bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," canonicity, and audience participation
Authors: Florschuetz Angela L.
Published: September 2019

One of the pervading threads in fandom studies is the metadiscursive tendency within fan works through which audience members engage with media in creative ways that frequently challenge the limited scope of the available canon. However, the challenge presented by active audiences whose desire to interpret and transform texts to accommodate their own desires is not a creation of the internet age, and the struggle over figurative ownership of genres, texts, and characters is a recurrent theme in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. This romance explores the tensions arising from audience investment and participation in a canon that they demand suit their social, political, and emotional ends. Throughout the text, the romance pits Gawain against his canonical textual exploits, the romances read in both courts, and even the narrator's (and by extension the audience's) own heroic and epic expectations. Itself a text working within an existing corpus and reliant on audience familiarity with Arthurian canon for much of its humor and logic, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight highlights a familiar struggle over canonicity and legitimacy, suggesting the potential for interpretive frames arising from fandom studies to illuminate texts often excluded from its purview.
Animal fans: Toward a multispecies fan studies
Authors: Harrington C. Lee
Published: September 2019

In an exploration of the potential for (and implications of) animal fans—not human fans of animals but nonhuman animals as fans—situated in ongoing debates about the personhood of nonhuman species, I suggest ways that the animal turn taking place in the humanities and social sciences might affect fan studies. I focus on four characteristics associated with both human fans and nonhuman animals: culture, emotionality, sociality, and capacity for creative play.
Gendered Fairy Tale Heroics: Ginny Weasley in The Source
Authors: Sapuridis Effie
Published: September 2019

The Harry Potter fan fiction "The Source," by Luckyducky7, centers on Ginny Weasley. This fan fic attempts to carve out a narrative for Ginny Weasley that allows her to be a heroine. This close reading of "The Source" attempts to highlight how it succeeds and how it fails in completing this task.
"Chinese stardom in participatory cyberculture," by Dorothy Wai Sim Lau
Authors: Promkhuntong Wikanda
Published: September 2019

Review of Dorothy Wai Sim Lau. Chinese stardom in participatory cyberculture. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2018, hardback, £75 (224p)  ISBN 978-1474430333.
In defense of revision
Authors: Editor TWC
Published: September 2019

Editorial for Transformative Works and Cultures, no. 30 (September 15, 2019).
Technomedia
Authors: Petiau Anne
Published: September 2019

Analyse à la fois rigoureuse et nuancée, ce livre replace la Tecktonik et les danses électro dans l'univers des cultures jeunes et révèle les attentes de la jeunesse dans une société médiatique.L'été 2007, la Tecktonik a provoqué un véritable effet de mode auprès des adolescents et préadolescents. Des jeunes danseurs aux vêtements colorés et aux coiffures stylisées déferlent sur les écrans de télévision, les radios et les magazines, dansent dans les rues, les discothèques et les cours de collège. Mais les danses électro, toujours existantes à l'heure actuelle, se développaient en réalité depuis plusieurs années dans les discothèques et sur Internet, au travers des blogs et des réseaux sociaux.Cette enquête décrypte l'impact des industries culturelles et médiatiques aujourd'hui, tout en montrant le rôle de la créativité des jeunes, de leurs pratiques amateurs et des espaces qu'ils créent sur Internet. L'arrivée du web 2.0, des blogs et messageries instantanées dans les pratiques, la conquête d'une autonomie culturelle par les préadolescents, les nouvelles modalités de mise en scène et de construction identitaire à l'heure d'Internet, les processus de starification, sont autant de phénomènes passés au crible de l'analyse.Une plongée au cœur d'un phénomène juvénile qui, en associant étroitement pratiques numériques et pratiques musicales, manifeste de grandes tendances de la culture contemporaine.
Le Monde du rock
Authors: Hein Fabien
Published: September 2019

Exception faite de quelques rares travaux, le monde du rock a souvent été observé à distance. Le phénomène de masse a prévalu sur la pratique concrète. Cet ouvrage vise à inverser cette tendance.À cette fin, il propose de s'intéresser à la réalité concrète de la pratique rock à partir d'un important travail d'ethnographie sociologique. Cette réalité se compose d'un mix hétéroclite d'acteurs, d'objets et de dispositifs. C'est la raison pour laquelle cette enquête de terrain s'emploie à dresser la morphologie d'une multiplicité d'objets produits par le monde du rock (instruments, disques, flyers, fanzines, etc.), à éclairer le fonctionnement et l'équipement d'un ensemble de lieux (locaux de répétition, salles de concerts, magasins de disques, studios d'enregistrement, etc.), à présenter la genèse et la fonction de certains dispositifs (répétition, concerts, politiques culturelles, programmes de soutien, circuits de distribution des œuvres, etc.) et à recueillir le discours des acteurs (musiciens, disquaires, organisateurs de concerts, rédacteurs de fanzines, label managers, amateurs, etc.).À partir de quoi, la combinaison des données obtenues permettra de rendre compte du fonctionnement du monde du rock, dans sa double dimension d'expérience individuelle et collective.
Hard rock, heavy metal, metal
Authors: Hein Fabien
Published: September 2019

