bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Damage over Time. Structural Violence and Climate Change in Video Games
Authors: Price Derek
Published: November 2019

With little more than a decade to make the drastic economic, political, and social changes needed to stop climate change, there is a pressing need to understand humanity's geological agency and to take action. This essay analyzes how four different computer games can help us re-frame the problem of climate change as a form of structural violence which intersects with other forms of systemic oppression. Through games like Anno 2205 (Ubisoft, 2015), Imagine Earth (Serious Brothers, 2014), Fate of the World (Red Redemption, 2011), and Thunderbird Strike (LaPensée, 2017), this essay argues that computer games can allow players to act systemically and collectively and to reflect on approaches to fighting climate change both »from above« and »from below.«
From Pixelated Blood and Fixed Camera Perspectives to VR Experience. Tracing the Diversification of Survival Horror Video Games and Their Altered Mode of Perception
Authors: Schnaars Cornelia J.
Published: November 2019

Cornelia J. Schnaars takes a look at early survival horror games, which instilled fear created out of fixed camera angles, clumsy controls and obscure, labyrinthine game worlds featuring eerie music, in comparison to contemporary horror. While graphics and controls have evolved over the past decades, game mechanics seem to focus increasingly on the aspect of action. RESIDENT EVIL 7: BIOHAZARD (2017) claims to return to the series' roots: It attempts to create a gameplay experience reminiscent of original survival horror, yet within a first-person perspective and VR technology. This paper examines the specific differences and the defining characteristics of the survival horror genre. It is a cursory study of its development, hybridization and disappearance, claiming the emergence of something that is survival horror in its essence but is utterly different nonetheless, since modern games do not induce the same sense of terror early games have succeeded in.
The struggle for higher education gender equity policy in Afghanistan: Obstacles, challenges and achievements
Authors: Hayward Fred M. , Karim Razia
Published: November 2019

The struggle for gender equity in Afghanistan has been a long and difficult one under war conditions. Nonetheless, amazing progress has been made both in transforming higher education and in improving the situation for women students and women faculty members over the last few years. What is particularly striking about this effort is the level of success in a very challenging environment. Part of the success, as we suggest, is a consequence of the focus on gender policy in higher education, which operates in an amazingly free environment. That has allowed the kind of analysis and discussion of traditional views about women to be examined and new policies put in place moving toward the MoHE goal of gender equity. Higher education has moved from a situation of virtually no women students, faculty, or staff in 2001 to 28% women students and 14% women faculty members in 2017. The atmosphere for women has changed remarkably with a Higher Education Gender Strategy to continue the process of change and a range of other policies and actions designed to create an open, comfortable, and equal environment for women. What is striking about these changes is that we think their success is due in large part to the narrow focus of change on higher education – a process that probably would not have succeeded if tried at the national level. Nonetheless, it is a first step in expanding improved conditions for women broadly in Afghanistan and is suggestive of a successful approach for other countries with serious problems of gender discrimination.
Gênero, sexualidade e biopolítica: Processos de gestão da vida em políticas contemporâneas de inclusão social
Authors: Dal'Igna Maria Cláudia , Meyer Dagmar Estermann , Dornelles Priscila Gomes , Klein Carin
Published: November 2019

Este artigo examina a relação entre gênero, sexualidade e biopolítica para apontar alguns de seus desdobramentos e efeitos nas formas de gestão da vida e de condução da conduta de mulheres e de homens nas chamadas “políticas públicas de inclusão social”. A análise qualitativa articula resultados de um conjunto de estudos desenvolvidos por um grupo de pesquisa no Rio Grande do Sul/Brasil. O aporte teórico advém dos estudos de gênero pós-estruturalistas, dos estudos queere dos estudos foucaultianos. Com esta análise, pode-se concluir que, em nome da inclusão social, as políticas públicas acabam por intervir e regular a vida de determinados sujeitos/grupos a custos mínimos para garantir a diminuição dos riscos sociais e maiores níveis de segurança para a população. Argumenta-se que gênero e sexualidade têm sido mobilizados para criar e fortalecer algumas formas de regulação que devem tornar mulheres e homens capazes de agir sobre si e sobre os outros, mantendo-se participantes e buscando soluções para problemas sociais contemporâneos.
States of mind – political theatre at the age of nomadism
Authors: Lachman Michal
Published: November 2019

The review article comments on major themes and ideas analysed by S.E. Wilmer’s Performing Statelessness in Europe (Palgrave 2018). Wilmer’s analysis offers an overview of most recent as well as historical approaches to the concept of citizenship and the state which have been developed by avant-garde artists and theatre makers. The overall aim of Wilmer’s survey of political art is to “assess strategies by creative artists to address matters relating to social justice”. He also gives a significant amount of attention to various projects carried by German theatres which attempt to integrate resident immigrants into German society. The central thrust of his argument falls on a variety of contemporary theatrical initiatives directly concerned with the life of refugees and asylum seekers. The review highlights those aspects of Wilmer’s argument which directly concern the concept of modern society, nation state and identity. Wilmer shows precisely these aspects of modern state as most destructive. The review questions that assumption, arguing that the criticism of modern society should be more subtle and nuanced and that the potential failure of responding properly to the crisis does not necessarily lie entirely on the side of the state
The Art of Un-Making: Nagasaki, Eniwetok, Mururoa, and J.G. Ballard
Authors: Oramus Dominika
Published: November 2019

