bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Another ‘look!’
Authors: Nau Nicole
Published: September 2021

The Latvian pragmatic marker lūk
is derived from the imperative ‘look!’ but is used mainly in the
textual domain in speech and writing. This study investigates its
use in parliamentary discourse, based on a corpus of shorthand
transcripts, as well as audio and video recordings. The main
functions of lūk are pointing to parts of a
speaker’s text (textual deixis), introducing and concluding a topic
(discourse organization) and marking the voice of an opponent
(represented speech and viewpoint). Similar functions have been
described for imperatives of ‘look’ verbs in various European
languages. An important difference is that lūk
occurs only turn-medially and lacks dialogic functions.
The Lithuanian focus particles net ‘even’ and
tik ‘only’ and clause peripheries
Authors: Jasionytė-Mikučionienė Erika
Published: September 2021

The present chapter investigates the Lithuanian
focus particles net ‘even’ and tik
‘only’ and their potential to occur in clause peripheries. The
results of the analysis provide evidence that net
and tik have the potential to appear in clause
peripheries; however, as peripheral elements, they are not so common
in spoken Lithuanian. It is observed that net and
tik share a set of functions with focus
particles in Germanic as well as Romance languages: in clause
peripheries, they contribute to discourse structure and common
ground management as well as encode (inter)subjective information.
Both Lithuanian particles exhibit language-specific properties too,
though: they serve as illocutionary force modifiers not only
strengthening the illocutionary force of a speech act but also
softening it.
A cross-linguistic look at the right periphery
Authors: Ruskan Anna , Carretero Marta
Published: September 2021

This paper compares the formal and functional
features of two sets of English, Spanish and Lithuanian pragmatic
markers, one of linking adverbials (then, entonces,
tada) and another of evidential adverbials
(obviously, evidentemente, aišku). The study
deals with the contribution of the right periphery occurrences of
the markers to the utterances that they modify, considering the
illocutionary, propositional, subjective and interpersonal levels.
It also compares this contribution to that of the same markers in
other positions. The higher frequency of the markers in the right
periphery correlates with their distribution in a wider range of
speech acts and with their semantic domain. Across the three
languages, the linking adverbials are more common in the right
periphery than the evidential adverbials.
Methodological reflections on and participatory episodes of ethnographic academic writing research
Authors: Bocanegra-Valle Ana , Guillén-Galve Ignacio
Published: September 2021

This chapter presents the current state of ethnographic research as applied to academic writing. First, we articulate the significance of ethnography as a methodological approach for the study of writing in academic settings. Next, we provide a critical exploration of the current state of research in terms of key methodological issues which feature prominently in ethnographically-oriented academic writing studies: thick description, deep theorizing, methodological alignment with ethnography, participatory research, research reflexivity, and ethics and trustworthiness. In the final two sections, we give an overview of the volume and showcase its contribution to existing disciplinary and methodological debates.
Textography
Authors: Sizer Jennifer
Published: September 2021

This chapter draws upon work by John M. Swales (1998, 2018), which explored situated academic writing, utilising an approach he called textography. This chapter describes the variety of texts, contexts and practices which can be investigated using textographic methods through a combination of textual analysis and ethnography: textography. It argues textographic research provides scope to move beyond linguistic description and explore interpretations and practices of authors and audiences within the context providing rich data with thick description (Geertz, 1973). The chapter also argues that textography presents an opportunity for deep theorizing (Lillis, 2008) by bridging the gap between text and context. It also reflects on considerations when using textographic approaches including ethical considerations. Finally, the chapter suggests textography’s possibilities for academic writing research.
Understanding academics online
Authors: Albero-Posac Sofía , Luzón María José
Published: September 2021

In the 21st century academic activity and communication are mediated by digital technologies, which enable scholars to engage in new social practices. Although ethnography is an appropriate approach to analyse these practices, the online environment, with its constraints and affordances, requires adjustments in pre-digital ethnography, regarding, among others, how the setting of research is defined, or how observation or interviews are conducted (Garcia, Standlee, Bechkoff, & Cui, 2009). This chapter provides a review of ethnographically-oriented research on academic communication in online settings and of the different ethnographic approaches that are being used to analyse scholars’ digital practices. By doing so, the chapter contributes to the overall aims of the book by offering useful insights to advance the methodological knowledge of researchers interested in (online) academic practices.
The contribution of ethnographically-oriented approaches to the study of L2 writing and text production processes
Authors: Manchón Rosa M.
Published: September 2021

