bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PERSPECTIVAS DE USO DO SISTEMA DE CREDENCIAMENTO PARA AMPLIAR A EFICIÊNCIA DE PROCESSOS LICITATÓRIOS
Authors: Sorte Junior Waldemiro Francisco
Published: May 2021

Com base em um estudo de caso envolvendo um sistema de credenciamento de companhias aéreas implementado pelo Governo Federal para a aquisição de passagens para viagens a trabalho de servidores públicos, este artigo defende a possibilidade de utilização do credenciamento para imprimir maior celeridade e eficiência em contratações públicas. No caso examinado neste estudo, foram identificadas as seguintes circunstâncias responsáveis pelo sucesso do modelo: (i) existência de um número limitado e identificável de fornecedores; (ii) possibilidade de que todos esses fornecedores sejam credenciados, desde que atendam aos requisitos; (iii) mecanismos que minimizem a formação de conluios entre credenciados; e (iv) realização de minicompetições ou possibilidade de comparação online de preços atualizados de mercado no momento da seleção do fornecedor para a efetiva contratação. O presente artigo argumenta, ainda, que a definição a priori de preços a serem praticados pela Administração não constitui requisito para todos os casos de credenciamento.
AVALIAÇÃO DA FLEXIBILIDADE DA JORNADA DE TRABALHO E O SEU IMPACTO NO COMPARTILHAMENTO DO CONHECIMENTO
Authors: Klein Leander Luiz , Cogo Moises Pivetta , Pereira Breno Augusto Diniz
Published: May 2021

Este artigo tem como objetivo avaliar o impacto da redução e flexibilização da jornada de trabalho sobre a gestão do conhecimento organizacional. Para tanto, realizou-se um estudo de caso em uma instituição federal de ensino superior (IFES) com os servidores da reitoria, local onde foi realizada a redução e flexibilização de horário de trabalho. Foi realizada uma pesquisa survey com 238 respondentes válidos. O instrumento utilizado para a coleta de dados foi um questionário elaborado no Modelo de Gestão do Conhecimento para a Administração Pública Brasileira de Batista (2012). Adotando essa estratégia, como resultado essencial deste estudo, verificou-se que não há diferenças significativas no compartilhamento do conhecimento entre os grupos que aderiram e não aderiram a flexibilização. Conclui-se que a flexibilização da carga de trabalho não tem impactos positivos na gestão do conhecimento na instituição estudada, pois não há estímulo de sua parte, nem rotinas organizacionais que instiguem o compartilhamento do conhecimento.
Barriers and measurement of work/life balance of managers and other employees
Authors: Mladenović Milica , Krstić Bojan
Published: May 2021

Due to major changes and challenges in the way of conducting business in recent decades, establishing work/life balance of employees and managers has become a very important topic. The aim of this paper is to emphasize the obstacles to successfully establishing this balance, the most important of which being the supportive organizational culture and superiors' communication. Another goal of this paper is to introduce the Standards of Excellence Index as a measure for determining the success of the companies' work/life balance programs for employees and managers within 7 components: leadership, strategy, infrastructure, accountability, relationship building, communication, and measurement. In this regard, this paper presents research results on this index in companies in America, where this index was created.
Problems and possible directions of the sustainable rural development of Republic of Serbia
Authors: Veličković Jovana , Jovanović Sonja
Published: May 2021

Sustainable development of rural areas is very significant for the economic development of the Republic of Serbia. Reduction in the number of citizens in rural areas and neglect of agriculture in the previous years have led to numerous economic and social problems. The most important among them include the unfavorable demographic trends, undeveloped infrastructure, small agricultural farms that are not market oriented, a low productivity level of agriculture and a low income per farm, a large share of agriculture in rural economy, a low degree of diversification of rural economy, insufficient investment into rural areas, etc. Such condition is unsustainable because it causes more difficult life and work conditions in rural areas. Rural areas in the Republic of Serbia are the subject of this analysis. The aim of the paper is to examine possibilities of further development of rural areas in Serbia. The methods which will be used in the paper include the methods of synthesis, analysis and compilation.
The impact of chronic restraint stress on the estrous cycle in NMRI female mice
Authors: Ristić Jelena , Bogdan Damir , Banović Pavle
Published: May 2021