This paper analyzes one kind of Ballardian landscape, wastelands created by nuclear explosions, and aims at interpreting them as a study of the un-making of the human-made world. Cityscapes of ruins, crumbling concrete concourses and parking lots, abandoned barracks and military stations, radiation and mutations make Nagasaki, Eniwetok and Mururoa wasteland snap-shots of the future. In the minds of the protagonists, the un-made landscape is strangely soothing; they are attracted by the post-nuclear imagery and gladly embrace the upcoming catastrophe. Nagasaki, Eniwetok and Mururoa are the harbingers of a future where one can experience the nirvana of non-being. In this paper, I discuss the Ballardian un-making of the world and, hopefully, point to the subliminal meaning of atomic explosions in his works. To do this, I first discuss the references to the atomic bomb in Ballard's non-fiction (A User's Guide to the Millennium, J.G.Ballard Conversations). Then, I isolate and describe the subsequent stages of the un-making of the world using his depictions of Nagasaki (Empire of the Sun, The Atrocity Exhibition); Eniwetok (The Atrocity Exhibition, The Terminal Beach), and Mururoa (Rushing to Paradise). Finally, I suggest a hypothesis explaining the subliminal meaning of nuclear bombs with reference to Freud's theories.
“Mossification”: Subverting the Human-Centric Portrait with a More-Than-Human Triptych
Authors: Fejzić Sanita
Published: November 2019

Motivated by a sense of ethical obligation and environmental urgency, I commissioned a Toronto-based artist to take a portrait of a “more-than-human” me that embodied nonhuman elements. The aim of this artistic endeavor was to re-evaluate humans' impact on and relationship with the organic and non-organic beings and stuff with which we are entangled. My aim with the resulting portrait, “Mossification,” was three-fold: to visually represent a more-than-human (multiple-singular) self; to subvert the human-centric portrait by giving moss and lichen more visual space and symbolic agency; finally, to suggest, through movement in the form of a triptych, that if we do not change, humans will end up buried under by nature. This short essay is broken down in three parts. In the first two, I provide philosophical context then synthesize a brief history of portraiture with the aim of showing how “Mossification” subverts the genre. In the final part, I demonstrate how “Mossification” might be positively received but nonetheless fails to embody transcorporeality because of its entanglement with neoliberal systems that instrumentalize and objectify nature. I conclude that even though “Mossification” is problematic, it remains a productive visual experiment because of its generative capacity to destabilize human-centric representative traditions and symbolic codes.
Uplift and Settlement Prediction Model of Marine Clay Soil e Integrated with Polyurethane Foam
Authors: Lat D.C. , Jais I.B.M. , Ali N. , Baharom B. , Mohd Yunus N.Z. , Mat Yusof D.A.
Published: November 2019

Polyurethane (PU) foam is a lightweight material that can be used efficiently as a ground improvement method in solving excessive and differential settlement of soil foundation mainly for infrastructures such as road, highway and parking spaces. The ground improvement method is done by excavation and removal of soft soil at shallow depth and replacement with lightweight PU foam slab. This study is done to simulate the model of marine clay soil integrated with polyurethane foam using finite element method (FEM) PLAXIS 2D for prediction of settlement behavior and uplift effect due to polyurethane foam mitigation method. Model of soft clay foundation stabilized with PU foam slab with variation in thickness and overburden loads were analyzed. Results from FEM exhibited the same trend as the results of the analytical method whereby PU foam has successfully reduced the amount of settlement significantly. With the increase in PU foam thickness, the settlement is reduced, nonetheless the uplift pressure starts to increase beyond the line of effective thickness. PU foam design chart has been produced for practical application in order to adopt the effective thickness of PU foam within tolerable settlement value and uplift pressure with respect to different overburden loads for ground improvement works.
A new method for graph stream summarization based on both the structure and concepts
Authors: Ashrafi-Payaman Nosratali , Kangavari Mohammad Reza , Fander Amir Mohammad
Published: November 2019

Graph datasets are common in many application domains and for which their graphs are usually massive. One solution to process such massive graphs is summarization. There are two kinds of graphs, stationary and stream. For stationary graphs, a number of summarization algorithms are available while for graph stream there is no a comprehensive summarization method that summarizes a graph stream based on the structure, vertex attributes or both with varying contributions. This is because of challenges of graph stream, which are volume of data and changing of data over time. In this paper, we propose a method based on sliding-window model for which summarizes a graph stream based on a combination of the structure and vertex attributes. We proposed a new structure for summary graphs and also proposed new methods for comparing two summary graphs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first method that summarizes a graph stream based on both the structure and vertex attributes with varying contributions. Through extensive experiments on real dataset of Amazon co-purchasing products, we have demonstrated the performance of the proposed method.
Comparison between 2D and 3D Simulation of Contact of Two Deformable Axisymmetric Bodies
Authors: Dosaev Marat , Samsonov Vitaly , Bekmemetev Vladislav
Published: November 2019

