bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On Some of the Aspects of the Linguistic Theory of Law
Authors: Andruszkiewicz Marta
Published: November 2016

The article analyses the approach to the study of the sphere of language between theory of law and the philosophy of language. The aim of the paper is to study the range of applicability of philosophical and linguistic conceptions in theory of law. Law theory reflects certain movements and controversies that have been significant in linguistic sciences. The analyses, which, so far, have been conducted in theory of law, concentrated mainly on the use of the results of such achievements made by the representatives of the philosophy of language and linguistics as formal languages theories, transformational-generative theories, structuralism, formalism, pragmalinguistics. In this article, it is claimed that contemporary changes in the humanities justify the expansion of the range of jurisprudence integration to some other approaches, different from formalistic and pragmatic ones.
The Monk by M. G. Lewis: Revolution, Religion and the Female Body
Authors: Łowczanin Agnieszka
Published: November 2016

This paper reads The Monk by M. G. Lewis in the context of the literary and visual responses to the French Revolution, suggesting that its digestion of the horrors across the Channel is exhibited especially in its depictions of women. Lewis plays with public and domestic representations of femininity, steeped in social expectation and a rich cultural and religious imaginary. The novel’s ambivalence in the representation of femininity draws on the one hand on Catholic symbolism, especially its depictions of the Madonna and the virgin saints, and on the other, on the way the revolutionaries used the body of the queen, Marie Antoinette, to portray the corruption of the royal family. The Monk fictionalizes the ways in which the female body was exposed, both by the Church and by the Revolution, and appropriated to become a highly politicized entity, a tool in ideological argumentation.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the Guillotine, and Modern Ontological Anxiety
Authors: Lacefield Kristen
Published: November 2016

This essay begins by examining the rhetorical significance of the guillotine, an important symbol during the Romantic Period. Lacefield argues that the guillotine symbolized a range of modern ontological juxtapositions and antinomies during the period. Moreover, she argues that the guillotine influenced Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein through Giovanni Aldini, a scientist who experimented on guillotined corpses during the French Revolution and inspired Shelley’s characterization of Victor Frankenstein. Given the importance of the guillotine as a powerful metaphor for anxieties emergent during this period, Lacefield employs it as a clue signaling a labyrinth of modern meanings embedded in Shelley’s novel, as well as the films they anticipated. In particular, Lacefield analyzes the significance of the guillotine slice itself—the uneasy, indeterminate line that simultaneously separates and joins categories such as life/death, mind/body, spirit/matter, and nature/technology.

Lacefield’s interdisciplinary analysis analyzes motifs of decapitation/dismemberment in Frankenstein and then moves into a discussion of the novel’s exploration of the ontological categories specified above. For example, Frankenstein’s Creature, as a kind of cyborg, exists on the contested theoretical “slice” within a number of antinomies: nature/tech, human/inhuman (alive/dead), matter/spirit, etc. These are interesting juxtapositions that point to tensions within each set of categories, and Lacefield discusses the relevance of such dichotomies for questions of modernity posed by materialist theory and technological innovation. Additionally, she incorporates a discussion of films that fuse Shelley’s themes with appeals to twentieth-century and post-millennium audiences.
Gothic Trouble: Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and the Globalized Order
Authors: Liénard-Yeterian Marie
Published: November 2016

The article explores the way American author Cormac McCarthy uses the Gothic genre in his novel The Road as a means to address what has been called “our globalized order,” in particular the way it has turned human beings into consuming or consumed entities. Some dimensions of this globalized order indeed involve the reintroduction of slavery through human trafficking, unprecedented greed and labor capitalism, surveillance and personal data gathering. Hannah Arendt notes in The Origin of Totalitarianism that the disasters of the twentieth century had proved that a globalized order might “produce barbarians from its own midst by forcing millions of people into conditions which, despite all appearances, are the conditions of savages.” The artist’s task is to find the right language and images to address the breaking of the world. French philosopher J. P. Dupuy, for example, has argued that the financial world is a way to contain (contenir) the violence of competition, placing it into acceptable (symbolic) forms away from primal physical competition. McCarthy’s graphic use of Gothic tropes—including cannibalism, the wild forest, the haunted house, the chase, the conflict between light and darkness, the blurring of boundaries between different categories—creates a shock. The article also addresses the larger question of the impact of globalization on Gothic literature, and the impact of Gothic literature on real world matters as it contributes to and reflects upon and challenges global regimes of economic, social and economic power. In other words, what is the cultural work that the Gothic does in the present?
Wendigos, Eye Killers, Skinwalkers: The Myth of the American Indian Vampire and American Indian “Vampire” Myths
Authors: Lenhardt Corinna
Published: November 2016

We all know vampires. Count Dracula and Nosferatu, maybe Blade and Angel, or Stephenie Meyer’s sparkling beau, Edward Cullen. In fact, the Euro-American vampire myth has long become one of the most reliable and bestselling fun-rides the entertainment industries around the world have to offer. Quite recently, however, a new type of fanged villain has entered the mainstream stage: the American Indian vampire. Fully equipped with war bonnets, buckskin clothes, and sharp teeth, the vampires of recent U.S. film productions, such as Blade, the Series or the Twilight Saga, employ both the Euro-American vampire trope and denigrating discourses of race and savagery. It is also against this backdrop that American Indian authors and filmmakers have set out to renegotiate not only U.S. America’s myth of the racially overdrawn “savage Indian,” but also the vampire trope per se. Drawing on American Indian myths and folklore that previous scholarship has placed into direct relationship to the Anglo-European vampire narrative, and on recent U.S. mainstream commodifications of these myths, my paper traces and contextualizes the two oppositional yet intimately linked narratives of American Indian vampirism ensuing today: the commodified image of the “Indian” vampire and the renegotiated vampire tropes created by American Indian authors and filmmakers.
In the Flesh and the Gothic Pharmacology of Everyday Life; or Into and Out of the Gothic
Authors: Murnane Barry
Published: November 2016

