bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Energy Politics of China
Authors: Nahm Jonas
Published: April 2019

A central feature of China’s energy politics is the coexistence of ambitious renewable energy policies and continued investments in fossil fuels. Building on key literature in Chinese politics, this chapter uses the politics of China’s clean energy transition as a central empirical case to show that contradictions inherent in China’s energy sector governance result from institutional fragmentation. Institutions for energy sector governance have created divergent incentives for central and local governments as well as various administrative agencies charged with energy policymaking, which explains the simultaneous pursuit of conflicting policy goals.
The Energy Politics of North America
Authors: Mildenberger Matto , Stokes Leah C.
Published: April 2019

Energy resource debates sit at the center of both policymaking and electoral battles across North America. Yet in contrast to Europe, strong international institutions to manage continental energy policy have not developed. Instead, North American energy politics are shaped by four key factors: the federalist nature of North American countries, the absence of effective continental energy institutions, regional economic interdependence, and the relative power asymmetries between the United States and its neighbors, Canada and Mexico. Taken together, these features of North American energy regionalism distinguish it in both form and dynamics from energy politics in Europe and Asia. The North American energy system is an example of regional energy management in which a single dominant state pulls neighbors into a fragmented institutional framework.
Time in International Relations Theory
Authors: Hom Andrew R.
Published: April 2019

Temporal phenomena like power shifts, wars, and confounding events characterize international politics. Yet for decades academic international relations (IR) did not consider time worthy of research or reflection. Recently things have changed, especially in critical IR, where scholars developed numerous arguments about time’s political importance. However, none of that work pursued a synoptic account of time in IR theory. This chapter does so, using an ideal typology of closed and open time to understand realism, liberalism, constructivism, English School, feminism, Marxism, and critical theory. In each, tensions between open and closed time distinguish the theory from its competitors but also animate explanatory and normative debates among its proponents. The historically overlooked issue of time—our assumptions about it, visions of it, and claims about how it impacts politics—drives theoretical development across and within IR theories, which we can understand as attempts to time international political life.
Algorithmic Governance by Online Intermediaries
Authors: Elkin-Koren Niva , Perel Maayan
Published: April 2019

In recent years, there is a growing use of algorithmic law enforcement by online intermediaries. Algorithmic enforcement by private intermediaries is located at the interface between public law and private ordering. It often reflects risk management and commercial interests of online intermediaries, effectively converging law enforcement and adjudication powers, at the hands of a small number of mega platforms. At the same time, algorithmic governance also plays a critical role in shaping access to online content and facilitating public discourse. Yet, online intermediaries are hardly held accountable for algorithmic enforcement, even though they may reach erroneous decisions. Developing proper accountability mechanisms is hence vital to create a check on algorithmic enforcement. Accordingly, relying on lessons drawn from algorithmic copyright enforcement by online intermediaries, this chapter demonstrates the accountability deficiencies in algorithmic copyright enforcement; maps the barriers for algorithmic accountability and discusses various strategies for enhancing accountability in algorithmic governance.
Critical Approaches to the Study of Terrorism
Authors: Heath-Kelly Charlotte
Published: April 2019

Critical approaches to the study of terrorism do not inquire into the causation of political violence. Rather, the umbrella term “critical” encompasses a large variety of methodologies which reject the positivist philosophy of science. This chapter explores the meaning of “critique” as an epistemological alternative to positivist models of knowledge. It shows how “critical” approaches do not ask “what causes terrorist violence,” but rather how societies have come to a point where they identify “terrorism” as a distinct form of violence, separate from “war” and “crime.” What makes terrorism “sensible”? How do we “know” terrorism as a concept or form? Drawing from long philosophical traditions, critical approaches explore how power, culture, and linguistics have constituted the concept of “terrorism”—creating a reality which is not “obvious” or common-sense, but contingent and arbitrary. The chapter then outlines the critical method of “discourse analysis” and its use in constructivist analyses of the War on Terror.
The Causes of Terrorism
Authors: Goodwin Jeff
Published: April 2019

Terrorism, understood as the killing of noncombatants in order to frighten, intimidate, or provoke others, has long been an important method of warfare or contention for both states and non-state groups. Yet states and rebels clearly do not attack just any noncombatants. Indeed, both states and rebels are also usually interested in securing the support of noncombatants. So who are the noncombatants whom warriors choose to attack? Armed groups have an incentive to attack and terrorize those noncombatants who support enemy states or rebels politically or economically. Terrorism is thus a method of undermining indirectly one’s armed enemies. By contrast, armed groups do not have an incentive to attack noncombatants who do not support enemy states or rebels. Whether noncombatants are supporters of states or rebels, in other words, is the key to understanding why terror tactics are or are not likely to be employed against them in any particular conflict.
State Terrorism
Authors: Wilson Tim
Published: April 2019

