bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Augmentation of ship’s operational availability through innovative reconditioning technologies
Authors: Manov M , Kalinov T
Published: September 2019

Machinery failures have negative impact on ship’s technical maintenance, which directly affects her operational availability. Science development allows use of innovative reconditioning technologies in order to increase the ship’s operational availability, and one of the most promising technologies is the Brush Plating. It allows shortening of the recondition time, while minimizing its effect on the base material structure. This technology allows repair using reconditioning with local treatment only in area where is necessary through compact and mobile equipment. Brush Plating technology implementation brings to higher operational availability, less expenditures, and higher profit. Methods used are System Approach, Data Analysis, and Comparative Analysis. In current paper a new method for estimation ship’s operational availability is proposed by the authors. This method in a combination with innovative reconditioning technologies will give an effect on the future ship maintenance program.
Explicit finite difference schemes for solving the one – dimensional tsunami wave propagation equations
Authors: Deleanu D , Dumitrache C L
Published: September 2019

Because the tsunami wavelength is much longer than the sea depth, the propagation of this powerful destructive wave can be modelled by the non-linear shallow water equations (SWEs). To solve accurately these hyperbolic partial differential equations, one can resort to a variety of numerical techniques, including finite difference method (FDM) or finite volume method (FVM). In this paper, we have selected FDM, as a well verified instrument on other fluid flow problems, to estimate the tsunami wave propagation in one dimension. The ability of four explicit scheme (Forward Euler, Lax Friedrichs, Mac Cormack and Richtmyer) to solve SWEs was tested on three different test problems. Starting from the idea that a tsunami may begin as a sudden rise of a column of water, the first test represents a square or a sinusoidal pulse which breaks up into two identical waves moving in opposing directions on a constant depth seabed. In the other two test problems we simulate a tsunami wave approaching the shore on a variable seabed depth having either o steady or a highly variable slope. The numerical results allow us to assert that, in general, the used explicit schemes lead to a correct description of a tsunami wave propagation, both offshore and near the coastline. The exception is represented by the Forward Euler scheme that, due to its instability, was only used in the first test.
Optimization techniques for determining the section and the economic current density of medium and low voltage power lines
Authors: Pana L , Deliu F , Pasculescu D
Published: September 2019

In most situations encountered in practice, the choice of section of the overhead or cable lines is made on the basis of the economic criterion in normal operating mode, which is the basic criterion for sizing. The central theme of this paper is the optimization of the section and the economic current density in the medium and low voltage power lines. The first part presents the calculation mathematical model for the determination of the optimal section and the economic current density for the medium and low voltage electric lines, and the section obtained has to be verified based on the criteria of the maximum admitted voltage drop and the mechanical resistance. The case studies presented reflect the results of the corresponding voltage drop in the case of an electric line portion through which a load unit is transmitted, respectively the power corresponding to the optimal cross section and the maximum voltage drop allowed for a medium voltage overhead line.
Consideration about UAV command and control. Ground Control Station
Authors: Vasile Prisacariu , Cioacă Cătălin , Luculescu Doru , Luchian Andrei , Pop Sebastian
Published: September 2019

In the field of UAV, information processing centers most often materialize through ground control stations (GCS) that are used in various variants from simple commercial products in the form of tablets or radio control stations for controlling the vector within the visual range at low altitudes and autonomies, or portable, fixed or self-propelled technologies for missions beyond the visual range at high altitudes and autonomies. The article wants an overview of the theoretical bases on the construction and operation of GCS and aspects of flight mission debriefing using freeware tools.
An analysis of whole-body vibration and hand-arm vibration exposure on the Danube ship crew
Authors: Picu L , Picu M
Published: September 2019

This paper studies the WBV and HAV exposure on the crew members of river ships. All parameters (acceleration, frequency, exposure duration, etc) negatively influence the performance of the sailing staff. In order to study how the sum of these physical parameters, affect people’s work, a full analysis was made on 11 subjects, on 2 river ships, navigating the Romanian Danube area in January 2019. The vibrations transmitted to the subjects were measured with Maestro 01dB. Also, the meteorological parameters were measured with the Kestrel 5000 Portable Weather Station. All parameters were measured on the main deck. Specific questionnaires were used to detect the negative influence of the transmitted vibrations. Subjects are aged between 42 and 61 years old, most of them are smokers and some of them have health problems. According to ISO 20283-5:2016, ISO 8041:2005, ISO 6954:2000, ISO 2631:2018 and Guide for crew habitability on ships: 2016, there are the following stipulated values for work spaces: maximum RMS level must be 0.214m/s2 (for habitability criteria HAB), 0.178m/s2 (for HAB +) and 0.143m/s2 (for HAB ++). Mean values measured for the whole body vibration were 1.2÷1.4m/s2. The average values of the weather parameters, during the entire route, were normal for this period: temperature - 11÷4°C, atmospheric pressure 970÷1015mbar, humidity 75÷80%, wind speed 10÷30km/h; visibility 1 km, but the extremely dense fog persisted 86.66% of the time. The questionnaire responses showed the presence of musculoskeletal problems in a vibratory environment. Working on a ship is extremely difficult, especially in unfavorable weather conditions. Low temperatures amplify the negative effects of vibrations. It has been found that the values provided by all ISO are far exceeded. Moreover, due to the fact that most ships are old, their operation generates vibrations harmful to physical health. For this reason, a renewal of the fleet is necessary.
Transfer of mass through walls from energetically efficient innovative materials in order to achieve comfort conditions in passive houses
Authors: Calbureanu - Popescu Madalina - Xenia , Bica Marin , Calbureanu - Popescu Diana - Mara , Tutunea Dragos
Published: September 2019