One of the key questions facing Gothic Studies today is that of its migration into and out of its once familiar generic or symbolic modes of representation. The BBC series In the Flesh addresses these concerns against the background of a neoliberal medical culture in which pharmaceutical treatments have become powerful tools of socio-economic normalization, either through inducing passivity or in heightening productivity, generating chemically adapted biomachines tuned to think and produce. But the pharmakon has always been a risky form of normalization, its poisonous mechanisms threatening to undo its helpful patterns by stealth. This essay discusses the pharmacological and medical contexts of the series in which zombies are subjected to medical management and normalized as “PDS sufferers,” thereby locating In the Flesh in terms of an already gothicized neoliberal pharmacology of everyday life. It also enquires how the proximity of the symbolic pharmacology of the series to neoliberal medical discourses and practices actually challenges traditional representational patterns of the Gothic and whether the Gothic can still have a role as an alternative cure to society’s ills.
On (Not) Being Milton: Tony Harrison’s Liminal Voice
Authors: Handley Agata G.
Published: November 2016

Tony Harrison’s poetry is rooted in the experience of a man who came out of the working class of Leeds and who, avowedly, became a poet and a stranger to his own community. As Harrison duly noted in one interview, from the moment he began his formal education at Leeds Grammar School, he has never felt fully at home in either the world of literature or the world of his working class background, preferring to continually transgress their boundaries and be subject to perpetual change.

The paper examines the relation between poetic identity, whose ongoing construction remains one of the most persistently reoccurring themes of Harrison’s work, and the liminal position occupied by the speaker of Harrison’s verse. In the context of the sociological thought of such scholars as Zygmunt Bauman and Stuart Hall, the following paper discusses the way in which the idea of being in-between operates in “On Not Being Milton,” an initial poem from Harrison’s widely acclaimed sonnet sequence The School of Eloquence, whose unique character stems partly from the fact that it constitutes an ongoing poetic project which has continued from 1978 onwards, reflecting the social and cultural changes of contemporary Britain.
Simulation based Performance Test of Incident Detection Algorithms Using Bluetooth Measurements
Authors: Karatsoli Maria , Margreiter Martin , Spangler Matthias
Published: November 2016

This article analyzes the use of Bluetooth-based travel times, for Automatic Incident Detection (AID) purposes. Automatic incident messages were derived for simulated data through the use of an AID algorithm, which was developed by Technical University of Munich (TUM). A Vissim model of a 15 kilometre section of A9 motorway in Germany was set up, where different scenarios of traffic situation, incidents and detector layout were introduced and travel times were generated, processed and then run through the TUM algorithm. The performance measures Detection Rate (DR), False Alarm Rate (FAR) and Mean Time To Detect (MTTD) were used for the analysis of the incident messages' quality of the simulated data and compared for every incident scenario. Local data were also generated in the Vissim model and used by VKDiff algorithm for incident detection. A comparison of the quality of the incident messages of both TUM and VKDiff algorithm was conducted.
Wireless Magnetic Sensor Network for Road Traffic Monitoring and Vehicle Classification
Authors: Velisavljevic Vladan , Cano Eduardo , Dyo Vladimir , Allen Ben
Published: November 2016

Efficiency of transportation of people and goods is playing a vital role in economic growth. A key component for enabling effective planning of transportation networks is the deployment and operation of autonomous monitoring and traffic analysis tools. For that reason, such systems have been developed to register and classify road traffic usage. In this paper, we propose a novel system for road traffic monitoring and classification based on highly energy efficient wireless magnetic sensor networks. We develop novel algorithms for vehicle speed and length estimation and vehicle classification that use multiple magnetic sensors. We also demonstrate that, using such a low-cost system with simplified installation and maintenance compared to current solutions, it is possible to achieve highly accurate estimation and a high rate of positive vehicle classification.
Containership Traffic Optimization on Feeder Shipping Line
Authors: Drozhzhyn Oleksii
Published: November 2016

This article is devoted to feeder containership traffic optimization on the trunk and feeder shipping lines. The optimization is fulfilled in case of the necessity of laden containers delivery between fixed pairs of ports as well as in case of the requirement not to exceed the vessel's capacity, taking into account her residual value during transition between feeder port lines. The paper takes into account uneven distribution of empty container equipment in ports of line and the solution is suggested considering the estimation of the empty TEU’s number which is subject to reposition.
Was ist das Spielerische am Sprachspiel?
Authors: Schneider Hans Julius
Published: November 2016

Did Wittgenstein in coining the term ‘Sprachspiel’ mean to convey the connotation of an open playfulness, as the German terms ‘Spiel’ and ‘spielerisch’ suggest? The paper tries to show that although this was not his original motive for choosing the term, the characterization of natural language offered in the Philosophical Investigations includes and indeed highlights its open, not rule-governed (and in this sense playful) sides. In this respect language is unlike a calculus and unlike a game like chess.

Wittgenstein compares language to both, but, so the paper argues, he does so in order to make visible what is special in language and is different from a calculus as well as a strictly regulated game like chess.When he applies the word ‘calculus’ in an affirmative sense for describing a feature of what he describes as language games, the context is the principle of compositionality, interpreted, however, in such a way that the difference between the workings of a calculus and the workings of language is preserved.