Seeing official violence as unduly neglected, “critical terrorism studies” scholars have pushed hard for state terrorism to become a central concern of the emergent field of “terrorism studies.” Although laudable in intention, such critiques have been blunted in their impact by path dependency in how state violence has conventionally been studied. Some examples such as Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union have indeed been relatively well explored by scholars. Yet these truly spectacular examples are only a small part of the historical picture of state violence—and against that wider backdrop they appear highly aberrational. Any systematic attempt to understand the complexity of inter-relationship between state and non-state violence must develop both far greater historical awareness and sociological discernment.
Terrorist Organizational Dynamics
Authors: Phillips Brian
Published: April 2019

Most terrorism is carried out by organizations with particular political motivations, mobilization issues, and other characteristics that affect their behavior, including their attacks. Group dynamics are often overlooked when research focuses on units of analysis such as countries or individuals. However, understanding the organizational dynamics of terrorism can shed light on this type of violence in important ways. This chapter begins by discussing definitions of key concepts, and then analyzes recent literature on several prominent topics: outbidding, internal group dynamics, and organizational longevity or failure. It concludes by noting potential avenues for future research, including more work on strategic interactions between terrorist organizations and states, as well as increased dialogue with research on related topics such as civil conflict.
Terrorism in Latin America
Authors: Holmes Jennifer S.
Published: April 2019

Although the study of terrorism in general is rife with definitional disagreements and overlap of different types of violence, the study of terrorism in Latin America is especially challenged by these issues. There are few sources of cross-nationally comparable violence data and it is difficult to differentiate terrorism from other types of violence. Violent actors are frequently categorized in multiple categories, ranging from gangs to guerrilla. A subnational analysis is recommended to take into account divergent levels of development, violence, and state presence within countries. This approach is necessary to understand violent groups in Latin America that not only differ by front or faction, but also to examine groups that either straddle multiple categories of violence or fall in the gaps between them.
Terrorism in the Middle East
Authors: Ganor Boaz , Azani Eitan
Published: April 2019

The tectonic changes that began in the Middle East as a result of the “Arab Spring” uprisings, the collapse of traditional regimes, and the development of regions lacking governance served as fertile ground for the growth of terrorist organizations. The Middle East is still in a cloud of turmoil whose end is not yet in sight. The Middle East is likely to continue to serve as a center of terrorism and a platform for exporting instability, violence, and terrorism to other regions of the world. The chapter examines terrorism in the Middle East from a historical perspective, looking at the rise of Palestinian secular terrorist organizations in the 1960s and 1970s; the growth of religious Jihadist organizations in the 1980s and 1990s, and finally the emergence of Al Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State from 2000 onwards.
The Causes and Consequences of Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Elu Juliet U. , Price Gregory N.
Published: April 2019

This chapter provides an overview and recapitulation on the causes and consequences of terrorism in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). While terrorism is a global phenomenon, counterterrorism policy could constitute a challenge in SSA. As an economic good, terrorism can be explained within a standard rational choice model of optimizing agents, or an existential good explained by individuals who are present-aim oriented. Such a consideration is important for enabling security measures that are likely to be effective against terrorism in SSA. As many countries in SSA are in a geography subject to climate change, the chapter also considers the extent to which climate change can enable terrorism in SSA.
Terrorism in Asia
Authors: Chellaney Brahma
Published: April 2019

Asia, where the vast majority of the world’s Muslims live, is the world’s most terrorism-torn region. The terrorism problem, however, is not new for Asia: The region has been wracked by insurgencies, militant movements, and terrorist attacks for decades. The factors that have spurred terrorism in Asia range from arbitrary, colonially drawn borders or post-colonial change of frontiers by military or other means to the spread of militant ideologies and increasing socio-economic disparities linked to a governance deficit. The role of petrodollars from the oil sheikhdoms has been a critical factor in the spread of the jihadist ideology. State repression against an ethnic or religious minority has also triggered a terrorist backlash. Today, Asia confronts a serious and growing terrorism-related challenge. The fight against terrorism in Asia promises to prove a long and difficult one.
Counterterrorism Strategies
Authors: Byman Daniel
Published: April 2019

