bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A carbene-catalyzed tandem isomerization/cyclisation strategy: an efficient assembly of benzoxazinones
Authors: Lang Ming , Wang Jian
Published: February 2019

An unprecedented example of NHC-catalyzed tandem isomerization/cyclisation is reported to synthesize benzoxazinones.
Symmetry breaking and the turn-on fluorescence of small, highly strained carbon nanohoops
Authors: Lovell Terri C. , Colwell Curtis E. , Zakharov Lev N. , Jasti Ramesh
Published: February 2019

By breaking the centrosymmetry of the structure, the most strained carbon nanohoops become fluorescent as predicted by optical selection rules.
Complex gamma-ray behavior of the radio galaxy M 87
Authors: Ait Benkhali Faical , Chakraborty Nachiketa , Rieger Frank M.
Published: February 2019

Context. In recent years, non-blazar active galactic nuclei (AGN) such as radio galaxies have emerged as a highly instructive source class providing unique insights into high energy acceleration and radiation mechanisms.

Aims. Here we aim to produce a detailed characterization of the high-energy (HE; >100 MeV) gamma-ray emission from the prominent radio galaxy M 87.

Methods. We analyzed approximately eight years of Fermi-LAT data and derived the spectral energy distribution between 100 MeV and 300 GeV. We extracted lightcurves and investigated the variability behavior for the entire energy range as well as below and above 10 GeV.

Results. Our analysis provides (i) evidence for HE gamma-ray flux variability and (ii) indications for a possible excess over the standard power-law model above Eb ∼ 10 GeV, similar to the earlier indications in the case of Cen A. When viewed in HE–VHE context, this is most naturally explained by an additional component dominating the highest-energy part of the spectrum. Investigation of the γ-ray lightcurves suggests that the lower-energy (<10 GeV) component is variable on timescales of (at least) a few months. The statistics of the high energy component (>10 GeV) does not allow significant constraints on variability. We do, however, find indications for spectral changes with time that support variability of the putative additional component and seem to favor jet-related scenarios for its origin capable of accommodating month-type variability.

Conclusions. The current findings suggest that both the high-energy (>Eb) and the very high energy (VHE; >100 GeV) emission in M 87 are compatible with originating from the same physical component. The variability behavior at VHE then allows further constraints on the location and the nature of the second component. In particular, these considerations suggest that the VHE emission during the quiescent state originates in a similar region as during the flare.
Rare Presentation of a Relapsing Remitting Central Nervous System Vasculitis: A Case Report.
Authors: Brzezicki Maksymilian , Kobetic Matthew , Serena Dillon
Published: February 2019

Wir berichten über einen interessanten Fall einer Vaskulitis des zentralen Nervensystems, der eine schubförmig-remittierende Natur und ein bisher nicht berichtetes Profil kognitiver Defizite bei dieser Variante der Erkrankung aufweist.

Der Patient stellte sich mit beidseitigem Kopfschmerz, Gesichtsfeldverlust des linken Auges, Dyschromatopsie und vorübergehender Bewusstlosigkeit vor. Er wurde in den letzten acht Jahren auf ähnliche Symptome untersucht. Es gab eine klare schubförmig-remittierende Geschichte, mit Perioden voller Remission von 4-6 Monaten.

MRT-Untersuchungen zeigten bilaterale Bereiche von Hyperintensitäten, repräsentativ für kleine „nicht-charakteristische“ Veränderungen, wahrscheinlich vaskulären Ursprungs.

In diesem Bericht wird die klinische Konundra während der Evaluation des Patienten diskutiert, mögliche Differentialdiagnosen untersucht und über die hypothetische Rolle der Statinverwendung in ähnlichen Fällen kommentiert.
Sexuell übertragbare Erkrankungen und Hebammenarbeit
Authors: Lange Ute
Published: February 2019

Hebammen arbeiten mit sexuell aktiven Frauen rund um die Geburt und sind so automatisch mit allen Themen verbunden, die mit Sexualität assoziiert sind. Eines davon ist das der sexuell übertragbaren Infektionen (sexually transmitted infections / STI), welches aber nur selten in den Vordergrund der Hebammenarbeit rückt. Dabei sind viele Hebammen durch ihr Vertrauensverhältnis zu den Frauen und ihre Kenntnisse der lebensweltlichen Umgebung bestens geeignet, auch diesen teils noch tabuisierten Themenbereich anzusprechen und präventiv auf die Risiken durch STI hinzuweisen.
STI und Schwangerschaft – die epidemiologische Lage
Authors: Jansen Klaus
Published: February 2019

Sexuell übertragbare Erkrankungen (STI) können in der Schwangerschaft zu Fehlbildungen, Entwicklungsstörungen und Erkrankungen des Fötus bzw. Embryos führen. Der Artikel erläutert die epidemiologische Lage sowie die klinische Relevanz des Themas für die Schwangerenbetreuung und Geburtshilfe.
Risikofaktoren für die Entstehung und den Verlauf der Schizophrenie
Authors: Löhrs Lisa , Hasan Alkomiet
Published: February 2019