Introduction: Stress represents a set of reactions in the organism activated by external factors. In order to maintain homeostasis and protect the organism, numerous mechanisms for adaptation to stress evolved. Stressors that act in short-term period cause acute stress reaction with generally positive effect on organism. When the stressor persists, and the organism fails to respond to the challenge, chronic stress develops, leading to pathological conditions, such as women's menstrual cycle disorders. Aim: To examine the impact of chronic restraint stress on the estrous cycle in NMRI female mice. Material and methods: A number of 12 mature female NMRI mice were randomly divided into control (n = 6) and experimental (n = 6) group. The induction of stress was performed for the experimental group by using restrain chambers 2 hours daily in 14 days. From the beginning of the experiment, vaginal lavages were taken from all mice for making smears that were analyzed to determine estrous cycle stages. For analysis of chronic stress effect, the frequency of estrus stages alternation observed in experimental group compared to control was examined. Results: The estrous cycle was observed and divided into proestrus, estrus, metestrus and diestrus. During the adaptation period, prolonged diestrus was dominantly present in both groups. When stress was induced, in the experimental group animals the absence of diestrus stage and oscillation to other stages was obseved, in contrast to the control group, where the diestus stage was frequently observed. Frequency of diestrus stage deviation in stressed animals was shown to be statistically significant (p < 0.01) when compared to control. Conclusion: The induction of chronic restraint stress in female NMRI mice leads to the alternation of the estrous cycle. Considering the fact that NMRI female mice share the similar hormonal regulation of the estrous cycle with women's menstrual cycle, they could present a solid model for studying women's reproductive disorders.
The importance of reputation as intellectual assets for competitiveness of companies
Authors: Krstić Bojan , Jovanović Milica , Janjić Ivana
Published: May 2021

An important characteristic of the modern business world is the development of the knowledge economy. In modern conditions, intangible assets based on knowledge are becoming a key resource for preserving the competitive advantage of companies. It is about human resources, their knowledge, the relationships they build in order to develop and transfer knowledge, as well as the relationships they build with stakeholders. These relationships represent the relational capital of the company, and the reputation of the company is its important segment. Reputation is also an important factor in differentiating companies at the market and creating a relationship of trust, not only with consumers, but also with all other stakeholders. In this way, the company realizes significant economic and non-economic benefits. The aim of the paper is to point out the key advantages of a good reputation, from the aspect of creating value for the company 's stakeholders, as well as from the aspect of business performance. Also, the importance of reputation as a segment of intellectual capital for competitiveness is emphasized.
Key factors of successful preparation and implementation of projects: Empirical evidence from local self-governments in the Republic of Serbia
Authors: Savović Slađana , Petrović Dragica
Published: May 2021

The purpose of paper is to identify factors that are of particular importance for the preparation and implementation of projects in local self-government units. The survey was conducted on the sample of local self-governments in the Republic of Serbia by using a structured questionnaire. The research results showed that the key factors for successful preparation and implementation of projects, ranked by importance, are the following: existence of a quality development strategy at the local level based on the appropriate national strategy, adequate competencies of the employees for the preparation and implementation of projects, ensuring a sufficient level of financial resources for pre-financing and co-financing projects, and establishing partnerships with organizations from other sectors. The results of study may be important for understanding ways to improve the current situation, with regard to the preparation and implementation of projects. The research showed that special organizational units for project management should be established in those local self-governments where such units do not exist, encouraging them to continuously work on the preparation of proposal for different projects. Also, before launching official calls for proposals, it is important to work on improving the local development strategy, in order to, depending on the gaps identified in terms of employees' knowledge and competencies, continuously try to enhance them.
Cooperative in the modern economic environment
Authors: Knežević Mirjana
Published: May 2021

The purpose of this paper is to point out the importance of the cooperative as an economic entity, through representation of modern trends of cooperative association in Europe and beyond. Through their association, cooperative development covers key connecting factors of individuals, while finding models for reducing the differences between cooperatives as economic entities and companies for the benefit of companies. The subject of research in the paper represents an analytics of cooperatives and the need for new legal solutions, which would support the development of cooperatives as independent economic entities in the future. The key hypothesis the paper starts with is that cooperative association is of great importance in dealing with many economic, market and sociological challenges, which is of special significance for the economic development of our country. The previous legal solutions of the cooperative association, in addition to positive changes, have not given expected results so far. In the conclusion, it is pointed out that legally regulated area of cooperatives as specific economic subjects is the foundation of development of their economic activity. Based on the critical illumination of the cooperative legislation, recommendations are given for its improvement, while taking into account the ever-present needs for improving the business of cooperatives and their convergence with the business of other economic entities.
The Zemun hospital (1784-2020): A short history of the oldest hospital in Serbia
Authors: Milenković Sanja , Milanović Jasmina , Stojanović Dragoš
Published: May 2021