The paper presents the analysis of mass transfer through walls from waste sheep wool. The condense accumulation in the outer walls under the conditions of a location in the climatic zone II is analyzed for an ordinary residential building. The conclusions can be used in projecting passive houses and green technologies for passive houses in order to achieve all the performances requested to these types of future buildings.
Rezults on the Optical Transfer Functionof the Optical Systems Evaluation by Slanted Edge Method
Authors: Necsoiu Teodor , Bostan George , Sterian Paul
Published: September 2019

The study of the Optical Transfer Function of optical systems by the slanted edge method helps us to calculate and to improve the performances of the Digital Camera. Is known from theory, between the subject of photography and his image, there will always be a small difference, caused by the optical transfer function, which may contain various components that limit the resolution. The article describes a new method of studying the optical transfer function to improve their optical resolution. With regard to the optical devices used in security applications, advanced requirements are necesary for image quality control. Optical sensors become more and more powerful and intelligent with advanced image features analysis. If in the past, to check the optical resolution, the microdensitometer was used, now this function can be performed by the digital optical sensor.The dimensions of the photosensitive pixels of optoelectronic chip are sufficiently good to test the resolution of the lens systems.
The Ways to Improve Energy Efficiency and Eco-friendliness of the Specific Danube Inland Vessels. First Stage
Authors: Tarasenko T , Zalozh V , Maksymov S
Published: September 2019

Present state of the Danube shipping is differed by insufficient provision of navigation conditions, age composition of the fleet, as well as the fleet specifics – its ability to work throughout the Danube (over 2000 km) when loaded with heavy caravans from non-self-propelled vessels. This specificity significantly differentiates the Danube navigation from navigation on other inland waterways in Europe, which provided year-round through depths, range of transitions to ten times less, and the work carried out for the most part self-propelled dry cargo and tanker vessels.

The study deals with the build a common model for managing energy efficiency and environmental performance of a self-propelled river towing and traction fleet. The differences in transportation technologies in international maritime, European inland and Danube shipping are shown. The issues of rationing of harmful emissions into the atmosphere in shipping on European inland waterways are considered. The analysis of energy efficiency indicators established in international maritime shipping, as well as the peculiarities of their use in inland navigation, was carried out. The principles of the application of energy efficiency indicators to the assessment of environmental indicators of ships in inland navigation have been determined, taking into account the specifics of navigation conditions and other factors determining the operating modes of the ship propulsion complex.

Innovative approach in the study lies in the fact that in the known studies carried out earlier, were considered the Danube fleet operating on the upper sections of the Danube. According to this, the practical solution to the problem of determining the potential to reduce harmful emissions for the existing fleet as well as the formation of the concept of energy efficiency management in the shipping industry is unresolved.

Consequently, the ways of achieving energy efficiency while reducing the amount of harmful emissions into the atmosphere were identified. A possibility of controlling characteristics of energy efficiency of existing Danube traction and self-propelled fleet without significant modernization and upgrades is presented.
Development and optimization of a three-wheeled electric vehicle frame using structural materials
Authors: Suvac A , Cucu L , Stoica M , Savaniu M
Published: September 2019

The aim of this paper is to design a new electrical transportation device using structural materials. It concerns with the idea of a new, safe and ecological way of transportation for people in urban areas. The design consists in developing a three-wheeled electric vehicle frame that can carry loads up to 140Kg, is lightweight and easy to store in closed spaces. The design process consists in developing a 3D model, a physical prototype and the optimization of the frame using CAD software with the finite element method.
New interpolation paradigm for the design of ship profile
Authors: Mihai Bica Alexandru , Laslo Eugen
Published: September 2019