This chapter synthesizes trends in the study of writing and text production processes, and presents an analysis of the contribution that ethnographically-oriented research can make to professional discussions in this domain. It is suggested that the affordances of ethnographic approaches should be linked to the emergence of two “methodological rich points” (Hornberger, 2006) that came about as a consequence of disciplinary interests in the socially-situated as well as the time-distributed nature both of literacy practices and of the invisible text production processes behind such practices. I illustrate this potential contribution of ethnographic approaches with representative studies in which the research lens was extended to zoom into writing across languages, modes, time, and environments. The chapter closes with some global methodological considerations for future work into the invisible dimension of text production.
Walking on thin ice
Authors: Khuder Baraa , Petrić Bojana
Published: September 2021

Researcher reflexivity is important throughout the research process, especially in ethnographic enquiry. This chapter provides a reflexive account of our research experiences with exiled Syrian academics, whose efforts to re-establish their academic careers in their new contexts and publish in English as an Additional Language we have been following for more than two years. Data are taken from a longitudinal multiple-case study using ethnography as deep theorizing (Lillis, 2008). In this chapter we provide a reflexive account of five research methodological aspects: participant recruitment, conducting and analysing interviews, Text Histories, textual representation, and ethics in collaborative ethnography. We discuss how aspects of the researcher’s experience and position interact with the research process.
Monte Carlo Simulation Using Microsoft Excel to Estimate the Probability of Passing USP Dissolution Test
Authors: Sambaraju Prashanth
Published: September 2021

Dissolution test evaluates the release of drug from oral solid dosage forms. In vitro dissolution test is important in assuring the batch-to-batch quality of drug product. The paper describes an intuitive and easy procedure for generating simulated data in Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. From the generated data, probability of passing the USP dissolution test is calculated by using Excel in built functions. Users familiar with the basic functions of Excel will be able use this spreadsheet, without the need for any specialized training. The user can input or change existing values for mean, standard deviation, Q & there by obtain the probability of passing the dissolution test. The results from this method can be used to predict the probability of passing dissolution test for future samples and thereby optimize the process during the process validation.
Analysis and Case Study Review: FDA Warning Letter To Tismor Health and Wellness
Authors: Lopez Orlando
Published: September 2021

This article provides a breakdown of an interesting US FDA Warning Letter. This Warning Letter is an excellent example of the remediation activities required by the US FDA when inefficiencies are found around access authorization. On 5 December 2019, the US FDA issued a Warning Letter (320-20-10) to the Australian firm Tismor Health and Wellness Pty Limited, following an inspection conducted on May 20 to 24, 2019.
How to Implement the ISPE Commissioning and Qualification Baseline Guide
Authors: Soto Ivan
Published: September 2021

Commissioning, Qualification, and Validation (CQV) has undergone dramatic changes and challenges over that last couple of decades driven by competing priorities, misperception about global regulatory requirements, and fear of change. Several guidances and standards have been published to provide ideas and approaches to the implementation of an adequate risk-based approach to CQV.
Explicit Microsoft Excel Methods For Computerized System Validation
Authors: Treller Andrew
Published: September 2021

To combat CSV non-compliance, established here are cost and time effective explicit methods to verify and validate Microsoft Excel Workbooks designed to meet standards set by Australian regulatory bodies: The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme (PIC/S).
Getting There: Strategies To Improve Gender Equality In Pharmaceuticals And Healthcare
Authors: Sandle Tim
Published: September 2021

Women make up the majority of the workforce in pharmaceuticals and healthcare globally, yet the distribution of pay, other benefits, scientific standing, representation in leadership positions, and access to certain occupations, is highly disproportionate. Some progress is being made, especially with more women occupying higher positions within the organizational hierarchy, but it is enough? Equality does not always mean the same.
Shining (Invisible) Light On Viral Pathogens: Virucidal Contamination Control Strategies Using UV-C Light
Authors: Sandle Tim
Published: September 2021

Respiratory droplets are coronaviruses primary transmission mode and thus the majority of coronavirus risk mitigation strategies focus on the control of air. However, surface contact remains an alternative infection route. Hence, it remains a concern that the SARS CoV-2 virus can remain viable on surfaces for several hours.
EVAP: A two-photon imaging tool to study conformational changes in endogenous Kv2 channels in live tissues
Authors: Thapa Parashar , Stewart Robert , Sepela Rebecka J. , Vivas Oscar , Parajuli Laxmi K. , Lillya Mark , Fletcher-Taylor Sebastian , Cohen Bruce E. , Zito Karen , Sack Jon T.
Published: September 2021

