bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Survival of the Sweaty Pattern Processors
Authors: Smith Gary , Cordes Jay
Published: October 2020

Pattern recognition prowess served our ancestors well. Today, we are hard-wired to notice patterns, and this innate search for patterns can help us understand our world and make better decisions. However, patterns are not always infallible. Sometimes, they are an illusion (like images of the Virgin Mary on a grilled cheese sandwich). Sometimes, they are a meaningless coincidence whose importance we exaggerate (like giving birth at 7:11 on July 11). Sometimes, they are harmful (like buying lottery tickets based on a serendipitous pattern). We are tossed and turned by a deluge of data. The number of possible patterns that can be identified relative to the number that are genuinely useful has grown exponentially—which means that the chances that a discovered pattern is useful is rapidly approaching zero. We can easily be fooled by phantom patterns.
Duped and Deceived
Authors: Smith Gary , Cordes Jay
Published: October 2020

We are hard-wired to notice, seek, and be influenced by patterns. Sometimes these turn out to be useful; other times, they dupe and deceive us. Our affinity for patterns is powerful—no doubt, aided and abetted by selective recall and confirmation bias. We remember when a pattern persists and confirms our belief, and we forget or explain away times when it doesn’t. We are still under the spell of silly superstitions and captivated by numerical coincidences. We still think that some numbers are lucky, and others unlucky, even though the numbers deemed lucky and unlucky vary from culture to culture. We still think some numbers are special and notice them all around us. We still turn numerical patterns into laws and extrapolate flukes into confident predictions. The allure of patterns is hard to ignore. The temptation is hard to resist.
The Paradox of Big Data
Authors: Smith Gary , Cordes Jay
Published: October 2020

The scientific method tests theories with data. Data mining dispenses with theories and searches through data for patterns, often aided by torturing the data with rearrangements, manipulations, and omissions. It is tempting to believe that big data increases the power of data mining. However, the paradox of big data is that the greater the amount of data we ransack for patterns, the more likely it is that what we find will be worthless or misleading. Reserving some of the data for out-of-sample tests is a good idea. However, data mining with in-sample and out-of-sample data is still data mining, and it is still subject to the same pitfalls. Some nuisance variables are likely to survive both the in-sample and out-of-sample tests, even though they are useless, and some true variables are likely to be overlooked and discarded. Data do not speak for themselves, and up is not always up.
Epilogue All About That Bayes
Authors: Smith Gary , Cordes Jay
Published: October 2020

In the eighteenth century, a Presbyterian minister named Thomas Bayes wrestled with a daunting question—the probability that God exists. Reverend Bayes was not only a minister, he had studied logic and, most likely, mathematics at the University of Edinburgh (Presbyterians were not allowed to attend English universities)....
Catalepton 9 and Valgius Rufus
Authors: Kayachev Boris
Published: October 2020

The chapter explores connections between Catalepton 9, an anonymous elegy from the Appendix Vergiliana, and Valgius Rufus, a poet of the late Republican and early Augustan period, of whose poetic output only a few fragments survive: it is suggested that either Catalepton 9 closely engages with Valgius’ poetry or is possibly a work of his. A date of composition of about 36 BC was tentatively proposed for Catalepton 9 in Kayachev (2016a). In the present chapter, three further lines of argument are developed. First, the Panegyricus Messallae alludes to Catalepton 9 in a context that may imply Valgius’ authorship. Second, a favourable comparison of Messalla with Nestor in Catalepton 9 is related to a Valgius fragment. Third, Catalepton 9 presents itself as a preface poem introducing Latin translations of Messalla’s Greek bucolics. Although none of this amounts to a definitive proof of Valgius’ authorship, the evidence seems to point in that direction.
Article 7 TEU: From ‘Nuclear Option’ to ‘Sisyphean Procedure’?
Authors: Pech Laurent
Published: October 2020

In December 2017, the EU’s Art 7 TEU, often informally but mistakenly referred to as the EU’s ‘nuclear option’, was activated for the very first time by the European Commission in respect of Poland. A few months later, the same provision was activated by the European Parliament in respect of Hungary. In both instances, the Council was asked to determine, in accordance with Art 7(1) TEU, whether Polish and Hungarian authorities were at risk of breaching the EU’s foundational values. This contribution offers a critical assessment of the practical workings of the Art 7(1) procedure, which, not unlike Art 50 TEU, few thought would ever be activated. The underlying thread of this contribution is Professor Sadurski’s seminal contribution ‘Adding a Bite to a Bark’ in which he offered the first comprehensive account of the genesis and assessment of Art 7 TEU.
Trade Finance in the Late Nineteenth Century
Authors: Schiltz Michael
Published: October 2020