The paper comes to the conclusion that, in using a natural language, speakers have some freedom to decide whether they cling to or depart from conventional usage. This freedom is a central ingredient of the human language faculty.
Er „ist eine Künstlernatur von hinreissender Genialität“
Authors: Iven Mathias
Published: November 2016

The correspondence between Ludwig Wittgenstein and Moritz Schlick presented in this publication is part of the complete correspondence of Schlick which is intended for publication in the context of the Moritz Schlick Gesamtausgabe (Collected Papers of Moritz Schlick). As explained and illustrated in the following essay, the present publication not only reproduced the complete known and comprehensively commented correspondence between Wittgenstein and Schlick, but complements it with letters from and to Friedrich Waismann and Rudolf Carnap. Only this context enables a broader understanding of the topics and facts addressed in the letters, some of which have be re-dated.
„Allerdings ist die Lektüre äusserst schwierig.“
Authors: Engler Fynn Ole
Published: November 2016

The philosophical dispute between Moritz Schlick and Ludwig Wittgenstein has so far not attracted much attention. This is probably mainly due to Schlick's rather sporadic references to Wittgenstein and vice versa to Wittgenstein's rather sporadic references to Schlick in their respective writings. However, a closer observation of their relationship, taking into account their intellectual legacy and, in particular, their extensive correspondence, indicates that their philosophical discussions, which had started at the end of 1929 and lasted through to 1935/1936, led to reciprocal challenges. Wittgenstein's profound trains of thought (Denkbewegungen) seem to have been influenced by this period while Schlick as a constant companion maintained the essence of his Position throughout.
Editionspraxis, Philosophie und Zivilisationskritik: Die Geschichte von Wittgensteins Vermischten Bemerkungen
Authors: Erbacher Christian
Published: November 2016

Using hitherto unpublished archival materials, this article reconstructs the editorial story of Wittgenstein’s Vermischte Bemerkungen (engl. edition: Culture and Value) in its historical context. The article’s starting point is the view of the editor of Vermischte Bemerkungen - Georg Henrik von Wright - that the book does not belong to Wittgenstein’s philosophical work, but that it shows Wittgenstein as “geistige Erscheinung” in relation to his times. It is argued that von Wright was particularly sensitive for the significance of Wittgenstein’s remarks on literature, music, religion and history, since their friendship rested essentially on conversations about these non-philosophical topics. The new archival materials show, however, that it needed a turn in Wright’s life and in his conception of philosophy, before he could regard a publication of Vermischte Bemerkungen as philosophically legitimate: Only after biographical and philosophical changes in the 1960s von Wright thought that occupation with public and cultural concerns may be a part of the philosopher’s work, and only in the light of this new understanding publishing Wittgenstein’s remarks on general topics seemed justified to him. Thus, Vermischte Bemerkungen is not only a portrait of Wittgenstein in relation to his times; the editorial story shows that the book is also a manifestation of von Wright’s philosophical development in relation to his own times.
Wittgenstein Today
Authors: Moyal-Sharrock Danièle
Published: November 2016

In this paper,¹ I briefly take stock of Wittgenstein’s contribution to philosophy and some other disciplines. Surveying some of the ways in which he emphasizes the primacy of action, together with the superfluity - in basic cases - of propositions and cognition, in his account of mind, language and action, I suggest that, far from being a maverick philosopher, Wittgenstein’s pioneering ’enactivism’ puts him in the mainstream of philosophy today. I mention the importance of his thought for the philosophy of mind and epistemology, as also for psychology and the cognitive sciences, and conclude that Wittgenstein’s philosophy is still spearheading the fight against physicalism and reductionism.
Was Wittgenstein really a Constructivist about Mathematics?
Authors: Dawson Ryan
Published: November 2016

It will be argued that Wittgenstein did not outright reject the law of excluded middle for mathematics or the proof-techniques that constructivists reject in connection with the law of excluded middle. Wittgenstein can be seen to be critical of the dogmatic claims of Brouwer and Weyl concerning how proofs should be constructed. Rather than himself laying down a requirement concerning what is and is not a proof, Wittgenstein can be read as exploring the differences between constructive and non-constructive proofs. I will read Wittgenstein as arguing that Brouwer’s rejection of excluded middle is based upon an over-extension from examples that Wittgenstein reads as special cases. Wittgenstein is certainly interested in the difference between constructive and non-constructive proof but only for the purposes of exploring the easily-missed differences between the two, not in order to reject non-constructive approaches.
Wittgenstein on the Chain of Reasons
Authors: Queloz Matthieu
Published: November 2016

In this paper,¹ I examine Wittgenstein’s conception of reason and rationality through the lens of his conception of reasons. Central in this context, I argue, is the image of the chain, which informs not only his methodology in the form of the chain-method, but also his conception of reasons as linking up immediately, like the links of a chain. I first provide a general sketch of what reasons are on Wittgenstein’s view, arguing that giving reasons consists in making thought and action intelligible by delineating reasoning routes; that something is a reason not in virtue of some intrinsic property, but in virtue of its role; and that citing something as a reason characterises it in terms of the rational relations it stands in according to context-dependent norms. I then argue that on Wittgenstein’s view,we misconceive chains of reasons if we think of them on the model of chains of causes. Chains of reasons are necessarily finite, because they are anchored in and held in place by our reason-giving practices, and it is in virtue of their finitude that chains of reasons can guide, justify and explain. I argue that this liberates us from the expectation that one should be able to give reasons for everything, but that it limits the reach of reasons by tying them to particular reasoning-practices that they cannot themselves justify. I end by comparing and reconciling Wittgenstein’s dichotomy between chains of reasons and chains of causes with seemingly competing construals of the dichotomy, and I clarify its relation to the dichotomy between explanation and justification.
Identität und Tautologie bei Wittgenstein
Authors: Büchi Romain
Published: November 2016

