bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Nigerian Economy in the Face of Socio-Political Challenges
Authors: Obamuyi Tomola , Oladapo Fapetu
Published: April 2016

This paper examines the Nigerian economy and the tendency for its growth in the face of several socio-political challenges facing the country, which have hampered the rate of economic development in spite of the tremendous human and material resources inherent. The paper identifies the socio-political challenges to include corruption, poverty, unemployment, insecurity, politics and governance, among others. The central argument of the paper is that steady economic growth can be achieved and financial crisis mitigated in Nigeria, if the effects of socio-political challenges, which are the key factors that have contributed to the high poverty, unemployment and economic instability in the country, are minimised. To ensure economic growth and move the country forward politically and economically, government must be more accountable in managing the nation’s resources in order to avoid wastage, poverty and unemployment. Close attention should be given to those socio-political challenges in the formulation of policies that aimed at maintaining economic growth at a level commensurate with the country’s growth rate. This study put forward that government must be proactive in all issues relating to the socio-political challenges to prevent resource mismanagement, poverty, unemployment, insecurity and slow economic growth in future.
What Makes Underwriting and Non-Underwriting Clients of Brokerage Firms Receive Different Recommendations?
Authors: Hua Shaowen
Published: April 2016

I explore company characteristics which explain the difference in analysts’ recommendations for companies that were underwritten (affiliated) versus non-underwritten (unaffiliated) by analysts’ brokerage firms. Prior literature documents that analysts issue more optimistic recommendations to underwriting clients of analysts’ brokerage employers. Extant research uses regression models to find general associations between recommendations and financial qualities of companies, with or without underwriting relationship. However, regression models cannot identify the qualities that cause the most difference in recommendations between affiliated versus unaffiliated companies. I adopt uplift random forest model, a popular technique in recent marketing and healthcare research, to identify the type of companies that earn analysts’ favor. I find that companies of stable earnings in the past, higher book-to-market ratio, smaller sizes, worsened earnings, and lower forward PE ratio are likely to receive higher recommendations if  they are affiliated with analysts than if they are unaffiliated with analysts. With uplift random forest model, I show that analysts pay more attention on price-related than earnings-related matrices when they value affiliated versus unaffiliated companies. This paper contributes to the literature by introducing an effective predictive model to capital market research and shedding additional light on the usefulness of analysts’ reports.
The Performance of Skewness and Kurtosis Adjusted Option Pricing Model in Emerging Markets
Authors: Alp Özge Sezgin
Published: April 2016

In this study, the option pricing performance of the adjusted Black-Scholes model proposed by Corrado and Su (1996) and corrected by Brown and Robinson (2002), is investigated and compared with original Black Scholes pricing model for the Turkish derivatives market. The data consist of the European options written on BIST 30 index extends from January 02, 2015 to April 24, 2015 for given exercise prices with maturity April 30, 2015. In this period, the strike prices are ranging from 86 to 124. To compare the models, the implied parameters are derived by minimizing the sum of squared deviations between the observed and theoretical option prices. The implied distribution of BIST 30 index does not significantly deviate from normal distribution. In addition, pricing performance of Black Scholes model performs better in most of the time. Black Scholes pricing Formula, Carrado-Su pricing Formula, Implied Parameters
The anatomy of bank performance during transition
Authors: Isik Ihsan , Kyj Larissa , Kulali Ihsan
Published: April 2016

By drawing on Ukrainian experience, this paper analyzes the anatomy of bank efficiency in a transitional economy. Acknowledging the vast disparities in the business technology of different size banks, in this comprehensive study, we innovatively estimate group-specific (distinct) frontiers for small, medium, and large size banks. The results from separate frontiers reveal that Ukrainian banks record 38% technical inefficiency, 26% pure technical inefficiency, and 17% scale inefficiency on average. Apparently, banks in transition waste about the two fifths of their factor inputs during the production of financial services. The cardinal source of sub-performance in transitional banks seems to be managerial inefficiencies. We also found that banks operating in areas with more political influence and more developed infrastructure outperform the banks operating in politically and economically weaker regions. The results also indicate that larger banks, enjoying public trust in a risky business climate, dominate smaller banks in all forms of efficiency. However, such bias for size causes large banks to suffer from decreasing returns to scale and small banks from idle capacity. Consequently, the policies promoting consolidation between small and large banks may alleviate the excess (idle) capacity for large (small) banks in a transitional economy.
Time-Lapse Seismic for Reservoir Management: Case Studies From Offshore Niger Delta, Nigeria
Authors: Amoyedo Sunday , Ekut Emmanuel , Salami Rasaki , Goncalves-Ferreira Liliana , Desegaulx Pascal
Published: April 2016

This paper presents case studies focused on the interpretation and integration of seismic reservoir monitoring from several fields in conventional offshore and deepwater Niger Delta. The fields are characterized by different geological settings and development-maturity stages. We show different applications varying from qualitative to quantitative use of time-lapse (4D) seismic information.

In the first case study, which is in shallow water, the field has specific reservoir-development challenges, simple geology, and is in phased development. On this field, 4D seismic, which was acquired several years ago, is characterized by poor seismic repeatability. Nevertheless, we show that because of improvements from seismic reprocessing, 4D seismic makes qualitative contributions to the ongoing field development.

