bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A simple multi-stable chaotic jerk system with two saddle-foci equilibrium points: analysis, synchronization via backstepping technique and MultiSim circuit design
Authors: Sambas Aceng , Vaidyanathan Sundarapandian , Moroz Irene M. , Idowu Babatunde , Mohamed Mohamad Afendee , Mamat Mustafa , Sanjaya W. S. Mada
Published: April 2021

This paper announces a new three-dimensional chaotic jerk system with two saddle-focus equilibrium points and gives a dynamic analysis of the properties of the jerk system such as Lyapunov exponents, phase portraits, Kaplan-Yorke dimension and equilibrium points. By modifying the Genesio-Tesi jerk dynamics (1992), a new jerk system is derived in this research study. The new jerk model is equipped with multistability and dissipative chaos with two saddle-foci equilibrium points. By invoking backstepping technique, new results for synchronizing chaos between the proposed jerk models are successfully yielded. MultiSim software is used to implement a circuit model for the new jerk dynamics. A good qualitative agreement has been shown between the MATLAB simulations of the theoretical chaotic jerk model and the MultiSIM results
A novel 4 dimensional hyperchaotic system with its control, Synchronization and Implementation
Authors: Jasim Basil H. , Mjily Anwer Hammadi , AL-Aaragee Anwer Mossa Jassim
Published: April 2021

This paper presents a new hyperchaotic system which shows some interesting features, the system is 4-dimensional with 4 nonlinearities. An extensive numerical analysis has showed that the system has some interesting features and strange behaviors. The numerical analysis includes studying the effect of system parameters and initial conditions. Some of the important properties of the system with parameter set, in which the system is hyperchaotic, such as Lyapunov exponents and Lyapunov dimension, dissipation and symmetry are found and discussed. In the next part of our work, a tracking controller for the proposed system is designed and then a synchronization control system for two identical systems is designed. The design procedure uses combination of a simple synergetic control with adaptive updating laws to identify the unknown parameters derived basing on Lyapunov theorem. Hardware implementation based on microcontroller unit (MCU) board is proposed and tested and used to experimentally validate the designed control and synchronization systems. As an application, the designed synchronization system is used as a secure analogue communication system. Using MATLAB, Simulation study for the control and synchronization systems is presented. The simulation and experimental study have been showed excellent results.
Smart element aware gate controller for intelligent wheeled robot navigation
Authors: Shiltagh Al-Jamali Nadia Adnan , Abdullah Mahmood Z.
Published: April 2021

The directing of a wheeled robot in an unknown moving environment with physical barriers is a difficult proposition. In particular, having an optimal or near-optimal path that avoids obstacles is a major challenge. In this paper, a modified neuro-controller mechanism is proposed for controlling the movement of an indoor mobile robot. The proposed mechanism is based on the design of a modified Elman neural network (MENN) with an effective element aware gate (MEEG) as the neuro-controller. This controller is updated to overcome the rigid and dynamic barriers in the indoor area. The proposed controller is implemented with a mobile robot known as Khepera IV in a practical manner. The practical results demonstrate that the proposed mechanism is very efficient in terms of providing shortest distance to reach the goal with maximum velocity as compared with the MENN. Specifically, the MEEG is better than MENN in minimizing the error rate by 58.33%.
Lane marking detection using simple encode decode deep learning technique: SegNet
Authors: Al Mamun A. , Em P. P. , Hossen J.
Published: April 2021

In recent times, many innocent people are suffering from sudden death for the sake of unwanted road accidents, which also riveting a lot of financial properties. The researchers have deployed advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) in which a large number of automated features have been incorporated in the modern vehicles to overcome human mortality as well as financial loss, and lane markings detection is one of them. Many computer vision techniques and intricate image processing approaches have been used for detecting the lane markings by utilizing the handcrafted with highly specialized features. However, the systems have become more challenging due to the computational complexity, overfitting, less accuracy, and incapability to cope up with the intricate environmental conditions. Therefore, this research paper proposed a simple encode-decode deep learning model to detect lane markings under the distinct environmental condition with lower computational complexity. The model is based on SegNet architecture for improving the performance of the existing researches, which is trained by the lane marking dataset containing different complex environment conditions like rain, cloud, low light, curve roads. The model has successfully achieved 96.38% accuracy, 0.0311 false positive, 0.0201 false negative, 0.960 F1 score with a loss of only 1.45%, less overfitting and 428 ms per step that outstripped some of the existing researches. It is expected that this research will bring a significant contribution to the field lane marking detection.
Small intestine bleeding detection using color threshold and morphological operation in WCE images
Authors: Al Mamun A. , Hossain M. S. , Em P. P. , Tahabilder A. , Sultana R. , Islam M. A.
Published: April 2021

Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) is a significant modern technique for observing the whole gastroenterological tract to diagnose various diseases like bleeding, ulcer, tumor, Crohn's disease, polyps etc in a non-invasive manner. However, it will make a substantial onus for physicians like human oversight errors with time consumption for manual checking of a vast amount of image frames. These problems motivate the researchers to employ a computer-aided system to classify the particular information from the image frames. Therefore, a computer-aided system based on the color threshold and morphological operation has been proposed in this research to recognize specified bleeding images from the WCE. Besides, A unique classifier, quadratic support vector machine (QSVM) has been employed for classifying the bleeding and non-bleeding images with the statistical feature vector in HSV color space. After extensive experiments on clinical data, 95.8% accuracy, 95% sensitivity, 97% specificity, 80% precision, 99% negative predicted value and 85% F1 score has been achieved, which outperforms some of the existing methods in this regard. It is expected that this methodology would bring a significant contribution to the WCE technology. 
Prediction of nodes mobility in 3-D space
Authors: Al-Hattab Mohammad , Hamada Nuha
Published: April 2021

Recently, mobility prediction researches attracted increasing interests, especially for mobile networks where nodes are free to move in the three-dimensional space. Accurate mobility prediction leads to an efficient data delivery for real time applications and enables the network to plan for future tasks such as route planning and data transmission in an adequate time and a suitable space. In this paper, we proposed, tested and validated an algorithm that predicts the future mobility of mobile networks in three-dimensional space. The prediction technique uses polynomial regression to model the spatial relation of a set of points along the mobile node’s path and then provides a time-space mapping for each of the three components of the node’s location coordinates along the trajectory of the node. The proposed algorithm was tested and validated in MATLAB simulation platform using real and computer generated location data. The algorithm achieved an accurate mobility prediction with minimal error and provides promising results for many applications.
Characterizing user behavior in online social networks: Analysis of the regular use of Facebook
Authors: Idrais Jaafar , El Moudene Yassine , Sabour Abderrahim
Published: April 2021

The analysis of user behaviour in online social networks (OSNs) is one of the important research interests related to human-computer interactions. OSNs gives a large space to share news with no limits around the world and allows user to benefit from properties of this interactive and dynamic system. The study of user behaviour on a social and popular platform characterized by the use of new technologies requires to understand and the analysis of collective behaviour on Facebook. This paper aims to analyse the usage patterns in OSNs using the visible interactions of Facebook, by studying the time of activity and the evolution of human behaviour through a process of detection of visible and non-volatile interactions. In the first step, we perform a data collection process based on breadth first search algorithm (BFS) and semi-supervised crawler agent. In the second step, we build an interaction quantification process to measure users’ activities and analysis related time series. The study of the frequency of periodic use has shown that the communities monitored follow a weekly rhythm that decreases over time to reach a frequency of daily use, which reflects a stability of activities and a case of dependency of use.
IoT-based air quality monitoring systems for smart cities: A systematic mapping study
Authors: Munera Danny , Tobon V. Diana P. , Aguirre Johnny , Gomez Natalia Gaviria
Published: April 2021

The increased level of air pollution in big cities has become a major concern for several organizations and authorities because of the risk it represents to human health. In this context, the technology has become a very useful tool in the contamination monitoring and the possible mitigation of its impact. Particularly, there are different proposals using the internet of things (IoT) paradigm that use interconnected sensors in order to measure different pollutants. In this paper, we develop a systematic mapping study defined by a five-step methodology to identify and analyze the research status in terms of IoT-based air pollution monitoring systems for smart cities. The study includes 55 proposals, some of which have been implemented in a real environment. We analyze and compare these proposals in terms of different parameters defined in the mapping and highlight some challenges for air quality monitoring systems implementation into the smart city context.
Environment humidity and temperature prediction in agriculture using Mamdani inference systems
Authors: Velandia Julio Barón , Capera Quintana Jonathan Steven , Vanegas Ayala Sebastian Camilo
Published: April 2021

This paper presents the results of a humidity and temperature prediction model in the environment for agriculture, using diffuse sets and optimizing their parameters by heuristic methods, such as genetic algorithms, and exact methods such as Quasi-Newton. It has been identified that non-specialized users could have difficulties in understanding the system dynamics and the behavior of variables over time. The aim of this research is obtain models with a high level of interpretability and accuracy that allows predicting the temperature and humidity values for the environment. The use of fuzzy logic to present a solution has great advantages as this system is highly rated for interpretability. Furthermore, by relating the obtained values for environment humidity and temperature to qualitative categories as high, medium or low, it allows non-specialized users to have a better understanding of the system dynamics. Two optimization techniques are applied to two different diffuse sets that allow the prediction of the humidity and temperature. It is found that the best implementation involves a Mamdani fuzzy inference system optimized with Quasi-Newton algorithm that uses a set of initial values attained through a previous optimization process with a genetic algorithm.
Optimization techniques on fuzzy inference systems to detect Xanthomonas campestris disease
Authors: Velandia Julio Barón , Rocha Calderón Camilo Enrique , Leal Lara Daniel David
Published: April 2021

This paper shows the outcomes for four optimization models based on fuzzy inference systems, intervened using Quasi-Newton and genetic algorithms, to early assess bean plants’ leaves for Xanthomonas campestris disease. The assessment on the status of the plant (sane or ill) is defined through the intensity of the color in the RGB scale for the data-sets and images to analyze the implementation of the models. The best model performance is 99.68% when compared with the training data and a 94% effectiveness rate on the detection of Xanthomonas campestris in a bean leave image. Therefore, these results would allow farmers to take early measures to reduce the impact of the disease on the look and performance of green bean crops.
Oversampling technique in student performance classification from engineering course
Authors: Rachburee Nachirat , Punlumjeak Wattana
Published: April 2021