A primary goal of molecular physiology is to understand how conformational changes of proteins affect the function of cells, tissues, and organisms. Here, we describe an imaging method for measuring the conformational changes of the voltage sensors of endogenous ion channel proteins within live tissue, without genetic modification. We synthesized GxTX-594, a variant of the peptidyl tarantula toxin guangxitoxin-1E, conjugated to a fluorophore optimal for two-photon excitation imaging through light-scattering tissue. We term this tool EVAP (Endogenous Voltage-sensor Activity Probe). GxTX-594 targets the voltage sensors of Kv2 proteins, which form potassium channels and plasma membrane–endoplasmic reticulum junctions. GxTX-594 dynamically labels Kv2 proteins on cell surfaces in response to voltage stimulation. To interpret dynamic changes in fluorescence intensity, we developed a statistical thermodynamic model that relates the conformational changes of Kv2 voltage sensors to degree of labeling. We used two-photon excitation imaging of rat brain slices to image Kv2 proteins in neurons. We found puncta of GxTX-594 on hippocampal CA1 neurons that responded to voltage stimulation and retain a voltage response roughly similar to heterologously expressed Kv2.1 protein. Our findings show that EVAP imaging methods enable the identification of conformational changes of endogenous Kv2 voltage sensors in tissue.
Rainfall-Runoff Short-Term Forecasting Method Based on LSTM
Authors: Chen Yuan , Xu Jian
Published: September 2021

A rainfall-runoff forecasting method based on Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) was proposed in this study, which can extract the trend characteristics of runoff time series data through introducing daily rainfall data collected at related upstream stations and making use of the advantages of LSTM in saving long-term sequence feature information and avoid vanishing gradient, and identify the nonlinear mapping relationship in between, thus establishing a short-term runoff forecasting model. In this study, 24-hour and 5-day short-term forecasting models were established based on the runoff data collected at Danba Hydrologic Station in Dadu River Basin and historical rainfall collected at three upstream stations (Xiaojin, Dawei, and Fubian River). The experimental results showed that the forecasting models performed well during the inspection period. In 24-hour forecasting, RMSE was 98.016 and MAE was 45.709, which were 73.993 and 32.699, respectively in 5-day forecasting, indicating better performance and increased forecasting accuracy than simple LSTM model.
Design of Handwritten Numeral Recognition System Based on BP Neural Network
Authors: Liu Jianghai , Hong Jie
Published: September 2021

In the case of pattern recognition, handwritten numeral recognition is an important research topic in pattern recognition, and it has a very wide application in today’s information society. However, the research on numeral recognition is still in the development stage, and the recognition effect is not ideal. A handwritten numeral recognition method based on BP neural network is proposed. Firstly, the image is grayed, binarized, smoothed, denoised and normalized to extract the pixel value; Then the designed BP neural network is trained, compared with the expected results and expected structure, and the BP neural network is adjusted and modified; Finally, the trained neural network is obtained. Experiments show that the accuracy of this method for handwritten digit recognition is 85.88%.
Key Clips and Key Frames Extraction of Videos Based on Deep Learning
Authors: Chen Junyu , Peng Ganlan , Peng Yuanfang , Fang Mu , Chen Zhibin , Li Jianqing , Lan Liang
Published: September 2021

The surveillance camera network covering the city, while protecting the safety of people’s lives and property, generate a large amount of surveillance video data every day, but few videos contain useful information. Surveillance cameras in sparsely crowded areas may capture most of the video in the background. A large number of surveillance videos bring greater storage pressure, and also increase the difficulty of the staff’s work. In this paper, we use the auto-encoder network to extract features of video frames. By comparing the feature differences between video frames, we can automatically select key video clips and key frame images that contain useful information to slim down the surveillance video. Through experiments on actual cameras, we found that this method can achieve the purpose of reducing the pressure of storage and traversal.
Research on Multi-objective Trajectory Prediction Algorithm Based on Driving Intent Classification
Authors: Ma Wenda , Xie Hui
Published: September 2021

The trajectory prediction of the multi-object vehicle ahead plays a huge role in improving the vehicle’s driving safety and improving the planning and traffic efficiency of the vehicle. However, due to the uncertainty of the driving intention of the multi-object vehicle and the uncertainty of the vehicle dynamics, its trajectory prediction faces a huge challenge. First, the fuzzy C-means (FCM) method is used for multi-object trajectories. After offline training is carried out using the relevant information of the vehicle trajectory, the driving intention can be automatically fuzzy classification. Secondly, the long short-term memory (LSTM) method uses the history and current trajectory information of multi-object vehicles ahead to predict the future trajectory under different driving intentions. Then, according to the fuzzy classification results of the driving intention, the predicted trajectories are merged, and the trajectory prediction of the multi-objective vehicle ahead in the next 1s is realized through an iterative method. Finally, use real vehicle data for experimental verification. The results show that 92.1% of the lateral distance prediction error in the tenth step is less than 0.13m. The maximum distance prediction error is 0.54m. In the longitudinal distance, the prediction error of 94.5% is less than 0.6m. The maximum distance prediction error is 1.0m.
Modulation Recognition of Composite Signal Based on ResNet and Frequency Domain Graph
Authors: Wang Lijun , Han Yu , Ge Hongfang , Zhao Yongkuan , Shen Lei
Published: September 2021