A portable pneumatic video-tactile sensor for determining the local stiffness of soft tissue and the methodology for its application are considered. The expected range of local elastic modulus that can be estimated by the sensor is 100 kPa–1 MPa. The current version of the device is designed to determine the characteristics of tissues that are close in mechanical properties to the skin with subcutis and muscles. A numerical simulation of the contact between the sensor head and the soft tissue was performed using the finite-element method. Both 2D and 3D models were developed. Results of experiments with device prototype are used for approval of adequacy of mathematical modelling in case of large deformations. Simulation results can be used to create soft tissue databases, which will be required to determine the local stiffness of soft tissues by the sensor. 2D model proved to be more efficient for the chosen range of values of local stiffness of soft tissues.
Influence of maternal HIV infection on fetal thymus size
Authors: Gasthaus Clara L. , Schmitz Ralf , Hammer Kerstin , Oelmeier de Murcia Kathrin , Falkenberg Maria K. , Braun Janina , Steinhard Johannes , Eveslage Maria , Köster Helen A. , Klockenbusch Walter , Möllers Mareike
Published: November 2019

Objective

To reveal the effect of a maternal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection on the fetal thymus size.

Methods

The sonographic fetal thymus size was measured retrospectively in 105 pregnancies with maternal HIV infection and in 615 uncomplicated singleton pregnancies. The anteroposterior thymic and the intrathoracic mediastinal diameter were determined in the three-vessel view and their quotient, the thymic-thoracic ratio (TT ratio), was calculated. The study group was subdivided into three groups by the maternal viral load on the date of ultrasound (<50 cop./mL, 50–1000 cop./mL, >1000 cop./mL). Furthermore, an association between prognostic factors of the HIV infection such as the lymphocyte count, CD4/CD8 ratio, HIV medication and the thymus size, was investigated using correlation analyses.

Results

Fetal thymus size in pregnancies of HIV-positive mothers showed to be noticeably larger than in uncomplicated pregnancies. The mean TT ratio in the HIV-positive group was 0.389 and in the control group 0.345 (P < 0.001). There was no association between any maternal HIV parameter or medication and the size of the thymus gland.

Conclusion

Maternal HIV infection was associated with an increased fetal thymus size. Further consequences of intrauterine HIV exposure for fetal outcome and the development of the immune system of HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) infants must be discussed.
Colour centre generation in diamond for quantum technologies
Authors: Smith Jason M. , Meynell Simon A. , Bleszynski Jayich Ania C. , Meijer Jan
Published: November 2019

Effective methods to generate colour centres in diamond and other wide band-gap materials are essential to the realisation of solid state quantum technologies based on such systems. Such methods have been the subject of intensive research effort in recent years. In this review, we bring together the various techniques used in the generation and positioning of colour centres in diamond: ion implantation, delta-doping, electron irradiation, laser writing and thermal annealing. We assess the roles and merits of each of these techniques in the formation of colour centres for different quantum technologies and consider future combinations of the techniques to meet the requirements of the most demanding applications.
Sub-terahertz and terahertz generation in long-wavelength quantum cascade lasers
Authors: Fujita Kazuue , Hayashi Shohei , Ito Akio , Hitaka Masahiro , Dougakiuchi Tatsuo
Published: November 2019

Terahertz quantum cascade laser sources with intra-cavity non-linear frequency mixing are the first room-temperature electrically pumped monolithic semiconductor sources that operate in the 1.2–5.9 THz spectral range. However, high performance in low-frequency range is difficult because converted terahertz waves suffer from significantly high absorption in waveguides. Here, we report a sub-terahertz electrically pumped monolithic semiconductor laser. This sub-terahertz source is based on a high-performance, long-wavelength (λ ≈ 13.7 μm) quantum cascade laser in which high-efficiency terahertz generation occurs. The device produces peak output power of 11 μW within the 615–788 GHz frequency range at room temperature. Additionally, a source emitting at 1.5 THz provides peak output power of 287 μW at 110 K. The generated terahertz radiation of <2 THz is mostly attributable to the optical rectification process in long-wavelength infrared quantum cascade lasers.
Crystal structure of methyl 2-(4-(3-iodopyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-6-yl)phenyl)acetate, C15H12IN3O2
Authors: Fang Bo , Jiang Fang Fang , Meng Jiang Ping
Published: November 2019

C15H12IN3O2, triclinic, P1̄ (no. 2), a = 4.511(2) Å, b = 11.891(6) Å, c = 14.557(7) Å, α = 109.709(9)°, β = 96.971(9)°, γ = 97.054(9)°, V = 718.4(6) Å3, Z = 2, R
gt(F) = 0.0449, wR
ref(F
2) = 0.1052, T = 293(2) K.
The cocrystal structure of 1′-hydroxy-1H,1′H-[5,5′-bitetrazol]-1-olate and 1,10-phenanthrolin-1-ium, C14H10N10O2
Authors: Jiaping Zhu , Gang Wang , Dang Wu
Published: November 2019

C14H10N10O2, monoclinic, P21/n (no. 14), a = 9.6366(19) Å, b = 9.5098(19) Å, c = 16.095(3) Å, β = 103.59(3)°, V = 1433.7(5) Å3, Z = 4, R
gt(F) = 0.0579, wR
ref(F
2) = 0.1309, T = 153(2) K.
Crystal structure of bis(ammonium) diaqua-tetrakis(4-hydroxybenzoato)-manganese(II) tetrahydrate, [NH4]2[C28H24MnO14] ⋅ 4(H2O)
Authors: Lo Kong Mun , Lee See Mun , Tiekink Edward R.T.
Published: November 2019