A new interpolation technique based on an optimized near end-points Akima’s cubic spline method is proposed in order to plot the profile of longitudinal section in a boat such that the aerodynamic properties will be improved. As a result of the method, the boat shape permit to reduce the water resistance in the forward motion. The method is illustrated by simulating the boat shape using the proposed method in comparison with the shapes provided by the natural cubic spline and by the Akima’s cubic spline interpolation procedures.
Utilisation of the minimum paths in networks for transport terminals
Authors: Popa E. , Ghionea F.
Published: September 2019

The reason behind this material consisted in the lack of similarity between complementary issues in a field that includes graphs and networks. For example, a theoretical network problem pretends to determine the minim number of nodes which must be excluded to remove all the grid links, a practical network problem claims to determine the shortest route between 2 nodes when it knows the length of each link. In a strange nod the first problem has a maximum solution, whereas the second problem has no maxim solution (only if the network is oriented and do not allow circuits, conditions that take out the issue from the general sphere, drastically customizing it. The first problem can also develop in the situation in which the issue is to exclude all arcs, less one and almost symptomatic: there was no procedure to offer the second minimum path in the graph. Here, it is proposed a modality to find the second minimum path avoiding the complete enumeration of paths between the 2 nodes taken in consideration. The study case presented in this paper is based on railway terminals-Gara de Nord’s traffic - after the first shortest way for stabling which will be the next, and also this type of application can be used on the efficiency of maritime berth. The utility of the idea concerning the second minimal path is found in the current exploitation of almost any transport system (for e.g. the review of the initial planning, when the established side-tracking in receiving board from the final station cannot be used for intensive traffic reasons, or receiving the train at to another line must be done so as all the future movement of the traffic circulation or train wagon marshal to mess as little as possible the set of movements necessary for further exploitation, receiving the bus to another platform because the first platform is busy with a defective bus).
Mesh independence of a transient multiphase fluid-solid interaction
Authors: Chirica I , Angheluta C M , Perijoc S D , Hobjilă A I , Frătita M
Published: September 2019

To prepare for a transient analysis of a damaged ship, a mesh independence test was carried out on an open channel free surface simulation with fluid-solid interaction. The numerical methods applied, the mesh sizing and method, as well as several other parameters which might influence the results were adjusted to obtain comparisons and establish the proper solution for the upcoming simulation. Compared data includes the drag force, dynamic and total pressure applied to the solid, as well as the maximum free surface elevation at the solid domain.
Rationality of blocks of quasi-simple finite groups
Authors: Farrell Niamh , Kessar Radha
Published: September 2019

Let

ℓ
\ell

be a prime number. We show that the Morita Frobenius number of an

ℓ
\ell

-block of a quasi-simple finite group is at most

4
4

and that the strong Frobenius number is at most

4

|

D

|

2

!

4 |D|^2!

, where

D
D

denotes a defect group of the block. We deduce that a basic algebra of any block of the group algebra of a quasi-simple finite group over an algebraically closed field of characteristic

ℓ
\ell

is defined over a field with

ℓ
a

\ell ^a

elements for some

a
≤
4

a \leq 4

. We derive consequences for Donovan’s conjecture. In particular, we show that Donovan’s conjecture holds for

ℓ
\ell

-blocks of special linear groups.
The Pasts and Futures of Latina/o Indigeneities
Authors: Trujillo Simón Ventura
Published: September 2019

The question of indigeneity in the study of Latina/o literature and culture points toward conflictive histories of colonization and invigorates a set of global directions for the future of Latina/o studies. The pairing of the two terms—Latina/o and Indigeneity—appears initially counterintuitive. Conventionally understood as an ancestral relation of Latina/o communities that has been vanished or lost over the duration of the European colonization of the Americas, Indigeneity opens a set of insuperable problematics that continue to pattern and shape multiple and incommensurate iterations of Latina/o politics and culture. While “Latina/o” in some instances denotes ancestral relation with Native tribes in the Americas, for many the term has also come to signify decidedly non-indigenous mestiza/o, settler, or migrant identities, imaginaries, and belongings. The literary, cultural, and intellectual production of Latina/o Indigeneity offers a unique window into the ways in which Native politics continue to compete with, accommodate, and challenge multiple regimes of colonial occupation and periods of modern state formation. Indigeneity illuminates places of Latina/o literary and cultural production through which to engage the historic ascendance of a number of fundaments of modern life across the globe, including capitalism, nation-state sovereignty, and the transnational social structures of race, sex, citizenship, and gender.
The Lisbon Treaty
Authors: Ziller Jacques
Published: September 2019

