bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Voice-Enabled Game Based Learning Application using Amazon's Echo with Alexa Voice Service: A Game Regarding Geographic Facts About Austria and Europe
Authors: Bilic Leonardo , Ebner Markus , Ebner Martin
Published: February 2020

An educational, interactive Amazon Alexa Skill called “Österreich und Europa Spiel / Austria and Europe Game” was developed at Graz University of Technology for a German as well as English speaking audience. This Skills intent is to assist learning geographic facts about Austria as well as Europe by interaction via voice controls with the device. The main research question was if an educational, interactive speech assistant application could be made in a way such that both under-age and full age subjects would be able to use it, enjoy the Game Based Learning experience overall and be assisted learning about the Geography of Austria and Europe. The Amazon Alexa Skill was tested for the first time in a class with 16 students at lower secondary school level. Two further tests were done with a total of five adult participants. After the tests the participants opinion was determined via a questionnaire. The evaluation of the tests suggests that the game indeed gives an additional motivational factor in learning Geography.
Suppression of Soil Dust Emissions from Large-Scale Construction Sites Using Starch and Polyvinyl Alcohol
Authors: Choi Jong-Soo , Kim Dong-Su , Choi Yu-Lim , Lingamdinne Lakshmi Prasanna , Koduru Janardhan Reddy , Yang Jae-Kyu , Chang Yoon-Young
Published: February 2020

Soil dust emitted from large-scale construction sites in urban areas impacts air quality and creates a severe health threat to residents. Water spraying is commonly practiced to lower dust emission in construction sites, but its long-term effectiveness is questionable. In this study the utility of starch, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and a blend of starch and PVA in various proportions was investigated for the suppression of soil dust emissions at construction sites in Seoul. The efficiency of each dust suppressant was tested with test soil samples in a laboratory-scale wind tunnel box under different concentrations of suppressants and soil textures. Starch and PVA showed superior ability to suppress soil dust emissions compared to moistening bare soil, resulting in PM10 lower than the daily limit values of 30 μg/m3. PVA showed higher soil dust suppression capability for all conditions over starch. Test soils sprayed with dust suppressants significantly improved aggregate stability compared to untreated soils.
One Pot Synthesis of CoTiO3-TiO2 Composite Nanofibers and its Application in Dye Degradation
Authors: Hassan M. Shamshi
Published: February 2020

CoTiO3-TiO2 composite nanofibrous photocatalysts were synthesized by means of the one-step electrospinning method. The samples were characterized by a range of different methods (XRD, SEM, EPMA, FT-IR, UV-DRS, and TEM). Photocatalytic activity was performed for the degradation of rhodamine 6G under visible light. The results showed that CoTiO3-TiO2 composite photocatalysts were successfully synthesized. The average sizes of the diameters of the composite nanofibers were found to be 300 to 400 nm. The UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectra of the CoTiO3-TiO2 composite showed an absorption wavelength, in the visible light region, having a band gap energy value of 2.21 eV. The CoTiO3-TiO2 composite showed higher photocatalytic efficiency than that of pristine TiO2; which can be attributed to the heterojunctional interaction between CoTiO3 and TiO2.
Comparisons of Speech Parameterisation Techniques for Classification of Intellectual Disability Using Machine Learning
Authors: Aggarwal Gaurav , Singh Latika
Published: February 2020

Classification of intellectually disabled children through manual assessment of speech at an early age is inconsistent, subjective, time-consuming and prone to error. This study attempts to classify the children with intellectual disabilities using two speech feature extraction techniques: Linear Predictive Coding (LPC) based cepstral parameters, and Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC). Four different classification models: k-nearest neighbour (k-NN), support vector machine (SVM), linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) are employed for classification purposes. 48 speech samples of each group are taken for analysis, from subjects with a similar age and socio-economic background. The effect of the different frame length with the number of filterbanks in the MFCC and different frame length with the order in the LPC is also examined for better accuracy. The experimental outcomes show that the projected technique can be used to help speech pathologists in estimating intellectual disability at early ages.
Tools for Sustainable Change
Authors: Dionisio Rita De Jesus , Schindler Mirjam , Kingham Simon
Published: February 2020

This research focuses on the ability of spatial decision-support tools (SDST) to transform urban regeneration processes through collaborative planning between authorities and communities. This article presents what was learned from the implementation of two SDST within planning authorities in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The first tool, Envision, enables the identification of suitable areas for urban regeneration; the second, ESP, focuses on the environmental and socio-economic assessment of regeneration scenarios at the neighbourhood scale. We use empirical observations from the implementation of these SDST in diverse planning authorities, to analyse the influence of local specificities and appropriate collaboration models for the development and adoption of the tools for decision-making and community engagement. We provide recommendations for future development and implementation of SDST to reinforce collaborative planning and local governance within urban regeneration processes.
Topic Modeling as a Tool to Gauge Political Sentiments from Twitter Feeds
Authors: Sarddar Debabrata , Dey Raktim Kumar , Bose Rajesh , Roy Sandip
Published: February 2020