The first year of an engineering student was important to take proper academic planning. All subjects in the first year were essential for an engineering basis. Student performance prediction helped academics improve their performance better. Students checked performance by themselves. If they were aware that their performance are low, then they could make some improvement for their better performance. This research focused on combining the oversampling minority class data with various kinds of classifier models. Oversampling techniques were SMOTE, Borderline-SMOTE, SVMSMOTE, and ADASYN and four classifiers were applied using MLP, gradient boosting, AdaBoost and random forest in this research. The results represented that Borderline-SMOTE gave the best result for minority class prediction with several classifiers.
Online handwriting Arabic recognition system using k-nearest neighbors classifier and DCT features
Authors: Abuzaraida Mustafa Ali , Elmehrek Mohammed , Elsomadi Esam
Published: April 2021

With advances in machine learning techniques, handwriting recognition systems have gained a great deal of importance. Lately, the increasing popularity of handheld computers, digital notebooks, and smartphones give the field of online handwriting recognition more interest. In this paper, we propose an enhanced method for the recognition of Arabic handwriting words using a directions-based segmentation technique and discrete cosine transform (DCT) coefficients as structural features. The main contribution of this research was combining a total of 18 structural features which were extracted by DCT coefficients and using the k-nearest neighbors (KNN) classifier to classify the segmented characters based on the extracted features. A dataset is used to validate the proposed method consisting of 2500 words in total. The obtained average 99.10% accuracy in recognition of handwritten characters shows that the proposed approach, through its multiple phases, is efficient in separating, distinguishing, and classifying Arabic handwritten characters using the KNN classifier. The availability of an online dataset of Arabic handwriting words is the main issue in this field. However, the dataset used will be available for research via the website.
Cyber physical systems: A smart city perspective
Authors: Khan Firoz , Kumar R. Lakshmana , Kadry Seifedine , Nam Yunyoung , Meqdad Maytham N.
Published: April 2021

Cyber-physical system (CPS) is a terminology used to describe multiple systems of existing infrastructure and manufacturing system that combines computing technologies (cyber space) into the physical space to integrate human interaction. This paper does a literature review of the work related to CPS in terms of its importance in today’s world. Further, this paper also looks at the importance of CPS and its relationship with internet of things (IoT). CPS is a very broad area and is used in variety of fields and some of these major fields are evaluated. Additionally, the implementation of CPS and IoT is major enabler for smart cities and various examples of such implementation in the context of Dubai and UAE are researched. Finally, security issues related to CPS in general are also reviewed.
Elementos-traço em águas superficiais e tecnossolos como geoindicadores de mudanças ambientais antropogênicas em sistema fluvial da Baixada Fluminense
Authors: Rodrigues Niriele Bruno , Vieira Flávia de Almeida , Mendes Laura Delgado
Published: April 2021

Nas últimas décadas, as intervenções antrópicas têm alterado o ciclo dos processos naturais que ocorrem na superfície terrestre, com impactos que configuram o meio físico. O objetivo da pesquisa foi identificar e analisar geoindicadores (geoquímicos) de mudanças ambientais antropogênicas nos compartimentos ambientais (água e sedimentos) na bacia hidrográfica do rio Botas. A metodologia foi baseada na seleção de cinco pontos no perfil longitudinal do rio e análises laboratoriais (sedimento de leito e planície e água) para determinação dos elementos-traço: Cr, Cu, Ni, Cd, Pb e Zn.  Os resultados indicaram a poluição da água e sedimentos pelos elementos Cr, Cu, Pb e Zn, com base nos valores de referência da National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (BUCHMAN, 2008) e CONAMA (2005). Observou-se uma variabilidade de 0,1 a 1,5 (Cr), 0 a 0,2 (Pb) e 0 a 0,2 (Zn) para água (mg/l); em sedimentos de leito (mg/kg) de 5,8 a 42,2 (Cr),  2,7 a 12,4 (Pb), 1,3 a 15 (Cu) e 22,9 a 69 (Zn); e, para sedimentos de planície (mg/kg) obteve-se a variação de 5,2 a 24,6 (Cr), 2 a 36,5 (Pb), 5,7 a 17,3 (Cu) e 20 a 242,2 (Zn), com indicação de aumento gradativo em direção à jusante do rio. Considera-se que os pontos poluídos têm interferência de esgoto industrial e doméstico in natura, associados aos diversos usos e cobertura da terra, que corroboram com o aumento de elementos-traço. Tais resultados indicam a degradação antropogênica em sistema fluvial associado ao longo histórico de degradação ambiental.
100 anos de "Orpheu"
Authors: Moisés Carlos Felipe
Published: April 2021

Transcrição de fala no evento "100 Orpheu - Congresso Internacional 2015"
Depoimento sobre a experiência de leitura e crítica dos poetas de "Orpheu"
Authors: Lourenço Eduardo
Published: April 2021