C28H40MnN2O18, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 7.1069(1) Å, b = 20.5238(2) Å, c = 10.8978(1) Å, β = 96.029(1)°, V = 1580.77(3) Å3, Z = 2, R
gt(F) = 0.0255, wR
ref(F
2) = 0.0746, T = 294(2) K.
Crystal structure of catena-poly{(μ2-N
1,N
2-bis[(pyridin-4-yl)methyl]ethanediamide-κ2
N:N′)-bis(O,O′-di-isopropyldithiophosphato-κ1
S)zinc(II)} — acetonitrile (1/1), C26H42N4O6P2S4Zn⋅C2H3N
Authors: Tan Yee Seng , Tiekink Edward R.T.
Published: November 2019

C28H45N5O6P2S4Zn, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 7.73670(10) Å, b = 21.56370(10) Å, c = 23.1184(2) Å, β = 99.121(1)°, V = 3808.12(6) Å3, Z = 4, R
gt(F) = 0.0210, wR
ref(F
2) = 0.0580, T = 100(2) K.
Recording and Reconstructing the Sacred Landscapes of Sicilian Naxos
Authors: Pakkanen Jari , Lentini Maria Costanza , Sarris Apostolos , Tikkala Esko , Manataki Meropi
Published: November 2019

In recent years, an on-going project investigating the urban landscape of Naxos has surveyed and produced several new digital reconstructions of the settlement’s simple non-peripteral temples, most with highly decorative roofs. Three Archaic sacred buildings of Sicilian Naxos are used to demonstrate different approaches to recording the remains and reconstructing their architectural features. This work reflects changes in digital strategies over the past ten years. Tempietto H is a small shrine located outside the city’s boundaries and the site is currently inaccessible, so its reconstruction is based on excavation documentation and roof terracottas. The visible half of Tempietto C was documented using three-dimensional line-drawing with total stations and photogrammetry; the back-filled south-western part was surveyed with ground penetrating radar. Temple B is the largest sacred structure in Naxos. A geophysical survey gives new data on the eastern extent of the sanctuary. The area has been recorded with handheld and aerial photography to create a three-dimensional model of the sanctuary. A new orthogonal grid of the city was established circa 470 BCE and a rectangular base was placed in the south-east corner of every crossroad. These bases were the starting point for the plan, and their interpretation as altars converts the entire urban plan into a sacred landscape.
Information Literacy vs. Fake News: The Case of Ukraine
Authors: Haigh Maria , Haigh Thomas , Matychak Tetiana
Published: November 2019

We profile the successful Learn to Discern information literacy program, developed in Ukraine in 2015 and now being adapted to the needs of other countries. Drawing on published documents, interviews, and the personal knowledge of one the initiative’s designers we situate this work as a response to the particular challenges of the Ukrainian information environment following Russia’s hybrid offensive which begun in 2014 with its aggressive deployment of propaganda and so-called “fake news.” We argue that the Learn to Discern program was a coming together of three formerly separate strands: a focus on the development of modern library infrastructure, a distinctive Ukrainian model of information and media literacy, and the hands-on debunking of misinformation performed by the StopFake group.
Semantic Parallelism in Traditional Kakataibo Chants
Authors: Mendoza Alejandro Prieto
Published: November 2019

In the present article, I propose some initial topics for the typological-comparative study of semantic parallelism, which also serve as an analytical axis to study semantic parallelism in traditional kakataibo chants. These basic topics are the structure of the cotext, lexical and grammatical type of parallel units, type of semantic relations between parallel units, number of parallel units per pair of lines, and associated phenomena such as recurrent or fixed pairing and diphrasism. Following this initial proposal, I postulate that the cotext in Kakataibo semantic parallelism is a repeated morphosyntactic structure that does not exhibit ellipsis or increasing, the number of parallel units can be one to three slots and one pair is more productive, parallel units are related by semantic fields such as kinship terms and colors. Furthermore, I analyze the interaction of semantic parallelism in the continuous creation of lines with two other poetic forms, enjambment and repetition, and I postulate that semantic parallelism is a compositional strategy due to its high productivity for line composing.
On the largest part size and its multiplicity of a random integer partition
Authors: Mutafchiev Ljuben
Published: November 2019

Let λ be a partition of the positive integer n chosen uniformly at random among all such partitions. Let Ln
= L

n
(λ) and M

n
= M

n
(λ) be the largest part size and its multiplicity, respectively. For large n, we focus on a comparison between the partition statistics L

n
and L

n

M

n
. In terms of convergence in distribution, we show that they behave in the same way. However, it turns out that the expectation of L

n

M

n
– L

n
grows as fast as

1
2

log
n

{1 \over 2}\log n

. We obtain a precise asymptotic expansion for this expectation and conclude with an open problem arising from this study.
On the exhaustive generation of generalized ballot sequences in lexicographic and Gray code order
Authors: Sabri Ahmad , Vajnovszki Vincent
Published: November 2019