The expression “the Lisbon Treaty” (LT) is a shortcut to the treaties upon which the European Union (EU) has been based since December 1, 2009. During the “reflection period” that lasted from June 2005 to December 2006 three options were available: remaining with the European treaties as amended by the Nice Treaty; starting new negotiations in order to adopt some changes deemed technically necessary; or trying to get “the substance” of the Constitutional Treaty (CT) of 2004 approved in the form a new treaty. Most member states and the EU institutions were in favor of the third option. The negotiations that led to the adoption of the LT in December 2007 departed from the usual treaty amendment scenarios. The content of the LT is to a large extent similar to that of the CT, as most of the novel provisions of that treaty have been taken over as they were written in the CT and introduced in the existing European Community (EC) and EU treaties. Apart from a few institutional innovations such as the Permanent President of the European Council and the new voting system in the Council, most innovations with regard to the European communities are to be found in the details. The ratification process of the LT was difficult, as it was slowed down by the necessity to hold two referenda in Ireland, and to overcome the resistance of the President of the Czech Republic, an overt Euroskeptic. The negotiations of 2007–2009 shed some light on the importance in EU policy-making and especially in treaty negotiations of the epistemic community of legal experts and, more precisely, of experts in EU law. Events in the years 2010 and 2011 led to minor treaty amendments, shaping the present content of what is usually referred to as the LT. Whether Brexit and the EP elections of 2019 will lead to important changes remains unknown.
Queer Intersectionalities in Politics
Authors: Brettschneider Marla
Published: September 2019

Both the terms queer and intersectionality emerged in the United States during late 1980s. The queer world has particularly contributed to political thinking and activism in regard to sex, sexuality, and gender. Work on intersectionality has helped scholars and activists utilize paradigms of multiplicity and multiple sensitivities to marginalized people and experiences. Each term pushes the other to question hierarchies and elitist assumptions.
Marriage Equality, Public Accommodations Laws, and Religious Exercise
Authors: Gluck Mezey Susan
Published: September 2019

Opposition to same-sex marriage in the United States is frequently based on the religious belief that marriage should be reserved for a man and a woman. With most of the attention focused on wedding vendors, the clash between religious liberty and marriage equality has largely manifested itself in efforts by business owners, such as photographers, florists, caterers, and bakers, to deny their services to same-sex couples celebrating their marriages. Citing state antidiscrimination laws, the couples demand the owners treat them as they do their other customers. Owners of public accommodations (privately owned business open to the public) who object to facilitating the weddings of same-sex couples do so typically by asserting their personal religious beliefs as defenses when charged with violating such laws; they argue that they would view their participation (albeit indirect) in wedding ceremonies as endorsing same-sex marriage.

As the lawsuits against them began to proliferate, the business owners asked the courts to shield them from liability for violating the laws prohibiting discrimination because of sexual orientation in places of public accommodation. They cited their First Amendment right to the free exercise of their religion and their right not to be compelled to speak, that is, to express a positive message about same-sex marriage.

With conflicts between same-sex couples and owners of business establishments arising in a number of states, the focus of the nation’s attention was on a New Mexico photographer, a Washington State florist, and a Colorado baker, each of whom sought an exemption from their state’s antidiscrimination law to enable them to exercise their religious tenets against marriage equality.

In these cases, the state human rights commissions and the state appellate courts ruled that the antidiscrimination laws outweighed the rights of the business owners to exercise their religious beliefs against marriage equality by refusing to play a role, no matter how limited, in a same-sex marriage ceremony.

In June 2018, in Masterpiece Cakeshop, LTD. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the state’s antidiscrimination law that guaranteed equal treatment for same-sex couples in places of public accommodations but reversed the Commission’s ruling against the Colorado baker. In a narrow decision, the Court held that the Commission infringed on the baker’s First Amendment right to free exercise by uttering comments that, in the Court’s view, demonstrated hostility to his sincerely held religious beliefs. The ruling affirmed that society has a strong interest in protecting gay men and lesbians from harm as they engage in the marketplace as well as in respecting sincerely held religious beliefs.
Growing Participation in Peace Operations and Conflict Resolution in Latin American Countries
Authors: Kenkel Kai Michael
Published: September 2019

Latin American states have become major providers of troops for UN peacekeeping operations (PKOs) since the early 2000s. MINUSTAH (Mission des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation en Haïti), the UN mission in Haiti, 55% of whose troops were from the region, was a major watershed for local security cooperation and PKO contributions. Led by Brazil, these states were able to develop a specific approach to peacebuilding that reflects regional strengths and experiences, rooted in minimizing the use of force and bringing successful domestic development policies to bear abroad. This approach also reflects the common security and intervention culture that underpins policy in the region.

