bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FEATURES OF VITAMIN D METABOLIC METHODS AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF METABOLIC SYNDROME IN CHILDREN
Authors: Garifulina Lilya , Ashurova Maksuda
Published: February 2025

The original article presents the results of a study of the metabolic state and cholecalciferol concentration in children and adolescents who are overweight and obese, determining the role of vitamin D in the formation of metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents. The results of the study are recommended for widespread implementation in the practice of general practitioners in central district primary health care clinics. The aim of the study was to determine the state of metabolism and concentration of cholecalciferol in overweight and obese children and adolescents, with the determination of the role of vitamin D in the formation of metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents. Materials and methods: 106 children and adolescents with exogenous constitutional type of obesity, as well as 30 children and adolescents with normal body weight were examined.   A complex of anthropometric, clinical, biochemical, enzyme immunoassay studies was conducted to determine the level of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, as well as vitamin D. Results of the study: it was revealed that the pathology of carbohydrate metabolism in overweight and obese children and adolescents occurs in 47.6% of cases, an imbalance of lipid metabolism – in 38.6%, insufficiency and deficiency of cholecalciferol in blood serum – in 76.9% of cases of severe obesity. The results allowed us to establish the presence of metabolic syndrome in 58.4% of children with signs of abdominal obesity, while its complete variant was observed in 20.9%. Children with metabolic syndrome have the greatest vitamin D deficiency. Conclusion: serum cholecalciferol is a risk factor for the initial imbalance of metabolic processes with the formation of a further symptom complex of metabolic syndrome.
Sociolinguistic Analysis of Gen Alpha’s Slang in YouTube Shorts Comments of Meme Content Creators
Authors: Adhi Ilham Murti , Masykuroh Qanitah
Published: February 2025

This study examines the use of Gen Alpha slang in YouTube short videos focusing on the importance of linguistic and sociolinguistic patterns. The purpose of this study is to identify slang used by Gen Alpha, analyze the types of slang based on Robert L. Chapman's classification. This study uses a qualitative method with a case study design that analyzes the comments column of content from five meme creators on YouTube Shorts. The choice of YouTube shorts as a data source is based on the popularity of this platform among Gen Alpha and this platform that encourages fast and dynamic communication. Data collection was carried out in Miles and Huberman's theory, data reduction was applied to filter relevant comments, data display was used to classify slang terms based on categories proposed by Robert L. Chapman, and verification was carried out through triangulation with other sociolinguistic references. The 121 comments containing slang, 75 were categorized as primary slang and 46 as secondary slang. This analysis is based on Janet Holmes’ sociolinguistic theory of language change and age grading, and Chapman’s slang word classification, which divides slang into primary and secondary categories. The results showed that Gen Alpha frequently used slang terms such as “Sigma”, “Rizz”, and “Mewing.” The primary slang words such as “Sigma” and “Rizz” count for 35% of the total data collected. Secondary slang, more accurate to online subcultures, includes 25% words such as “Ohio” and “Fanumtax.” The study concluded that YouTube Shorts act as a digital space where Gen Alpha innovate in language and enhance their group identity and social interactions. This study contributes to the field of sociolinguistics by providing insight into the effects of digital media on the development of slang and how language works to shape social dynamics among the younger generation. The results of this study suggest that digital slang has a significant impact on language development by accelerating the spread of new terms and influencing the types of communication on online platforms.
ATUAÇÃO DO NOTÁRIO NO PROCESSO DE DESJUDICIALIZAÇÃO: UMA PERSPECTIVA PÓS-POSITIVISTA DO ACESSO À JUSTIÇA NO DIREITO BRASILEIRO
Authors: Bruno Wiqlifi , Boff Salete Oro
Published: February 2025

O trabalho pretende elucidar em que medida a atuação do notário pode representar a garantia de acesso à justiça sob a égide de preceitos pós-positivistas no contexto do direito brasileiro. Buscou-se enfatizar a construção do conceito de teoria do direito na história e como os avanços sociais elevaram a discussão ao âmbito do pós-positivismo, que abriu o precedente de se perquirir a garantia jurídica dos direitos fundamentais, em especial o de acesso à justiça, algo que necessita de atenção, já que o sistema judiciário brasileiro lida com uma sobrecarga de processos e, por isso, se torna moroso e burocrático. Além disso, este estudo teve como intuito contribuir com a discussão acerca da inserção da atuação dos serviços notariais e registrais no sentido de proteção do acesso à justiça como uma solução viável e acessória, propondo um debate sobre seu conceito e contribuições para o universo jurídico, além de analisar as atividades em espécie. Por meio do método dedutivo e da pesquisa bibliográfica, foram constatados os resultados de que a inclusão da atuação do notário no sistema de garantia do acesso à justiça, quando aliada ao direito e sob o esteio de legislação, atende às lacunas de necessidades atuais no que tange às inconsistências de morosidade do sistema judiciário, constituindo-se em um novo caminho mais ágil para assegurar os direitos fundamentais.
Pengaruh Kadar Hemoglobin terhadap Risiko Anemia dan Dampaknya pada Kesehatan Remaja Putri
Authors: Mulyani Intan , Faadilah Afkaar , Junisa Diva Efrilia , Anggraini Debie
Published: February 2025