Die ersten Bemerkungen Wittgensteins zur Identität stammen vom Herbst 1913; Spuren zeitweise intensiver Beschäftigung mit dem Thema finden sich indes bis in die Logisch-philosophische Abhandlung. Die vorliegende Arbeit versucht jenen Gedankenläufen Wittgensteins zu folgen, die in seine eigentümliche Schreibweise gebundener Variablen und der Streichung des Identitätszeichens aus der Begriffsschrift mündeten. Neben der Typentheorie Russells hat,was im ersten Abschnitt gezeigt wird, besonders seine Analyse definiter Beschreibungen Wittgensteins frühe Gedanken zur Identität angeregt, zumal er sich nach der Ablehnung von Russells Definition der Identität der neuerlichen Frage gegenübersah, ob sich Sätze, worin das Zeichen der Identität vorkommt, weiter zerlegen lassen oder ob dieses vielmehr als Urzeichen angenommen werden müsse. Diese Frage stand für Wittgenstein in engem Zusammenhang mit dem,was er als das Grundproblem der Logik ausgemacht zu haben glaubte, d. i. mit der Frage nach der Beschaffenheit eines idealen Zeichensystems, das jede Tautologie auf ein und dieselbe Weise als Tautologie erkennen ließe. Wie in einer ausführlichen Besprechung der ab-Notation im dritten Abschnitt nachgewiesen wird, war die Lösung des Grundproblems denn auch das Ziel seines fieberhaften, letztlich aber erfolglosen Versuchs, die ab-Notation auf allgemeine Sätze - und insbesondere auf solche, worin das Identitätszeichen vorkommt - auszuweiten. Der vierte Abschnitt schließlich folgt Wittgensteins neuerlichem Anlauf zur Lösung des Grundproblems, der ausgeht von einer früheren Betrachtung zu dem bereits im zweiten Abschnitt behandelten Phänomen der Rekurrenz und deren Affinität zur Frage nach der richtigen Handhabung der Identität. Am Ende erweist sich die durch eine veränderte Variablenschreibweise ohne Verlust an Ausdruckskraft ermöglichte Streichung des Identitätszeichens gleichsam als Begleitprodukt der umfassenderen Bemühung, das Grundproblem der Logik doch noch einer Lösung zuzuführen.
Productive Government Expenditure and Economic Performance in sub-Saharan Africa: An Empirical Investigation
Authors: Adefeso Hammed Adetola
Published: November 2016

This study examined the effect of government expenditure on its disaggregated level on economic growth in a sample of 20 sub-Saharan African Countries over the period of 1980-2010 in a dynamic panel data model. The result from Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) revealed an inverse relationship between productive government expenditure and economic growth in sub-Sahara Africa. Also, productive government expenditures were not actually productive most especially when financed by non-distortonary government tax revenue in sub-Saharan African countries. The study concluded that the productive government expenditure and its corresponding source of the mode of financing were counterproductive for economic performance in the African countries.
Instrumented Test of Sensory Integration for Balance: A Validation Study
Authors: Freeman Lynn , Gera Geetanjali , Horak Fay B. , Blackinton Mary T. , Besch Mark , King Laurie
Published: November 2016

Background and Purpose:

Abnormal postural sway is associated with an increase in risk of falls but is difficult for clinicians to accurately quantify without access to laboratory equipment. Instrumenting clinical outcome measures using body-worn movement monitors is a low-cost alternative. This is the first study to compare the modified Clinical Test of Sensory Integration for Balance (i-mCTSIB) to the laboratory test of the Sensory Organization Test (SOT) with dynamic posturography in a group of participants with Parkinson's disease (PD) and subtle balance limitations. The purpose of this study was to (1) determine the concurrent validity of the i-mCTSIB with the SOT (6 and 4 conditions) and (2) compare the i-mCTSIB and the SOT to differentiate between individuals with and without recent falls within the previous 6 months.

Methods:

This cross-sectional study examined 26 participants with idiopathic PD who had a Motor Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale score of 32.7 (13.5) out of 108.

Results:

The composite and conditions 1 and 4 of the i-mCTSIB and SOT scores were significantly correlated: composite scores r = −0.64 (P ≤ .001), C1 r = −0.43 (P = .03), C3 r = −0.60 (P ≤ .01), and C4 r = −0.54 (P ≤ .001). A significant difference was observed in mean i-mCTSIB composite scores between fallers and nonfallers (P = .04). In contrast, the SOT composite was not significantly different between fallers and nonfallers (P = 0.31).

Discussion:

The results suggest that the i-mCTSIB may be a valid and clinically meaningful measure of sensory organization in persons with PD, even those with mild postural instability as measured by the median Hoehn and Yahr score (2.0). Future research should evaluate predictive validity of the i-mCTSIB for prospective falls.

Conclusion:

The instrumented mCTSIB with portable, body-worn movement allows clinicians to quantify abnormal postural sway without the ceiling effects of clinical balance testing or the expense and importability of force plate technology in the SOT. Instrumenting mCTSIB may also distinguish between fallers and nonfallers.
Physical Function in Older Adults With Multiple Sclerosis: An Application of the Short Physical Performance Battery
Authors: Motl Robert W. , Chaparro Gioella , Hernandez Manuel E. , Balto Julia M. , Sandroff Brian M.
Published: November 2016

Background and Purpose:

There is a growing prevalence of older persons living with multiple sclerosis (MS), and this cohort likely undergoes changes in physical function associated with MS and its progression as well as those associated with normal aging. This cross-sectional study examined physical function in a community-dwelling sample of older adults with MS compared with matched controls using the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB).