Two states in particular have taken on a role as major providers of peacekeeping contingents. Tiny Uruguay, with a population of 3 million people, has maintained over 2,000 troops deployed on UN PKOs (more than 10% of its armed forces) since 2005. While Uruguay’s motivations are mostly economic—UN reimbursements exceed the country’s costs—Brazil’s ascendance as a major peacekeeping provider during MINUSTAH was part of a larger emerging-power foreign policy project. Participating in peacebuilding allowed the country to provide security through actions in the development realm, bridging a key gap in many rising states’ capabilities, and to mount an incipient challenge to the Western-led peacebuilding paradigm. The remaining states of Latin America show considerable diversity in their peacekeeping engagement, with many others sending small or token contributions and some no troops at all.

Latin American states’ involvement in PKOs cannot be understood without looking at their interaction with patterns of civil–military relations in the region. In the case of such states, the effect of peacekeeping participation on civil–military relations, while a key point in need of monitoring, has not been decisive, as other factors prevail.

Finally, PKOs have served as the locus for a significant increase in policy coordination and cooperation in the defense arena in the region. As the UN moves toward stabilization operations which privilege counterterrorism measures over the peacebuilding paradigm that is a strength of Latin American countries, PKOs may lose attractiveness as a foreign policy avenue in the region. Additionally, the swing to the right in recent elections may serve to reduce the appeal of a practice which came to the fore under previous left-wing governments.
Urban Popular Movements in Latin America
Authors: Dosh Paul
Published: September 2019

In Latin America, urban popular movements emerged in the late 1940s as thousands of low-income migrants and city residents banded together to claim land, build self-help housing, and forge neighborhood organizations that fomented community participation and mobilized to demand land titles and city services. These neighborhoods were characterized by informal housing; inadequate provision of electricity, water, sanitation, transportation, and social services; and informal employment and underemployment. During the authoritarianism of the 1960s and 1970s, some urban popular movements resisted military dictatorship while others forged clientelist ties. Democratic and authoritarian leaders alike were forced to deal with the steady influx of rural migrants to cities, and regimes of all types often came to view informal neighborhoods founded by urban popular movements as an acceptable solution to some of the challenges of urbanization. In the 1980s and 1990s, neoliberal privatization of public utilities and cuts to social safety nets harmed urban popular movements, but national and local democratization expanded some avenues of participation, and the regional trend of urban popular movements expanded in numbers and extended its geographic reach. In the 2000s, socialist “Pink Tide” governments delivered benefits to low-income sectors, and many popular sectors supported these leftist regimes. Material gains proved modest, however, and state-movement alliances were rocky, leaving urban popular movements in the awkward position of being dissatisfied with national leadership, yet preferring the Pink Tide incumbents to most alternatives. And in the 2010s, a new “right turn” emerged, as conservative leaders replaced many Pink Tide presidents, threatening to reintroduce the repressive over-policing of popular sectors. Throughout these periods, the core conceptual identity of some urban popular movements shifted from the poblador (the “founder” seeking to meet his or her family’s needs) to the vecino (the “neighbor” collaborating with other movement participants through collective efforts), to the ciudadano (the empowered “citizen” who recognizes his or her needs as rights to be secured through political engagement).
Effective Practices for Teaching Writing to Students with Disabilities in the United States
Authors: Camping April , Graham Steve
Published: September 2019

Writing is especially challenging for students with disabilities, as 19 out of every 20 of these students experience difficulty learning to write. In order to maximize writing growth, effective instructional practices need to be applied in the general education classroom where many students with special needs are educated. This should minimize special education referrals and maximize the progress of these students as writers. Evidence-based writing practices for the general education classroom include ensuring that students write frequently for varying purposes; creating a pleasant and motivating writing environment; supporting students as they compose; teaching critical skills, processes, and knowledge; and using 21st-century writing tools.

It is also important to be sure that practices specifically effective for enhancing the writing growth of students with special needs are applied in both general and special education settings (where some students with disabilities may receive part or all of their writing instruction). This includes methods for preventing writing disabilities, tailoring instruction to meet individual student needs, addressing roadblocks that can impede writing growth, and using specialized writing technology that allows these students to circumvent one or more of their writing challenges.
Ethnography and the Study of Los Saberes Docentes (Teaching Knowledge) in Latin American Countries
Authors: Mercado Ruth , Espinosa Epifanio
Published: September 2019

A specific comparative framework that incorporates an interpretive process dedicated to developing a more complex understanding of teaching knowledge incorporates the specific local contexts in which studies on teaching knowledge are conducted. Research on teaching knowledge within the region grew and diversified from the 1980s and 1990s. There are two key thematic contributions of this body of research: the nature of teaching knowledge and pedagogical approaches to teaching specific curricular content focusing on early literacy. Points of comparison between the different contributions of studies addressing teaching knowledge can be found. Additionally, institutional and social inequalities are manifested in schools and education in Latin American countries. Teaching knowledge, which teachers produce in and adapt to different social spaces (in other words, through practice), is crucial for fostering the development and learning of the students who attend school under the challenging conditions of the schools in these countries.
Comparative Case Study Methodology and Teacher Education
Authors: Pathmarajah Meera
Published: September 2019