Le terme générique metal est le fruit d'une histoire musicale née il y a plus d'une trentaine d'années. Il désigne une multitude de genres et de sous genres musicaux issus de l'appariement du hard rock et du heavy metal et résulte d'une agrégation sémantique consécutive de l'érosion et de l'interpénétration de ces termes au cours des années 80. Leurs modèles canoniques, respectivement représentés par les groupes Led Zeppelin et Black Sabbath. se sont progressivement dilués sous l'effet d'une filiation particulièrement effervescente et féconde : black, thrash, doom, progressive, crossover, death, hardcore, gothic, sludge, néo, etc.Ce livre retrace tout d'abord l'histoire de cette multitude de genres. Il présente ensuite une vision élargie de son environnement culturel ou l'on voit se dessiner une pluralité de rapports d'influence avec d'autres disciplines artistiques telles que la littérature, le cinéma, la bande dessinée, la photographie ou l'art graphique. Si un certain nombre d'éléments permettent de penser que le metal tend à se démocratiser et à être reconnu pour sa valeur artistique et culturelle, il n'en est pas moins l'objet d'un certain nombre de critiques, résultant de représentations sociales quelquefois très négatives. Lui est ainsi reproché d'avoir des propensions au machisme, à la violence, au satanisme, à inciter au suicide ou encore de nourrir des accointances avec l'extrême droite. Fondés ou non, ces griefs et leurs conséquences seront analysés et discutés.Après ce tour d'horizon, l'auteur propose de recentrer le regard sur la manière dont la France a été traversée par ce phénomène. L'occasion d'aborder la constitution du monde du metal français à travers ses groupes, ses labels, ses concerts et festivals ou ses médias spécialisés. L'observation s'affinera encore davantage par la description des conditions de la pratique d'un échantillon d'amateurs de metal. Une démarche permettant de mettre en lumière l'attachement individuel ou collectif au metal, tout en dégageant les implications artistiques, économiques, affectives ou sociales qui leur sont indissociables. En situant ses analyses tour à tour à un niveau international, national, puis local, cet ouvrage dresse concrètement le premier portrait sociologique du monde du metal hexagonal.
Chapitre I. Apamè. Une reine au cœur de la construction d’un royaume
Authors: Widmer Marie
Published: September 2019

In this paper we discuss Apama’s involvement in the Seleucid power structure. To carry out this project, we rely on two sources of knowledge : the cities named after the queen and an honorific decree of Miletus dated to 299 BCE. The study of these varied informations reveals the mise-en-scène of Apama after the battle of Ipsos (301 BCE). The emphasis on the queen’s activity at this precise moment of History – though she seems to have been active before 299 BCE – and Apama’s inclusion into the ideologic project of the Tetrapolis (ca. 300 BCE) show how important it was to publicize the influence of the queen. Indeed, at the same time, Seleucos – her husband – allies with the Antigonids and marries (300-297 BCE) Stratonike, Demetrios’ daughter. In this context, it is necessary to secure the primacy of Apama in order to prepare and to guarantee Antiochos’ (her son’s) royal legacy. In documentary terms, this conjunction of events – by leaving behind a record of public display of Apama – gives us a unique insight into the structure of the power of the first Seleucid queen.
Chapitre III. The king’s daughters: Justin’s story
Authors: Bartels Jens
Published: September 2019

Cette contribution s’intéresse à l’image littéraire des filles de rois hellénistiques à travers l’œuvre de Justin, Abrégé des histoires philippiques. Les filles de rois hellénistiques y apparaissent comme dépendantes d’initiatives masculines, en particulier dans le cadre de stratégies matrimoniales dirigées par les rois. Dans les rares exemples d’actions qui leur sont attribuées, elles se conforment à l’idéal romain du comportement féminin. Seules les relations entre mères et filles sont montrées comme conflictuelles : dans ces situations de crise, les filles demeurent fidèles aux normes comportementales romaines alors que l’attitude de leur mère est présentée comme transgressive. L’image des filles de rois hellénistiques, telle que transmise par Justin, doit donc être comprise comme le résultat d’une construction littéraire visant à mettre en évidence la conduite transgressive et hors normes des reines (mères) hellénistiques.
Chapitre IV. Portraits de femmes, profils de reines ? Les femmes sur les monnaies provinciales romaines à la fin de la République et au début de l’Empire (43 av. J.-C. - 68 apr. J.-C.)
Authors: Delrieux Fabrice , Ferriès Marie-Claire
Published: September 2019