Trade finance was revolutionized at several crucial junctures of the late nineteenth century. Before the 1870s, bill business was only loosely monitored, as fluctuations in the gold price of silver were minimal, being kept in check by France’s bimetallism. France’s decision to ration (1873) and later abolish silver monetization altogether (1876) made this practice untenable. This chapter explains that silver fluctuations were behind the contraction of bill business and the fall of several exchange banks. Only in the 1880s could the tide be reversed, mostly thanks to the introduction of the ‘interest bill’. In this chapter, it is furthermore demonstrated that the financialization of bill finance led to a remarkable development in international finance: the birth of so-called ‘carry trades’ between money markets in Europe and the less liquid world periphery.
Conclusion
Authors: Schiltz Michael
Published: October 2020

Although a conclusion is mostly thought of as a recapitulation of findings in the preceding chapters and as an indication of the legitimation with regards to the way in which these findings build on one another, this is not my intention here. Instead, I am inclined to expatiate on what has been an encompassing interest that preoccupied many of the above findings, yet which I was not able to include because of the difficulty of proof. It concerns the question whether the ‘even keel’―a hedging strategy pertaining to the bank branch network level of analysis―can be believed to have been conducive to strengthening trade ties between the gold standard Western countries and the East, either through...
RCTs in Development Economics, Their Critics and Their Evolution
Authors: Ogden Timothy
Published: October 2020

The use of Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) in development economics has attracted a consistent drumbeat of criticism, but relatively little response from so-called randomistas (other than a steadily increasing number of practitioners and papers). This chapter systematizes the critiques and discusses the difficulty in responding directly to them. Following this the chapter applies prominent RCT critic Lant Pritchett’s PDIA framework to illustrate how the RCT movement has been responsive to the critiques if not to the critics through a steady evolution of practice. Finally, the chapter assesses the current state of the RCT movement in terms of impact and productivity.
Japan's Far More Female Future
Authors: Emmott Bill
Published: October 2020

The Japan that the world admired during the 2019 Rugby World Cup is a model of social stability, resilience, and efficiency. But it carries important vulnerabilities, rooted in its ageing demography and a population shrinking by 500,000 a year, made much worse by a declining marriage rate and low fertility, both of which have their source in a combination of growing financial insecurity, severe gender inequality, and poor use of human capital. Over the three decades since its 1990 financial crisis it has seen a deep divide emerge in labour markets both for men and for women between the 60 per cent of ‘regular’ workers who benefit from training and security, and the 40 per cent of ‘non-regular’ workers who have a precarious, untrained, lowly paid existence. To overcome its vulnerabilities will require reforms to improve the use of the country’s superbly educated human capital, by reducing insecurity for both men and women, and by greatly narrowing the gender gap. An opportunity is presenting itself thanks to a big rise in female entry to university education during the 1990s and 2000s and to the emergence of a wide range of role models able to give inspiration and confidence to the next generation. Japan is already becoming a place with more female leaders in politics and even business, but that rise is from a very low base. If that process can be accelerated by both public policy and private action, Japan could achieve much greater social justice and sustainable prosperity in the decades to come.
Creating Art, Interpreting Life
Authors: Emmott Bill
Published: October 2020

The physicality of calligraphy and of orchestral conducting, and the highly personal and individualistic vision of a film director, connect together the centenarian Shinoda Toko, the Russian-music-admiring conductor, Nishimoto Tomomi, and the woman commissioned to make the official film of the 2020 Olympics, Kawase Naomi. Artists have to be rather quirky individuals, ones who see patterns rather than following them, who pursue passions rather than career tracks. As such, art has provided one of the better ways for Japanese women to fulfil their potentials and make their marks.
Social Powers and Mental Relations
Authors: Pelletier Jenny
Published: October 2020

Taking its departure from the current interest in the metaphysics of the social world, this paper argues that lordship or ownership (dominium) on Ockham’s view is a power that is really identical to a person, persons, or collectivity of persons. In this sense, it is not a real entity that adds to Ockham’s famously parsimonious ontology. Rather, lordship is a mental relation connecting certain human beings (‘lords’ or ‘owners’) with certain things (‘property’) that is instituted by the individual intellective and volitional acts performed by members of the past and present community. Lordship is real, however, to the extent that the community authorizes certain members of the community to perform certain acts with respect to certain things. On the reading defended, Ockham’s view is ontologically reductionist but receptive to the shared reality of the social world.
A Design-Driven Epistemology for Organization Design
Authors: Magalhães Rodrigo
Published: October 2020

It is argued that the epistemological foundations of organization design can be built on a dual theoretical base: design-as-practice and design-as-meaning. The first is founded upon practice as part of current sociological theory applied to organizations (Schatzki, 2001; Nicolini, 2012) and the second is based on design theory (Krippendorff, 2006). If designing is defined as ‘to create meaning’ and if the symbolic action of managers plays a central role in the social construction of organizational reality, then meaning becomes a central concern for organization designing. On the other hand, while asserting that practice provides an ontological foundation for the artefacts which constitute the organization’s design, practice theory does not contain the mechanisms of intentionality and direction required by managerial action. The chapter ends with a broad interpretation of Davidson’s (2001) three types of knowledge—subjective, objective, and intersubjective—in terms of three broad groups of meanings found in organizations: managerially generated intended meanings, organizationally generated emergent meanings, and stakeholder generated perceived meanings.
Leaderful Organization Design
Authors: Magalhães Rodrigo
Published: October 2020