Case study researchers have traditionally focused on micro-level analysis of a “bounded” case, yet this approach has come under methodological scrutiny in a world where phenomena are rarely isolated from globalization’s expansive reach. Social science and policy-oriented research in particular are nearly always subject to local and global histories as well as socio-cultural, political, and economic trends. Furthermore, the experience of individuals, organizations, and institutions are often tangled in interconnected webs of influence, such that a case study that does not trace these underlying relationships is likely to be analyzing only the tip of a phenomenological iceberg. Hence critical scholars call for the need to repurpose traditional case study research methods to embrace shifting contextual factors that surround a research project at multiple levels. Comparative case study methods answer this call by making socio-cultural and political analysis an explicit part of the research process. They expand the researcher’s methodological lens by advancing the analysis of processes across three axes: the horizontal (through distinct research sites), the vertical (through scales; e.g., local vs national) and the transversal (over time; e.g., historically). The methodology is particularly useful for social science research and policy studies, where complex interactions between actors and institutions are tied to socio-cultural, political, and economic contexts. Teacher education research is an area where comparative case studies can potentially contribute to policy formulation. Using the example of case study research on teacher education in India, the comparative case study methodology is shown to be an effective research tool. Through insights into the socio-cultural and political context surrounding pedagogical reform, case study research can generate corrective measures to improve policy effectiveness.
Teacher Participation and Pedagogical Research in the Educational Sphere
Authors: Hugo Suárez Daniel
Published: September 2019

Narrative documentation of pedagogical experiences is an alternative and emergent focus of educational research that promotes teacher participation in the processes of research-training-action in the educational field and seeks to make the relationships it configures between power and knowledge more horizontal. Theoretical, methodological, and epistemic-political criteria inform the rules of composition and the validation of constructed pedagogical knowledge, and this methodological framework organizes narrative and autobiographical practices so that educators can reflect on and rename the pedagogical environments they inhabit. Additionally, educators can engage in a series of peer-critique reading-writing exercises that are focused on revising different versions of recounting pedagogical experiences. Moreover, the pedagogical field has a democratizing potential due to the public nature and specialized circulation of these narrative documents.
Oral History Approaches in Education in Brazil
Authors: Demartini Zeila
Published: September 2019

This article analyzes the relationship between oral history and education in Brazil. First, it addresses changes in theoretical and methodological approaches in some disciplinary fields, a move that increasingly questions production based mainly on quantitative research and favors a renewal of qualitative research. In this context, qualitative research incorporated discussions of life histories and the subjects’ narratives as methods of collecting data. At the same time that shifts in sociology and history drew both disciplines together in research that used the biographical approach and oral reports, qualitative research on educational issues was becoming stronger in the field of education. Questioning routine forms of research in these various fields ended up addressing common themes of interest to all of them. Such an approach allowed for the introduction and development of oral history in Brazil as an interdisciplinary field in which questions flowed from one discipline to another, in which sociologists, anthropologists, historians, and educators took part. Oral history is understood as a methodological approach to research in which the researcher commits to the object of study, approaching it based on the oral reports of the subjects involved along with other written, iconographic, and material sources in order to understand the different representations of the subjects. Oral history brought fundamental changes in education: subjects were incorporated into the production of knowledge about the history of education, social relations in the educational field, the way of looking at the formative processes of educators, discussions regarding curricula aimed at diverse social groups, group cultures, among other aspects; the educational field was no longer analyzed mainly from an educational, pedagogical-methodological approach, but one based on the centrality of the subjects and their demands. This change in perspective, no longer only on the part of the State or supporting institutions, provided a link between school and non-school education, as well as in the processes of participation of social groups. It also encouraged the incorporation of diverse data sources and their preservation. New research topics were also taken up, which has had a strong influence on the process of training historians and educators. Educational issues have been at the fore from the first incursions of oral history in Brazil and, precisely because of the exchange being built, new research paths are now being developed.
Performance-Based Ethnography
Authors: Callier Durell M. , Hill Dominique C.
Published: September 2019

