bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The ant genus Tetramorium Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Malagasy region—introduction, definition of species groups, and revision of the T. bicarinatum, T. obesum, T. sericeiventre and T. tosii species groups
Authors: GARCIA FRANCISCO HITA , FISHER BRIAN L.
Published: March 2019

The globally distributed ant genus Tetramorium Mayr is especially diverse in the Afrotropical, Oriental, and Indo-Australian regions, while the Malagasy fauna, by contrast, seemed to be comparatively species-poor. However, recent ant inventories in Madagascar and its surrounding island systems have generated an immense amount of new material. As a result, there is now a great need of an updated taxonomic revision for the genus Tetramorium in this region. The present study represents an introduction to the genus, and treats the species groups encountered in the Malagasy region. All former species groups were redefined, and several new groups were established, in order to accommodate the substantial amount of new material. We propose 14 species groups of Tetramorium for this region. Morphological boundaries between these groups and their biogeographic affinities are discussed, and an illustrated identification key to species groups is provided. Diagnoses of all species groups are presented, as well as images of typical group members. Additionally, the species level taxonomy of the T. bicarinatum, T. obesum, T. sericeiventre and T. tosii species groups is revised with descriptions and images of all species, and an identification key to the species of the T. bicarinatum group is provided. No nomenclatorial changes are documented from the T. bicarinatum, T. obesum, and T. tosii groups. However, within the T. sericeiventre species group, one new species, T. mahafaly sp. n., is described and T. quadrispinosum Emery, 1886 and all its former synonyms are proposed as junior synonyms of T. sericeiventre Emery, 1877. At present, there are still 39 valid species of Tetramorium for the Malagasy region, but this number is expected to increase significantly with upcoming taxonomic revisions of the species groups not revised in this study.
Saetheria Jackson from the Sino-Indian Region (Diptera: Chironomidae)
Authors: YAN CHUNCAI , SÆTHER OLE A. , WANG XINHUA
Published: March 2019

The two previously known Sino-Indian species of the genus Saetheria Jackson are reviewed. Three new species, S. glabra sp. n., S. digitata sp. n. and S. separata sp. n. are described and illustrated as males. The males of S. tylus (Townes) from Japan are re-examined. A key to known males of Saetheria is provided.
Lecithoceridae (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea) of New Guinea, Part IV: Genus Pectinimura Park with descriptions of four new species and four new combinations
Authors: PARK KYU-TEK
Published: March 2019

As the 4 th part in a series of papers on the family Lecithoceridae (Lepidoptera, Gelechioidea) of New Guinea, the genus Pectinimura Park is reviewed, describing P. singularis sp. nov., P. areola sp. nov., P. brahmanica sp. nov., and P. gilvicostata sp. nov. Four previously known species belonging to Lecithocera are transferred to Pectinimura: P. baryoma (Diakonoff), comb. nov., P. liberalis (Diakonoff), comb. nov., P. lutescens (Diakonoff), comb. nov., and P. rhabdostoma (Diakonoff), comb. nov. Adults, heads, labial palpi, and the male genitaia are illustrated. A worldwide catalogue of the genus is provided.
A new hyladelphine marsupial (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae) from cave deposits of northern Brazil
Authors: OLIVEIRA ÉDISON VICENTE , NOVA PATRICIA VILLA , GOIN FRANCISCO J. , AVILLA LEONARDO DOS SANTOS
Published: March 2019

Based on very small upper and lower molars recovered from the Quaternary limestone caves in the State of Tocantins, northern Brazil, we describe a new genus and species of a didelphimorphian marsupial. A phylogenetic analysis based on morphological + karyotypic data set recovered the new genus and species as the sister taxon to the living didelphid, Hyladelphys kalinowskii Voss, Lunde & Simons. The new taxon differs from the latter in having a slightly larger size, more inflated and blunt cusps, greater reduction in number and size of the stylar cusps, in the absence of an anterior cingulum, a deeper ectoflexus in M2, paracone and metacone subequal in M2, and narrower and eccentric protocones. The new marsupial probably weighed no more than 40 g and its molar morphology is suggestive of mixed, insectivorous-frugivorous feeding habits. Although we regard the fauna of Gruta dos Mouras cave as Pleistocene, we do not negate the possibility that a temporal mixing (“time-averaging”) of Pleistocene and Holocene specimens existed and that the newly described taxon is a living marsupial in the study area.
Description of the female of Eilica pomposa (Araneae, Gnaphosidae) with new records and notes on species distribution
Authors: Ott RICARDO , RODRIGUES EVERTON NEI LOPES
Published: March 2019

The genus Eilica Keyserling, 1891 is worldwide distributed including 28 species (Platnick, 2011). South American Eilica are represented by 10 species of which seven are known by more meridional distribution: E. amambay Platnick, 1985; E. maculipes (Vellard, 1925); E. modesta Keyserling, 1891 E. myrmecophila (Simon, 1903); E. pomposa Medan, 2001; E. trilineata (Mello-Leitão, 1941) and E. uniformis (Schiapelli & Gerschman, 1942). Eilica pomposa was described from Argentina based on only two known males collected around 1000 km apart from each other in a considered suspect wide distribution by Medan (2001:404). In this paper we describe and illustrate for the first time the female of E. pomposa and present notes on its natural history and distribution.
Geographical distribution of Discocyrtus prospicuus (Arachnida: Opiliones: Gonyleptidae): Is there a pattern?
Authors: ACOSTA LUIS E. , GUERRERO ELIÁN L.
Published: March 2019

