Broad Forms Research Articles

Strange loops, oedipal logic, and an apophatic ecology: Reimagining critique in environmental education

There are currently two broad forms of critique undergirding environmental education theories: the first is one of subtraction from perceived reality as it seeks to reveal and remove illusions and ideologies, while the other takes the inverse form of adding to reality in the form of investigating how matter comes to matter. We suggest a third form that explores the paradoxical and uncanny aspects of ecological awareness and assumes an apophatic, self-negating form, which short-circuits and relinquishes all attempts at epistemological closure. In this third form, we are drawing on themes from dark ecology, which maintains that ecological awareness is decidedly ‘weird’ as it assumes the guise of an ‘Oedipal’ logic, a narrative trope in which the protagonist seeking to avoid a tragic fate finds out that avoidance itself is the realization of the tragedy. Using Timothy Morton’s work as a springboard, we unpack the import of such looping temporality onto the onto-epistemological frameworks of environmental education.

Recent Developments in the Treatment of Wet Age-related Macular Degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible blindness and visual impairment in individuals over the age of 50 years in western societies. More than 25 million people currently suffer from this illness in the world, with an additional 500 000 every year, approximately. It is a multifactorial ocular disease that affects the maculae due to a late-onset progressive neurodegeneration and dysfunction of photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). There are many subtypes of AMD but basically two broad forms: the nonneovascular (dry, nonexudative) and neovascular (wet, exudative). Exudative AMD is the less common form (about 15%) but tends to progress more rapidly. At the moment, wet AMD is treated primarily on the basis of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents, which have led to massive improvement in the prognosis of the disease since they were first introduced. This article focuses on the latest treatment approaches to neovascular AMD. An extensive literature review was performed in order to illustrate the effectiveness of current and future anti-VEGF agents as well as the landmark clinical studies that have been carried out to establish these drugs as a gold standard in the therapy of wet AMD.

Disinformation Trends in Southeast Asia: Comparative Case Studies on Indonesia, Myanmar, and the Philippines

The past decade saw a changing political landscape in Southeast Asia. From a promising turn towards democracy, marked by episodes of backsliding and authoritarian tendencies, and recently threats of democratic regression and political decay in most parts of the region, have dominated current discourse. Central to these changes is the evolution of information and communications technology, and the ubiquity of social media platforms as sources of news and information, as well as shaping public opinion. The paper looks into three cases in Southeast Asia: online hate along ethnic lines in Myanmar; Duterte populism and broad forms of disinformation in the Philippines; and increasing fake news and online radical Islamism in Indonesia. Trends, common areas of concern, and possible patterns would be gleaned from the case studies; and from there, distil prospects for engagement and better approaches against the growing concern for disinformation in the region. The research recommends that a more concerted and inclusive regional approach would help turn the tide against an increasingly deceived public. Keywords: Southeast Asia, disinformation, social media, democracy

Detection of Cell-Dissociated Non-Typeable Haemophilus influenzae in the Airways of Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

BackgroundNon-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is the most commonly found pathogen in the lower respiratory airways of patients with COPD. NTHi is predominantly regarded as an intracellular pathogen; however, like most pathogens, it can exist and co-exist in two broad forms: cell-associated (intracellularly or adhered to cells) or cell-dissociated (biofilm dispersed or planktonic). We sought to investigate if cell-dissociated NTHi can be detected from the sputum of COPD patients and assess this relationship to disease severity and airway inflammation.MethodsDNA was extracted from the sputum plug and cell-free supernatant to quantify absolute (cell-associated and cell-dissociated NTHi) and cell-dissociated NTHi, respectively, from 87 COPD subjects attending an observational longitudinal COPD exacerbation study. NTHi was quantified using TaqMan hydrolysis probes, targeting the OMP P6 gene using qPCR.ResultsAt stable state cell-dissociated NTHi was detected 56% of subjects with a median (IQR) of 9.95x102 gene copies (1.26x102 to 1.90x104). Cell-dissociated NTHi correlated with absolute NTHi levels (r=0.34, p<0.01) but not airway inflammation or spirometry at stable state. At exacerbation, cell-dissociated NTHi correlated with lung function (FEV1 r=0.629, p=0.005; FEV1%predicted r=0.564, p=0.015; FVC r=0.476 p=0.046) and sputum neutrophilic inflammation (% neutrophils r=0.688, p=0.002; total neutrophils r=0.518, p=0.028).ConclusionIn patients with COPD, NTHi can exist in both cell-associated and cell-dissociated forms. Cell-dissociated NTHi is associated with neutrophilic airway inflammation during exacerbations of COPD and may be a driving factor in worsening lung function during these episodes.