Aiming at the problem of composite signal recognition in measurement and control system, a modulation recognition method of composite signal is proposed based on clipped internal modulation signal frequency image and residual network. Residual network has the advantages of fast convergence and high recognition accuracy, which is used to realize the recognition of different modulation modes and different bandwidth signals. The experimental results show that, compared with the traditional decision tree algorithm and the constellation based CNN recognition algorithm, the recognition performance of the proposed method is improved by more than 3dB for the variable bandwidth composite modulation signal set (BPSK-FM and QPSK-FM with internal modulation bandwidth of 128kHz, BPSK-FM and QPSK-FM with internal modulation bandwidth of 2kHz and 2FSK-FM with internal modulation bandwidth of 32kHz and 2kHz).
Lanczos Algorithm for 2DPCA
Authors: Wang Xuansheng , Li Huazhong , Zhou Yanbing , Zheng Hongying
Published: September 2021

The traditional PCA algorithm (Principle Component Analysis) can obtain the feature space of face image and realize face recognition by expanding the face image matrix into vectors in face recognition. 2DPCA (Two-dimensional Principle Component Analysis) doesn’t need to spread the image matrix into one-dimensional vectors. The covariance matrix is constructed directly by using two-dimensional image matrix, so that the calculation of eigenvalue and eigenvector is simplified. We apply the Lanczos algorithm to 2 DPCA in this paper for Indian faces. The numerical experiments show that our method runs much faster and gets better recognition rates than the traditional 2DPCA algorithm.
Lump Solutions to the (2+1)-Dimensional Asymmetrical Nizhnik-Novikov-Veselov-Like Equation
Authors: Zhou Fan , Li Wenting , Jiang Kun
Published: September 2021

In this paper, based on Hirota bilinear method, the prime number p=3 is applied to the generalized bilinear differential operator to construct a novel (2+1)-dimensional ANNV-like equation. With the help of intelligent calculation, the solutions of three types of ANNV-like equations in the form of positive quadratic functions are obtained. 3D plots, contour plots, and density plots with specific values are drawn in maple. Analyze the spatiality, locality and trajectory of the lump solution over time.
Acoustic Emission Data Analysis of Tank Settlement
Authors: Fan Guotao , Zhao Yongtao
Published: September 2021

The uneven settlement around the tank and the corrosion of the bottom are main factors affecting the safe operation of the tank, so it is necessary to monitor the settlement and corrosion of the tank in real time to prevent and eliminate the hidden danger in time. In this paper, the large crude oil storage tank is taken as the research object to carry out uneven settlement monitoring and acoustic emission dynamic detection. By analyzing the measured settlement data and acoustic emission characteristic parameters, the author explores the influence of tank settlement on acoustic emission signal of tank floor corrosion, so as to provide reference for the extension of service life of storage tank and anti-corrosion work of storage tank.
The Design of Intelligence Analysis Platform Based on Big Data
Authors: Shi Ziyan , Zhao Guolin , Hu Qiaolin
Published: September 2021

There are many problems in the current intelligence analysis work. Data islands and data transmission monitoring problems have severely restricted the further development of intelligence analysis work. To promote and improve the level of intelligence analysis work, this article mainly introduces how to apply big data to intelligence analysis. It enters into the analysis of the problems faced by the current intelligence analysis platform, focusing on the importance of big data technology for intelligence analysis. The structure and key technologies of big data can effectively solve various problems existing in intelligence analysis work. The structure of the intelligence analysis platform based on big data and the structure of the Hadoop+Spark+Steam platform are designed, including intelligence analysis and intelligence analysis. Functional modules such as data management and intelligence storage. This platform design of this article can effectively improve the effect and efficiency of intelligence analysis, and has very high practical value.
A trajectory planning algorithm for a multi-degree-of-freedom parallel robot based on NURBS research and simulation
Authors: Wang Zhiqiang , Wang Zhe , Xun Panpan , Shi Yuhui , Su Han , Jiang Han
Published: September 2021