The environmental constraints determining the distribution of the harvestman Discocyrtus prospicuus in Argentina and Uruguay are addressed. Habitat observations across the entire range (Río de la Plata-Atlantic coast area; Córdoba sierras; northwestern Argentina) are provided. Previous published localities (verified for accuracy), new records and bioclimatic predictors were used to characterize the species bioclimatic profile and to build predictive distributional models with BIOCLIM and MAXENT algorithms. Relative importance of each bioclimatic variable in the final models is assessed. It was determined that D. prospicuus is primarily a gallery forest dweller, with preferred climate temperate to temperate-cold; variables related to thermic uniformity rank among the most influential. Results consistently support the alleged yungasMesopotamian disjunction; but the link between the Río de la Plata and Córdoba sierras areas shows disagreement between methods (predicted continuous with BIOCLIM, separate with MAXENT). It is suggested that the need for constant air humidity (favored in the core area by its proximity to large rivers and the seacoast) and competitive exclusion with congener D. testudineus may represent additional limiting factors. Some observations on the species tolerance to human activity are also given.
A review of the genus Trischistoma Cobb, 1913 (Nematoda: Enoplida), with descriptions of four new species from New Zealand
Authors: ZHAO ZENG QI
Published: March 2019

Trischistoma contains four accepted species. In this paper four more new species are added to the genus. Morphologically, these four new species can be briefly characterized as follows: T. triregius sp. nov. by having a pair of lateral cervical setae; T. otaika sp. nov. by having a post-vulval uterine sac and a prominent dorsal tooth; T. waiotama sp. nov. by having a single ventromedian cervical seta; T. tukorehe sp. nov. by having two prominent dorsal teeth and long body length. Molecularly, T. triregius sp. nov., T. otaika sp. nov., T. waiotama sp. nov. and one published species, T. monohystera can be differentiated by SSU & LSU analysis. Among the four previously described species, the main distinguishing feature for T. pellucidum and T. gracile is the absence of a postvulval uterine sac, which differentiates them from T. monohystera, and T. equatoriale. All previously described species also can be differentiated by: body length and values of De Man’s Indices a, b, c, c’ and V. A key is provided for all eight species of the genus.
First record the genus Paterdecolyus of Anabropsinae (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae) from China
Authors: BIAN XUN , SHI FUMING
Published: March 2019

The orthopteran genus Paterdecolyus with one new species P. magnimaculatus sp. nov. is reported as a new record from China. All the type specimens are deposited in the Museum of Hebei University, Baoding, China.
Review of the genus Lomachaeta Mickel, 1936 (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) with new species and sex associations
Authors: WILLIAMS KEVIN A. , CAMBRA ROBERTO A. , BARTHOLOMAY PEDRO R. , LUZ DAVID R. , QUINTERO DIOMEDES A. , PITTS JAMES P.
Published: March 2019

New species and sex associations are proposed in the genus Lomachaeta Mickel, 1936. Six new species are described: Lomachaeta calamondin Williams, L. eironeia Williams, L. juanita Williams, L. meloi Williams, L. osita Williams, and L. warneri Williams. The previously unknown females of five species are described: L. beadugrimi (Pitts & Manley, 2004); L. chionothrix Pitts & Manley, 2004; L. hedera Williams & Pitts, 2009; L. hyphantria Pitts & Manley, 2004; and L. vacamuerta Williams & Pitts, 2009. The previously unknown male of L. vianai Casal, 1969 is described and L. megomicron Williams & Pitts, 2009 is placed as its synonym. Various new country and state records are presented. New keys and habitus pictures for all the 24 known species are provided.
Taxonomic status of the Australian dingo: the case for Canis dingo Meyer, 1793
Authors: SMITH BRADLEY P. , CAIRNS KYLIE M. , ADAMS JUSTIN W. , NEWSOME THOMAS M. , FILLIOS MELANIE , DÉAUX ELOÏSE C. , PARR WILLIAM C. H. , LETNIC MIKE , VAN EEDEN LILY M. , APPLEBY ROBERT G. , BRADSHAW COREY J. A. , SAVOLAINEN PETER , RITCHIE EUAN G. , NIMMO DALE G. , ARCHER-LEAN CLARE , GREENVILLE AARON C. , DICKMAN CHRISTOPHER R. , WATSON LYN , MOSEBY KATHERINE E. , DOHERTY TIM S. , WALLACH ARIAN D. , MORRANT DAMIAN S. , CROWTHER MATHEW S.
Published: March 2019

