bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Climate Change and the Rise of the Central Asian Silk Roads
Authors: Hill Daniel J. 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThe final centuries BCE (Before Common Era) saw the main focus of trade between the Far East and Europe switch from the so called Northern Route across the Asian steppes to the classical silk roads. The cities across central Asia flourished and grew in size and importance. While clearly there were political, economic and cultural drivers for these changes, there may also have been a role for changes in climate in this relatively arid region of Asia. Analysis of a new ensemble of snapshot global climate model simulations, run every 250 years over the last 6000 years, allows us to assess the long term climatological changes seen across the central Asian arid region through which the classical Silk Roads run. While the climate is comparatively stable through the Holocene, the fluctuations seen in these simulations match significant cultural developments in the region. From 1500 BCE the deterioration of climate from a transient precipitation peak, along with technological development and the immigration of Aryan nomads, drove a shift towards urbanization and probably irrigation, culminating in the founding of the major cities of Bukhara and Samarkand around 700–500 BCE. Between 1000 and 250 BCE the modelled precipitation in the central Asian arid region undergoes a transition towards wetter climates. The changes in the Western Disturbances, which is the key weather system for central Asian precipitation, provides 10% more precipitation and the increased hydrological resources may provide the climatological foundation for the golden era of Silk Road trade.
The Coming of the Barbarians: Can Climate Explain the Saljūqs’ Advance?
Authors: Frenkel Yehoshua 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThe present study reviews recent interpretations of Central Asia’s and Northern Iran’s environmental and political history during the first half of the eleventh century. Namely, to cast light on the deficiencies in recent interpretations of Turkic Volkswanderung, and to advocate searching for political-social agents that would explain the Eurasian Steppe’s history. In opposite to climatological reading of those years regional history, it aims at advancing a call for a more nuanced paradigm of the coming of the Saljūqs.
Climatic and Environmental Limiting Factors in the Mongol Empire’s Westward Expansion: Exploring Causes for the Mongol Withdrawal from Hungary in 1242
Authors: Pow Stephen 
Published: February 2019

AbstractFrom its formation in the early years of the thirteenth century, the Mongol Empire expanded rapidly along the steppe belt and trade routes comprising the Silk Road, forming partnerships with merchants and encouraging commerce, while also subjugating the resident nomadic and sedentary societies. In 1241–1242, the Mongols invaded and occupied Hungary for a year before mysteriously withdrawing eastward into the steppes. Many theories have been offered for this event and why Hungary’s border ended up marking the westernmost terminus of the Mongol Empire, including most recently Büntgen and Di Cosmo’s “environmental hypothesis” that short-term climatic fluctuation and environmental factors played a decisive role. This paper employs a comparative historical methodology to discuss three broad topics: the suitability of the Kingdom of Hungary for long-term occupation by the Mongols; the role that the climatic events of 1242 played in the famine that ravaged the kingdom after the withdrawal; and the role that environmental factors could have played in Mongol military setbacks and problems during the invasion. By doing so, this paper also aims to address additional points newly raised by Büntgen and Di Cosmo in a reply they made to an earlier article which questioned the enviromental hypothesis.
Steppe and Sown: Eurasianism, Soil and the Mapping of Bukhara in the Light of Soviet Ethnographic Accounts
Authors: Marten-Finnis Susanne 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThis chapter reveals how ecological zones and their division into steppe and sown, nomadic and sedentary people, helped Russian ethnographers to understand the heritage and urban neighbourhood principles of Bukhara. It charts the launch and significance of ethnographic enquiry into this former oasis city within the context of Eurasianism, and illuminates the notion of soil in Russian thought, together with the central role it played in the study of the interrelationship between environmental factors and socio-cultural changes. The evidence will be used to present ethnographic accounts as a way of transferring knowledge between Asia and Europe, and argue in favour of a flexible approach negotiating between nature and culture, and as a process of hybridization, whereby cultures come together and, by learning from each other, create a pathway towards Eurasian integration and global intellectual interaction.
Reconsidering Archaeological and Environmental Proxies for Long Term Human-Environment Interactions in the Valley of Kashmir
Authors: Spate Michael 
Published: February 2019