As ubiquitous as it is, the Internet has spawned a slew of products that have forever changed the way one thinks of society and politics. This article proposes a model to predict chances of a political party winning based on data collected from Twitter microblogging website, because it is the most popular microblogging platform in the world. Using unsupervised topic modeling and the NRC Emotion Lexicon, the authors demonstrate how it is possible to predict results by analyzing eight types of emotions expressed by users on Twitter. To prove the results based on empirical analysis, the authors examine the Twitter messages posted during 14th Gujarat Legislative Assembly election, 2017. Implementing two unsupervised clustering methods of K-means and Latent Dirichlet Allocation, this research shows how the proposed model is able to examine and summarize observations based on underlying semantic structures of messages posted on Twitter. These two well-known unsupervised clustering methods provide a firm base for the proposed model to enable streamlining of decision-making processes objectively.
Impact of an Integrated Approach in Disaster Management
Authors: Njoku Oguguo C. , Amajuoyi Bright C. , Sarwar Dilshad , Arthur Joachim Kodjo , Hosseinian-Far Amin
Published: February 2020

In recent times, there have been several natural disasters, negatively affecting communities ranging from loss of lives, businesses, homes and economic disruption. Such serious effects on a community can be traced to poor disaster management arrangements. Several project management concepts as well as technologies have been researched and proven to improve disaster management. This article reviews existing literatures to make evident the concepts of project management such as project planning, execution, team collaboration and governance as well as technologies with a focus on the Internet of Things (IoT) through provision of early warning signs for mitigation and preparedness, big data analytics (BDA) for information gathering and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for emergency relief scenarios in disaster management. Findings of this article reveals the great impact and benefit of an integrated approach for effective disaster management. Hence, this paper recommends an integrated approach to disaster management from a project management and Internet of Things perspective.
The Relationship Between Bitcoin and Stock Market
Authors: Wang Xin , Chen Xi , Zhao Peng
Published: February 2020

This article analyzes the relationship between Bitcoin and the stock market by using a vector autoregressive model. To enhance the impulse response signal, the Sliding Window technique is applied. Study results show the relationship between Bitcoin and the stock market. First, the S&P 500 has a relatively significant effect on Bitcoin, while the influence caused by the S&P 500 is weak. In addition, after involving the Sliding Window technique, the effects caused by the standard deviation of the S&P 500 and the mean of the Dow Jones are remarkably strong on the mean of Bitcoin and the standard deviation of the S&P 500 has a comparatively significant effect on the standard deviation of Bitcoin as well. Generally, the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones indexes have an advantageous effect on Bitcoin. Financial investment can be made based on this model and conclusion.
Stochastic Inventory System With Different Rates of Production
Authors: Ataullah Mohammad , Islam Mohammad Ekramol , Uddin Md. Sharif
Published: February 2020

This article analyzes a solitary item stochastic inventory model with two distinctive generation rates where a request pursues Poisson distribution and an item has a limited lifetime which is level dependent. It is expected that the framework be on a foreordained level and the framework is changed over to ON mode from OFF mode with a noteworthy exchanging time with exponential parameter α. During the switching time, no interest will be served, the interest during the exchange time is lost. Here, excesses are permitted and during accumulations, the production rate is higher than that of ordinary generation time. Some framework attributes are shown with time variety.
Life history traits ofCoccophagus gossypariae(Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), a parasitoid of invasiveEriococcus spurius(Hemiptera: Eriococcidae) in field studies
Authors: Mader Caitlin , Watts Jim , Erbilgin Nadir
Published: February 2020

Eriococcus spurius(Modeer) (Hemiptera: Eriociccidae) is a pest of American elm (Ulmus americanaLinnaeus; Ulmaceae) trees in western North America, but no effective biological control agent has been reported. This study took place in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where urban American elms have been heavily and negatively impacted byE. spurius. Although the parasitoidCoccophagus gossypariaeGahan (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) was recovered from anE. spuriusinfested American elm in Calgary, little is known about its ecology. Prior to implementing biological control, the basic ecology of a candidate species must be understood. We documented the geographic establishment, sex ratios, and parasitism rate ofC. gossyparaieon its host within the study area. Coccophagus gossypariaehad established at 89% of study trees sampled and accounted for 98% of the parasitoids caught. They had a female-biased sex ratio of 13.7 females per male, and both males and females developed to maturity using the host. We found evidence of a highly consistent aversion to superparasitism by females in the field. This first investigation established a baseline of information on field populations ofC. gossypariaethat could lead to biological control ofE. spurius.
Zebrafish GSDMEb Cleavage-Gated Pyroptosis Drives Septic Acute Kidney Injury In Vivo
Authors: Wang Zhuang , Gu Zhaoyan , Hou Qing , Chen Weijie , Mu Di , Zhang Yuanxing , Liu Qin , Liu Zhihong , Yang Dahai
Published: February 2020