Methods:

The sample (N = 40) included 20 older adults with MS and 20 older adults without MS who were matched on sex and age. All participants completed the SPPB.

Results:

Statistically significant differences were observed between groups for the overall SPPB score (P = .013; d = 0.45) and the balance (P = .002; d = 0.46) and gait speed (P = .009; d = 0.30) component scores. The difference between groups in the lower extremity strength component approached significance (P = .056; d = 0.34). Of note, only 2 older adults without MS had SPPB scores below 10 (ie, 10%), whereas 8 older adults with MS had SPPB scores below 10 (ie, 40%); this represented a statistically significant difference in future risk for disability (P = .028).

Discussion/Conclusions:

We provide preliminary evidence for reduced physical function based on the SPPB as a valid, objective measure of lower extremity functional performance among older adults with MS.
Development and Validation of a Novel Motor-Cognitive Assessment Strategy of Compensatory Sit-to-Stand Maneuvers in People With Dementia
Authors: Werner Christian , Wiloth Stefanie , Lemke Nele Christin , Kronbach Florian , Hauer Klaus
Published: November 2016

Background and Purpose:

People with dementia show disease-specific sit-to-stand (STS) movement disorders, which relate to deficits of integrating cognitive aspects of motor processes into motor action organization. During STS training in rehabilitation therapy, compensatory STS movement maneuvers are taught aiming to improve patients' STS ability. Previous clinical STS measures do not address these maneuvers or assess cognitive aspects of their motor action organization. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a motor-cognitive STS assessment instrument for people with dementia (Assessment of Compensatory Sit-to-Stand Maneuvers in People With Dementia, ACSID).

Methods:

The ACSID covers the recall, initiation, and effective performance of compensatory STS movement maneuvers. The inter- and intrarater reliability, concurrent validity, sensitivity to change, and feasibility were investigated by secondary analysis of data of 97 participants from a randomized controlled trial to improve motor-cognitive performances in people with mild to moderate dementia (mean [standard deviation] age: 82.5 [5.9] years, Mini-Mental Status Examination: 21.9 [2.9] points). Concurrent validity of the individual ACSID items was assessed against reference criteria derived from video-motion analysis.

Results:

Good to excellent inter- (kappa [κ] = 0.64-0.99; intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.74-0.89) and intrarater (κ= 0.77-0.91; ICC = 0.77-0.91), concurrent validity (point-biserial correlation coefficients = |0.56|-|0.84|), and sensitivity to change (standardized response means = 0.61-1.00) were found. Feasibility was excellent with a high completion rate (96.9%), no critical events during assessment, and no floor or ceiling effects.

Conclusions:

The ACSID represents the first observation-based assessment instrument to document motor and cognitive aspects in the execution of a motor key feature in people with dementia, and has been shown to be reliable, valid, feasible, and sensitive to intervention-induced changes.
Leg Stiffness in Female Soccer Players: Intersession Reliability and the Fatiguing Effects of Soccer-Specific Exercise
Authors: De Ste Croix Mark B.A. , Hughes Jonathan D. , Lloyd Rhodri S. , Oliver Jon L. , Read Paul J.
Published: November 2016

De Ste Croix, MBA, Hughes, JD, Lloyd, RS, Oliver, JL, and Read, PJ. Leg stiffness in female soccer players: intersession reliability and the fatiguing effects of soccer-specific exercise. J Strength Cond Res 31(11): 3052–3058, 2016—Low levels of leg stiffness and reduced leg stiffness when fatigue is present compromise physical performance and increase injury risk. The purpose of this study was to (a) determine the reliability of leg stiffness measures obtained from contact mat data and (b) explore age-related differences in leg stiffness after exposure to a soccer-specific fatigue protocol in young female soccer players. Thirty-seven uninjured female youth soccer players divided into 3 subgroups based on chronological age (under 13 [U13], under 15 [U15], and under 17 [U17] year-olds) volunteered to participate in the study. After baseline data collection, during which relative leg stiffness, contact time, and flight time were collected, participants completed an age-appropriate soccer-specific fatigue protocol (SAFT90). Upon completion of the fatigue protocol, subjects were immediately retested. Intersession reliability was acceptable and could be considered capable of detecting worthwhile changes in performance. Results showed that leg stiffness decreased in the U13 year-olds, was maintained in the U15 age group, and increased in the U17 players. Contact times and flight times did not change in the U13 and U15 year-olds, but significantly decreased and increased, respectively, in the U17 age group. The data suggest that age-related changes in the neuromuscular control of leg stiffness are present in youth female soccer players. Practitioners should be aware of these discrepancies in neuromuscular responses to soccer-specific fatigue, and should tailor training programs to meet the needs of individuals, which may subsequently enhance performance and reduce injury risk.
Comparison of Muscle Involvement and Posture Between the Conventional Deadlift and a “Walk-In” Style Deadlift Machine
Authors: Snyder Benjamin J. , Cauthen Courtney P. , Senger Scott R.
Published: November 2016