AbstractAs response to climate change becomes an ever present issue, considerations of human-environment interactions in the past have moved beyond deterministic notions of climatically driven cycles of social expansion and collapse to more complex examinations of anthropogenic effects upon environments, as well as the transformative effects environmental change has upon human societies. The entanglement between these processes may be explored through a number of theoretical frameworks, including Niche Construction Theory (NCT) and other notions of human resilience. The Valley of Kashmir in the northernmost region of South Asia presents an opportunity for examining a number of these processes. This paper aims to synthesise past archaeological and Holocene palaeoclimate data, as well as review past interpretations of human responses to climate factors in Kashmir. Arguments are raised for new theoretical and methodological approaches to understanding human-environment interactions in the valley, based on recent studies from Kashmir and adjacent regions. These approaches aim to address gaps in understanding arising from poorly resolved environmental records or uncritical integration of archaeological and palaeoclimate data. Some early conclusions may be drawn as to ways in which differentiated land use patterns across the valley and adjacent mountain zones would have allowed for long term patterns of adjustment and reorganisation as a response to climate pressures. New preliminary data that has the potential for exploring some of these processes in the valley is also presented.
Natural Disasters in the History of the Eastern Turk Empire
Authors: Ganiev Rustam Talgatovich , Kukarskih Vladimir Vladimirovich 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThis article analyzes the effect of climate extremes on the historical processes that took place (AD 536, 581, 601, 626 and 679) in the Eastern Turk Empire (AD 534–745) in Inner Asia. Climate extremes are sharp, strong and sometimes protracted periods of cooling and drought caused by volcanic eruptions that in this case resulted in a negative effect on the economy of a nomadic society and were often accompanied by famine and illness. In fact, many of these natural catastrophes coincided with the Black Death pandemics among the Eastern Turks and the Chinese living in the north of China. The Turk Empire can be split into several chronological periods during which significant events that led to changes in the course of history of the nomadic state took place: AD 534–545—the rise of the Turk Empire; AD 581–583—the division of the Turk Empire into the Western and the Eastern Empires; AD 601–603—the rise of Qimin Qaghan; AD 627–630—the Eastern Turks are conquered by China; AD 679–687—the second rise of the Eastern Turk Empire. The research shows that there is clearly-discernable interplay between important historical events and climate extremes in the history of the Turk Empire. This interplay has led us to the conclusion that the climatic factor did have an impact on the historical processes that took place in the eastern part of Inner Asia, especially on the territories with a nomadic economy.
Towards a Reflective Approach to Research Project Management
Authors: Prost Lorène , Chizallet Marie , Taverne Marie , Barcellini Flore 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThis chapter describes how we supported the project leaders of TATA-BOX in their task of designing a management system for the project. We did so by fuelling their reflectivity: rather than making suggestions on how to manage the project – in a normative approach –, we analysed the on-going project management and mirrored what had been done after a year. The TATA-BOX project leaders would thus be able to decide how to adjust their management and to carry on – in a reflective approach. We report on this process in this chapter: after giving some theoretical background on the concept of reflectivity and its role in helping the project leaders to manage TATA-BOX, we describe: (1) how we worked with them over 6 months, 1 year after the project began, and (2) the different methods we used to meet the project leaders’ expectations. We then discuss the efficiency of these methods, their effects on the management of the project, and some lessons learned for the management of such research projects generally.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the Agroecological Transition
Authors: Leveau Lola , Bénel Aurélien , Cahier Jean-Pierre , Pinet François , Salembier Pascal , Soulignac Vincent , Bergez Jacques-Eric 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThe development of information and communication technologies (ICT) has to meet the needs of farmers and sustainably support the competitiveness of agriculture in a rapidly changing digital world. Under certain conditions of use, digital tools could facilitate the application to agriculture of the historical, methodological and socio-economic principles defining agroecology. This chapter is composed of four sections. In the first section we define a framework to study agricultural IC tools. The second section considers how ICT should be used during the design phase of the territorial agroecological transition – an example of which is the TATA-BOX project –, before its actual implementation. The third section sets out the four types of IC tools that can usefully be applied during this transition, and provides several examples. Finally, the last section shows the various barriers that ICT specialists will have to overcome in order to provide effective support to food systems. It also discusses the contradiction that can exist between high energy-consuming technologies and an agroecological production paradigm in which a drastic reduction of the reliance on fossil energy is essential.
Opening the TATA-BOX to Raise New Questions on Agroecological Transition
Authors: Touzard Jean-Marc , Barbier Jean-Marc , Hossard Laure 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThis chapter is written by researchers at UMR Innovation (Montpellier) who propose an external critical analysis of the TATA-BOX project. Firstly, we highlight the main contributions of both the project and the book, which cover different stages of a participatory research project, by crossing several disciplinary viewpoints. We note multiple outputs that can strengthen the capacities of farmers and researchers. We then develop three questions that echo our own works on innovations and agroecological transition: (i) How to associate agroecological issues with the diversity of practices and projects in a given area which is not necessary in a transition towards “strong ecological modernization”?; (ii) What are the conditions for disseminating/outscaling the TATA-BOX approach? In particular, can the project be replicated without the support of researchers? (iii) How to best integrate the political dimensions of ecological transition at different scales? We conclude that TATA-BOX could become a “political object” that promotes agroecological transition to local authorities, national policy makers and media, and international networks.
Overweight or Obesity is an Unfavorable Long‐Term Prognostic Factor for Patients who Underwent Gastrectomy for Stage II/III Gastric Cancer
Authors: Kambara Yuichi , Yuasa Norihiro , Takeuchi Eiji , Miyake Hideo , Nagai Hidemasa , Yoshioka Yuichiro , Okuno Masataka , Miyata Kanji 
Published: February 2019