This chapter offers a comparison of eight counterterrorism strategies and instruments, many of which overlap or are pursued simultaneously: (1) crushing terrorist groups directly with massive force; (2) targeting terrorist leaders for death and arrest; (3) relying on allies to strike terrorist groups; (4) containing the terrorist group to limit its effectiveness and encourage internal divisions; (5) improving defenses against terrorism; (6) delegitimating the group’s cause; (7) conciliating terrorists; and (8) going after supposed root causes of terrorism. It examines the strengths and weaknesses of each approach and identifies some of the conditions under which it is most likely to be effective. It concludes by offering recommendations for further research.
Counterterrorism and International Law
Authors: Bianchi Andrea
Published: April 2019

This chapter is an attempt at assessing the overall response provided by the international community, and the main normative strategies pursued by international law in countering international terrorism. To find concrete ways in which the coordination of norms and institutional policies can lead to the implementation of an effective holistic approach to fighting terrorism is the challenge lying ahead for the international community. The chapter argues that respect for human rights and the rule of law may play a central role in this process, by contributing to its legitimacy and increasing its chances of efficacy and stability in the long term. The other new challenge and the real paradigm shift, particularly at times of increasing terrorist violence, lies in thinking of counterterrorism as a precondition for economic growth and sustainable development.
Teaching About Terrorism
Authors: Miller Gregory D.
Published: April 2019

This chapter discusses several ethical elements of teaching about terrorism, including the strengths and weaknesses of various styles of delivery and the use of different resources. The primary arguments made in this chapter are that the content of the course should be advertised correctly and that the professor should be competent in the material. Beyond that, this chapter identifies some of the strengths, weaknesses, and ethical challenges of four of the primary methods of teaching terrorism courses: participation/discussion, films, case studies, and simulations. Although each of these four methods has its own strengths and weaknesses, and each can generate some ethical challenges, the overall point made in this chapter is that a competent instructor, who is knowledgeable on the subject matter and clearly defines the topic of a specific course, should use a mixture of methods based on his or her expertise and abilities.
Academic Research and the Intelligence Community
Authors: Evans Jonathan
Published: April 2019

In this chapter, writing as a retired intelligence officer who worked for much of my career on terrorist issues, I consider how attitudes to academic work on terrorism have developed, from the perspective of a counterterrorism practitioner. The pressure on government to understand the context of Al Qaeda terrorism after 9/11 led to closer engagement, as did the need to explain the terrorist modus operandi dispassionately in the courts. Not only terrorism studies but also complementary disciplines such as behavioral science and technology have been recognized as relevant to counterterrorism. While the possibility exists that academic independence might be compromised through closer dialogue between academics and practitioners, in practice both sides have found that the benefits outweigh the risks.
The Pre-History of Terrorism
Authors: Brown Warren C.
Published: April 2019

This chapter explores the instrumental use of terror in the region that first produced the concept “terrorism,” Europe, in a period before the conditions that produced it existed, the Middle Ages. For much of this thousand-year period, Europeans did not make the distinctions on which most modern definitions of terrorism depend, such as between state and non-state actors, civilian and military targets, civil and criminal offenses, or political and religious orders; nor did they restrict the legitimate use of force to a state. It is only towards the end of the period that European ideas about proper order and about the legitimate use of violence began to evolve in ways that set the stage for modern terrorism both as a concept and as a practice.
The Study of Terrorism
Authors: Chenoweth Erica , Gofas Andreas
Published: April 2019

Our intention in this chapter is not to summarize the broad findings of the field (something that is being done across the volume). Rather, our attempt is to briefly reflect on the analytical advancements and challenges that remain since the evolution of the field in the early 1970s. In terms of achievements, we identify three: the post-9/11 enrichment of the field with a considerable number of impressive and committed scholars, the rejection of poor research standards, and a commitment to multi-disciplinarity. In terms of failures, or enduring challenges, we identify seven: lack of cross-fertilization between scholarship on different forms of political violence; a tendency towards de-historicization of terrorism; lack of engagement between hermeneutical and nomothetic approaches; lack of integration between micro- and macro-approaches; a skewed set of research priorities; the rarity of primary research; and lack of variation in the geo-cultural production of knowledge.
Psychological Approaches to the Study of Terrorism
Authors: Horgan John G.
Published: April 2019

As an academic discipline, psychology would appear to be well-suited to the study of terrorist behavior. Terrorism, after all, involves statistically and socially abnormal behavior that is routinely associated with acts of extreme violence. Psychological analysis extends not only to those who engage in acts of terrorism, but to those affected by terrorism both near and far. It seems odd then that psychology has not embraced the study of terrorism in the same way that other disciplines have. This chapter explores the history and development of psychological research on terrorism and reflects on its progress to date before offering modest suggestions for future areas of enquiry. Though psychological research on terrorist behavior, the author argues, remains underdeveloped, the chapter concludes with a sense of optimism about the exciting potential that may be derived from a more fully developed psychology of terrorism.
Formal Approaches to the Study of Terrorism
Authors: Shapiro Jacob N.
Published: April 2019