Pendahuluan: Anemia merupakan masalah kesehatan umum di kalangan remaja putri, yang sering kali disebabkan oleh gizi yang tidak memadai dan kesadaran yang buruk, yang dapat berdampak negatif pada kualitas hidup dan hasil kesehatan mereka. Tujuan: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis efektivitas edukasi anemia dan mengidentifikasi faktor-faktor yang memengaruhi status anemia pada remaja putri. Metode: Tinjauan ini mencakup lima penelitian yang menggunakan desain eksperimental dan cross-sectional. Metode pengumpulan data bervariasi dari pengujian hemoglobin, kuesioner, dan pengukuran antropometri hingga analisis asupan gizi. Uji statistik seperti Mann-Whitney U, chi-square, dan regresi logistik digunakan untuk menganalisis data. Hasil: Edukasi tentang anemia, baik secara langsung maupun berbasis web, secara signifikan meningkatkan kadar hemoglobin, pengetahuan, sikap, dan praktik. Faktor-faktor utama yang memengaruhi anemia meliputi pendapatan keluarga, asupan gizi, pendidikan orang tua, dan kondisi menstruasi. Anemia juga berdampak signifikan pada kualitas hidup, khususnya hubungan sosial dan kesehatan reproduksi. Kesimpulan: Intervensi anemia yang efektif memerlukan pendekatan multifaset, yang menggabungkan pendidikan, peningkatan akses ke gizi, dan dukungan keluarga, untuk mengurangi prevalensi anemia dan meningkatkan hasil kesehatan remaja.
Factores de riesgo relacionados a las enfermedades diarreicas agudas en la comunidad La Paja, Calderón
Authors: Pinargote Arianna S. , Vera Melanie K. , Acurio Neyeska A. , Tapia Camila A. , Fernández Yumy E.
Published: February 2025

Acute diarrheal disease (ADD) continues to be one of the world's public health problems, mainly affecting underdeveloped countries. The objective was to analyze the risk factors that influenced acute diarrheal diseases in the La Paja community of the Calderón parish. A cross-sectional descriptive observational study was conducted with a mixed approach, with a sample of 28 families composed of 99 people. It is concluded that the risk factors associated with the disease in the study population are drinking water, insufficient or absent sewage disposal, and excreta, which constitute a danger to the health of the inhabitants.
Influence of Organizational Culture on the Improvement of Health Services at Telaga Murni Public Health Center
Authors: Donah Mulatsih  , Agus Cholik  , Anita Wijayanti  , Sri Wahyuni  , Sumantoro
Published: February 2025

This study explores the influence of organizational culture on the improvement of health services at the Telagamurni Public Health Center. Using an explanatory survey method with a quantitative approach, the study analyzed data from 89 respondents selected through stratified random sampling. The findings reveal that organizational culture contributes 68.5% to the improvement of health service quality. The dimension of team orientation scored the highest, emphasizing the importance of collaboration in health services. Conversely, the aspects of innovation and risk-taking recorded the lowest scores, indicating the need for enhancements in organizational creativity and adaptability. Practical implications of these findings include strengthening training programs, developing integrated health information systems, and implementing digital transformation in health services.
Tipología municipal en base a la recaudación de tributos locales: caso del estado de Durango, México
Authors: Gallardo García Martín
Published: February 2025

La tipología municipal propuesta, basada en la recaudación de tributos locales, permite clasificar a los municipios según su capacidad financiera y económica. Aunque el análisis se centró en los municipios del estado de Durango debido a la dificultad de acceder a información de todos los municipios del país, las similitudes económicas y fiscales entre ellos justifican su aplicabilidad a nivel nacional. Las limitadas facultades tributarias otorgadas a los gobiernos municipales en México generan patrones similares en términos de dependencia de recursos federales y limitaciones para la generación de ingresos propios, especialmente en municipios rurales. Por lo tanto, esta tipología no solo es representativa de Durango, sino también de la realidad de muchos municipios a lo largo del país.
L’Espagne, la Chine et les Indes occidentales 1580-1640 : un modèle économique
Authors: Bonialian Mariano
Published: February 2025

L’article se propose d’incorporer le commerce chinois dans la structure mercantile qui était en train de se construire dans l’ensemble de l’Amérique espagnole coloniale. Il dévoile les rouages d’un modèle commercial inédit à l’échelle continentale dont l’épicentre se situe en Nouvelle-Espagne et dans lequel le commerce chinois entre les îles Philippines et le port d’Acapulco joue un rôle prépondérant. Loin d’être un élément marginal ou exceptionnel, l’essai cherche à démontrer que le commerce avec la Chine constitue un rouage nécessaire pour comprendre non seulement la dynamique des circuits officiels de commerce à travers l’Atlantique, mais aussi les flux illégaux qui germent aux quatre coins de l’empire. Dans le modèle économique proposé, le puissant flux de marchandises asiatiques et européennes de la Nouvelle-Espagne elle-même jusqu’au Pérou via la mer du Sud, avec ses conséquences indirectes, sont ainsi mises en évidence.
The Invention of the “Sangley” in the Early Modern Spanish Philippines
Authors: Lee Christina H.
Published: February 2025