The taxonomic status and systematic nomenclature of the Australian dingo remain contentious, resulting in decades of inconsistent applications in the scientific literature and in policy. Prompted by a recent publication calling for dingoes to be considered taxonomically as domestic dogs (Jackson et al. 2017, Zootaxa 4317, 201-224), we review the issues of the taxonomy applied to canids, and summarise the main differences between dingoes and other canids. We conclude that (1) the Australian dingo is a geographically isolated (allopatric) species from all other Canis, and is genetically, phenotypically, ecologically, and behaviourally distinct; and (2) the dingo appears largely devoid of many of the signs of domestication, including surviving largely as a wild animal in Australia for millennia. The case of defining dingo taxonomy provides a quintessential example of the disagreements between species concepts (e.g., biological, phylogenetic, ecological, morphological). Applying the biological species concept sensu stricto to the dingo as suggested by Jackson et al. (2017) and consistently across the Canidae would lead to an aggregation of all Canis populations, implying for example that dogs and wolves are the same species. Such an aggregation would have substantial implications for taxonomic clarity, biological research, and wildlife conservation. Any changes to the current nomen of the dingo (currently Canis dingo Meyer, 1793), must therefore offer a strong, evidence-based argument in favour of it being recognised as a subspecies of Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758, or as Canis familiaris Linnaeus, 1758, and a successful application to the International Commission for Zoological Nomenclature - neither of which can be adequately supported. Although there are many species concepts, the sum of the evidence presented in this paper affirms the classification of the dingo as a distinct taxon, namely Canis dingo.
The Dogma of Dingoes—Taxonomic status of the dingo: A reply to Smith et al.
Authors: JACKSON STEPHEN M. , FLEMING PETER J.S. , ELDRIDGE MARK D.B. , INGLEBY SANDY , FLANNERY TIM , JOHNSON REBECCA N. , COOPER STEVEN J.B. , MITCHELL KIEREN J. , SOUILMI YASSINE , COOPER ALAN , WILSON DON E. , HELGEN KRISTOFER M.
Published: March 2019

Adopting the name Canis dingo for the Dingo to explicitly denote a species-level taxon separate from other canids was suggested by Crowther et al.  (2014) as a means to eliminate taxonomic instability and contention. However, Jackson et al.  (2017), using standard taxonomic and nomenclatural approaches and principles, called instead for continued use of the nomen C. familiaris for all domestic dogs and their derivatives, including the Dingo. (This name, C. familiaris, is applied to all dogs that derive from the domesticated version of the Gray Wolf, Canis lupus, based on nomenclatural convention.) The primary reasons for this call by Jackson et al.  (2017) were: (1) a lack of evidence to show that recognizing multiple species amongst the dog, including the Dingo and New Guinea Singing Dog, was necessary taxonomically, and (2) the principle of nomenclatural priority (the name familiaris Linnaeus, 1758, antedates dingo Meyer, 1793). Overwhelming current evidence from archaeology and genomics indicates that the Dingo is of recent origin in Australia and shares immediate ancestry with other domestic dogs as evidenced by patterns of genetic and morphological variation. Accordingly, for Smith et al.  (2019) to recognise Canis dingo as a distinct species, the onus was on them to overturn current interpretations of available archaeological, genomic, and morphological datasets and instead show that Dingoes have a deeply divergent evolutionary history that distinguishes them from other named forms of Canis (including C. lupus and its domesticated version, C. familiaris). A recent paper by Koepfli et al.  (2015) demonstrates exactly how this can be done in a compelling way within the genus Canis—by demonstrating deep evolutionary divergence between taxa, on the order of hundreds of thousands of years, using data from multiple genetic systems. Smith et al.  (2019) have not done this; instead they have misrepresented the content and conclusions of Jackson et al.  (2017), and contributed extraneous arguments that are not relevant to taxonomic decisions. Here we dissect Smith et al.  (2019), identifying misrepresentations, to show that ecological, behavioural and morphological evidence is insufficient to recognise Dingoes as a separate species from other domestic dogs. We reiterate: the correct binomial name for the taxon derived from Gray Wolves (C. lupus) by passive and active domestication, including Dingoes and other domestic dogs, is Canis familiaris. We are strongly sympathetic to arguments about the historical, ecological, cultural, or other significance of the Dingo, but these are issues that will have to be considered outside of the more narrow scope of taxonomy and nomenclature.
Modeling the Transient Response of Tropical Convection to Mesoscale SST Variations
Authors: Skyllingstad Eric D. , de Szoeke Simon P. , O’Neill Larry W.
Published: March 2019

A cloud-resolving model coupled to a mixed layer ocean with an initial 500-km-wide, +3-K sea surface temperature (SST) patch is used to demonstrate the relationship between tropical mesoscale SST gradients and convection under different wind speeds. On these scales, boundary layer convergence toward hydrostatic low surface pressure is partially responsible for triggering convection, but convection subsequently organizes into cells and squall lines that propagate away from the patch. For strong wind (12 m s−1), enhanced convection is shifted downstream from the patch and consists of relatively small cells that are enhanced from increased moist static energy (MSE) flux over the patch. Convection for weak wind (6 m s−1) develops directly over the patch, merging in larger-scale coherent squall-line systems that propagate away from the patch. Squall lines decay after approximately 1 day, and convection redevelops over the patch region after 2 days. Decreasing patch SST from ocean mixing in the coupled simulations affects the overall strength of the convection, but does not qualitatively alter the convective behavior in comparison with cases with a fixed 3-K SST anomaly. In all cases, increased fluxes of heat and moisture, along with latent heating from shallow convection, initially generate lower pressure over the patch and convergence of the boundary layer winds. Within about 1 day, secondary convective circulations, such as surface cold pools, act to spread the effects of the convection over the model domain and overwhelm the effect of low pressure. SST anomalies (1 and 0.5 K) generate enhanced convection only for winds below 6 m s−1.
Decadal Variations of the East Asian Summer Monsoon Forced by the 11-Year Insolation Cycle
Authors: Jin Chunhan , Liu Jian , Wang Bin , Yan Mi , Ning Liang
Published: March 2019