A large game-theoretic literature has developed to study terrorism. This literature has made significant contributions to the understanding of terrorism by providing a useful guide to parsing the empirical record, by helping to illuminate how seemingly puzzling behavior by terrorist organizations can be understood as the outcome of strategic interactions, and by providing some guidance to policy. Specifically, the formal literature helps provide plausible logically coherent explanations for seemingly anomalous patterns in the real world including: (1) there is more terrorism when the economy is bad, but terrorists themselves tend not to be poor; (2) terrorist groups often keep lots of paperwork, but sometimes they operate with little formal organization; (3) many states appear to tolerate low levels of terrorism they could stamp out and counterterrorism spending seems to over-emphasize publicly observable actions; (4) opposition groups often choose terrorism despite the fact that it seldom succeeds; and (5) bargaining with terrorists rarely succeeds in ending conflict. This brief piece focuses on explaining how the formal literature provides useful guidance for understanding these patterns.
Evolving Management Ideas
Authors: Seeck Hannele , Lamberg Juha-antti
Published: April 2019

This chapter reviews the different conceptualizations of ‘the’ historical development of management ideas. It focuses on three approaches to the evolution of research on management ideas: (1) mainstream, (2) embedded, and (3) critical alternatives. The mainstream is the most dominant approach, both in research and in textbooks of management, while the embedded approach is increasingly popular among institutionally oriented researchers. A key suggestion is that it is also important to find and follow less researched avenues in the evolution of management ideas, such as the critical alternatives approach, drawing on forgotten and marginalized discourses. The authors explicate limitations and research opportunities emerging from the three approaches and seek to motivate researchers to look for new research directions in the study of management ideas.
Business Media
Authors: Barros Marco , Rüling Charles-Clemens
Published: April 2019

Based on an overview of previous literature on business media, which shows a substantial degree of fragmentation, this chapter proposes an integrative theoretical framework using the concept of media logic defined as the technological, cultural, and organizational features that influence how management ideas are produced, distributed, and consumed. Considering the recent technological changes brought on by social media, the role of business media cannot be understood without considering the effects of transmediality and multimodality. Defined respectively as the movement of content through different types of media, these elements have an important impact on the nature of management ideas. The authors question the predominance of well-bounded ideas in a new technological convergence context with increasing loss of gatekeeping control to user-generated content. They propose that a renewed set of theoretical frameworks and methodological tools will allow business media research to understand the contemporary evolution of management ideas.
Multinational and Transnational Organizations
Authors: Kern Philipp , Almond Phil , Edwards Tony , Tregaskis Olga
Published: April 2019

Multinational corporations (MNCs) are important players in the diffusion of management ideas, knowledge, and norms across borders because of pressures to standardize practices as much as possible, while adapting to local differences as much as necessary. The international management literature increasingly highlights the important role of individuals within those MNCs in cross-border norm diffusion, but we still lack an integrated approach to these ‘globalizing actors’ and their activities. This chapter discusses international management research related to knowledge transfer in MNCs, international assignments, and global elites and considers its contributions and limitations in terms of aiding our understanding of globalizing actors in relation to management ideas. Arguing that this work holds important insights, but says little about how actors mobilize their skills and resources to navigate complex environments, the authors draw on a more diverse range of research to bring context and person back into focus.
The Consumers and Co-Producers of Management Ideas
Authors: Bort Suleika , Kieser Alfred
Published: April 2019

Managers have frequently been portrayed as ‘the’ consumers of management ideas. This chapter argues that other actors (i.e. consultants, researchers, students, and citizens) are also relevant consumers. It discusses why and how these different actors consume management ideas and also explains why consuming ideas cannot be separated from co-producing them, since applying them or just thinking of applying them usually means adapting them in innovative ways to specific contexts. The authors conclude that often one group of actors, e.g. consultants, is dependent on the cooperation of another one, e.g. managers, to be able to co-produce and implement management ideas.
Understanding and Analysing Resistance to Management Ideas
Authors: McCabe Darren , Ciuk Sylwia , Russell Stephanie
Published: April 2019

This chapter presents three approaches towards analysing workplace resistance to management ideas. The first (industrial relations) has primarily focused on union resistance. The second (labour process theory) considers individual and collective resistance in a context of antagonism between labour and capital. The third (post-structuralism) has sought to introduce subjectivity and identity into the analysis. The chapter gives a brief contextual sketch of resistance to management ideas before presenting the three approaches. It then considers ‘productive’ resistance, which suggests that resistance can facilitate organizational change, and examines whether this position can be considered to constitute a fourth approach. The authors conclude that it would be premature to do so because (1) it is under-explored, (2) it contains different strands, and (3) it shares similarities with previous approaches. Nevertheless, it helps to open up promising avenues for future research and some of these research directions in resistance to management ideas are considered.
Popular Management Ideas
Authors: Giroux Helene
Published: April 2019