Transcrição de fala no evento "100 Orpheu - Congresso Internacional 2015"
Repeated Mechanical Endovascular Thrombectomy for Recurrent Large Vessel Occlusion: A Multicenter Experience
Authors: Mohamed Ghada A. , Aboul Nour Hassan , Nogueira Raul G. , Mohammaden Mahmoud H. , Haussen Diogo C. , Al-Bayati Alhamza R. , Nguyen Thanh N. , Abdalkader Mohamad , Kaliaev Artem , Ma Alice , Fifi Johanna , Morey Jacob , Yavagal Dileep R. , Saini Vasu , Ortega-Gutierrez Santiago , Farooqui Mudassir , Zevallos Cynthia B. , Quispe-Orozco Darko , Schultz Lonni , Kole Maximilian , Miller Daniel , Mayer Stephan A. , Marin Horia , Bou Chebl Alex
Published: April 2021

Background and Purpose:

Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is now the standard of care for large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke. However, little is known about the frequency and outcomes of repeat MT (rMT) for patients with recurrent LVO.

Methods:

This is a retrospective multicenter cohort of patients who underwent rMT at 6 tertiary institutions in the United States between March 2016 and March 2020. Procedural, imaging, and outcome data were evaluated. Outcome at discharge was evaluated using the modified Rankin Scale.

Results:

Of 3059 patients treated with MT during the study period, 56 (1.8%) underwent at least 1 rMT. Fifty-four (96%) patients were analyzed; median age was 64 years. The median time interval between index MT and rMT was 2 days; 35 of 54 patients (65%) experienced recurrent LVO during the index hospitalization. The mechanism of stroke was cardioembolism in 30 patients (56%), intracranial atherosclerosis in 4 patients (7%), extracranial atherosclerosis in 2 patients (4%), and other causes in 18 patients (33%). A final TICI recanalization score of 2b or 3 was achieved in all 54 patients during index MT (100%) and in 51 of 54 patients (94%) during rMT. Thirty-two of 54 patients (59%) experienced recurrent LVO of a previously treated artery, mostly the pretreated left MCA (23 patients, 73%). Fifty of the 54 patients (93%) had a documented discharge modified Rankin Scale after rMT: 15 (30%) had minimal or no disability (modified Rankin Scale score ≤2), 25 (50%) had moderate to severe disability (modified Rankin Scale score 3–5), and 10 (20%) died.

Conclusions:

Almost 2% of patients treated with MT experience recurrent LVO, usually of a previously treated artery during the same hospitalization. Repeat MT seems to be safe and effective for attaining vessel recanalization, and good outcome can be expected in 30% of patients.
A Pragmatic Act Analysis of English Postproverbials on Twitter
Authors: Okhuosi Ronke Eunice
Published: April 2021

Postproverbiality, the novel perspective to studying proverbs, has focused mainly on the radical revision of African proverbs. However, this phenomenon is not only found in African proverbs, but also in many other languages as already suggested in literature. Therefore, this study investigates postproverbiality in English proverbs as used on social media, particularly Twitter. Twitter is especially known for people’s display of radical ideologies, opinions, and idiosyncrasies; therefore, it serves as a useful source for such radical revision of English proverbs. The analysis was done using Jacob Mey’s (2001) Pragmatic Acts as theoretical framework. The data was purposively gathered using five standard English proverbs to search for postproverbial versions; a total of thirty postproverbials were discovered on Twitter. The analysis revealed ten practs and allopracts which include affirming, insisting, informing, counselling, warning, instructing, and encouraging. These were projected through contextual features of shared situational knowledge, voicing, inference, metaphor, and socio-cultural knowledge. The interaction among the textual and contextual features and the allopracts shows that cultures and occurrences in public affairs affect such cultural indices as proverbs and language use and this interaction increases through the internet and social networks which link the world into a global community.
A Phenomenology of Selected Postproverbial Poetry of Jack Mapanje
Authors: ’Dunmade ’Femi
Published: April 2021

Studies on Jack Mapanje’s poetry are largely postcolonial and on the poet’s use of Malawian lore but hardly on his use of proverbs. Yet Mapanje deploys proverbs sufficiently in his poetry for the deployment to merit study. Therefore, this study examines the deployment of the umbilical-cordage-of-peculiar-hounds proverb in selected poems from Mapanje’s Skipping Without Ropes. It adopts phenomenology. The choice of the theory is to allow the critic to move with aplomb between the four selected poems in a resolute hunt for the essence of the proverb in the poetry. The study reveals that Mapanje ruptures the original meaning of the proverb which is about choice and thirst to see the wonder and beauty of creation as cause to travel to a distant land but deploys it to treat flight from barbarous tyranny. The poetry describes state abuse of dissenters, peine forte er dure, imprisonment and death, and threats to life as cause enough to flee one’s country. The rhetorical transformation of the proverb in semantic terms makes the idiom behind the poetry postproverbial. The study also advances Mapanje’s penchant for “rhetoric of animality”, ritual aesthetics and pit-death symbolism and recommends that Mapanje’s deployment of proverb in other poetry merits further study.
Assessing Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices in Relation to the Integration of Grammar and Reading in Foreign Language Teaching in Secondary Schools in Ethiopia
Authors: Chali Gemechis T. , Mouvet Kimberley , Taverniers Miriam
Published: April 2021