This chapter is about the implementation of new or modified organization designs; therefore, it is about organization design leadership. We have opted to use the expression leaderful designing instead of design leadership, thus avoiding the complicated issue of defining and establishing the scope of leadership. Leaderful designing represents an attitude towards the design of organizations, indicating a concern with action, participation, and collective action. It shares the defining features of democratic leadership, understood not in its representative sense but in the sense of distributed leadership. The second most important aspect of leaderful design concerns meaning. Meaning is constantly created, communicated, and changed in organizations; and all participants play a role in articulating the meaning(s) of what their group members need to accomplish their tasks, however the primary meaning-makers are the managers. Managers play a crucial role in extracting or providing cues that guide behaviour and transmit cultural norms to group members.
A Counterfactual Analysis of Causation
Authors: Noordhof Paul
Published: October 2020

A counterfactual analysis of causation is developed by distinctive notion of chance-raising characterized by probabilistic Σ‎-dependence, when a causal chain is complete appealing to chance-raising at a time just before the time of the effect, and a requirement that the causal chain is made up of actual events to avoid the standard problems with conditional analyses, due to potential changes in the circumstances when the antecedents are true. Although the development takes the form of a consideration of difficult cases of causation (especially probabilistic cases of pre-emption), the resulting idea has independent motivation and simplicity. It is that causes of a target event are those which (independently of its competitors) both make the mean chance of an effect very much greater than its mean background chance, and actually influence the probability of the effect in this way, at the time at which the effect occurred via a complete causal chain.
The Glossary
Authors: Massey Drew
Published: October 2020

This chapter considers Adès’s compositional priorities by exploring his works which respond to complete, pre-existing musical pieces. I refer to these efforts collectively as Adès’s glossary. These glosses refract an existing piece through the lens of his own aesthetic, and also constitute a kind of commentary on practices through which composers have historically recruited music of the past into their work. Moreover, Adès’s engagements with composers ranging from Dowland to Nancarrow can be grouped according to a few overarching goals. Some of his glosses seek to comment or clarify on the harmonic or structural features of a piece; others focus on questions of performativity. In the case of his reconfiguration of his own music, Adès engages in a process of intensification of the source material, resulting in self-borrowings which distill the sometimes uncanny—or even disturbing—qualities present in the originals.
WILLIAM ALWYN (1905–1985)Mirages (1970)
Authors: Manning Jane
Published: October 2020

This chapter looks at William Alwyn’s cycle Mirages. It argues that Alwyn’s concert music should not be overlooked in light of his prolific career. After all, almost every one of the six settings of this cycle is a tour de force for both singer and pianist. Substantial opening and closing movements frame briefer, contrasting songs. The piece suits a dramatic voice capable of a wide range of timbres, and with fine control of vibrato and dynamics. A compelling stage presence will become vital in the performance of this piece. The chapter shows how this musical style is a modernist ‘take’ on romanticism, with standard notation employed. Furthermore, Alwyn used a personal compositional discipline as an alternative to twelve-tone serialism, and was not averse to dissonance.
DANIEL ASIA (b. 1953)Pines Songs (c.1984)
Authors: Manning Jane
Published: October 2020

This chapter examines Pines Songs by Daniel Asia. It explores how Asia’s music is intrinsically American in flavour, displaying striking individuality and sureness of touch. With winning fluency, his work references a kaleidoscopic mix of styles with strong jazz overtones. Here, the mordantly pithy poems are complemented by elaborate piano writing, with lengthy solo passages that illustrate and amplify the poems’ imagery. Words are set in a highly personal way and rhythms are always lively. The composer often embellishes and extends phrases with melismas and hummed musings. Satisfyingly expansive lines use the voice's full capacity, and intricate details never impede the music’s natural flow.
ALISON BAULD (b. 1944)Banquo’s Buried (1982)
Authors: Manning Jane
Published: October 2020

This chapter discusses the first of a trilogy of solo scenas from Shakespeare. Although the music may appear simple on the page, it is highly disciplined, and conceived with a clear idea of its desired interpretation. Bauld likes, where possible, to adapt and fine-tune details when working with performers, to make sure that any ambiguities of notation (often to do with variations of pitched speech) can be clarified. This is very much performers’ music, as it feels immediate and vital. Her love of Shakespeare is furthermore central to her art, and her sense of the timing of declamatory verse is acute, responding to the myriad possibilities of verbal inflections. She employs conventional notation in the main, but occasionally dispenses with time signatures for passages of rapid speech or whispering.
JOHN BECKWITH (b. 1927)Five Lyrics of the T’ang Dynasty (1947)
Authors: Manning Jane
Published: October 2020