Gemäß dem derzeitigen Wissen entsteht eine Schizophrenie multifaktoriell – und zwar durch kumulative Wirkung einzelner, für sich unterschwelliger Risikofaktoren. Diese Faktoren (u. a. genetische, psychosoziale, umweltbedingte, prä- und peripartale) ziehen strukturelle Gehirnveränderungen und Veränderungen einzelner Neurotransmittersysteme nach sich, die schließlich zum Vollbild der Schizophrenie führen.
Duration and Success of Nerve Rehabilitation after Elbow Injuries in Children
Authors: Murtezani Ardiana , Abazi Nerimane , Sllamniku Sabit , Rrecaj-Malaj Shkurta , Kepuska Arbnora B.
Published: February 2019

Neurological complications after the supracondylar humerus fractures with a displacement of fragments result from traction, direct trauma, or nerve ischemia. The beginning of early rehabilitation, from when the arm is still immobilized, leads to complete restoration of the elbow joint, and thus any delay in starting the rehabilitation will have consequences, ranging from lighter ones to full disability. This study analyzed the impact of injured nerves, length of immobilization, and interruptions during rehabilitation on the rehabilitation duration (RD). A sample of 140 children of both genders with post-traumatic elbow injuries was considered, from the birth to 15 years. The sample was collected in cooperation with an orthopedist, pediatrician, and physiotherapist. The diagnosis was confirmed by physical and neurological examination and by radiography. The type of injury affects the RD. The supracondylar humerus fracture has a longer RD, with the average 85.45 days. We conducted the linear correlation test, between cases with injured nerves and cases without in relation to RD. The analysis provided significant statistical data (p < 0.01) proving that injured nerves are an important factor in RD. Of cases with radius nerve injury, 62.5% achieved full recovery. The analysis shows that for p < 0.01 (for cases in general) the immobilization duration has a significant impact on RD. Among patients who had no interruptions of rehabilitation, 92 achieved an excellent rehabilitation success, with an average number of 29.7 procedures and an average RD of 56 days. Injured nerves proved to have a great impact on the RD for elbow injuries, while not showing any impact on the rehabilitation success. Interruptions of rehabilitation treatments proved to have a statistical significance, meaning they have a high impact on the RD and success.
Synchronization in a Kuramoto model with delay-dependent couplings
Authors: Liu Yue , Guo Yuxiao
Published: February 2019

This paper aims to provide bifurcation analysis for a Kuramoto model with time-delay and random coupling strength. A delay differential equation governing the system is obtained on the Ott-Antonsen’s manifold, and the bifurcation analysis is proceeded by using the characteristic equation and the normal form method. The general case where the coupling strength is chosen as a function of delay is investigated. Afterwards, the synchronization of the model with three different distributions of time delay including degenerate distribution, two-point distribution and Gamma distribution, is discussed respectively. Particularly, the coupled system of which the coupling strength and the delays are divided into two groups is studied in detail and the bifurcation results are obtained both theoretically and numerically.
Terahertz Cherenkov radiation induced by a self-modulated electron beam in plasma wakefield
Authors: Yang Shengpeng , Zhou Qing , Tang Changjian , Chen Shaoyong , Xia Yuxi
Published: February 2019

In this paper, a novel scheme of generating terahertz radiation is proposed, which considers a relativistic electron beam being modulated by its self-excited plasma wakefield in a plasma-filled slow-wave structure (SWS). Both the dispersion relation and the particle-in-cell simulation show that the self-modulation of the beam can act as a mode-selection method to excite the high-harmonics of the SWS and generate terahertz electromagnetic radiation. The present work gives a new thought for researching high-power and tunable terahertz sources.
Polarization-modulated terahertz radiation by intense femtosecond laser pulse in ultra-strong magnetic field
Authors: Shu Xiao-Fang , Liu Jie
Published: February 2019

In this work, the Terahertz (THz) generation by an intense femtosecond laser pulse in the presence of an external strong magnetic field in gaseous medium is theoretically studied. The simulations indicate that the rotating velocity of the ionized electrons induced by the magnetic field mainly determines the generation of THz radiation, whose central frequency is independent of the direction of the magnetic field. Further investigation shows that the propagation of the THz radiation can be guided by the magnetic field. One of the potential applications of these findings is to offer a new approach to diagnosing the strong magnetic field by measuring the corresponding THz spectra.
Optimization of the size and shape of the scanning aperture in autocollimator-based deflectometric profilometers
Authors: Lacey Ian , Geckler Ralf D. , Just Andreas , Siewert Frank , Arnold Thomas , Paetzelt Hendrik , Smith Brian V. , Yashchuk Valeriy V.
Published: February 2019

