Dominant Definitions Research Articles

Modelling Differently Defined Dominant Stand Diameters of Monospecific Forest Plantations

Quadratic mean diameter is a widely used stand parameter present in the stand inventory summaries, while the top stand diameter is rarely reported in the literature, mainly in relation to dominant stand height. Since the dominant stand height is usually determined from the tree height-diameter curve of the stand, it is important how the top tree assemblage, used to estimate dominant diameter, is defined. The main objective of our study was to assess the bias between differently defined dominant diameter estimates for monospecific plantations of various species, to model the dominant diameter as a function of quadratic mean diameter and other relevant stand variables, and to estimate its goodness-of-fit in predicting dominant diameter and dominant height.We used data records gathered in sample plots in monospecific plantations of four tree species: Scots pine, Black pine, black locust and hybrid black poplar. We calculated the quadratic and arithmetic mean diameters of the 20% thickest trees in the plots, and the quadratic and arithmetic mean diameters of the trees, whose number corresponded to the 100 thickest trees per hectare. For each dataset, we analyzed the range and the distribution of the relative deviations calculated for each pair of dominant diameter estimates. For the Black pine plantations, regression models were developed for the two dominant diameter definitions, whose values differed most. Their goodness-of-fit was assessed from model efficiency and error statistics. The same model derivation procedure, applied to the Scots pine data, was followed by substitution of the predicted dominant diameter into a height-diameter model to assess the goodness-of-fit of the dominant height predictions.The differences between the arithmetic and quadratic means, estimated from the same subsample of trees, did not exceed 2% in all cases. However, dominant stand diameters calculated as averages of differently defined largest tree collectives differed by as much as 35%. Regardless of its definition, the dominant stand diameter was adequately predicted by a function of the quadratic mean diameter alone or considering stand basal area as a second predictor. The models showed very good accuracy of model efficiency above 0.92, average absolute error below 8%, with 90% of the relative errors less than 15%. The predicted dominant diameter value can be used in a height-diameter model to estimate with confidence the dominant stand height of a monospecific forest plantation, allowing the forecast of the stand attributes based on dominant trees when only average stand variables are known.

Selective neglect of viral risk: Tokyo’s commuter trains during the COVID-19 pandemic

This article asks why Tokyo’s crowded trains were largely absent from official discourses of viral risk in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic. While public transport environments were often framed as spaces of contagion in other countries, Japanese public health discourses instead tended to emphasize the viral safety of urban railway transport. Drawing on an analysis of media and expert discourse, auto-ethnographic fieldwork, and repeat interviews with commuters, this article examines the processes through which Tokyo’s urban railway network was extracted from discourses of viral risk. It identifies four factors that contributed to this: (1) dominant definitions of risk spaces in public health messaging, (2) trains’ integral role in the operation of socio-economic life, (3) elusiveness of public transport in the epidemiological data, and (4) a focus on “unruly” passenger conduct. This analysis of the selective treatment of viral risks is tied to a critical engagement with theoretical distinctions between “essential” and “existential” mobilities developed in prior anthropological scholarship on the pandemic. Exploring the discursive framing of pandemic mobility practices on one of the world’s most extensive urban railway networks, the article thus contributes to the anthropological study of mobilities and transport in Japan and beyond.

From Islamic Charity to Muslim Philanthropy: Definitions Across Disciplines

ABSTRACTThe study of Muslim philanthropy is often described as an emerging, multidisciplinary space of inquiry that takes contemporary Muslim practices of generosity such as giving and volunteering alongside behavioral motivations as objects of analysis. This emerging field follows over a century of knowledge production about Islamic charitable practices and institutions stemming from early orientalist studies of legal texts on endowments to more contemporary sociological and anthropological analyses of ritual exchange and giving across various Muslim‐majority and minority societies and communities. As the study of Muslim philanthropy grows, these two literatures are often brought together in generative, if uneven ways. In this paper, we review key themes and questions in the study of Islamic charity and ask what impact it has had on the study of Muslim philanthropy. This article surveys recent literature on charitable endowments/trusts (waqf), obligatory alms giving (zakat), and “extemporaneous charity” (sadaqa). We end with an analysis of dominant definitions of philanthropy currently used in philanthropic studies to argue that non‐denominational categories like “religious charity” exclude many religious practices that Muslims consider central to their charitable actions and their motivations, a point crucially missing in much philanthropy literature.

Digitalising Clinical Guidelines: The Challenge of Patient's Preferences.