This chapter discusses a brief early cycle by a distinguished senior Canadian composer, John Beckwith. The texts of its five parts are written by three different authors: Li Po, Wang-Wei, and Li Shang-Yin. The chapter considers this piece to be especially suitable for young singers, as it can give them every chance to shine. In addition, the poems’ delicate economy is mirrored in music which is direct in appeal, becoming fresh and natural. A subtly ‘oriental’ flavour is evoked by means of simple modality in the musical themes. The chapter describes how this piece can almost sing itself, since voice and piano writing is entirely idiomatic, and the modest proportions and range are not at all taxing.
JUDITH BINGHAM (b. 1952)The Cathedral of Trees (1998)
Authors: Manning Jane
Published: October 2020

This chapter takes a look at The Cathedral of Trees, by singer-composer Judith Bingham. Cathedral is a solo song which exhibits similar mastery and an innate understanding of how the voice works. It comprises an attractive mix of vocal tasks that are much easier to execute than they may appear. Everything lies comfortably and there is an enjoyable joie de vivre in the melismas, trills, and especially the rotating repeated arpeggios that swoop up and down over a wide span. These give the singer a chance to develop a keen sense of tonality from the outset and to attain familiarity with recurring pitches. The piece moreover successfully preserves a sense of rhythmic momentum, but the composer exhorts a flexible approach (‘fluid and variable’) that obeys the natural swing of the music and avoids rigidity.
DAVID BLAKE (b. 1936)Beata L’Alma (1966)
Authors: Manning Jane
Published: October 2020

This chapter discusses the Beata L’Alma, a short but compelling cantata by David Blake. This is a piece that adheres strictly to the discipline of twelve-tone composition, yet manages to create within it an infinite variety of brilliantly intricate and satisfying writing for both voice and piano. Though the idiom may seem challenging at first, it eventually brings the rewards of enhanced technical prowess and an improved level of musicianship. An excitingly elaborate piano part reflects the fact that the composer is an excellent pianist. In addition, there is much scope for creating a variety of imaginative vocal timbres, and passages of dramatic tension are contrasted by lyrical phrases that use the voice's fullest range. The work is through-composed in one long span, and a piano solo divides the text's two stanzas. Standard notation is mostly used (without key signatures).
JOHN CAGE (1912–1992)The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs / A Flower (1942/1950)
Authors: Manning Jane
Published: October 2020

This chapter examines two contemporary classics by John Cage—The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs and A Flower. The songs are most attractive to an audience, and can provide a bracing contrast to more conventional recital pieces. The chapter shows that Widow is not at all as simple as it appears, as it is a rare test of artistic empathy and integrity, which avoids any declamatory or overtly emotional projection. Meanwhile, the unaffected charm and deft judgement displayed in the detail of A Flower demonstrates the composer at his most sensitive and insightful. Such quiet pieces can establish a thoughtful, hypnotic concentration, and can moreover provide a welcome contrast to more obviously histrionic vocal works.
DONALD CROCKETT (b. 1951)The Pensive Traveller (1981)
Authors: Manning Jane
Published: October 2020

This chapter studies Donald Crockett’s The Pensive Traveller. It shows how the music's appearance immediately draws one in: the score is immaculate, and concise instructions and information demonstrate a keen awareness of the practicalities of performance. An ideal choice for a young or relatively inexperienced singer, it employs admirably simple means to convey a welter of moods and emotions in a refreshing amalgam of chromatic and minimalist idioms. The economy of the writing is also remarkable: the vocal range is deliberately restricted, and melodic figures and pitches are frequently repeated. The fourth and sixth songs allow the singer greater freedom, however, and use contemporary notational devices to dramatic effect. This is a ‘performer-friendly’ piece that will make a gratifyingly spectacular effect without stretching the singer's resources unduly.
ELENA FIRSOVA (b. 1950)Two Sonnets of Shakespeare (1981)
Authors: Manning Jane
Published: October 2020

This chapter explores Elena Firsova’s Two Sonnets of Shakespeare. This piece was originally written for organ, as shown by some lengthy sustained chords, but the piano part is all the better for being sparely scored, as this ensures clarity. Word-setting may occasionally seem a little idiosyncratic—syllables sometimes go by rather fast to English ears accustomed to the more traditional pace of Shakespearean delivery, but there is otherwise an attractive feeling of spaciousness, allowing the voice to feel open and free. Pliant rhythms and irregular beats preserve a winning fluidity. The work's highest note—a long high C at the end of the first song—can be somewhat daunting for less experienced artists (a lower ossia is offered).
NICOLA LEFANU (b. 1947)But Stars Remaining (1970)
Authors: Manning Jane
Published: October 2020

This chapter discusses a very early work by Nicola Lefanu, But Stars Remaining. This song highlights the composer’s flair and professionalism, revealing a keen awareness of practical issues and of the concerns of the performer. The piece has clear notation, with careful attention to detailed interpretative niceties. Although written originally for soprano, the work could also suit a flexible tenor. The composer envisages it being sung spontaneously, as from a high rock, with echoes reverberating, so there are plenty of gaps in the music to allow for spatial resonance. There are a good many innovative vocal devices and gestures for the singer to get used to, and the composer has annotated these meticulously. Conventional notation is mostly employed, apart from a few freer passages, where note-stems are absent.
ANTHONY PAYNE (b. 1936)Evening Land (1981)
Authors: Manning Jane
Published: October 2020