Deflectometric profilometers based on industrial electronic autocollimators (ACs), as the ELCOMAT-3000, have become indispensable tools for precision form measurements of optical surfaces. A growing number of labs at synchrotron and free electron laser x-ray facilities are going for BESSY-II NOM-like versions of the AC-based profilometers. These tools have proven capable of characterizing state-of-the-art aspherical x-ray optics with an accuracy on the level of 100 nrad (root-mean-square) over the spatial frequency range limited by the size of the aperture used in the profilometer. Typically, a round aperture with a diameter of about 2.5 mm is used. Previous investigations have shown that with the optimally aligned 2.5-mm aperture, the spatial resolution of a NOM-like profilometer corresponding to the first zero-crossing of the optical transform function (OTF) is ∼1.2 mm. In this paper, we investigate the performance of an AC ELCOMAT-3000 for a slope profilometer with different aperture sizes and shapes. The results of angular calibration of the AC equipped with circular and rectangular apertures placed at different distances from the AC are discussed. The calibration was performed at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt using the original experimental arrangements, also discussed in the paper. The OTF measurements with the specially developed test sample with chirped surface slope profiles were performed at the Advanced Light Source X-Ray Optics Laboratory (XROL) in application to a new optical surface measuring system under development at the XROL. In the OTF measurements, we have shown that application of a rectangular aperture with dimensions of 1.5 mm × 3 mm improves the spatial resolution in the tangential direction by a factor of ∼1.4 compared to that of the standard circular aperture of 2.5-mm diameter. We believe that the results of our investigations are crucial for reaching fundamental metrological limits in deflectometric profilometry utilizing state-of-the-art electronic autocollimators.
Reduced kinetics model for X-ray-generated atmospheric air plasmas fitted by microwave transmission measurements
Authors: Ribière M. , Gouriou T. , Eichwald O. , Yousfi M. , Azaïs B.
Published: February 2019

We elaborate a reduced kinetics model to study humid air plasmas at atmospheric pressure generated by X-ray irradiation. The originality of the present approach is to use the experimental results of the transmission measurements, in the case of a microwave signal by the X-ray-induced plasma filled waveguide, to fit the calculated time evolutions of some plasma parameters such as average electron energies and an effective loss coefficient. The reduced kinetics model used to restitute the transmission measurements is based on the solution of a one-dimensional transport of a guided microwave signal coupled to the calculation of the complex electric conductivity of the plasma. The conductivity is calculated using a simplified kinetics scheme based on three species (electrons, positive ions, and negative ions) and coupled to the electron energy balance equation. The input parameters of the model are the collision cross sections of the electrons impact with air molecules (N2, O2, and H2O) and the electron energy distribution functions pre-tabulated for a large set of average electron energies. The latter takes into account the main processes leading to the decrease of average electron energies. This model is more generally usable for the modelling of weakly ionized atmospheric air plasmas during, for instance, the streamer development in corona or dielectric barrier discharges.
A multi-mode digital holographic microscope
Authors: Flewellen James L. , Zaid Irwin M. , Berry Richard M.
Published: February 2019

We present a transmission-mode digital holographic microscope that can switch easily between three different imaging modes: inline, dark field off-axis, and bright field off-axis. Our instrument can be used: to track through time in three dimensions microscopic dielectric objects, such as motile micro-organisms; localize brightly scattering nanoparticles, which cannot be seen under conventional bright field illumination; and recover topographic information and measure the refractive index and dry mass of samples via quantitative phase recovery. Holograms are captured on a digital camera capable of high-speed video recording of up to 2000 frames per second. The inline mode of operation can be easily configurable to a large range of magnifications. We demonstrate the efficacy of the inline mode in tracking motile bacteria in three dimensions in a 160 μm × 160 μm × 100 μm volume at 45× magnification. Through the use of a novel physical mask in a conjugate Fourier plane in the imaging path, we use our microscope for high magnification, dark field off-axis holography, demonstrated by localizing 100 nm gold nanoparticles at 225× magnification up to at least 16 μm from the imaging plane. Finally, the bright field off-axis mode facilitates quantitative phase microscopy, which we employ to measure the refractive index of a standard resolution test target and to measure the dry mass of human erythrocytes.
Effect of ethanol on insulin dimer dissociation
Authors: Banerjee Puja , Mondal Sayantan , Bagchi Biman
Published: February 2019