Will digitalised clinical guidelines be compatible with individualised and personalised patient care if the disease definitions and classifications used within them contain embedded preferences? Taking bone health as a case study, we found the dominant definition of osteoporosis installs the consensus preference judgement of a 1992 International Expert Committee in the form of a threshold cut-off on the bone mineral density continuum. We found that subsequent UK clinical guidelines follow suit on this diagnostic threshold, but also endorse preference-sensitive thresholds for interventions to prevent fractures, including ones underpinned by cost-effectiveness analysis. The resulting pre-emption of patient's preferences needs to be removed if 'computable' guidelines are to be reconcilable with personalised care. The challenges to be met in digitalisation therefore include major conceptual ones as well as the technical ones that are currently the almost exclusive focus.

Modeling dominant height with USGS 3DEP LiDAR to determine site index in even-aged loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations in the southeastern US

Abstract Accurate quantification and mapping of forest productivity are critical to understanding and managing forest ecosystems. Local LiDAR or photogrammetric surveys have been used to obtain reliable estimates of canopy heights, yet these acquisitions can entail substantial expenses. Therefore, we developed models using freely available US Geological survey (USGS) LiDAR data for prediction of dominant height to map site index across loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations in the southeastern US. We used 2017–2020 national USGS 3D Elevation Program LiDAR acquisitions and explored how different height percentiles, grid output resolutions, time difference between LiDAR and ground acquisitions, tree height, and dominant height definition affected the proposed model. We built the dominant height models using 1301 ground plots. The final regression model was constructed with the 95th percentile of the height distribution of the first returns above-ground and had values of R2 = 0.89, RMSE = 1.55 m, and RRMSE = 7.66 per cent at a 20-m pixel grid, yet all the examined percentile-resolution combinations were acceptable. No effect evidence was found for time difference when the flight was less than 4 months in advance or after the ground measurement, and it was also found independent of pulse density when this variable was lower than 9.5 pulses m−2. Using the recorded age of the plantations, we assessed the error propagation when translating dominant height to site index in two site index models, obtaining an RRMSE lower than 10 per cent in both. We found that USGS LiDAR acquisitions can be reliably used to map dominant height at a large scale, and consequently used to map forest productivity when age is known. This ability adds more value to a tool proven widely applicable in time and space and offers a great opportunity for stakeholders in different fields of use.

SYSTEM REVISITED – AGAIN

AbstractThis paper reviews the revised foundational definitions of system and systems engineering in the recently published (2023) fifth edition of the INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook. The new INCOSE definitions derive from an earlier INCOSE Fellows' Initiative on System and Systems Engineering Definitions that began in 2016 and finally reported in 2019. After introducing the concept of system and reviewing the new definition, the paper concludes that the concept, not rooted in a single science or exemplar domain, is so pervasive as be a meta‐concept that does not have a dominant scientific definition. It proposes further work towards a more scientific definition of an engineered or artificial system – the primary interest of INCOSE – at a lower level of abstraction.While the authors define systems engineering functionally as a process or approach, we see the essence of systems engineering as abstraction. Using the more accepted metaphysical distinction between the real, virtual, and abstract, we define the output of systems engineering as an abstract (simplified symbolic) representation or model that is the basis for defining the real; firstly, the virtual representation of something not (yet) existing physically but made to appear so and, finally, the physical. Thus, we position systems engineering as the abstract phase within a three‐phase abstract‐virtual‐physical engineering design and realization process.

Secure Distance Matrix Domination Graphs

Let D_SDM (G)=(V (D_SDM) ,E 〖(D〗_SDM)) become an undirected, fundamental graph. Predominance in graphical representations is a specific area of theory pertaining to graphs the fact that has been thoroughly explored. A subset D_SDM (S) in the event every vertex within D_SDM (S) has become either contained within D_SDM (S) or closest to a separate the vertices in D_SDM (S), subsequently the overall quantity of points that compose the graph's structure has been identified as the dominant set. This article determines novel domination outcomes in graphs known as secure distance matrix domination. A dominating set of D_SDM (S) regarding D_SDM (G ) can be considered to have the attributes of a stable, dominant group of D_SDM (G ) once it has just one available. vertex D_SDM (u) ∈(D_SDM ( V) \ D_SDM ( S)) with respect to D_SDM (uv) ∈(D_SDM ( E)as well as ( D_SDM (S)) \( D_SDM {v} ∪ D_SDM {u}) has become a dominant set have been D_SDM that includes each points D_SDM (v) ∈D_SDM ( S). The issue is minimally secure determining a set that dominates of D_SDM (G) using a minimum secure cardinality is the definition of dominance. A few secure distance matrix dominant set theorems are outlined.