Performance ethnography invokes both familiar and strange recollections regarding a set of practices, methodological innovations, and epistemic orientations and challenges. This is particularly true when considering the ways performance, ethnography, and education intersect. Delving into the pedagogy, politics, and possibilities of performance ethnography in qualitative educational research, this article highlights the implications, deployments of, and engagements with the methodology in the field. To do so, key definitional offerings of performance, ethnography, and education are provided, enactments of performance ethnography within educational research, contexts, and applications are examined, and the “politics of doing” as a tool in performance ethnography is proposed. Upholding the contested nature of performance studies, this article outlines the utility of bridging performance, pedagogy, and education to foster new possibilities for teacher-student dynamics, the facilitation and understanding of embodied knowledges inside and outside schooling contexts, as well as how educational research can be conceptualized.
The Cuban Revolution
Authors: Bustamante Michael J.
Published: September 2019

The Cuban Revolution transformed the largest island nation of the Caribbean into a flashpoint of the Cold War. After overthrowing US-backed ruler Fulgencio Batista in early 1959, Fidel Castro established a socialist, anti-imperialist government that defied the island’s history as a dependent and dependable ally of the United States. But the Cuban Revolution is not only significant for its challenge to US interests and foreign policy prerogatives. For Cubans, it fundamentally reordered their lives, inspiring multitudes yet also driving thousands of others to migrate to Miami and other points north.

Sixty years later, Fidel Castro may be dead and the Soviet Union may be long gone. Cuban socialism has become more hybrid in economic structure, and in 2014 the Cuban and US governments moved to restore diplomatic ties. But Cuba’s leaders continue to insist that “the Revolution,” far from a terminal political event, is still alive. Today, as the founding generation of Cuban leaders passes from the scene, “the Revolution” faces another important crossroads of uncertainty and reform.
The 2019 Netherlands Model BIT: riding the new investment treaty waves
Authors: Duggal Kabir A N , van de Ven Laurens H
Published: September 2019

Investor–state arbitration is undergoing a paradigm shift with several countries and regional blocs rethinking the best way to protect investor rights while retaining sovereign prerogatives. This is where the Netherlands fits into the narrative. Its decision to modernize appears to follow the contemporary developments in investment arbitration, including heightened public scrutiny on the effect of investment treaties on regulatory space and the investor-to-state dispute settlement system, as well as the Post-Treaty of Lisbon European Union framework for investment arbitration. On 16 May 2018, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a draft for a new Model Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) on the Government’s website. This was done with a view to updating the earlier Model BIT which dates. Through public consultation, individuals and interest groups were invited to share their views. The Government amended the 2018 Draft Model BIT after deliberating on the public reactions it had received, and circulated a new draft on 19 October 2018. Subsequently, after parliamentary debate in February 2019, the Dutch Government published an updated Model BIT on 22 March 2019. In this article, we critically examine the 2019 Final Dutch Model BIT and examine it in light of the global rethink on investment law and policy.
Temporal Changes in Habitat Selection and Nest Spacing in a Colony of Ross' and Lesser Snow Geese
Authors: McLandress M. Robert
Published: September 2019

I studied the nesting colony of Ross' Geese (Chen rossii) and Lesser Snow Geese (C. caerulescens caerulescens) at Karrak Lake in the central Arctic of Canada in the summer of 1976. Related studies indicated that this colony had grown from 18,000 birds in 1966-1968 to 54,500 birds in 1976. In 1976, geese nested on islands that were used in the late 1960's and on an island and mainland sites that were previously unoccupied. Average nest density in 1976 was three-fold greater than in the late 1960's. Consequently, the average distance to nearest neighbors of Ross' Geese in 1976 was half the average distance determined 10 yr earlier.

The mean clutch size of Ross' Geese was greater in island habitats where nest densities were high than in less populated island or mainland habitats. The average size of Snow Goose clutches did not differ significantly among island habitats but was larger at island than at mainland sites. Large clutches were most likely attributable to older and/or earlier nesting females. Habitat preferences apparently differed between species. Small clutches presumably indicated that young geese nested in areas where nest densities were low. The establishment of mainland nesting at Karrak Lake probably began with young Snow Geese using peripheral areas of the colony. Young Ross' Geese nested in sparsely populated habitats on islands to a greater extent than did Snow Geese. Ross' Geese also nested on the mainland but in lower densities than Ross' Geese nesting in similar island habitats. Successful nests with the larger clutches had closer conspecific neighbors than did successful nests with smaller clutches. The species composition of nearest neighbors changed significantly with distance from Snow Goose nests but not Ross' Goose nests. Nesting success was not affected by the species of nearest neighbor, however. Because they have complementary antipredator adaptations, Ross' and Snow geese may benefit by nesting together.
Speciation in Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus): I. Genetic Differentiation
Authors: Johnson Ned K. , Zink Robert M.
Published: September 2019