Insulin-dimer dissociation is an essential biochemical process required for the activity of the hormone. We investigate this dissociation process at the molecular level in water and at the same time, in 5% and 10% water-ethanol mixtures. We compute the free energy surface of the protein dissociation processes by employing biased molecular dynamics simulation. In the presence of ethanol (EtOH), we observe a marked lowering in the free energy barrier of activation of dimer dissociation from that in the neat water, by as much as ∼50%, even in the 5% water-ethanol solution. In addition, ethanol is found to induce significant changes in the dissociation pathway. We extract the most probable conformations of the intermediate states along the minimum energy pathway in the case of all the three concentrations (EtOH mole fractions 0, 5, and 10). We explore the change in microscopic structures that occur in the presence of ethanol. Interestingly, we discover a stable intermediate state in the water-ethanol binary mixture where the centers of the monomers are separated by about 3 nm and the contact order parameter is close to zero. This intermediate is stabilized by the wetting of the interface between the two monomers by the preferential distribution of ethanol and water molecules. This wetting serves to reduce the free energy barrier significantly and thus results in an increase in the rate of dimer dissociation. We also analyze the solvation of the two monomers during the dissociation and both the proteins’ departure from the native state configuration to obtain valuable insights into the dimer dissociation processes.
Behavior and breakdown of higher-order Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou recurrences
Authors: Pace Salvatore D. , Campbell David K.
Published: February 2019

We numerically investigate the existence and stability of higher-order recurrences (HoRs), including super-recurrences, super-super-recurrences, etc., in the α and β Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou (FPUT) lattices for initial conditions in the fundamental normal mode. Our results represent a considerable extension of the pioneering work of Tuck and Menzel on super-recurrences. For fixed lattice sizes, we observe and study apparent singularities in the periods of these HoRs, speculated to be caused by nonlinear resonances. Interestingly, these singularities depend very sensitively on the initial energy and the respective nonlinear parameters. Furthermore, we compare the mechanisms by which the super-recurrences in the two models breakdown as the initial energy and respective nonlinear parameters are increased. The breakdown of super-recurrences in the β-FPUT lattice is associated with the destruction of the so-called metastable state and thus with relaxation towards equilibrium. For the α-FPUT lattice, we find this is not the case and show that the super-recurrences break down while the lattice is still metastable and far from equilibrium. We close with comments on the generality of our results for different lattice sizes.
High-sensitive multi-pass imaging interferometry of a gas/plasma jet
Authors: Sarkisov G. S. , McChesney P. D. , Stein S. , Pronko S. , Bluem H. , Lednum G.
Published: February 2019

To increase the sensitivity of optical interferometry for diagnostic of gas/plasma jet density with weak refractivity, we realize several multi-pass probing setups with the visualization field. These optical setups are based on a modified Michelson interferometer with multi-pass and multi-angle propagation of the probing beam through the transparent inhomogeneity. In comparison to the standard single-pass Mach-Zehnder setup, the multi-pass interferometer allows for an increase in the measurement sensitivity of up to 8 times. This technique can be applied to a transparent axially symmetrical gas/plasma jet with low refractivity.
Microarcing-enhanced tungsten nano and micro-particles formation in low pressure high-density plasma
Authors: Ouaras K. , Lombardi G. , Couëdel L. , Arnas C. , Hassouni K.
Published: February 2019

In this article, tungsten dust formation kinetics in two distinct plasma regimes (glow and micro-arc-assisted glow discharge) are compared using the in situ time-resolved laser extinction method coupled to ex-situ Scanning Electron Microscopy analyses. This experimental study is carried out using low pressure/high density argon dual plasma that combines microwave and pulsed direct-current (tungsten cathode) discharges. Using this plasma system, we could access either to a sputtering glow regime (microarc-free) or to a micro-arcing assisted glow regime by tuning the direct-current voltage and the pulse frequency. On the one hand, in the sputtering glow regime, only dust nanoparticles with sizes ranging from 75 to 150 nm are produced with a low density of ∼1012 m−3. On the other hand, in the micro-arc-assisted glow regime, microparticles in the range of 1–5 μm are produced along with a strong enhancement of nanoparticle production with density up to ∼1014 m−3, and a broad size distribution ranging from ∼30 nm to 700 nm is observed. We show that micro-arcing not only results in micro-meter sized particles through melting/solidification but also strongly promotes the production of nanoparticles in the 100 nm size range.
Determination of the normal A2Π state in MgF with application to direct laser cooling of molecules
Authors: Xu Supeng , Xia Meng , Yin Yanning , Gu Ruoxi , Xia Yong , Yin Jianping
Published: February 2019

We report high resolution electronic spectroscopy of cold magnesium monofluoride (MgF) molecules in the gas phase, which are created by a combination of laser ablation, chemical reaction, and 6 K helium buffer-gas cooling. Thanks to the sufficient population in the low-lying rotational states, the P, Q, and R branches in the electronic transition of the X2Σ+ to A2Π state are able to be measured unambiguously by in-cell absorption spectra. For the first time, we show that the A2Π state of MgF is actually a normal state, not an inverted one. The laser cooling relevant transitions X2Σ+v=0,1,N=1→A2Π1/2(v=0,J′=1/2) are also identified, along with the hyperfine structure of the X2Σ+(v = 0, N = 1) state. This study provides an important step for ongoing laser cooling experiments of MgF molecules.
Enhancing power conversion efficiency of multicrystalline silicon solar cells by plasmonic effect of Ag nanoparticles embedded in SiNx layer
Authors: Wang Ting , Zou Shuai , Zhu Jingyan , Lu Zheng , Sun Hua , Ye Xiaoya , Fang Liang , Tang Rujun , Su Xiaodong
Published: February 2019

