bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Serious Human Rights Violations – Eclipse or Mere Twilight of State Immunity?
Authors: Svaček Ondřej 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
Presented article contributes to the extensive discussion over the mutual relationship between serious human rights violations (violation of ius cogens) and the law of state immunity. Th e structure of article derives from the argumentation presented by Germany and Italy in current dispute before the International Court of Justice. Author focuses his attention on delimitation of existing international legal framework and particularly on assessment of friction areas in German and Italian submissions. Three separate issues are analyzed: temporal, territorial and material.
Prevalence and determinants of smoking behavior among male school adolescents in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Alsubaie Ali Saad R. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractObjectiveSmoking and tobacco use is a growing public health problem, with often begins in adolescence. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of smoking behavior and the associated determinants among adolescents.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire with 453 male adolescent students in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Descriptive and binary logistic regression analyses were performed to aggregate the findings and examine associations.ResultsThe prevalence of smoking was 24.3% among adolescents. The main predictors of smoking behavior were found to be age (OR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.3–2.0; p < 0.001), studying in private schools (OR = 1.4; 95% CI: 1.2–1.5; p < 0.001), having friends who smoke (OR = 13.9; 95% CI: 6.6–29.9; p < 0.001), smoking parent (OR = 18.1; 95% CI: 8.8–37.1; p < 0.001), perceived poor health (OR = 2.9; 95% CI: 1.9–3.9; p = 0.041) and perceived dissatisfaction with life (OR = 4.1; 95% CI: 1.33–13.3; p = 0.017). Smokers were more likely to believe that it is difficult to quit smoking (OR = 3.0; 95% CI: 1.6–5.5; p < 0.001). The top reasons for smoking were having smoker friends (78.2%), family neglect (45.5%), having smoker parents (41.8%), family problems (37.3%), enjoyment, and having smoker relatives.ConclusionThis study concluded that a considerable proportion of adolescents are smokers. Adolescents with a smoking habit report poorer health and lower life satisfaction than non-smokers. Several personal and social factors were identified as important determinants for smoking.
Marijuana use among youths in Mississippi, United States
Authors: Aranmolate Rasaki 
Published: January 2018