We report the results of an electrophoretic analysis at 39 presumptive genetic loci of 88 specimens in the picid genus Sphyrapicus, here treated as comprising the following species: Williamson's Sapsucker (S. thyroideus), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (S. varius), Red-naped Sapsucker (S. nuchalis), and Red-breasted Sapsucker (S. ruber). Seventeen loci (43.5%) were polymorphic. Values for observed heterozygosity in S. ruber ruber, S. ruber daggetti, and in three populations of S. nuchalis were uniform and averaged 0.043, the mean value reported for other birds. However, S. varius, at 0.022, and S. thyroideus, at 0.016, have low values of H. Values for percentage of polymorphic loci ranged from 12.8 to 20.5 in S. ruber and S. nuchalis, 12.8 in S. varius, and 7.7 in S. thyroideus. In contrast, all four species exhibited a similar mean number of alleles per locus (1.12-1.21). Genetic distances between populations of the same species are either very low or zero. Genetic distances are also very low between the phenotypically dissimilar ruber and nuchalis (D̄ = 0.004), two forms we consider to be biological species based on their assortative mating in sympatry. This is the lowest avian interspecific D-value ever reported and is similar to that found between avian subspecies. Phenotypically, varius and nuchalis are very similar, yet the average genetic distance between samples of these forms, 0.029, is comparable to interspecific values reported for other avian congeners and is our chief basis for treating the two forms as separate species. S. thyroideus is strongly differentiated genetically from varius (D̄ = 0.142), from nuchalis (D̄ = 0.197), and from ruber (D̄ = 0.186). FST statistics point to little or no population subdivision within ruber and nuchalis but substantial subdivision within the superspecies varius (S. varius + S. nuchalis + S. ruber). The genetic information suggests that the Williamson's Sapsucker represents the oldest lineage in the genus. S. thyroideus split from its sister clade (superspecies S. varius) between 3 and 4 MYBP. S. ruber and S. nuchalis are sister species that evolved very recently, either during or since the Pleistocene and sometime after their common ancestor diverged from S. varius.
Variation in Incubation Period within a Population of the European Starling
Authors: Ricklefs Robert E. , Smeraski Cynthia A.
Published: September 2019

We switched eggs among nests of European Starlings soon after the eggs were laid, and we measured incubation periods to within 2 h in most cases. Data from two years were analyzed to determine how much the natural parent of the egg and the incubating parent contributed to variation in the length of the incubation period. In one year, the relative size and composition of the yolk of one egg from each clutch were measured in order to assess the additional influence of egg composition on the length of the incubation period. In both sets of experiments, nest (incubating parent) had a significant effect, whereas clutch (natural parent) had either no effect or a marginally significant effect on the length of the incubation period. The standard deviation of incubation periods within nests was 2.6 and 3.5 h in the two experiments. Incubation periods increased significantly both with the percentage of yolk in eggs laid by the natural parent and with the percentage of yolk in eggs laid by the incubating parent.

Our results suggest that the length of the incubation period is determined primarily by the incubating behavior of the adult, thermal properties of the nest, or both. Genetic differences in the growth rates of embryos and maternal effects expressed through egg composition were small and generally insignificant. Incubation period was, however, weakly related to egg composition of both the natural parent and the incubating parent, suggesting a phenotypic correlation between egg formation and incubation behavior.
Dominance Relations, Resource Use, and Pairing Chronology of Gadwalls in Winter
Authors: Paulus Stuart L.
Published: September 2019

I studied pairing chronology and agonistic displays of Gadwalls (Anas strepera) and spatial associations among Gadwalls and other Anatinae in the coastal marshes of southwestern Louisiana from October 1977 through April 1978. Gadwalls began arriving in Louisiana in late September, but by mid-October 45% of females were paired and by late November 81% were paired. The percentage of paired females increased slowly to 90% in April. Bill threats were the predominant agonistic display of Gadwalls, accounting for 89% of all observations, while chasing (5.8%) and biting (5.2%) accounted for the remainder. Nearly all (91.1%) conflicts involved birds that had been feeding before the dispute. On average, Gadwalls spent 0.4% of their time in agonistic activities. Gadwalls preferred to associate with individuals of similar pair status. Paired Gadwalls were more likely to threaten other paired birds, and unpaired Gadwalls other unpaired birds, than they would individuals of the other pair status. Only 14% of disputes involving Gadwalls were with other Anatinae. Pairs were considered dominant over unpaired birds, as pairs won 81% (P < 0.001) of contests with unpaired birds. This study suggested that paired birds, because of their dominance, probably had greater access to preferred food resources and were more successful in meeting nutrient requirements than were unpaired birds. It also suggested that pairing chronology in Anatinae may be related to food choice and foraging strategies, those species feeding on poorer-quality foods forming pairs earlier, as individuals attempt to optimize their allocation of time for feeding and other activities.