In this paper, we demonstrate that the performance of the industrial multicrystalline silicon solar cells can be improved by embedding the silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) into the SiNx layer. On the one hand, the cells have a certain optical loss in short wavelengths near the plasmonic resonance frequency of Ag-NPs, but their open circuit voltages and filling factors are increased due to depressed surface recombination as those short wavelength photons are mainly absorbed by Ag-NPs instead of the surface; on the other hand, the cells show strong absorption in long wavelengths, which can be attributed to the forward-scattering effect of Ag-NPs. Taking together, UV-absorbing Ag-NPs may act as a “sunscreen” to shield the UV damage, while improve the cell efficiency from 18.05 % to 18.25 % by embedding proper Ag-NPs. The techniques presented in this work can be easily incorporated into the current mc-Si solar cell production line, thus have great potential for the mass practical application.
Increase of saturation current in unipolar field-effect transistor due to bulk electric conductance of organic semiconductor
Authors: Govor L. V. , Parisi J.
Published: February 2019

We considered an organic field-effect transistor (OFET) based on a squaraine (SQ) fiber, where the electric conductance of the accumulation channel is comparable with the bulk conductance of the SQ fiber. Each of the measured output and transfer current-voltage characteristics was decomposed into two components, representing the conductance of the accumulation channel and the bulk. We present in detail, how the bulk conductance of the fiber can transform the output characteristics of the unipolar OFET. For positive drain and gate voltage, the hole injection from the drain always takes place when a drain voltage is applied. Depending on the ratio between the electron density (ns) injected from the source into accumulation channel and the hole density (pb) injected from the drain into the bulk, the saturation current of the unipolar OFET is constant (pb < ns) or exhibits increase (pb ≥ ns).
Use of bacteriophages as biological control agents in horticulture
Authors: O'Regan Rhianna , Wilson Annaleise , Kurtböke İpek
Published: February 2019

Bacterial diseases in horticultural settings or infestation of fresh produce with human pathogenic bacteria can constitute a serious public health risk. To control horticultural bacterial diseases, chemical control strategies have traditionally been used, such as the application of bactericides and copper-based products, which resulted in development of resistance in bacteria against these agents. Moreover, the use of such chemical preventative measures on fresh produce can detrimentally affect human, animal and ecosystem health. Bacteriophages have been used to control pathogenic bacteria since the 1920s due to their specificity against host bacteria, as well as their ability to survive and infect their host without detrimental effects to the surrounding environments. As a result, their targeted host specific applications in horticultural settings can be of interest to growers as well as to the consumers. In this laboratory report, the efficacy of a bacteriophage cocktail when applied to fresh herbs inoculated with Escherichia coli was determined. Significant (P ≤ 0.001) reductions in E. coli colony forming units were observed in phage treated herb samples compared to counts in the control. These findings suggest that bacteriophage present as an alternative biocontrol for E. coli in horticulture.
Delivering effective savanna fire management for defined biodiversity conservation outcomes: an Arnhem Land case study
Authors: Evans Jay , Russell-Smith Jeremy
Published: February 2019

Given the recent history of frequent and extensive late dry season wildfire in Australia’s fire-prone northern savannas, regional conservation-based fire management programs typically aim to mitigate wildfire through the use of strategic prescribed burning during the cooler early dry season. However, it remains unclear as to the extent such environmental management concerns are being addressed by these renewed fire management efforts. This study documents changes in fire regime in the western Arnhem Land region of northern Australia associated with the implementation of active fire management since 2006. Over a 12-year period, the regional fire regime has transitioned from late dry season, wildfire-dominated to being characterised by a majority of fires occurring as small early dry season prescribed burns. Although overall area burnt has not significantly decreased, most ecological threshold metrics have improved, with the exception of those describing the maintenance of longer-unburnt habitat. Challenges involved with defining, delivering, monitoring and evaluating heterogeneity targets are discussed.
Traduction et réécriture dans les textes hétérolingues
Authors: de Sart Amaury
Published: February 2019

This article investigates the role of translation and rewriting in Julián Ríos’s first novel
Larva. Refusing to be read in a linear manner, including thousands of plays-on-words and more than 20
languages besides Spanish, Larva breaks many linguistic, literary and discursive codes. It also displays close
links with translation as it constantly moves from one language to another. The influence of translation and rewriting in the
novel is analyzed from contemporary approaches to Ríos’s views on literature (e.g. Kristeva, Riffaterre) with an aim of
understanding how they shape Larva’s main narrative structures and writing processes. Finally, the case of
Larva leaves the door open for questioning the principles of originality and creation in (heterolingual)
literature.
Alvarez de Toledo y Dubois, José
Authors: Kanellos Nicolás
Published: February 2019

