bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rank reduced coupled cluster theory. II. Equation-of-motion coupled-cluster singles and doubles
Authors: Hohenstein Edward G. , Zhao Yao , Parrish Robert M. , Martínez Todd J.
Published: October 2019

Equation-of-motion coupled-cluster singles and doubles (EOM-CCSD) is a reliable and popular approach to the determination of electronic excitation energies. Recently, we have developed a rank-reduced CCSD (RR-CCSD) method that allows the ground-state coupled-cluster energy to be determined with low-rank cluster amplitudes. Here, we extend this approach to excited-state energies through a RR-EOM-CCSD method. We start from the EOM-CCSD energy functional and insert low-rank approximations to the doubles amplitudes. The result is an approximate EOM-CCSD method with only a quadratic number (in the molecular size) of free parameters in the wavefunction. Importantly, our formulation of RR-EOM-CCSD preserves the size intensivity of the excitation energy and size extensivity of the total energy. Numerical tests of the method suggest that accuracy on the order of 0.05–0.01 eV in the excitation energy is possible with 1% or less of the original number of wavefunction coefficients; accuracy of better than 0.01 eV can be achieved with about 4% or less of the free parameters. The amount of compression at a given accuracy level is expected to increase with the size of the molecule. The RR-EOM-CCSD method is a new path toward the efficient determination of accurate electronic excitation energies.
Multi magnetic states in Co/Cu multilayered cylindrical nanowires studied by combination of off-axis electron holography imaging and micromagnetic simulations
Authors: Biziere N. , Reyes D. , Wade T. L. , Warot-Fonrose B. , Gatel C.
Published: October 2019

We report on a wide variety of magnetic states in Co/Cu multilayered nanocylinders grown by electrodeposition with different thicknesses of both elements. The remnant magnetic states in individual Co layers have quantitatively been determined at the nanoscale by micromagnetic reconstruction of the magnetic phase shift image obtained by electron holography. We demonstrate that the magnetization in the Co layers can present either uniform or vortex states. Also, different magnetic configurations can be observed within the same nanocylinder. In the case of vortices, the direction of the core can rotate almost at 90° from the nanocylinder axis for layers with an aspect ratio close to 1. We show that the occurrence of each magnetic configuration depends on the aspect ratio of the layers, the direction of magnetocrystalline anisotropy, and, in some cases, the interlayer dipolar coupling. Such a wide variety of magnetic states is observed due to lower values of the Co magnetic constants (magnetization, exchange, anisotropy) with respect to bulk, typical of the electrodeposition process in a single bath, and to the local geometrical variation of the layers. We also calculated the phase diagram of the remnant magnetic states in a single layer for various amplitudes and orientations of the magnetocrystalline anisotropy and different directions of the saturation field. In particular cases, these phase diagrams, in addition to statistics of occurrence of each kind of magnetic configurations in the multilayer and the application of a saturation field in different directions, allow for recovering information on the preferential orientation of the crystalline anisotropy.
Phenomenological analysis of elastocaloric effect in ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) copolymers
Authors: Bai Gang , Liu Duansheng , Gao Cunfa
Published: October 2019

In this work, based on thermodynamic theory, we theoretically derived the elastocaloric coefficient at the zero electric field, including the first kind of elastocaloric coefficient at constant polarization and the second kind of elastocaloric coefficient arising from the piezoelectric effect. In addition, using the Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire approach, we predicted a giant elastocaloric effect in poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) [P(VEF-TrFE)] copolymer films with a large elastocaloric strength, which is one or two orders of magnitude larger than typical elastocaloric materials reported in the literature. The adiabatic elastocaloric temperature change is found to be huge [∼32.2 K for P(VEF-TrFE) 65/35 and 65 K for P(VEF-TrFE) 70/30] under a uniaxial compressive stress (−100 MPa) due to negative piezoelectricity. Moreover, even a low tensile stress (∼15 MPa) can induce a modest elastocaloric effect (∼−1.3 K), which is in good agreement with the previous literature [Patel et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 108, 072903 (2016)]. Our study not only stimulates further investigations on elastocaloric effects in ferroelectric polymers but also offers opportunities for elastocaloric solid-state refrigeration.
Modulation of current-time traces by two-pore arrangements of polyimide nanofluidic diodes
Authors: Ramirez Patricio , Cervera Javier , Gomez Vicente , Ali Mubarak , Nasir Saima , Ensinger Wolfgang , Mafe Salvador
Published: October 2019