Christina H. Lee explores the term “Sangley”, used by early Spanish settlers to refer to Chinese people or their descendants in the Philippine archipelago. This term, only used in the Philippines, distinguished Chinese workers and traders from their mainland counterparts. Lee argues that the use of this term was a tool of social and political control, reinforcing Spanish superiority. By labeling Chinese inhabitants “Sangleyes”, Spanish colonial authorities marginalized them, emphasizing their status as a distinct and inferior group within the Philippine racial hierarchy. Moreover, the Ming dynasty’s indifferent attitude towards Chinese migrants to the Philippines unwittingly consolidated this Spanish-imposed identity.
PENERAPAN MODEL PEMBELAJARAN SURVEY, QUESTION, READ, RECITE, REVIEW (SQ3R) TERHADAP HASIL BELAJAR
Authors: Laia Omasi Zoaya
Published: February 2025

Thee aim of thee reeseearch is to improvee class VIII leearning outcomees at SMP Neegeeri 2 Onolalu through thee application of thee Surveey, Queestion, Reeade, Reecitee, Reevieew (SQ3R) leearning modeeel for thee 2023/2024 acadeeemic yeear. Thee typee of reeseearch useede is Classroom Action Reeseearch (PTK). Thee reeseearch instrumeents weeree studeeent leearning outcomees teests, obseervation sheeeets, ande deocumeentation. Thee reeseearch subjeects weeree 20 studeeents. Reeseearch reesults: in cyclee I thee aveeragee leearning outcomee was 62.75 with a peerceentagee of 40%, ande in cyclee II thee aveeragee leearning outcomee increeaseede to 72.50 with a peerceentagee of 100%. Reeseearch conclusion: through thee Surveey, Queestion, Reeade, Reecitee, Reevieew (SQ3R) leearning modeeel, it heelps studeeents to think activeely in leearning, studeeents undeeerstande thee subjeect matteer, trains studeeents' couragee to ask queestions ande finde answeers to theeir own queestions, ande eencouragees studeeents to think critically. Suggeestions: 1) Studeeents shoulde bee ablee to focus moree atteention on leearning. 2) Teeacheers shoulde usee thee surveey, queestion, reeade, reecitee, reevieew (SQ3R) leearning modeeel as an alteernativee to heelp studeeents undeeerstande thee leesson mateerial, ande attract studeeents' atteention to bee activee in leearning. 3) Schools shoulde makee moree eefforts to provideee beetteer facilitiees ande creeatee a comfortablee leearning eenvironmeent to support thee teeaching ande leearning proceess. 4) Adevanceede reeseearcheers shoulde carry out reeseearch oveer a longeer peeriode of timee in ordeeer to obtain maximum reesults.
Kinh nghiệm giám sát của cơ quan dân cử đối với phát triển kinh tế nông thôn của một số tỉnh và bài học cho tỉnh Ninh Bình
Authors: Nguyễn Thị Thanh  , Trần Đức Hiệp  , Nguyễn Thị Hương Lan
Published: February 2025

Phát triển kinh tế nông thôn là một nhiệm vụ trọng tâm trong chiến lược phát triển kinh tế - xã hội, đặc biệt tại các địa phương có tỷ lệ dân cư nông thôn cao. Trong đó, chức năng giám sát của cơ quan dân cử, cụ thể là hội đồng nhân dân các cấp, giữ vị trí quan trọng nhằm đảm bảo thực thi hiệu quả các chủ trương, chính sách và pháp luật của Nhà nước về phát triển kinh tế nông thôn, đồng thời phát huy quyền làm chủ của nhân dân. Bài viết tập trung nghiên cứu kinh nghiệm giám sát của cơ quan dân cử tại một số tỉnh, từ đó đề xuất một số bài học phù hợp với điều kiện thực tiễn của tỉnh Ninh Bình, góp phần thúc đẩy tăng trưởng kinh tế địa phương theo hướng bền vững và hiệu quả.
Đánh giá mức độ trưởng thành số trong giáo dục đại học: Nghiên cứu trường hợp một số trường đại học công lập trên địa bàn Hà Nội
Authors: Lưu Thị Minh Ngọc  , Nguyễn Phương Mai  , Vũ Thị Minh Hiền  , Phạm Hoàng Hải
Published: February 2025