This chapter considers Anthony Payne's first work for voice and piano—Evening Land. Here, the composer's characteristic language blends elements of the Second Viennese School with echoes of English Romantics, reflecting a deep affinity and extensive knowledge of both. The piece carries a strong and immediate appeal for the listener. It cannot fail to hold attention, especially since words are set so as to be clearly heard. Moreover, the audience can follow the poet's spiritual journey as it unfolds through a succession of nine songs, which are joined in a single span. Poetic and musical images depict the changing seasons, as the young ‘narrator’ recounts his gathering awareness of the vastness of the universe, and realizes he is ‘no longer a child’.
TOBIAS PICKER (b. 1954)The Rain in the Trees (1993)
Authors: Manning Jane
Published: October 2020

This chapter considers a short cycle by Tobias Picker. Each of the four songs are quite varied, ensuring that the singer will need to have a broad range and much agility as well as stamina. These poems are a very far cry from the usual ‘pastoral’, idealized images of nature most commonly found, especially in English music of an earlier period. Picker’s settings expand, enrich, and embellish the verses with substantial piano solos and motivic repetitions. The first two songs reflect on alienation and the failure to communicate. In the third movement, insects are viewed from a novel perspective, with something like rueful affection, as guardians of ecological stability. The last piece is concerned with memory and the passage of time. Indeed, all the poems seem tinged with frustration and regret, at dreams left unfulfilled and opportunities missed.
ANDRÉ PREVIN (1929–2019)Five Songs (1978)
Authors: Manning Jane
Published: October 2020

This chapter discusses a set of fluent, pleasing songs by the internationally-celebrated conductor and composer, André Previn, in which he demonstrates his innate flair and natural feeling for vocal timbre. Like other American composers, he possesses the knack of setting English texts in a smooth, unforced way; phrases follow the natural contours of the texts and are largely undemanding. The songs are therefore suitable for a comparative novice. Accompaniments, too, are sensitive and well judged. The musical idiom is appealingly straightforward, with a gently shifting tonality. In these songs, Previn has successfully applied his distinctive gifts to the traditional ‘art-song’ repertoire, investing it with his highly individual musical sensibility and panache.
ROGER SESSIONS (1896–1985)On the Beach at Fontana (1929)
Authors: Manning Jane
Published: October 2020

This chapter discusses a brief but intricate song by Roger Sessions. Sessions is recognized as one of the most cosmopolitan and influential of senior American composers, and this is the sole example of his writing for voice and piano. The piece seems especially suited to a tenor, since there is some concentration around the register break area near the top of the stave. It is certainly not the easiest of songs to sing, but its originality and powerful atmosphere are memorable, and are sure to repay the effort necessary to make it flow smoothly. Furthermore, subtlety of rhythm is the work’s hallmark. Interplay between simple and compound note groupings within a basic 6/8 metre creates a nervous energy and a febrile ebb and flow that fits the text perfectly.
MALCOLM SINGER (b. 1953)i am a little church (1976)
Authors: Manning Jane
Published: October 2020

This chapter discusses minimalism through the work of Malcolm Singer. Here he manipulates his numerically based systems with expertise and elan. The quirky originality and innately musical rhythms of e. e. cummings’s poetry is captured quite beautifully. The work’s tessitura is not high, but dynamics are often very light, hence the stipulation (on the score) for soprano. Absolute clarity and precision are essential, and there is no room whatever for rhythmic hesitancy or insecurity. Highly repetitive phrases in a similar pitch area (especially around E at the top of the stave) can become quite tiring vocally, and there is a real danger of seizing up through neglecting to relax throat, neck, and jaw muscles when preoccupied with counting tricky rhythms.
NARESH SOHAL (1939–2018)Poems of Tagore I (1970)
Authors: Manning Jane
Published: October 2020

This chapter introduces a scena composed by Naresh Sohal, which is based on the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore. This piece exerts a powerful appeal, with its arresting blend of Eastern and Western idioms. The vocal writing is clearly influenced by Indian music, and this means that the full vibrato of much Western singing should be kept firmly in check. Maintaining a forward-placed, clear tone on sustained low notes requires control. In general, vocal lines lie very well. The overall mood is gentle, and the pacing steady, apart from sudden outbursts of passion. In stark contrast to most of the vocal lines, these instances call for an exaggerated vibrato.
Comparing Pantheons
Authors: Rutherford Ian
Published: October 2020

The Greeks associated a number of their deities with Anatolia, and there are many general resemblances between the two pantheons, and some types of deity seem to be common to both – e.g. fate goddesses, goddesses of springs. However, there are very few Greek theonyms which have close Hittite parallels, and examination of the evidence leads to the conclusion that there was no significant Hittite influence on the Greek pantheon, which is surprising, given that there was contact between Hittites and Greeks. Perhaps any interaction there was with Anatolia was with the West, i.e. Arzawa and earlier Assuwa, about whose religious traditions we are less well informed.
Animal Sacrifice
Authors: Rutherford Ian
Published: October 2020