Liquid state arrangements of two polymeric membranes with single conical nanopores constitute nanofluidic diodes that allow a rich electrical functionality based on the modulation of individual conductances in aqueous electrolyte solutions. In particular, the prescribed sequences of current-time traces can be obtained by preprogramed switching between series and parallel pore connection arrangements. Hybrid nanopore-solid-state circuits are also possible. The basic applied physics of the nanofluidic diode arrangements can be understood from simple circuit theory concepts and should be of widespread interest to sensing and actuating procedures, controlled release dispensers, and energy conversion modules based on electrochemical signals.
Enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities in developing anther contributes to heat stress alleviation and sustains grain yield in wheat
Authors: Dwivedi Sharad K. , Basu Sahana , Kumar Santosh , Kumari Surbhi , Kumar Alok , Jha Sneha , Mishra Janki S. , Bhatt Bhagwati P. , Kumar Gautam
Published: October 2019

Climatic variations along with a rise in temperature during the winter season impose severe heat stress during the anthesis stage of spring wheat, resulting in severe yield losses. The present study was conducted to evaluate the influence of heat stress on redox homeostasis in developing anthers and flag leaves of wheat. Five Indian bread wheat genotypes were studied under field conditions during the dry season, with two extreme sowing dates (timely and very late sown) to explore the effect of heat stress on anthesis stage. Results showed that elevated temperature during anthesis caused significant increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) content and malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation in developing anthers, triggering pollen mortality. Moreover, defective source (leaf) to the sink (anthers) mobilisation of starch also contributes in reducing pollen viability. However, ROS-induced oxidative damage of developing anthers under heat stress varied among the wheat genotypes depending upon differential antioxidant enzyme activities. Wheat genotype with enhanced antioxidant activities and reduced ROS built up in developing anthers sustained their grain yield, suggesting thermo-tolerance in wheat to be associated with antioxidant enzyme-mediated improved ROS-scavenging mechanism not only in leaves even in developing anther also. In the present study, heat stressed wheat genotype WH 730 exhibited effective source to sink mobilisation and sustainable grain yield with improved ROS scavenging, conferring greater potential for heat tolerance. We conclude that redox homeostasis and balanced source sink activity played a significant role for sustainable yield and heat tolerance in wheat.
Alcohol exacerbates the association between partner-related issues regarding condom use and condomless anal receptive sex among young Black men who have sex with men
Authors: Crosby Richard A.
Published: October 2019

This study determined associations between a three-item measure of partner-related issues regarding condom use (PRI-CU) and recent condomless anal sex among a sample of young Black men who have sex with men (MSM). Of 172 men indicating an absence of PRI-CU, 10.5% reported recent condomless anal receptive sex (CARS). In contrast, of 122 men indicating recent PRI-CU, 23.8% reported CARS (P = 0.002). Drunkenness during sex exacerbated this association; however, being high during sex conferred a protective value against the association between PRI-CU and CARS. Alcohol use during sex may magnify the potential for PRI-CU to result in CARS among MSM. Conversely, marijuana use may have the opposite effect.
Inference and uncertainty quantification for noisy matrix completion
Authors: Chen Yuxin , Fan Jianqing , Ma Cong , Yan Yuling
Published: October 2019

Significance

Matrix completion finds numerous applications in data science, ranging from information retrieval to medical imaging. While substantial progress has been made in designing estimation algorithms, it remains unknown how to perform optimal statistical inference on the unknown matrix given the obtained estimates—a task at the core of modern decision making. We propose procedures to debias the popular convex and nonconvex estimators and derive distributional characterizations for the resulting debiased estimators. This distributional theory enables valid inference on the unknown matrix. Our procedures 1) yield optimal construction of confidence intervals for missing entries and 2) achieve optimal estimation accuracy in a sharp manner.
PersianMonshi, Persian Jones: English Translations of Saʿdi’sGolestānfrom the Late Eighteenth to the Mid-Nineteenth Centuries
Authors: Shahbaz Pegah
Published: October 2019

From the seventeenth century, Mosleh al-Din Saʿdi Shirazi (d. 1291), a key figure in Persian classical literature, became the center of Europeans’ attention: his name appeared in travelogues and periodicals, and selections of his tales were published in miscellaneous Latin, German, French, and English works. To follow Saʿdi’s impact on English literature, one needs to search for the beginning of the “Saʿdi trend” and the reasons that led to the acceleration of the translation process of his works into the English language in the nineteenth century. This article examines the role of the British educational institutions in colonial India in the introduction of Saʿdi and hisGolestānto the English readership, and, in parallel, it uncovers the role of the Indo-Persian native scholars (monshis) who were involved in the preparation of translations. The article discusses how the perception of the British towards Saʿdi’s literature developed in the first half of the nineteenth century and how their approach towards the translation of the “text” and its “style” evolved in the complete renderings of theGolestān.
Exotic symplectic structures
Authors: Casals Roger
Published: October 2019

The symplectization of an overtwisted contact

(

R

3

,

ξ

o
t

)