A generalized (resp. p-ary) ballot sequence is a sequence over the set of non-negative integers (resp. integers less than p) where in any of its prefixes each positive integer i occurs at most as often as any integer less than i. We show that the Reected Gray Code order induces a cyclic 3-adjacent Gray code on both, the set of fixed length generalized ballot sequences and p-ary ballot sequences when p is even, that is, ordered list where consecutive sequences (regarding the list cyclically) differ in at most 3 adjacent positions. Non-trivial efficient generating algorithms for these ballot sequences, in lexicographic order and for the obtained Gray codes, are also presented.
Crystal structures, Hirshfeld surface analysis and Pixel energy calculations of three trifluoromethylquinoline derivatives: further analyses of fluorine close contacts in trifluoromethylated derivatives
Authors: Gomes Lígia R. , da Silva Emerson T. , de Souza Marcus V.N. , Wardell James L. , Low John N.
Published: November 2019

As many studies have revealed, the introduction of a CF3 group into an organic compound can result in significant enhancement of biological activity. Factors which lead to this enhancement are thus of great interest. To investigate further this area, we have looked at the ability of fluorine to form close contacts with various atoms in organic compounds, e.g. F⋯F, F⋯O/O⋯F, F⋯C/C⋯F, H⋯F/F⋯H, and F⋯N/N⋯F, as indicated from crystal structure determinations and Hirshfeld analysis studies on trifluoromethylated compounds. Herein we first report the crystal structures, Hirshfeld surface analyses (HSA), and Pixel energy calculations of three trifluoromethylated quinoline derivatives, namely 2-(trifluoromethyl)quinolin-4-ol, 1, 4-ethoxy-2-(trifluoromethyl)quinoline, 2, and N
1-(2,8-bis(trifluoromethyl)quinolin-4-yl)ethane-1,2-diamine, 3. Of particular interest is the determination of the various fluorine⋯atom close contacts. The total percentages of fluorine⋯atom close contacts in compounds 1–3 were determined to be high at 47, 41.2 and 60.7%, respectively. As relatively few HSA studies on trifluoromethylated compounds have reported the percentages of individual atom⋯atom close contacts, we have also determined the percentages of atom⋯atom close contacts for 20 more trifluoromethylated compounds: the range of total fluorine⋯atom close contacts for these compounds was 20–60%. While these data are based on connections between similar molecules in a crystalline state, they also clearly suggest that a compound containing CF3 group(s) has the potential to make extensive intermolecular connections/close contacts with organic material. Thus a possible factor for the enhanced biological activity of a compound bearing CF3 group(s) could be the propensity of the CF3 group to form many close contacts, thereby aiding binding or interaction with a biological target.
Squares of gold atoms and linear infinite chains of Cd atoms as building units in the intermetallic phases REAu4Cd2 (RE=La–Nd, Sm) with YbAl4Mo2-type structure
Authors: Paulsen Christian , Block Theresa , Benndorf Christopher , Oeckler Oliver , Bönnighausen Judith , Janka Oliver , Pöttgen Rainer
Published: November 2019

The gold-rich intermetallic compounds REAu4Cd2 (RE = La–Nd, Sm) were synthesized from the elements in sealed tantalum ampoules. Their characterization by X-ray powder and single crystal data confirmed the tetragonal YbAl4Mo2 type, space group I4/mmm. The basic building units are Au4 squares (278 pm Au–Au in CeAu4Cd2) and infinite linear cadmium chains (275 pm Cd–Cd in CeAu4Cd2). We exemplarily studied the solid solution CeAu4+

x
Cd2−

x
for x = 0–1 up to CeAu5Cd. Electron diffraction patterns on a CeAu5Cd sample confirm the single crystal data. They give no hint for complete gold-cadmium ordering. Temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility measurements of CeAu4Cd2, CeAu5Cd, PrAu4Cd2 and NdAu4Cd2 show stable trivalent rare earth ions and give no hint for magnetic ordering above 3 K.
Predictors of Utilisation of Skilled Maternal Healthcare in Lilongwe District, Malawi
Authors: Kazanga Isabel , Munthali Alister C. , McVeigh Joanne , Mannan Hasheem , MacLachlan Malcolm
Published: November 2019

Background: Despite numerous efforts to improve maternal and child health in Malawi, maternal and newborn mortality rates remain very high, with the country having one of the highest maternal mortality ratios globally. The aim of this study was to identify which individual factors best predict utilisation of skilled maternal healthcare in a sample of women residing in Lilongwe district of Malawi. Identifying which of these factors play a significant role in determining utilisation of skilled maternal healthcare is required to inform policies and programming in the interest of achieving increased utilisation of skilled maternal healthcare in Malawi. Methods: This study used secondary data from the Woman’s Questionnaire of the 2010 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS). Data was analysed from 1126 women aged between 15 and 49 living in Lilongwe. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to determine significant predictors of maternal healthcare utilisation. Results: Women’s residence (P=.006), education (P=.004), and wealth (P=.018) were significant predictors of utilisation of maternal healthcare provided by a skilled attendant. Urban women were less likely (odds ratio [OR] = 0.47, P=.006, 95% CI = 0.28–0.81) to utilise a continuum of maternal healthcare from a skilled health attendant compared to rural women. Similarly, women with less education (OR = 0.32, P=.001, 95% CI = 0.16–0.64), and poor women (OR = 0.50, P=.04, 95% CI = 0.26–0.97) were less likely to use a continuum of maternal healthcare from a skilled health attendant. Conclusion: Policies and programmes should aim to increase utilisation of skilled maternal healthcare for women with less education and low-income status. Specifically, emphasis should be placed on promoting education and economic empowerment initiatives, and creating awareness about use of maternal healthcare services among girls, women and their respective communities.
Perceptions of Community Involvement in the Peruvian Mental Health Reform Process Among Clinicians and Policy-Makers: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Arriola-Vigo Jose A. , Stovall Jeffrey G. , Moon Troy D. , Audet Carolyn M. , Diez-Canseco Francisco
Published: November 2019