AbstractBackgroundObesity has been reported to be a prognostic factor for many diseases in epidemiological studies; however, the results of studies examining the relationship between obesity and gastric cancer (GC) prognosis are inconsistent.MethodsA total of 460 patients with Stage II and III GC who underwent open R0 gastrectomy were included. Age, sex, body mass index (BMI classified into < 18.5, 18.5–25, and ≥ 25 kg/m2), stage, and postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy were analyzed to investigate the correlation with relapse‐free survival (RFS).ResultsFive‐year RFS was 51% for the study patients. Five‐year RFS values were 47.6%, 54.3%, and 40.1% for patients with BMI < 18.5, 18.5–25, and ≥ 25 kg/m2, respectively. The forest plot for relapse risk according to BMI showed a U shape. Multivariate analysis for RFS showed significant differences in stage and BMI; the hazard ratio for recurrence in patients with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 was 1.42 (95% confidence interval: 1.01–2.02, p = 0.0423) with reference to patients with BMI < 25 kg/m2. BMI ≥ 25.0 was associated with longer operation times, more blood loss, fewer lymph nodes dissected, more frequent postoperative surgical site infection, and intra‐abdominal abscesses.ConclusionsBMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 is an unfavorable prognostic factor for patients who underwent gastrectomy for Stage II and III GC.
Predicting the Microstructural Evolution of Electron Beam Melting of Alloy 718 with Phase-Field Modeling
Authors: Kumara Chamara , Deng Dunyong , Hanning Fabian , Raanes Morten , Moverare Johan , Nylén Per 
Published: February 2019