An Update on the Pathogenesis of Skin Damage in Lupus

Lupus erythematosus (LE) is characterized by broad and varied clinical forms ranging from a localized skin lesion to a life-threatening form with severe systemic manifestations. The overlapping between cutaneous LE (CLE) and systemic LE (SLE) brings difficulties to physicians for early accurate diagnosis and sometimes may lead to delayed treatment for patients. We comprehensively review recent progress about the similarities and differences of the main three subsets of LE in pathogenesis and immunological mechanisms, with a particular focus on the skin damage. Recent studies on the mechanisms contributing to the skin damage in lupus have shown a close association of abnormal circulating inflammatory cells and abundant production of IgG autoantibodies with the skin damage of SLE, whereas few evidences if serum autoantibodies and circulating inflammatory cells are involved in the pathogenesis of CLE, especially for the discoid LE (DLE). Till now, the pathogenesis and molecular/cellular mechanism for the progress from CLE to SLE are far from clear. But more and more factors correlated with the differences among the subsets of LE and progression from CLE to SLE have been found, such as the mutation of IRF5, IFN regulatory factors and abnormalities of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs), Th1 cells, and B cells, which could be the potential biomarkers for the interventions in the development of LE. A further understanding in pathogenesis and immunological mechanisms for skin damage in different subsets of LE makes us think more about the differences and cross-links in the pathogenic mechanism of CLE and SLE, which will shed a light in predictive biomarkers and therapies in LE.

A Policy Framework for E-Money

We present a policy framework for electronic money (e-money) and payments. The framework poses a set of positive questions related to the areas of responsibility of central banks: payment systems, monetary policy, and financial stability. The questions are posed regarding four broad forms of e-money: privately or publicly issued and with centralized or decentralized verification of transactions. This framework is intended to help evaluate the trade-offs that central banks face in the decision to issue new forms of e-money.

A Critique of The Civilising Rationale: Strategies for producing marginalisation

The radical distinction between civilization and barbarism used in the discourse of the national states of Chile and Argentina during the second half of the XIX century, not only was used to justify the genocidal military intervention of the territories inhabited by the mapuche indigenous from the south of both countries; but also inaugurated a conflictive relationship that remains to the present. The main objective of the paper is to identify the scope of the “civilization project” initiated during the second part of the 19th century and expressed during the 20th and 21st centuries through different and broad forms of marginalization, both ethnic and -by extension- immigrant, thecriminal and LGBT+ groups; in such a way that it is a historical, systematic and institutionalized process of producing marginalities, which considers various production strategies of the intimate enemy, especially from the cultural industry available in each time. The results show how “marginal/marginalized” is produced and reproduced, through policies of death, dispossession, inclusion/exclusion, in a constant relationship from moral, criminal and neoliberal rationalities.

“They are interrelated, one feeds off the other”: A taxonomy of perceived disease interactions derived from patients with multiple chronic conditions

ObjectiveTo understand patients’ experiences with condition interactions and develop a taxonomy to inform care for patients with multiple chronic conditions. MethodsWe conducted qualitative and quantitative analysis of free-text data from patient surveys in which respondents were asked to indicate their most bothersome chronic condition and describe how their other conditions affect their self-care for that condition. Using standard content analysis, we developed a taxonomy comprising how patients perceive interactions among their conditions, and examined cross-cutting themes that reflect qualities of these interactions. ResultsAmong 383 eligible survey respondents, the mean (SD) number of chronic conditions was 4 (2); common conditions included hypertension (60%), chronic pain (49%), arthritis (41%), depression (32%), diabetes (29%), and post-traumatic stress disorder (26%). Patients’ perceived condition interactions took four broad forms: 1) unidirectional interactions among conditions and/or treatments, 2) cyclical or multidimensional interactions, 3) uncertain or indistinct interactions, and 4) no perceived interaction. Cross-cutting themes included beliefs about causal relationships between conditions, identification of interactions as negative vs. positive, and interactions between physical and mental health. ConclusionThis study presents a novel taxonomy of condition interactions from the patient perspective. Practice ImplicationsUnderstanding perceived condition interactions may support patient self-management and shared decision-making efforts.