L’apparition du portrait féminin sur les monnaies frappées par les provinces et les cités de l’Empire de Rome est précoce, 43 av. J. -C., et est presque contemporaine de celle des portraits des magistrats masculins. Le phénomène reste essentiellement provincial car, jusqu’à Tibère, il n’est pas relayé par les ateliers centraux. Ensuite, et surtout à partir de Caligula, il semble reprendre parfois une impulsion du pouvoir central. Mais globalement, ce monnayage demeure d’initiative locale pour ses choix iconographiques et traduit surtout l’image que les cités ont eue de l’autorité impériale et des membres féminins de la domus Augusta. Le rôle de ceux-ci dans la transmission de la légitimité et leur association au pouvoir de leur époux, de leur fils ou de leur père, gagnent en intensité surtout à partir de Claude et triomphent sous Néron : Agrippine, en tant que mère, et Poppée, en tant qu’épouse, sont les matrones les plus célébrées par les monnaies. Par ailleurs, ces femmes ont été assimilées à des divinités, soit qu’elles aient reçu les attributs des grandes déesses, soit qu’elles aient été gratifiées du surnom de Thea ou Diua. Ces deux pratiques n’ont pas le même sens : le premier, plus anodin, permet de donner un sens au pouvoir romain, tandis que le second, plus original, exprime la révérence pour le lointain pouvoir impérial et rend compte de la tendance progressive à la divinisation des parents du prince. Cela traduit une vision monarchique du pouvoir impérial, plus libre que ne sauraient l’exprimer les textes officiels, mais qui va de pair avec les hommages épigraphiques et statuaires. Toutefois, il ne s’agit pas ici d’évoquer le pouvoir des femmes mais de rendre compte d’une autorité dont ces femmes sont un reflet.
Chapitre VII. La ricchezza delle matrone: Ortensia nella dialettica politica al tramonto della Repubblica
Authors: Lucchelli Tomaso Maria , Rohr Vio Francesca
Published: September 2019

Cette étude porte sur un épisode connu de l’époque triumvirale, daté de 42 av. J.-C. : la protestation des matrones romaines portée par Hortensia, fille de Quintus Hortensius Hortalus, et destinée à empêcher Antoine, Octave et Lépide de prélever des fonds pour financer la campagne imminente en Orient contre les Césaricides. L’affaire est relatée par Valère Maxime, Quintilien et Appien. Cette enquête a deux buts: sont étudiés d’un côté la nature et les objectifs spécifiques de l’intervention triumvirale, d’un autre côté les modalités et les raisons de la réaction portée par les matrones. La tonalité conservatrice qui apparaît dans l’ oratio prononcée par Hortensia, et probablement concertée avec les hommes politiques de sa famille, ses liens de parenté, l’identité des interlocutrices contactées dans un premier temps par les femmes afin de leur servir d’intermédiaires auprès des leaders césariens suggèrent l’existence d’un lien étroit entre les matrones en action et la sphère pro-républicaine, récemment visée par les triumvirs à travers l’édit de proscription. Un rapport direct entre cette mesure et l’impôt demandé aux matrones transparaît également dans les arguments spécifiques utilisés par Hortensia pour obtenir l’annulation de la mesure: les matrones affirment n’avoir eu aucune part aux responsabilités pour lesquelles leurs parents ont été proscrits. L’analyse de la mesure contre laquelle Hortensia prend la parole, en lien avec d’autres mesures à caractère fiscal prises par les triumvirs à cette période, suggère par ailleurs qu’il ne s’agissait pas ici d’un prélèvement sans but mais qu’il avait au contraire pour intention d’affaiblir le parti adverse qui, bien que frappé par les confiscations dues aux proscriptions, pouvait encore compter sur d’énormes ressources matérielles demeurées précisément aux mains des membres féminins des familles optimates. S’en prendre aux patrimoines considérables des matrones, dans les mains desquelles avaient pu se concentrer des richesses énormes pendant les guerres civiles, était par conséquent une manœuvre politique probablement inéluctable dans la lutte sans merci entre les triumvirs et les Césaricides.
Control de sesgos: piedra angular de la validez interna en la investigación para la salud
Authors: Rodriguez Funes Maria Virginia
Published: September 2019

Los resultados de la investigación para la salud deben acercarse a la verdad. En los diseños cuantitativos a esto se le conoce como validez interna, la cual depende del control de los sesgos. Los sesgos son “errores en el diseño del estudio que conduce a una estimación incorrecta o no valida del efecto o parámetro que se estudia”. Pueden ocurrir en el momento de la inclusión de los sujetos o sesgo de selección, y de recolectar la información o sesgo de información. Estos sesgos una vez introducidos en el estudio no se pueden corregir. La importancia de conocer y controlar los sesgos es que permiten planificar estudios con validez interna, quedando pendientes en otro artículo hablar sobre los otros componentes importantes de la investigación que son los confusores y la precisión.
Risk factors related to childbirth in El Salvador
Authors: Chavarría Rodríguez Fátima Larisa
Published: September 2019