(\mathbb {R}^3,\xi _{ot})

is shown to be an exotic symplectic

R

4

\mathbb {R}^4

. The technique of proof is also used to produce exotic symplectic

R

2
n

\mathbb {R}^{2n}

using a GPS–structure and applies to symplectizations of open contact manifolds.
Monodromy representations of meromorphic projective structures
Authors: Gupta Subhojoy , Mj Mahan
Published: October 2019

We determine the image of the monodromy map for meromorphic projective structures with poles of orders greater than two. This proves the analogue of a theorem of Gallo-Kapovich-Marden and answers a question of Allegretti and Bridgeland in this case. Our proof uses coordinates on the moduli space of framed representations arising from the work of Fock and Goncharov.
Theta block conjecture for paramodular forms of weight 2
Authors: Gritsenko Valery , Wang Haowu
Published: October 2019

In this paper we construct an infinite family of paramodular forms of weight

2
2

which are simultaneously Borcherds products and additive Jacobi lifts. This proves an important part of the theta block conjecture of Gritsenko–Poor–Yuen (2013) related to the most important infinite series of theta blocks of weight

2
2

and

q
q

-order

1
1

. We also consider some applications of this result.
Topology and homotopy of lattice isomorphic arrangements
Authors: Guerville-Ballé Benoît
Published: October 2019

We prove the existence of lattice isomorphic line arrangements having

π
1

\pi _1

-equivalent or homotopy-equivalent complements and non-homeomorphic embeddings in the complex projective plane. We also provide two explicit examples: one is formed by real-complexified arrangements, while the second is not.
On Lau’s conjecture II
Authors: Salame Khadime
Published: October 2019

In this paper we are concerned with the study of a long-standing open problem posed by Lau in 1976. This problem is about whether the left amenability property of the space of left uniformly continuous functions of a semitopological semigroup is equivalent to the existence of a common fixed point for every jointly weak* continuous norm nonexpansive action on a nonempty weak* compact convex subset of a dual Banach space. We establish in this paper a positive answer.
Sum of irreducible operators in von Neumann factors
Authors: Shen Junhao , Shi Rui
Published: October 2019

Let

M

\mathcal {M}

be a factor acting on a complex, separable Hilbert space

H

\mathcal {H}

. An operator

a
∈

M

a\in \mathcal {M}

is said to be irreducible in

M

\mathcal {M}

if

W
∗

(
a
)

W^*(a)

, the von Neumann subalgebra generated by

a
a

in

M

\mathcal M

, is an irreducible subfactor of

M

\mathcal {M}

, i.e.,

W
∗

(
a

)
′

∩

M

=

C

I

W^*(a)’\cap \mathcal {M}=\mathbb {C} I

. In this note, we prove that each operator

a
∈

M

a\in \mathcal {M}

is a sum of two irreducible operators in

M

\mathcal {M}

, which can be viewed as a natural generalization of a theorem in [Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 21 (1969), pp. 251–252], with a completely different proof.
Homological stability for classical groups
Authors: Sprehn David , Wahl Nathalie
Published: October 2019

We prove a slope 1 stability range for the homology of the symplectic, orthogonal, and unitary groups with respect to the hyperbolic form, over any fields other than

F

2

\mathbb {F}_2

, improving the known range by a factor 2 in the case of finite fields. Our result more generally applies to the automorphism groups of vector spaces equipped with a possibly degenerate form (in the sense of Bak, Tits, and Wall). For finite fields of odd characteristic, and more generally fields in which

−
1

-1

is a sum of two squares, we deduce a stability range for the orthogonal groups with respect to the Euclidean form, and a corresponding result for the unitary groups.

In addition, we include an exposition of Quillen’s unpublished slope 1 stability argument for the general linear groups over fields other than

F

2

\mathbb {F}_2

, and use it to recover also the improved range of Galatius–Kupers–Randal-Williams in the case of finite fields, at the characteristic.
Latina Feminist Literature
Authors: Arrizón Alicia
Published: October 2019

Any examination of Latina feminist literature must acknowledge that this area of study, like the identity of women of Latin American heritage, is a complex phenomenon. This complexity attests to the fact that the Latino population in the United States embraces multiple ethnicities, such as Mexican American and Cuban American. Aside from ethnic representations, the notion of Latina (Latino) recognizes various ideologically determinant identities, such as Chicanas (Chicanos) and Nuyoricans. In order to embrace the notion of Latina feminism in literature, it is paramount to recognize the reality of women who live in a complex bifurcated reality. Latinas are Americans, and yet, at the same time, they are not “Americans.” Latinas comprise multiracial and multiethnic communities whose multiple and diverse voices are situated within different hierarchies of social power and discourse. While Latina literature is deeply rooted within cultural values and traditions, it critiques the repressive, patriarchal foundations of that tradition. Consequently, Latina feminist writers embody a rebellious sensibility to the task of dismantling the structures that have defined, silenced, and marginalized them. Thus Latina feminist writing cannot be understood as an exclusive or absolute phenomenon but rather must be seen as a heterogeneous cultural practice drawing from the diverse genealogies of women’s specific ethnic backgrounds, as well as from their histories and their voices, while attempting to challenge gender norms, heteronormativity, and power relations. Although the renaissance of Latina feminist literary production became evident in the period after the Civil Rights and Women’s Liberation movements, especially after the 1980s (and 1990s consecutively), discursive configurations of Latina writings have been identified dating back to the 19th century in the United States.
Mexican American (Chicana/o)
Authors: Aldama Frederick Luis
Published: October 2019