Parallel robots are small in size and high in accuracy, so they are widely used in processing and production industries. In order to give full play to the characteristics of high-speed motion of parallel robots, trajectory planning has become a hot spot in the industry. This paper proposes a trajectory planning algorithm based on NURBS. Firstly, the algorithm uses the characteristics of NURBS continuous and derivable to fit interpolation points, and then we obtain a smooth and continuous robot motion trajectory. Secondly, It uses interpolation algorithm to discretize the curve to get the robot motion sequence. Finally, It completes the entire motion process of the robot in three-dimensional space. Experiments show that the algorithm can be applied to the parallel robot control system, which can give full play to the performance of the parallel robot and ensure the stable and high-speed operation of the robot.
Research on Control Strategy for Vibration and Noise Reduction of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor
Authors: Yuan Liwei , Tian Guanzhi , Wei Juan , Li Guoqiang , Zhao Zengwu , Jiang Liting
Published: September 2021

In order to reduce the vibration and noise of permanent magnet synchronous motors, this paper proposes a control strategy by analyzing the relationship between the vibration and noise of the permanent magnet synchronous motor and the current harmonics of the inverter based on actual project applications. Some methods include random switching frequency modulation technology, random pulse position modulation technology and dead zone compensation technology on current harmonics are analyzed respectively in this paper. Then this paper proposed a mixed control strategy, which combined with random switching frequency-random and pulse position-dead zone compensation methods. Matlab tools are used to simulation and verification the Mixed control strategy. Simulation and experimental results show that this control strategy can effectively reduce the total underwater noise level of permanent magnet synchronous motors.
The Dynamic analysis of Planetary roller screw in Tree-climbing robot
Authors: Yang Xi , Yan Mengxuan , Zhou Yuyao , Liu Rui
Published: September 2021

In the tree-climbing robot, the sawing module is lifted and lowered by the planetary roller lead screw, so the dynamic analysis of the planetary roller lead screw is very important. In this paper, the stiffness of the mechanical joint of planetary roller lead screw is calculated according to the fractal theory, and the stiffness calculation formulas between roller and ring gear, roller and lead screw are obtained. In the dynamic simulation, the stiffness of each contact pair is set according to the formula, and two groups of models with consistent and inconsistent roller contact stiffness are established. The first six order modal analysis results of the two groups of models are compared, and the influence of uneven roller contact stiffness distribution on the whole planetary roller lead screw is obtained.
Optimization of the aerodynamic characteristics of a NACA air intake based on DoE and numerical methods
Authors: Zhu D X , Yang Y , Yu Z J , Li Z P , Dong L K
Published: September 2021

The Design of Experiment (DoE) method combined with numerical simulations is employed to optimize the aerodynamic characteristics of a National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) air intake. The drag force, total pressure recovery coefficient, mass flow rate at the outlet, and Mach number at the outlet are used to evaluate the performance of the air intake based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical methods. Three critical geometric parameters, namely the ramp angle a, ramp divergence angle θ, and turning corner radius R, are considered as variables in the DoE design. Results under the baseline conditions indicated that axial vortexes are formed near the side edge close to the ramp wall. DoE analysis indicated that above four performance parameters are largely influenced by the ramp angle a, while the ramp divergence angle θ has negligible effects. A small radius of the turning corner is beneficial to enhance the pressure recovery coefficient and the mass flow rate. The Mach number at the outlet declines and the velocity uniformity on a certain section increases with decreasing value of ramp angle a. Meanwhile, larger total pressure recovery coefficient, mass flow rate, and vortex tube length are acquired under a smaller value of a. Thus, the aerodynamic performance of this air intake can be improved by a set of optimized geometric parameters.
Research on steel ball surface defect detection device based on machine vision
Authors: Dong Chenchen , Zhu Weiwei , Wei Jinling , Zhou Hangchao , Chen Feng
Published: September 2021

Based on machine vision technology, aiming at the characteristics of steel ball surface defect detection, a set of steel ball surface defect detection device is designed and built. The device designs a V-shaped groove unfolding mechanism which is composed of a turntable, an inner ring and an outer ring, through the intermittent rotation of the inner ring and the outer ring at different speeds, the steel ball can be rapidly deployed in the whole region, so the image collected by the system can cover the whole surface of the steel ball. In order to solve the halo phenomenon of steel ball picture and the mapping of surrounding objects, based on the principle of diffuse lighting, the bowl-shaped dome light source with adjustable brightness is selected, the quality of steel ball surface image and the effective area of detection are effectively improved. Based on LabVIEW software platform, a software is developed to collect and process the surface image of steel ball and identify the surface defect features. Test surface the device can accurately identify whether there are defects on the tested steel ball surface.
Shakespeare and Music
Authors: Ortiz Joseph M.
Published: September 2021