Studies have suggested that teachers’ beliefs have a significant influence in language teaching (e.g., Williams and Burden, 1997), i.e. that teachers’ beliefs will significantly influence their teaching practice. This study examines teachers’ beliefs and practices in relation to the integration of grammar and reading in foreign language teaching. A qualitative research design with Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and observation data gathering tools was employed. The study revealed that teachers hold positive beliefs on teaching grammar and reading in an integrated way, but their beliefs were not reflected in the classroom. The key finding of this paper was that teachers strongly believed in the usefulness of the integration of grammar and reading, but there were difficulties to reflect it in practice. This paper suggests that an alternative technique should be developed on discrete ways of teaching to allow teachers to practise their beliefs either on the existing text or through adapting the textbook. The findings of the study may have important implications for EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers and practitioners.
Smoking Chills? Tobacco Regulatory Chill, Foreign Investment, and the NCD Crisis in the Post-Soviet Space: A Case Study from Ukraine
Authors: Vytiaganets Oleksandra
Published: April 2021

This article engages with the ongoing debate on regulatory chill in the context of the international investment regime. By analyzing trends in tobacco legislation and delineating empirical findings on policymaking, it examines the hypothesis that international investment agreements affect tobacco control legislation and lead to regulatory chill in Ukraine. The article finds no direct evidence of a causal linkage between the State’s investment treaty commitments and the level of tobacco regulatory standards. Instead, it argues that the regulatory deterrence is likely to be attributed to other determinants, including strong tobacco lobby, the State’s dependency on foreign direct investment and related capital flight concerns. In addition, it observes similar dynamics in relation to the pharmaceutical and food industries.
In the Shadow of Muslim-Christian Relations: A Critical Analytical Study to the Narration of the Pact of ʿUmar
Authors: Abu-Munshar Maher Y.
Published: April 2021

Christian-Muslim relations suffered a deep shock in the recent past and are still going through a difficult phase. This has created a significant dilemma for both sides in two ways: the first is the emergence of individuals and groups among Muslims who have adopted violence towards non-Muslims. The second is the rise of hatred against Islam and Muslims in Western societies. As Muslims, we can assume part of the responsibility that a large part of the reaction against Islam and Muslims is due to the behaviour of some Muslims who continue to misuse and misinterpret some of the Qurʾānic verses, prophetic traditions and historical narratives to justify their actions, including the so-called Pact of ʿUmar. This document has been attributed to Caliph ʿUmar Ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (d. 644 CE), and contained a large number of unusual conditions, rules and penalties that did not match the line of treaties which Muslims used to issue to conquered cities. The problem appears to be that, during some periods of Islamic history and now, Muslim authorities treated non-Muslims in a biased way under the pretext of implementing this document. This paper will critically analyse the Pact of ʿUmar to evaluate its validity.
Postmodernity, the Paradigm and the Pre-Eminence of Christ
Authors: Tennent Timothy C.
Published: April 2021

Christian presentations of the relationship between Christ and other religions are typically articulated through Alan Race’s 1982 paradigm of pluralism, inclusivism and exclusivism. While there have been a number of nuances and adjustments made to that proposal, especially by Paul Knitter, the majority of Evangelicals would continue to advocate an ‘exclusivist’ position. Nevertheless, greater awareness of the implications of postmodernism encourages a more robust approach that embraces a Trinitarian context, the centrality of the Bible, the missio dei and a catholic appreciation of the whole church.
The Authority of the Bible as a Hermeneutical Issue
Authors: Porter Stanley E.
Published: April 2021

This paper examines the issue of authority of the Bible not as an interpretive issue but as a hermeneutical issue. Many of the difficulties concerning this important topic have been made more complex and perhaps even insoluble because the issue of hermeneutics has not entered into the discussion as it should. I first address the major problems with the traditional realistic view of the authority of the Bible, I then discuss the issue of hermeneutics and interpretation more fully, and, finally, I discuss some recent developments in biblical studies in light of the distinctions that I am making, to see if they are adequate interpretive models consistent with the hermeneutical view of scriptural authority that I am advocating.
Cleopatra: New Insights for the Interpretation of Revelation 17
Authors: Valentine Kendra Haloviak
Published: April 2021

The Whore of Babylon as a graphic scriptural image stirs the imaginations of contemporary readers and preachers of the New Testament Apocalypse. But how does one explain the dissonance between the book’s depiction of a powerful female prostitute living in luxury and the utter vulnerability of prostitutes at the time the book was written? The disconnect raises questions concerning the purpose and implications of such imagery. What aspects of culture, recent history or personal experience might the writer have drawn upon? This paper suggests important new connections to the figure of Cleopatra as an interpretive key. The Ptolemaic queen of Egypt, remembered as both leader and legend, provided important cultural memory behind the imagery used by the author of the book of Revelation. The power, threat and ultimate demise of Cleopatra made the imagery of the whore of Babylon particularly gripping at the end of the first century.
We are Babylon: Transforming Postcolonial Crocodile Tears into Collective Repentance
Authors: Robbins Anna
Published: April 2021