The Zemun Hospital - "Zemun" Medical Center is the oldest medical institution in Serbia that has been operating without interruption throughout its existence. Different dates have been noted in the literature related to its opening, but the one most often mentioned is February 25, 1784, and this date has been confirmed by a document found in the Zemun Magistracy. The first sanitary institution formed in Zemun was the Kontumac, which opened as early as 1730. Shortly after that, two confessional hospitals were also opened. The Serbian (Orthodox Christian) Hospital, which started working before 1769, and the German (Catholic) Hospital opened in 1758. In order to improve the work of these hospitals, a decision was made to merge them into one - the Town Hospital, when the General Command ordered the Magistracy of the Town of Zemun to pool the funds of the existing hospitals and commence work on building a new hospital building. Although financially united, the hospitals continued, for a time, to work in separate buildings. The physical merging of the hospitals was finalized in 1795. From that time to this day the Zemun Hospital has been working without interruption, even in wartime. It has today grown into a modern clinical and teaching center.
Knez Pokrajac Oliverovic: A Contribution to his identification
Authors: Pekić Radmilo
Published: May 2021

One of the well known medieval epitaphs of Bosnia and Herzegovina is located on the medieval tombstone - a stećak located in countryside Vrpolje in Ljubomir near Trebinje. The epitaph signifies grave site of prince Pokrajac Oliverovic, subject of Duke Sandal Hranic, about whom is known nothing except that. Based off of Dubrovnik resources it has been established that in the Ljubomir were inhabited Vlachs Burmaz from which stood out katun Dermanovic, named after theirs elder katunar Derman. His heir was Oliver Dermanovic. In following period in Dubrovnik resources is mentioned Pokrajac Oliverovic Vlach Dermanovic, nobleman from Ljubomir, most likely son and heir of already mentioned Oliver Dermanovic. Time and place of his life testify to be about Princeps Pokrajac Oliverovic, subject of Duke Sandal Hranic, who was buried in Vrpolje in Ljubomir, whose medieval monumenta stećak with imposing epitaph has been preserved to this day. Pokrajac Oliverovic died between 1429 and 1435. In following time in Ljubomir is mentioned nobleman who bore a patrimonial surname Pokrajchic after his father.
Online tools in the function of internal communication in the media
Authors: Ljajić Samir , Dojčinović Nikola
Published: May 2021

The functioning of modern society in the 21st century is conditioned by the use of computerized technology in almost all areas. The modern age is characterized by digital networking of contacts through online tools that are based on the platform of the global network, the Internet. The online tools make it possible to establish communication without space-time limitations, which can be of great importance in emergency circumstances in order to achieve internal (business) communication. The success of media organizations can largely depend on the way internal communication is organized. The possibility of establishing internal communication among media workers at any time and in any place is especially important. The basic idea in this paper is to examine whether media workers used online tools for the purpose of internal communication during the state of emergency (caused by the COVID-19), in order to perform work in aggravating, emergency circumstances. The potentials of online tools for internal communication were examined, as well as the attitudes of media workers regarding the implementation of internal communication through online tools, and their attitudes regarding the importance of internal communication for business efficiency. Sixty-three media workers (from seven media organizations) were surveyed using a questionnaire based on a Likert-type scale. The age of the surveyed workers varied from 20 to 55 years. The theoretical part of the paper includes the definition of online tools and concepts related to the research topics, as well as a chapter dedicated to the importance of internal communication. The results of the research were then presented and conclusions were drawn.
Model Tests in Support of the Design of a 50 Meter Barque
Authors: Deakin Barry
Published: May 2021

This paper describes a programme of model tests and computer predictions which was designed to assist in the selection of a hull design for a new ship, and ensure that it would meet the owner's requirements. Whilst that is a common requirement of model tests, this case was unusual because the subject was a 50 metre wooden sailing ship for disabled crews, and a choice had to be made with regard to a wide range of operational requirements.

The paper describes the background to the project, the scope of the testing, the presentation of the results, and their implications for the design. A general outline of the whole project is given, rather than details of specific tests or results, because of the dual limitations of space and confidentiality to the client, Tony Castro Ltd. It is hoped that the paper will provide an illustration of the range of investigations which are now available to assist in the design stages of any sailing vessel.
SPLASH Nonlinear and Unsteady Free-Surface Analysis Code for Grand Prix Yacht Design
Authors: Rosen Bruce S. , Laiosa Joseph P.
Published: May 2021

The SPLASH free-surface potential flow panel code computer program is presented. The 3D flow theory and its numerical implementation are discussed. Some more conventional applications are reviewed, for steady flow past solid bodies, and for classical linearized free-surface flow. New free-surface capabilities are also described, notably, steady nonlinear solutions, and novel unsteady partially­nonlinear solutions in the frequency domain.