William Shakespeare entertained many ideas about music, some of them conflicting, and he frequently represented these ideas in his plays. Music was a multifaceted art and science in early modern England, and debates over the nature and interpretation of music played out in a variety of contexts: academic, religious, political, commercial, and aesthetic. At the same time, music was a vital part of Shakespeare’s theatrical practice. He made use of his company’s musical resources to include performed music in his plays, and his characters frequently sing and quote popular ballads and songs that would have been recognized by his audiences. The combination of words about music and musical performances gave Shakespeare the opportunity to test various theories of music in complex and original ways. His plays are especially demonstrative of the ways in which certain views of music were connected to other ideological perspectives. Shakespeare’s most modern idea about music is the notion that musical meaning derives from its contexts and conventions rather than from an inherent, universal nature. Taken together, his plays provoke skepticism about unified theories of music. At the same time, they demonstrate that the seeming universality of music makes it an extremely powerful tool for both the polemicist and the dramatist.
Postcolonial Thought and the Emergence of Global Architectural Histories
Authors: James-Chakraborty Kathleen
Published: September 2021

In the last quarter of the 20th century theories of the postcolonial were usually closely tied to the experience of British and French colonialism in a band of North African, Middle Eastern, and South Asian colonies stretching from Morocco to Malaysia. During this period, Edward Said’s book Orientalism and the early work in subaltern studies both challenged the supposedly dispassionate character of Western scholarship on North Africa and Asia by demonstrating the degree to which it had been skewed by racial and class bias. Although architectural historians took more than a decade to fully absorb its implications, there are few humanities or social sciences disciplines that since the 1990s have been more thoroughly transformed by this once radical shift in perspective, which has changed how the architecture of almost all parts of the world is understood. Whether or not they fully engaged with the theories articulated in scholarship whose initial focus was the analysis of literature, in the case of Said, or of history, in that of subaltern studies, 21st-century architectural historians have paid unprecedented attention to the post-1500 architecture of the Global South, to colonial architecture and its relationship to economic exploitation, to post-independence architecture especially in relation to international modernisms, and to the impact that colonialism had on the architecture of the metropole. While the second and third of these had long been addressed in relation to British settler colonies, architectural history’s global turn meant that they could no longer be considered in isolation from new comprehensive histories of imperialism.
High-Performance Government
Authors: O'Flynn Janine
Published: September 2021

Governments have always been interested in performance and how to improve it, and this topic has drawn considerable attention from scholars and practitioners. Considerable efforts go into addressing the performance puzzle with major programs of reform, for example, developed to drive performance improvement. Since the 2000s, the notion of high-performance government has developed to express these aspirations. Rooted in management literature that has focused mostly on high-performance organizations, this perspective focuses on sustained superior performance that is driven by specific high-performance characteristics. As this idea migrated to the public sector, distinctly discursive and conceptual approaches have developed; both approaches, however, remain underdeveloped. Future research in this area should focus on better defining the key components and ensuring that important aspects of high performance are incorporated into models.
Motor Development in Context
Authors: Berger Sarah , Horger Melissa , DeMasi Aaron , Karasik Lana
Published: September 2021

The study of motor development has traditionally focused on the timing and sequence of the acquisition of motor skills, such as sitting, crawling, or walking, over the first years of life. Because motor skills are directly observable, motor development serves as a useful exemplar for general principles of development. Current frameworks emphasize motor development in and as a context, such as how change in motor skill interacts with simultaneous change in other developmental domains, how the acquisition of new motor skills creates new opportunities for learning, and how the context in which motor development occurs shapes the course of development. For example, the onset of new motor skills changes the allocation of attentional resources, the quality of infants’ sleep, and available perceptual information. Reciprocally, contexts such as culturally specific parenting practices and individual differences in everyday experiences impact the timing and trajectory of new motor skills.
Colonialism in West Central Africa
Authors: Bernault Florence
Published: September 2021

The article considers a large region comprising Chad, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea.1 From the 1880s onwards, Central Africa was colonized by Spanish, French, German, Belgian, and Portuguese powers. Here Africans generally suffered a harsher kind of rule than in West Africa, as colonialism brought little capital and investments, and imposed brutal forms of extractive economy. Foreign powers, moreover, proved reluctant to dialogue with African elites. Yet, the colonial era was also a moment when Central Africans initiated radical political revolutions and capacious social changes, achieving independence in the 1960s and 1970s. Throughout the period under consideration, moreover, important cultural creations in the form of music, popular painting, photography, and fashion became influential in the rest of Africa and beyond.
School Choice and Accountability
Authors: Burgess Simon , Greaves Ellen
Published: September 2021

School choice and accountability are both mechanisms initially designed to improve standards of education in publicly provided schools, although they have been introduced worldwide with alternative motivations such as to promote equality of access to “good” schools. Economists were active in the initial design of school choice and accountability systems, and continue to advise and provide evidence to school authorities to improve the functioning of the “quasi-market.”