In contemporary church practice, much has been made of the motif of ‘exile’ as a description of the situation of the missional church in contemporary culture. In this lecture, the author suggests that rather than being in cultural exile, Western Christians have become so accommodated to their culture that not only are they not in exile, but they have participated in the exile of others. The significance of a collective moral understanding is highlighted, and suggestions made for a posture of collective repentance that empowers responsive action through privileging the ‘other’.
C. S. Lewis and Penal Substitution: A Problem Case for New Calvinist Theology
Authors: Anderson Trevor
Published: April 2021

I examine the general goodwill that the New Calvinist movement feels toward C. S. Lewis, and identify what I see as an anomaly in it. I argue that New Calvinists have good reason, based on their theology, to reject C. S. Lewis as an evangelical Christian on account of his doctrine of the atonement, and that their justification for not doing so is unsatisfactory. I engage the work of John Piper and Douglas Wilson as representatives of the movement, and show that in attempting to justify Lewis they misrepresent his beliefs. However, I then argue that they are nevertheless right in their insight that Lewis is ‘someone special’ who must be a Christian regardless of his problematic beliefs. Rather than engage in attempts to justify and explain away these important theological differences, I suggest that New Calvinists should think of them as anomalies which can be used to critically examine their own theology.
Paul, the Gift, and Jesus; or What Happened to the Jesus Tradition?
Authors: Gempf Conrad
Published: April 2021

In his book, Paul and the Gift, John Barclay has demonstrated that Paul’s ideas about χάρις—Gift/Grace—are based on ancient understandings of gift. There are various facets of giftness, and Paul might differ from our preconceptions in that for him, 1) gifts are not ‘without strings’ but define relationships and involve social obligations; and Paul particularly emphasises 2) incongruity between giver and recipient, 3) superabundance of the gift, and 4) priority—that is, the gift is given before the obliged responses. Looking at the Parable of the Ungrateful Servant, this paper discusses the way that all four of these are emphases in Jesus’s teaching as well (despite the lack of the umbrella term of Gift/Grace) and suggests that Paul will have received these ideas from the Jesus tradition.
Sola Scriptura in Africa: Missions and the Reformation Literacy Tradition
Authors: van Dyck Steven
Published: April 2021

This theoretical reflection addresses issues arising in the history of world Christianity, in particular regarding mission churches in Africa since the nineteenth century. The article first evaluates the development of oral, manuscript and print communication cultures in western culture, and their influence since the first century in the Church. Modernity could only develop in a print culture, creating the cultural environment for the Reformation. Sola Scriptura theology, as in Calvin and Luther, considered the written Word of God essential for the Church’s life. The role of literacy throughout Church history is reviewed, in particular in the modern mission movement in Africa and the growing African church, to show the importance of literacy in developing a strong church. In conclusion, spiritual growth of churches in the Reformation tradition requires recognition of the primacy of print culture over orality, and the importance of a culture of reading and study.
The Evangelical Sensibility of the Benedict Option
Authors: Clark James
Published: April 2021

Since the publication of Rod Dreher’s The Benedict Option, commentators have scrutinized his claim that the Western church is undergoing an existential crisis. Many doubt that the state of Western Christianity is as dire as Dreher thinks. But the more important question is, even if Dreher’s warnings of a crisis are inaccurate, what reason do we have for not adopting his suggested practices? This essay attempts to show that the Benedict Option, rather than being a retreat from the world as is commonly believed, is consonant with evangelicalism’s emphasis on mission and outreach. Specifically, it is an attempt to live out the parable of salt and light by grounding people in Christian distinctiveness so that their light to the world can shine truly.
The book of Psalms as bridge-building between Christians and Muslims
Authors: Sadiq Yousaf
Published: April 2021

This article focuses on the significance of biblical Psalms in bridging the gap between Christians and Muslims. The intertextuality, style, themes and characterization of God in the Psalms show similarities in the Qur’an and Islamic traditions which make the biblical Psalms unique in creating opportunities for inter-faith dialogue.
Augustine’s Conversion in his Confessions 8: Some Disputed Issues
Authors: Mills D. Forrest
Published: April 2021

In his Confessions 7, Augustine of Hippo explained how he came to accept some biblical presuppositions via Neoplatonic literature. Confessions 9 ends with Augustine’s baptism and the death of his mother, who had prayed much for his salvation. Between these two events, Confessions 8 focuses upon Augustine’s inability to turn his will towards God in his own power. While Augustine’s Confessions 8 remains the most cited section in his Confessions, it also has generated a lot of debate. For example, some scholars claim the book portrays Augustine’s conversion, while others say it narrates his call to celibacy and the monastic life. Some scholars have even denied the famous garden scene occurred, claiming Augustine invented the tale for rhetorical purposes. This article looks closely at the various debates that have arisen over Confessions 8, ultimately arguing that Confessions 8 narrates Augustine’s conversion, when God turned Augustine’s affections completely towards him.
Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies as important boundary forcing in driving the interannual Warm Arctic-Cold Continent pattern over the North American sector
Authors: Guan Weina , Jiang Xianan , Ren Xuejuan , Chen Gang , Ding Qinghua
Published: April 2021