The inviscid flow method treats both free-surface waves and lifting surfaces. The calculations yield predictions for complex interactions at heel and yaw such as wave drag due to lift, the effect of the free­surface on lift and lift-induced drag, and unsteady motions and forces in oblique or following seas. These are in addition to the usual predictions for the simpler effects considered separately, for example double-body lift and induced drag, and upright steady wave resistance or added resistance in head seas. For prediction of total resistance, the use of computed variable wetted areas and wetted lengths in a standard semi-empirical, handbook-type "viscous stripping" algorithm provides a more accurate estimation of viscous drag than is possible otherwise.

Results from a variety of IACC and IMS yacht design studies, including comparisons with experimental data, support the conclusion that the free­surface panel code can be used for reliable and accurate prediction of sailboat performance.
The Effect of Pitch Moment of Inertia in Body Axes on the Performance or a Yacht in Waves
Authors: Sutcliffe C. J. , Millward A.
Published: May 2021

Observation of full size yachts sailing upwind in a seaway has shown that, because of the presence of the sails, the yacht is constrained to move in body axes (parallel to the mast) rather than in earth axes (normal to the water). It is thought that this is due to the effect of the sails in the air and the keel and other appendages in the water providing a large damping force which resists any motion normal to the mast line. An experimental project has been carried out therefore to investigate the effect of this change in motion axes on the forces and motions induced by the seaway.

The experiments were carried out on a model of an IACC class hull in regular head waves for a range of wave heights in both earth and body axes using a recirculating water channel. The magnitudes and phase angles of resistance, side force, pitch, heave and heel moment were measured. Comparisons between the results of the present work and previous experimentation, with motion in earth axes, showed similar trends. However the results from the experiments using motion in body axes showed marked changes in the measured motion and resistance characteristics when compared to the earth axes data. It is thought that this difference could well affect the order of merit when comparing the performance of two hulls and it was concluded therefore that the change to measurement in body axes is important for the correct prediction of the performance of a yacht in a seaway.

The effect of the pitch moment of inertia on the motion and forces on the model was then studied, first using motion in earth axes and subsequently using motion in body axes. In general it was found that in both earth and body axes there was a strong cross coupling between the pitching motion and the heave motion and that a low gyradius resulted in smaller motions and a reduced added resistance; however the effect of any change in pitch moment of inertia was more significant in body axes. The results showed that a yacht optimised for low pitch moment of inertia would have superior performance in comparison with a yacht which has a high inertia under identical wave conditions.
'Feedback': ¿qué hay de nuevo?
Authors: Creus Amalia
Published: May 2021

Proporcionar un buen feedback constituye una de las principales tareas docentes. Mediante la retroacción ofrecemos a los estudiantes la oportunidad de visibilizar sus logros, reconocer sus fortalezas, así como sus debilidades o puntos de mejora. En contrapartida, para los educadores, el feedback es un instrumento importante para contrastar y valorar la adecuación de las metodologías didácticas que adoptamos, pues proporciona una base muy valiosa para la mejora continuada de nuestra práctica docente.
Sustainability of political systems of EAEU member-states and the crises of 2020. Part 1. Belarus.
Authors: Grachev Bogdan
Published: May 2021

The object of this research is the political system of the Republic of Belarus viewed in the context of sociopolitical conflict instigated by the results of presidential election of 2020. The Eurasian Economic Union faced a number of severe internal problems: besides the protests in Belarus, the parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan led to resignation of the incumbent president, and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has escalated. Therefore, special attention is given to examination of the factors of sustainability of the political system their significance for Eurasian integration and Russia-Belarus bilateral relations. The authors assesses the consequences of the manifestations of crisis, and analyzes the mechanisms of resilience of the political system to the internal challenges. The history of establishment of the modern structure of political system of Belarus is analyzed. The formal institutional and factual functional relations are revealed. The author’s special contribution lies in the assessment of factors of sustainability of the political system of Belarus. Understanding of sustainability of political systems of regional nations is the cornerstone in risk assessment caused by integration and forecasting of the development of international relations in the region. The political system of Belarus, which has been formed throughout 26 years of presidency of A. G. Lukashenko, is currently (and so far successfully) being stress tested. The built vertical of executive power allowed to “amortize” the colossal level of tension emerged in the society after the announcement of voting results. It is determined that the consequences of crisis in Belarus are overall positive for Russia and EAEU. However, the risks of further destabilization of the political system and regime change pose a serious threat for the development of integration project.
Operative activities of the Ministry of the Interior of Lithuania against national-separatists in 1944 - 1953
Authors: Kilimnik Evgenii Vital'evich
Published: May 2021