Statistical evidence suggests that solar activity may affect the atmospheric circulation over East Asia (EA), but the way in which the 11-yr solar radiation cycle affects the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) remains unexplained. Based on one control experiment and four solar-only forcing experiments performed during the Community Earth System Model–Last Millennium Ensemble (CESM-LME) model project, we explore the potential impacts of the 11-yr solar cycle on EASM variability and the physical processes through which solar forcing influences EASM decadal variability. The model results show that the warm season [May–September (MJJAS)] mean precipitation over EA exhibits significant decadal variation with a “northern wet–southern dry” pattern during peak years in the strong 11-yr solar cycle epoch (AD 900–1285), which is in contrast to the absence of decadal signals during the weak 11-yr solar cycle epoch (AD 1400–1535). For the four-member ensemble averaged solar-only forcing experiment, the summer mean precipitation over northern EA is significantly correlated with the solar forcing (r = 0.414, n = 68, p < 0.05) on a decadal time scale during the strong cycle epoch, whereas there is no statistical link between the EASM and solar activity during the weak cycle epoch (r = 0.002, n = 24). A strong, 11-yr solar cycle is also shown to excite an anomalous sea surface temperature (SST) pattern that resembles a cool Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) phase, which has a significant 11-yr periodicity. The associated anomalous North Pacific anticyclone dominates the entire extratropical North Pacific and enhances the southerly monsoon over EA, which results in abundant rainfall over northern EA. We argue that the 11-yr solar cycle affects the EASM decadal variation through excitation of a coupled decadal mode in the Asia–North Pacific region.
Evaluation of Gridded and In Situ Precipitation Datasets on Modeled Glacio-Hydrologic Response of a Small Glacierized Himalayan Catchment
Authors: Mimeau Louise , Esteves Michel , Jacobi Hans-Werner , Zin Isabella
Published: March 2019

Reliable precipitation data in the Himalayas are essential for the study of the water resources, the evolution of glaciers, and the present and future climate. Although several types of precipitation datasets are available for the Himalayan region, all of them have limitations, which hamper the quantification of the precipitation fluxes at high elevations. This study compares different types of precipitation datasets issued from (i) in situ data, (ii) satellite-based data [TRMM, Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation with Station Data (CHIRPS)], and (iii) a reanalysis product [High Asia Refined analysis (HAR)] for a small headwater catchment at high elevations (Upper Dudh Koshi, Nepal) and assesses the impact of the precipitation uncertainty on the result of the modeling of the glacio-hydrological system. During the analyzed period from 2010 to 2015, large differences between the precipitation datasets occur regarding annual amounts (ranging from 410 to 1190 mm yr−1) as well as in seasonal and diurnal cycles. The simulations with the glacio-hydrological model Distributed Hydrological Soil Vegetation Model–Glaciers Dynamics Model (DHSVM-GDM) show that the choice of a given precipitation dataset greatly impacts the simulated snow cover dynamics and glacier mass balances as well as the annual, seasonal, and diurnal streamflows. Due to the uncertainty in the precipitation, the simulated contribution of the ice melt to the annual outflow also remains uncertain and simulated fractions range from 29% to 76% for the 2012–13 glaciological year.
Improvement of Mountain-Wave Turbulence Forecasts in NOAA’s Rapid Refresh (RAP) Model with the Hybrid Vertical Coordinate System
Authors: Kim Jung-Hoon , Sharman Robert D. , Benjamin Stanley G. , Brown John M. , Park Sang-Hun , Klemp Joseph B.
Published: March 2019

Spurious mountain-wave features have been reported as false alarms of light-or-stronger numerical weather prediction (NWP)-based cruise level turbulence forecasts especially over the western mountainous region of North America. To reduce this problem, a hybrid sigma–pressure vertical coordinate system was implemented in NOAA’s operational Rapid Refresh model, version 4 (RAPv4), which has been running in parallel with the conventional terrain-following coordinate system of RAP version 3 (RAPv3). Direct comparison of vertical velocity |w| fields from the RAPv4 and RAPv3 models shows that the new RAPv4 model significantly reduces small-scale spurious vertical velocities induced by the conventional terrain-following coordinate system in the RAPv3. For aircraft-scale turbulence forecasts, |w| and |w|/Richardson number (|w|/Ri) derived from both the RAPv4 and RAPv3 models are converted into energy dissipation rate (EDR) estimates. Then, those EDR-scaled indices are evaluated using more than 1.2 million in situ EDR turbulence reports from commercial aircraft for 4 months (September–December 2017). Scores of the area under receiver operating characteristic curves for the |w|- and |w|/Ri-based EDR forecasts from the RAPv4 are 0.69 and 0.83, which is statistically significantly improved over the RAPv3 of 0.63 and 0.77, respectively. The new RAPv4 became operational on 12 July 2018 and provides better guidance for operational turbulence forecasting over North America.
Validated liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry method for simultaneous quantitation of tolvaptan and its five major metabolites in human plasma
Authors: Hoshikawa Kohei , Naito Takafumi , Saotome Masao , Maekawa Yuichiro , Kawakami Junichi
Published: March 2019

Background

Tolvaptan is converted to major metabolites including three monohydroxylates (DM-4110, DM-4111 and DM-4119), an oxidate (MOP-21826) and a carboxylate (DM-4103) in humans. This study developed a simultaneous quantitative method for tolvaptan and its five major metabolites in human plasma using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry.

