bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Raíces de la revolución Sandinista: Fundamentos epistemológicos de Sandino
Authors: García Vásquez Ramiro , Espinoza Vallejos Sandra Verónica
Published: November 2019

El 19 de julio del año 2019, el pueblo de Nicaragua conmemora cuarenta años del trascendental triunfo de la Revolución Popular Sandinista, el más hermoso Proyecto Antropológico Sociocultural sustentado en el Episteme de A.C Sandino, fundamentada en el anticolonialismo, antimperialismo, nacionalismo y cooperativismo comunitario, libertario, emancipador, firme en la defensa de la soberanía de la patria y de la paz que no es la del esclavo; sino la que dignifica a todo un pueblo. Sandino construye una episteme científica propia, que retoma los pensamientos de Diriangén, Tomás Ruiz, Benjamín Zeledón y Rubén Darío. Sandino hereda una Nicaragua libre de los marines invasores y de su gesta heroica nacerá una nueva Revolución Popular, forjada en la entrega de los legítimos hijos de Nicaragua como Rigoberto que ofrendó su vida consciente de que su acción patriótica sería el Principio del Fin de la Dictadura, el Comandante Carlos Fonseca que funda el Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional para liderar la lucha de todo un pueblo hasta alcanzar la victoria final y el Comandante Daniel Ortega Saavedra, Caupolicán dariano, cargando el robusto tronco de árbol al hombro de un titán; ha cargado en hombros la Revolución Popular Sandinista hasta hacerla germinar y florecer en esta Nicaragua que como resultado de la Gran Cruzada Nacional de Alfabetización ya no es analfabeta, sino una nación progresista, descolonizada, antiimperialista; donde la restitución de los derechos sociales y culturales son finalmente una realidad para todos y todas.
Aansprakelijkheid dga als verkoper voor het faciliteren van katvangerfraude
Authors: Streng S.E.
Published: November 2019

Aansprakelijkheid dga als verkoper voor het faciliteren van katvangerfraude

Dit artikel ziet op de aansprakelijkstelling van een dga voor het verkopen van zijn aandelen aan een katvanger. De auteur kiest voor een nieuwe invalshoek waarbij de dga niet als bestuurder of aandeelhouder aansprakelijk kan worden gehouden, maar als verkoper. Ook wordt er stilgestaan bij de wetenschapsvraag en wat er verwacht mag worden van een dga die zijn aandelen in een insolvente vennootschap verkoopt.
Tegenstrijdig belang bij een bestuurder van een stichting. Hoe de redelijkheid en billijkheid te hulp schiet
Authors: Haanschoten S.L.
Published: November 2019

Tegenstrijdig belang bij een bestuurder van een stichting. Hoe de redelijkheid en billijkheid te hulp schiet. Annotatie bij Hof ’s-Hertogenbosch 3 september 2019, ECLI:NL:GHSHE:2019:3263

Een bestuurder met een tegenstrijdig belang vertegenwoordigt een stichting in strijd met de statuten. Volgens het hof is de vertegenwoordigingsbevoegdheid van de bestuurder niet aangetast, maar mag de wederpartij de stichting met toepassing van het Bibolini-arrest niet aan de overeenkomst houden. De auteur betoogt dat deze beslissing onjuist is.
Teatro com bebês: narrando vivências na Educação Infantil
Authors: Moreira Lopes Jader Janer , Miguel Pereira Luiz
Published: November 2019

Este artigo tem como objetivo refletir sobre os estudos contemporâneos no campo da infância, tendo como recorte central a pesquisa com bebês. Conceitualmente, assumimos por bebês o desenho estabelecido nas legislações e na área acadêmica que envolve a primeira infância, ou seja, do nascimento até 36 meses. O trabalho situou-se na interface das vivências dos bebês e suas enunciações, possibilitadas pelas atividades cênicas que assumimos e denominamos como teatro com bebês, que consistiu na oferta de um ambiente pensado para recebê-los, criando uma situação social em que se potencializaram suas atividades criadoras. Metodologicamente, a pesquisa com os bebês foi feita no espaço da educação infantil da Escola Nossa, em Niterói, Rio de Janeiro. Como principais conclusões mencionamos a potência que o teatro com bebês promove quando em interação com os adereços cênicos; suas enunciações enquanto, ao mesmo tempo, atores e plateia a partir da oferta cênica vinculada diretamente ao ato de brincar apresentam acontecimentos irrepetíveis e portadores de vivências que possibilitam seus protagonismos.
O uso de filmes para obter compreensões sobre a prática pedagógica em educação infantil: duas abordagens metodológicas
Authors: Haddad Lenira
Published: November 2019