Based on the historical-legal approach, the author studies the national-separatist organization The Forest Brothers that was acting in Lithuania in 1944 - 1953 and was resisting the authorities by means of terrorist acts. The research subject is the set of measures aimed at suppressing nationalist armed groups. Special attention to this research is caused by the necessity to analyze the activities of the Forest Brothers, as in Lithuania since the Post-Soviet period, the actions of nationalists have been heroified, many of whom, during the occupation, served in divisions under the German administration. The purpose of the research is the historical and legal assessment of the activities of separatists in postwar Lithuania. Special attention is given to the operative activities of NKVD aimed at suppressing regional extremism and introducing legal order in postwar Lithuania. Special contribution of the author is the consideration of the problem of national-separatism in Lithuania. It’s been established that to suppress and oppose the Forest Brothers, the bodies of NKVD and the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic developed a set of operative, tactical and ideological measures which helped as early as by the late 1945 to change the situation in the Republic and achieve the permanent annual decrease of destructive actions of nationalists, and since the late 1940s - the early 1950s to fully control the criminogenic situation in the Republic. It’s been established that the set of measures against Lithuanian separatists consisted of five main directions which included the creation of People's Defense Platoons known as “Destroyers”, constant mopping up of forests for extinguishing the resistance zones, intelligence work, large scale amnesty of fighters, deportation of persons who shared the ideas and supported nationalism and separatism. The scientific novelty of the research consists in the critical scientific insight into Lithuanian separatism, its prerequisites and methods of struggling against it by the internal affairs bodies of Lithuania in 1944 - 1953.   
Personal attitude of professional training students
Authors: Shatskaya Ekaterina Aleksandrovna
Published: May 2021

  The article considers the problems of professional training of citizens who joined the internal affairs bodies of Russia. The author gives theoretical interpretation to the problem and demonstrates the interrelation between such categories as need, motive, result, and emotion. The author pays attention to the personal attitude of professional training students affecting their choice of professional activity, particularly, the service in internal affairs bodies. The research object is the professional training students studying the police officer program. The research subject is the personal attitudes of students during professional training. The author finds out that the only need to get some knowledge and skills is not enough. Of great importance is the motivation of students, their understanding of their professional duty and will to perform official responsibilities at a professional level. The author notes that the moral and psychological potential of a person has an important role as it affects the personal development of an officer. It’s been established that the result of students’ work depends on their personal dedication. Particularly, their commitment, life orientations and guidelines affect the active involvement of students into the educational process, their performance, professional skills acquisition, formation of competence.   
Unambiguous determinism in captivity of illusory perceptions
Authors: Popov Nikolai Andreevich
Published: May 2021

This article attempt to clarify whether the accusations brought by modern physics and probabilistic thinking against unambiguous determinism are justified. Is it incompatible with the existence of various possibilities, coincidences, free will, and certain laws of microcosm? Does it really lead to absolute predetermination? Is the perception of universality and fundamentality of unambiguous causation really outdated? Can the dynamic laws  be limited in their manifestation? Can they be replaced with probabilistic laws? At the same time, the logic of research is founded on determination of the essence of all the phenomena that are supposedly incompatible with the unambiguous determinism. In the course of research, the author adheres to gradual implementation of the principle of materialistic monism. The conclusion is made that the classical representation of universality and fundamentality of unambiguous causality remains relevant and is fully compatible with the presence of various possibilities, coincidences, free will, and probability. The author reveals the nature of possibilities and coincidences, as well as indicated inseparability of these phenomena from the predictive activity of a human. The article also determines inextricable link between the dynamic laws and the materiality of  the cognizable world, which testifies to their unlimited fundamentality. The nature of probabilistic laws and their inseparability from dynamic laws is underlined. The author provides arguments that unambiguous causality does not lead to absolute predomination of events, emphasizes the importance of the worldview criterion of validity of scientific representations; and clarifies the definition of matter.
Land Reallotment over the Course of the Development of a Rural Settlement in Ukraine
Authors: Malashevskyi Mykola , Kovalchuk Ivan , Malashevska Olena
Published: May 2021

The study is dedicated to land reallotment in the course of land use alteration in Ukraine. The case of the development of an individual residential block in an agricultural area is considered. The issue of the alteration of the spatial characteristics of land plots and changes in their designated use have been highlighted. The objective of the article is the substantiation of land reallotment at the level of an individual residential block on agricultural land which is privately owned by a number of landowners. The preconditions for the development of land reallotment in a rural‑type settlement in the suburban area of a big city have been substantiated. Alternative approaches to land reallotment have been suggested. A comparative analysis of the suggested approaches and their practical approbation have been carried out. The change of land plot spatial characteristics in the course of reallotment by means of various reallotment scenarios has been analysed. Land plot value after reallotment in each scenario has been specified. The practicability of each approach depending on the initial conditions has been substantiated. The research can be used in the course of rural settlement development planning, the coordination of measures on land use type alteration with landowners and land users, with private landowners or the implementation of local community initiatives.
Somatostatin-expressing parafacial neurons are CO2/H+ sensitive and regulate baseline breathing
Authors: Cleary Colin M , Milla Brenda M , Kuo Fu-Shan , James Shaun , Flynn William F , Robson Paul , Mulkey Daniel K
Published: May 2021