The bacteria LPS is one of the leading endotoxins responsible for sepsis; its sensing pathway–induced pyroptosis plays an important role in innate immunity. However, excessive pyroptosis might cause immunological diseases, even multiple organ failure and death by undefined mechanisms. Given that the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with sepsis causes significant morbidity and mortality, the mechanism of pyroptosis in regulating septic AKI remains unknown. In this study, we establish a zebrafish crispant in vivo analysis model and reveal that both caspy2 and gasdermin Eb (GSDMEb) contribute to lethal LPS-induced septic shock. Meanwhile, the in vitro analysis reveals that caspy2 activation can specifically cleave GSDMEb to release its N terminus to mediate pyroptosis, which functions as GSDMD in mammals. Interestingly, we establish an in vivo propidium iodide–staining method and reveal that the caspy2–GSDMEb signaling cascade is essential for enhancing renal tubular damage during lethal LPS-induced septic shock, whereas administration of the zebrafish-specific GSDMEb-derived peptide inhibitor Ac-FEID-CMK can attenuate mortality and septic AKI in vivo. Moreover, we confirm that either caspase-11 or GSDMD deficiency decreases both inflammatory cytokines and kidney dysfunction enzyme release and prolongs survival in a murine model of septic shock. Taken together, these findings demonstrate an evolutionary executor for pyroptosis in zebrafish and reveal that the pyroptosis of renal tubular cells is a major cause of septic AKI, and also provide an ideal in vivo screening model for potential antisepsis therapeutic strategies.
Simulation of Dynamic Stall on an Elastic Rotor in High-Speed Turn Flight
Authors: Letzgus Johannes , Keßler Manuel , Krämer Ewald
Published: February 2020

A highly loaded, high-speed turn flight of Airbus Helicopters' Bluecopter demonstrator helicopter is simulated to investigate dynamic stall using a loose computational fluid dynamics/structural dynamics (CFD/CSD) coupling of the flow solver FLOWer and the rotorcraft comprehensive
code CAMRAD II. The rotor aerodynamics is computed using a high-fidelity delayed detached-eddy simulation (DDES). A three-degree-of-freedom trim of an isolated rotor is performed, yielding main-rotor control angles that agree well with the flight-test measurements. The flow field in this flight
condition is found to be highly unsteady and complex, featuring massively separated flow, blade–vortex interaction, multiple dynamic-stall events, and shock-induced separation. The computed pitch-link loads are compared to flight-test measurements. This shows that all CFD/CSD cases underpredict
the amplitudes of the flight test and yield phase shifts. However, overall trends agree reasonably. Also, varying the computational setup reveals that the shear stress transport–DDES turbulence model performs better than Spalart–Allmaras–DDES, that the consideration of the
rotor hub and fuselage improves the agreement with flight-test data, and that the elastic twist plays only a minor role in the dynamic-stall events.
Risk versus benefit: Should not audiologists assess this in the context of occupational noise-induced hearing loss in the mining industry?
Authors: Khoza-Shangase Katijah , Moroe Nomfundo F.
Published: February 2020

Background: Hearing conservation programmes (HCPs) are an important aspect of occupational health efforts to prevent occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL). In low- and middle income (LAMI) countries, where the incidence of ONIHL is significant, it is important to deliberate on the risk or benefit of HCPs.Objectives: This article is an attempt at highlighting important strategic indicators as well as important variables that the occupational health and audiology community need to consider to plan efficacious HCPs within the South African mining context.Method: The current arguments are presented in the form of a viewpoint publication.Results: Occupational audiology vigilance in the form of engagement with HCPs in the mining industry has been limited within the South African research and clinical communities. When occupational audiology occurs, it is conducted by mid-level workers and paraprofessionals; and it is non-systematic, non-comprehensive and non-strategic. This is compounded by the current, unclear externally enforced accountability by several bodies, including the mining industry regulating body, with silent and/or peripheral regulation by the Health Professions Council of South Africa and the Department of Health. The lack of involvement of audiologists in the risk or benefit evaluation of HCPs during their development and monitoring process, as well as their limited involvement in the development of policies and regulations concerning ear health and safety within this population are probable reasons for this.Conclusions: Increased functioning of the regulatory body towards making the employers accountable for the elimination of ONIHL, and a more central and prominent role for audiologists in HCPs, are strongly argued for.
Pathway dependence of ecosystem responses in China to 1.5 °C global warming
Authors: Yue Xu , Liao Hong , Wang Huijun , Zhang Tianyi , Unger Nadine , Sitch Stephen , Feng Zhaozhong , Yang Jia
Published: February 2020