Discussions and debates in and around the formation of Mexican American letters, including its periodization and formulations of its unique ontology, are reviewed, and discussions and analysis of key literary phenomena that have shaped in time (history) and space (region) Mexican American and Chicana/o letters are presented. Foundational scholars such as María Herrera-Sobek, Luis Leal, José Limón, and Juan Bruce-Novoa are considered along with scholar-creators such as Gloria Anzaldúa and Cherríe Moraga. A wide variety of Mexican American and Chicana/o authors of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction are reviewed, including Alurista, María Amparo Ruiz de Burton, Marío Suárez, Arturo Islas, Richard Rodriguez, and Ana Castillo, among many others.
Administrative Culture
Authors: MacCarthaigh Muiris , Saarniit Leno
Published: October 2019

Administrative culture is an established and prominent theme in public administration research. It is frequently used to explain or contextualize a variety of phenomena in the discipline, ranging from differences in governing styles and policy outcomes between national bureaucracies to making sense of the informal norms and values that determine the activities of individual public organizations and how they interact with political and non-state interests. It is also occasionally used to characterize a particular “type” of organizational culture, with features that distinguish it from the private or third sectors. With such varied uses of the term, as well as related concepts such as administrative style, tradition, and legacies, administrative culture attracts multiple interpretations as well as its fair share of criticisms as an explanatory tool.

In some contexts, administrative culture is an independent variable that helps explain divergence and variety in policy outcomes within and across national borders, while in others it is a dependent variable that attracts experiments and new measurement tools with the aim of producing more sophisticated understanding of its place in public governance. Early skepticism about the study of administrative culture mainly arose due to the absence of adequate methodology as well as uncertainty about how to begin empirical research into the concept. The emergence of such a methodology and tools for inquiry since the 1970s has meant that administrative culture is now firmly located in the literature and practice of government and a burgeoning literature now exists across the globe. Some of the key contemporary debates around administrative culture concern the interplay between cultures and sub-cultures within bureaucracies, the influence of distinctive administrative traditions and styles on policy outcomes, and the role culture plays in public sector reform.
Latin America’s Socioeconomic Relationship With China: Is Development Still Possible?
Authors: Dussel Peters Enrique
Published: October 2019

The socioeconomic and political relationship between Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) with China has become increasingly significant for both since the beginning of the 21st century. This article analyzes proposals by the United States and China in their bilateral relationship and the political effects of their increasing tensions on LAC. Consistent with the proposed framework of analysis of the socioeconomic LAC–China relationship—at least in terms of trade, financing, overseas foreign direct investments, and infrastructure projects—the article examines in detail these conditions, as well as providing an in-depth example of trade. The final part of the article discusses the important potential and challenges of China for LAC’s development and concludes that so far, and based on the in-depth analysis of the trade relationship, the LAC–China relation is closer to a core-periphery than to a South–South or win–win strategy.

The document proposes to understand that the political economy within the United States, particularly of its private sector, have shifted substantially against China. In addition, the structure for analysis of the LAC-China relationship in the 21st century with a concrete structure of analysis in terns of trade, financing, Chinese overseas foreign direct investments (OFDI) and infrastructure projects. In light of current discussions, the analysis suggests for the inclusion of a group of new concepts –such as the “the new triangular relationships” and the “globalization process with Chinese characteristics” with a group of effects in LAC. The impact of the increasing China-United States tensions, from this perspective, generates massive challenges in LAC, independently of their diplomatic relationships to China.
Religious Traditions in Politics: Islam, Sunni, and Shi'a
Authors: Yenigun Halil Ibrahim
Published: October 2019

How Islam and politics get entangled with each other is a remarkable topic of interest. Islam’s relationship with politics is a highly remarkable topic of interest. Islam’s inception as a religion in the 7th century was a historical event that signified the emergence of a powerful, Arab-Muslim empire on the world scene. The trajectory of the relationship between Islam—as a normative ideal that is constantly interpreted by its followers—and politics—in the form of authority structures, public policies, international relations, or everyday political relations with the government, communities, or society—is complex. The convoluted relationship between Islam and politics can be studied on multiple layers. First, by looking at the normative sources, chiefly the verses in the Qur’an and the earliest narratives about the Prophet Muhammad and his Companions (Sahaba; i.e., the hadith) and major historical events that set precedents, such as the first caliphate controversy and the Karbala Massacre (680). Together, these sources form the foundation of Islamic political vocabulary and set the parameters of the ongoing discourse on legitimate Muslim modes of behavior in politics. Second, the historical trajectory of the relationship between religion and politics manifested itself in premodern Muslim-dominant contexts. These manifestations are sought within the complex web of relations among the followers of sects, schools of thought, and among different religious classes, nobility, and governments, who contested the religious and political space.