A number of research articles focus on popular management ideas, but very few discuss or even define what is meant by ‘popular’. This is the main goal of this chapter. Three meanings are outlined: popularity as emergence, popularity as genre, and popularity as ownership. In the first meaning of emergence, popularity is a matter of prevalence and frequency resulting from collective choice. In the second, popularity as genre is related to intrinsic characteristics of texts and discourse. In the third meaning, ownership indicates that popularity is a matter of origin, stemming from ordinary people or the masses. Each meaning is related to observations regarding management fashions. The chapter also discusses how other streams of research could clarify how popular management ideas have been investigated and conceptualized.
The (Geo-)Politics of Management Ideas
Authors: Salles-Djelic Marie-Laure
Published: April 2019

The twentieth century can arguably be dubbed the century of management. As management ideas spread and project notions of efficiency, neutrality, and universality, they turn into a powerful and (nearly) taken-for-granted ‘regime of truth’. But management and management ideas are not the natural habitat of humanity. Instead, they are historically inscribed and socially constructed institutions, and hence neither neutral nor de-politicized. We can better understand the contemporary dominance of management and management ideas if we follow through time their trajectory as instruments of power. Over the twentieth century, this trajectory has coevolved with the tightly connected fates of American capitalism and imperialism. This chapter identifies three main moments in this trajectory, which are explored in turn. Our capacity to dream up alternatives to management hinges upon such an historical deconstruction. What would it imply, for example, if we were to nurture—rather than manage—organizations and relationships?
Managing Public Service Professionals Under New Public Management
Authors: Reed Michael
Published: April 2019

This chapter focuses on the effects of management ideas. In particular, it examines the transformation of the work situation of public service professionals generated by the core ideas associated with New Public Management (NPM). This change creatively absorbed management ideas such as ‘culture’, ‘leadership’, and ‘network’ and, overall, represented a paradigm shift in the meaning and relevance of ‘public service’. While NPM has undergone a series of reformulations—as technocratic, managerial, and neo-liberal—it continues to shape the institutional landscape in which public service professionals are embedded. In doing so, it presents them with a series of existential challenges to their occupational authority and identity that threaten to undermine their organizational power and control.
Management Techniques
Authors: Werr Andreas , Walgenbach Peter
Published: April 2019

This chapter reviews research on management techniques—formal procedures for carrying out a management task. It identifies three main streams of research—a functionalist stream, viewing management techniques as best practices; an institutionalist stream, where management techniques are symbols of rationality; and an emerging practice-based stream, focusing on how management techniques come to be used in, and influence, managerial work. This line of research investigates management techniques as affordances to agents in organizations, and it is through this interaction with organizational agency that management techniques shape organizational processes (e.g. strategizing and consulting) and individual managers (e.g. uncertainty reduction). In this view, management techniques are found to play important roles in facilitating communication and knowledge creation in organizations, creating confidence and motivation for action, and reducing uncertainty for individual actors.
Reflections on the Professional Practice of Knowledge Capture
Authors: Moon Brian
Published: April 2019

The practice of capturing cognitive performance and expertise has grown into a profession over the past several decades. This chapter offers reflections from a professional knowledge capturer. The chapter describes the scope of, uses for, and origins of knowledge capture. It then moves to a description of the praxis of knowledge capture, including a discussion of protocols and methods for knowledge elicitation, focusing on the components common to all capture methods—structure and probing questions. The issues of cognitive burden sharing across the capturer and holder, how purpose guides execution, and how constraints can shape practical developments in approaches to knowledge capture are also discussed. Throughout, the chapter offers illustrative stories of knowledge capture from the field. The chapter concludes by looking at future directions for the profession.
Expertise in Aviation
Authors: Wickens Christopher D. , Dehais Frederic
Published: April 2019

This chapter makes the distinction between the experience of aviation professionals, often quantified in terms of hours of flight time, or flight qualifications, and expertise, as revealed by high proficiency at aviation tasks. Very high proficiency defines the expert. Challenge results because of the difficulty in measuring such proficiency, particularly beyond the student pilot level, and in air traffic control. The chapter also reviews the literature that examines the relation between experience, differences in cognitive ability, and the expertise of aviation professionals as pertains to controlling the aircraft, navigating, and communicating, as well as pertains to non-technical skills manifest by both pilots and air traffic controllers: situation awareness, decision making, task management and crew resource management. It is concluded that experience is only loosely coupled with proficiency in these areas.
Hinduism and Meditation
Authors: Flood Gavin
Published: April 2019