School choice, defined broadly, is any system in which parents’ preferences over schools are an input to their child’s allocation to school. Milton Friedman initially hypothesized that school choice would increase the diversity of education providers and improve schools’ productivity through competition. As in the healthcare sector and other public services, “quasi-markets” can respond to choice and competition by improving standards to attract consumers. Theoretical and empirical work have interrogated this prediction and provided conditions for this prediction to hold. Another reason is to promote equality of access to “good” schools and therefore improve social mobility. Rather than school places being rationed through market forces in the form of higher house prices, for example, school choice can promote equality of access to popular schools. Research has typically considered the role of school choice in increasing segregation between different groups of pupils, however, due to differences in parents’ preferences for school attributes and, in some cases, the complexity of the system.

School accountability is defined as the public provision of school-performance information, on a regular basis, in the same format, and using independent metrics. Accountability has two functions: providing incentives for schools, and information for parents and central authorities. School choice and accountability are linked, in that accountability provides information to parents making school choices, and school choice multiplies the incentive effect of public accountability. Research has studied the effect of school accountability on pupils’ attainment and the implications for teachers as an intermediate mechanism.
The Teacher Uprising, 2010–2021
Authors: Shelton Jon
Published: September 2021

When Chicago teachers went on strike in 2012, they highlighted an emergent militance among teachers in the United States. Led by the Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators (CORE), the Chicago Teacher Union (CTU) in the 2010s sought to use the collective bargaining process not only to fight for better salaries and working conditions, but also to dramatically improve the lives of their students through racial justice initiatives and more services such as school nurses and social workers. Other big city unions, some in dialogue with the CTU through the United Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators (UCORE), embarked on similar campaigns. Elsewhere, teachers staged state-wide walkouts. In February 2018, teachers in all of West Virginia’s fifty-five counties went on strike to protest stagnant pay and escalating healthcare costs. Their efforts, which forced a Republican legislature to substantially increase education spending, inspired similar red-state walkouts in the months that followed. Strikes in Oklahoma and Arizona also won major funding hikes, for example. Then, in early 2019, militant teachers walked out in Los Angeles, Oakland, and Denver, and in the fall, the CTU was on strike again, this time with even broader demands than in 2012. Another year of militance might have occurred in 2020, but the global COVID-19 pandemic forced school districts and unions to focus on the immediate public health crisis. Unions pivoted to demanding that districts maintain protocols to ensure teachers, students, and their families were kept safe from the virus.
Secular Buddhism
Authors: Payne Richard K. , Kemp Casey Alexandra
Published: September 2021

Secular Buddhism (also sometimes known as Secular Dharma) is a quasi-religious movement that began in the last decade of the 20th century. It is diffuse and, despite the important role of some leading figures, lacks hierarchical authority capable of defining and enforcing orthodoxy. The background of the movement is the development of modernizing trends in Asia in the 19th century. Other formative influences include liberal Protestant thought emphasizing religious experience and social action, Victorian apologetics distinguishing religion and non-religion, Perennialist teachings that all religions have the same mystical core, and neoliberalism’s focus on the isolated individual as the locus of agency, existing in competition with others.

Secular Buddhist discourse depends on the semiotic opposition of religious and secular. That discourse itself has two dimensions, a creative one and a critical one. The creative dimension reinterprets Buddhist teachings, institutions, and practices to meet the needs of people in the present. The critical dimension is the reverse of the creative, attempting to identify and reject aspects of the tradition that are identified as inhibiting its utility in the present.

A variety of institutions, some online only, have been created to promote Secular Buddhist ideas and practices. The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020–2021 has motivated more online activity, including groups meeting for meditation and discussion, and also instructional and training programs. The rejection of prior kinds of Buddhism has included the rejection of traditional Buddhist institutions, which in turn creates the need for alternative forms of authority. In general, claims to authority are made on the basis of personal experience, of a return to the original, pure, authentic teachings of Śākyamuni Buddha, of particular texts as authoritative, and of being in accord with modern science.
Visualization/Contemplation Sutras (Guan Jing)
Authors: Quinter David
Published: September 2021