Este artigo apresenta duas abordagens metodológicas de pesquisa qualitativa que utilizam filmes para obter compreensões sobre a prática pedagógica em educação infantil. Uma refere-se à etnografia visual e multivocal desenvolvida por Tobin e colaboradores, que deu origem à clássica obra Educação infantil em três culturas: Japão, China e Estados Unidos (2008); outra, menos conhecida, trata-se do SOPHOS, acrônimo para Second Order Phenomenological Observation Scheme – Esquema de Observação Fenomenológica de Segunda Ordem, desenvolvida e testada por duas dinamarquesas: Hensen e Jensen (2004) para uma pesquisa transnacional europeia retratada em livro de Cameron e Moss (2007). Embora SOPHOS se inspire na pesquisa de Tobin, apresenta diferenças substantivas quanto aos objetivos perseguidos. Essas diferenças e suas implicações epistemológicas e metodológicas são discutidas e ilustradas por meio da descrição das respectivas pesquisas.
O brincar nas políticas educativas e na formação de profissionais para a educação de infância – Portugal (1997-2017)
Authors: Tomás Catarina , Ferreira Manuela
Published: November 2019

No atual panorama socioeducativo identifica-se uma controvérsia na Educação de Infância em que a escalada da sua ‘escolificação’ vem sendo confrontada com a sua desconstrução e a defesa de uma pedagogia da infância na qual o brincar, como direito das crianças e expressão cultural infantil, é assumido como (com)texto informal de aprendizagens holísticas, essenciais à sua formação pessoal, social e cultural. Entrecruzando contributos dos Estudos da Infância e das Ciências da Educação, analisam-se políticas para a Educação de Infância (1997-2017) e relatórios da Prática de Ensino Supervisionada dos mestrados profissionalizantes para a docência com crianças até 6 anos, em instituições de ensino superior públicas e privadas de Portugal (2014-2017), visando, no primeiro caso, i) identificar a presença do brincar nas Orientações Curriculares para a Educação Pré-escolar (1997, 2016), e suas conceções; no segundo caso, i) mapear os relatórios dedicados ao brincar em contextos de creche e jardim de infância; ii) analisar e problematizar as conceções do brincar que são privilegiadas e, por consequência, as de criança, educação e educador/a, nas lógicas e sentidos atribuídos pelas estudantes por relação com a sua prática pedagógica. Advogando a educação de infância como promotora da cidadania das crianças, reivindica-se o brincar como direito de participação delas e como base empírica imprescindível para fundamentar práticas pedagógicas contra-hegemónicas mais equitativas e justas.
Relações entre famílias e instituições de educação infantil: o compartilhamento do cuidado e educação das crianças
Authors: Silva Isabel De Oliveira e , Luz Iza Rodrigues da
Published: November 2019

O objeto deste artigo é a relação entre famílias e a instituição de Educação Infantil (IEI) e buscou responder à seguinte pergunta: que significados os familiares constroem sobre a frequência de suas crianças à IEI? O enfoque adotado foi o da análise compreensiva do fenômeno das relações entre famílias e escola, com o propósito de elucidar as possibilidades do compartilhamento do cuidado e educação de bebês e crianças de 0 a 5 anos como função da Educação Infantil. A pesquisa, de caráter qualitativo, abrangeu diferentes instrumentos de construção de dados, dentre os quais a realização de grupos focais com familiares, que constituem as fontes empíricas analisadas neste artigo. A categoria central discutida é o compartilhamento e seus elementos constitutivos. Como resultados, a pesquisa revelou que o compartilhamento do cuidado e educação das crianças apresenta dimensões espaço-temporais que extrapolam os tempos e espaços da escola e se relaciona com processos de construção da confiança, segurança e bem-estar de crianças e adultos.
Assessment of Physical Performance and Early Treatment Outcomes after Implantation of Modular Prostheses of Femoral and Tibial Shaft
Authors: Pitera Tomasz , Guzik Grzegorz , Biega Piotr , Tarczyńska Marta , Gawęda Krzysztof
Published: November 2019

Background. Tumours of bone diaphyses often require resection followed by bone reconstruction. The use of modular pro­sthe­ses permits early limb loading and rapid improvement in physical performance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the func­tioning of patients and early treatment outcomes after the implantation of modular prostheses. The analysis covered the correlation between the extent of resection, physical performance and the number of perioperative complications.
Material and methods. 10 patients (5 women and 5 men) with diaphyseal tumours who had modular prostheses implanted were treated at the Orthopaedic Oncology Department in Brzozów between 2014 and 2018. The mean age of the patients was 51.1 years (range: 26-63 years). Functional outcomes were assessed using the MSTS and the Karnofsky scoring system. A VAS was used to evaluate pain intensity. the extent of resection was also analysed, considering bone length and tumour weight.
Results. The mean tumour weight was 374g (150-700g). The length of the implants varied from 10 to 25 cm. The mean dura­tion of hospitalisation was 16 days (14-19 days). At 3 months following the surgery, the intensity of pain had decreased from a mean of 6.8 points to 4.2 points (a decrease of 26% from the pre-operative baseline). The MSTS showed improvement of functional performance from a mean of 10.8 points (36%) to 22.9 points (76%). The Karnofsky scores demonstrated an increase in physical performance from 47 to 67 points (20 points on average). Superficial infection of the wound developed in 1 patient.
Conclusions. 1. The treatment of diaphyseal tumours with modular prostheses produces good functional outcomes. 2. The extent of the resection and the size of the implant have an effect on the post-operative physical performance of the patients. 3. Pre­operative evaluation of the weight of the tumour may be helpful in predicting the patient’s post-operative functional status. 4. Phy­sical perfor­mance is better after the resection of femoral vs tibial tumours.
Paraparesis after Spinal Anesthesia During Delivery
Authors: Tsur Atzmon , Deeb Marina , Goldin Diana , Ohry Avi
Published: November 2019