Can Borders Speak to Each Other? The India–Bangladesh and Spain–Morocco Borders in Dialogue

ABSTRACT By juxtaposing local narratives of border experiences in two volatile regions, the Spain–Morocco border in Melilla and the India–Bangladesh border in Assam, this paper argues for the value of understanding borders as infrastructures. The paper conceptualizes border infrastructures in their broad material and discursive forms by foregrounding local narratives garnered out of a dialogue between the two sites. Through this conversation, the paper explores how state designed infrastructures are lived, experienced, patrolled, naturalized and subverted across scales and locations, becoming part of a global story of violence. The paper argues that, by letting borders ‘speak to each other’ as an analytical and methodological intervention, scholars can potentially bridge gaps between bordering practices worldwide and people’s everyday strategies locally. Such dialogues can also enhance our understanding of the convergent histories of proliferating border infrastructures and movements around and across them.

Country-Specific Determinants of Intra-Industry Trade in India

A distinctive feature of India’s trade liberalization has been a significant rise in the magnitude of intra-industry trade (IIT). India’s total IIT is substantially large with high and upper-middle-income group countries and dominated by low vertical IIT. Particularly during the second phase of economic reforms, magnitude of India’s vertical IIT with high-income group of countries had increased; while there had been a marginal decline in horizontal IIT. This article identifies some of the determinants of India’s total IIT as well as vertical and horizontal IIT with her major trading partners from 1990 to 2014. The convergence in the level of economic development between India and her trading partner(s) positively influences total IIT and its two broad forms. Similarity in relative factor endowments and regional trade agreement through South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) is found to promote horizontal IIT. Having a large market size, the distortionary impact of tariff has not been able to dampen the magnitude of India’s IIT. Relative depreciation of trading partner’s real exchange rate enhances India’s imports and inhibits the growth of total and vertical IIT. Geographical distance adversely affects all forms of IIT.JEL Codes: C23, F14

Interventionary order and its methodologies: the relationship between peace and intervention

1Recently there have been calls from policymakers around the world for practically engaged research to produce evidence-based policy for peace, security and development. Policymakers aim to align three types of methodological approaches to knowledge about peace, security and development in international order: methodological liberalism at state and international levels, aligned with ‘methodological everydayism’ in order to constrain methodological nationalism. Policy operates through broad forms of intervention, spanning military, governmental and developmental processes, which scholarship is expected to refine. Critical scholarship is sensitive about the subsequent ‘interventionary order’, often connecting methodological everydayism with global justice frameworks rather than methodological nationalism or liberalism.Sir Philip Mitchell, later colonial governor of Uganda, Fiji, and Kenya, responded to Malinowski’s claims [that the British government needed the support of anthropologists] with great scepticism, emphatically expressing a preference for the ‘practical man’ rather than the scientist.2

Toxic wastewater treatability study by soil aquifer treatment (SAT) with adsorbent

Soil aquifer treatment (SAT) is a most proficient innovation which depends on broad physical and biogeochemical forms in the underground water and aquifer for water quality change. In this investigation, the conveyance, quantitative changes and, in addition, the speciation qualities of heavy metals in various depths of soils of a 2-year worked laboratory-scale SAT are investigated. A greater part of the heavy metals in the energized secondary effluent are effectively caught by the consistent state worked SAT. Here, the removal efficiency of SAT with and without adsorbent is conveyed for parameters like pH, total dissolved solids, total solids, chloride, COD, TKN, potassium, phosphate, copper, zinc, nickel and hexavalent chromium. The investigations are completed by utilizing toxic wastewater and fluctuating adsorbents, for example, eucalyptus leaves, sawdust and mosambi peel (MP). Here, the soil types of clayey sand, inorganic silt with sand (MI SAND) and silty sand are utilized and their properties are resolved. To enhance the removal efficiency of SAT for expulsion of heavy metals, distinctive adsorbents and, in addition, different soil tests are utilized. In the light of investigation, the SAT system with adsorbent is more effective in treating toxic wastewater.

Scrambling Syllables in Sung Poetry of the Maldives

The most popular form of poetry in Dhivehi (an Indo-Aryan language of the Maldives) before the twentieth century, raivaru, utilizes the scrambling of syllables as a poetic device. Scrambling harnesses processes typically associated with language games. Yet, while players of language games transform words according to rigid processes, Maldivian poets scramble syllables in response to six poetic constraints. Two broad forms of scrambling may be distinguished: intraword vs. long-distance. One factor that may influence the poet’s decision to scramble syllables in particular ways is the recitation melody.