Background: The global burden of mental health conditions has led to the implementation of new models of care for persons with mental illness. Recent mental health reforms in Peru include the implementation of a community mental health model (CMHM) that, among its core objectives, aims to provide care in the community through specialized facilities, the community mental health centers (CMHCs). Community involvement is a key component of this model. This study aims to describe perceptions of community engagement activities in the current model of care in three CMHCs and identify barriers and potential solutions to implementation. Methods: A qualitative research study using in-depth semi-structured interviews with clinicians from three CMHCs and with policy-makers involved in the implementation of the mental health reforms was conducted in two regions of Peru. The interviews, conducted in Spanish, were digitally recorded with consent, transcribed and analyzed using principles of grounded theory applying a framework approach. Community engagement activities are described at different stages of patient care. Results: Twenty-five full-time employees (17 women, 8 men) were interviewed, of which 21 were clinicians (diverse health professions) from CMHCs, and 4 were policy-makers. Interviews elucidated community engagement activities currently being utilized including: (1) employing community mental health workers (CMHWs); (2) home visits; (3) psychosocial clubs; (4) mental health workshops and campaigns; and (5) peer support groups. Inadequate infrastructure and financial resources, lack of knowledge about the CMHM, poorly defined catchment areas, stigma, and inadequate productivity approach were identified as barriers to program implementation. Solutions suggested by participants included increasing knowledge and awareness about mental health and the new model, implementation of peer-training, and improving productivity evaluation and research initiatives. Conclusion: Community engagement activities are being conducted in Peru as part of a new model of care. However, their structure, frequency, and content are perceived by clinicians and policy-makers as highly variable due to a lack of consistent training and resources across CMHCs. Barriers to implementation should be quickly addressed and potential solutions executed, so that scale-up best optimizes the utilization of resources in the implementation process.
Big Tobacco, Alcohol, and Food and NCDs in LMICs: An Inconvenient Truth and Call to Action Comment on "Addressing NCDs: Challenges From Industry Market Promotion and Interferences"
Authors: Delobelle Peter
Published: November 2019

In their editorial, Tangcharoensathien et al1 describe the challenges of industry market promotion and policy interference from Big Tobacco, Alcohol, and Food in addressing non-communicable diseases (NCDs). They provide an overview of the increasing influence of corporate interest in emerging economies and government attempts to implement the World Health Organization (WHO) ‘best buy’ interventions. The authors largely draw on examples from Asia and a few selected countries, but provide little detail as to how aggressive marketing and policy interference plays out in a context of poor legislation and regulation in many low- and middleincome countries (LMICs), where the burden of NCDs is increasing at an alarming rate and governments face a high burden of disease with a limited budget for countering industry interference. This commentary provides some poignant examples of the influence of Big Tobacco, Alcohol, and Food on market regulation and policy interference in LMICs and argues for more policy coherence and accountability in terms of multisectoral action and civil society activism. Securing funds for health promotion and establishing health promotion foundations could help achieve that goal.
On Folk Devils, Moral Panics and New Wave Public Health
Authors: Mannion Russell , Small Neil
Published: November 2019

New wave public health places an emphasis on exhorting individuals to engage in healthy behaviour with good health being a signifier of virtuous moral standing, whereas poor health is often associated with personal moral failings. In effect, the medical is increasingly being collapsed into the moral. This approach is consistent with other aspects of contemporary neoliberal governance, but it fuels moral panics and creates folk devils. We explore the implications and dysfunctional consequences of this new wave of public health policy in the context of the latest moral panic around obesity.
Kratom-induced Psychosis
Authors: Prat Sebastien S , Rizvi Syed Ali , Chaimowitz Gary A
Published: November 2019

Substance Use Disorder is a major concern for public health. Legal substances are often misused to get “high”. Beside the risk of developing subsequent mental health and physical conditions, one of major risk is related to behavioural changes leading to criminal behaviour. There is need for regulation on some of these substances to ensure public as well as individual safety. This article is a case report describing Mitragyna speciosa (Kratom) induced psychosis in a patient suffering from Schizophrenia. We hope this article can bring attention to regulating bodies about the risks associated with readily available “legal” drugs like Kratom.
Investigation of Aging Effect on Asphalt Binders Using Thin Film and Rolling Thin Film Oven Test
Authors: Hemanth Kumar V. , Suresha S. N.
Published: November 2019