Traumatic injury to the spinal cord during spinal or epidural anesthesia is usually secondary to either direct needle penetration or intra-neural injection of local anesthetics. Two women were admitted to a rehabilitation department with paraparesis and hypoesthesia after delivery. One had undergone a lower segment cesarean section under spinal anesthesia and the other, a spontaneous delivery under epidural anesthesia. After discharge from the rehabilitation treatment, they both experienced some weakness in the lower limbs. The patho-physiological basis of this complication seems to be either direct damage to the spinal cord by intra-neural injection of local anesthetics, or local ischemia.
The effect of preserved stapedial superstructure on hearing improvement
Authors: Boroń Aleksandra , Wiatr Agnieszka , Składzień Jacek , Wiatr Maciej
Published: November 2019

Introduction:
Ossiculoplasty can be carried out in a number of ways, depending on the anatomical and functional conditions encountered during otosurgery and the experience of a given centre. The extent of damage to the ossicular chain determines the reconstruction method.
Aim:
The objective of the study was to analyse treatment effects in terms of postoperative hearing improvement in patients with chronic otitis media, with a particular emphasis on stapedial superstructure preservation.
Material and method:
The records of 294 consecutive patients undergoing their first ENT surgery due to chronic otitis media at the Department of Otolaryngology of Collegium Medicum, Jagiellonian University of Kraków in 2009–2013 were analysed.
In order to assess the role of preserved stapedial superstructure, 96 patients were eligible for further analysis.
Results:
The analysis points to a significant hearing improvement after ossiculoplasty with the preserved stapedial superstructure as compared with the patients after footplate mobilisation. On the other hand, the research results point to significantly smaller hearing improvement in those patients, in whom only stapes was preserved, as compared with those, in whom a more extensive reconstruction of the ossicular chain was possible.
Conclusions:
The air-bone gap measured before otosurgery often fails to reflect the extent of abnormalities and cannot, therefore, be considered as the only prognostic factor for postoperative hearing improvement.
Stapes preservation is crucial for hearing improvement after middle ear surgery.
Recht und Humanismus, Wirtschaften und Humanität
Authors: Schött Hans-Joachim
Published: November 2019

Die „rechtskulturellen und rechtshistorischen Betrachtungen“ treffen mittlerweile auf grundlegende Krisen-Symptome und staatspolitische, den Freiheitsbegriff neu austarierende Tendenzen. Das berührt nicht nur das Rechtsverständnis der Allgemeinheit und speziell der Wirtschaft. Ebenso gerät die weltanschauliche Neutralität der Justiz in Verdacht. Die geisteswissenschaftlichen Fachbereiche unserer Hochschulen übernehmen einen Teil dabei ihrer Verantwortung für die Zukunft Studierender. So will die Erziehungswissenschaft etwa durch Bildung „zur Humanität führen“.
Die vorliegende General-Thematik – „Recht und Humanismus, Wirtschaften und Humanität“– unterstützt fachgebietlich das nämliche Ziel.
Teatro de bonecos: transformações na poética da linguagem
Authors: Beltrame Valmor , De Arruda Kátia
Published: November 2019

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi abordar as principais características do Teatro de Animação contemporâneo catarinense e as principais transformações sofridas por esta linguagem neste estado. A idéia da pesquisa surgiu através da constatação de que esta é uma arte bastante viva e fecunda nesta região, não somente pelo grande número de artistas e grupos que atuam profissionalmente, como também pela qualidade e quantidade dos espetáculos que são produzidos.
Uma leitura dos “exercícios espirituais”
Authors: Mostaço Edélcio , Almeida Camila Aschermann Mendes de
Published: November 2019

Esse artigo emprega o conceito de teatralidade para efetivar uma leitura dos Exercícios Espirituais, obra de Ignácio de Loyola destinada à evangelização e articulada como um treinamento corporal. Emprega ainda, a partir de sugestões de Michel Foucault sobre disciplina, reflexões sobre as relações sociais que marcam tais práticas.
Considerações sobre o conceito de teatralidade
Authors: Mostaço Edelcio
Published: November 2019

O presente texto aborda a questão da teatralidade, importante conceito aqui aprofundado como opção metodológica para subsidiar a pesquisa em curso. Percorre as noções de mimetismo, jogo e representação na antropologia, na sociologia e na história, procurando destacar vínculos aproveitáveis para a percepção e a análise estética.
Butterfly e a dramaturgia do movimento: da figura à transfiguração do corpo - construindo Kate Sherman
Authors: Leal Junior Milton De Andrade , Biscaro Barbara
Published: November 2019