Abstract. China is currently the world's largest emitter of both CO2 and
short-lived air pollutants. Ecosystems in China help mitigate a part of
the country's carbon emissions, but they are subject to perturbations in CO2, climate, and air pollution. Here, we use a dynamic vegetation model and data from three model inter-comparison projects to examine ecosystem responses in China under different emission pathways towards the 1.5 ∘C warming target set by the Paris Agreement. At 1.5 ∘C warming, gross primary productivity (GPP) increases by 15.5±5.4 % in a stabilized pathway and 11.9±4.4 % in a transient pathway. CO2 fertilization is the dominant driver of GPP enhancement and climate change is the main source of uncertainties. However, differences in ozone and aerosols explain the GPP differences between pathways at 1.5 ∘C warming. Although the land carbon sink is weakened by 17.4±19.6 % in the stabilized pathway, the ecosystems mitigate 10.6±1.4 % of national emissions in the stabilized pathway, more efficient than the fraction of 6.3±0.8 % in the transient pathway. To achieve the 1.5 ∘C warming target, our analysis suggests a higher allowable carbon budget for China under a stabilized pathway with reduced emissions in both CO2 and air pollutants.
Spatial trend analysis of gridded temperature data at varying spatial scales
Authors: Haug Ola , Thorarinsdottir Thordis L. , Sørbye Sigrunn H. , Franzke Christian L. E.
Published: February 2020

Abstract. Classical assessments of trends in gridded temperature data perform
independent evaluations across the grid, thus, ignoring spatial correlations
in the trend estimates. In particular, this affects assessments of trend
significance as evaluation of the collective significance of individual tests
is commonly neglected. In this article we build a space–time hierarchical
Bayesian model for temperature anomalies where the trend coefficient is
modelled by a latent Gaussian random field. This enables us to calculate
simultaneous credible regions for joint significance assessments. In a case
study, we assess summer season trends in 65 years of gridded temperature data
over Europe. We find that while spatial smoothing generally results in larger
regions where the null hypothesis of no trend is rejected, this is not the
case for all subregions.
Flash Flood!: a SeriousGeoGames activity combining science festivals, video games, and virtual reality with research data for communicating flood risk and geomorphology
Authors: Skinner Chris
Published: February 2020

Abstract. The risk of flooding around the world is large and increasing, yet in many
areas there is still a difficulty in engaging the public with their own
flood risk. Geomorphology is a science that is linked to flooding and can
exacerbate risks, but awareness of the science with the public is low and
declining within academia. To increase awareness, it is important to engage
the public directly with the science and those who are working to reduce
flood risks – this starts by inspiring people to seek out further
information through positive experiences of the science and researchers.
Here, a new design model is presented to engage the public with specific
research projects by using useful components offered by the popular mediums
of games, virtual reality (VR), and science festivals to allow the public to get
“hands on” with research data and models: SeriousGeoGames. A
SeriousGeoGames activity, Flash Flood!, was developed around real geomorphology survey data to help
engage the public with a flood-risk-related research project by placing them
in a river valley as it undergoes a geomorphically active flooding from an
intense rainfall event. Flash Flood! was exhibited at two science-focussed events, and
formal evaluation was captured using a short questionnaire, finding that the
majority of audience had a positive interaction (95.1 %) and wanted to
know more about flooding (68.0 %) and geomorphology (60.1 %). It is
hoped these interactions will increase the likelihood that future
engagements with relevant agencies will be more fruitful, especially when it
matters most.
High-resolution physical–biogeochemical structure of a filament and an eddy of upwelled water off northwest Africa
Authors: von Appen Wilken-Jon , Strass Volker H. , Bracher Astrid , Xi Hongyan , Hörstmann Cora , Iversen Morten H. , Waite Anya M.
Published: February 2020

Abstract. Nutrient-rich water upwells offshore of northwest Africa and is subsequently advected westwards. There it forms eddies and filaments with a rich spatial structure of physical and biological/biogeochemical properties. Here we present a high-resolution (2.5 km) section through upwelling filaments and an eddy obtained in May 2018 with a TRIAXUS towed vehicle equipped with various oceanographic sensors. Physical processes at the mesoscale and submesoscale such as symmetric instability, trapping of fluid in eddies, and subduction of low potential vorticity (which we use as a water mass tracer) water can explain the observed distribution of biological production and export. We found a nitrate excess (higher concentrations of nitrate than expected from oxygen values if only influenced by production and remineralization processes) core of an anticyclonic mode water eddy. We also found a high nitrate concentration region of ≈5 km width in the mixed layer where symmetric instability appears to have injected nutrients from below into the euphotic zone. Similarly, further south high chlorophyll-a concentrations suggest that nutrients had been injected there a few days earlier. Considering that such interactions of physics and biology are ubiquitous in the upwelling regions of the world, we assume that they strongly influence the productivity of such systems and their role in CO2 uptake. The intricate interplay of different parameters at the kilometer scale needs to be taken into account when interpreting single-profile and/or bottle data in dynamically active regions of the ocean.
The substructure of extremely hot summers in the Northern Hemisphere
Authors: Röthlisberger Matthias , Sprenger Michael , Flaounas Emmanouil , Beyerle Urs , Wernli Heini
Published: February 2020