Understanding Islamic Extremism Away from the Dominant Normative Paradigm

Much academic interest has been given to the relationship of Islam with extremism, with such relationship being too often articulated in terms of religiosity as the main predictive factor, and a language of normativity positing that extremism is the negative manifestation and excess of Muslim discourses. This systematic review attempts to account for such normative assumptions by looking at the predictive ability of psychosocial and environmental factors related to social identity processes, in addition to the predictive ability of religiosity in accounting for Islamic extremism. Two search rounds were performed using several databases for peer reviewed English language articles, of all types of research designs, between 2012 and 2023 defining Islamic or Muslim extremism as a deviation from the dominant Eurocentric normative definition and delineating its predictors. The review revealed a differing account regarding the roots of Muslim extremism in which exclusion from the modern world-system—framed in terms of perceived threat, deprivation, discrimination, and oppression—is highlighted, while religiosity had predominantly insignificant effects. The paper calls for a reconsideration of extremism among Muslims away from the normative paradigm set forth by the modern world-system.

Nexus between Democratic Governance and the Church

This article's primary goal is to investigate the Church's relationship to democratic governance. Whether the Church facilitates or hinders the process of democratic conversion and consolidation is the primary inquiry being investigated. The primary conclusion that can be drawn, therefore, is that there is no significant threat from the Church to the continued development of democracy in any nation. Additionally, the more general issue of how church and state interactions should be conducted in a democratic governance is taken into consideration. A primary inference that could be made from this research is that the existence of a powerful religious establishment does not always impede democratic processes. Instead, as long as two requirements are satisfied, collaboration between the state and the church is appropriate, even desired. Firstly, complete religious freedom must be accorded to every individual. Second, the rest of society cannot be forced to adopt the dominant religious institution's definition of the "good life."

Populism and democracy: a reassessment

ABSTRACT Populism comes in so many forms, both historically and in its contemporary manifestations, that we cannot assess its relationship with democratic institutions as if it were homogeneous. In this article, we reconnect with the history of the first movements that have called themselves populists and draw on an understanding of populism as an egalitarian impulse against oligarchic tendencies, centred on anti-elitism and the defense of a democratic common sense. This genetic approach goes against the dominant definitions which tend to overstretch its range of application while assuming a form of anti-pluralism as part of its common features. Then, we draw attention to the diversity of conceptions of democracy within populist thought and practices and show that the types of democratic institutions favoured by populist movements, and their attitudes towards intermediary bodies, are highly contextual. Finally, we argue that populism’s inherent ambiguities shed some doubt on its capacity to respond to the current challenges faced by representative institutions.

Preaching the “Traditional Family” in the Romanian Parliament: The Political Stakes and Meanings of a Hegemonic Narrative

In this article, we examine a decade of parliamentary debates related to the topic of family to understand the reasons and the rhetorical strategies that drive the support of Romanian MPs for the traditional family. Starting from four themes identified in the literature as relevant for the topic of family—national identity, religion, heteronormativity, and children—we identify the dominant definition of the “traditional family” as that of the Christian Romanian family founded and defended by ancestors—that is, union between a man and a woman for the purpose of reproduction—as the only place that can guarantee that children will grow up in a healthy and moral environment. This hegemonic narrative is enhanced by the anti-gender campaign repertoire and strengthened by populist logic, aiming to restore true Romanian values—Christian, ancestral, and national—in opposition to contemporary Western relativism and the alleged colonial cultural project of gender equality+ politics. The decadent present, threatening national identity, the continuity of the people, Christian values, the natural gender order, or the safety of children, can be saved only by returning to the traditional family, which functions as a hegemonic signifier re-imposing, in the logic of the narrative of return, a nationalist, conservative, and religious definition of the family, based on biological and natural foundations and necessarily heteronormative and chauvinist.

Didactic Praxeologies Employed by Mathematics Teachers in Teaching the Inverse Function

This study investigates the praxeologies teachers use about the inverse function in the teaching process when the curriculum is changed. A case study, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. The participants of the study were three experienced mathematics teachers. The data were collected by recording the teaching process of the teachers with a video camera and a voice recorder. The praxeological analysis method of the Anthropological Theory of Didactics (ATD) was used in the data analysis. The findings of the study show that teachers use two different praxeologies in the inverse function. The first one is praxeology based on informal mapping with the effect of the dominant definition of the concept of function in the curriculum, and this praxeology was used to introduce the concept of inverse function. The other praxeology, which shows the monoid structure more clearly, emerged due to both a necessity and the necessity to exhibit an approach appropriate to the curriculum in more complex tasks and was shaped as a mixed praxeology. It was determined that teachers did not structure both praxeologies well and made sudden transitions from one praxeology to another.