When a sense of political, cultural, and intellectual siege by the people of European descent, dubbed collectively as the “West,” dominated Muslim-majority societies and cultures, earlier patterns and constellations underwent serious transformations. Revivalist and reformist trends are crucial elements of these changing patterns. Corollary to these trends are Muslims’ indigenization of European ideologies such as liberalism, socialism, and nationalism in addition to their own formulation of Islamism as a political ideology. Finally, the relationship between religion and politics as conceived in Muslim thought from the classical age onward is found in scholars’ and thinkers’ political articulations of Islam in the mirror of the princes literature, theological works, philosophical treatises, political jurisprudence literature, also known as fiqh al-siyasah or al-siyasah al-shar’iyyah, and ethical treatises.

Apart from the foundational texts and interpretive communities of the past, whether motivated by Islam or not, social and political actors in Muslim-majority societies, whether democratic masses or political elite, have reconceived the relationship between Islam and politics and redefined what Islam means politically. Ultimately, this relationship is constantly renegotiated by all those involved within this nexus of theory and praxis.
Religious Frames: Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood
Authors: Hatina Meir , Kupferschmidt Uri M.
Published: October 2019

When the Arab Spring of 2011 sparked a second revolution in Egypt (the first having occurred in 1952), it caught the longstanding Muslim Brotherhood almost by surprise. Arguably the oldest Sunni political mass movement in Egypt (having been established in 1928), it had proven remarkably resilient during more than eight decades of alternating repression and toleration by subsequent governments. Though its social composition changed over the years, its principles, as laid down by its founder Hasan al-Banna, continued to inspire large segments of the population in a quest for a state based on Shariʿa, and provided an alternative vision for a more just and moral society. Meanwhile, the Brotherhood built a wide network of social, educational, and welfare institutions.

From the early 1980s onwards, with Mubarak in power, the Brotherhood was condoned, if not officially recognized, and members were allowed to participate in several parliamentary and other elections. As an organization with formal traditional leadership bodies, but also a younger generation versed in the modern social media, the Brotherhood was seen to be slowly nearing a point where it would be able to make the transition to a party. It began to formulate a political platform and an economic blueprint for the country. A modicum of democracy was adopted, and more openness towards the integration of women was seen. After winning a relatively large (minority) representation in the 2005 parliamentary elections, the regime was scared enough to allow the Brotherhood to win only one token seat in 2010.

The revolution of 2011 ousted Mubarak and then led to relatively free elections with a solid victory for the Freedom and Justice Party, which had been formed by the Brotherhood, as well as a new Islamist-inspired constitution and the election of Muhammad Mursi as president. However, within a year the Muslim Brotherhood government had missed this historical window of opportunity. It proved inadequately prepared for efficient and orderly governance, did not bring order and stability, nor did it advance the aspirational goals of demonstrators. This is how the army, not for the first time in Egypt’s history, came to intervene and depose Morsi in July 2013, replacing him with Defense Minister ʿAbd al-Fattah al-Sisi. It was not long before the Brotherhood was once more suppressed and outlawed. With many leaders in jail, but latent support continuing, observers tend to believe it is not the end of the Brotherhood’s existence.
Vygotsky and the Cultural-Historical Approach to Human Development
Authors: Zavershneva Ekaterina , van der Veer René
Published: October 2019

Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky (real name Lev Simkhovich Vygodsky; Orsha 1896–Moscow 1934) was a Russian psychologist who created cultural-historical theory, which proved influential in developmental psychology and other psychological disciplines. Vygotsky characterized his approach as “height psychology” (as opposed to “depth psychology”) and posited that the higher forms of mind should be the starting point for the study of human development. In his view it was essential to study psychological processes in their historical dynamics; these dynamics could be unraveled with the causal-genetic approach he developed, which involved the guided formation of mind in the course of its study or the experimental unfolding of ontogeny. Vygotsky claimed that the mechanisms of human development are not genetically determined and that we must find its source in culture and the social environment. Human development is mediated by cultural artifacts and sign systems, which are mastered in a dialogue with other people in spontaneous or guided interaction, which stimulates development by creating a zone of proximal development. The major means of the transformation of innate mind into higher mind is language, which enables us to preserve and transmit the experience of generations. In this process of cultural development the person develops a system of higher psychological functions that are social in origin, voluntary and mediated in nature, and form part of a systemic whole. The process of ontogeny goes through a series of stable periods and crises that correspond with specific conditions of the social situation of development and the developmental tasks. Age periods are completed with the development of neoformations, which do not just form results but are also prerequisites for further development. With the development of verbal thinking and the mastery of cultural means of behavior the person masters her/his innate mind and becomes a personality, whose main characteristic is freedom of behavior.
Slave Narratives
Authors: Ernest John
Published: October 2019