Abstract. In the last decades, extremely hot summers (hereafter extreme
summers) have challenged societies worldwide through their adverse
ecological, economic and public-health effects. In this study, extreme
summers are identified at all grid points in the Northern Hemisphere in the
upper tail of the June–July–August (JJA) seasonal mean 2 m temperature (T2m)
distribution, separately in ERA-Interim (ERAI) re-analyses and in 700 simulated
years with the Community Earth System Model (CESM) large ensemble for
present-day climate conditions. A novel approach is introduced to
characterise the substructure of extreme summers, i.e. to elucidate whether
an extreme summer is mainly the result of the warmest days being anomalously
hot, of the coldest days being anomalously mild or of a general shift
towards warmer temperatures on all days of the season. Such a statistical
characterisation can be obtained from considering so-called rank day
anomalies for each extreme summer – that is, by sorting the 92 daily mean T2m
values of an extreme summer and by calculating, for every rank, the
deviation from the climatological mean rank value of T2m. Applying this method in the entire Northern Hemisphere reveals spatially
strongly varying extreme-summer substructures, which agree remarkably well
in the re-analysis and climate model data sets. For example, in eastern India
the hottest 30 d of an extreme summer contribute more than 65 % to the
total extreme-summer T2m anomaly, while the colder days are close to
climatology. In the high Arctic, however, extreme summers occur when the
coldest 30 d are substantially warmer than they are climatologically. Furthermore, in
roughly half of the Northern Hemisphere land area, the coldest third of
summer days contributes more to extreme summers than the hottest third, which
highlights that milder-than-normal coldest summer days are a key ingredient
of many extreme summers. In certain regions, e.g. over western Europe and
western Russia, the substructure of different extreme summers shows large
variability and no common characteristic substructure emerges. Furthermore,
we show that the typical extreme-summer substructure in a certain region is
directly related to the region's overall T2m rank day variability pattern.
This indicates that in regions where the warmest summer days vary
particularly strongly from one year to the other, these warmest days are
also particularly anomalous in extreme summers (and analogously for regions
where variability is largest for the coldest days). Finally, for three
selected regions, thermodynamic and dynamical causes of extreme-summer
substructures are briefly discussed, indicating that, for instance, the
onset of monsoons, physical boundaries like the sea ice edge or the
frequency of occurrence of Rossby wave breaking strongly determines the
substructure of extreme summers in certain regions.
Influence of reduction on adhesive properties
Authors: Stadnyk Igor , Piddubnyi Volodymyr , Krsnozhon Svitlana , Nataliia Antoshkova
Published: February 2020

An analytical analysis of the action of rolls on the medium and its behaviour at adhesion bonds with its surface are carried out. The methods and means of carrying out researches on determination of surface roughness are offered, and the experimental setting for determining the adhesion strength is developed. To reveal the essence and understanding of the general research execution, a number of hypotheses for the determination of adhesion are given and a generalized approach to the definition of adhesion is given. The physical nature of the influence of the roughness of the roller surface on the injection of the dies depends on the shape and angle of roughness, the application of mechanical forces, the degree of its previous dispersion (recipe) and its physical and mechanical properties. The nature of the contact interaction of the dough with the rough surface of the roller working organ in the injection nozzle of the fumigation machine is established. Violation of these mutual relations leads to the production of poor-quality products and a reduction in the efficiency of the machine. The contact area of the adhesive and the component forming work for overcoming the adhesion and deformation of the environment in determining the criteria influencing the process according to each particular period of the deformation stage are substantiated. The obtained data give an answer to a number of questions about the possibility of interaction of the surface of the working bodies from the environment. On the basis of their data, the actual change in the contact adhesion in the roller unit of the molding machine with a comparative analysis of existing ones with the newly designed design is considered. It is established that in order to provide a constant area of actual contact, which contributes to better adhesion, and, accordingly, the passage of a qualitative process of tightening, compression and pouring, the necessary condition is the consistency of the specified criteria. This means that the actual contact area , varies from  to  depending on the ratio of parameters.
Teachers' Views on the Problem-Solving & Problem-Posing Tasks in Primary School Mathematics Textbooks
Authors: Divrik Ramazan , Mentiş Taş Ayşe , Pilten Pusat
Published: February 2020

This paper aims to reveal teachers' views on the problem-solving & problem-posing tasks of primary school mathematics textbooks. The study utilized the single-case embedded design. We examined the mathematics textbooks used in the Turkish public schools in the 2017-2018 academic year. Also, we interviewed twelve class teachers, who were determined by the criterion sampling method, to reveal their views on the textbooks. In order to collect data, we employed a "Data Coding Scheme" to determine the problem-solving & problem-posing tasks in the textbooks and a "Semi-Structured Interview Form" composed of two open-ended questions to find out about the teachers' views. Since the questions asked to the teachers were determined as themes in advance, the descriptive data analysis technique was used for data analysis. The study concludes that the examined mathematics textbooks contain a sufficient number of problem-solving tasks, which are equally distributed under each heading in the textbooks. On the other hand, it has been found that the textbooks contain a limited number of problem-posing tasks, which are not equally distributed under each heading. Furthermore, we determined that no textbook that we examined contains different types of problem-posing tasks. Also, according to the teachers whom we interviewed, although the number of problem-solving tasks in the textbooks is sufficient, the tasks should be more effective. They also stated that the textbooks contain very few problem-solving tasks requiring different problem-posing strategies.
From the Belief of the Immortality of the Soul, the Blessing or the Harassing of the Soul Towards People to the Worship of the Souls of Vietnamese People
Authors: Van Vu Hong
Published: February 2020