In the second case study, the field is characterized by complex geological settings. The 4D seismic is affected by overburden with strong lateral variations in velocity and steeply dipping structure (up to 40°). Prestack-depth-imaging (PSDM) 4D seismic is used in a more-qualitative manner to monitor gas injection, validate the geologic/reservoir models, optimize infill injector placement, and consequently, enhance field-development economics.

The third case study presents a deep offshore field characterized by a complex depositional system for some reservoirs. In this example, good 4D-seismic repeatability (sum of source- and receiver-placement differences between surveys, dS+dR) is achieved, leading to an increased quantitative use of 4D monitoring for the assessment of sand/sand communication, mapping of oil/water (OWC) front, pressure evolution, and dynamic calibration of petro-elastic model (PEM), and also as a seismic-based production-logging tool. In addition, 4D seismic is used to update seismic interpretation, provide a better understanding of internal architecture of the reservoirs units, and, thereby, yield a more-robust reservoir model. The 4D seismic in this field is a key tool for field-development optimization and reservoir management.

The last case study illustrates the need for seismic-feasibility studies to detect 4D responses related to production. In addition to assessing the impact of the field environment on the 4D- seismic signal, these studies also help in choosing the optimum seismic-survey type, design, and acquisition parameters. These studies would possibly lead to the adoption of new technologies such as broad-band streamer or nodes acquisition in the near future.
A contribuição de Wallon para o desenvolvimento e aprendizagem da criança autista
Authors: Matos Maria Almerinda De Souza , Braga Gisella Vieira , Stelli Maria Norma Magalhães , Chaves Natália Dos Santos , Da Silva Raimunda Maria Moreira , Junior Samuel Vinente Da Silva
Published: April 2016

Este trabalho objetiva avaliar a Intervenção Pedagógica com base na Teoria de Henri Wallon em educandos com autismo, oportunizando-lhes subsídios para maior interação no convívio social. Foram atendidos cinco alunos do Centro de Vivência Magnólia - AMA, em parceria com o Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas em Psicopedagogia Diferencial - NEPPD, no segundo semestre de 2010, cujos resultados revelaram avanços significativos no comportamento dos mesmos.Palavras-chave: autismo, educandos, intervenção pedagógica, teoria Walloniana.Área Temática: Educação.
Dez anos do jornal-laboratório OutrOlhar: a história de um projeto de extensão que dá certo
Authors: Pereira Bianca Damas , Martins Rafael Barbosa Fialho , Lannes Joaquim Sucena
Published: April 2016

O artigo faz um levantamento histórico do jornal-laboratório OutrOlhar, produzido pelos estudantes de Jornalismo da Universidade Federal de Viçosa, e identifica de que maneira o veículo vem promovendo a extensão universitária em seus dez anos de existência. O trabalho ainda disserta sobre o projeto de extensão vinculado ao jornal, que amplia o uso do veículo como instrumento pedagógico e aproxima ainda mais o OutrOlhar e seu público leitor.Palavras chave: Educomunicação, extensão universitária, jornal-laboratório.Áreas temáticas: Comunicação e educação
Juventude e direitos humanos: o uso socialmente útil das mídias sociais
Authors: Dos Santos Simone Cabral Marinho , Costa Ana Maria Morais
Published: April 2016

O projeto de extensão Juventude e Direitos em Rede teve como objetivo contribuir com o estímulo ao uso socialmente útil das mídias sociais na promoção da cidadania e dos direitos humanos. Realizado no município de Campo Grande (RN) durante o ano de 2012, buscou fortalecer o compromisso social e político dos jovens dentro e fora de suas comunidades, com o desenvolvimento de práticas e ações solidárias e cidadãs de potencialização da juventude.Palavras chave: Direitos humanos, juventude, redes sociais.Áreas temáticas: Comunicação e direitos humanos.
Memória e patrimônio documental: a experiência no tratamento arquivístico do acervo da UFV sob guarda do Arquivo Central e Histórico da UFV
Authors: Da Silva Aline Maria De Aguiar , Teixeira Vanessa Cerqueira , Altoé Fernando , Fioresi Nathan Moreira , Hering Fábio Adriano , Dos Santos Eduardo Luiz
Published: April 2016

Este trabalho tem por objetivo relatar a experiência com o tratamento e organização do acervo documental sob posse do Arquivo Central e Histórico da UFV, que congrega uma vasta documentação relativa à trajetória da Universidade, desde sua fundação em 1926 até os dias atuais. A partir do trabalho de extensão, foram desenvolvidas atividades de conservação preventiva do acervo, além de possibilitar um espaço de interlocução entre teoria e prática histórica.Palavras chave: Arquivo Central e Histórico da UFV, conservação documental, memória institucional.Áreas temáticas: Comunicação, cultura e educação.
Atividades de educação em saúde para vendedores de comida de rua em Salvador – Bahia: integração entre trabalho, saúde, educação e cultura
Authors: Junqueiar Maria Elizangela Ramos , Queiroz Karina Luzia Reynalo
Published: April 2016