O presente artigo é resultado de uma pesquisa teórico-prática que discute as relações entre os procedimentos técnicos do treinamento do ator e a construção de novas abordagens dramatúrgicas nas artes cênicas. A noção de um espaço dramatúrgico que deve ser edificado revela-se como um terreno fértil para o jogo e para a criação do movimento e define a busca de significação e construções simbólicas em sala de trabalho e sua aderência no campo da pesquisa teórica e dramatúrgica. A partir da contextualização temática, passa-se a tratar do processo de composição da personagem Kate Sherman para o espetáculo “Butterfly”, resultado prático desta pesquisa, descrevendo procedimentos utilizados e relacionando-os com termos como o grotesco. A artista plástica norte-americana Cindy Sherman é citada, como uma das principais bases de inspiração e apropriação de procedimentos para a composição da personagem. Deste modo, compreende-se como o processo prático de construção do ator dialoga com pesquisas teóricas, criando um espaço de reflexão e compreensão dos materiais abordados no processo da pesquisa e da composição de uma dramaturgia pautada no movimento corporal.
As inquietações do artista-professor
Authors: Correia Favero Sandra Maria
Published: November 2019

Este artigo apresenta o resultado de uma pesquisa que colocou como objetivo identificar a relevância do desenvolvimento da produção artística em paralelo à produção do professor. Como sustentação teórica encontra-se Edgar Morin em Introdução ao Pensamento Complexo, Pedro Georgen com o artigo Universidade em tempo de transformação e Edith Derdik com o livro Linha de horizonte: por uma poética do ato criador.
Use of social networks to explore smallholder’s adoption of technologies in dual purpose farms
Authors: Barba Capote Cecilio , García Martínez Antón Rafael , Rangel Jaime , Villarroel-Molina Oriana
Published: November 2019

During the last decade, the interest in social network analysis (SNA) has grown considerably. Although the utilization of social network analysis to study smallholder innovation systems is still very limited, the aim of this paper is to review research themes concerning the application of SNA in livestock systems and related areas, from the focus of the dissemination of innovation and knowledge, to build a conceptual framework and benchmark to study livestock systems in tropical areas. The findings of this review suggesting that the methodology of social networks is an important tool to know the patterns of adoption and dissemination of technological innovation in the smallholders of dual-purpose cattle (DP). The importance of developing technological adoption patterns of each farmer through two-mode matrix is highlighted.
Proposed theoretical model for brand name acceptance analysis in new markets
Authors: Escudero Fernández Sofía
Published: November 2019

Objective: Determining how and in what way the brand communicates in retail outlets and how the different parameters affect the product’s communication and perception is a key part of business strategy. Identifying how the brand name is perceived is a fundamental phase of an SME’s marketing strategy for products in new markets.

Methodology: This paper describes a theoretical analysis model of the components of a brand that influence its communication and affect the consumers’ perception at sales outlets.

Results: The model was able to clarify the relevant external factors, especially those associated with environmental and cultural factors. A cross-sectional examination was able to indicate the visual, acoustic and marketing components of the brand that should be analysed to clarify its communicational strengths in new cultural environments.

Limitations: The brand analysis model is implemented by means of a specially designed survey and allows the graphic aspects to be selected, besides pointing out the graphic and phonetic aspects of the brand’s weaknesses and strengths in new markets.

Practical implications: This study is expected to be useful to both graphic designers and marketing departments in that it provides a shared reference point for both these specialist areas to assist in precision tuning of the brand’s graphic, phonetic and marketing variables by means of shared points of analysis.
Application of a text analytics model for the automatic discovery and classification of research trends in e-learning (the UOC case)
Authors: López Ruiz José , Garcia Brustenga Guillem
Published: November 2019

The review of scientific literature is a common task among researchers who wish to detect trends that are influencing levers of change in the evolution of a specific discipline or field of research. Obtaining such knowledge requires heavy and repetitive tasks of extraction, analysis, synthesis and classification of hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of bibliographic references. These early phases require a great effort by the team of analysts to collect and order results of the scientific evidence on which to base their conclusions, dedication that can be increased depending on the zoom of each search. In its ability to observe the "world map" of knowledge to detect and reflect on the trends and events that are transforming online higher education in the world, the eLC integrates such review and prospective documentary tasks into its activity. With the intention of facilitating the path towards the discovery and analysis of the relevant objective information of each study, the center has piloted a project consisting of automating part of this review process based on the use of analytical and text mining technologies.
Práctica grupal de proyectos en Red
Authors: Figuerola López Carles
Published: November 2019

En esta asignatura se lleva a cabo la gestión completa de un proyecto, resultado de un proceso de conceptualización (árbol de contenidos, arquitectura de la información, storyboard) y diseño de un producto interactivo. Empezando por la realización de un brífing, el cálculo del presupuesto partiendo del detalle de tareas, Gantt y perfiles profesionales, la aplicación de una gestión de riesgos eficaz...
Definición de un libro virtual interactivo
Authors: González Mosquera Alberto , Bassols Andreu
Published: November 2019

Combinando la metodología UCD Mental models con un estudio del comportamiento de los distintos tipos de usuario, se define y diseña un prototipo de un libro virtual interactivo en el cual el usuario tenga el control de la narrativa siendo ésta abierta y escondiendo las mecánicas de juego.
Invasive Security Practices in Secondary Public Schools and the Role of School-Based Parent Involvement
Authors: Matthews Elizabeth
Published: November 2019