José Alvarez de Toledo y Dubois (1779–1858) was either a freedom-fighter turned traitor to the cause of Mexican independence or a spy for the Spanish empire at a time of intense competition among European powers and the early American Republic for dominance over northern New Spain and what would become Texas. In the course of his assimilation or appropriation of liberal discourse and his inciting rebellions, he became a pioneer in the use of the printing press to generate propaganda to recruit troops and financing in advance of military action. His various proclamations and pamphlets exhorted New Spain and other Spanish colonies in America to separate from the motherland and establish republics; a more lasting contribution, however, may have been his being partially responsible for the introduction of the first printing press and publication of the first newspaper in Texas during the early 19th century,
Chacón, Eusebio
Authors: Lomelí Francisco A.
Published: February 2019

Eusebio Chacón was a Mexican American (sometimes referred to as Chicano) figure who straddled the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is someone who was forgotten and overlooked for about eighty years within the annals of Southwestern literature. He resurfaced in the mid-1970s as a key missing link in what is now called Chicano literature, at a time when its literary lineage was blurry and unknown. He was, therefore, instrumental in allowing critics to look back into the dusty shelves of libraries to identify writers who embodied the Mexican American experience within specific moments in history. Both his person and his writings provide an important window into subjects that interfaced with identity, literary formation and aesthetics, and social conditions, as well as how such early writers negotiated a new sense of Americanism while retaining some of their cultural background. Eusebio Chacón stands out as an outstanding example of turn-of-the-century intelligence, sensibility, versatility, and historical conscience in his attempts to educate people of Mexican descent about their rightful place in the United States as writers, social activists, and cultural beings. He fills a significant void that had remained up to the mid-1970s, which reveals how writings by such Mexican American writers were considered marginal.
Latina/o Environmental Justice Literature
Authors: Platt Kamala
Published: February 2019

Latina/o environmental justice literature, prompted by organizing against environmental racism and for ecologically linked social responsibility, emerges in the late 20th century, but environmental justice literary interpretation and critical theory examines texts from any period of Latina/o literature, engaging the nexus of nature, culture, and environmental degradation and justice. Latina/o environmental justice literature includes many genres (fiction, poetry, nonfiction, memoir, testimonio, and performance art, to name a few) and has umbilical connections to a large body of lived experience, longstanding theory and praxis, traditional environmental knowledge (TEK), and environmental justice movement activism. This body of literary poetics that followed the emergence and naming of the environmental justice movement in the 1980s had precursors in the cultural poetics of the civil rights movement and related struggles for justice, equality, nonviolence, feminisms, human rights, and environmental protection. Antecedents to Latina/o environmental justice literature are found in oral literature, pre-Columbian texts, and subsequent Latina/o writing. Definitions of environmental justice within the context of the burgeoning environmental justice movement in the latter decades of the 20th century contribute to interpretations of the literature from this period forward. The last decades of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century saw environmental justice themes emerge in many genres, and Latina/o literature made significant contributions to the broader field. Studies of cultural poetics of environmental justice contributed to that diversity. Contemporary environmental justice literary scholarship summarizes past approaches, traces ongoing work, and offers future directions—redefining and rebirthing environmental justice and climate justice poetics, given global warming and resulting climate change.
Narrative Theory and Asian American Literature
Authors: Lee Yoon Sun
Published: February 2019

The goal of narratology is to construct models or statements that apply universally to narratives as such, or to recognized types of narrative, defined primarily through formal characteristics. In contrast, Asian American literature is defined by reference to a social group with a concrete historical existence. Though the two enterprises may seem to have little in common, their rapprochement can be productive. Categories from both classical narrative theory as well as more recent cognitive narratology can help identify and compare important features of Asian American narratives. Conversely, Asian American literature shows how narratology can build on the knowledge that narrative is a social practice, and that its formal analysis requires the consideration of power, kinship, diaspora, and racial embodiment, as well as gender. For example, the relation between the narrator and narratee plays a major role in canonical works of Asian American literature; narratological analysis benefits from examining how this relation is shaped by generational and spatial dislocation, as well as claims to referential truth.
Performance Art, Performativity, and Environmentalism in the Capitalocene
Authors: Chin Davidson Jane
Published: February 2019

Since the late 20th century, performance has played a vital role in environmental activism, and the practice is often related to concepts of eco-art, eco-feminist art, land art, theatricality, and “performing landscapes.” With the advent of the Capitalocene discourse in the 21st century, performance has been useful for acknowledging indigenous forms of cultural knowledge and for focusing on the need to reintegrate nature and culture in addressing ecological crisis. The Capitalocene was distinguished from the Anthropocene by Donna Haraway who questions the figuration of the Anthropos as reflexive of a fossil-fuel-burning ethos that does not represent the whole of industrial humanity in the circuit of global capital. Jason W. Moore’s analysis for the Capitalocene illustrates the division between nature and society that is affirmed by the tenets of the Anthropocene. Scientists Paul Crutzen and Eugene Stoermer had dated the Anthropocene age to the industrial acceleration of the late-18th/mid-19th century but Moore points to the rise of capitalism in the 15th century when European colonization reduced indigenous peoples to naturales in their modernist definition of nature that became distinct from the new society. As material property, women were also precluded from this segment of industrial humanity.