AbstractBackgroundIncreased use of marijuana among youths in Mississippi, United States is of great concern to Public Health in the 21st century. This study examined the prevalence of marijuana use according to gender, race and ethnicity.MethodThe data for this study was obtained from Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) for 2015, a cross-sectional survey of the Mississippi High School Students, which examined the prevalence and trends in the use of marijuana according to gender, race and ethnicity. The trends in the percentage of students that reported the use of marijuana and its product was examined by univariate t-test statistical analysis at p < 0.05. The frequency distribution was used to determine the percentage differences in the groups.ResultsThe students that ever used marijuana was 39.4% in Blacks, 39.1% in Hispanics and 31.0% in Whites. A total of 13.7% male and female (4.8%) used marijuana before 13 years of age. In addition, the students currently using marijuana include Blacks (10.9%), Hispanic (13.7%) and Whites (7.2%). Approximately 9.7% of students ever used the synthetic product, which was higher in Hispanic (18.7%) when compared to Blacks (8.8%) and Whites (9.1%).ConclusionThe use of marijuana is significantly higher among the male youth in Mississippi than females, which is a major public health concern. Furthermore, there was higher rates of smoking marijuana in Hispanics and Blacks when compared to White youth.
Risk Assessment of Power System Transmission Network Based on Cascading Failure Chains
Authors: Sun Qiming , Shi Libao , Ni Yixin , Si Dajun 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThis paper aims to conduct the risk assessment of transmission network based on the search of cascading failure chains. Regarding the generalized cascading failure model with transient stability constraints, some significant improvements including the subsequent failure search strategy and the system control measures are proposed during analysis. Besides, the risk evaluation indices pertinent to the failure chains combined with the actual engineering requirements, and the failure level classification are elaborately derived and discussed. Finally, case studies are performed on a real-sized Chinese power grid to illustrate the validity of the proposed strategies and methods.
Sequences in German grammar teaching: An analysis of Dutch, Finnish, and global textbooks
Authors: Tammenga-Helmantel Marjon , Maijala Minna 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThis study investigates whether sequences in which grammar topics are presented in textbooks for German as a foreign language (henceforth GFL) match empirically determined, universal acquisition sequences. Moreover, it explores what patterns course books display regarding a set of grammar structures that are particularly interesting from an L1-perspective. From the literature we know that some grammar phenomena such as verb placement display a general acquisition pattern irrespective of the learners’ L1. In addition, we find L1-specific research such as studies on the acquisition of case assignment for Dutch learners of German. The current study considers a range of Dutch, Finnish, and global textbooks for young adolescent learners (13–15 years) at a beginner level to identify the sequence in which they introduce simple and complex verbal structures, tense, case, and pronouns. Across all these domains, the results display mainly similarities. When differences are found, these are often related to language-specific characteristics of the L1 and the typological distance between the L1 and L2 German, namely when Finns learn German pronouns and separable verbs. Overall, the analyzed teaching materials introduce the majority of the grammar issues in accord with the acquisition sequences but more L1-specific empirical research is necessary. We argue that analyses of grammar sequences in textbooks can be used as input for both SLA/FLA empirical research and theory development, especially concerning the teachability of grammar.
On properties of analytical approximation for discretizing 2D curves and 3D surfaces
Authors: Sekiya Fumiki , Sugimoto Akihiro 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThe morphological discretization is most commonly used for curve and surface discretization, which has been well studied and known to have some important properties, such as preservation of topological properties (e.g., connectivity) of an original curve or surface. To reduce its high computational cost, on the other hand, an approximation of the morphological discretization, called the analytical approximation, was introduced. In this paper, we study the properties of the analytical approximation focusing on discretization of 2D curves and 3D surfaces in the form of y = f (x) (x, y Є R) and z = f (x, y) (x, y, z Є R). We employ as a structuring element for the morphological discretization, the adjacency norm ball and use only its vertices for the analytical approximation.We show that the discretization of any curve/surface by the analytical approximation can be seen as the morphological discretization of a piecewise linear approximation of the curve/surface. The analytical approximation therefore inherits the properties of the morphological discretization even when it is not equal to the morphological discretization.
Truthmaker Theory and Naturalism
Authors: Rowe David 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThis paper argues that there is a heretofore unresolved tension between truthmaker-style metaphysics and a plausible version of Naturalism. At the turn of the century, George Molnar proposed fourprima facieplausible principles for a realist metaphysics in order to expose truthmaker theory’s incapacity to find truthmakers for negative truths. I marshal the current plethora of attempted solutions to the problem into a crisp trilemma. Those whosolveit claim that Molnar’s tetrad is consistent; those whodissolveit do away with the requirement that every truth needs a truthmaker; and those whoabsolveit embrace a negative ontology. I argue that one is forced to absolve the problem: all other avenues undermine the truthmaker principle itself. Absolving the problem, however, does not sit well with a version of Naturalism that most would accept. We are drawn to a simple dilemma:eitherembrace a negative ontology,orreject truthmaker-style metaphysics.
Managing heritage language development: Opportunities and challenges for Chinese, Italian and Pakistani Urdu-speaking families in the UK
Authors: Curdt-Christiansen Xiao Lan , Morgia Francesca La 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
Drawing on theories of family language policy and literacy environment, this inquiry explores and describes how family language policy is managed through literacy resources and literacy related activities in transnational families in the UK. A total of 66 families, each with at least one child between the age of 2 and 8, participated in this study. All children spoke English alongside their heritage/home language (HL), either Chinese, Italian, or Urdu. Data sources include: (a) a questionnaire about the children’s general background and the parents’ socio-economic and cultural capital and language practice in English and HL; (b) literacy resources and activities in both HL and English; (c) interview with parents. The results of this study show some interesting differences among Italian, Urdu and Chinese speakers, not only in their family language practices, but also in their attitudes towards mother tongue literacy and application of literacy practices in the home language. Although parental language management efforts were motivated by their aspirations to enrich their children’s language repertoires, the different degrees of variation in family language input indicate that sociocultural and socio-political realities present difficulties and constraints that prevent families from developing literacy in the home language.
Toward an Earthbound Theology
Authors: Roberts Austin J. 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
This article considers some metaphysical and theological implications of the Anthropocene, which is the proposed name for a new geological epoch that is characterized by massive human disturbances of the Earth system. This stratigraphic time unit concludes the Holocene epoch that offered a relatively stable climate for human civilizations to emerge and flourish. The Anthropocene therefore marks the end of such natural stabilities - both real and imagined - along with a growing awareness of the dynamic agency or subjectivity of the Earth. By magnifying nonhuman subjectivity, the new epoch is widely interpreted by scholars across a range of disciplines as unsettling modern dualistic notions of human exceptionalism. Consequently, nonhuman nature is no longer a relatively inert background for human cultural activities. Humans and nonhumans must now be seen as interrelated Earth subjects. This nonmodern perspective suggests an ecological metaphysics of intersubjectivity along the lines of Alfred North Whitehead’s philosophy of organism, which redistributes subjectivity, creativity, and transcendence throughout nature. Theology in the Anthropocene must therefore account for this nondual view of reality, which arguably implies a divine-world relation characterized by mutual immanence. The proposed earthbound theology ultimately envisions the divine as poetic exemplification of intersubjectivity.
Evaluating evaluations: What different types of metapragmatic behaviour can tell us about participants’ understandings of the moral order
Authors: Davies Bethan L. 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
Participant evaluations have been at the heart of recent discursive (im)politeness research, yet
despite their importance, there has been little consideration of how we identify such behaviours and
how we can substantiate their worth in an analysis. In this paper, it is proposed that we need to
distinguish between different, ordered, categories of evaluation because these provide different
levels of evidence for participants’ understandings of (im)politeness.
Using online comments from Daily Mail articles relating to the Penelope
Soto court hearings, I show that apparent agreements in the classification of linguistic behaviour as
(im)polite can mask disagreements in the underlying rationales for those judgements. It is these
rationales that provide the strongest warrant for analysts because they represent the ideological
basis behind an individual’s understanding of politeness – why people should
behave in this way. This links to Haugh’s (2013) use of ‘moral order’ and also Eelen’s (2001) key,
but underdeveloped, notion of argumentativity. The rationale behind an individual’s
judgement provides the argumentative link between metapragmatic behaviour and the social order.
Classifications and positive/negative assessments of person are only clues to this underlying
rationale, and need to be treated as such. Understanding these differences will assist analysts in
assessing the ideological weight of metapragmatic behaviour and provide better-informed
warrants for their analyses.
Numerical Investigation of a Two-Phase Nanofluid Model for Boundary Layer Flow Past a Variable Thickness Sheet
Authors: Liu Chunyan , Zheng Liancun , Lin Ping , Pan Mingyang , Liu Fawang 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
This paper investigates heat and mass transfer of nanofluid over a stretching sheet with variable thickness. The techniques of similarity transformation and homotopy analysis method are used to find solutions. Velocity, temperature, and concentration fields are examined with the variations of governing parameters. Local Nusselt number and Sherwood number are compared for different values of variable thickness parameter. The results show that there exists a critical value of thickness parameter β