Typically, school administrators determine their school’s security practices, but parental involvement may also play an important role in school security decisions. Data from the 2015‐2016 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS 2016) was used to examine the relationship
between parental involvement and the presence of physically invasive security practices in secondary schools. Invasive security was defined as the emplacement of metal detectors, contraband sweeps or drug sniffing canines. Analyses revealed that high levels of school-based parent engagement
were associated with lower odds of employing invasive security measures in the school setting.
Some Correlates of Self-Concept: Academic Achievement, Gender, Age, Home Environment, and Test Anxiety
Authors: Smith Kenneth H.
Published: November 2019

Research on the self-concept and postulated causal links among a number of correlates has been particularly prolific. Yet at the present time there still persists disagreement on a number of pertinent issues. One major issue that has been shown in the review of correlates of self-concept
is the need to specifically identify what is being studied ‐ global self-concept or specific areas (domains) of self-concept. The lack of a clear definition of what is being measured has been a significant reason for the lack of consistency in previous research results. Theories of
causation must be formulated in a thorough, logical manner. The complexity of the many combinations of the self-concept and its correlates demands a clear statement of research goals and hypotheses.
Being and the Screen
Authors: Vial Stéphane
Published: November 2019

How digital technology is profoundly renewing our sense of what is real and how we perceive.

Digital technologies are not just tools; they are structures of perception. They determine the way in which the world appears to us. For nearly half a century, technology has provided us with perceptions coming from an unknown world. The digital beings that emerge from our screens and our interfaces disrupt the notion of what we experience as real, thereby leading us to relearn how to perceive. In Being and the Screen, Stéphane Vial provides a philosophical analysis of technology in general, and of digital technologies in particular, that relies on the observation of experience (phenomenology) and the history of technology (epistemology). He explains that technology is no longer separate from ourselves—if it ever was. Rather, we are as much a part of the machine as the machine is part of us. Vial argues that the so-called difference between the real and the virtual does not exist and never has. We are living in a hybrid environment—which is both digital and nondigital, online and offline. With this book, Vial endows philosophical meaning to what we experience daily in our digital age.

In A Short Treatise on Design, Vialoffers a concise introduction to the discipline of design—not a history book, but a book built of philosophical problems, developing a theory of the effect of design.

This book is published with the support of the University of Nîmes, France.
NSFW
Authors: Paasonen Susanna , Jarrett Kylie , Light Ben
Published: November 2019

An exploration of how and why social media content is tagged as “not safe for work” and an argument against conflating sexual content with risk.

The hashtag #NSFW (not safe for work) acts as both a warning and an invitation. NSFW tells users, “We dare you to click on this link! And by the way, don't do it until after work!” Unlike the specificity of movie and television advisories (“suggestive dialogue,” “sexual content”), NSFW signals, nonspecifically, sexually explicit content that ranges from nude selfies to pornography. NSFW looks at how and why social media content is tagged “not safe” and shows how this serves to conflate sexual content and risk. The authors argue that the notion of “unsafety” extends beyond the risk of losing one's job or being embarrassed at work to an unspecified sense of risk attached to sexually explicit media content and sexual communication in general.

The authors examine NSFW practices of tagging and flagging on a range of social media platforms; online pornography and its dependence on technology; user-generated NSFW content—in particular, the dick pic and associated issues of consent, desire, agency, and social power; the deployment of risqué humor in the workplace; and sexist and misogynist online harassment that functions as an enforcer of inequalities. They argue against the categorical effacement of sexual content by means of an all-purpose hashtag and urge us to shift considerations of safety from pictorial properties to issues of context and consent.
An Instinct for Truth
Authors: Pennock Robert T.
Published: November 2019

An exploration of the scientific mindset—such character virtues as curiosity, veracity, attentiveness, and humility to evidence—and its importance for science, democracy, and human flourishing.

Exemplary scientists have a characteristic way of viewing the world and their work: their mindset and methods all aim at discovering truths about nature. In An Instinct for Truth, Robert Pennock explores this scientific mindset and argues that what Charles Darwin called “an instinct for truth, knowledge, and discovery” has a tacit moral structure—that it is important not only for scientific excellence and integrity but also for democracy and human flourishing. In an era of “post-truth,” the scientific drive to discover empirical truths has a special value.

Taking a virtue-theoretic perspective, Pennock explores curiosity, veracity, skepticism, humility to evidence, and other scientific virtues and vices. He explains that curiosity is the most distinctive element of the scientific character, by which other norms are shaped; discusses the passionate nature of scientific attentiveness; and calls for science education not only to teach scientific findings and methods but also to nurture the scientific mindset and its core values.

Drawing on historical sources as well as a sociological study of more than a thousand scientists, Pennock's philosophical account is grounded in values that scientists themselves recognize they should aspire to. Pennock argues that epistemic and ethical values are normatively interconnected, and that for science and society to flourish, we need not just a philosophy of science, but a philosophy of the scientist.
Cybernetics or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine
Authors: Wiener Norbert
Published: November 2019

A classic and influential work that laid the theoretical foundations for information theory and a timely text for contemporary informations theorists and practitioners.