Does the soul exist? If there exists where it is, what it is doing and if the soul does not exist why is it still appear in the daily lives of so many people, so many generations and many places in the world. Why is it so important for so many countries in the world to believe in the immortality of the soul and death? Faith in the dead and the next generation depends largely on a person’s religion and culture, on a community of people. For many Vietnamese, this belief goes from the belief that the soul only reaches its ultimate goal after many reincarnations, to the idea that life will now determine its final destiny. Consequently, one person can feel confident that he will eventually merge with the ultimate reality after death, others will surely reach Nirvana, and others will believe that he will be rewarded in heaven. So what is the truth? Because our beliefs affect our attitude, actions, and decisions, are we not interested in finding answers to that question? The dead are not finished but their souls still exist. Depending on the behavior of those who live with those who have died, they (those who are still alive) may be blessed by the soul or punished by the soul, encountering unfortunate things in life. This study provides a discussion of whether or not the existence of the immortal soul and the blessing or harassing of the soul for human life. How can humans limit the harassing and many blessings from the soul? Why does belief in the blessing and harassing of the soul become such a popular custom of worship among Vietnamese people?
A Look at Behavioral Finance
Authors: Ahmed Mohamed S.
Published: February 2020

Behavioral theory in finance ties finance theory and practice to human behavior. This paper aims at reviewing behavioral finance principles, concepts and theories. This paper starts with the shift from EMH/CAPM paradigm to behavioral finance. Then, the paper goes through the financial anomalies including the size effect, value effects, momentum effects, weekend effect and turn-of-the year effect. Finally, the paper addresses the key pillars of behavioral finance by explaining the limits to arbitrage and the main behavioral biases.
Integration of Activity-Based Costing Modifications and LEAN Accounting into Full Cost Calculation
Authors: Stončiuvienė Neringa , Ūsaitė-Duonielienė Rūta , Zinkevičienė Danutė
Published: February 2020

The purpose of this research is to design a production company fitted full product cost calculation model following analysis of Activity Based Costing (ABC), its modifications and LEAN accounting system principles. The study is based on analysis and comparison in ABC, Time Driven Activity Based Costing (TDABC), Service-Based Costing (S-BC), Duration Based Costing (DBC) and LEAN accounting. The designed innovative full product cost calculation model integrates the following management system elements: LEAN value streams, ABC activities, TDABC time driver, S-BC customer rating, and DBC production duration factor, and has been adapted to a company producing large and complex unique articles. Applicability analysis of the model has involved data systematization, grouping, collection of additional data under the interview method, data interpretation, summarisation, logical conclusion making. Applicability of this model and more efficient control of the pricing decisions at the company, ensuring its greater competitive ability, have been justified by financial calculations. In formation of the full cost calculation model, both the quantitative and qualitative research elements were used: analysis of the modern cost accounting systems was performed; applicability, implications and limitations of the designed model were tested using actual data of the selected industrial company.
A Defence on the Prominence of Rational Actor Model within Foreign Policy Analysis
Authors: Shahryarifar Sadra
Published: February 2020

Rational Actor Model (RAM) has continued to be a powerful explanatory theory of foreign
policy analysis. Even though, limitations on the human rationality in decision-making place
restrictions on its validity as a predictive model of analysis. These limitations mainly arise
from false expectations from RAM as an analytical tool. Reinterpreting the mission of
theories in social science would address the drawbacks associated with such false
expectations from theories. A conceptual breakthrough is discussed that allows RAM to
overcome the limitations upon its validity. This discussion argues on the appropriate
application of RAM onto real world problems which would open space for the integration
of RAM into other IR-FPA theories.
Legal But Rare
Authors: Fiala Andrew ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: February 2020

This paper argues that it is not incoherent to think that abortion should be “legal but rare.” The argument draws upon virtue ethics, feminism, critical theory, and the theory of biopolitics to argue that the idea that abortion should be legal but rare is best understood as aiming at the elimination of unwanted pregnancies. Some pro-choice defenders of abortion rights worry that the “legal but rare” idea stigmatizes women who choose abortion. But when this idea is unpacked using the tools of intersectional analysis, biopolitical theory, and virtue ethics it can be understood as pointing toward a transformation of social reality that empowers women.
The Whiteness of Watching
Authors: Stumpf Benjamin ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: February 2020

This article seeks to develop a concept I term surveillant citizenship, referring to a historically-emergent civic national and moral discourse that prescribes citizen participation in surveillance, policing, and law enforcement. Drawing on philosophy of race, surveillance studies, critical prison studies, and cultural theory, I argue that the ideological projects attached to the ‘War on Crime’ and the ‘War on Drugs’ sought to choreograph white social life around surveillant citizenship—manufacturing consent to police militarization, prison expansion, and mass incarceration, with consequences relevant to the future of antiracist strategy.
Thinking about Thought Experiments in Ethics
Authors: Lanphier Elizabeth , McKiernan Amy ,   Society for Ethics Across the Curriculum
Published: February 2020