Meditation has been integral to Hindu and Buddhist tantric traditions, in particular involving visualization or visual contemplation, practiced as part of ritual and also in its own right in order to achieve the goals of liberation from the cycle of reincarnation and also to achieve pleasure or power in this and other worlds. Visual contemplation is particularly focused on the body envisioned as being pervaded by a vertical axis at a subtle level, along which are located different levels of experience associated with different levels of the hierarchical cosmos. Power is awakened through meditation that rises up through these levels up to the very highest realization. This visual contemplation is thought to be of the subtle body as the support of the soul that leaves the physical body at death. There is also meditation without visualization that emphasizes the flow of pure awareness. This essay examines these practices in the major Hindu tantric traditions focused on the deity Śiva with some reference to the traditions of the Goddess, Viṣṇu, and Buddhism. These traditions influence the later Yoga tradition and have been transformed in the modern West.
Cosmological theories before and without einstein
Authors: Kragh Helge
Published: April 2019

Although modern cosmology is essentially a twentieth-century science, its birth can reasonably be traced back to discussions about the universe in the previous century. With the emergence of astrophysics in the 1860s astronomy was substantially changed and the material content of the universe became an issue of science. At about the same time thermodynamics was applied to the universe at large, with the result that the beginning and end of the universe entered astronomical thought. Moreover, it became slowly realized that space can be described as curved rather than flat. In that case it would be possible to speak about a finite and yet unbounded universe and in this way to solve some of the problems associated with the traditional view of an infinite number of stars. These and other problems were only fully understood in the twentieth century, but they were discussed before Einstein revolutionized cosmology.
Observational and astrophysical cosmology: 1980–2018
Authors: Longair Malcolm S.
Published: April 2019

Since 1980, our empirical knowledge of the universe has advanced tremendously and precision cosmology has become a reality. These developments have been largely technology-driven, the result of increased computer power, new generations of telescopes for all wavebands, new types of semiconductor detectors, such as CCDs, and major investments by many nations in superb observing facilities. The discipline also benefitted from the influx of experimental and theoretical physicists into the cosmological arena. The accuracy and reliability of the values of the cosmological parameters has improved dramatically, many of them now being known to about 1%. The ΛCDM model provides a remarkable fit to all the observational data, demonstrating that the cosmological constant is non-zero and that the global geometry of the universe is flat. The underlying physics of galaxy and large-scale structure formation has advanced dramatically and demonstrated the key roles played by dark matter and dark energy.
Inflation, dark matter, and dark energy
Authors: Longair Malcolm S. , Smeenk Chris
Published: April 2019

The success of the ΛCDM model has raised a number of challenging problems for the origin of structure in the universe and the initial state from which it evolved. The origins of these basic cosmological problems are described. The dark matter must be non-baryonic, but its nature has not been established. Likewise, the nature of the dark energy is not understood. The inflationary model for the very early universe has had some undoubted successes in accounting for the initial power-spectrum of fluctuations from which large-scale structures formed but there is no physical realization of the inflaton field. Defects formed during phase transitions in the early universe cannot account for the initial power spectrum of fluctuations, but may have some part to play in structure formation. The origin of the baryon-antibaryon asymmetry in the early universe is not understood in terms of theories of particle physics.
Alternative cosmological theories
Authors: Kragh Helge
Published: April 2019

Since about 1970 the broadly accepted theory of the universe has been the standard hot big-bang model. However, there is and has always been alternative theories which challenge one or more features of the standard model or, more radically, question the scientific nature of cosmology. Is the universe governed by Einstein’s field equations? Is it really in a state of expansion? Did it begin with a big bang? The chapter discusses various alternative or heterodox theories in the period from about 1930 to 1980, among them the idea of a static universe and the conception that our universe evolves cyclically in infinite cosmic time. While some of these theories have been abandoned long ago, others still live on and are cultivated by a minority of cosmologists and other scientists.
Relativistic astrophysics and cosmology
Authors: Longair Malcolm S.
Published: April 2019