Salvador é uma cidade com diversas manifestações populares e culturais, além do hábito do comércio de alimentos em vias públicas por trabalhadores informais. Com objetivo de integrar as tradições sem prejuízos à saúde, criou-se um grupo de trabalho interdisciplinar em educação e saúde para capacitar e acolher os trabalhadores informais. As oficinas e cursos resultaram na qualificação de 3675 trabalhadores em suas diversas ocupações.Palavras chave: Cultura, educação, eventos populares, trabalhadores informais, saúde.
Aportes para implementação das leis 10.639/03 e 11.645/08- UESC: um relato de experiências
Authors: Lessa Camile Dos Santos , Fernandes Maurício Santos , Dos Santos Flávio Gonçalves
Published: April 2016

O presente trabalho caracteriza-se pela apresentação e relato das experiências dos Bolsistas de Iniciação à Docência do Projeto de Ensino “Aportes para implementação das Leis 10. 639/03 e 11. 645/08”, que se propôs a criar e consolidar canais de diálogos entre comunidades indígenas e afro-brasileiras, a produção acadêmica da UESC e as Escolas de Educação Básica. Ele é um desdobramento do Projeto de Extensão, Interlocução entre comunidades indígenas e afro-brasileiras, a produção acadêmica da UESC e as Escolas de ensino Médio e Fundamental financiado pela própria UESC e, que vem sendo desenvolvido desde 2008 nos municípios de Ilhéus e Itacaré, com comunidades Afro-Brasileiras, o Povo Tupinambá de Olivença e o Colégio Estadual Aurelino Leal.Palavras chave: Afro-brasileiros, aportes, diálogo, experiências, indígena.Áreas temáticas: Educação, cultura e políticas públicas.
Formação inicial e continuada de professores em LIBRAS utilizando metodologias ativas focadas no imagético
Authors: Souza André Luis Santos de , Souza Vinícius Catão de Assis , Gediel Ana Luisa Borba , Mendes Josiene Sathler Furtado , Gonçalves Roselia Aparecida
Published: April 2016

O presente trabalho discutirá as ações docentes a partir dos saberes pedagógicos construídos em meio às interações sociais, com vista à inclusão de surdos em salas de aula regulares. Para tanto, analisou-se as atividades do "Projeto Formação inicial e continuada de professores: abordagem inclusiva para os surdos na Educação Básica". Os dados oriundos da observação participante, diários de campo e filmagens das aulas foram organizados com base nos quadros situacionais de interações face a face, propostos por Erving Goffman. O principal objetivo foi compreender em que medida as ações do projeto impactaram a prática profissional dos professores de uma Escola pública de Viçosa (MG) e a formação de alguns licenciandos da UFV. Ao final da pesquisa, verificou-se que os participantes apropriaram-se de conhecimentos advindos da articulação da LIBRASnas atividades do projeto, sendo eles mediados por recursos multimodais/imagéticos e estratégias de ensino que repercutiram na prática da sala de aula.
PET FEIRA-LIVRE: epidemiologia e saúde ambiental através das trocas de experiências com a comunidade de Florestal-MG
Authors: Silva Mardem Michael Ferreira da , Pereira Ana Carolina de Stefano , Silva Laís Ferreira , Ferreira Dalila De Fátima , Silva Marina Ferreira , Souza João Paulo de
Published: April 2016

Este relato de experiência é resultado de uma atividade epidemiológica e de saúde ambiental desenvolvida pelo PET/EDUCAÇÃO da Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Campus Florestal-MG, com o título: "PET FEIRA-LIVRE". O projeto objetivou proporcionar a troca de saber científico e popular entre os alunos do programa PET/EDUCAÇÃO e a comunidade da cidade de Florestal-MG. O primeiro PET FEIRA-LIVRE foi realizado com o tema: Animais Peçonhentos. A intervenção aconteceu na feira livre da cidade de Florestal- MG, com a exposição de animais e aplicação de questionários para o público da feira por meio de método comparativo e, como metodologia utilizada, privilegiou-se a pesquisa-ação. Os resultados apontaram que as pessoas que tiveram acesso à tenda de animais peçonhentos identificaram com maior clareza quais animais possuem peçonha, em comparação aos que não tiveram acesso às informações da tenda. Conclui-se que a intervenção na feira livre da cidade de Florestal-MG, com o tema animais peçonhentos, contribuiu para a desmistificação de conceitos errôneos, tendo sido constatado que a realização desse evento contribuiusignificativamente para o conhecimento a respeito do tema abordado.
Inequalities in microbial contamination of drinking water supplies in urban areas: the case of Lilongwe, Malawi
Authors: Boakye-Ansah Akosua Sarpong , Ferrero Giuliana , Rusca Maria , van der Zaag Pieter
Published: April 2016

Over past decades strategies for improving access to drinking water in cities of the Global South have mainly focused on increasing coverage, while water quality has often been overlooked. This paper focuses on drinking water quality in the centralized water supply network of Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. It shows how microbial contamination of drinking water is unequally distributed to consumers in low-income (unplanned areas) and higher-income neighbourhoods (planned areas). Microbial contamination and residual disinfectant concentration were measured in 170 water samples collected from in-house taps in high-income areas and from kiosks and water storage facilities in low-income areas between November 2014 and January 2015. Faecal contamination (Escherichia coli) was detected in 10% of the 40 samples collected from planned areas, in 59% of the 64 samples collected from kiosks in the unplanned areas and in 75% of the 32 samples of water stored at household level. Differences in water quality in planned and unplanned areas were found to be statistically significant at p < 0.05. Finally, the paper shows how the inequalities in microbial contamination of drinking water are produced by decisions both on the development of the water supply infrastructure and on how this is operated and maintained.
Examining ‘willingness to participate’ in community-based water resource management in a transboundary conservation area in Central America
Authors: Jennewein Jyoti S. , Jones Kelly W.
Published: April 2016