Methods

Deproteinized plasma specimens using acetonitrile were separated using a 3- μm particle size octadecylsilyl column with 250 mm length and a simple linear gradient program at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min with a total run time of 15 min. This method was applied to the determination of plasma samples collected from 20 heart failure patients treated with 3.75–15 mg tolvaptan.

Results

No interfering peak was found in drug-free plasma specimens. The calibration curves of tolvaptan, DM-4110, DM-4111, DM-4119, MOP-21826 and DM-4103 were linear over the concentration ranges of 3.125–1000, 0.3125–100, 1.25–400, 0.625–200, 0.125–40 and 31.25–10,000 ng/mL, respectively. Their pretreatment recovery rates and matrix factors were 94.1–113.9% and 86.9–108.0%, respectively. The intra- and inter-day accuracies and imprecisions were 91.6–106.5% and 0.9–10.9%, respectively, for all analytes. The plasma concentration ranges of tolvaptan, DM-4110, DM-4111, DM-4119, MOP-21826 and DM-4103 were 9.37–280, 1.91–16.3, 3.43–88.9, 1.43–10.4, 0.160–1.01 and 40.2–1471 ng/mL, respectively, in heart failure patients.

Conclusions

This validated method with acceptable analytical performance can be utilized for evaluating the pharmacokinetics of oral tolvaptan, including the determination of its major metabolites, in heart failure patients.
Long-Term Economic Distress, Cultural Backlash, and Support for Brexit
Authors: Carreras Miguel , Irepoglu Carreras Yasemin , Bowler Shaun
Published: March 2019

Economic and cultural factors are often presented as alternative explanations of Brexit. Most studies have failed to recognize the interplay between contextual economic factors and individual attitudes such as nativism and Euroscepticism. We argue that both economic and cultural factors matter to explain the outcome of the referendum. Economic factors are critical because they shape cultural attitudes. British citizens who live in economically depressed and declining districts are more likely to develop anti-immigrant and Eurosceptic views. These cultural grievances, in turn, explain support for Brexit. Using both aggregate economic and electoral data at the local level (380 districts) and data from the 7th wave of the British Election Study 2014-2017 panel, we find strong support for our argument that cultural grievances mediate the effect of long-term economic decline on support for Brexit. Our results have important policy implications, and suggest targeted economic policies are necessary to protect the “losers of globalization.”
Social Mobility and Democratic Attitudes: Evidence From Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Houle Christian , Miller Michael K.
Published: March 2019

How does intergenerational social mobility affect support for democracy? Although a large literature examines how personal income and inequality influence regime change and democratic attitudes, there has been little work on social mobility. We employ individual level data from the Afrobarometer and Latinobarometer, covering 33 democracies and nondemocracies, to provide the first analysis of how personal experiences of intergenerational mobility influence support for democracy. We find that mobility predicts democratic attitudes, even controlling for education and current economic situation. We also show that the effect does not run through preferences for redistribution. We instead propose two alternative mechanisms. First, individuals living in democracies credit (or blame) the regime when they experience mobility. Second, upward mobility transforms a range of values, such as personal autonomy and trust, that render individuals more supportive of democracy. Our results present a warning for democracies facing steadily declining social mobility, including the United States.
Gender Dimensions of (Non)Violence in Communal Conflict: The Case of Jos, Nigeria
Authors: Krause Jana
Published: March 2019

Peacebuilding is more likely to succeed in countries with higher levels of gender equality, but few studies have examined the link between subnational gender relations and local peace and, more generally, peacebuilding after communal conflict. This article addresses this gap. I examine gender relations and (non)violence in ethno-religious conflict in the city of Jos in central Nigeria. Jos and its rural surroundings have repeatedly suffered communal clashes that have killed thousands, sometimes within only days. Drawing on qualitative data collected during fieldwork, I analyze the gender dimensions of violence, nonviolence, and postviolence prevention. I argue that civilian agency is gendered. Gender relations and distinct notions of masculinity can facilitate or constrain people’s mobilization for fighting. Hence, a nuanced understanding of the gender dimensions of (non)violence has important implications for conflict prevention and local peacebuilding.
The Partisan Path to Democracy: Argentina in Comparative Perspective
Authors: Madrid Raúl L.
Published: March 2019