Weather effects on birds of different size are mediated by long-term climate and vegetation type in endangered temperate woodlands.

Species occurrence is influenced by a range of factors including habitat attributes, climate, weather, and human landscape modification. These drivers are likely to interact, but their effects are frequently quantified independently. Here, we report the results of a 13-year study of temperate woodland birds in south-eastern Australia to quantify how different-sized birds respond to the interacting effects of: (a) short-term weather (rainfall and temperature in the 12months preceding our surveys), (b) long-term climate (average rainfall and maximum and minimum temperatures over the period 1970-2014), and (c) broad structural forms of vegetation (old-growth woodland, regrowth woodland, and restoration plantings). We uncovered significant interactions between bird body size, vegetation type, climate, and weather. High short-term rainfall was associated with decreased occurrence of large birds in old-growth and regrowth woodland, but not in restoration plantings. Conversely, small bird occurrence peaked in wet years, but this effect was most pronounced in locations with a history of high rainfall, and was actually reversed (peak occurrence in dry years) in restoration plantings in dry climates. The occurrence of small birds was depressed-and large birds elevated-in hot years, except in restoration plantings which supported few large birds under these circumstances. Our investigation suggests that different mechanisms may underpin contrasting responses of small and large birds to the interacting effects of climate, weather, and vegetation type. A diversity of vegetation cover is needed across a landscape to promote the occurrence of different-sized bird species in agriculture-dominated landscapes, particularly under variable weather conditions. Climate change is predicted to lead to widespread drying of our study region, and restoration plantings-especially currently climatically wet areas-may become critically important for conserving bird species, particularly small-bodied taxa.

Mnemonic Confabulation

Clinical use of the term “confabulation” began as a reference to false memories in dementia patients. The term has remained in circulation since, which belies shifts in its definition and scope over time. “Confabulation” now describes a range of disorders, deficits, and anomalous behaviors. The increasingly wide and varied use of this term has prompted many to ask: what is confabulation? In recent years, many have offered answers to this question. As a general rule, recent accounts are accounts of broad confabulation: attempts to unify the seemingly disparate features of all or most confabulatory phenomena under a shared set of characteristics or mechanisms. In this paper, I approach the question differently. I focus on a particular form of confabulation—mnemonic confabulation—so as to understand its distinctive features and the ways in which it does (or does not) fit into accounts of broad confabulation. Understanding mnemonic confabulation is a project in the philosophy of memory; it plays an important role in guiding theories of remembering, as a form of error that must be distinguished from genuine remembering. Mnemonic confabulation, as I define it in Sect. 2, occurs when there is no relation between a person’s seeming to remember a particular event or experience and any event or experience from their past—either because there is no such event in their past or because any similarity to such an event is entirely coincidental. This account draws on my own theory of remembering, but shares many important points of consensus with other accounts of mnemonic confabulation, which I highlight in Sect. 3. In Sect. 4, I turn to accounts of broad confabulation—identifying three features such accounts have in common—and, for each, I argue that mnemonic confabulation lacks the requisite feature. As an error, mnemonic confabulation has more in common with perceptual hallucination than with the confabulatory phenomena included in standard accounts of broad confabulation. Recognizing that, despite the shared use of the term “confabulation” mnemonic confabulation and broad forms of confabulation are unrelated, is important for continued progress in debates about each.

13 Reasons Why Not: A Methodological and Meta-Analytic Review of Evidence Regarding Suicide Contagion by Fictional Media.

For decades, policymakers and suicide prevention advocates have questioned whether exposure to media with suicide themes, whether television, movies, or music, could increase suicide risk among youth. To date, no clear picture has emerged, with data inconsistent AIMS: To access whether current evidence can support concerns that fictional media increases risk of viewer suicidal ideation. Two broad forms of data consider the issue, namely society-level aggregate data, and data from smaller correlational and experimental studies. The current article examined the evidence for suicide contagion by fictional media with a methodological and meta-analytic review. Results suggest that current data do not support the theory that suicide contagion by fictional media occurs. In addition to lack of consistency in current research results, widespread methodological concerns limit confidence in conclusions from many studies. A commitment to better methods and open science is warranted. It is recommended that individuals exercise caution in public statements linking suicide-themed fictional media to suicide contagion as data may not be able to support such claims.