Snyder, BJ, Cauthen, CP, and Senger, SR. Comparison of muscle involvement and posture between the conventional deadlift and a “walk-in” style deadlift machine. J Strength Cond Res 31(10): 2859–2865, 2017—The deadlift exercise is one of the most effective exercises for developing lower-body strength; however, technique errors can lead to low back injuries. The use of a “walk-in” deadlift machine removes the weight bar by using a lever system with independent handles on either side of the body. Theoretically, this would allow alignment of the load with the center of gravity, encouraging a more upright torso and decreasing the involvement of the low back extensors. This study compared trunk angle, knee angle, and electrical activity of key muscles between the conventional deadlift (CDL) and 2 foot positions (ball of foot or toe alignment) with pronated grip (called BallPro and ToePro) of a walk-in deadlift machine among high-skilled and low-skilled lifters. Although there were no skill group differences, in the combined groups, the walk-in deadlift resulted in a significantly more upright trunk angle (p ≤ 0.05) for both the BallPro (29.9° ± 12.0 SD) and the ToePro (32.4° ± 10.4) compared with the CDL (23.7° ± 11.3) at the start of the lift. Similar results were noted in the midconcentric phase, with trunk angles for the ToePro (46.9° ± 6.8) significantly different from CDL (42.66° ± 3.7), and for the mideccentric phase of the lift, with ToePro (47.2° ± 7.0) significantly higher than CDL (42.9° ± 6.5). ToePro knee angle was significantly more flexed (101.6° ± 10.6) than CDL (110.8° ± 11.5) at the starting position, with both BallPro (135.7° ± 14.2) and ToePro (136.5° ± 8.8) significantly more flexed than CDL (159.3° ± 5.9) in both the midconcentric phase and the mideccentric phase (BallPro 129.2° ± 14.0, ToePro 127.7° ± 8.9, and CDL 150.5° ± 7.8). In the combined low- and high-skilled groups, electrical activity as a percent of maximum isometric root mean square activity of the erector spinae during the BallPro variation (53.1% ± 33.8) was significantly lower than CDL (73.19% ± 23.9), whereas vastus lateralis activity was significantly higher in both BallPro (79.9% ± 26.3) and ToePro (64.3 ± 22.4) compared with CDL (48.6% ± 13.0). Gluteus maximus (GM) activity was significantly lower for BallPro (30.1% ± 16.6) and ToePro (30.2% ± 15.0) than CDL (47.1% ± 27.6). Together, the results indicate that the walk-in deadlift machine has potential to reduce the stress on the low back during the deadlift activity, with subjects generally exhibiting a more upright posture and erector spinae muscle activity, depending on the foot position. However, there was also a shift in muscle activity away from the GM and towards the knee extensors, which may limit the machine's long-term usefulness as a deadlift replacement.
High-Speed Resistance Training Modifies Load-Velocity and Load-Power Relationships in Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Ni Meng , Signorile Joseph F.
Published: November 2016

Ni, M and Signorile, JF. High-speed resistance training modifies load-velocity and load-power relationships in Parkinson's disease. J Strength Cond Res 31(10): 2866–2875, 2017—Muscle power is a major neuromuscular factor affecting motor function and independence in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), and it is commonly targeted using high-speed exercise. This study examined the changes in velocities (Vpp) and percent loads (%1RMpp) at peak power and load-velocity (L-V) and load-power (L-P) relationships, resulting from resistance training because of exercise choice and loading in older patients with PD. Fourteen older adults with mild to moderate PD participated in a 12-week randomized controlled power training trial. Changes in L-V and L-P relationships for the biceps curl, chest press, leg press, hip abduction, and seated calf were assessed using pneumatic resistance machines at loads ranging from 30 through 90% of subjects' 1 repetition maximum for each exercise. Significant increases in Vpp were seen for biceps curl, leg press, hip abduction, and seated calf and decreases in %1RMpp were noted for biceps curl and hip abduction. Additionally, unique patterns of change were seen in these relationships across exercises, with biceps curl, chest press, and leg press showing the greatest shifts at the lower load end of the loading spectrum, and hip abduction and seated calf showing greatest responses at the higher end. The patterns of change in L-V and L-P relationships provide evidence for the unique responses of the specific muscle groups and joints to the exercises evaluated and offer a framework for more exacting exercise prescriptions in patients with PD.
An Unexpected Regulatory Cascade Governs a Core Function of the Drosophila PRC1 Chromatin Protein Su(z)2
Authors: Nguyen Son C , Yu Stephanie , Oberlick Elaine , Wu Chao-ting
Published: November 2016

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are major chromatin-bound factors that can read and modify chromatin states to maintain gene silencing throughout development. Here we focus on a close homolog of the PcG protein Posterior sex combs to better understand how these proteins affect regulation. This homolog, called Suppressor 2 of zeste [Su(z)2] is composed of two regions: the N-terminal homology region (HR), which serves as a hub for protein interactions, and the C-terminal region (CTR), which is believed to harbor the core activity of compacting chromatin. Here, we describe our classical genetic studies to dissect the structure of Su(z)2. Surprisingly, we found that the CTR is dispensable for viability. Furthermore, the core activity of Su(z)2 seems to reside in the HR instead of the CTR. Remarkably, our data also suggest a regulatory cascade between CTR and HR of Su(z)2, which, in turn, may help prioritize the myriad of PcG interactions that occur with the HR.
PIRMASIS LIETUVIŠKOS SPAUDOS ATGAVIMO MINĖJIMAS NEPRIKLAUSOMOJE LIETUVOJE 1929 METAIS
Authors: Janušauskaitė Ida
Published: November 2016