Glutamatergic neurons in the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) function as respiratory chemoreceptors by regulating breathing in response to tissue CO2/H+. The RTN and greater parafacial region may also function as a chemosensing network composed of CO2/H+-sensitive excitatory and inhibitory synaptic interactions. In the context of disease, we showed that loss of inhibitory neural activity in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome disinhibited RTN chemoreceptors and destabilized breathing (Kuo et al., 2019). Despite this, contributions of parafacial inhibitory neurons to control of breathing are unknown, and synaptic properties of RTN neurons have not been characterized. Here, we show the parafacial region contains a limited diversity of inhibitory neurons including somatostatin (Sst)-, parvalbumin (Pvalb)-, and cholecystokinin (Cck)-expressing neurons. Of these, Sst-expressing interneurons appear uniquely inhibited by CO2/H+. We also show RTN chemoreceptors receive inhibitory input that is withdrawn in a CO2/H+-dependent manner, and chemogenetic suppression of Sst+ parafacial neurons, but not Pvalb+ or Cck+ neurons, increases baseline breathing. These results suggest Sst-expressing parafacial neurons contribute to RTN chemoreception and respiratory activity.
Why Containment Works
Authors: Thies Wallace J.
Published: May 2021

This book examines the conduct of American foreign policy during and after the Cold War through the lens of applied policy analysis. The book argues that the Bush Doctrine after 2002 was a theory of victory. The book contrasts prescriptions derived from the Bush Doctrine with an alternative theory of victory, one based on containment and deterrence, which US presidents employed for much of the Cold War period. There are, the book suggests, multiple reasons for believing that containment was working well against Saddam Hussein's Iraq after the first Gulf War and that there was no need to invade Iraq in 2003. The book reexamines five cases of containment drawn from the Cold War and the post-Cold War world. Each example, it suggests, offered US officials a choice between reliance on traditional notions of containment and reliance on a more forceful approach. To what extent did reliance on rival theories of victory — containment versus first strike — contribute to a successful outcome? Might these cases have been resolved more quickly, at lower cost, and more favorably to American interests if US officials had chosen a different mix of the coercive and deterrent tools available to them? The book suggests that the conventional wisdom about containment was often wrong: a superpower like the United States has such vast resources at its disposal that it could easily thwart Libya, Iraq, and Iran by means other than open war.
Hunting Nature
Authors: Hodge Thomas P.
Published: May 2021

This book explores Ivan Turgenev's relationship to nature through his conception, description, and practice of hunting — the most unquenchable passion of his life. Informed by an ecocritical perspective, the book takes an approach that is equal parts interpretive and documentarian, grounding the author's observations thoroughly in Russian cultural and linguistic context and a wide range of Turgenev's fiction, poetry, correspondence, and other writings. Included within the book are some of Turgenev's important writings on nature — never previously translated into English. Turgenev, who is traditionally identified as a chronicler of Russia's ideological struggles, is presented in the book as an expert naturalist whose intimate knowledge of flora and fauna deeply informed his view of philosophy, politics, and the role of literature in society. Ultimately, the book argues that we stand to learn a great deal about Turgenev's thought and complex literary technique when we read him in both cultural and environmental contexts. The book details how Turgenev remains mindful of the way textual detail is wedded to the organic world — the priroda that he observed, and ached for, more keenly than perhaps any other Russian writer.
Uneasy Military Encounters
Authors: Streicher Ruth
Published: May 2021

This book presents a historically and theoretically grounded political ethnography of the Thai military's counterinsurgency practices in the southern borderland, home to the greater part of the Malay-Muslim minority. The book argues that counterinsurgency practices mark the southern population as the racialized, religious, and gendered other of the Thai, which contributes to producing Thailand as an imperial formation: a state formation based on essentialized difference between the Thai and their others. Through a genealogical approach, the book addresses broad conceptual questions of imperial politics in a non-Western context: How can we understand imperial policing in a country that was never colonized? How is “Islam” constructed in a state that is officially secular and promotes Buddhist tolerance? What are the (historical) dynamics of imperial patriarchy in a context internationally known for its gender pluralism? The resulting ethnography excavates the imperial politics of concrete encounters between the military and the southern population in the ongoing conflict in southern Thailand.
Crafting History
Authors: Yaneva Albena
Published: May 2021

