet
Published: January 2021

The study aims to reveal Turkish Language teacher candidates' metaphorical perceptions of the concept of digital story. The study is phenomenological research, which is one of the qualitative research approaches. The study group consists of 68 Turkish Language teacher candidates studying at Firat University, Education Faculty, Department of Turkish Language Education in 2018-2019. The study uses a purposeful sampling method to determine the study group of the study. To determine the teacher candidates' metaphorical perceptions of the concept of the digital story, the study employs a metaphor questionnaire form developed by the researchers. The metaphors obtained are analyzed according to their reasons, and themes are created. As a result of the research, it is revealed that teacher candidates perceive digital stories as an instructional, mind-building, versatile, facilitating, entertaining, curious, relaxing, remarkable, and transparent tool. These results confirm that digital stories should be used in the training of Turkish Language teacher candidates, and other teacher candidates as well.
Contribution to defining integrity testing in police: Normative aspects
Authors: Marinković Darko
Published: January 2021

Integrity of an individual means their preparedness and capability to resist challenges which bring to the fore personal above general interests. From the aspect of work of civil servants who perform public authority, the integrity is in special relationship with corruption - the more integrity means less corruption and vice versa. As an investigative method, in the majority of cases integrity testing refers to police officers and it makes an integral part of a (new) methodology of suppressing corruption within their own ranks. In addition to revealing corruptive activities and testing legality of police officers' conduct, integrity testing can be used to assess the quality of use of police powers. Although integrity testing has been in use in comparative law for several decades, it was introduced into Serbian legislation in 2016, by adopting the Law on Police. Initially impotent legal regulations required fast amendment, which suggested that integrity testing concept had not been understood well in our country. The paper defines the purpose and essence of integrity testing as an investigative method, it determines various modalities of its application, it presents comparative regulations and analyses normative solutions in our country. Special attention is directed at internal and external aspects of application of integrity testing results, particularly their significance in criminal procedure.
Contrast effect and dispute resolution: An experimental study
Authors: Mojašević Aleksandar , Radulović Branko
Published: January 2021

The subject of this paper is the contrast effect in negotiations from the behavioral economics perspective. We conducted an experimental study using a "divorce litigation game" with complete information about payoffs aimed at testing whether participants are prone to context-dependent decisions. The sample was created by 100 law students from the Faculty of Law of the University of Niš. In a "between subjects" design 100 different participants were tested in the control and treatment group. The main finding is that there is a statistically significant difference between the two groups, thus confirming the presence of the contrast effect. The study opens the door to further real experiments with an emphasis on other subjects, such as lawyers, checking if they are so "rational"
Strengthening the role of the General Assembly in appointment of the Secretary General: Necessities and possibilities
Authors: Gordanić Jelica
Published: January 2021

The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. Due to the veto power of the permanent members, lack of transparency and the recommendation of only one candidate, the appointment of the Secretary-General is basically a decision of the Security Council. UN member states, civil society organizations and schoolars point out the need for a more active role of the General Assembly during the appointment of the Secretary-General. Formation of the ad hoc working group for the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly raised this problem to a higher level. Current procedure of appointment of the Secretary-General was reasonable at the time of the adoption of the UN Charter. The circumstances of the 21st century require different solutions. The paper aims to show the necessity and possibilities of strengthening the role of the General Assembly in the process of appointment of the Secretary-General and obstacles existing in this regard. The long-term activities of the ad hoc working group for the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly gave positive results in terms of more active role of the General Assembly during the appointment of the Secretary General in 2016. The paper aims to show that the results achieved by the ad hoc working group are not long-term efficient. The most effective solution for strengthening the role of the General Assembly in the appointment of the Secretary-General is the revision of the UN Charter.
Insured person and insured risk in liability insurance for damages caused by the influence on the environment
Authors: Marjanski Vladimir , Fišer-Šobot Sandra
Published: January 2021

Liability insurance for environmental damages has been existing in some European countries and in the United States for more than a hundred years. In the Republic of Serbia, however, this type of insurance is still quite underdeveloped. The subject matter of this paper is the analysis of, according to the authors' opinion, two most important issues of liability insurance for damages arising out of the harmful influence on the environment. The first question is who is capable of being an insured person in this type of insurance and the second one, what represents an insured risk and how it should be described when formulating an insurance policy. In the paper these two aspects have been analyzed according to the applicable laws of the Republic of Serbia, relevant international documents and general and specific terms and conditions of domestic and foreign insurance companies.