This chapter looks at animal sacrifice in the two cultures. In Greece, animal sacrifice is often presented as the single most important religious ritual and an action of great political symbolism, which can define a social group. In Hittite Anatolia, animal sacrifice was regarded as one of three types of offering, alongside libation and bread, the latter being less stressed in Greece; and there is much less emphasis on social significance, though there is some. Hittite texts are unusual in the detail with which they describe animal sacrifice, and this gives us lots of opportunities to compare and contrast it with Greek practice. Some things seem very similar, such as the distinction between modes of offering aimed at upper and lower deities. But there are also differences; for example, the form of offering with the highest prestige is not aninaml sacrifice at all, but ‘god drinking’, a form of libation in which the participants imbibed the spirit of the deity by drinking from a vessel that was supposed in some way to embody him.
Science, Love, and Anaconda Research
Authors: Rivas Jesús A.
Published: October 2020

This introductory chapter provides an overview of anaconda research. It describes the author’s experience growing up as a herpetologist in Venezuela, which has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is the large number and ubiquity of snakes. The disadvantages are the lack of guidance and lack of opportunities to learn. After the discovery of an illegal trade of anacondas throughout the continent, the author decided to advocate for anacondas, using a grant from the Convention for the International Trade of Endangered Species to study the most fascinating snake in the world. The chapter differentiates between two kinds of biologists: hypothesis-driven ones and organism-driven ones. Hypothesis-driven biologists seek an organism that fits their question, but organism-driven biologists find the organism they love and let the organism indicate what has to be studied about it.
How Big Can a Giant Be?
Authors: Rivas Jesús A.
Published: October 2020

This chapter determines the maximum size that anacondas can reach, which has been the subject of long-standing debate among herpetologists. There are many accounts of snakes around 9 to 11 meters (29.5 to 36 feet). A lot of the controversy concerns the credibility of the records, the confusion created by the fact that the skins stretch when the snakes are skinned, and the use of estimates or unreliable methods of measurement. The largest snake that the author has caught, out of nearly 1,000 animals, was only a little more than 5 meters (16.4 feet) long. What is the reason for such a difference? Due to their slow growth rate, anacondas require a long time to reach a large size. The author’s study area is a cattle ranch where the protection of wildlife is a relatively recent practice. Presumably, the really large animals might have been killed off earlier and the animals that exist now in the areas where the author studied might not have had enough time to grow to really large sizes. However, this is not all that there is to it. The chapter then considers the constraints of large body size in anacondas, especially female ones. It also describes the discovery of the fossilized remains of a snake of formidable proportions in eastern Colombia, Titanoboa cerrejonensis, and makes predictions about its size and natural history.
“Hey, It’s Me, It’s Me!” Courtship and Confusion in the Male Reproductive Strategy
Authors: Rivas Jesús A.
Published: October 2020

This chapter addresses why male anacondas are so much smaller than females. There are a number of advantages for animals to be small. Small animals have lower metabolic costs since they need to maintain only a small body that requires less food. Animals that need less food have potentially higher survival than those that have a large body to maintain. This is particularly important in droughts or times of food shortages. A small body is also an asset because it lowers the cost of locomotion. Hauling around a large body incurs larger energetic expenditures than if the body is small. This is particularly important for males that move much more than females in the mating season to track receptive females for mating. Being small also offers other benefits, such as being inconspicuous, not being a very coveted meal, and hiding easily from potential predators. Of course, there are also some disadvantages of being small. Small animals cannot fight off predators as well as large ones and are limited by their gape to what kind of prey they can eat. Furthermore, larger males may produce more sperm, which would give them an advantage in siring more offspring, particularly in those cases where the female mates with several males.
Headache Characteristics and Psychological Factors Associated with Functional Impairment in Individuals with Persistent Posttraumatic Headache
Authors: Peña Austin , Dumkrieger Gina , Berisha Visar , Ross Katherine , Chong Catherine D , Schwedt Todd J
Published: October 2020

Objective

Persistent posttraumatic headache (PPTH), one of the most common symptoms following mild traumatic brain injury, is often associated with substantial functional disability. The objective of this study was to assess the contribution of demographics, headache characteristics, and psychological symptoms to disability associated with PPTH.

Methods

Participants completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), and the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire. Two linear regression models were formulated to interrogate the relationships between 1) demographics and headache characteristics with the MIDAS questionnaire and 2) demographics, headache characteristics, and psychological symptoms with the MIDAS questionnaire. A two-way stepwise regression using the Akaike information criterion was performed to find a parsimonious model describing the relationships between demographics, headache characteristics, and psychological measures with the MIDAS questionnaire.

Results

Participants included 58 patients with PPTH and 39 healthy controls (HCs). The median MIDAS score among those with PPTH was 48.0 (first quartile [1Q] = 20.0, third quartile [3Q] = 92.0), indicative of severe disability. Compared with the HCs, those with PPTH had higher scores on the BDI, STAI, and PCS. Older age predicted lower MIDAS scores (age: B=–0.11, P<0.01), whereas higher headache frequency, greater headache intensity, and higher trait anxiety scores predicted higher MIDAS scores in individuals with PPTH (headache frequency: B=0.07, P<0.001; headache intensity: B=0.51, P=0.04; trait anxiety score: B=1.11, P=0.01).