Introduction. Preterm birth is a public health problem, considered a high risk factor for morbidity, disability and neonatal mortality. Objective. Characterize risk factors related to preterm birth in El Salvador. Methodology. Analytical cross-sectional study of risk factors related to preterm birth, in women who received childbirth care in the national public health system, during 2017. Data was obtained from the Perinatal Information System. 44 891 cases were analyzed. Qualitative variables were analyzed through absolute values and frequencies, and the quantitative variables, through absolute values, frequency and central tendency measures, using the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 24 program. The analysis of relation of variables, was performed with the Epidat version 3.1 program, through the calculation of prevalence ratios (PR) and the calculation of Odds Ratio (OR), both analysis with a 95% confidence interval and a value of p <0.05. Results. 9.5% of the deliveries attended were preterm. The risk analysis through the calculation of prevalence ratios showed that women with a multiple pregnancy were 14 times more likely to have a preterm birth. Preterm birth was 4.7 times more frequent in women with a clinical history of diabetes mellitus and 2.4 times more frequent, with a history of high blood pressure. Conclusions. Women who have a multiple pregnancy and pregnant women with a clinical history of chronic diseases, and an obstetric history of preeclampsia, are more likely to have a preterm birth. Likewise, obesity and inadequate age for pregnancy, mainly women over 35 years, are also related to preterm birth.
Advertising and display of tobacco products at points of sale in El Salvador
Authors: Sarmiento López Alejandra María , De Paz Flores Joel Adonay
Published: September 2019

Objective. To study the impact of advertising and exposure of tobacco products at point of sale and to identify tobacco products marketing on internet. Methodology. Qualitative study using simple random sampling to studying 125 authorized points of sales for merchandising tobacco products; 1,250 adult consumer population visiting the point of sales and 20 websites that refers to sell tobacco products in El Salvador. Analyses were performed using SPSS version 24.0. Results. In 4% of point of sales were advertising of tobacco products inside. There is a high index of impulse purchase of cigarettes because 80% of smokers have decided to buy tobacco cigarettes standing in front of cash register. In 90.4% of point of sales the tobacco sales represent less than 5% of the global sales of the business. Conclusions. It is required to implement a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising on point of sales, mainly because it undermines the effectiveness of tobacco control law and the implementation of Article 13 of the WHO FCTC.
Filtro de roca basáltica para agua residual
Authors: Mata Manolo Echeverría
Published: September 2019

Introducción. Se realiza un análisis fisicoquímico a la roca basáltica (escoria negra) de El Salvador paradeterminar la cantidad necesaria para la adsorción de químicos presentes en un litro de agua residualordinaria de Ciudad Real, en San Sebastián Salitrillo, en el departamento de Santa Ana.Objetivo. Determinar el modelo cinético de adsorción (isoterma de Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin y Henry que mejor se ajuste al equilibrio de adsorción entre el azul de metileno y la roca basáltica. Se mide la constante del equilibrio de adsorción-desorción formado entre el azul de metileno y la roca basáltica para determinar el área específica de la roca basáltica y establecer el número de sitios activos de absorción por nanómetro cuadrado de roca basáltica. Metodología. La técnica utilizada para el tratamiento del azul de metileno fue la adsorción, ya que es económico y competitivo frente a otros métodos convencionales. Se estudió el efecto de adsorción con 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 33 ppm de azul de metileno en presencia de 1 gramo de roca basáltica pulverizada durante 30 minutos, tomando alícuotas cada 5 minutos; la adsorción se midió con un espectrofotómetro UV-VIS Cary50.Resultados. Se evidencia una buena adsorción debido a que después de 20 minutos llegó a ser constante y tiene una buena superficie específica. El isoterma que mejor se le aplica es Langmuir, debidoque su coeficiente de correlación es el más cercano a uno.
Viremia prolongada por virus de zika en primer trimestre del embarazo
Authors: Hernández Ávila Carlos Enrique
Published: September 2019

El zika ingreso a El Salvador en el año 2015 afectando a la población por encontrarse las condiciones para su permanencia, en El Salvador se priorizo la atención de las embarazadas y seguimiento de sus partos. Se presenta un caso de una primípara de 24 años con infección por virus de zika por clínica y comprobado por RT-PCR en la semana 8 de gestación y que estuvo presente la viremia hasta la semana 12 de gestación. Se realizaron pruebas de laboratorio para seguimiento prenatal y atención de parto hospitalario. Dio a luz producto femenino sin malformaciones a pesar de la viremia detectada. El caso se reporta debido al desenlace favorable.
Volatility Spillover Effects among Securities Exchanges in East Africa
Authors: Yunvirusaba Nelson , Aduda Jane , Kube Ananda
Published: September 2019

This paper aims at examining volatility spillover effects among the returns of three out of the four securities exchanges in East Africa. Vector autoregressive model was used to model return series evolution; and, Johansen co-integration test, was further applied to examine any possibilities of co-integration. Dynamic conditional correlation model was then employed to explore the dynamics of conditional variances. Daily closing all share indices data spanning the period 29 February 2008 to 28 February 2018 was used. The results of the study revealed that, there is bidirectional causality between Nairobi securities exchange and Dar es salaam securities exchange; unidirectional eﬀect between Nairobi securities exchange and Uganda securities exchange; while between Dar es salaam securities exchange and Uganda securities exchange, there is a unidirectional eﬀect. The study ﬁndings also indicate evidence of no co-integration, thus, no long-run relationship among the exchanges. The dynamic conditional correlation proved to be the most parsimonious model whose results indicated evidence of volatility spillover among the securities exchanges.
Komeniáni v Karteziánském Zrcadle
Authors: Pavlas Petr ,   University of South Bohemia
Published: September 2019