What leads to the initial emergence of democracy? Many studies view democratization as the product of a class struggle over economic redistribution, pitting the landed elites against the masses or the bourgeoisie. This article, by contrast, argues that the initial emergence of democracy in South America stemmed from a struggle between elite parties or factions that pursued (or opposed) democratic reform to gain (or maintain) political power. Democratization occurred when a split within the ruling party or coalition led dissident factions to side with the opposition and push through reforms that expanded the franchise and leveled the electoral playing field. I explore these arguments by examining the origins of democracy in four Latin American countries: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Uruguay. Historical process tracing and a quantitative analysis of the vote on a key democratic reform measure in Argentina in 1912 provide support for these arguments.
The Mass Political Economy of Capital Controls
Authors: Steinberg David A. , Nelson Stephen C.
Published: March 2019

This article examines mass public opinion toward international financial-market regulations, known as “capital controls.” Conventional wisdom maintains that most voters do not pay attention to or care about capital controls, but no previous studies have directly evaluated this claim. We argue that capital controls are likely to become a publicly salient issue under some conditions—specifically, when economically unstable countries reimpose regulations on capital outflows. Original data from two surveys fielded in Argentina support this argument. We show that most citizens are knowledgeable about capital controls, many consider it an important issue, individuals’ preferences reflect their economic self-interest, and attitudes toward capital controls influenced vote choice in a presidential election. These results, along with illustrative evidence from four other cases, indicate that ostensibly complex policy issues such as international financial regulation can become electorally salient under some conditions.
Analysis of the Influence of Standard Time Variability on the Reliability of the Simulation of Assembly Operations in Manufacturing Systems
Authors: Machado Rafaela Heloisa Carvalho , Helleno André Luis , de Oliveira Maria Célia , Santos Mário Sérgio Corrêa dos , Dias Renan Meireles da Costa
Published: March 2019

Objective:

The aim of this article is to analyze the influence of the variability of the standard time in the simulation of the assembly operations of manufacturing systems.

Background:

Discrete event simulation (DES) has been used to provide efficient analysis during the design of a process or scenario. However, the modeling activities of new configurations face the problem of data availability and reliability when it comes to seeking standard times that are effective in representing the actual process under analysis, especially when the process cannot be monitored.

Method:

The methods-time measurement (MTM) is used as a source of standard times for simulation. Assembly activities were performed at a Learning Factory facility, which provided the necessary structure for simulating real production processes. Simulation performances using different variability of standard times were analyzed to define the impact of data characteristics.

Results:

The MTM standard time presented an error of approximately 5%. The definition of the data variability of standard times and the statistical distribution impacts were shown in the simulation results, with errors above 6% being observed, interfering with the model reliability.

Conclusion:

Based on the study, to increase the adherence of a simulation to represent a real process, it is recommended to use triangular distributions with central values greater than those established via the MTM for the representation of the standard times of new assembly processes or scenarios using DES.

Application:

The study contributions can be applied in assembly line design, providing a reliable model representing real processes and scenarios.
Joining together theory and practice in the classroom for electrical engineering undergraduates: The large-scale portable laboratory
Authors: Llovera-Segovia P , Fuster-Roig V , Quijano-López A , Vilaplana R
Published: March 2019

Teaching electrical engineering requires a combination of theoretical and practical lessons to acquire knowledge and develop skills. However, in general, laboratory sessions are conducted separately from theoretical lessons for practical reasons. We shall describe a proposal to bridge the gap between theoretical explanation or exercises and practical application in a laboratory: the large-scale portable laboratory. This temporary laboratory can be set up and then collected again in a conventional classroom in just a few minutes. By using safe voltages and currents it allows us to illustrate and immediately apply theoretical concepts or to discover some phenomena, which can then be explained theoretically. It is a tool to connect experimental observations and theoretical explanations during student learning. This laboratory has some physical limitations and does not replace practical sessions in an electrical engineering laboratory. A full session with this laboratory will be described and the results obtained will subsequently be presented. As a result, student involvement dramatically increases. It provided good results in learning and helped the electric laboratory sessions. Some difficulties such as preparation time and time spent during the session are also discussed.
The 1970s and 2008: Theorizing Benchmark Dates for Today’s Decentred Global Order
Authors: Terhalle Maximilian
Published: March 2019

Many Western and non-Western scholars consider the 2008 financial crisis a fundamental caesura, precipitating a decentred globalism. However, they have neither conceptualized the foundations of the dynamics that developed before this caesura nor have they theorized the amalgamating process which ultimately merged the hitherto overlooked and the formerly predominant Western forces and actors. Addressing this deficit, this article presents two innovations. First, it re-conceptualizes the 1970s by integrating two macro-developments: China’s deviation from patterns of the former Third World’s development and the thickening of liberal politico-economic institutions. Their relationship was complementary, but independent, since heterogeneous purposes drove these strands. Neither was disrupted by the end of bipolarity. Thereby, this article offers the first narrative of the years 1970–2008, viewing them as the incubation period of both strands’ simultaneous development before their fusion in ‘decentred globalism’. Consequently, the 1970s supersede International Relations (IR’s) hegemonic benchmark date of 1989–1991. Second, the article accounts for the merging of macro-developments. It argues that, despite regularities, international social life is characterized by heterogeneous purposes derived from different social contexts, reflecting an environment that operates in multidirectional ways. Large trends in the environment, such as those of the 1970s, may coincide at contingent points in time (e.g., 2008). Based on comprehensive reviews of distinct literatures, these two innovations emerge as the key building blocks for the development of a theory of benchmark dates for a ‘decentred’ global order.
W. E. B. Du Bois: Ethiopia and Pan-Africanism
Authors: Rose Wayne A.
Published: March 2019