Operationalizing integrated water resource management (IWRM) often involves decentralization of water management via community-based management (CBM). While attention has been given to the components leading to successful CBM, less is known about what factors motivate people's willingness to participate (WTP) in such programs. This study analyzed factors that influence household WTP in CBM in a transboundary watershed located where El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras converge – the Trifinio Region. Several variables were hypothesized to influence WTP: sense of community (SOC), dependence on water resources, level of concern for water resources, and socio-economic characteristics. In 2014, quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 62 households in five communities. Most respondents reported high levels of WTP in future CBM initiatives, and multivariate regression analysis revealed that SOC was the most important predictor of WTP, with wealth and perceptions of watershed management also statistically significant. Qualitative analyses revealed water availability was more concerning than water quality, and perceptions of inequitable access to water is an important constraint to developing CBM strategies. Taken together, these results suggest that enhancing SOC and relationships between local and regional levels of governance prior to establishing community-based projects would facilitate more success in implementing IWRM.
Spatio-temporal variation of groundwater contamination using IEA-UEF in urban areas of Jilin City, North-eastern China
Authors: Nan Zhang , Bo Liu , Changlai Xiao
Published: April 2016

Groundwater monitoring wells located in urban areas of Jilin City were sampled from 1980 to 2009 for eight groundwater quality parameters: pH, SO42−, Cl−, NO3−-N, NO2− -N, NH4+-N, F−, and total hardness (TH). The data were analysed by a universal exponential formula based on an immune evolutionary algorithm, and later mapped with the Kriging interpolation method. The primary objectives were to assess the main parameters that influenced groundwater quality and the spatio-temporal variability of groundwater contamination over several years. The results showed that NO3−, NH4+, and TH were the main parameters that influenced groundwater quality. Spatially, groundwater was polluted in all urban areas to varying degrees, and the Jiangbei district was the most heavily polluted location. Temporally, the groundwater contamination status could generally be classified into four stages and showed the following pattern during 1980–2009: heavy – light – heavy – light.
Perfect and quasiperfect domination in trees
Authors: Cáceres José , Hernando Carmen , Mora Mercè , Pelayo Ignacio , Puertas María
Published: April 2016

A k??quasiperfect dominating set of a connected graph G is a vertex subset S
such that every vertex not in S is adjacent to at least one and at most k
vertices in S. The cardinality of a minimum k-quasiperfect dominating set in
G is denoted by ?1k(G). These graph parameters were first introduced by
Chellali et al. (2013) as a generalization of both the perfect domination
number ?11(G) and the domination number ?(G). The study of the so-called
quasiperfect domination chain ?11(G) ? ?12(G)?... ? ?1?(G) = ?(G) enable us
to analyze how far minimum dominating sets are from being perfect. In this
paper, we provide, for any tree T and any positive integer k, a tight upper
bound of ?1k(T). We also prove that there are trees satisfying all possible
equalities and inequalities in this chain. Finally a linear algorithm for
computing ?1k(T) in any tree T is presented.
Use of Six-Minute Walk Test to Measure Functional Capacity After Liver Transplantation
Authors: VanWagner Lisa B. , Uttal Sarah , Lapin Brittany , Lee Joshua , Jichlinski Amanda , Subramanian Tanvi , Heldman Madeleine , Poole Brian , Bustamante Eduardo , Gunasekaran Suvai , Tapia Christopher S. , Veerappan Annapoorani , Wong She-Yan , Levitsky Josh
Published: April 2016

Background

Functional impairment is common in people with chronic liver disease (CLD), and improvement is expected following liver transplantation (LT). The Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) is an objective measure of functional performance.

Objective

The aims of this study were: (1) to evaluate the feasibility of 6MWT performance after LT, (2) to compare post-LT 6MWT performance over time between patients with and without CLD, (3) to determine when post-LT 6MWT performance approaches expected values, and (4) to investigate predictors of poor 6MWT performance.

Methods

The 6MWT was performed by 162 consecutive ambulatory participants (50 healthy controls, 62 with CLD, 50 with LT). Sex, age, and body mass index were used to predict expected 6MWT performance. Chi-square testing, analysis of variance, and Pearson coefficients compared percentage of predicted 6-minute walk distance (%6MWD) across groups. Multivariable mixed models assessed predictors of improvement.