Conclusions

Individuals with PPTH had substantial psychological symptoms and headache-related disability. Disability was partially explained by age, headache frequency and intensity, and trait anxiety. Holistic management of patients with PPTH to address headaches and psychological symptoms might reduce headache-associated disability.
A clinical prediction model for estimating the risk of developing uveitis in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Authors: van Straalen Joeri W , Giancane Gabriella , Amazrhar Yasmine , Tzaribachev Nikolay , Lazar Calin , Uziel Yosef , Telcharova-Mihaylovska Albena , Len Claudio A , Miniaci Angela , Boteanu Alina L , Filocamo Giovanni , Mastri Mariel V , Arkachaisri Thaschawee , Magnolia Maria G , Hoppenreijs Esther , de Roock Sytze , Wulffraat Nico M , Ruperto Nicolino , Swart Joost F ,   for the Paediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organisation (PRINTO)
Published: October 2020

Objective

To build a prediction model for uveitis in children with JIA for use in current clinical practice.

Methods

Data from the international observational Pharmachild registry were used. Adjusted risk factors as well as predictors for JIA-associated uveitis (JIA-U) were determined using multivariable logistic regression models. The prediction model was selected based on the Akaike information criterion. Bootstrap resampling was used to adjust the final prediction model for optimism.

Results

JIA-U occurred in 1102 of 5529 JIA patients (19.9%). The majority of patients that developed JIA-U were female (74.1%), ANA positive (66.0%) and had oligoarthritis (59.9%). JIA-U was rarely seen in patients with systemic arthritis (0.5%) and RF positive polyarthritis (0.2%). Independent risk factors for JIA-U were ANA positivity [odds ratio (OR): 1.88 (95% CI: 1.54, 2.30)] and HLA-B27 positivity [OR: 1.48 (95% CI: 1.12, 1.95)] while older age at JIA onset was an independent protective factor [OR: 0.84 (9%% CI: 0.81, 0.87)]. On multivariable analysis, the combination of age at JIA onset [OR: 0.84 (95% CI: 0.82, 0.86)], JIA category and ANA positivity [OR: 2.02 (95% CI: 1.73, 2.36)] had the highest discriminative power among the prediction models considered (optimism-adjusted area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.75).

Conclusion

We developed an easy to read model for individual patients with JIA to inform patients/parents on the probability of developing uveitis.
Interpersonal similarity of autistic traits predicts friendship quality
Authors: Bolis Dimitris , Lahnakoski Juha M , Seidel Daniela , Tamm Jeanette , Schilbach Leonhard
Published: October 2020

Autistic traits are known to be associated with social interaction difficulties. Yet, somewhat paradoxically, relevant research has been typically restricted to studying individuals. In line with the ‘dialectical misattunement hypothesis’ and clinical insights of intact social interactions among autistic individuals, we hypothesized that friendship quality varies as a function of interpersonal similarity and more concretely the difference value of autistic traits in a dyad, above and beyond autistic traits per se. Therefore, in this study, we used self-report questionnaires to investigate these measures in a sample of 67 neurotypical dyads across a broad range of autistic traits. Our results demonstrate that the more similar two persons are in autistic traits, the higher is the perceived quality of their friendship, irrespective of friendship duration, age, sex and, importantly, the (average of) autistic traits in a given dyad. More specifically, higher interpersonal similarity of autistic traits was associated with higher measures of closeness, acceptance and help. These results, therefore, lend support to the idea of an interactive turn in the study of social abilities across the autism spectrum and pave the way for future studies on the multiscale dynamics of social interactions.
Making an exception: the general superintendence of all charitable uses1
Authors: Fowles Jonathan
Published: October 2020

The Supreme Court’s endorsement in Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) (UK) v Attorney-General2 of the exceptional, public nature of charities had a proper place in its reasoning that members of charitable companies owe fiduciary duties. However, while it was unsatisfactory for the majority to insist the case could be brought within an orthodox application of the “non-intervention” principle, Lady Arden JSC’s more persuasive approach, which the majority were content to accept as an alternative, took charitable exceptionalism too far. This analysis ought not and need not have led the court to invoke the court’s special jurisdiction over charities.
Detection and Molecular Characterization of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ and Citrus Tristeza Virus Associated with Citrus Decline in Bhutan
Authors: Ghosh Dilip Kumar , Kokane Amol D. , Kokane Sunil B. , Tenzin Jigme , Gubyad Mrugendra G. , Wangdi Phuntsho , Murkute Ashutosh A. , Sharma Ashwani Kumar , Gowda Siddarame
Published: October 2020