With the influential book Cybernetics, first published in 1948, Norbert Wiener laid the theoretical foundations for the multidisciplinary field of cybernetics, the study of controlling the flow of information in systems with feedback loops, be they biological, mechanical, cognitive, or social. At the core of Wiener's theory is the message (information), sent and responded to (feedback); the functionality of a machine, organism, or society depends on the quality of messages. Information corrupted by noise prevents homeostasis, or equilibrium. And yet Cybernetics is as philosophical as it is technical, with the first chapter devoted to Newtonian and Bergsonian time and the philosophical mixed with the technical throughout. This book brings the 1961 second edition back into print, with new forewords by Doug Hill and Sanjoy Mitter.

Contemporary readers of Cybernetics will marvel at Wiener's prescience—his warnings against “noise,” his disdain for “hucksters” and “gadget worshipers,” and his view of the mass media as the single greatest anti-homeostatic force in society. This edition of Cybernetics gives a new generation access to a classic text.
Investing in Science
Authors: Florio Massimo
Published: November 2019

A proposal for using cost-benefit analysis to evaluate the socioeconomic impact of public investment in large scientific projects.

Large particle accelerators, outer space probes, genomics platforms: all are scientific enterprises managed through the new form of the research infrastructure, in which communities of scientists collaborate across nations, universities, research institutions, and disciplines. Such large projects are often publicly funded, with no accepted way to measure the benefits to society of these investments. In this book, Massimo Florio suggests the use of cost-benefit analysis (CBA) to evaluate the socioeconomic impact of public investment in large and costly scientific projects.

The core concept of CBA of any infrastructure is to undertake the consistent intertemporal accounting of social welfare effects using the available information. Florio develops a simple framework for such accounting in the research infrastructure context and then offers a systematic analysis of the benefits in terms of the social agents involved. He measures the benefits to scientists, students, and postdoctoral researchers; the effect on firms of knowledge spillovers; the benefits to users of information technology and science-based innovation; the welfare effects on the general public of cultural services provided by RIs; and the willingness of taxpayers to fund scientific knowledge creation. Finally, Florio shows how these costs and benefits can be expressed in the form of stochastic net present value and other summary indicators.
Productivity Machines
Authors: Schlombs Corinna
Published: November 2019

How productivity culture and technology became emblematic of the American economic system in pre- and postwar Germany.

The concept of productivity originated in a statistical measure of output per worker or per work-hour, calculated by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. A broader productivity culture emerged in 1920s America, as Henry Ford and others linked methods of mass production and consumption to high wages and low prices. These ideas were studied eagerly by a Germany in search of economic recovery after World War I, and, decades later, the Marshall Plan promoted productivity in its efforts to help post–World War II Europe rebuild. In Productivity Machines, Corinna Schlombs examines the transatlantic history of productivity technology and culture in the two decades before and after World War II. She argues for the interpretive flexibility of productivity: different groups viewed productivity differently at different times. Although it began as an objective measure, productivity came to be emblematic of the American economic system; post-World War II West Germany, however, adapted these ideas to its own political and economic values.

Schlombs explains that West German unionists cast a doubtful eye on productivity's embrace of plant-level collective bargaining; unions fought for codetermination—the right to participate in corporate decisions. After describing German responses to US productivity, Schlombs offers an in-depth look at labor relations in one American company in Germany—that icon of corporate America, IBM. Finally, Schlombs considers the emergence of computer technology—seen by some as a new symbol of productivity but by others as the means to automate workers out of their jobs.
Real Games
Authors: Consalvo Mia , Paul Christopher A.
Published: November 2019

How we talk about games as real or not-real, and how that shapes what games are made and who is invited to play them.

In videogame criticism, the worst insult might be “That's not a real game!” For example, “That's not a real game, it's on Facebook!” and “That's not a real game, it's a walking simulator!” But how do people judge what is a real game and what is not—what features establish a game's gameness? In this engaging book, Mia Consalvo and Christopher Paul examine the debates about the realness or not-realness of videogames and find that these discussions shape what games get made and who is invited to play them.

Consalvo and Paul look at three main areas often viewed as determining a game's legitimacy: the game's pedigree (its developer), the content of the game itself, and the game's payment structure. They find, among other things, that even developers with a track record are viewed with suspicion if their games are on suspect platforms. They investigate game elements that are potentially troublesome for a game's gameness, including genres, visual aesthetics, platform, and perceived difficulty. And they explore payment models, particularly free-to-play—held by some to be a marker of illegitimacy. Finally, they examine the debate around such so-called walking simulators as Dear Esther and Gone Home. And finally, they consider what purpose is served by labeling certain games “real."
Bridging Silos
Authors: Korfmacher Katrina Smith
Published: November 2019

How communities can collaborate across systems and sectors to address environmental health disparities; with case studies from Rochester, New York; Duluth, Minnesota; and Southern California.

Low-income and marginalized urban communities often suffer disproportionate exposure to environmental hazards, leaving residents vulnerable to associated health problems. Community groups, academics, environmental justice advocates, government agencies, and others have worked to address these issues, building coalitions at the local level to change the policies and systems that create environmental health inequities. In Bridging Silos, Katrina Smith Korfmacher examines ways that communities can collaborate across systems and sectors to address environmental health disparities, with in-depth studies of three efforts to address long-standing environmental health issues: childhood lead poisoning in Rochester, New York; unhealthy built environments in Duluth, Minnesota; and pollution related to commercial ports and international trade in Southern California.