The article picks up the threads of especially Martin Muslow’s 1990s research and describes the distinctiveness of the “relational metaphysics of resemblance” in the middle of the seventeenth century. The late Renaissance metaphysical outlines, carried out in the Comenius circle, are characteristic for their relationality, accent on universal resemblance, providentialism, pansensism, sensualism, triadism – and also for their effort to define metaphysical terms properly. While Comenians share the last – and only the last – feature with Cartesians, they differ in the other features. Therefore, Cartesians and Comenians cannot come to terms in the issue of the proper definitions either. Quite on the contrary, they oppose each other on this issue. By means of Johann Clauberg’s criticism of Georg Ritschel and René Descartes’s only supposedly “mysterious” and “solipsist” second meditation, the article turns a Cartesian mirror to the Comenian metaphysical project. In its light, the definitions of Georg Ritschel, Johann Heinrich Bisterfeld and Jan Amos Comenius turn out to be unacceptable for Cartesians (and also for Thomists and, in part, for Baconians). Despite their superficially Aristotelian-scholastic appearance, their content is notably Paracelsian-Campanellian (with a Timplerian foundation). Even though Comenian definitions of metaphysical terms had been refused and refuted by Cartesians, they experienced a second lifespan in their robust influence on Leibniz and Newton.
Types of Representational Content in Kant
Authors: Laiho Hemmo A.
Published: September 2019

In this essay, I specify types of representational content that can be attributed to Kant’s account of representation. The more specific aim is to examine which of these types of content can be regarded as possible without the application of concepts. In order to answer the question, I proceed as follows. First, I show how intuition (in Kant’s sense) can be seen as providing indexical content independently of empirical concepts. Second, I show in what sense the generation of spatial content can be regarded as non-categorial. A key distinction is that a perceptual examination of an object can be understood as thoroughly sensible and particular, whereas a conceptual determination always grasps the object via its generalisable features. Third, I propose that the faculties of sensibility and understanding are not only separable in principle, but that their contributions remain in a certain sense separate in actual cognition as well. This is to say that a conceptual determination of an object does not entail that the object ceases to be non-conceptually available to the perceiver, which further suggests the autonomy of sensibility and its perceptual content. Finally, I raise difficulties in attributing non-conceptual representational content to Kant’s judgment-centered stance on representation and experience, only to emphasise how these difficulties easily lead to a misappreciation of Kant’s fundamental distinction between sensibility and understanding and their unique cognitive contributions.
Russia-European Union and Russian-Chinese borderlands: economic and demographic dimension
Authors: Simonyan Renald H.
Published: September 2019

In the modern world, the intensity of inter-civilizational, intercultural and interstate interaction is increasing. Border regions, territories where this interaction involves direct contact, are of great importance in this process. This has given rise to a new area of research — border region studies. The Russian Federation has the longest state border, the largest number of neighbouring countries, and centuries of experience in the peaceful existence and cooperation between different cultures. Most importantly, the country straddles two continents. Located between two principal economic actors (the European Union and China), Russia binds the huge Eurasian continent into a single whole. It is very important to study Russian-European and Russian-Chinese border regions to make full use of their strategic advantages for the economic development of Russia. This task has been especially relevant since the deindustrialization of Russia, which occurred in the 1990s and most deeply affected the economy of the Russian periphery. In this article, I rely on the literature, national and regional statistics, and survey results to essay a border region study — a comparative analysis of the socio-economic and demographic processes taking place in Russia’s western regions bordering on the EU and eastern ones bordering on China. My findings may contribute to providing a rationale for the need to abandon a commodity-driven economic model, as well as to creating a broader theoretical and methodological framework for Russia’s strategy towards its neighbours.
When and why regional clusters become basic building blocks of modern economy
Authors: Smorodinskaya Nataliya V. , Katukov Daniel D.
Published: September 2019

In this paper, we examine the modern cluster theory and the specific features of regional innovation clusters as complex adaptive systems. Clusters have become a typical pattern of industrial organization in national economies under their transition to innovation-driven model of growth. We provide an overview of the contribution of various theoretical frameworks (evolutionary theory, spatial development theory, theory of technological change and system innovation, and Porter’s competitiveness theory) to the cluster concept and consider the latter from the perspective of complexity economics. On this basis, we differentiate true clusters from their nominal counterparts and propose three analytical dimensions to explore clusters, namely, as a special class of industrial agglomerations, as a special class of innovation ecosystems, and as a special class of economic projects (cluster initiatives). We examine the properties of clusters corresponding to each class and demonstrate their role in the geographical and functional fragmentation of production, in the integration of local exporters into global value chains, and in bridging communication gaps and developing collaboration among economic agents. We show that clusters occupy a central place among various types of business networks and have a comparative edge making them key building blocks of the modern industrial landscape. Further, we explain how the innovation capacity of clusters is affected by network synergy effects arising from the triple-helix pattern of collaboration among their participants. Finally, we draw conclusions regarding national cluster supporting policies, including those applied in modern Russia.
Russian soft power in the Baltic States through the lens of research: traditions, competition, confrontation
Authors: Vorotnikov Vladislav V. , Ivanova Natalia A.
Published: September 2019