The leading interannual mode of winter surface air temperature over the North American (NA) sector, characterized by a “Warm Arctic, Cold Continents” (WACC) pattern, exerts pronounced influences on NA weather and climate, while its underlying mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, the relative roles of surface boundary forcing versus internal atmospheric processes for the formation of the WACC pattern are quantitatively investigated using a combined analysis of observations and large-ensemble atmospheric global climate model simulations. Internal atmospheric variability is found to play an important role in shaping the year-to-year WACC variability, contributing to about half of the total variance. An anomalous SST pattern resembling the North Pacific Mode is identified as a major surface boundary forcing pattern in driving the interannual WACC variability over the NA sector, with a minor contribution from sea ice variability over the Chukchi- Bering Seas. Findings from this study not only lead to improved understanding of underlying physics regulating the interannual WACC variability, but also provide important guidance for improved modeling and prediction of regional climate variability over NA and the Arctic region.
Eddy-induced Heat Transport in the South China Sea
Authors: Ding Ruibin , Xuan Jiliang , Zhang Tao , Zhou Lei , Zhou Feng , Meng Qicheng , Kang In-Sik
Published: April 2021

Eddy-induced heat transport (EHT) in the South China Sea (SCS) is important for the heat budget. However, knowledge of its variability is limited owing to discrepancies arising from the limitation of the down-gradient method and uncertainties arising from numerical models. Herein, we investigated the spatiotemporal variability and dynamics of EHT using a well-validated assimilated model. In particular, to the southeast of Vietnam (SEV) and west of Luzon Strait (WLS), significant values of annual mean EHT are observed and most EHT is confined in the upper 400 m. EHT also exhibits significant seasonality, and the largest EHT amplitude in autumn at SEV is mainly driven by the wind stress curl, while that in winter at WLS is mainly related to the Kuroshio intrusion. Energy budget analysis reveals that both the barotropic and baroclinic instabilities increase the eddy kinetic energy in autumn at SEV, whereas only the barotropic instability contributes to the eddy kinetic energy at WLS in winter. Specially, an up-gradient EHT is observed at WLS in all four seasons, characterized by the same directions between EHT and mean temperature gradient. The up-gradient EHT at WLS is induced by the baroclinic instability through an inverse energy transfer, which is generated by the interaction between the Kuroshio intrusion and topography below the surface layer. Moreover, the most significant up-gradient EHT in winter shows a wave-like southwestward propagating pattern in the subsurface layer.
Gender differences in child and adolescent daily activities: A cross-national time use study
Authors: Gracia Pablo , Garcia-Roman Joan , Oinas Tomi , Anttila Timo
Published: April 2021

This study used 2009–2015 time-diary data to examine gender differences in daily activities among children and adolescents aged 10–17 in Finland, Spain and the UK ( N = 3517). In all three countries, boys were significantly more involved in screen-based activities and exercising and girls in domestic work, non-screen educational activities and personal care. Gender differences in socializing time were only significant in the UK, with girls socializing more than boys. Gender gaps within countries were largest in domestic work (UK: 60%; Finland: 58%; Spain: 48%) and exercising (UK: 57%; Finland: 36%; Spain: 27%), followed by educational time (UK: 35%; Finland: 34%; Spain: 18%) and screen-based activities (UK: 31%; Finland: 16%; Spain: 16%), and lower in personal care (UK: 27%; Finland: 21%; Spain: 14%) and socializing (UK; 21%; Finland: 13%; Spain: 6%). Two-way country-gender interactions in children’s activities were statistically significant when comparing Spain and the UK on screen-based activities, socializing, and personal care, with larger gender gaps in the UK than in Spain. By contrast, gender differences in child time use between Finland and either Spain or UK were not statistically significant. The complex role of national contexts and life-course stages in shaping gendered time-use patterns is discussed.
Information Processing and Technical Knowledge Contribute to Self-Controlled Video Feedback for Children Learning the Snatch Movement in Weightlifting
Authors: Souissi Mohamed Abdelkader , Souissi Hichem , Elghoul Yousri , Masmoudi Liwa , Trabelsi Omar , Ammar Achraf , Chtourou Hamdi , Souissi Nizar
Published: April 2021