Slave narratives emerged in the 18th century to testify to the inhumanity of the practice of slavery. Often autobiographical accounts, but sometimes written by others or dictated to an amanuensis who took dictation, these accounts were celebrated in the United States as a powerful new genre, and they became associated primarily with slavery in the United States. Published both before and after the abolition of slavery, the narratives were never devoted solely to the abolition of slavery. Rather, they were attempts to represent the experiences, and argue for the authority, of those who experienced first-hand the ideological contradictions and the racial oppression fundamental to the maintenance of the system of slavery. These were stories deeply relevant long after the legal end of slavery—but the slave narratives were for many years either overlooked or decidedly dismissed as reliable historical sources, and they were not recognized as valuable literary documents for even longer. Eventually, historians and literary scholars alike began to embrace this genre of writing and recognized as well that it was a genre defined less by form than by purpose. Although often associated with book-length autobiographies by such prominent figures as Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, or Booker T. Washington, the genre of slave narratives has come to include virtually any testimony of the enslaved, related in whatever form. What has come to matter, in the end, is precisely the authority of the enslaved that early writers struggled to establish.
Book of Daniel
Authors: Holm Tawny
Published: October 2019

The Book of Daniel contains the only apocalypse in the Hebrew Bible. It is comprised of twelve chapters: 1–6, which are a series of six court tales describing the life of Daniel and his three friends, Judean exiles to the Babylonian court in the 6th century bce, and 7–12, which are a series of four apocalyptic visions, purportedly by this same Daniel. Despite the book’s 6th-century setting, it was probably only finalized during the Maccabean period, perhaps by 164 bce. The stories seem to be earlier than the visions, which reflect anguish under the persecution of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Seleucid king who oppressed Judea from 168–164 bce. Especially the last chapters employ the coded language of apocalyptic literature and thus interpret historical figures symbolically without giving their actual names. Combined, the court tales and the apocalyptic vision narratives seem to function as both encouragement and resistance literature.

The book was written in both Hebrew and Aramaic. The Greek editions of Daniel include additional material: a prayer and a hymn inserted into Dan 3, and two extra stories, Susanna and Bel and the Serpent. Daniel was placed in the Writings section of the Hebrew Bible but is located among the Prophets in the Septuagint as well as Catholic and Orthodox Christian Bibles. Among the Qumran Dead Sea Scrolls, there are at least eight copies of the Book of Daniel, as well as parabiblical literature either focused on a character named “Daniel” or otherwise related to the biblical book.

Daniel’s main themes center mostly on its apocalyptic and eschatological features, such as the periodization of history, chronological predictions of end times, the sovereignty of God over earthly empires, martyrdom, and resurrection. These themes have influenced both Jewish and Christian views of eschatology. Within Christianity, the book is frequently read together with the Revelation or Apocalypse of John, an apocalyptic book in the New Testament that was greatly influenced by Daniel. Current research on the Book of Daniel not only utilizes some new approaches and methodologies but also continues to advance our understanding in these main areas: the relationship between the main texts of Daniel (the Hebrew-Aramaic as well as the Greek editions), Daniel’s composition history, its social setting and political theology, and its Ancient Near Eastern influences.
Morphology in Altaic Languages
Authors: Göksel Aslı
Published: October 2019

The Altaic languages (Turkic, Mongolic, Tungusic) are spread across Eurasia, from Central Asia to the Middle East and the Balkans. The genetic affinity between these subgroups has not been definitively established but the commonality among features and patterns points to some linguistic connections. The main morphological operations in Altaic languages are suffixation and compounding. Generally regarded as morphologically regular with easily identifiable suffixes in which there are clear form-meaning correspondences, the languages, nevertheless, show irregularities in many domains of the phonological exponents of morphosyntactic features, such as base modification, cumulative exponence, and syncretism.

Nouns are inflected for number, person, and case. Case markers can express structural relations between noun phrases and other constituents, or they can act as adpositions. Only very few of the Altaic languages have adjectival inflection. Verbs are inflected for voice, negation, tense, aspect, modality, and, in most of the languages subject agreement, varying between one and five person-number paradigms. Subject agreement is expressed through first, second, and third persons singular and plural. In the expression of tense, aspect, and modality, Altaic languages employ predominantly suffixing and compound verb formations, which involve auxiliary verbs.