This article examines Du Bois’s interactions with Ethiopian government representatives who were sent to America during the first half of the 20th century, and identifies numerous ways in which Du Bois provided direct and indirect support to Ethiopia and Ethiopian causes. Previous works in this genre emphasize Du Bois’s vast and varied contributions to Pan-Africanism and African American political and social thinking. However, this essay adds new information to existing narratives on Du Bois’s Pan-African focus by unearthing his specific focus and contributions to Ethiopia. Ultimately, the findings reveal the extent of Du Bois’s contributions to Ethiopia and debunk some old myths regarding his Pan-African agenda.
Opioids, (Non)-medical Marijuana, and the Cult of the Body
Authors: Schimmoeller Ethan
Published: March 2019

Ohio’s first medical marijuana dispensaries will open in the fall of 2018, so physicians, then, must decide whether they will participate. But is medical marijuana really medical? No, at best, it is an unproven botanical. Medicine today is progressively moving away from traditional understandings of health according to formal and final causation and toward wellness as an expanding, subjective ideal. Whereas patients are healthy if the doctor says so, patients are well if they say so. Pitched as a wellness product, cannabis presents itself as an existential palliative, part of an imminent cult of the body. Consequently, people often use cannabis to escape reality according to a new age mythos. Physicians can play their part by choosing not to certify for “medical” marijuana and seek to rediscover the body as more than mere dead matter in motion rather than insulating ourselves from the difficult questions of suffering, meaning, and purpose.

Despite state-level legality, medical marijuana is not medical. Rather, it is often touted as part of a cult of the body to escape suffering and death.
IEAB’s 2015 Book of Common Prayer: The Latest Chapter in the Evolution of the Book of Common Prayer in Brazil
Authors: Coelho Luiz
Published: March 2019

This article provides a first look at the 2015 Book of Common Prayer produced by the Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil (in English, Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil). This is the newest Book of Common Prayer published by an Anglican province, featuring some aspects that go beyond what has been done in terms of liturgical revision around the Anglican Communion, and suggesting some further steps that other provinces and churches might take, as they assimilate better the principles of the Liturgical Movement. It is a fully gender-neutral worship book, with expansive language to address the Divine, and a considerable amount of liturgies that deal with local customs. It also features prayers that address themes such as gender equality, environmental preservation and social justice for minorities.
Ritual Systems, Ritualized Bodies, and the Laws of Liturgical Development
Authors: Belcher Kimberly Hope
Published: March 2019

The “laws” of comparative liturgical development (Baumstark, Taft) are derived from pre-modern liturgical texts and the findings of early biology and linguistics. Yet Christian liturgy is not an organically evolving species; it is a ritual system, a cultural, political, self-regulating, self-reproducing set of rites that are used to interpret and correct one another. Focusing on the reception of new practices by practiced communities, a performance theory approach spotlights the systemic interrelationships of rites and the ritual habitus of human bodies. A ritual system makes particular meanings seem natural, permitting some new liturgical developments, impeding others. Ritualized bodies constrain rapid changes, while the entrance of bodies ritualized in a different system changes the environment, leading some to attempt to reinforce the status quo. Technologies for passing on liturgies are developed and used when a crisis demands change or imperils valued practice. Accounting for differences in liturgical recording, early and medieval liturgical reception may inform our understanding of the colonial expansion of liturgy, when technologies for transmitting liturgical rites were brought to bear on bodies ritualized in indigenous systems of the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Performative evidence from the colonial context may in turn help interpret ambiguous sources from earlier periods.
The Risk of Liturgical Mercy
Authors: Turnbloom David Farina , Smith Valerie
Published: March 2019

Liturgical mercy is the practice of refusing to exclude from eucharistic sharing those considered to be sinners. This essay argues that liturgical mercy is a practice that is (1) needed for the ongoing conversion of Christian communities while (2) simultaneously posing a risk that threatens the communion of Christian communities. By overcoming the biases that cause communities to exclude sinners, the practice of liturgical mercy facilitates the bodily encounters that are necessary for the self-transcendence of conversion. However, these encounters also threaten the identity of the community. As such, there is an unavoidable risk inherent in liturgical mercy. In the end, sustained by the theological virtue of hope, Christian communities must engage in the risk of liturgical mercy.
Another Look at the “Daily Office” in the Apostolic Tradition
Authors: Chase Nathan
Published: March 2019

The daily prayer practices outlined in the Apostolic Tradition, their origins, and even the number of prayer hours, have been points of dispute among scholars. However, new sources of the Apostolic Tradition, as well as work on lay ascetical movement in Egypt, call for the reevaluation of this document, its dating, provenance, and interpretation. This article argues that the Apostolic Tradition is a composite document, whose daily prayer cycle in its current form has been shaped by a third- or fourth-century lay ascetical movement in Egypt. The document appears to outline prayer at rising, followed by a communal service of catechesis and prayer, prayer at the third, sixth, and ninth hours, as well as prayer at bed and in the middle of the night. Given the difficulties in interpreting the document it is unlikely that the document, or at least the daily prayer practices outlined in it, were celebrated as written.
Liturgies in a Plural Age: The Concept of Liturgy in the Works of William T. Cavanaugh and James K. A. Smith
Authors: Portin Fredrik
Published: March 2019