Our aim in this study was to examine, via technical performance analysis and speed of execution, whether information processing and technical knowledge help explain learning benefits of self-controlled video feedback in children’s weightlifting performance. We randomized 24 children (aged 10 to 12 years) into self-controlled (SC) and yoked (YK) feedback groups. Learners underwent test sessions one week before (pre-test) and one day after (post-test) six weightlifting training sessions. During each test session, we recorded kinematic parameters of snatch performance using Kinovea version 0.8.15 software. After the learning sessions, the SC group improved on most kinematic parameters (e.g., the horizontal displacement of the bar between the first and the second pulls [ MDXV = 25.42%, SD = 18.96, p = 0.003) and the maximum height reached by the bar ( MHMV = 5.51%, SD = 7.71, p < 0.05)], while the YK group improved only on the DxV ( MDXV = 19.08%, SD = 24.68, p < 0.05). In addition, the SC group showed a more advanced phase of cognitive processing compared to the YK group, and the SC group showed a superior improvement in their technical knowledge level ( p < 0.001) compared to the YK group ( p < 0.05). Thus, key elements to correcting motor errors in children’s weightlifting through self-controlled feedback were improvements in information processing and technical knowledge.
Foreign-Born Population Growth, Negative Outgroup Contact, and Americans’ Attitudes Towards Legal and Unauthorized Immigration
Authors: Laurence James , Kim Harris Hyun-soo
Published: April 2021

Individual attitudes towards immigration are powerfully driven by ethnic context, that is, size of foreign-born population. We advance the literature by examining how the change (growth) in foreign-born population, in addition to its size (level), is related to two distinct outcomes: natives’ views on legal and unauthorized immigration. By analysing a probability US sample, we find that an increase in the state-level immigration population is positively related to Americans’ approval of a policy aimed at containing the flow of undocumented immigrants. The proportion of immigrants in a state, however, is not a significant predictor of support for such restrictive policy. With respect to legal immigration, neither the amount of recent change in, nor the size of, the immigration population matters. Our study provides strong evidence for contextual effects: net of compositional factors, a dynamic change in foreign-born population has an independent impact on how Americans view unauthorized, but not legal, immigration.
The ‘indie unions’ and the UK labour movement: Towards a community of practice
Authors: Smith Holly
Published: April 2021

This article draws on the concept of communities of practice (COP) in order to illuminate the phenomenon of ‘indie unions’ and their contribution to the UK labour movement. These unions are typically regarded as distinct from, and perhaps in opposition to, existing labour movement institutions, and thus exempt from consideration in debates about union renewal. The argument offered here aims to show that by conceptualising the UK labour movement as COP, and the indie unions as community members, they can be considered key actors in union renewal. Through case studies of different union campaigns in the outsourced cleaning sector, this article demonstrates how the indie unions’ strategies are being learned and practised by the established unions, thus situating them as an intrinsic part of a stratified yet solidaristic labour movement with the potential for renewal.
Repair Exposure of the Postauricular Tissue Expander Using the Modified Brent Method: A 7-Year Experience
Authors: Cao Tongyu , Zhang Qingguo
Published: April 2021

Objectives:

Ear reconstruction is a challenging surgery for the complicated conditions in patients with microtia. The tissue expansion techniques were necessary and relatively safe for patients with insufficient soft tissue. However, complications such as necrosis of expanded flap and exposure of tissue expander limited the popularization of this method. This study described the use of modified Brent method to handle the exposure of the postauricular tissue expander.

Methods:

From January 2013 to December 2019, 27 ear reconstruction patients with trauma or necrosis on an expanded skin flap and subsequent exposure of tissue expander were treated with modified Brent method, which consisted of 3 stages: removal of the expander, tension-free closure of wound, and framework fabrication; elevation of reconstructed ear; lobule rotation; and minor modification.

Results:

Fifty-six percent of exposures occurred in the lower pole of the tissue expander. Exposure usually occurred 54.5 days after implantation. The majority of reconstructed ears had a satisfactory appearance and showed relatively stable outcomes. Only one case of cartilage exposure required revision surgery and was repaired by the temporoparietal fascia.

Conclusion:

With reasonable distribution of expanded flap, prolonged interval, and sutures under tension-free conditions, complications like the occurrence of trauma or necrosis-induced exposure of tissue expander can be repaired efficiently by a staging modified Brent method.
Cholesteatoma Surgery With a Dehiscent High Jugular Bulb Treated With Surgery Assisted With Underwater Endoscopy: A Case Report
Authors: Takata Yusuke , Anzai Takashi , Hara Satoshi , Okada Hiroko , Matsumoto Fumihiko , Ikeda Katsuhisa
Published: April 2021

A dehiscent high jugular bulb would be a pitfall in middle ear surgery especially for cholesteatoma. We report a case of cholesteatoma attached to a dehiscent high jugular bulb successfully treated with surgery assisted with underwater endoscopy. To the best of our knowledge, no previous study has reported a case of cholesteatoma with dehiscent high jugular bulb treated with surgery assisted with underwater endoscopy. Owing to the risk of jugular bulb injury, underwater endoscopy is a good indication for middle ear cases with a dehiscent high jugular bulb to obtain a clear operative field and avoid an unexpected air embolism.
Desistance from crime and probation supervision: Comparing experiences of English and French probationers
Authors: Fernando Ruwani
Published: April 2021

This research compares how English and French desisters experience and perceive probation supervision. In this qualitative study, desisters of both countries were interviewed to collect narratives of change within the context of punishment in the community. The aim of this research was to explore and compare the role of probation in desistance processes, in different national, socio-economic, and criminal justice settings. The findings demonstrate similarities in perceptions of probation officers as people with resources. Differences emerged in the types of resources engaged with and the perceived punitiveness of mandatory supervision.