Digital transformation is an unavoidable trend in higher education globally and in Vietnam. This study evaluates the digital maturity of universities to offer recommendations for advancing the digital transformation process at Vietnamese higher education institutions. We developed a digital maturity assessment framework comprising 7 domains and 40 indicators, derived from a synthesis of prior research in advanced countries and regulations in Vietnam. Data gathered from 225 individuals working at 6 public universities in Hanoi was used to evaluate the level of digital maturity across 7 assessment domains. The research findings indicate that universities have established policies and plans, and have executed digital transformation initiatives at a fundamental to somewhat proficient level. Nonetheless, the “technology transfer and social service” domain has a comparatively low score across all six universities. The results of this research suggest implications for the influence of leadership and human resources in promoting digital transformation in Vietnamese public universities.
Transformation Of Traditional Tafsir To Modern Perspective Of Fazlur Rahman's Hermeneutics
Authors: Nurcahyati Nurcahyati , Haqiqi Haqiqi
Published: February 2025

This article examines the transformation of tafsir from traditional to modern in the perspective of Fazlur Rahman's hermeneutics. This research was conducted using qualitative methodology with hermeneutic analysis to understand the mufassir's efforts in answering the challenges of the times in a more contextual and relevant way. The traditional textual approach is now replaced by a more unified hermeneutic method, combining social, historical and linguistic analysis. This allows Qur'anic interpretation to deepen meanings that are not only appropriate to the context of the past, but also relevant to modern social, political and cultural realities. The development of globalization and modernity has had a significant impact on the dynamics of tafsir, with modern mufassirs applying adaptive methods to address social issues. However, this transformation faces the challenge of maintaining a balance between innovation and respect for tradition and the authority of the sacred text. The interim conclusion of the study shows that changes in tafsir not only enrich the intellectual horizons of Islam, but also play an important role in developing an understanding and practice of the Qur'an that is more relevant to the context of modern society.
Death Metal and Music Criticism
Authors: Phillipov Michelle
Published: February 2025

Death metal is one of popular music's most extreme variants, and is typically viewed as almost monolithically nihilistic, misogynistic, and reactionary. Studies tend to view the music as a reflection of these listeners' social conditions and are concerned with metal's pleasures so long as these can be seen within that context: as responses to cultural and economic circumstances.

Michelle Phillipov's Death Metal and Music Criticism: Analysis at the Limits, in contract, offers an account of listening pleasure on its own terms. Through an analysis of death metal's sonic and lyrical extremity, Phillipov shows how violence and aggression can be configured as sites for pleasure and play in death metal music, with little relation to the 'real' lives of listeners. In some cases, gruesome lyrical themes and fractured song forms invite listeners to imagine new experiences of the body and of the self. In others, the speed and complexity of the music foster a 'technical' or distanced appreciation akin to the viewing experiences of graphic horror film fans. These aspects of death metal listening are often neglected by scholarly accounts concerned with evaluating music as either 'progressive' or 'reactionary.'

By contextualizing the discussion of death metal via substantial overviews of popular music studies as a field, Phillipov's Death Metal and Music Criticism highlights how the premium placed on political engagement in popular music studies not only circumscribes our understanding of the complexity and specificity of death metal, but of other musical styles as well. Exploring death metal at the limits of conventional music criticism helps not only to develop a more nuanced account of death metal listening—it also offers some important starting points for a rethinking of popular music scholarship as a whole.
The Media and the Models of Masculinity
Authors: Moss Mark
Published: February 2025

Mark Moss's The Media and the Models of Masculinity details the impact that the mass media has upon men's sense of identity, style, and deportment. From advertising to television shows, mass consumer culture defines and identifies how men select and sort what is fashionable and acceptable. Utilizing a large mine of mediated imagery, men and boys construct and define how to dress, act, and comport themselves. By engaging critical discussions on everything from fashion, to domestic space, to sports and beyond, readers are privy to a modern and fascinating account of the diverse and dominant perceptions of and on Western masculine culture. Historical tropes and models are especially important in this construction and influence and impact contemporary variations.
Terrence Malick and the Thought of Film
Authors: Rybin Steven
Published: February 2025

As the director of Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line, and The New World, Terrence Malick has created a remarkable body of work that enables imaginative acts of philosophical interpretation. Steven Rybin's Terrence Malick and the Thought of Film looks closely at the dialogue between Malick's films and our powers of thinking, showing how his work casts the philosophy of thinkers such as Stanley Cavell, Martin Heidegger, Walter Benjamin, André Bazin, Edgar Morin, and Immanuel Kant in new cinematic light. With a special focus on how the voices of Malick's characters move us to thought, Terrence Malick and the Thought of Film offers new readings of his films and places Malick's work in the context of recent debates in the interdisciplinary field of film and philosophy. Rybin also provides a postscript on Malick's recently-released fifth film, The Tree of Life.
The Fiscal Case Against Statehood
Authors: Moussalli Stephanie D.
Published: February 2025

New Mexico and Arizona joined the Union in 1912, despite the opposition from some of their residents. The Fiscal Case against Statehood examines the concerns of the people who lost the battle over statehood in the two territories. Moussalli examines their territorial and early state governments’ fiscal behavior and reveals that while their fears of steep increases in the cost of government were well-founded, statehood also significantly improved their governments’ accountability for their use of the public purse. She concludes that fiscal officials enabled statehood’s growth in government by improving the financial reports and processes.