In this paper, we propose some ways in which teaching thought experiments in an ethics classroom may result in marginalizing or excluding students underrepresented in philosophy. Although thought experiments are designed to strip away details and pump intuitions, we argue that they may reinforce assumptions and stereotypes. As examples, we discuss several well-known thought experiments that may typically be included in undergraduate ethics courses, such as Bernard Williams’s Gauguin and Derek Parfit’s The Young Girl’s Child. We analyze the potential value and dangers or teaching these thought experiments. We conclude with some practical suggestions for how to teach thought experiments in ways that encourage students to expand their moral imaginations and think critically about their own assumptions and the assumptions built into thought experiments.
Treatment of Advanced Prostate Cancer: Where Are We in 2019?
Authors: Monteiro Fernando Sabino Marques , Soares Andrey , Oliveira Fernando Nunes Galvão de , Crivelaro Pedro Castilhos de Freitas , Barrios Pablo Moura , Fay Andre Poisl
Published: February 2020

In the last decade, important advances have been made in the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer, resulting in a better understanding of the biology underlying the disease, and in the approval of several therapeutic agents such as immunotherapy, new generation antiandrogens, cytotoxic chemotherapies, and radiopharmaceuticals. All these recent advances have been incorporated in clinical guidelines and a critical analysis of the data available should be important to help the decision-making process. In addition, the incorporation of well established therapies in early disease stages have demonstrated a robust overall survival gain for patients with castration-sensitive metastatic prostate cancer. However, no predictive biomarkers of response are available and the selection of the best therapeutic option is still challenging depending on clinical and pathological factors. Many questions related to the optimal sequencing of agents, or comparison of its efficacy remain unanswered.
The social and psychological characteristics of norm deviants: A field study in a small cohesive university campus
Authors: Gomila Robin , Paluck Elizabeth Levy
Published: February 2020

People who deviate from the established norms of their social group can clarify group boundaries, strengthen group cohesion, and catalyze group and broader social change. Yet social psychologists have recently neglected the study of deviants. We conducted in-depth interviews of Princeton University upperclassmen who deviated from a historical and widely known Princeton norm: joining an “eating club,” a social group that undergraduates join at the end of their sophomore year. We explored the themes of these interviews with two rounds of surveys during the semester when students decide whether to join an eating club (pilot survey, N = 408; and a random subsample of the pilot survey with 90% takeup, N = 212). The surveys asked: what are the social and psychological antecedents of deviance from norms? The data suggest that deviance is a pattern: compared to those who conform, students who deviate by not joining clubs report a history of deviance and of feeling different from the typical member of their social group. They also feel less social belonging and identification with Princeton and its social environment. Students who deviate are lower in self-monitoring, but otherwise are comparable to students who conform in terms of personality traits measured by the Big Five, and of their perception of the self as socially awkward, independent, or rebellious. While some of these findings replicate past research, worth further exploration is the role of previous experience with deviance and its meaning for individuals as they decide whether to deviate.
REALITY VERSUS EXPECTATIONS IN CURRENT 3D PRINT
Authors: ALONSO BENITO NIOBE , DOMINGUEZ SOMONTE MANUEL , ESPINOSA ESCUDERO MARIA DEL MAR
Published: February 2020

We have compared the development expectations and the applications of additive manufacturing techniques and the current state of the art. We have gathered past researches about the applications of these techniques in different fields, and what were the expectations or new applications and we compared them with the current state of the art. Finally, we made an anylisis about which fields or which media bring the most unrealistic expectations to the public.
Reflections on Paris: Thoughts Towards a Critical Approach to Climate Law
Authors: Dehm Julia
Published: February 2020

This article critically evaluates the 2015 Paris Agreement, highlighting the almost dichotomous responses it received from the mainstream press as compared to the climate justice movement. This article foregrounds that divide in order to ask further questions of the Agreement and the international climate regime, including questions about what voices and perspectives are heard in scholarship on international climate law. The article suggests the need to engage with international climate law in ways that are attentive to the productive effects of international agreements, as well as the need to examine their distributional effects, to interrogate what new social relations they establish and stabilize as well as how power and authority might be reorganized or rearranged by practices authorized by international environmental law.
L’Accord économique et commercial global : un accord mal compris, mais pourtant novateur
Authors: Deblock Christian
Published: February 2020