All three efforts were locally initiated, driven by local stakeholders, and each addressed issues long known to the community by reframing an old problem in a new way. These local efforts leveraged resources to impact community change by focusing on inequities in environmental health, bringing diverse kinds of knowledge to bear, and forging new connections among existing community, academic, and government groups.

Korfmacher explains how the once integrated environmental and public health management systems had become separated into self-contained “silos,” and compares current efforts to bridge these separations to the development of ecosystem management in the 1990s. Community groups, government agencies, academic institutions, and private institutions each have a role to play, but collaborating effectively requires stakeholders to appreciate their partners' diverse incentives, capacities, and constraints.

The open access edition of this book was made possible by generous funding from the MIT Libraries.
Designed for Digital
Authors: Ross Jeanne W. , Beath Cynthia M. , Mocker Martin
Published: November 2019

Practical advice for redesigning “big, old” companies for digital success, with examples from Amazon, BNY Mellon, LEGO, Philips, USAA, and many other global organizations.

Most established companies have deployed such digital technologies as the cloud, mobile apps, the internet of things, and artificial intelligence. But few established companies are designed for digital. This book offers an essential guide for retooling organizations for digital success. In the digital economy, rapid pace of change in technology capabilities and customer desires means that business strategy must be fluid. As a result, the authors explain, business design has become a critical management responsibility. Effective business design enables a company to pivot quickly in response to new competitive threats and opportunities. Most leaders today, however, rely on organizational structure to implement strategy, unaware that structure inhibits, rather than enables, agility. In companies that are designed for digital, people, processes, data, and technology are synchronized to identify and deliver innovative customer solutions—and redefine strategy. Digital design, not strategy, is what separates winners from losers in the digital economy.

Designed for Digital offers practical advice on digital transformation, with examples that include Amazon, BNY Mellon, DBS Bank, LEGO, Philips, Schneider Electric, USAA, and many other global organizations. Drawing on five years of research and in-depth case studies, the book is an essential guide for companies that want to disrupt rather than be disrupted in the new digital landscape.

Five Building Blocks of Digital Business Success Shared Customer Insights

Operational Backbone

Digital Platform

Accountability Framework

External Developer Platform
The Promise of Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Smith Brian Cantwell
Published: November 2019

An argument that—despite dramatic advances in the field—artificial intelligence is nowhere near developing systems that are genuinely intelligent.

In this provocative book, Brian Cantwell Smith argues that artificial intelligence is nowhere near developing systems that are genuinely intelligent. Second wave AI, machine learning, even visions of third-wave AI: none will lead to human-level intelligence and judgment, which have been honed over millennia. Recent advances in AI may be of epochal significance, but human intelligence is of a different order than even the most powerful calculative ability enabled by new computational capacities. Smith calls this AI ability “reckoning,” and argues that it does not lead to full human judgment—dispassionate, deliberative thought grounded in ethical commitment and responsible action.

Taking judgment as the ultimate goal of intelligence, Smith examines the history of AI from its first-wave origins (“good old-fashioned AI,” or GOFAI) to such celebrated second-wave approaches as machine learning, paying particular attention to recent advances that have led to excitement, anxiety, and debate. He considers each AI technology's underlying assumptions, the conceptions of intelligence targeted at each stage, and the successes achieved so far. Smith unpacks the notion of intelligence itself—what sort humans have, and what sort AI aims at.

Smith worries that, impressed by AI's reckoning prowess, we will shift our expectations of human intelligence. What we should do, he argues, is learn to use AI for the reckoning tasks at which it excels while we strengthen our commitment to judgment, ethics, and the world.
Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metal Intake of Common Fishes Available in the Brahmaputra River of Bangladesh
Authors: Zakir H. M. , Eti M. S. A. , Quadir Q. F. , Mallick S.
Published: November 2019

Fifteen (15) fish species were collected from three (3) locations of the Brahmaputra River to determine heavy metals content in fish flesh, and to assess potential human health risk through consumption of those fishes. The contents of heavy metals in aqueous extract of different fish species were determined by an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) at the Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Bangladesh Agricultural University, during the period from March to June, 2018. The concentrations of Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd and Cr in different fish species ranged from 41.70-376.62, 38.98-279.08, 3.19-47.91, 2.20-3.73, 0.19-1.20 and 0.59-2.40 mg kg-1, respectively. The study results revealed that the edible portion of fish species of the river contained reasonably higher amount of Mn, Zn, Pb, Cr and Cu compared to some other previous studies carried out elsewhere with freshwater fishes. Among the fish species, mola (Amblypharyngodon mola) showed the highest metal pollution index (20.12) followed by chela (Salmophasia bacaila) (17.72), chanda (Chanda nama) (16.78) and chingri (Macrobrachium sp.) (15.83), while baim (Macrognathus aculeatus) exhibited the lowest (6.79). The calculated daily metal intake for Pb, Mn and Cd for both male and female were higher than that of upper tolerable intake level, which indicates consumption of common fishes of this river, is not safe. Similarly, target hazard quotient (THQ) values for Mn surpassed 5.0 for both male and female, and the same value for Pb also surpassed 5.0 for female indicate that the exposed population are unsafe. The study results also revealed that all individual THQ values of other metals for both male and female surpassed 1, which means exposed population are in level of concern interval. In Bangladesh freshwater river fishes are more popular than farm fishes. However, the study results recommend to aware people about heavy metal contents before consuming fish species of a polluted river system.
Factors Affecting Macrobenthic Invertebrates Distribution in Badagry Creek, South Western Nigeria
Authors: Olapoju O. A. , Edokpayi C. A.
Published: November 2019