Moussalli examines New Mexico’s and Arizona’s financial reports before and after statehood, and compares them to the state of Nevada’s reports as a control. Through detailed, systematic analysis, Moussalli reveals the fiscal costs and accountability gains of statehood for the residents of New Mexico and Arizona.
Human Rights, Suffering, and Aesthetics in Political Prison Literature
Authors: Wu Yenna
Published: February 2025

This interdisciplinary volume of essays studies human rights in political prison literature, while probing the intersections of suffering, politics, and aesthetics in an interliterary and intercultural context. As the first book to explore the concept of global aesthetics in political prison narratives, it demonstrates how literary insight enhances the study of human rights. Covering varied geographical and geopolitical regions, this collection encourages comparative analyses and cross-cultural understanding. Seeking to interrogate linguistic, structural, and cultural constructions of the political prison experience, it highlights the literary aspects without losing sight of the political and the theoretical. The contributors cross various disciplinary boundaries and adopt different interpretive perspectives in analyzing prison narratives, especially memoirs, from such diverse countries as China, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Romania, Russia, Uruguay, and the U.S. The volume emphasizes the literary works produced since the second half of the twentieth century, particularly since the political seismic shift in 1989. The authors treated range from the canonical to the less well-known: Nawal El Saadawi, Varlam Shalamov, Zhang Xianliang, Cong Weixi, Wumingshi, Carlos Liscano, Fatna El Bouih, Nabil Sulayman, Faraj Bayraqdar, Hasiba 'Abdalrahman, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Nicolae Steinhardt, Irina Ratushinskaya, etc. Critical issues investigated include how the writers represent their sufferings, experiences, and emotions during incarceration; their strategies of survival; and how political prison literature can reveal hidden violations of human rights, while resisting official discourse and serving other functions in society. Examining the commonalities and differences in global experiences of imprisonment, the eight chapters engage with the aesthetics of self-making and resistance, individual and collective memory, denial and conversion, catharsis and redemption, and the experiencing and witnessing of trauma. Topics also include the politics of remembering and the politics of representation, such as the problematic relationship between narrative, language, and representations of torture. Similarly under discussion are prison aesthetics of happiness, the role of spectacle in the criminal justice system, and the intersection of prison, gender, and silences. At a juncture when more and more people all over the world actively defy repressive regimes and demand political reform, this book makes a timely contribution to the advocacy and discourse of universal human rights.
Reviving Legitimacy
Authors: Zhenglai Deng
Published: February 2025

The Chinese government has attempted to bolster its legitimacy as a political response to emerging social, cultural, political, economic, environmental challenges and crises experienced during market-oriented reforms and rapid modernization in China. However, contrary to the Western preference for liberal democracy and 'procedural legitimacy,' the Chinese government's attempt at bolstering legitimacy has emphasized performance-based, responsibility-based, morality-based, and ideology-based arguments in order to gain popular support and maintain regime stability. In order to understand and explain political phenomena in China, it is necessary to revisit the concepts, theories, and sources of legitimacy and their applications in the Chinese context. Contributors of this book have approached legitimacy from both normative and empirical perspectives, and from Western and Chinese perspectives, thus this edited volume offers lessons and insights for and from China, and contributes to the ongoing theoretical debates as well as empirical research on legitimacy in the Chinese context.
The Other Karen in Myanmar
Authors: Thawnghmung Ardeth Maung
Published: February 2025

The “Other” Karen in Myanmar looks at the “other” or “quiet” minorities, who are members of ethnic groups associated with well-known armed resistance organizations, but who pursued non-violent approaches to promote their individual and collective interests. This is the first in-depth study to uncover the existence and activities of the “other” Karen and analyze the nature of relationships with their “rebel” counterparts and the state authorities. It also discusses other ethnic armed organizations that have experienced similar situations and assesses their implications for inter-ethnic relations, negotiations with state authorities and political reform.

Most previous studies have focused on violent aspects of ethnic relations and on ethnic armed organizations, such as the Karen National Union (KNU) in Burma, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MNLF) in the Philippines, and the LTTE in Sri Lanka. However, even among these minorities which are locked in armed conflicts, the majority of people have shunned armed resistance and sought to remain ‘quietly’ beyond the struggle and pursued non-violent approaches to promote their individual and collective interests in the face of authoritarian, governments.

This study, which sheds light on the lives and growing political significance of non-armed, non-insurgent members of ethnic minorities in Burma, draws heavily on opinion surveys and open-ended interviews among Karen diaspora (among individuals who lived a minimum of 20 years in Burma), “quiet Karens” who live inside Burma, KNU officials, personnel, and soldiers, and Karen refugees and IDPs who are currently living in Thai-Burma border areas. These interviews, which covered approximately two hundred respondents, have been conducted since 2002.