The effect of short-term aging temperature according to Superpave protocol on rheological properties of asphalt binder using thin film oven (TFO) and rolling thin film oven (RTFO) test was investigated. To evaluate these different aging conditions, two types of unmodified binders and a crumb rubber modified binder (CRMB) was used at three different aging temperatures 163°C, 177°C, and 195°C. To simulate the effect of temperature used during the preparation of CRMB in laboratory and ideal mixing temperature corresponding to 170 ± 20 cP, 177°C and 195°C has been incorporated, respectively. The rheological characterizations of these binders were obtained using dynamic shear rheometer for before and after short-term aging. On the basis of rutting parameter, nonrecoverable creep compliances (Jnr) and percent recovery (%R), as well as the RTFO aging process were found to be more effective than the TFO test for all the selected oven temperatures. However, the complex shear modulus |G*| of the base binders were equivalent to modified binders at 195°C. Additionally, on the basis of frequency sweep test and viscosity curve, the effect of short-term aging in a sample was investigated. However, at 195°C, the flow properties were significantly different for unmodified base binder, except for rubberized binders. From this study, based on its characterization, it is possible to use TFO or RTFO tests at a higher temperature to simulate the aging process for rubber modified binder to the actual hot-mix asphalt process.
Immune Suppressive Extracellular Vesicle Proteins ofLeptopilina heterotomaAre Encoded in the Wasp Genome
Authors: Wey Brian , Heavner Mary Ellen , Wittmeyer Kameron T , Briese Thomas , Hopper Keith R , Govind Shubha
Published: November 2019

Leptopilina heterotoma are obligate parasitoid wasps that develop in the body of their Drosophila hosts. During oviposition, female wasps introduce venom into the larval hosts’ body cavity. The venom contains discrete, 300 nm-wide, mixed-strategy extracellular vesicles (MSEVs), until recently referred to as virus-like particles. While the crucial immune suppressive functions of L. heterotoma MSEVs have remained undisputed, their biotic nature and origin still remain controversial. In recent proteomics analyses of L. heterotoma MSEVs, we identified 161 proteins in three classes: conserved eukaryotic proteins, infection and immunity related proteins, and proteins without clear annotation. Here we report 246 additional proteins from the L. heterotoma MSEV proteome. An enrichment analysis of the entire proteome supports vesicular nature of these structures. Sequences for more than 90% of these proteins are present in the whole-body transcriptome. Sequencing and de novo assembly of the 460 Mb-sized L. heterotoma genome revealed 90% of MSEV proteins have coding regions within the genomic scaffolds. Altogether, these results explain the stable association of MSEVs with their wasps, and like other wasp structures, their vertical inheritance. While our results do not rule out a viral origin of MSEVs, they suggest that a similar strategy for co-opting cellular machinery for immune suppression may be shared by other wasps to gain advantage over their hosts. These results are relevant to our understanding of the evolution of figitid and related wasp species.
TM3’seq: A Tagmentation-Mediated 3’ Sequencing Approach for Improving Scalability of RNAseq Experiments
Authors: Pallares Luisa F , Picard Serge , Ayroles Julien F
Published: November 2019

RNA-seq has become the standard tool for collecting genome-wide expression data in diverse fields, from quantitative genetics and medical genomics to ecology and developmental biology. However, RNA-seq library preparation is still prohibitive for many laboratories. Recently, the field of single-cell transcriptomics has reduced costs and increased throughput by adopting early barcoding and pooling of individual samples —producing a single final library containing all samples. In contrast, RNA-seq protocols where each sample is processed individually are significantly more expensive and lower throughput than single-cell approaches. Yet, many projects depend on individual library generation to preserve important samples or for follow-up re-sequencing experiments. Improving on currently available RNA-seq methods we have developed TM3′seq, a 3′-enriched library preparation protocol that uses Tn5 transposase and preserves sample identity at each step. TM3′seq is designed for high-throughput processing of individual samples (96 samples in 6h, with only 3h hands-on time) at a fraction of the cost of commercial kits ($1.5 per sample). The protocol was tested in a range of human and Drosophila melanogaster RNA samples, recovering transcriptomes of the same quality and reliability than the commercial NEBNext kit. We expect that the cost- and time-efficient features of TM3′seq make large-scale RNA-seq experiments more permissive for the entire scientific community.
Investigating teachers’ perceptions of syntactic complexity in L2 academic writing
Authors: Kuiken Folkert , Vedder Ineke
Published: November 2019

This paper aims to investigate how L2 teachers perceive syntactic complexity in L2 writing, and to what extent teachers’ judgements are related to current theoretical views. The main reason for conducting the study is that the majority of studies that have investigated the development of syntactic complexity in L2 have been grounded in hypothesis-testing research; few studies, however, have explored whether teachers’ perspectives on syntactic complexity reflect the development of syntactic complexity as hypothesised in the SLA literature. Two groups of language teachers (eleven of L2-Dutch and sixteen of L2-Italian) were asked to evaluate individually the syntactic complexity of a sample of argumentative texts written by L2 university students of, respectively, Dutch and Italian. In the panel discussion that followed, teachers discussed their motivation behind their assigned scores and the feedback they had proposed. The results revealed that teachers tended to focus primarily on accuracy and comprehensibility. When their comments were concerned with syntactic complexity, both similarities and differences (related to target language and writing context) emerged between Dutch and Italian. Teachers’ reflections appeared to be only partly aligned with existing theoretical views on syntactic complexity.
Beginning L2 complexity development in CLIL and non-CLIL secondary education
Authors: Bulte Bram , Housen Alex
Published: November 2019