L’AECG pave la route à un nouveau modèle d’accords commerciaux. Les innovations y sont nombreuses mais la plus importante demeure toutefois la coopération règlementaire. Un chapitre particulier lui est consacré et de nouveaux mécanismes institutionnels ont été introduits, avec l’objectif général de rapprocher les réglementations, d’éliminer les barrières inutiles au commerce et à l’investissement, de privilégier les bonnes pratiques et la transparence et de favoriser leur convergence, y compris par la reconnaissance mutuelle. Alors que les nouvelles technologies bouleversent la production et le commerce, il ne s’agit plus tant aujourd’hui d’ouvrir les marchés que de les interconnecter. L’article replace le débat nouveau qui s’est amorcé autour de la coopération réglementaire dans ce nouveau contexte, montre en quoi la démarche initiée par l’AECG s’écarte des modèles traditionnels aussi bien de négociation commerciale que de coopération intergouvernementale, et revient sur les perspectives offertes par le Forum de coopération en matière de réglementation pour inclure la société civile aux débats.
Le Brexit : une question de droit constitutionnel
Authors: Guigue Alexandre
Published: February 2020

En raison de sa conception dualiste de l’application du droit international dans son ordre juridique interne, le Royaume-Uni s’est engagé dans deux procédures parallèles en vue de sa sortie de l’Union européenne. Sur la scène internationale, même s’il s’agit de la première notification par un État membre de sa volonté de quitter l’Union européenne sur le fondement de l’article 50 du Traité sur le fonctionnement de l’Union européenne, le Brexit semble poser surtout des difficultés d’ordre politique et diplomatique. En droit interne, en revanche, il pose des questions de droit constitutionnel. Certaines ont été tranchées par la Cour suprême à l’occasion de la décision Miller du 24 février 2017. D’autres ne sont pas encore réglées. Nous proposons d’analyser quatre questions : la constitution britannique prime-t-elle sur le droit de l’Union européenne ? Le résultat du référendum de 2016 est-il contraignant ? Le Cabinet peut-il notifier la sortie de l’Union européenne sans l’autorisation du Parlement ? Quelle est la part des composantes du Royaume-Uni dans le processus de sortie ? Aucune de ces questions n’appelle de réponse simple, d’abord parce que le Royaume-Uni ne dispose pas de constitution codifiée, ensuite parce que ces questions sont largement inédites. Si elles contribuent à faire évoluer la constitution britannique, elles se heurtent toutefois à un impératif temporel : deux ans de négociation pour mettre un terme à quarante-sept ans d’union politique et juridique.
Asile et Union européenne face à la crise : d’une gestion interne à une gestion externe
Authors: Sarolea Sylvie
Published: February 2020

L’Union européenne est empêtrée dans une « crise migratoire » depuis 2015. Il s’agit en tout cas du discours politique commun. La présente contribution s’arrête sur le concept de crise qu’elle aborde de manière critique, en tentant à la fois de l’objectiver mais aussi d’en identifier la nature. Il faut ensuite s’interroger sur les impacts de ladite « crise » pour la gestion interne du droit d’asile par l’Union européenne. La gestion interne se réfère au cadre juridique gérant les questions liées à la protection internationale au sein de l’Union. L’afflux plus abondant de demandeurs de protection internationale a confronté le régime européen de l’asile commun à ses limites et au défi de la solidarité. Certains États se sont engouffrés dans le recours aux procédures dites d’évitement qui s’appuient sur des concepts permettant aux États d’échapper à l’obligation de protéger eu égard à l’origine, mais surtout à la trajectoire du demandeur d’asile. Il s’agit ensuite d’identifier les manifestations de l’évolution du régime européen d’asile commun vers une gestion externe de celui-ci. A défaut de pouvoir juguler les arrivées, l’Union se tourne vers des partenaires extérieurs pour cogérer les flux vers l’Europe. L’accord avec la Turquie, les compacts avec les pays du pourtour méditerranéen et d’Afrique subsaharienne en sont les premières expressions. Cette nouvelle orientation se caractérise, sur le fond, par un objectif de prévention des arrivées et, sur la forme, par l’usage de formes juridiques obscures, échappant à la fois au contrôle démocratique du législateur, institutionnel de la Charte des droits fondamentaux de l’Union européenne et juridictionnel de la Cour de justice. Les méthodes utilisées posent question quant à la compatibilité entre ces nouvelles stratégies et le respect des droits fondamentaux et de l’état de droit dans une organisation démocratique.
La diversification dans l’Union européenne, un véritable défi pour l’intégration
Authors: Thouvenot Manon
Published: February 2020

L’idée générale du présent article est de faire une brève rétrospective de la relation entre l’Union européenne et le Royaume-Uni, sous couvert d’expliquer et de déterminer ce qu’est « l’intégration différenciée » dans l’Union européenne. Cherchant à remettre quelque peu en contexte la sortie imminente du Royaume-Uni et ses conséquences pour l’Union européenne, l’article rappelle que le développement de la différenciation dans l’Union européenne est paradoxal pour une organisation internationale qui a élaboré un « acquis communautaire » indispensable à chaque nouvel État membre. Dans cette perspective, l’article revient sur les traductions juridiques de cette différenciation et essaye de réfléchir quant à savoir si le Royaume-Uni, toujours en marge du rythme de l’Union européenne, n’a pas été en lui-même un facteur de la différenciation et, si tel était le cas, dans quelle mesure sa sortie ne doit être l’occasion pour les États membres de l’Union de se recentrer autour du projet européen.