In the article the political theologians William T. Cavanaugh’s and James K. A. Smith’s understanding of liturgy is analyzed and compared. In an effort to engage with public life from the perspective of theology, they both develop an understanding of liturgy that does not restrict it to a practice within a Christian context. Instead, they argue that liturgies are practices that also are observable within secular contexts. From this analysis, two understandings of liturgy are highlighted: liturgy as resistance and liturgy as dialogue. In conclusion, the article discusses what implications these understandings of liturgy have for the Church when confronting a contemporary pluralistic public context.
Zoning, density, and rising housing prices: A case study in Portland, Oregon
Authors: Dong Hongwei , Hansz J Andy
Published: March 2019

This study uses path analysis models to evaluate the associations between zoning, development density and the sales prices of new and existing single-family homes at the dwelling-unit level in Portland, Oregon. Development density is associated with the sales prices of single-family homes directly by determining land costs and indirectly by correlating with the size and construction costs of structures. A prominent trend in Portland’s and the nation’s real estate markets is that new single-family homes are getting bigger. Another trend is that single-family homes have been built on smaller lots despite their growing floor areas. Because developers tend to build smaller homes on smaller lots, the decline of lot sizes helps to contain the effect of growing home size on housing prices. However, the counter effect of smaller lot sizes is somewhat weak because home sizes have a stronger association with housing prices than lot sizes. Homebuyers in Portland are willing to pay a premium to live in neighbourhoods with higher densities, which further limits the potential of higher density development as a tool to reduce single-family home costs. In addition to its indirect associations with home prices via the determination of lot and home sizes, zoning exhibits a significant and direct association with the prices of existing single-family homes, but not with the sales prices of new single-family homes. Existing single-family homes in higher density zones tend to sell at lower prices, ceteris paribus, suggesting that the concern of future neighbourhood change prevails over the opportunity for redevelopment.
Promoting Student Success in Statistics Courses by Tapping Diverse Cognitive Abilities
Authors: Miller Erin Morris
Published: March 2019

Skill in statistical analysis and interpretation are key areas of expertise for psychology majors seeking graduate school admittance and future employment. However, students can be reluctant to engage in their statistics course and may struggle to find success. One possible way to increase engagement and student learning is to teach in a way that taps multiple areas of cognitive ability through organizing instruction according to Robert Sternberg’s theory of triarchic intelligence. This approach to instruction has been shown to be successful in the author’s courses and resulted in a pattern of achievement on the psychology subtest of the Area Concentration Achievement Test (ACAT) that is above what would be predicted by the students’ general aptitude scores.
Classroom-Based Motivational Interviewing for Improving College Students’ Academic Performance: A Randomized Trial
Authors: Strait Gerald G. , Williams Christopher , Peters Christopher
Published: March 2019

In this study, we used a randomized control trial ( N = 84) to evaluate the effects of a classroom-based motivational interviewing intervention on undergraduate psychology students’ test performance. Results indicated that students in the treatment group ( n = 38) demonstrated significant increases in their exam grades following the intervention ( d = .34). However, these changes were not significantly different from students in a control group ( n = 43) who received a handout on study tips.
The lost worlds of royal commissions in the NHS: The unaccountable in pursuit of the unanswerable?
Authors: Powell Martin
Published: March 2019

There have been recent calls for a royal commission (RC) on the British National Health Service (NHS). This article focuses on the impact of RCs and similar advisory bodies, particularly on finance recommendations, of three inquiries with broad remits across the whole of the NHS from very different periods: Guillebaud (1956); Royal Commission on the National Health Service (1979); and House of Lords Select Committee on the Long-term Sustainability of the NHS (2017). These inquiries appear to have had rather limited impacts, especially on NHS funding. First, there appears to be some hesitancy in suggesting precise figures for NHS expenditure. Second, the reports are advisory, and governments can ignore their conclusions. Third, governments have ignored their conclusions. In the 1950s and the 1980s, contrary to the recommendations of the inquiries, NHS expenditure subsequently grew only slowly, and charges were increased. In short, asking an independent RC to provide answers on NHS expenditure is perhaps the unaccountable in pursuit of the unanswerable.
A Sequential Higher Order Latent Structural Model for Hierarchical Attributes in Cognitive Diagnostic Assessments
Authors: Zhan Peida , Ma Wenchao , Jiao Hong , Ding Shuliang
Published: March 2019

The higher-order structure and attribute hierarchical structure are two popular approaches to defining the latent attribute space in cognitive diagnosis models. However, to our knowledge, it is still impossible to integrate them to accommodate the higher-order latent trait and hierarchical attributes simultaneously. To address this issue, this article proposed a sequential higher-order latent structural model (LSM) by incorporating various hierarchical structures into a higher-order latent structure. The feasibility of the proposed higher-order LSM was examined using simulated data. Results indicated that, in conjunction with the deterministic-inputs, noisy “and” gate model, the sequential higher-order LSM produced considerable improvement in person classification accuracy compared with the conventional higher-order LSM, when a certain attribute hierarchy existed. An empirical example was presented as well to illustrate the application of the proposed LSM.