Citrus, mainly mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco), is an economically important fruit crop in Bhutan. Despite having favorable agroclimatic conditions for citrus cultivation, the early decline of fruit-bearing orchards coupled with low crop productivity is a major concern among citrus growers. During a recent survey, an association of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (citrus greening) and citrus tristeza virus (CTV), either singly or as mixed infections in declined citrus trees, was recorded in all four major citrus-growing districts (Tsirang, Dagana, Zhemgang, and Sarpang). Using PCR-based diagnosis, a higher incidence of citrus greening (27.45%) and tristeza (70.58%) was observed in symptomatic field samples. Detection and characterization of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ was performed based on the 16S ribosomal DNA, prophage gene, 50S ribosomal rplA-rplJ gene, and tandem repeats of the CLIBASIA_01645 locus. Similarly, the coat protein, p23, and p18 genes were used as genetic markers for the detection and characterization of Bhutanese CTV. The ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ isolates from Bhutan segregated into classes II and III based on the CLIBASIA_01645 locus, analogous to Indian isolates from the northeast region and Term-A based on the CLIBASIA_05610 locus. CTV isolates of Bhutan were observed as closely related to the VT strain, which is considered to be the most devastating. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on molecular characterization of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ and CTV isolates and their association with citrus decline in Bhutan.
Early clinical suspicion and treatment in a patient with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis
Authors: Gulley L. Ruthie , Maday Kristopher R.
Published: October 2020

Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis is a complicated disease associated with paraneoplastic syndromes and autoimmune conditions. This case report highlights the importance of early identification and reviews the common clinical manifestations, diagnostic studies, and treatment modalities for this potentially catastrophic disease.
The high-risk patient for ambulatory surgery
Authors: Rajan Niraja
Published: October 2020

Purpose of review

This article describes the processes for identifying high-risk patients at the time of ambulatory procedure scheduling, enabling the implementation of multidisciplinary collaborative pathways for prehabilitation and optimization, allowing for risk mitigation and improvement in outcomes. This review is particularly relevant because of the current proliferation of ambulatory surgery with more complex procedures being performed on an outpatient basis on patients who may be American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status 3 or greater.

Recent findings

Increased longevity and rising prevalence of obesity have resulted in patients with a wide variety of comorbidities presenting for complex ambulatory procedures with the expectation of rapid recovery and same-day discharge to home. Recent literature highlights the importance of patient preparation, value-based healthcare, patient outcomes, and the role of anesthesiologists as perioperative physicians.

The focus of this article is on general principles and establishment of best practices based on current evidence and a brief description of anesthetic management of specific comorbidities. This review will provide guidance to the practicing anesthesiologist on identifying, stratifying, optimizing, and managing high-risk patients in the ambulatory setting.
Anesthetic considerations in medical cannabis patients
Authors: Davidson Elyad M. , Raz Noa , Eyal Aharon M.
Published: October 2020

Purpose of review

Growing numbers of patients, consuming cannabinoids admitted to surgery, create a challenge to anesthesia providers. This review provides a summary of recent literature related to cannabis and anesthesia, with specific recommendations to the anesthetic management of medical cannabis consumers.

Recent findings

At present, cannabis has found its way to public consensus in many countries and is penetrating slower to different medical fields. We relate and discuss recent findings investigating effects of cannabis consumption on the various aspects including perioperative measures, post-operative pain, PONV, cardiovascular stability, and anesthesia monitoring.

Recent surveys estimate that 10–20% of adult populations have consumed cannabis in the past year. Medical cannabis consumers are a newer group of cannabis users. Anesthesia providers have to update their knowledge on cannabis and possible anesthetic interaction. It is unreasonable to make recommendations that apply to the whole heterogeneous group of cannabis users, but is easier with the more homogenous group of Medical cannabis users, characterized by frequent use and relatively high cannabis doses, combined with good knowledge of administered composition and protocol, as well as adverse and withdrawal effects. Anesthesia providers have to know the effects and modify anesthetic plan accordingly. We provide perioperative anesthetic recommendations related to medical cannabis consumers. Collecting information of the effects of medical cannabis use in perioperative setting will further create a highly useful database for anesthetics in the close future.
Automation failures and patient safety
Authors: Ruskin Keith J. , Ruskin Anna Clebone , O’Connor Michael
Published: October 2020

Purpose of review

The goal of automation is to decrease the anesthesiologist's workload and to decrease the possibility of human error. Automated systems introduce problems of its own, however, including loss of situation awareness, leaving the physician out of the loop, and training physicians how to monitor autonomous systems. This review will discuss the growing role of automated systems in healthcare and describe two types of automation failures.

Recent findings

An automation surprise occurs when an automated system takes an action that is unexpected by the user. Mode confusion occurs when the operator does not understand what an automated system is programmed to do and may prevent the clinician from fully understanding what the device is doing during a critical event. Both types of automation failures can decrease a clinician's trust in the system. They may also prevent a clinician from regaining control of a failed system (e.g., a ventilator that is no longer working) during a critical event.

Clinicians should receive generalized training on how to manage automation and should also be required to demonstrate competency before using medical equipment that employs automation, including electronic health records, infusion pumps, and ventilators.