By the 20th century, the Euro-American system for progressive modernism in the arts was supported by the inscription of cultures that represented un-modern “primitivist” nature. The tribal and the modern became a postcolonial debate in art historical discourse. In the context of the Capitalocene, a different historiography of eco-art, eco-feminist art, and environmental performances can be conceived by acknowledging the work of artists such as Ana Mendieta and Kara Walker who have illustrated the segregation of people according to the nature/society divide. Informed by Judith Butler’s phenomenological analyses of performative acts, the aesthetic use of bodily-oriented expression (with its effects on the viewer’s body) provides a vocabulary for artists engaging in the subjects of the Capitalocene. In the development of performances in the global context, artists such as Wu Mali, Yin Xiuzhen, and Ursula Biemann have emphasized the relationship between bodies of humans and bodies of water through interactive works for the public, sited at the rivers and the shores of streams. They show how humans are not separate from nature, a concept that has long been conveyed by indigenous rituals that run deep in many cultures. While artists have been effective in acknowledging the continuing exploitations of the environment, their performances have also reflected the “self” of nature that humans are in the act of destroying.
Algorithms and Journalism
Authors: Zamith Rodrigo
Published: February 2019

Algorithms today influence, to some extent, nearly every aspect of journalism, from the initial stages of news production to the latter stages of news consumption. While they may be seen as technical objects with certain material characteristics, algorithms are also social constructions that carry multiple meanings. Algorithms are neither valueless nor do they exist in isolation; they are part of algorithmic assemblages that include myriad actors, actants, activities, and audiences. As such, they are imbued with logics that are only sometimes reflective of journalism’s.

Algorithms have played an active role in a broader quantitative turn within journalism that began in the 1970s but rapidly accelerated after the turn of the century. They are already used to produce hundreds of thousands of articles per year through automated journalism and are employed throughout the many stages of human-driven newswork. Additionally, algorithms enable audience analytics, which are used to quantify audiences into measures that are increasingly influencing news production through the abstractions they promote. Traditional theoretical models of newswork like gatekeeping are thus being challenged by the proliferation of algorithms.

A trend toward algorithmically enabled personalization is also leading to the development of responsive distribution and curated flows. This is resulting in a marked shift from journalism’s traditional focus on shared importance and toward highly individualized experiences, which has implications for the formation of publics and media effects. In particular, the proliferation of algorithms has been linked to the development of filter bubbles and evolution of algorithmic reality construction that can be gamed to spread misinformation and disinformation.

Scholars have also observed important challenges associated with the study of algorithms and in particular the opaque nature of key algorithms that govern a range of news-related processes. The combination of a lack of transparency with the complexity and adaptability of algorithmic mechanisms and systems makes it difficult to promote algorithmic accountability and to evaluate them vis-à-vis ethical models. There is, currently, no widely accepted code of ethics for the use of algorithms in journalism.

Finally, while the body of literature at the intersection of algorithms and journalism has grown rapidly in recent years, it is still in its infancy. As such, there are still ample opportunities for typologizing algorithmic phenomena, tracing the lineage of algorithmic processes and the roles of digital intermediaries within systems, and empirically evaluating the prevalence of particular kinds of algorithms in journalistic spaces and the effects they exert on newswork.
Systems Theory and Journalism
Authors: Scholl Armin , Malik Maja
Published: February 2019

Observing, describing, and analyzing journalism as part of society requires theories on a macro level. Unlike normative theories, which criticize journalism with respect to its achievements and failures within society, systems theory operates with the concept of function in a non-normative sense. Based on the groundwork of Talcott Parsons’ theory of social systems, Niklas Luhmann developed systems theory further and radicalized it by strictly avoiding any kind of structural conservatism. His approach is built on the assumption that social systems operate autonomously on the basis of the functional differentiation to their environment. Macro-level systems, i.e., societal systems, fulfill unique functions for and within society. Functional autonomy and singularity make a modern society highly efficient but force each system to rely on the functional performances of all other societal systems. Hence, societal systems are structurally coupled and interdependent. Epistemologically, systems do not exist as ontological units but are strictly observer-related, be the observer the system itself or an external observer, such as the scientific community is.