In this article, we aim to analyse the research discourse in the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) as regards Russian soft power, which is considered as hard power, and to compare the theses that dominate this discourse with the actual interactions between Russia and the three states in media, education, and culture. Each Baltic country has built a system of political and legal restrictions to diminish the effect of Russian soft power, which is considered in terms of hard power, i.e. as a threat to national security. The current forms of Russian soft power are becoming less productive in the region and their use in the negative political context of bilateral relations has the opposite effect for Russia – the country loses in reputation and image. The main factor at play is the information content of the Russian-language media space. At odds with the historical and political views of a significant part of the Baltic States’ ruling class, it is becoming the target of counteraction. At the same time, Russian high and mass culture and, partly, educational services are in demand from both Baltic Russian speakers and ethnic Lithuanians, Latvians, and Estonians. Our analysis shows that the views of Baltic researchers that Russian soft power is politics-driven and foreign to the region are exaggerated and biased. In its turn, Russian soft power in the Baltics retains the potential to aid the country’s foreign policy, being a complement to the latter rather than its direct tool.
Cultural Islam in Northern Europe
Authors: Dianina Svetlana Yu. , Khalil Mona Abdel Malik , Glagolev Vladimir S.
Published: September 2019

In this study, we aim to analyse the position of cultural Islam in Northern European countries. To this end, we examine publications in major print media. Content analysis of relevant publications gives a detailed picture of narratives produced in mass consciousness as a reaction to the presence of Islam at the local and regional level and makes it possible to identify individual trends in the evaluation of such narratives in both scientific and popular analytical literature. The growing secularization of Islamic communities in Northern Europe and changes in the value-driven behavioural algorithms of believers lead both to the polarization of Islam and changes in attitudes to Islam from outside the religion. Studies into the factors affecting the dynamics of this phenomenon have both theoretical and practical significance since they help to evaluate the most promising forms of cooperation within regional collaborations and national programmes for international partnership. The forces promoting the cultural Islam project position it as an antidote for political and radical Islam. At the same time, the main factor preventing the legitimation of cultural Islam across immigrant Moslem groups (or, more precisely, communities, i.e. associations of people originating from countries where Muslims predominate) is the relevant isolatedness of those groups and their commitment to the Ummah. The novelty of research into how Islam and culture interact within those groups is closely associated with the goal of establishing whether cultural Islam is viable as a phenomenon of collective consciousness and whether it meets the following requirements: 1) satisfying the essential need for preserving the tradition and 2) ensuring flexible adaptation to a foreign cultural context. Our analysis of the data obtained has led us to conclude that cultural Islam is gaining ground within immigrant communities and associations. This can be viewed as a practical contribution to studies into the dynamics and mechanisms of adaptation, acculturation, and, perhaps, integration of Muslims and corresponding social groups into the socio-cultural space of Northern European countries.
Translation and Discourse Analysis
Authors: Schäffner Christina
Published: September 2019

This paper will illustrate how discourse analysis had been incorporated in Translation Studies. Discourse Analysis originated in Applied Linguistics and refers to the investigation of language in use. Depending on whether the term ‘discourse’ is understood in a narrower or a wider sense, discourse analysis aims at examining the structure and the function of lan­guage in various contexts and/or at revealing patterns of belief and habitual action, as well as social roles and power relations (Critical Discourse Analysis). Since translation can be char­acterised as an act of communication across linguistic and cultural boundaries, with source text and target text representing language in use, concepts and methods of discourse analysis have been found useful for Translation Studies. The paper will provide some examples of such research.
Textual, moral and psychological voices of translation
Authors: Taivalkoski-Shilov Kristiina
Published: September 2019

The concept of voice has engendered a growing amount of research in translation studies in the last decades, especially regarding literary translation. Voice is typically used in studies that investigate stylistic or structural characteristics of translated texts, intertextuality and other forms of multivocality and ethical questions related to agency, ideology and power in translation and interpreting. The first part of this article defines two essential concepts related to voice in translation — voice and text — and describes the state of the art of research in this field. The second part aims to deepen the discussion on voice in translation studies by intro­ducing the notion of the voice of conscience from philosophy and political science and the no­tion of inner voices from psychology.
How translations are willed into existence
Authors: Stecconi Ubaldo
Published: September 2019

This paper will argue that translations are willed into existence in three conceivable ways: pull, push and shuffle. Pull is the most intuitive form. It corresponds, for example, to a publishing house that decides to translate a foreign novel. Here, the initiative to invest in a new translation project is almost entirely located on the target side. The push mode, in con­trast, can be exemplified by a company that decides to localise its website to cater for foreign markets. Here the decisions to make translation happen are mostly located on the source side. The shuffle mode corresponds to those rare cases in which the process is located neither on the source nor on the target side, but straddles the semiotic barriers or folds that make acts of translating possible or necessary in the first place. The discussion affirms the status of translators as active players, or agents, of communi­cation. If it is true that in real life translators rarely determine whether a sign will cross a semiotic fold or have much say in the process, in principle nothing prevents them from bring­ing their desires, motives, and strategies to the table. Translators can — and should — have a larger say on why, whether, and how new translated texts appear in the target environment.
Ambiguity matters in linguistics and translation
Authors: Boyarskaya Elena
Published: September 2019