The present study analyses the impact of a bilingual Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) programme vis-à-vis a regular monolingual programme on the development of different aspects of L2 learners’ linguistic (syntactic, morphological and lexical) complexity. Five pupils enrolled in a Dutch–English CLIL programme in a secondary school in the Netherlands are compared with five peers following the mainstream programme with English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching. The longitudinal development of these ten pupils’ linguistic complexity in L2-English is investigated by means of six complexity measures calculated for each of eleven writing tasks collected over a period spanning their first nineteen months of secondary education. Linear mixed models are used to estimate the effects of time and programme type on the pupils’ L2 complexity. The results indicate that both groups of learners significantly increase the complexity of their L2 writing over the course of the study. Surprisingly, only limited effects of programme type (CLIL vs non-CLIL) are found, despite considerable differences in the quantity and quality of instructional exposure to the target language, suggesting that for these pupils increased and more varied instructional exposure to the L2 in the CLIL programme did not lead to significantly different L2 productions in terms of linguistic complexity. Several possible explanations for these findings are considered and the implications for CLIL research are discussed.
Effects of task type on morphosyntactic complexity across proficiency
Authors: Michel Marije , Murakami Akira , Alexopoulou Theodora , Meurers Detmar
Published: November 2019

This study investigates the effect of instructional design on (morpho)syntactic complexity in second language (L2) writing development. We operationalised instructional design in terms of task type and empirically based the investigation on a large subcorpus (669,876 writings by 119,960 learners from 128 tasks at all Common European Framework of Reference for Languages levels) of the EF-Cambridge Open Language Database (EFCAMDAT; Geertzen, Alexopoulou and Korhonen 2014). First, the 128 task prompts were manually categorised for task type (e.g. argumentation, description). Next, developmental trajectories of syntactic complexity from A1 to C2 were established using a variety of global (e.g. mean length of clause) and specific (e.g. non-third person singular present tense verbs) measures extracted using natural language processing techniques. The effects of task type were analysed using the categorisation from the first step. Finally, tasks that showed atypical behaviour for a measure given their task type were explored qualitatively. Our results partially confirm earlier experimental and corpus-based studies (e.g. subordination associated with argumentative tasks). Going beyond, our large-scale data-driven analysis made it possible to identify specific measures that were naturally prompted by instructional design (e.g. narrations eliciting wh-phrases). We discuss which measures typically align with certain task types and highlight how instructional design relates to L2 developmental trajectories over time. Winner of the 2021 Best Article Award from the International Association for Task-Based Language Teaching (IATBLT).
Archaeology, Heritage and Performance in the Perth Popular Music Scene
Authors: Winter Sean , Romano B'geella
Published: November 2019

The city of Perth, Western Australia, has a long-running local popular music scene. Music is performed live in pubs and clubs, but it is often only a secondary reason for the running of these venues – consequently, the physical heritage of this music scene is often forgotten, with little memorialisation of the places and people involved in it. Archaeological investigation of one of these longer-running venues – the Fly By Night Club, a music venue from 1986 to 2015 – recovered a range of material culture that largely provides evidence of social encounters within the audience rather than of the many performers who have played at the Fly. The material evidence challenges the notion of modern music as capitalist commodity, including the idea of audiences as passive entities that exist in a subordinate position to performers, who occupy a privileged position within the paradigm of live music. Instead, the audience is shown to have considerable agency in the way it enhances its own enjoyment of live music, and to be an active participant in the social process of live musical performance.
American Afterlives
Authors: Dawdy Shannon Lee
Published: November 2019

In the United States, death practices have been undergoing a rapid transformation in the last 20 years. Moves towards creative, individualized observances are accompanied by new material practices. I deploy ethnographic examples of three entrepreneurs who make objects from cremated human remains. The entities discussed here cannot be comfortably called either human or non-human. They are both. And they are designed to facilitate on ongoing relationship with the dead. These new entities are not exactly commodities, although they may be produced through similar means. Embraced primarily by agnostics, they are not exactly religious relics, although they contain preserved parts of the human body. They come closest to being a personal fetish, or a radically material type of ghost.
Co by było, gdyby… próbowano nie popełniać błędu naturalistycznego?
Authors: Dudek Michał
Published: November 2019

Artykuł omawia możliwe skutki unikania błędu naturalistycznego (BN) w komunikacji międzyludzkiej. Zarysowana jest hipotetyczna rozmowa dwóch podmiotów (X i Y) na temat przedmiotu (α) i sprecyzowane są jej warianty. W 1. wariancie X twierdzi, że α jest dobre, a Y zadaje pytanie, dlaczego jest dobre. X odpowiada, iż α jest dobre, bo jest, np. efektywne ekonomicznie. To można ocenić, zgodnie z podstawowo ujętymi poglądami Moore’a, jako przykład BN. W 2. wariancie X unika odpowiedzi na pytanie Y. X mówi tylko „α jest dobre i tyle!”, co można uznać za nawiązanie do Moore’owskiej kategorii oczywistości samej przez się. Choć X unika BN, to utrudnia rozmowę. Unikać BN można też przez: niezadawanie pytania „dlaczego α jest dobre?” (wariant 3) czy nieużywanie słowa „dobry” (wariant 4). Analiza wszystkich wariantów pokazuje, że unikanie BN może mieć problematyczne skutki z powodu, m.in., powszechnego użycia słowa „dobry” czy częstej potrzeby, by uzasadnić tezy o przysługującej czemuś cesze dobra. Te konsekwencje zdają się być niezależne od samej oceny argumentacji Moore’a o BN, np., kontrowersji, czy BN jest rzeczywistym błędem czy wynikiem przyjętych przez Moore’a założeń o, m.in., definicjach.