Abstract
Electron beam melting (EBM) is a powder bed additive manufacturing process where a powder material is melted selectively in a layer-by-layer approach using an electron beam. EBM has some unique features during the manufacture of components with high-performance superalloys that are commonly used in gas turbines such as Alloy 718. EBM has a high deposition rate due to its high beam energy and speed, comparatively low residual stresses, and limited problems with oxidation. However, due to the layer-by-layer melting approach and high powder bed temperature, the as-built EBM Alloy 718 exhibits a microstructural gradient starting from the top of the sample. In this study, we conducted modeling to obtain a deeper understanding of microstructural development during EBM and the homogenization that occurs during manufacturing with Alloy 718. A multicomponent phase-field modeling approach was combined with transformation kinetic modeling to predict the microstructural gradient and the results were compared with experimental observations. In particular, we investigated the segregation of elements during solidification and the subsequent “in situ” homogenization heat treatment at the elevated powder bed temperature. The predicted elemental composition was then used for thermodynamic modeling to predict the changes in the continuous cooling transformation and time–temperature transformation diagrams for Alloy 718, which helped to explain the observed phase evolution within the microstructure. The results indicate that the proposed approach can be employed as a valuable tool for understanding processes and for process development, including post-heat treatments.
Housing Sulfur in Polymer Composite Frameworks for Li–S Batteries
Authors: Hencz Luke , Chen Hao , Ling Han Yeu , Wang Yazhou , Lai Chao , Zhao Huijun , Zhang Shanqing 
Published: February 2019

Abstract
Extensive efforts have been devoted to the design of micro-, nano-, and/or molecular structures of sulfur hosts to address the challenges of lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries, yet comparatively little research has been carried out on the binders in Li–S batteries. Herein, we systematically review the polymer composite frameworks that confine the sulfur within the sulfur electrode, taking the roles of sulfur hosts and functions of binders into consideration. In particular, we investigate the binding mechanism between the binder and sulfur host (such as mechanical interlocking and interfacial interactions), the chemical interactions between the polymer binder and sulfur (such as covalent bonding, electrostatic bonding, etc.), as well as the beneficial functions that polymer binders can impart on Li–S cathodes, such as conductive binders, electrolyte intake, adhesion strength etc. This work could provide a more comprehensive strategy in designing sulfur electrodes for long-life, large-capacity and high-rate Li–S battery.
Were bivalves ecologically dominant over brachiopods in the late Paleozoic? A test using exceptionally preserved fossil assemblages
Authors: Hsieh Shannon , Bush Andrew M. , Bennington J Bret 
Published: February 2019

AbstractInterpreting changes in ecosystem structure from the fossil record can be challenging. In a prominent example, the traditional view that brachiopods were ecologically dominant over bivalves in the Paleozoic has been disputed on both taphonomic and metabolic grounds. Aragonitic bivalves may be underrepresented in many fossil assemblages due to preferential dissolution. Abundance counts may further understate the ecological importance of bivalves, which tend to have more biomass and higher metabolic rates than brachiopods. We evaluate the relative importance of the two clades in exceptionally preserved, bulk-sampled fossil assemblages from the Pennsylvanian Breathitt Formation of Kentucky, where aragonitic bivalves are preserved as shells, not molds. At the regional scale, brachiopods were twice as abundant as bivalves and were collectively equivalent in biomass and energy use. Analyses of samples from the Paleobiology Database that contain abundance counts are consistent with these results and show no clear trend in the relative ecological importance of bivalves during the middle and late Paleozoic. Bivalves were probably more important in Paleozoic ecosystems than is apparent in many fossil assemblages, but they were not clearly dominant over brachiopods until after the Permian–Triassic extinction, which caused the shelly benthos to shift from bivalve and brachiopod dominated to merely bivalve dominated.
Normalized difference vegetation index, and K+ in stem sap of potato plants (Group Andigenum) as affected by fertilization
Authors: Gómez Manuel Iván , Barragán Andrea , Magnitskiy Stanislav , Rodríguez Luis Ernesto 
Published: February 2019