Results

The participants' mean age was 53.5 years (SD=13.0), 39.5% were female, and 39.1% were nonwhite. At 1-month post-LT, only 52% of all LT recipients met the inclusion criteria for 6MWT performance. Mean %6MWD values for female participants improved from 49.8 (SD=22.2) at 1 month post-LT to 90.6 (SD=12.8) at 1 year post-LT (P<.0001), which did not differ statistically from the CLD group (X̅=95.9, SD=15.6) or the control group (X̅=95.6, SD=18.0) (P=.58). However, at 1-year post-LT, mean %6MWD values for male participants (X̅=80.4, SD=19.5) remained worse than for both the CLD group (X̅=93.3, SD=13.7) and the control group (X̅=91.9, SD=14.3) (P=.03). Six-Minute Walk Test performance was directly correlated with the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) physical component score (r=.51, P<.01) and was inversely correlated with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (r=−.52, P<.01) and diabetes (r=−.48, P<.05). In multivariate analysis adjusted for age and sex, hepatitis C independently predicted 6MWT improvement (estimated β=69.8, standard error=27.6, P=.01).

Limitations

A significant proportion of patients evaluated for enrollment were excluded due to level of illness early after LT (n=99, 47.4%). Thus, sampling bias occurred in this study toward patients without significant postoperative complications.

Conclusions

The 6MWT is a simple test of physical functioning but may be difficult to apply in LT recipients. The 6MWT performance improved following LT but was lower than expected, suggesting a low level of fitness up to 1 year following LT.
A system for automated outbreak detection of communicable diseases in Germany
Authors: Salmon Maëlle , Schumacher Dirk , Burmann Hendrik , Frank Christina , Claus Hermann , Höhle Michael
Published: April 2016

We describe the design and implementation of a novel automated outbreak detection system in Germany that monitors the routinely collected surveillance data for communicable diseases. Detecting unusually high case counts as early as possible is crucial as an accumulation may indicate an ongoing outbreak. The detection in our system is based on state-of-the-art statistical procedures conducting the necessary data mining task. In addition, we have developed effective methods to improve the presentation of the results of such algorithms to epidemiologists and other system users. The objective was to effectively integrate automatic outbreak detection into the epidemiological workflow of a public health institution. Since 2013, the system has been in routine use at the German Robert Koch Institute.
Congenital cerebral malformations and dysfunction in fetuses and newborns following the 2013 to 2014 Zika virus epidemic in French Polynesia
Authors: Besnard Marianne , Eyrolle-Guignot Dominique , Guillemette-Artur Prisca , Lastère Stéphane , Bost-Bezeaud Frédérique , Marcelis Ludivine , Abadie Véronique , Garel Catherine , Moutard Marie-Laure , Jouannic Jean-Marie , Rozenberg Flore , Leparc-Goffart Isabelle , Mallet Henri-Pierre
Published: April 2016

We detected an unusual increase in congenital cerebral malformations and dysfunction in fetuses and newborns in French Polynesia, following an epidemic of Zika virus (ZIKV), from October 2013 to March 2014. A retrospective review identified 19 cases, including eight with major brain lesions and severe microcephaly, six with severe cerebral lesions without microcephaly and five with brainstem dysfunction without visible malformations. Imaging revealed profound neurological lesions (septal and callosal disruption, ventriculomegaly, abnormal neuronal migration, cerebellar hypoplasia, occipital pseudocysts, brain calcifications). Amniotic fluid was drawn from seven cases at gestation weeks 20 to 29. ZIKV RNA was detected by RT-PCR and infectious ZIKV isolates were obtained in four of five microcephalic, but not in two non-microcephalic cases with severe brain lesions. Medical termination of pregnancy was performed in eleven cases; two cases with brainstem dysfunction died in the first months of life; six cases are alive, with severe neurological impairment. The results show that four of seven tested fetuses with major neurological injuries were infected with ZIKV in utero. For other non-microcephalic, congenital abnormalities we were not able to prove or exclude ZIKV infection retrospectively. The unusual occurrence of brain malformations or dysfunction without microcephaly following a ZIKV outbreak needs further studies.
Just War
Authors: Jauregui Beatrice
Published: April 2016

This article describes and explains “police vigilantism” as a mode of authoritative extralegal coercion performed by public police officials conceived as doing their duty to realize justice in the world. Based on ethnographic observations, interviews, and content analysis of news and entertainment media as well as official government reports, this essay examines a specific form of police vigilantism in contemporary India known as “encounter killings”. Demonstrating that encounter killings are widely constituted as a form of ritual purification and social defense by self-sacrificing police, it theorizes a metaphysics of police vigilantism in India that combines generalized experiences of insecurity with shared cosmologies of just war. Comparing this metaphysics with justifications of state violence in other Global South contexts, this study sheds light on how such violence may be legitimated through the conceptual inextricability of law and war as embodied in a uniquely constituted human figure: the police vigilante.
“We Had to Pay to Live!”
Authors: Pansters Wil G.
Published: April 2016

This article examines the emergence of self-defense forces (autodefensas) in Michoacán (Mexico) in the context of relationships between drug trafficking and the state, concentrating on the recent history of fragmentation, disorder, and violence. It traces how these processes generated comprehensive criminal sovereignty projects, which then triggered the emergence of armed defense forces in both indigenous and mestizo communities. Recent developments in Michoacán are described in light of anthropological theorizing about the relations between sovereignty, state-making, and (dis)ordering. The analysis elucidates the triangular dynamics of sovereignty-making among organized crime, the state, and armed citizens. Special attention is given to state interventions to dismantle de facto self-defense sovereignties because these have created an unstable and violent situation. It is argued that sovereignty-making is territorial and historical, and that it is embedded in political, economic, and cultural identities.
Sovereignty, Riots, and Social Contestation
Authors: Buur Lars
Published: April 2016