Ambiguity implies that there are at least two distinct senses ascribed to one sign. It is in­herent to language and speech. In this article, I reflect on the types of ambiguity, its typology, production and effect and propose an algorithm for tackling ambiguity in translation. I posit that the choice of a translation strategy and the need for disambiguation in general depend on the type of ambiguity, its sources and character, i. e. whether ambiguity is intended or not. Intended ambiguity occurs when the speaker intentionally does not follow the logic of concep­tual clues (primes) and opts for a set of communicative strategies and linguistic means, which allow him/her to offer several possible interpretations of one event or even refer to several dif­ferent events. I explore a rarely analyzed event-referential ambiguity, which requires addi­tional conceptual information for disambiguation and, consequently, may pose a problem for translation. I argue that problems in disambiguation may occur for a variety of reasons: the translator and\or the recipient may have a wrong reference, have insufficient background knowledge to resolve the ambiguity or make wrong inferences since each recipient bears a different combination of cognitive, axiological, social, professional and gender attributes.
Translation: the puzzle of colour
Authors: Shevchenko Elizaveta , Tomashevskaya Irina
Published: September 2019

This research contributes to the study of colour terms as a cognitive phenomenon. Since colour is not a universal concept and an ordinary mind does not perceive colour separately from the object, it is possible to observe the knowledge about colour, which exists in the lan­guage but does not exist in its physical sense. We hold that the given knowledge is the cause of significant difficulties arising in the translation of various colour terms, though the nature of these terms existence should not be complex in its essence, being a basic phenomenon of the natural world. Moreover, certain ambiguity rises when reference points of colour do not coin­cide with the indirect naming of colours and shades in different languages. Different pairs of languages apparently set their individual spectrum of translation difficulties. We characterise some typical colour-related English into Russian translation difficulties which arise at the cognitive level.
On combining translator training with foreign language teaching
Authors: Boyko Lyudmila
Published: September 2019

Contemporary methodological landscape in translator training (TT) is dominated by the competence-based principles whose epistemological roots are found in social constructivism asserting learners’ active participation in knowledge accrual. The paper gives a brief account of the status quo of TT and revisits the controversial issue of appropriateness of combining TT with foreign language teaching (FLT). The author maintains that FLT may, and quite often has to, be part of TT course, the share of linguistic component in TT depending on the curric­ulum design and teaching circumstances. Centred solely around the linguistic aspect of TT, the paper proposes combining training methods that serve the purposes of both TT and FLT. TT practices aimed at developing linguistic and translational competences simultaneously are subdivided into analytical and reinforcement training techniques, the latter being the focus of this paper. The author argues that exercise-type activities beneficial for both TT and FLT can be practiced in full harmony with the competence-based student-centred teaching principles.
Applying organized skepticism to preprints
Authors: Browman Howard I.
Published: September 2019

A preprint is a scholarly work posted by the author(s) in an openly accessible platform, usually before or in parallel with submission to a peer reviewed publication. While the sharing of manuscripts via preprint platforms has been common for many years in disciplines such as physics and mathematics, uptake in other disciplines had, until very recently, been low. The use of preprints is now growing exponentially. The reasons for this appear to be based on several purported advantages of preprints that have not been thoroughly assessed: low cost (but is it sustainable?); immediate publication; establishes precedence; improves quality of papers pre-submission; eliminates journal hierarchies and inequalities; identifies hypotheses not to test further (by making negative results available); a source of submissions for journals. I will take a skeptical view of these advantages and ask: do preprints really accomplish all of this? I will also present the many disadvantages – even dangers – of preprints as these have not been adequately scrutinized: bypasses peer review allowing documents containing unvetted claims to be made freely available; results in multiple competing versions (all of which are citable) of what – without careful and informed examination – appears to be the same content to persist in perpetuity (the preprint version of which is much more likely to contain errors and unvetted claims); presently, no one is responsible for updating the preprint server version, nor to link it to the final published version.
Hverdagsmøtene mellom foreldre og ansatte i barnehagen – nok voksenrammer?
Authors: Solberg Janne
Published: September 2019