AbstractRemote sensors permit forecasting the nutrient status and yields in crops of economic importance in Colombia. The objective of this study was to determine the relationships between normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and yield as well as concentrations of ${\rm {N - NO}}_3^ - $ and K+ in stem sap of potato cultivars Diacol Capiro and Pastusa Suprema (Solanum tuberosum L., Group Andigenum) in relation to different fertilizer rates. Increasing doses (0, 1450, 1900 and 2375 kg ha–1) of macro- and micronutrient fertilizers were applied to determine NDVI behavior at 55, 75, 100, 125 and 150 days after planting. For Capiro, significant differences in NDVI readings (0.84–0.88) were found between phenological stages. In both cultivars, NDVI correlated positively with yield and K+ concentrations in stem sap during tuber filling and maturation, while in Capiro no correlation was established between NDVI values and ${\rm {N - NO}}_3^ - $ concentrations in stem sap. The NDVI readings could be used to forecast productivity and K status in potato Group Andigenum.
Stakeholder collaboration: evaluating community-based conservancies in Kenya
Authors: Maynard Lily , Jacobson Susan K. , Kamanga John 
Published: February 2019

AbstractTo evaluate and improve the involvement of stakeholders in community-based natural resource management, we developed a stakeholder collaboration index. We compared the stakeholders of five Kenyan conservancies by conducting 10 focus group meetings with conservancy management committees and wildlife game scouts. We used the nominal group technique to identify and rank perceptions of the conservancies’ strengths, weaknesses and opportunities, and any threats. The resulting 455 responses were categorized into ecological, institutional or socio-economic themes of ecosystem management. Collaboration index scores ranged from low (0.33) to high (0.95) collaboration, on a scale of 0–1, with a mean of 0.61. Managers and game scouts had varying perceptions of the conservancies but they agreed about major strengths and threats to conservation. The index highlighted shared perspectives between managers and scouts, which could be used as opportunities for increased stakeholder involvement in collaborative management. The stakeholder collaboration index is a potentially useful tool for improving management of environmental conservation programmes.
Between show-trials and Utopia: A study of the tu quoque defence
Authors: Borrelli Katerina 
Published: February 2019

AbstractTu quoque, meaning in Latin ‘you too’, is a fallacy of relevance which targets the hypocrisy of the arguer rather than the truth of the advanced argument.In international criminal tribunals, defendants who advance the defence choose not to argue for their innocence, but rather seek to shift the spotlight on the crimes committed by the prosecuting authority or by the opposing side to the conflict, so as to delegitimize the entire prosecution as a form of ‘victor’s justice’. According to legal doxa, the argument has never been accepted in court. As a consequence, it has also been completely neglected within academia. Yet, the tu quoque defence is extremely powerful, as not only proven by its recurrent use over time, but also by its ability to turn trials into ‘show-trials’. This delegitimization of international prosecutions not only does impact the memory and reconciliation of war-torn communities, but also weakens the edifice of international criminal law.‘The Tu Quoque Argument as a Defence to International Crimes, Prosecution or Punishment,’ written by Sienho Yee in 2004 is the only existing in-depth treatment of the defence. Departing from a critique of Yee’s theorization, this article attempts to fill the scholarly lacuna that exists around tu quoque. It departs from a critique of Yee’s theorization and questions whether the defence can be legally legitimate. The article concludes that the defence is legally void, but international criminal tribunals and academia must not disregard its underlying argument because of its political pertinence.
More than bricks and mortar: female property ownership as economic strategy in mid-nineteenth-century urban England
Authors: ASTON JENNIFER , CAPERN AMANDA , MCDONAGH BRIONY 
Published: February 2019

ABSTRACT:This article uses a quantitative and qualitative methodology to examine the role that women played as property owners in three mid-nineteenth-century English towns. Using data from the previously under-utilized rate books, we argue that women were actively engaged in urban property ownership as part of a complex financial strategy to generate income and invest speculatively. We show that female engagement in the urban land and property markets was widespread, significant and reflective of local economic structures. Crucially, it also was more complex in form than the historiography has previously acknowledged. The article delivers a final piece in the jigsaw puzzle of women's investment activity, demonstrating that women were active investors in the urban land market as well as the managers of landed estates, business owners and shareholders, thereby opening up new questions about how gender intersected with economic change and growth in the rapidly changing world of nineteenth-century England.