Straipsnyje nagrinėjamas Nepriklausomos Lietuvos metais įvykęs pirmasis lietuviškos spaudos lotyniškais rašmenimis atgavimo minėjimas, jo organizavimas, eiga ir rezultatai. Gilinamasi į Komiteto spaudos atgavimo 25-mečio minėjimui veiklą, Lietuvos žurnalistų sąjungos indėlį spaudos atgavimo šventės minėjimo tradicijos atsiradimui. 1929 m. įvykęs lietuviškos spaudos atgavimo minėjimas, nors ir nesulaukė kryptingos valstybės paramos ir buvo surengtas vien iš visuomeninių paskatų, vyko gana sklandžiai. Organizatorių sugebėta atkreipti ir tarptautinį dėmesį. Lietuvos žurnalistų sąjunga sudarė konkurenciją kairiųjų politinių jėgų inspiruotam Komitetui, ėjo į glaudesnį kontaktą su Antano Smetonos autoritariniu režimu, tikėdamasi atkreipti dėmesį į tuometes Lietuvos žurnalistikos problemas. Lietuvos provincija, okupuotas Vilniaus kraštas ir lietuviškoji diaspora emigracijoje kūrė savo spaudos atgavimo minėjimo tradicijas.
JURGIO PLATERIO KNYGOS VILNIAUS UNIVERSITETO BIBLIOTEKOJE
Authors: Rankelienė Sondra
Published: November 2016

Straipsnyje nagrinėjamos Vilniaus universiteto bibliotekoje saugomos dvidešimt penkios naujai išaiškintos lietuvių kalbos ir raštijos tyrinėtojo, bibliografo Jurgio Platerio (1810–1836) asmeninei bibliotekai priklausiusios knygos, pateikiami išsamūs jų bibliografiniai aprašai su iššifruotomis šiose knygose esančiomis proveniencijomis. Remiantis naujais duomenimis, atskleidžiamas papildytas Domo Kauno monografijoje „Bibliotheca Georgii comitis de Plater: Jurgio Platerio biblioteka – Lietuvos knygos kultūros ir mokslo paminklas“ (Vilnius, 2012) pateiktas J. Platerio asmeninės bibliotekos vaizdas teminiu, chronologiniu bei kalbiniu aspektais.
LIETUVOS AUKŠTOJO MOKSLO INSTITUCIJŲ LEIDŽIAMŲ MOKSLINIŲ PERIODINIŲ LEIDINIŲ KOKYBĖS PROBLEMOS
Authors: Šakytė Milda
Published: November 2016

Straipsnyje, remiantis Lietuvos mokslinių periodinių leidinių internetinėmis svetainėmis, „Web of Science“ ir „Scopus“ duomenų bazių pateikiamais duomenimis, interviu su Lietuvos mokslinių periodinių leidinių vyr. redaktoriais, nagrinėjami Lietuvos aukštojo mokslo institucijų leidžiami moksliniai periodiniai leidiniai. Iš viso tirtas 141 mokslinis periodinis leidinys. 2014 m. duomenimis, penktadalis leidinių įvertinti formaliai – indeksuojami „Web of Science“ ir „Scopus“ duomenų bazėse. Tokį rezultatą lemia Lietuvos ir užsienio mokslo publikacijų vertinimo politika, skirtingos socialinių, humanitarinių ir tiksliųjų mokslų krypčių formalaus įvertinimo galimybės, skirtingi mokslinių periodinių leidinių leidybos tikslai. Didžioji dalis tirtų leidinių, siekiant didinti matomumą, pateikiami atvirosios prieigos būdu ir referuojami turinio pateikimo duomenų bazėse. 2015 m. autorės vykdytas tyrimas (interviu su mokslinių periodinių leidinių redaktoriais) parodė, kad didelę įtaką mokslinio periodinio leidinio formaliam įvertinimui turi leidinį leidžianti leidykla. Pakankamas žmogiškųjų išteklių kiekis, techniniai sprendimai, leidinio viešinimas turi įtakos leidinio kokybei. Paaiškėjo, kad Lietuvoje vis dar nepriimtinas požiūris į mokslinių periodinių leidinių leidybą kaip į komercinę veiklą. Tačiau rezultatai rodo, kad komerciniai veiklai būdingi vadybiniai sprendimai didina leidinio formalaus įvertinimo galimybes.
„NIDOS MOKYKLOS KRONIKA“: PRAĖJUSIO LAIKO METMENŲ KNYGA
Authors: Kaunas Domas
Published: November 2016

CHRONIK DER SCHULE ZU NIDDEN. HERAUS GEGEBEN VON GITANAS NAUSEDA UND VILIJA GERULAITIENĖ ; TRANSKRIPTI ON, KOMMENTARE – VILIJA GERULAITIENĖ , EINLEITUNG „HENRY FUCHS, DER AUTOR DER NIDDENER SCHULCHRONIK“ (P. 17–33) – NIJOLĖ STRAKAUSKAITĖ. VILNIUS : [PETRO OFSETAS ], 2013. 330, [14] P. : ILIUSTR . – AUF LAGE [900] EXEMP L. – ISBN 978-609-420-298-8. NIDOS MOKYKLOS KRONIKA. SUDARĖ GITANAS NAUSĖDA IR VILIJA GERULAITIENĖ, PARENGĖ VILIJA GERULAITIENĖ , PD HABIL. DR. CHRISTIANE SCHILLER , IŠ VOKIEČIŲ KALBOS VERTĖ VILIJA GERULAITIENĖ. ĮVADINIAI STRAIPSNIAI: NIJOLĖS STRAKAUSKAITĖS „HENRY FUCHSAS – NIDOS MOKYKLOS KRONIKOS AUTORIUS “ (P. 15–34); CHRISTIANE’ĖS SCHILLER „NIDOS GYVENTOJAI : JŲ GYVENIMO BŪDAS IR KALBA “ (P. 35–39), VILIJOS GERULAITIENĖS „NIDOS MOKYKLOS KRONIKOS RANKRAŠČIAI , TEKSTO RENGIMO IR VERTIMO NUOSTATOS“ (P. 40–45). VI LNIUS : [PETRO OFSETAS ], 2016. 287, [9] P.: ILIUSTR . – TIRAŽAS [800] EGZ. – ISBN 978-609-420-487-6.
Formas utilizadas para tentativa de suicídio e características sociodemográficas de pacientes atendidos no serviço de emergência de um hospital de ensino
Authors: Brixner Betina , Koch Caroline Lau , Marth Marla Pedroso , Freitas Alice Pereira , Garske Cristiane Carla Dressler , Giehl Vanessa Monigueli , Schneider Ana Paula Helfer
Published: November 2016