It is mainly directed toward social scientists, historians, humanitarian workers, policy makers, and practitioners, and non-specialist ordinary audience who are interested in Southeast Asian/Burmese politics and society, comparative politics, identity politics, ethnic conflict, social movements, conflict resolution, and political reform.
Revolution in the Social Sciences
Authors: Phillips Bernard , Christner David
Published: February 2025

Revolution in the Social Sciences centers on integrating knowledge from sociology, psychology, anthropology, history, political science and economics in order to confront increasing worldwide problems that threaten all of us. That integration of knowledge of human behavior is essential for understanding those problems, given their enormous complexity coupled with the highly specialized nature of the social sciences and their limited communication across specialized fields. It carries further the ideas developed by the Sociological Imagination Group in the seven books it has published since its founding in 2000 (www.sociological-imagination.org): Beyond Sociology's Tower of Babel, Toward a Sociological Imagination, The Invisible Crisis of Contemporary Society, Understanding Terrorism, Armageddon or Evolution?Bureaucratic Culture and Escalating World Problems, and Saving Society.

In addition to visible problems like war and terrorism with weapons of mass destruction that are becoming ever more threatening, there are relatively invisible problems. For example, there is an increasing gap between what people throughout the world want—including a decent standard of living and freedom from patterns of hatred like racism, sexism and ageism—and what they are in fact able to get. There is, then, an increasing aspirations-fulfillment gap, largely produced by the "revolution of rising expectations" over the past five centuries. Political leaders who attempt to confront problems can only make limited progress on them, largely because of the failure of social scientists to integrate their knowledge and thus yield the understanding of these complex problems that is required.
The Scholar and the Tiger
Authors: Chang David Wen-wei , Carter Alden R.
Published: February 2025

The Scholar and the Tiger is at once a compelling family saga, thriller, social history, and spiritual journey. Written by a noted China scholar, assisted by a writer friend, the story brings to life a tumultuous period in Chinese history while providing surprising insights into China's emergence as a global power.

Wen-wei Chang was born in 1929 as famine gripped northern China, taking the lives of countless peasants, including his father. Only his iron-willed mother kept the family alive. The eldest son, Wen-po, joined the army. Eighteen years Wen-wei's senior, Wen-po fought bandits, opium smugglers, the Japanese, and Mao's Communists, becoming known as "Tiger Chang."

Meanwhile, Wen-wei—a brilliant scholar from childhood—seemed destined for a career in the age-old mandarin tradition of civil service. But civil war intervened, forcing him to evacuate his ill mother and two sisters-in-law and their children only days before the Communists reached Beijing. In Shanghai, they were reunited with Wen-po, now a leading Guomindang general who commanded the city's final defenses. Wen-wei refused evacuation to Taiwan, insisting on caring for his mother and making the best life he could under the Communists. But a day after the occupation of the city, a terrified friend told Wen-wei that Wen-po had been left behind and was hiding in the friend's apartment, putting all of their lives at risk.

What follows has all the drama of a spy novel: narrow escapes and rescues, treachery and blackmail, and a final wrenching irony that would tear Wen-wei from his family and homeland. Only after thirty years in America, with a new life as university professor David Chang, is he allowed to return to China to learn the fate of his mother and loved ones—and perhaps to heal his broken heart.
Health and Health Care in the Nation's Prisons
Authors: Delgado Melvin
Published: February 2025

The United States correctional system is facing an urgent crisis in how to meet the health care needs of its prisoners. As the number of inmates in correctional facilities increases, prisons struggle to adequately address health care needs in a financially feasible way. Many prisoners enter the system with medical problems that have gone unmet, and the toxic environments inside the prisons further compromise their health, causing serious problems both within the prisons themselves and in society as a whole when the prisoners are released. Health and Health Care in the Nation''s Prisons presents a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the health care challenges facing today''s prisons along with concrete recommendations for change.

In addition to an overview of the most common prison health care problems, this book provides a unique assessment of the needs of largely-overlooked prison populations, including women, people of color, and older adults. Authors Melvin Delgado and Denise Humm-Delgado cover high profile health care needs, such as substance abuse and mental illness, as well as lower profile needs like hepatitis and STDs. They also provide essential background information on the development of today''s crisis by tracing the history of the U.S. health care system and how it has changed over time to meet social needs.
Twentieth-Century Multiplicity
Authors: Borus Daniel H.
Published: February 2025

Twentieth-Century Multiplicity explores the effect of the culture-wide sense that prevailing syntheses failed to account fully for the complexities of modern life. As Daniel H. Borus documents the belief that there were many truths, many beauties, and many values—a condition that the historian Henry Adams labeled multiplicity—rather than singular ones prompted new departures in a myriad of discourses and practices ranging from comic strips to politics to sociology. The new emphasis on contingency and context prompted Americans to rethink what counted as truth and beauty, how the self was constituted and societies cohered and functioned. The challenge to absolutes and universals, Borus shows, gave rise to a culture in which standards were not always firm and fixed and previously accepted hierarchies were not always valid. Although itself strenuously challenged, especially during the First World War, early twentieth-century multiplicity bequeathed to American cultural life an abiding sense of the complexity and diversity of things.
Winning the Long War
Authors: Berman Ilan
Published: February 2025