Inflected finite verbs can stand on their own and form propositions, and as a result, information structure can be expressed within a polymorphic word through prosodic means. Affix order is mostly fixed and mismatches occur between morpholotactic constraints and syntactico-semantic requirements. Ellipsis can occur between coordinated words.

Derivational morphology is productive and occurs between and within the major word classes of nominals and verbs. Semantic categories can block other semantic categories.
Collective Choices Affecting Natural Hazards Governance, Risk, and Vulnerability
Authors: Thaler Thomas , Shively David , Petersen-Perlman Jacob , Slavikova Lenka , Hartmann Thomas
Published: October 2019

The frequency and severity of extreme weather events are expected to increase due to climate change. These developments and challenges have focused the attention of policymakers on the question of how to manage natural hazards. The main political discourse revolves around the questions of how we can make our society more resilient for possible future events. A central challenge reflects collective choices, which affect natural hazards governance, risk, and individual and societal vulnerability. In particular, transboundary river basins present difficult and challenging decisions at local, regional, national, and international levels as they involve and engage large numbers of stakeholders. Each of these groups has different perspectives and interests in how to design and organize flood risk management, which often hinder transnational collaborations in terms of upstream–downstream or different riverbed cooperation. Numerous efforts to resolve these conflicts have historically been tried across the world, particularly in relation to institutional cooperation. Consequently, greater engagement of different countries in management of natural hazards risks could decrease international conflicts and increase capacity at regional and local levels to adapt to future hazard events. Better understanding of the issues, perspectives, choices, and potential for conflict, and clear sharing of responsibilities, is crucial for reducing impacts of future events at the transboundary level.
Disaster Risk, Moral Hazard, and Public Policy
Authors: Husted Thomas , Nickerson David
Published: October 2019

Natural disasters pose a significant and rapidly growing burden to society, causing over a million deaths and worldwide economic losses in the trillions of dollars in the last twenty years. Concerned over the extent to which their populations are exposed to disaster risk, policymakers in disaster-prone countries strive to increase the penetration of disaster insurance from its relatively low current level and wish to arrest the increasing share of public liability for private losses arising from rising public expenditures on disaster recovery.

Although evidence regarding disaster risk and insurance suggests that individuals respond to their economic incentives when deciding on the degree to which to expose their property and other to risk from a recurrent disaster, potential inefficiencies in private insurance markets can distort these individual incentives and result in underinsurance and excessive exposure. Current research into whether such apparent market inefficiencies are primarily attributed to the behavior of private market participants or to the adverse incentives arising from current programs of disaster aid, regulation and other public policies is of fundamental importance to attaining these policy objectives.

This article critically assesses the current state of mainstream economic and political research into disasters, public policy, and household behavior toward disaster risk. Findings of the most important and influential empirical and theoretical studies over the last 30 years are described, as well as limits on the robustness and interpretation of these findings arising from the characteristics of economic data on disasters and potential bias in measuring the determinants of disaster insurance coverage. Also discussed are both theoretical and empirical evidence that moral hazard on the part of households, insurance firms, and elected officials results in misallocations of private coverage; and it is demonstrated that, exactly contrary to the objectives of public policy, current programs of disaster aid in the presence of moral hazard create incentives for households to minimize, rather than maximize, market coverage of their exposure to disaster risk. The conclusion presents and proves a proposition, original to this article, that any compensatory public aid program is necessarily a source of economic inefficiency and, conditional on net losses, decreases economic welfare.
Natural Hazards Governance in Indonesia
Authors: Kusumasari Bevaola
Published: October 2019

Geographically, Indonesia is located in southeast Asia between the Indian and the Pacific Oceans. It is recognized as an active tectonic region because it consists of three major active tectonic plates: the Eurasian plate in the north, the Indo-Australian plate in the south, and the Pacific plate in the east. The southern and eastern parts of the country feature a volcanic arc stretching from the islands of Sumatra, Java, Nusa Tenggara, and Sulawesi, while the remainder of the region comprises old volcanic mountains and lowlands partly dominated by marshes. Territorially, it is located in a tropical climate area, with its two seasons—wet and dry—exhibiting characteristic weather changes, such as with regard to temperature and wind direction, that can be quite extreme. These climatic conditions combine with the region’s relatively diverse surface and rock topographies to provide fertile soil conditions. Conversely, the same conditions can lead to negative outcomes for this densely populated country, in particular, the occurrence of hydrometeorological disasters such as floods, landslides, forest fires, and drought. The 2017 World Risk Report’s ranking of countries’ relative vulnerability and exposure to natural hazards such as earthquakes, storms, floods, droughts, and sea-level rise calculated Indonesia to be the 33rd most at-risk country. Between 1815 and 2018, 23,250 natural hazards occurred here; 302,849 people died or were otherwise lost, 371,059 were injured, and there were 39,514,636 displaced persons, as well as billions of rupiah in losses. The most frequent type of natural hazard has been floods (8,919 instances), followed by cyclones (5,984), and then landslides (4,947).