This article explores the enmeshment of sovereignty, riots, and social contestation. Riots have continually marked out the thresholds allowed for exceptions to be declared. As such, they have been the sovereign entity par excellence that produces the moments of politics that need to be domesticated. Interestingly, expressions of sovereignty have always presented themselves in contexts of riots and social contestation. These issues will be explored ethnographically in relation to riots in Mozambique. The relationship between excess and domestication is explored through an analysis of two indices of sovereignty: riots and their close associates “mobs” as excess; and processes of domestication. The first index grapples with t he excesses of riots and mobs, and encompasses, I suggest, all the elements of sovereignty: exception, in- and exclusion, and excess. The second index explores the enmeshment of sovereignty and social contestation from the perspective of domestication, particularly the diff erent forms for control and violence that come into play when the quest for making life and creating order is at stake.
Alfred Diamant
Authors: Mushaben Joyce Marie
Published: April 2016

Alfred Diamant, the Viennese son of a Jewish merchant couple, lost most of his

family during the Holocaust. Forced to flee in 1940, Diamant became a lieutenant

for the 82nd Airborne Division, only to be captured and shot behind

enemy lines during the D-Day invasion. Denied the right to attend university in

Austria, he made up for lost time, completing two degrees at Indiana University

and a Ph.D. at Yale, concentrating on French public administration.
Encounters with Authentic Embera Culture in Panama
Authors: Theodossopoulos Dimitrios
Published: April 2016

In this article I will compare indigenous cultural performances for outsiders in an allegedly 'inauthentic' Embera community in Panama, which welcomes tourists on a daily basis, with similar staged events in some other less accessible communities, which receive visitors much less frequently. I will challenge the idea introduced by several travellers who seek authentic experiences that the first community is 'unreal' and its repetitive representations of Embera culture are mechanical, sterile and unoriginal. I will argue that these repetitive cultural performances constitute real lived experiences, and do not deserve to be demeaned as inauthentic. I will further maintain that in the 'tourist' community, as well as in the less accessible settlements, the Embera respond to the same set of expectations. They imagine what Western visitors would appreciate from their culture and enact very similar representations of these generalised expectations.
Mapping Biotechnology: From Epistemic Artifacts to Geographies of Control
Authors: Carolan Michael S.
Published: April 2016

This article maps key epistemological and ontological terrains associated with biotechnology. Beginning with the epistemological, a comparison is made between the scientific representations of today, particularly as found in the genomic sciences, and the scientific representations of the past. In doing this, we find these representations have changed over the centuries, which has been of significant consequence in terms of giving shape to today's global political economy. In the following section, the sociopolitical effects of biotechnology are discussed, particularly in terms of how the aforementioned representations give shape to global path dependencies. By examining the epistemological and ontological assumptions that give shape to the global distribution of informational and biological resources, this article seeks to add to our understanding of today's bioeconomy and the geographies of control it helps to create.
Household Economy, Long-Term Change, and Social Transformation: The Bronze Age Political Economy of Northwestern Europe
Authors: Kristiansen Kristian
Published: April 2016

In this article I examine how long-term economic strategies in the Bronze Age of northern Europe between 2300 and 500 BCE transformed the environment and thus created and imposed new ecological constraints that finally led to a major social transformation and a "dark age" that became the start of the new long-term cycle of the Iron Age. During the last 30 years hundreds of well-excavated farmsteads and houses from south Scandinavia have made it possible to reconstruct the size and the structure of settlement and individual households through time. During the same period numerous pollen diagrams have established the history of vegetation and environmental changes. I will therefore use the size of individual households or farmsteads as a parameter of economic strength, and to this I add the role of metal as a triggering factor in the economy, especially after 1700 BCE when a full-scale bronze technology was adopted and after 500 BCE when it was replaced by iron as the dominant metal. A major theoretical concern is the relationships between micro- and macroeconomic changes and how they articulated in economic practices. Finally the nature of the "dark age" during the beginning of the Iron Age will be discussed, referring to Sing Chew's use of the concept (Chew 2006).
Dutch Dealings with the Delta
Authors: Wesselink Anna J. , Bijker Wiebe E. , de Vriend Huib J. , Krol Maarten S.
Published: April 2016

This article shows how Dutch technological culture has historically dealt with and developed around vulnerability with respect to flooding and indicates recent developments in attitude towards the flood threat. The flooding of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina temporarily made the Dutch public worry about the flood defense infrastructure in the Netherlands, exemplified by the Delta Works. Could this happen in the Netherlands? After the flooding disaster of 1953, a system of large dams was built to offer safety from flooding with—in theory at least—protection levels that are much higher than in New Orleans. In the public's perception the protection offered is absolute. In practice not all flood defense structures are as secure as they are supposed to be, but their upgrading takes time and money. Katrina has served as a reminder of what is at stake: Can the Dutch afford to take another 10 years to restore the protection level of their flood defenses? Calls for pride in clever engineering are the latest in a continuing debate on the best way to continue life below sea level.
Postoperative executive function in adult moyamoya disease: a preliminary study of its functional anatomy and behavioral correlates
Authors: Lei Yu , Li Yan-Jiang , Guo Qi-Hao , Liu Xing-Dang , Liu Zhuang , Ni Wei , Su Jia-Bin , Yang Heng , Jiang Han-Qiang , Xu Bin , Gu Yu-Xiang , Mao Ying
Published: April 2016

OBJECTIVE

Chronic frontal hemodynamic disturbances are associated with executive dysfunction in adult patients with moyamoya disease (MMD). However, the impact of surgical revascularization on executive dysfunction and its underlying mechanism remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to examine the postoperative radiological correlates of cognitive improvement and thereby explore its underlying mechanism.