Winning the Long War is a trenchant examination of the past seven years of the Global War on Terror, the future battlegrounds that will confront the United States in the struggle against radical Islam in the years ahead, and how America can reclaim the initiative in what has become the defining struggle of the twenty-first century. Middle East expert Ilan Berman offers new thinking on counterterrorism strategy and provides the new administration with ways to close the gaps in current American counterterrorism strategy. While there are many books about fighting terrorism, none offer Berman's approach of integrating diplomatic, legal, economic, military, and theoretical strategies into a comprehensive national security action plan. Using cutting edge analysis of current terrorism trends, Winning the Long War identifies three central failings that triggered the West's retreat and radical Islam's simultaneous advance: the failure to properly define the enemy, the inability to dominate the battlefields, and the inability to calibrate counterterrorism strategies. Demonstrating the need for more creative thinking about the nature of the conflicts in which the West now finds itself, this book lays out the steps that must be taken to win the long war.
Ecological Futures
Authors: Chew Sing C.
Published: February 2025

Ecological Futures, the final book in Sing C. Chew's trilogy on world ecological degradation, proposes that our own era exhibits ecological conditions similar to those of the past. The climate changes, environmental crises, mass population migrations, and socioeconomic disorganization we find in our globalized world also characterized the Late Bronze Age and the period following the fall of the Roman Empire. Given such historical parallels, can history tell us what to expect? Analyzing past trends, Chew identifies a set of long-term structural changes common to previous systemic crises and suggests possible outcomes. These 'possible futures' include the collapse of systems, territories, informational technologies, and communities in an era of scarce resources, political reorganization, and globalization.
'We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident... '
Authors: Addison Kenneth N.
Published: February 2025

We hold these truths to be self evident_' An Interdisciplinary Analysis of the Roots of Racism and Slavery in America delves into the philosophical, historical, socio/cultural and political evolution of racism and slavery in America. The premise of this work is that racism and slavery in America are the result of an unintentional historical intertwining of various Western philosophical, religious, cultural, social, economic, and political strands of thought that date back to the Classical Era. These strands have become tangled in a Gordian knot, which can only be unraveled through the bold application of a variety of multidisciplinary tools. By doing so, this book is intended help the reader understand how the United States, a nation that claims 'all men are created equal,' could be responsible for slavery and the intractable threads of racism and inequality that have become woven into its cultural the fabric.
Holy Words and Holy Orders
Authors: Berry Donald L.
Published: February 2025

This book addresses controversial issues in contemporary church life using liturgical commentary, homiletical illustration, and theological reflection. Issues examined include: gender and sexuality, relation of lay and ordained ministries, the relation of biblical Israel and the modern state, the differences between the Hebrew Scriptures and the Old Testament, the need for careful expository preaching, and deference to tradition as well as openness to new ways. The focus here is on the Episcopal Church in America, yet the examples and pleadings have relevance to the wider Christian community.
Executed Women of 20th and 21st Centuries
Authors: Gillespie L. Kay
Published: February 2025

Executed Women of the 20th and 21st Centuries provides a look into the lives, crimes, and executions of women during the 20th and 21st centuries. Rather than dealing with these women as numbers and statistics, this book presents them as human beings. Each of these women had lives, histories, and families. The purpose is not to condone their actions, but to suggest that those we executed are, in fact, humans—rather than monsters, as they are often portrayed.
Messianic 'I' and Rastafari in New Testament Dialogue
Authors: Palmer Delano Vincent
Published: February 2025

Anyone familiar with the Rastafari movement and its connection with the Bible is struck by the prevalence of messianic I-locution found in both. As the phenomenon is important in the canonical Testaments, more so within the New Testament, this study seeks to investigate its significance in certain epistolary pieces (Romans 7:14-25 ; 15:14-33), the bio-Narratives and the Apocalypse in their historical and cultural milieu. The next stage of the investigation then compares the findings of the aforementioned New Testament books with corresponding statements of the Rasta community, in order to determine their relevance for the ongoing Anglophone theological enterprise. In sum, this study seeks to bring into critical dialogue the permutative messianic 'I' of the New Testament with the self-understanding of Rastafari.
Reflective Network Therapy in the Preschool Classroom
Authors: Kliman Gilbert
Published: February 2025

Reflective Network Therapy describes a remarkably effective school-based treatment method that harnesses small social networks for the good of seriously emotionally disturbed preschoolers or those with autism spectrum disorders. The book provides an in-depth explanation of the method — including the work of parents, peers, teachers, and mental health therapists. The RNT method has a substantial evidence base, with about the same number of treated children and a larger number of comparison and control cases as the published IQ results of the most widely used school based method. It has been used in many real life environments and is well-tested for feasibility, replicability, IQ effects, and children's global mental health results. The RNT method does not separate the child from peers by pairing him with an aide but is peer, teacher and parent inclusive. The cost-benefits and human benefits are extraordinary.
Crazy Culture
Authors: Heinegg Peter
Published: February 2025