Following these latest disasters and acknowledging that Indonesia is becoming increasingly vulnerable to such natural hazards, the country’s government established a comprehensive disaster management system. Specifically, it instituted an organization capable of and responsible for handling such a wide-reaching and complex situation as a natural hazard. A coordinated national body had first been developed in 1966, but the current discourse concerning proactive disaster risk management at national and local levels has encouraged the central government to adapt this organization toward becoming more accountable to and involving the participation of local communities. Law No. 24/2007 of the Republic of Indonesia Concerning Disaster Management, issued on April 26, 2007, established a new National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), but it also focusses on community-based disaster risk management pre- and post-disaster. Through the BNPB and by executing legislative reform to implement recommendations from the international disaster response laws, Indonesia has become a global leader in legal preparedness for natural hazards and the reduction of human vulnerability.
Environmental Impacts and Benefits of Agroforestry
Authors: Jose Shibu
Published: October 2019

Agroforestry systems, the planting of perennial trees and/or shrubs with annual agronomic crops or pasture, have been proposed as more environmentally benign, alternative systems for agricultural production in both temperate and tropical regions of the world. Agroforestry provides a number of environmental benefits as confirmed by scientific literature. The four major environmental benefits of agroforestry are (1) climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration, (2) biodiversity conservation, (3) soil health enrichment, and (4) air and water quality improvement. In addition to environmental benefits, the economic benefits of multiple crops within agroforestry systems have also generated interest in their adoption by farmers the world over. The major negative impacts come from conversion or degradation of forests following certain traditional practices, which may not fit in the definition of modern agroforestry. Challenges remain for widespread adoption of agroforestry, particularly in the temperate world; however, a new resurgence of interest in this land-use practice among small-scale farmers has shed light on a path toward its possible success. Past evidence clearly indicates that agroforestry, as part of a multifunctional working landscape, can offer not only economic return, but also a number of ecosystem services and environmental benefits for a sustainable society.
Tomatoes: A Model Crop of Solanaceous Plants
Authors: Anwar Raheel , Fatima Tahira , Mattoo Autar K.
Published: October 2019

The modern-day cultivated and highly consumed tomato has come a long way from its ancestor(s), which were in the wild and not palatable. Breeding strategies made the difference in making desirable food, including tomato, available for human consumption. However, like other horticultural produce, the shelf life of tomato is short, which results in losses that can reach almost 50% of the produce, more so in developing countries than in countries with advanced technologies and better infrastructure. Food security concerns are real, especially taking into consideration that the population explosion anticipated by 2050 will require more food production and the production of more nutritious food, which applies as much to the tomato crop as the other crops. Today’s consumer has become aware and is looking for nutritious foods for a healthful and long life. Little was done until recently to generate nutritionally enhanced produce including fruits/vegetables. Also, extreme environments add to plant stress and impact yield and nutritional quality of produce. Recent developments in understandings of the plant/fruit genetics and progress made in developing genetic engineering technologies, including the use of CRISPR-Cas9, raise hopes that a better tomato with a high dose of nutrition and longer-lasting quality will become a reality.
Physicians in Supporting Roles: Time to Share the Spotlight
Authors: Click Benjamin
Published: October 2019

With rising interest in multidisciplinary care models for inflammatory bowel disease, the optimal team arrangements, roles, and dynamics are unknown. This editorial comments on the importance of work addressing this issue in an inflammatory bowel disease patient-centered medical home model.
The Association between Firearm Control Policies and Firearm Suicide among Men: A State-Level Age-Stratified Analysis
Authors: Leung Carol , Kaplan Mark S , Xuan Ziming
Published: October 2019

This study examined the association between state-specific firearm control policies and firearm suicide rates among men after adjusting for state-level demographics. This cross-sectional study used state-level mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System and the Brady Campaign State Scorecard in 2017. An age-stratified (15–24 years, 25–44 years, 45–64 years, and ≥ 65 years) multivariable analysis was conducted to identify gun control policies that are associated with firearm suicide rates among men in each age group. Results indicate that the associations of specific firearm control policies and firearm suicide rates differ across the age span. In particular, more policies (for example, dealer regulations and waiting periods) are negatively associated with firearm suicide rate among men 15 to 24 years of age. The findings underscore the importance of designing gender- and age-specific policy advocacy programs directed at lowering the rate of firearm suicide. This study also suggests that California, known for its innovative gun safety legislation efforts, could serve as a model for other states starting preventive programs to reduce the firearm suicide rate. Implications of the findings for social work practice are discussed.