METHODS

Fourteen patients who met the inclusion criteria were identified at Huashan Hospital, were operated on, and were successfully followed up for 6 months. Postoperative changes in cortical perfusion and regional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) were examined by SPECT and resting-state functional MRI, respectively. Executive function was evaluated by 2 tests (Trail Making Test Part B and the summation of executive subtests of Memory and Executive Screening [MES-EX]). Follow-up neuropsychological outcomes were then correlated with radiological changes to identify nodes functioning as leading contributors to postoperative executive outcomes.

RESULTS

All patients underwent successful unilateral bypass procedures, with some operations performed on the left side and some on the right side. At the 6-month follow-up, the baseline and follow-up test scores for the different sides did not differ significantly. The group with good collaterals (Matsushima Grade A, 9 patients) exhibited significantly increased postoperative perfusion (change in [△] hemodynamics) in bilateral frontal (left, p = 0.009; right, p = 0.003) and left parietal lobe (p = 0.014). The Spearman's correlation test suggested that only the right frontal lobe exhibited significant positive postoperative radiological correlates with cognitive performance (△MES-EX vs △hemodynamics, r = 0.620, p = 0.018; △MES-EX vs △ALFF, r = 0.676, p = 0.008; △hemodynamics vs △ALFF, r = 0.547, p = 0.043). Subsequent regional ALFF analysis revealed that the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was the only node in the responsible hemisphere to exhibit significant postoperative changes.

CONCLUSIONS

The results not only advance our understanding of pathological interactions of postoperative executive performance in adult MMD, but also indicate that the right DLPFC amplitude might be a quantitative predictor of postoperative executive control improvement.
Meningioma consistency prediction utilizing tumor to cerebellar peduncle intensity on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging sequences: TCTI ratio
Authors: Smith Kyle A. , Leever John D. , Hylton Phillip D. , Camarata Paul J. , Chamoun Roukoz B.
Published: April 2016

OBJECTIVE

Meningioma consistency, firmness or softness as it relates to resectability, affects the difficulty of surgery and, to some degree, the extent of resection. Preoperative knowledge of tumor consistency would affect preoperative planning and instrumentation. Several methods of prediction have been proposed, but the majority lack objectivity and reproducibility or generalizability to other surgeons. In a previous pilot study of 20 patients the authors proposed a new method of prediction based on tumor/cerebellar peduncle T2-weighted imaging intensity (TCTI) ratios in comparison with objective intraoperative findings. In the present study they sought validation of this method.

METHODS

Magnetic resonance images from 100 consecutive patients undergoing craniotomy for meningioma resection were evaluated preoperatively. During surgery a consistency grade was prospectively applied to lesions by the operating surgeon, as determined by suction and/or cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirator (CUSA) intensity. Consistency grades were A, soft; B, intermediate; and C, fibrous. Using T2-weighted MRI sequences, TCTI ratios were calculated. Analysis of the TCTI ratios and intraoperative tumor consistency was completed with ANOVA and receiver operating characteristic curves.

RESULTS

Of the 100 tumors evaluated, 50 were classified as soft, 29 as intermediate, and 21 as firm. The median TCTI ratio for firm tumors was 0.88; for intermediate tumors, 1.5; and for soft tumors, 1.84. One-way ANOVA comparing TCTI ratios for these groups was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). A single cutoff TCTI value of 1.41 for soft versus firm tumors was found to be 81.9% sensitive and 84.8% specific.

CONCLUSIONS

The authors propose this T2-based method of tumor consistency prediction with correlation to objective intraoperative consistency. This method is quantifiable and reproducible, which expands its usability. Additionally, it places tumor consistency on a graded continuum in a clinically meaningful way that could affect preoperative surgical planning.
Vols de nuit et droit européen des droits de l'homme
Authors: Marguénaud Jean-Pierre
Published: April 2016

En constatant deux violations de droits garantis par la CDEH dans des affaires de nuisances sonores dues au trafic nocturne de l'aéroport d'Heathrow, la Cour de Strasbourg vient de marquer une nouvelle étape significative de la promotion européenne des droits de l'homme à un environnement sain. Pour la première fois, en effet, elle fait prévaloir les exigences de la protection individualisée de l'environnement sur le bien-être économique du pays tout entier en mettant à la charge de l'État une obligation positive renforcée d'étudier avec la plus extrême précision l'apport économique véritable des vols de nuit et leur impact réel sur la durée et la qualité du sommeil et, par conséquent, sur la vie privée et familiale des riverains de l'aéroport. En commençant aussi à admettre que l'article 13 peut aller jusqu'à exiger un recours par lequel on puisse contester, en soi, la législation d'un Etat relative à l'environnement, l'arrêt Hatton a réalisé de si considérables avancées que l'Etat défendeur vient d'en obtenir le renvoi en Grande Chambre pour essayer de les faire réduire.
L'adaptation à l'insularité du cadre juridique national relatif au littoral : les exemples sarde et corse
Authors: Garcia Thierry , Celli André
Published: April 2016