Although relativistic astrophysics began in the 1930s with study of supernovae and neutron stars, it was only three decades later that the discovery of extragalactic radio sources, quasars and pulsars marked the emergence of special and general relativity as essential tools of the high energy astrophysicist. X-ray and γ-ray astronomy provided many new insights, culminating in the discovery of γ-ray bursts at cosmological distances in 1997. Supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei provided major new challenges for theorists and observers alike, revealing many remarkable relativistic phenomena, such as superluminal motions observed in some of the most active galaxies. Einstein’s prediction of gravitational waves of 1916 was substantiated exactly 100 years later with their discovery in coalescing binary black hole systems by the LIGO project. These remarkable discoveries, mostly in the non-optical wavebands, brought a wide range of physicists into the astronomical and cosmological communities.
Attachment Theory as a Relational Framework for Positive Psychology
Authors: Mikulincer Mario , Shaver Phillip R.
Published: April 2019

In this chapter, we consider the possibility that attachment theory provides a strong, researchable relational framework for positive psychology. We first present a brief overview of attachment theory and discuss the role that the sense of attachment security plays in fostering physical and mental health, social adjustment, and psychological growth. We then review evidence showing that chronic (i.e., dispositional, trait-like) as well as contextual activation of mental representations of attachment security attenuates defensive motives that might otherwise distort social perception and cognition and lead to interpersonal and intergroup conflict. We also summarize evidence for the claim that attachment security, which can be experimentally enhanced, acts as a growth-enhancing agent, fostering prosocial motives and cognitions, promoting personal development and improved relationships, and leading to the development of what classic personality theorist Carl Rogers (1961) called a “fully functioning person.”
A Qualitative Descriptive Study of Patient Experiences of Pain Before and After Spine Surgery
Authors: Accardi-Ravid Michelle , Eaton Linda , Meins Alexa , Godfrey Daniel , Gordon Debra , Lesnik Ivan , Doorenbos Ardith
Published: April 2019

Objective

The purpose of this study was to describe the preoperative and postoperative experiences of spine surgery from the patient’s perspective to help inform behavioral health services provided before, during, and after hospitalization.

Setting

Single urban academic tertiary care hospital.

Methods

Semistructured interviews with 14 adults who underwent spine surgery. Interview transcriptions were analyzed using content analysis by three investigators to identify emergent themes.

Results

Three broad domains with associated themes emerged from the analysis: 1) preoperative experience—preparation, worries, and expectations; 2) recovery process—activity and pain management strategies; and 3) postoperative support in recovery—family and social support.

Conclusions

The results of this qualitative descriptive study can be used to guide future perioperative behavioral health services for patients undergoing spinal surgery. Establishing realistic expectations of spine surgery and a comprehensive pain management plan are essential for adequate preoperative preparation. Furthermore, family involvement in the preoperative preparation for surgery is important for support of the patient during the recovery process.
The regular completion of a C*-algebra with large projections
Authors: Saitô Kazuyuki
Published: April 2019

When a unital C*-algebra A is prime and has very large projections, it is shown that the regular completion A^ of the algebra A is a simple, wild type III AW*-factor that has no non-zero σ-finite projections. For example, the Weaver algebra, the Crabb algebra and the Katsura algebra are prime C*-algebras that have very large projections. As a corollary, such algebras have no non-zero abelian elements, that is, they are not of type I.
BABOON RADIATION QUALITY (MIXED-FIELD NEUTRON AND GAMMA, GAMMA ALONE) DOSE-RESPONSE MODEL SYSTEMS: ASSESSMENT OF H-ARS SEVERITY USING HAEMATOLOGIC BIOMARKERS
Authors: Bolduc David L , Blakely William F , H. Olsen Cara , Agay Diane , Mestries Jean-Claude , Drouet Michel , Hérodin Francis
Published: April 2019

Results from archived (1986 and 1996) experiments were used to establish a baboon radiation-quality dose–response database with haematology biomarker time-course data following exposure to mixed-fields (i.e. neutron to gamma ratio: 5.5; dose: 0–8 Gy) and 60Co gamma-ray exposures (0–15 Gy). Time-course (i.e. 0–40 d) haematology changes for relevant blood-cell types for both mixed-field (neutron to gamma ratio = 5.5) and gamma ray alone were compared and models developed that showed significant differences using the maximum likehood ratio test. A consensus METREPOL-like haematology ARS (H-ARS) severity scoring system for baboons was established using these results. The data for mixed-field and the gamma only cohorts appeared similar, and so the cohorts were pooled into a single consensus H-ARS severity scoring system. These findings provide proof-of-concept for the use of a METREPOL H-ARS severity scoring system following mixed-field and gamma exposures.
DOSIMETRIC AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO RADON LUNG CANCER RISK ASSESSMENT
Authors: Mc Laughlin J P
Published: April 2019