What constitutes an archive in architecture? What forms does it take? What epistemology does it perform? What kind of craft is archiving? This book provides answers and offers insights on the ontological granularity of the archive and its relationship with architecture as a complex enterprise that starts and ends much beyond the act of building or the life of a creator. In this book we learn how objects are processed and catalogued, how a classification scheme is produced, how models and drawings are preserved, and how born-digital material battles time and technology obsolescence. We follow the work of conservators, librarians, cataloguers, digital archivists, museum technicians, curators, and architects, and we capture archiving in its mundane and practical course. Based on ethnographic observation at the Canadian Centre for Architecture and interviews with a range of practitioners, including Álvaro Siza and Peter Eisenman, the book traces archiving through the daily work and care of all its participants, scrutinizing their variable ontology, scale, and politics. It addresses the strategies practicing architects employ to envisage an archive-based future and tells a story about how architectural collections are crafted so as to form the epistemological basis of architectural history.
Imperial Romance
Authors: Kim Su Yun
Published: May 2021

This book argues that the idea of colonial intimacy within the Japanese empire of the early twentieth century had a far broader and more popular influence on discourse makers, social leaders, and intellectuals than previously understood. The book investigates representations of Korean–Japanese intimate and familial relationships — including romance, marriage, and kinship — in literature, media, and cinema, alongside documents that discuss colonial policies during the Japanese protectorate period and colonial rule in Korea (1905–45). Focusing on Korean perspectives, the book uncovers political meaning in the representation of intimacy and emotion between Koreans and Japanese portrayed in print media and films. It disrupts the conventional reading of colonial-period texts as the result of either coercion or the disavowal of colonialism, thereby expanding our understanding of colonial writing practices. The theme of intermarriage gave elite Korean writers and cultural producers opportunities to question their complicity with imperialism. Their fictions challenged expected colonial boundaries, creating tensions in identity and hierarchy, and also in narratives of the linear developmental trajectory of modernity. Examining a broad range of writings and films from this period, the book maps the colonized subjects' fascination with their colonizers and with moments that allowed them to become active participants in and agents of Japanese and global imperialism.
How to Prevent Coups d'État
Authors: De Bruin Erica
Published: May 2021

This book looks at the threats that rulers face from their own armed forces. Can they make their regimes impervious to coups? This book shows that how leaders organize their coercive institutions has a profound effect on the survival of their regimes. When rulers use presidential guards, militarized police, and militia to counterbalance the regular military, efforts to oust them from power via coups d'état are less likely to succeed. Even as counterbalancing helps to prevent successful interventions, however, the resentment that it generates within the regular military can provoke new coup attempts. And because counterbalancing changes how soldiers and police perceive the costs and benefits of a successful overthrow, it can create incentives for protracted fighting that result in the escalation of a coup into full-blown civil war. Drawing on an original dataset of state security forces in 110 countries over a span of fifty years, as well as case studies of coup attempts in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, the book sheds light on how counterbalancing affects regime survival. Understanding the dynamics of counterbalancing, the book shows, can help analysts predict when coups will occur, whether they will succeed, and how violent they are likely to be. The arguments and evidence in this book suggest that while counterbalancing may prevent successful coups, it is a risky strategy to pursue — and one that may weaken regimes in the long term.
“We want to live a good life”
Authors: Jeske Christine
Published: May 2021

This chapter introduces the book and talks about the ways people seek a good life, and how their various ways of seeking a good life do — or don't — intersect with work. It aims to help in understanding some of the global political and economic trends that make it rare for South African people to find the good life through a paid job, and how people go on finding the good life anyway. It explains that when good work is hard to find, politically polarized discourses of scapegoating abound. It then discusses how the different narratives people are inclined to believe shape their lives. Finally, the chapter talks about the danger of the hard-work narrative.
“I need to respect that person and that person needs to respect me”
Authors: Jeske Christine
Published: May 2021

This chapter explores the narrative that people associate strongly with a Zulu identity, but which also resonates beyond South Africa, a moral schema demanding that the good life requires respect for all people. It talks about hierarchies, how it affects people's perception of who they are, and how they learn to live with them. It defines inequality as the kind of situation when someone with lesser power has to figure out how to demand better treatment from someone in power. The chapter discusses how South African people manage with precarity — a situation when people have a source of income, a supportive social group, and a home to live in, yet they are always hovering just at the edge of losing those basic necessities. It also talks about respect as a moral code, respect being at the intersection of work and the good life, and it asks if respect is truly achievable.
Stranger Fictions
Authors: Johnson Rebecca C.
Published: May 2021