Biostratigraphy and floristic evolution of coal swamp floras of a part of Talcher Basin, India: a window on a Permian temperate ecosystem

The present megafloral assemblage recorded from the Barakar sediments of Dholpahar section along Singda rivulet near Gopal Prasad Village in Talcher Basin comprises of equisetaceous stems, Gangamopteris buriadica, Palaeovittaria kurzii and 19 species of the genus Glossopteris. Record of Gangamopteris, Palaeovittaria and many narrow mesh forms of Glosspteris viz., G. angustifolia, G. churiensis, G. communis, G. recurva, G. spatulata, G. stenoneura, G. tenuifolia, G. vulgaris and G. zeilleri from two older fossiliferous horizons demonstrates that these fossils were preserved during Lower Barakar sedimentation. The report of middle and broad mesh forms of Glossopteris viz., G. barakarensis, G. browniana, G. indica, G. intermittens, G. karharbariensis, G. nakkarea, G. oldhamii, G. taeniensis and G. retifera in the youngest fossiliferous horizons reveals that these fossils were preserved during the deposition of Upper Barakar sediments. The continuation of some of the Karharbari plant fossils in the early phase of Barakar Formation and their disappearance in the flora of Late Barakar suggests a shift in the climatic setup. Palaeoclimate and palaeovegetation of this area are also summarised in this study. Moreover, the fossil assemblages of different fossiliferous beds of Dholpahar section demonstrate the evolution of midrib and meshes in different reticulate leaves.

Facilitating Social Media and Offline Political Engagement During Electoral Cycles: Using Social Cognitive Theory to Explain Political Action Among Hispanics and Latinos

Two interacting forces are subtly shifting the nature of American democracy—the public’s increased use of social media for political information and meaningful changes in the demographic characteristics of the country. This study specifically examined ways in which social media use for political purposes could leverage greater offline political participation among Hispanics and Latinos—a rapidly growing segment of the population. Using social cognitive theory, this study evaluated features of users’ social media network and social media behaviors that can facilitate greater political participation both online and offline. Results indicate that individuals’ social media network expression and social media political expression experiences influence users’ social media political efficacy, social media political expression, and eventually their offline political engagement. Special attention is given to the role of social media political efficacy in promoting broad forms of social media political expression and offline engagement for Hispanics and Latinos.

Judicial leadership on the UK Supreme Court

AbstractThis paper examines judicial leadership on the UK Supreme Court. It does not confine itself to the formal roles of the President and Deputy President. Rather, building on existing categories of judicial leadership, including administrative, jurisprudential and community leadership, it considers the contributions of all 12 Justices. In so doing, it provides a significant compilation of quantitative data on the activities of the Justices of the Supreme Court both on and off the bench from the the Court's inception in 2009 to the end of the 2014-2015 legal year. From this, we suggest that while a number of the Justices engaged in one or two broad forms of leadership – with Lady Hale in particular demonstrating a substantial degree of leadership across all three dimensions – at the other end of the spectrum, at least on the measures used in this paper, a significant minority did not. In the light of this, and the significant number of recent and forthcoming retirements from the Court, the paper concludes by considering the implications of our findings for the future of the Court. We argue that these retirements will result in gaps in both formal and informal judicial leadership, and it is vital that these gaps are filled by appointees who are capable of, and prepared to step up to, diverse and varied forms of judicial leadership.

Why school music teachers teach the way they do: a search for statistical regularities

ABSTRACTThis article explores the relationships between teachers’ competence and the content of their music lessons. Previous research suggests that the content of music in primary and lower secondary schools is influenced not only by curricular issues, but also by the teachers’ competence. Survey data from 135 Norwegian teachers, ranging from generalist teachers to specialist music teachers and musicians, is used to examine the details of this relationship. First, the correlation between higher education music studies and selected music teaching competences are investigated. Second, the correlation between competence and the different types of content are examined. Lastly the correlation between competence and content that concerns music making is investigated, and compared with the variables school grade and teachers’ gender. The results first identify six competences that correlate significantly with higher education music studies (the Competence Scale). Further, the study finds that several content areas correlate with competence: performance, composing, music history, improvising, music theory and music listening prepared by the teacher. The results also indicate that competence is the single most important factor stimulating music making in schools. There is, however, reason to believe that different teachers carry out different types of music making, since statistical analysis of the scale identified two broad forms of music making. Whether these two forms are the preferred music making content of trained and untrained teachers, of different school grades, of instrumentalist and vocalist teachers, or the preferred forms of practice of men and women is however uncertain.