Artikkelen bygger på et tidagers feltarbeid i en barnehage som undersøker samspillet mellom foreldre og ansatte i bringe- og hentesituasjoner. Inspirert av Goffmans teorier om rammer kaster artikkelen lys over hvilke rammer som preger hverdagsmøtene, og det diskuteres om foreldre tilbys tilstrekkelig med voksenrammer i hverdagsmøtene. Hverdagsmøtene var i dette materialet ofte preget av en barneramme i tillegg til blandede rammer som skulle passe både barn og foreldre. Rene voksenrammer, som Rammeplan for barnehagen ser ut til å forutsette, var mindre fremtredende. Det beskjedne omfanget av eksklusive voksenrammer sees i sammenheng med diskursen om det medvirkende barnet, og ikke bare antall ansatte og materielle rammer. Funnene gir grunn til å diskutere om alle parter får medvirkningsbehovene sine godt ivaretatt. Indirekte og ritualiserte kommunikasjonspraksiser vil også i liten grad ruste barnehagelæreren på mer utfordrende foreldresamtaler som jf. tidligere forskning har vært et problem.Nøkkelord: Barnehage, uformelt foreldresamarbeid, foreldremedvirkning, rammer
Sleep Duration in Children and Its Influence on Glucose Homeostasis, Ingestive Behavior and Primary Examination Performance
Authors: Ilochi O. N. , Chuemere A. N. , Dapper D. V. , Saronee F. , Ekwem I.
Published: September 2019

Sleep is a natural periodic state of rest essential for normal psychophysiologic responses. This study revealed the influence of sleep on ingestive behavior, glucose homeostasis and primary examination performance. Six hundred children between 10 to 12 years of age were sampled. The study design included 4 groups, a to d, comprising 150 samples each. Sleep duration was 8pm to 6am, 10pm to 6am, 12am to 6am and 2am to 6am for groups a, b, c and d respectively. The results were collected after careful observation and scientific experimentation. Statistical analysis revealed values to be significantly different (P≤0.05) compared to group a. There was an inverse relationship between duration of sleep, quantity of food ingested and blood glucose level. As the duration of sleep was increased, there was a corresponding improvement in primary examination performance and blood glucose homeostasis. From the outcome of this study, sleep duration may influence ingestive behavior, blood glucose level and primary examination performance.
Identification of Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH) Gene Polymorphism Using PCR-RFLP Method in Buffalo Bulls
Authors: Shah M. I. S. Hazlan , Salisi M. S. , Wahid H. , Yahaya M. S. , Rosnina Y. , Zamri-Saad M. , Omar M. Ariff , Punimin A. , Hassim H. A. , Ahmad Hafandi , Mahiza M. I. Nur
Published: September 2019

Growth Hormone (GH) is a single polypeptide chain synthesised and secreted from anterior pituitary gland by somatroph cells. The product of GH gene hastens metabolism and promotes the growth of many organs and tissues especially bone, muscle and visceral organs. It also regulates growth, mammary gland development and lactation. Polymorphism in this gene is associated with increase in growth and development of many tissues in the body.

Aim: The objective of this study was to investigate the polymorphism of bovine growth hormone (bGH) gene in buffalo bulls (Bubalus bubalis) using the PCR-RFLP (polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism) technique.

Design: Genomic DNA was extracted from a total of 10 bulls, consisting of Murrah – Swamp crossbred and pure Swamp buffalo bulls. A The 446 segment of the bGH gene was amplified. The DNA amplicons were detected in 2% agarose gel following 45 minutes of electrophoresis. They were thereafter digesting with AluI endonuclease restriction enzyme, and the digested DNA were detected in 2% agarose gel following electrophoresis for about 45minutes in all samples

Results: Similar bands of approximately 300 and 146-bp each, with no variation, were detected in 2% agarose gel following electrophoresis in all the animals tested.

Conclusion: Based on the Alu1 digestion result, all samples produced the same allele of the gene, with no polymorphism detected.
Effect of Alcoholic Extracts of Cymbopogon citratus upon the Control of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides in vitro and upon the Post-harvest Quality of Guavas
Authors: Santos Ana P. F. A. , Mattos Amanda P. , Itako Adriana T. , Júnior João B. Tolentino , Moura Gabriela S. , Schwan-Estrada Kátia R. F.
Published: September 2019

Aims: This work aimed at evaluating the effects of ethanolic and methanolic extracts of lemongrass upon the control in vitro of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and upon the post-harvest quality of guavas “Paluma”.

Methodology: We analyzed the inhibition of mycelial growth and sporulation of the pathogen at different concentrations of the extracts (8%; 5%; 3%; 1.5% and 0.5%). In the post-harvest assay, the guavas were treated by immersion in distilled water, ethanolic and methanolic extracts (1%; 0.5% and 0.25%) and stored at 25ºC ± 2ºC for eight days. We evaluated mass loss, total soluble solids, total titratable acidity, ratio, reducing and non-reducing sugars, ascorbic acid and pH and the incidence of anthracnose.

Results: In the test in vitro, the pathogen growth inhibition was dose-dependent and the sporulation was completely inhibited upon higher concentrations of extract. At post-harvest, the fruits maintained their physicochemical characteristics, and the treatments were not efficient at retarding fruit ripening. Although the tested treatments inhibited the plant pathogen C. gloesporioides in vitro, they were not efficient at controlling the disease in vivo.

Conclusion: The extracts showed control in vitro of C. gloeosporioides at 8%. However, the extracts were not effective at controlling the disease after harvest.