Zaynab, first published in 1913, is widely cited as the first Arabic novel, yet the previous eight decades saw hundreds of novels translated into Arabic from English and French. This vast literary corpus influenced generations of Arab writers but has, until now, been considered a curious footnote in the genre's history. Incorporating these works into the history of the Arabic novel, this book offers a transformative new account of modern Arabic literature, world literature, and the novel. This book rewrites the history of the global circulation of the novel by moving Arabic literature from the margins of comparative literature to its center. Considering the wide range of nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century translation practices, the book argues that Arabic translators did far more than copy European works; they authored new versions of them, producing sophisticated theorizations of the genre. These translations and the reading practices they precipitated form the conceptual and practical foundations of Arab literary modernity, necessitating an overhaul of our notions of translation, cultural exchange, and the global. The book shows how translators theorized the Arab world not as Europe's periphery but as an alternative center in a globalized network. It affirms the central place of (mis)translation in both the history of the novel in Arabic and the novel as a transnational form itself.
Molecular epidemiology of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium clinical isolates in a tertiary care hospital in southern Thailand: a retrospective study
Authors: Saengsuwan Phanvasri , Singkhamanan Kamonnut , Madla Siribhorn , Ingviya Natnicha , Romyasamit Chonticha
Published: May 2021

Objective

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci are nosocomial pathogens that are responsible for commonly causing healthcare-associated infections, and they exhibit increased resistance to many antimicrobials, particularly to vancomycin. The epidemiological data available on vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in Thailand are inadequate.

Methods

Using enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR), this study investigated genes that encode antimicrobial resistance and genetic relatedness to further understand VRE prevalence. Ninety VRE isolates were collected between 2011 and 2019 from a tertiary care hospital in southern Thailand. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined using the disk diffusion method and E-test methods. Multiplex PCR was performed to detect the van gene and virulence genes.

Results

The study showed a high prevalence of diverse multidrug-resistant VRE strains. The prevalence of VRE infection was the highest in 2014 (28 isolates, 39.4%). VRE were mostly found in the urogenital tract (26 isolates, 28.9%), followed by the digestive tract (20%), body fluid, i.e., pancreatic cyst fluid, peritoneal dialysis fluid, Jackson–Pratt (JP) drain (20%), and blood specimens (10%). Patients in medical and surgical wards had 71.1% multi-drug-resistant and 28.9% extensively drug-resistant (XDR) VRE strains, respectively. The most prevalent antibiotic resistance was to ampicillin (74.4%). Susceptibility to gentamicin and meropenem were similar (7% and 10%, respectively). Four isolates (4.4%) were resistant to colistin. Only vanA was detected among the strains. The virulence gene test showed that the detection rates of enterococcal surface protein (esp) and hyaluronidase (hyl) genes were 91.1% and 5.6%, respectively. According to ERIC-PCR analysis, 51 of 90 strains had clonality, with a similarity rate of 95%.

Conclusions

We conclude that there is a need to implement infection control practices and active surveillance. Molecular techniques can effectively detect antibiotic-resistant genes, which would allow monitoring to control VRE infection in hospitals.
A Study on International Cooperation in APTERR for Food Security
Authors: Kim Kummin
Published: May 2021

This study is aimed at explicating the phenomenon of international cooperation and regional integration in case of a global crisis. To achieve the aim of this study, a well-structured questionnaire was conducted to participants at two different events. First, this study examines the relationship between food crises and the institutionalization of intergovernmental cooperation to deal with them. Second, it examines the key determining factors for the institutionalization of intergovernmental cooperation to deal with food crises. This study focuses on the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) as a successful case of the institutionalization of intergovernmental cooperation to deal with food crises, and examines the above two issues by administering questionnaires to two groups of individuals: agricultural officials of the ASEAN member states who attended a seminar in Thailand (23 participants) and officials and scholars of the ASEAN member states who attended a seminar in Vietnam (22 participants) in 2018. The results show the relationship between food crises and institutionalized international cooperation, such as APTERR, among the Asian countries. First, this study reveals that certain circumstances, such as food crises, can stimulate institutionalized international cooperation, by providing a more profound insight into the complex interplays among the governments of nation-states. Second, when nations share an understanding of a common policy alternative or solution, the institutionalization of intergovernmental cooperation to deal with food crises is more likely to develop successfully. It is also confirmed that 'institutionalization of international cooperation' is possible through the sharing ofcommon policy solution under the situation of repeated and serious crises. These conditions tell us that intergovernmental cooperation such as APTERR is an exceptional phenomenon for nation-states that emphasize autonomy and independence. This study highlighted the key issues of the relationship between food crises and institutionalization of cooperation while trying to identify key determining factors in establishing an internationally coordinated mechanism for food security.