Aims: To assess the methods used in suicide attempts and sociodemographic characteristics of suicidal patients treated at the emergency department of a teaching hospital.Methods: Cross-sectional retrospective study, with active search for electronic medical records of patients treated at the emergency department of a public teaching hospital in the countryside of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, from January to December 2015. All cases of suicide attempt were included, regardless of the suicide methods used. Successful suicide cases were not investigated. The statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, univariate analysis, and Pearson’s chi-square test.Results: A total of 233 patients treated at the emergency department were referred for psychiatric evaluation, and 122 of them had attempted suicide. The mean age of the suicidal patients was 36.8±14.3 years, (minimum of 14 years and maximum of 88 years) and 74 (60.6%) of them were female. The most common suicide attempt methods were ingestion of medications (72 cases, 59%) and of pesticide (14 cases, 11.5%). Of all patients, 119 (97.5%) lived in Santa Cruz do Sul, predominantly in the urban area (103 patients, 84.4%). Of the 50 (41.0%) referrals, 32 (64.0%) were sent to the Center for Psychosocial Care, 7 (14%) to the Center for Children’s and Adolescents’ Psychosocial Care, 6 (12%) were admitted to a mental health unit, and 5 (10%) were sent to Psychosocial Care Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Sixty-six (54.1%) patients had no electronic medical records of their outcome after discharge and 6 (4.9%) were lost to follow-up.Conclusions: Most of the treated suicidal patients were young adult females. The most common method of suicide attempt was the ingestion of medications, followed by the ingestion of pesticides.
Gravidade do déficit neurológico e incidência de infecções hospitalares em pacientes idosos com acidente vascular cerebral agudo
Authors: Conterno Lucieni Oliveira , Barbosa Rodrigo Wanderley Neves , Rego Caroline Martins , Da Silva Filho Carlos Rodrigues
Published: November 2016

Aims: To evaluate the association between severity of neurological deficit/degree of functional disability and incidence of nosocomial infections, length of hospital stay, and mortality, in elderly patients with acute stroke.Methods: A prospective cohort study evaluated elderly patients with acute stroke, hospitalized at the Hospital of the Marilia Medical School, in Marilia, SP, Brazil. Inclusion criteria were patients aged 60 years or more and diagnosed with acute stroke. Patients were stratified according to the severity of the stroke by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and the degree of dependence by the modified Rankin scale. All patients were followed from the time of admission to discharge or death.Results: We studied 113 patients with a mean age of 70.8 years, 63 (55.7%) men. The main underlying diseases were hypertension (77.9%) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (30.1%). Seventy-eight (69%) patients were affected for the first time and 86 (76.1%) had ischemic stroke. Nosocomial infection occurred in 24 patients (21.2%) and pneumonia was the most frequent (13.5%). The average length of hospital stay among patients with nosocomial infection was higher when compared to those without nosocomial infection (16.2±16.2 days and 33.2±22.9 days, p<0.001). There was association between score 16-42 points on the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale and the occurrence of nosocomial infection (risk ratio 4.4; 95% confidence interval 1.8 to 11.0). In-hospital mortality was 15.9%, higher among patients considered severe at admission compared to those with moderate to mild severity by the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (34.6% and 1.6% respectively, p<0.001) and also among those who developed nosocomial infection when compared to those without this complication (37.5% and 10.1% respectively, p=0.003).Conclusions: Nosocomial infections were major complications among elderly patients with acute stroke and were associated with severity of neurological deficit, higher degree of dependence, longer hospital stay and higher mortality rate.
São Tomé and Príncipe 1975-2015: politics and economy in a former plantation colony
Authors: Seibert Gerhard
Published: November 2016

Após a independência em 1975, São Tomé e Príncipe tornou- se um Estado de partido único socialista. O regime nacionalizou as plantações de cacau e toda a economia. Como o país carecia de pessoas adequadamente formadas, dentro de poucos anos a economia local se arruinou. Devido ao fracasso económico, em 1990 o regime introduziu a democracia multipartidária e uma economia de mercado livre. Apesar da instabilidade política causada por mudanças consecutivas de governo, a democracia tem funcionado relativamente bem. Contudo, a economia continuou precária, visto que governos consecutivos não conseguiram recuperar o setor de cacau nem diversificar a economia. Perspectivas de se tornar um produtor de petróleo também não se realizaram, porque petróleo viável comercialmente não foi descoberto. Consequentemente, por muitos anos o pequeno país se tornou completamente dependente das ajudas internacionais. Este texto análises a política e a econo ia do arquipélago durante os últimos quarenta anos.