In journalism research, Luhmann’s systems theory has been applied to journalism as a societal system. Several competing approaches with different perspectives on the system observed (journalism, the mass media, or the public sphere) have been developed with respect to identifying the basic characteristics on which the system operates. Despite their differences they have this in common: journalism is not considered the sum of individual journalists and their (individual) way of working, instead, the systems-theoretical perspective is holistic. However, compared to theories of professionalism, which is also a holistic concept, systems theory neither identifies journalism with the profession of journalism, nor commits it to professional journalism. Instead, the structure of journalism is flexible, i.e., functionally equivalent, as long as its function is fulfilled. This function can be specified: journalism provides society periodically with current, independent, factual, and relevant information.

Empirically, systems theory helps defining the population of journalists by deducing it from its function. Unlike mere empirical approaches, which arbitrarily draw samples from an unknown population, it is possible to clearly draw distinctions between journalism and other forms of public communication, such as public relations, advertising, propaganda, or lay communication. Still, it is challenging to operationalize such an abstract theory, as it is not specially made for hypothesis-driven research.
Foreign Policy and Religion: An Overview
Authors: Warner Carolyn M. , Walker Stephen G.
Published: February 2019

Despite the increased attention to religion in international relations, questions remain about the role of religion in the foreign policies of states. Extrapolating from theories in the fields of international relations and comparative politics is a fruitful strategy to explore religion’s potential avenues of influence on foreign policy. There are also potential methodological tools of analysis in these fields, which can be fruitfully applied to understand the role of religion in foreign policy. Contributions from the field of religion and politics may be used to frame applications of such theories as realism, constructivism, liberalism, and bounded rationality to specify further hypotheses about religion and foreign policy. The potential of these theoretical approaches from international relations to the analysis of religion has not yet been exploited fully although it is clear that there are promising signs of progress.
Arts-Based Research
Authors: Greenwood Janinka
Published: February 2019

Arts-based research encompasses a range of research approaches and strategies that utilize one or more of the arts in investigation. Such approaches have evolved from understandings that life and experiences of the world are multifaceted, and that art offers ways of knowing the world that involve sensory perceptions and emotion as well as intellectual responses. Researchers have used arts for various stages of research. It may be to collect or create data, to interpret or analyze it, to present their findings, or some combination of these. Sometimes arts-based research is used to investigate art making or teaching in or through the arts. Sometimes it is used to explore issues in the wider social sciences. The field is a constantly evolving one, and researchers have evolved diverse ways of using the communicative and interpretative tools that processes with the arts allow. These include ways to initially bypass the need for verbal expression, to explore problems in physically embodied as well as discursive ways, to capture and express ambiguities, liminalities, and complexities, to collaborate in the refining of ideas, to transform audience perceptions, and to create surprise and engage audiences emotionally as well as critically. A common feature within the wide range of approaches is that they involve aesthetic responses.

The richness of the opportunities created by the use of arts in conducting and/or reporting research brings accompanying challenges. Among these are the political as well as the epistemological expectations placed on research, the need for audiences of research, and perhaps participants in research, to evolve ways of critically assessing the affect of as well as the information in presentations, the need to develop relevant and useful strategies for peer review of the research as well as the art, and the need to evolve ethical awareness that is consistent with the intentions and power of the arts.
The History of the National Writing Project
Authors: Whitney Anne Elrod , Sarraga-Lopez Yamil
Published: February 2019

The National Writing Project (NWP) is a network of professional development sites focusing on the improvement of writing across schools and communities. Its origins as the Bay Area Writing Project led to a professional development model of teachers teaching teachers, a concept that hinges upon recognition of teachers’ knowledge and their capacity to become leaders within their professional community.

In the ensuing years, with early financial support from the US government in the form of an initial grant and an eventual direct federal line item, the NWP expanded from one location to over 200 local sites across the USA’s 50 states and territories as well as international sites. These US and international sites, created in partnership with local universities or colleges, offer localized support to teachers of writing. The project’s model involves an intensive summer institute in which teachers spend their time writing, reading, and sharing their knowledge about writing practices and teaching.

While its focus is on the teaching of writing across all levels and disciplines, the project has become a model example of a professional learning and development network. As such, the NWP has created a legacy in teacher learning and development that many within the field of teacher professional development wish to emulate. An examination of this history, highlighting the project’s beginnings within the Bay Area Writing Project and its eventual expansion, speaks to the vision that has driven its success.
History of Public Health in Latin America
Authors: Cueto Marcos , Palmer Steven
Published: February 2019

From the late 19th to the late 20th century, Latin America was a developing region of the world in which public and private health discourses, practices, and a network of agencies were consolidated. Many organizations appeared as a response to pandemics, such as yellow fever, that attacked the main ports and cities, and they interacted with global agencies such as the Rockefeller Foundation. Frequently, single-disease-focused and technocratic approaches were promoted in a pattern that can be defined as the “culture of survival.” However, some practitioners believed in public health programs as a tool to improve the living conditions of the poor, the most important being comprehensive primary health care, which emerged in the late 1970s. Toward the end of the Cold War (ca. 1980s), neo-liberal reformers supported a restrictive idea of primary care health that overemphasized cost-effectiveness and efficiency.