En Corse comme en Sardaigne, la question de l'autonomie statutaire, qu'il s'agisse dans le premier cas de son octroi et dans le second de son élargissement, domine l'actualité. Pour autant, le problème de l'adaptation à ces deux territoires insulaires du cadre juridique national relatif au littoral ne saurait être négligé, en raison de ses enjeux juridiques, politiques et économiques. A cet égard, l'on a pu constater qu'à la limitation partielle de l'adaptation des acteurs, surtout perceptible en Corse, due aux ajustements, soit inachevé pour les acteurs déconcentrés, soit différencié pour les acteurs décentralisés, s'ajoutait une extension progressive des règles, surtout manifeste en Sardaigne, résultant d'un champ d'application plus large des règles décentralisées que déconcentrées.
Démocratie de proximité et protection de l'environnement : la participation du citoyen local. Loi n° 2002-276 du 27 février 2002 relative à la démocratie de proximité
Authors: Le Louarn Patrick
Published: April 2016

The Act on local democracy has revived long-standing and deep-rooted arguments within republican institutions about the relationship between local autonomy and national unity, between representative and direct democracy. The recent Aarhus Convention and the European Directive on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment have also shaken up the national model by requiring the better application of the principle of public participation. This directly involves the citizen in local decision-making, sometimes in breach of the very concept of local administrative freedom.

A close reading of the Act shows that although the overall framework seems to respond better to the international and European légal principles of participation, the coherence of the suite of measures that come under the heading « right to partipate » has a long way to go. The new measures are too dependent on the discretion of local authorities as regards public participation in general environmental matters and, although they are more precise and better enshrined concerning public consultation, this is less relevant because the field of application is too narrow. In sum, the measures are only a small step towards an essential reform of the way in which the citizen is taken into account through a broader devolution process.

Mainly driven by the need to adapt to European law, the legislature still needs to develop a truly coherent regime covering ail forms of concertation between local authorities and individuals.
Consommation et environnement
Authors: Giraudel Catherine
Published: April 2016

This regular article covers case law on consumer products where this is relevant to environmental protection. It also provides an update on the main Community and national instruments in this area. The first wide-ranging part covers the special protection measures related to products or treatment techniques (additives, ionisation, pesticides) and to products of specific quality, agro-food products (organic farming) and industrial products in the light of the Community's new ecolabelling System. It then addresses biotechnology and genetically modified organisms, wild animal and plant species and product safety in the context of waste disposal. A short second part covers general legal protection in criminal, civil and administrative law.

Finally, the article looks at recent developments at the Community level in the field of consumer law as it relates to environment and sustainable development.
Inondations : aux risques de la complexité
Authors: Drobenko Bernard
Published: April 2016

Un premier avis du Conseil d'Etat du 3 décembre 2001 a qualifié les Plans de prévention des risques naturels prévisibles de document d'urbanisme, un second avis du Conseil d'Etat du 12 juin 2002 tire les conséquences du premier en décidant que les PPRNP instaurent des dispositions d'urbanisme. Ces avis soulèvent des interrogations quant à la nature et à la portée des règles posées.
Comparative phylogeography of black mangroves (Avicennia germinans) and red mangroves (Rhizophora mangle) in Florida: Testing the maritime discontinuity in coastal plants
Authors: Hodel Richard G. J. , Cortez Maria B. de Souza , Soltis Pamela S. , Soltis Douglas E.
Published: April 2016

PREMISE OF THE STUDY:

Previous studies of the comparative phylogeography of coastal and marine species in the southeastern United States revealed that phylogenetically diverse taxa share a phylogeographic break at the southern tip of Florida (the maritime discontinuity). These studies have focused nearly exclusively on animals; few coastal plant species in Florida have been analyzed phylogeographically. We investigated phylogeographic patterns of black mangroves (Avicennia germinans) and red mangroves (Rhizophora mangle), two coastal trees that occur on both coasts of the peninsula of Florida.

METHODS:

We sampled and genotyped 150 individuals each of A. germinans and R. mangle, using eight microsatellite loci per species. We used observed and expected heterozygosity to quantify genetic diversity in each sampling location and allele frequencies to identify putative phylogeographic breaks and measure gene flow using BayesAss and Migrate‐n. We tested the hypothesis that both species would exhibit a phylogeographic break at the southern tip of Florida.

KEY RESULTS:

We did not find any significant phylogeographic breaks in either species. Rhizophora mangle exhibits greater genetic structure than A. germinans, contrary to expectations based on propagule dispersal capability. However, directional gene flow from the Gulf to the Atlantic was more pronounced in R. mangle, indicating that the Gulf Stream may affect genetic patterns in R. mangle more than in A. germinans.

CONCLUSIONS:

The high dispersal capability of these species may lead to high genetic connectivity between sampling locations and little geographic structure. We also identified several locations that, based on genetic data, should be the focus of conservation efforts.