The two principal approaches used to assess the risk of lung cancer due to radon exposure are those based on dosimetric modelling and on epidemiology. Outline accounts are given of the main features of dosimetric models that have evolved over past decades. The main results of some occupational and residential epidemiological studies are also discussed. The doubling of the ICRP radon dose conversion factors estimated using the epidemiological based dose conversion convention in the period 1993–2010 are discussed. Also discussed is the more recent ICRP approach in which it is recommended that in future the doses should be estimated on the basis of dosimetric and biokinetic models thereby treating radon and its progeny as other radionuclides within its system of protection.
Clinical and video-polysomnographic analysis of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder and other sleep disturbances in dementia with Lewy bodies
Authors: Fernández-Arcos Ana , Morenas-Rodríguez Estrella , Santamaria Joan , Sánchez-Valle Raquel , Lladó Albert , Gaig Carles , Lleó Alberto , Iranzo Alex
Published: April 2019

Objective

The main objective of this study was to study rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) and other sleep disorders in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).

Methods

Consecutive patients with DLB and mild dementia severity were recruited irrespective of sleep complaints. Patients underwent clinical interview, assessment of sleep scales, and video-polysomnography (V-PSG). RBD was diagnosed with V-PSG based on electromyographic and audiovisual analysis.

Results

Thirty-five patients (65.7% men; mean age 77.7 ± 6.1 years) were evaluated. Poor sleep quality (54.3%), hypersomnia (37.1%), snoring (60%), and abnormal nocturnal behaviors (77.1%) were reported. Sleep–wake architecture abnormalities occurred in 75% patients and consisted of occipital slowing on awake electroencephalography (EEG; 34.4%), the absence of sleep spindles and K complexes (12.9%), slow frequency sleep spindles (12.9%), delta activity in REM sleep (19.2%), and REM sleep without atonia (44%). Three patients showed hallucinatory-like behaviors and 10 patients showed abnormal behaviors during arousals mimicking RBD. RBD was diagnosed in 50% of those patients in whom sufficient REM sleep was attained. Of these, 72.7% were not aware of displaying dream-enacting behaviors and in 63.7% RBD preceded the onset of cognitive impairment. For RBD diagnosis, the sensitivity of Mayo Sleep Questionnaire was 50%, specificity was 66.7%, positive predictive value was 83.3%, and negative predictive value was 28%. False-positive RBD cases according to clinical history had hallucinatory-like behaviors, severe obstructive sleep apnea, and prominent periodic limb movements in sleep. Occipital EEG frequency while awake and rate of electromyographic activity in REM sleep were negatively correlated, suggesting a common subcortical origin.

Conclusion

In DLB, RBD and sleep–wake disorders are common, heterogeneous, and complex, challenging their identification without performing V-PSG.
The assessment of supplementation requirements of grazing ruminants using nutrition models
Authors: Tedeschi Luis O , Molle Giovanni , Menendez Hector M , Cannas Antonello , Fonseca Mozart A
Published: April 2019

This paper was aimed to summarize known concepts needed to comprehend the intricate interface between the ruminant animal and the pasture when predicting animal performance, acknowledge current efforts in the mathematical modeling domain of grazing ruminants, and highlight current thinking and technologies that can guide the development of advanced mathematical modeling tools for grazing ruminants. The scientific knowledge of factors that affect intake of ruminants is broad and rich, and decision-support tools (DST) for modeling energy expenditure and feed intake of grazing animals abound in the literature but the adequate predictability of forage intake is still lacking, remaining a major challenge that has been deceiving at times. Despite the mathematical advancements in translating experimental research of grazing ruminants into DST, numerous shortages have been identified in current models designed to predict intake of forages by grazing ruminants. Many of which are mechanistic models that rely heavily on preceding mathematical constructions that were developed to predict energy and nutrient requirements and feed intake of confined animals. The data collection of grazing (forage selection, grazing behavior, pasture growth/regrowth, pasture quality) and animal (nutrient digestion and absorption, volatile fatty acids production and profile, energy requirement) components remains a critical bottleneck for adequate modeling of forage intake by ruminants. An unresolved question that has impeded DST is how to assess the quantity and quality, ideally simultaneously, of pasture forages given that ruminant animals can be selective. The inadequate assessment of quantity and quality has been a hindrance in assessing energy expenditure of grazing animals for physical activities such as walking, grazing, and forage selection of grazing animals. The advancement of sensors might provide some insights that will likely enhance our understanding and assist in determining key variables that control forage intake and animal activity. Sensors might provide additional insights to improve the quantification of individual animal variation as the sensor data are collected on each subject over time. As a group of scientists, however, despite many obstacles in animal and forage science research, we have thrived, and progress has been made. The scientific community may need to change the angle of which the problem has been attacked, and focus more on holistic approaches.