The aim of the paper is to identify macroinvertebrates distribution in response to induced stressors and physico-chemical parameters of water and sediment. The species composition of macrobenthic invertebrates as well as the physico-chemical characteristics of Badagry creek was investigated monthly. Six sampling stations selected based on different levels of human activities along the creeks stretch and samples were collected monthly from September 2006 to February 2007. The fluctuations of some of the physical and chemical parameters such as pH, dissolved oxygen, BOD and total organic carbon appeared to have been influenced by activities along the study stretch. Analysis of variance (ANOVA)  for all parameters showed no significant differences (P > 0.05) in the parameters but  Post hoc tests analysis using Duncan showed that there was a significant difference (P = 0.05) in the mean total of some of the parameters. pH, clay, sand and gravel were significantly correlated with other parameters while canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) model showed that the environmental variables correlated with significant part of the variations in the individual species abundance and it revealed that dominant species were found to be significantly correlated with dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids, sand and pH.
Concentrations of Nickel in Sediment and Periwinkle of Eagle Island River, Port Harcourt
Authors: Chikadibia Amadi, Fyneface , Roseline Emeji, , Hannah Osere, , Laurretta Nwisah,
Published: November 2019

The study was carried out in Eagle Island River, located in Mgbuosimini community, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. In this study, the concentration of Nickel (Ni) in sediments and periwinkles (Tympanotonos fuscatus) were determined from 25 sampling stations in Eagle Island River. The portion of the periwinkle that was assayed was the edible part. The assay was carried out using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The mean±SD of Ni concentrations in sediments and periwinkles were 2.77±1.05 mg/kg and 6.25±1.98 mg/kg respectively. The mean concentration of Ni was higher in periwinkles than in sediments. The correlation coefficient between Ni concentrations in sediment and periwinkle was 32.7%. Following the increasing industrial activities and waste disposal in the water body, the need to regularly determine the concentrations of this heavy metal in the water, aquatic lives and sediments is imperative in order to uphold environmental and human health protection.
Seasonal Variation of Metallic Contamination of Water and Sediments in Navigation Canal and Industrial Zone South Port Said, Egypt
Authors: Azzaz Nabil, A. E. , Beheary Mokhtar, S. , Raslan Mohamed, N. , El Hamid Hazem T. Abd
Published: November 2019

In the present study, water and sediment samples were collected from Navigation Canal and from Industrial Zone South Port Said to assess heavy metals contamination. It was shown that, the highest mean concentration of heavy metals in water samples was observed in summer, and the lowest mean was observed in winter. It has been made evident that the industrialization in Industrial Zone South Port Said was responsible for the present deteriorating conditions. However, it was shown that, the highest mean concentration of heavy metals in sediment samples was observed in winter, and the lowest mean was observed in summer. Pollution status was evaluated using some indices: geo-accumulation index (Igeo), contamination factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI) and ecological risk index (RI). Based on Igeo, all metal values were unpolluted. On the basis of the values of CF, sediments are high in winter and low in summer. Metals concentrations were in the following order: Ni > Fe > Mn > Pb > Cu > Zn > Co > Cd. According to CF classification, Ni contamination was considerable. RI of winter season can be classified as moderate pollution. No pollution was classified for PLI in all seasons. The decrease in PLI and RI values were indicated dilution and dispersion of metal content with increasing distance from source areas. It is suggested that PLI can give an indication about the trend spatially and temporarily. In addition, it also provides significant data and advice to the policy and decision makers on the contamination degree of the area.
Comparative Study on the Biochemical Composition of the Flesh of Egeria radiata (Bivalvia: Donacidae) and Crassotrea rhizophorea (Perecypode: Lameillebrachia) of the Cross River State, Nigeria
Authors: Bassey Opeh, Patience
Published: November 2019

The food and mineral contents of flesh of the two bivalve species (Egeria radiata and Crassostrea rhizophorea) of Cross river, Nigeria were investigated. The study revealed that the moisture content of E. radiata and C. rhizophorea was 52.46% and 54.01%, crude protein was 24.37% and 20.49%, fat was 9.03% and14.22%, crude fibre was 0.01% and 1.30%, ash was 1.43% and 9.05%, carbohydrate was 12.7% and 2.23% and energy was 229.58J and 218.84J. The mineral content of E. radiata and C. rhizophorea  showed a significant difference (P<0.05) in Ca+, Na+, K, Mg, while the Zn, Pb, Cu, Fe, P and Mn were similar (P>0.05). Based on the findings of this study, biochemical profile of E. radiata is high in nutrients and is suitable for human consumption. Therefore, concerted efforts should be made to enlighten the populace on the increased nutritional benefits of consuming E. radiata.