c
(β

c
≈0.7) where the Sherwood number achieves its maximum at the critical value β

c
. For β>β

c
, the distribution of nanoparticle volume fraction decreases near the surface but exhibits an opposite trend far from the surface.
Quantified Coexpression Analysis of Central Amygdala Subpopulations
Authors: McCullough Kenneth M. , Morrison Filomene G. , Hartmann Jakob , Carlezon William A. , Ressler Kerry J. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractMolecular identification and characterization of fear controlling circuitries is a promising path towards developing targeted treatments of fear-related disorders. Three-colorin situhybridization analysis was used to determine whether somatostatin (SOM,Sst), neurotensin (NTS,Nts), corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF,Crf), tachykinin 2 (TAC2,Tac2), protein kinase c-δ (PKC-δ,Prkcd), and dopamine receptor 2 (DRD2,Drd2) mRNA colocalize in male mouse amygdala neurons. Expression and colocalization was examined across capsular (CeC), lateral (CeL), and medial (CeM) compartments of the central amygdala. The greatest expression ofPrkcdandDrd2were found in CeC and CeL.Crfwas expressed primarily in CeL, whileSst-,Nts-, andTac2-expressing neurons were distributed between CeL and CeM. High levels of colocalization were identified betweenSst,Nts,Crf, andTac2within the CeL, while little colocalization was detected between any mRNAs within the CeM. These findings provide a more detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms that regulate the development and maintenance of fear and anxiety behaviors.
Adaptive History Biases Result from Confidence-Weighted Accumulation of past Choices
Authors: Braun Anke , Urai Anne E. , Donner Tobias H. 
Published: January 2018

Perceptual decision-making is biased by previous events, including the history of preceding choices: observers tend to repeat (or alternate) their judgments of the sensory environment more often than expected by chance. Computational models postulate that these so-called choice history biases result from the accumulation of internal decision signals across trials. Here, we provide psychophysical evidence for such a mechanism and its adaptive utility. Male and female human observers performed different variants of a challenging visual motion discrimination task near psychophysical threshold. In a first experiment, we decoupled categorical perceptual choices and motor responses on a trial-by-trial basis. Choice history bias was explained by previous perceptual choices, not motor responses, highlighting the importance of internal decision signals in action-independent formats. In a second experiment, observers performed the task in stimulus environments containing different levels of autocorrelation and providing no external feedback about choice correctness. Despite performing under overall high levels of uncertainty, observers adjusted both the strength and the sign of their choice history biases to these environments. When stimulus sequences were dominated by either repetitions or alternations, the individual degree of this adjustment of history bias was about as good a predictor of individual performance as individual perceptual sensitivity. The history bias adjustment scaled with two proxies for observers' confidence about their previous choices (accuracy and reaction time). Together, our results are consistent with the idea that action-independent, confidence-modulated decision variables are accumulated across choices in a flexible manner that depends on decision-makers' model of their environment.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTDecisions based on sensory input are often influenced by the history of one's preceding choices, manifesting as a bias to systematically repeat (or alternate) choices. We here provide support for the idea that such choice history biases arise from the context-dependent accumulation of a quantity referred to as the decision variable: the variable's sign dictates the choice and its magnitude the confidence about choice correctness. We show that choices are accumulated in an action-independent format and a context-dependent manner, weighted by the confidence about their correctness. This confidence-weighted accumulation of choices enables decision-makers to flexibly adjust their behavior to different sensory environments. The bias adjustment can be as important for optimizing performance as one's sensitivity to the momentary sensory input.
Antagonistic Interactions Between Microsaccades and Evidence Accumulation Processes During Decision Formation
Authors: Loughnane Gerard M. , Newman Daniel P. , Tamang Sarita , Kelly Simon P. , O'Connell Redmond G. 
Published: January 2018