The “visualization/contemplation sutras” (Ch. guan jing觀經) refers to six scriptures in the modern Sino-Japanese Buddhist canon Taishō shinshū daizōkyō大正新脩大藏經 (“T”). The six scriptures are each devoted to particular buddhas and bodhisattvas, and in some cases, the pure lands or heavens linked to them. They include: (a) Sutra on the Sea of Samādhi Attained through Contemplation of the Buddha (Guan fo sanmei hai jing觀佛三昧海經; T 643); (b) Sutra on the Contemplation of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life (Guan Wuliangshoufo jing觀無量壽佛經; T 365); (c) Sutra on the Contemplation of the Two Bodhisattvas Bhaiṣajyarāja and Bhaiṣajyasamudgata (Guan Yaowang Yaoshang erpusa jing觀藥王藥上二菩薩經; T 1161); (d) Sutra on the Contemplation of Maitreya Bodhisattva’s Ascent to Rebirth in Tuṣita Heaven (Guan Mile Pusa shangsheng doushuaitian jing觀彌勒菩薩上生兜率天經; T 452); (e) Sutra on the Contemplation of the Cultivation Methods of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra (Guan Puxian Pusa xingfa jing觀普賢菩薩行法經; T 277); and (f) Sutra on the Contemplation of the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha (Guan Xukongzang Pusa jing觀虛空藏菩薩經; T 409).

All six scriptures use the Chinese term guan觀 (or kuan) in their titles. All also feature instructions on contemplative techniques, which include fantastic visual imagery and other visionary phenomena. Due largely to these visual qualities, in English-language scholarship since the late 1950s, the most common translation for guan in their titles has been “visualization.” There is, however, no scholarly consensus for an Indic-language equivalent to guan in these scriptures, and the “visualization” designation has been increasingly questioned since the 2000s. Thus many scholars prefer the translation “contemplation,” while some opt for “discernment.”

Further complicating study of the visualization/contemplation sutras are persistent questions of their provenance. The traditional translator attributions preserved in the Taishō canon all credit Indian or Central Asian monks for the “translations.” However, all six scriptures are extant only in Chinese or in translations based on the Chinese, and those translator attributions have been widely contested. Scholars thus variously posit Indian, Central Asian, or Chinese origins for the individual scriptures. The consensus as of 2020 is that, as Chinese texts, they all date to around the first half of the 5th century ce, and many scholars do accept the influence of Indian or Central Asian meditation masters active in China then. Such influence receives support in the near-contemporary emergence in China of meditation manuals that share distinctive terminology with the visualization/contemplation sutras and are often grouped with them in modern studies. Further research into the sutras should thus enrich the understanding of scriptural translation processes, the emergence of specific deity cults in East Asian Buddhism, and interlinked developments in the devotional, visionary, and contemplative practices associated with those cults.
The Paracas Society of Prehispanic Peru
Authors: Tantaleán Henry
Published: September 2021

Paracas society spread over a large geographical area on the southern Peruvian coast between 800 bce and 200 bce. Unlike an “archaeological culture” that has uniform economy, politics, and ideology and is integrated under a single political structure, the Paracas phenomenon was a series of communities adopting different forms of economic and political organizations that were, nevertheless, economically linked and sharing the same religious ideology. The social mechanisms by which all these communities and political entities were linked included exchange, ritual, and religion, which allowed them to share a series of artifacts, social practices, rituals, and religious iconography. In each of the valleys, every entities, or group of communities, had their own architectural and artisanal features and were economically and politically autonomous. The famous archaeological sites associated with Cerro Colorado on the Paracas peninsula seem to have been more than a central place for Paracas society, a social space of integration in which the worship of ancestors stood out as an ideological and religious sustenance that connected communities and elites from different areas of the southern coast of Peru.
Road Building in Brazil
Authors: Story Emily
Published: September 2021

For much of its history, Brazil’s population remained bound along the coastline. Geographic features, such as coastal mountain ranges and a relative lack of navigable rivers, stymied efforts to settle and exploit the vast interior. Because of its inaccessibility to authorities based on the coast, the interior became a place of refuge for Indigenous communities and runaway slaves. During the colonial period (1500–1822) and several decades beyond, waterways and Indigenous footpaths (sometimes widened to allow for ox carts and mule trains) were the main routes for travel into the hinterland. Slavers and mineral prospectors known as bandeirantes founded scattered settlements in Minas Gerais, Goiás, and Mato Grosso. As the Industrial Revolution created new demands and technological possibilities in the late 19th century, efforts to connect the interior to the coast came via the telegraph and railroad. The rubber boom of that era precipitated greater settlement of the Amazon region and relied on riverine transport.

Road building has intensified since the mid-20th century. The new capital, Brasília, centerpiece of President Juscelino Kubitschek’s (1956–1961) campaign to achieve “Fifty Years of Progress,” initiated a new network of highways, later expanded by the military regime (1964–1985). Those efforts aimed to promote economic development, redirect internal migration, and extend the territorial control of the central government. Migrants and entrepreneurs, traveling on official highways and illegal roads constructed along the way, set fire to grasslands and forests to convert them into pasture. Roads, both legal and illegal, thus opened the way for transformations of the ecosystems of the Brazilian interior. At the same time, they created conditions for intensified conflict between newcomers and those who had long called the interior home.