Crazy Culture is a series of broadsides against many widely held misconceptions in both academe and the general public, who is often seen clustering under the politically correct banner of multiculturalism. Heinegg confronts the notion that all culture—especially that of non-westerners and oppressed minorities—is somehow good in itself and that outsiders have no right to criticize or condemn any cultures except their own. He also challenges the view that the term “culture” applies primarily to a handful of masterpieces, as opposed to the great bulk of artistic products and folkways, and that the proper attitude toward the vast spectrum of culture, past and present, is sentimental admiration. Surveying both the history and ideology of cultural realms such as our treatment of animals, religion, sexual norms, politics, economics, urban life, the arts, and athletics, Heinegg deftly identifies and explains ubiquitous traces of cultural sins by humanity.
The Will and Its Brain
Authors: Helmut Kornhuber Hans , Deecke Lüder
Published: February 2025

In 1964–1965, Hans Helmut Kornhuber and Lüder Deecke achieved a scientific breakthrough with the discovery of the Bereitschaftspotential (BP), or readiness potential. In The Will and its Brain, Kornhuber and Deecke present evidence that proves we can record activity from the human brain occurring prior to our volitional movements or actions. Such preparatory activity is generated by specific brain regions, particularly by the supplementary motor area (SMA) of the frontal lobe, which lies on the inner surface of the brain between the hemispheres. The primary (precentral) motor cortex (MI) later becomes activated in preparing for action. Consequently, the authors discriminate between two components of the preparatory activity of the Bereitschaftspotential: an early SMA-generated BP1 and a late MI-derived BP2. Between BP1 and BP2, the intentional activity runs over the so-called motor loop via the basal ganglia. Kornhuber and Deecke discuss these and other brain processing systems while focusing on the concept of free will. They claim that we, indeed, have free will. It may not be absolutely free, but free in terms of degrees. We can take efforts to increase our degrees of freedom through self-improvement, but we can also lose degrees of freedom through self-mismanagement.
Beyond Global Governance
Authors: Yunker James A.
Published: February 2025

In these ground-breaking essays, James A. Yunker issues a powerful challenge to conventional thinking on world government. Based on an innovative plan for a limited world government tentatively designated the “Federal Union of Democratic Nations,” this book envisions a legitimate world government a quantum leap beyond the United Nations of today. The Federal Union proposed would operate under some key restraints, such as a dual voting system in the world legislature, and two key reserved rights of the member nations: to withdraw from the Federal Union at their own unilateral discretion, and to maintain independent control over whatever military forces they feel are necessary to their national security. Yunker demonstrates how these restraints would minimize the possibility that the world government would result in such adverse outcomes as global tyranny, bureaucratic overload, or cultural homogenization.
Historical Dictionary of Mesopotamia
Authors: Leick Gwendolyn
Published: February 2025

The Greek name Mesopotamia means 'land between the rivers.' The Romans used this term for an area that they controlled only briefly (between 115 and 117 A.D.): the land between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, from the south Anatolian mountains ranges to the Persian Gulf. It comprises the civilizations of Sumer and Akkad (third millennium B.C.) as well as the later Babylonian and Assyrian empires of the second and first millennium. Although the 'history' of Mesopotamia in the strict sense of the term only begins with the inscriptions of Sumerian rulers around the 27th century B.C., the foundations for Mesopotamian civilization, especially the beginnings of irrigation and the emergence of large permanent settlements, were laid much earlier, in the fifth and fourth millennium. The second edition of the Historical Dictionary of Mesopotamia defines concepts, customs, and notions peculiar to the civilization of ancient Mesopotamia, from adult adoption to ziggurats. This is accomplished through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, appendixes, and hundreds of cross-reference dictionary entries on religion, economy, society, geography, and important kings and rulers.
The a to Z of African-American Television
Authors: Fearn-Banks Kathleen
Published: February 2025

From Amos 'n' Andy to The Jeffersons to Family Matters to Chappelle's Show, this volume covers it all with entries on all different genres_animation, documentaries, sitcoms, sports, talk shows, and variety shows_and performers such as Muhammad Ali, Louis Armstrong, Bill Cosby, and Oprah Winfrey. Additionally, information can be found on general issues, ranging from African American audiences and stereotypes through the related networks and organizations. This book has hundreds of cross-referenced entries, from A to Z, in the dictionary and a list of acronyms with their corresponding definitions. The extensive chronology shows who did what and when and the introduction traces the often difficult circumstances African American performers faced compared to the more satisfactory present situation. Finally, the bibliography is useful to those readers who want to know more about specific topics or persons.
Historical Dictionary of the Puritans
Authors: Pastoor Charles , Johnson Galen K.
Published: February 2025

Members of the Church of England until the mid-16th century, the Puritans thought the Church had become too political and needed to be 'purified.' While many Puritans believed the Church was capable of reform, a large number decided that separating from the Church was their only remaining course of action. Thus the mass migration of Puritans (known as Pilgrims), to America took place. Although Puritanism died in England around 1689 and in America in 1758, Puritan beliefs, such as self-reliance, frugality, industry, and energy remain standards of the American ideal. The Historical Dictionary of Puritans tells the story of Puritanism from its origins until its eventual demise. This is done through a chronology, an introduction, a bibliography, and several hundred cross-referenced dictionary entries on important people, places, and events.