Despite their small size, microsaccades can impede stimulus detections if executed at inopportune times. Although it has been shown that microsaccades evoke both inhibitory and excitatory responses across different visual regions, their impact on the higher-level neural decision processes that bridge sensory responses to action selection has yet to be examined. Here, we show that when human observers monitor stimuli for subtle feature changes, the occurrence of microsaccades long after (up to 800 ms) change onset predicts slower reaction times and this is accounted for by momentary suppression of neural signals at each key stage of decision formation: visual evidence encoding, evidence accumulation, and motor preparation. Our data further reveal that, independent of the timing of the change events, the onset of neural decision formation coincides with a systematic inhibition of microsaccade production, persisting until the perceptual report is executed. Our combined behavioral and neural measures highlight antagonistic interactions between microsaccade occurrence and evidence accumulation during visual decision-making tasks.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTWhen fixating on a location in space, we frequently make tiny eye movements called microsaccades. In the present study, we show that these microsaccades impede our ability to make perceptual decisions about visual stimuli and this impediment specifically occurs via the disruption of several processing levels of the sensorimotor network: the encoding of visual evidence itself, the accumulation of visual evidence toward a response, and effector-selective motor preparation. Furthermore, we show that the production of microsaccades is inhibited during the perceptual decision, possibly as a counteractive measure to mitigate their negative effect on behavior in this context. The combined behavioral and neural measures used in this study provide strong and novel evidence for the interaction of fixational eye movements and the perceptual decision-making process.
Role of Anterior Intralaminar Nuclei of Thalamus Projections to Dorsomedial Striatum in Incubation of Methamphetamine Craving
Authors: Li Xuan , Witonsky Kailyn R. , Lofaro Olivia M. , Surjono Felicia , Zhang Jianjun , Bossert Jennifer M. , Shaham Yavin 
Published: January 2018

Relapse to methamphetamine (Meth) seeking progressively increases after withdrawal from drug self-administration (incubation of Meth craving). We previously demonstrated a role of dorsomedial striatum (DMS) dopamine D1 receptors (D1Rs) in this incubation. Here, we studied the role of afferent glutamatergic projections into the DMS and local D1R–glutamate interaction in this incubation in male rats. We first measured projection-specific activation on day 30 relapse test by using cholera toxin b (retrograde tracer) + Fos (activity marker) double-labeling in projection areas. Next, we determined the effect of pharmacological reversible inactivation of lateral or medial anterior intralaminar nuclei of thalamus (AIT-L or AIT-M) on incubated Meth seeking on withdrawal day 30. We then used an anatomical asymmetrical disconnection procedure to determine whether an interaction between AIT-L→DMS glutamatergic projections and postsynaptic DMS D1Rs contributes to incubated Meth seeking. We also determined the effect of unilateral inactivation of AIT-L and D1R blockade of DMS on incubated Meth seeking, and the effect of contralateral disconnection of AIT-L→DMS projections on nonincubated Meth seeking on withdrawal day 1. Incubated Meth seeking was associated with selective activation of AIT→DMS projections; other glutamatergic projections to DMS were not activated. AIT-L (but not AIT-M) inactivation or anatomical disconnection of AIT-L→DMS projections decreased incubated Meth seeking. Unilateral inactivation of AIT-L or D1R blockade of the DMS had no effect on incubated Meth craving, and contralateral disconnection of AIT-L→DMS projections had no effect on nonincubated Meth seeking. Our results identify a novel role of AIT-L and AIT-L→DMS glutamatergic projections in incubation of drug craving and drug seeking.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTMethamphetamine seeking progressively increases after withdrawal from drug self-administration, a phenomenon termed incubation of methamphetamine craving. We previously found that D1R-mediated dopamine transmission in the dorsomedial striatum plays a critical role in this incubation phenomenon. Here, we used neuroanatomical and neuropharmacological methods in rats to demonstrate that an interaction between the glutamatergic projection from the lateral anterior intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus to the dorsomedial striatum and local dopamine D1 receptors plays a critical role in relapse to methamphetamine seeking after prolonged withdrawal. Our study identified a novel motivation-related thalamostriatal projection critical to relapse to drug seeking.