Unveiling the cooperation dynamics in the photovoltaic technologies’ development

Cooperation studies have supported the understanding of possible technological development strategies adopted in the Research and Development (R&D) departments. This article introduces an approach associating Social Network Analysis and Salton measure to expand the analysis of inter-organizational cooperation networks. This approach was used in 37,122 patent families of photovoltaic (PV) technologies applied between 1998 and 2017. The results showed that patent assignees prioritize their developments exclusively in their internal R&D areas. It has been observed that closed innovation is more prevalent than open innovation, given the lower proportion of technologies developed in collaboration. When there is cooperation, they prioritize cooperation relations between organizations of the same nationality. Small companies have greater cooperation intensity than large ones because they are more dependent on the innovation ecosystem and seek growth and support for their technological development by partnerships. The intensity of this cooperation is classified as incipient, but smaller organizations have a unilateral dependence on the relationship, which is a clear definition of dominance in cooperative relations. The results regarding the intensity of cooperation and the mapping of these networks did not indicate different actors who assumed more significant roles, whether in terms of constancy, centrality or intermediations of these relations. The findings can support strategic decisions on R&D, prioritization of investments, identification of potential partnerships (or competitors) for technological development. Additionally, they can contribute to the definition of public policies based on promoting the development and use of PV technologies.

Генезис публічних фінансів та їх розвиток в Україні

Introduction. Dynamic, systemic transformations in society impact the development of socio-economic relations and improvement of terminology. Financial science is constantly updated, enriched with new terms that reveal and/or expand the essential meaning of certain financial processes and phenomena. A new term “public finance” appeared, which has gained great popularity in the scientific economic literature, especially among scientists of Ukraine. Researching its essence is an important factor in better understanding not only the genesis of the origin, but also the meaning of modern finance. Problem Statement. Obtaining the status of a candidate for EU membership opens up new opportunities for Ukraine and imposes certain obligations on bringing domestic financial terminology to generally recognized international practice. It is necessary to decide on the composition of public finances, which should be in the system of managing the country's financial resources. After all, the reconstruction of the state after the war will require increased attention from the public regarding the accumulation, distribution, redistribution and use of financial resources in the priority directions of socio-economic development. The question of the effectiveness of management and use of financial resources today and in the near future will become an extremely urgent task of the entire system of the country's financial resources (Public Finance Management, PFM). The purpose is to determine the genesis of the concept, essence, composition, structure of public finances and prospects for their development. Methods. General scientific and special methods are used: analysis, synthesis, grouping, description, comparison, theoretical generalization and abstract-logical. Results. The dominant definition of public finance, in addition to meeting public needs, is independence and autonomy, as well as transparent formation and completion of all stages of the budget process. Based on this concept, it can be argued that under the conditions of the Soviet system, due to the lack of transparent mechanisms for the formation of budget revenues and budget execution, it was state rather than public finances that existed. The emergence of public finances is closely related to the activities of public authorities, which represent the state as a social institution and perform its functions at all levels of government. The democratization of state institutions affected the activities of state structures, including financial institutions. It is the relations concerning the formation and use of finances to satisfy the needs and interests of the people using the mechanism of transparency and openness of public funds management that are the basis of the formation of public finances. This peculiarity is a characteristic feature that makes it possible to distinguish them from public finances. The author'sdefinition of the term “public finance” is proposed. Conclusions. The complexity and ambiguity of the interpretation of the term “public finance” among scientists has been proven, which reflects, on the one hand, the historical past of the financial system of Ukraine, and on the other hand, the essential specificity of this term. It is advisable to improve the conceptual apparatus of domestic financial science, in particular by carrying out relevant reforms, introducing the term “public finance” into practice and enshrining it at the legislative level. Transparency, openness of the authorities that dominate the financial and budgetary systems of Western European countries and help them better perform the functions of the state is a determining factor of public finances as a special type of modern financial and social relations.

Political Islam as an Incomplete and Contested Category: A Post-Foundationalist Revision

The exploration of the quiddity of political Islam and the diverse range of categories and terms associated with it has emerged as a prominent research agenda within the social and political sciences. The application of these terms to a wide array of heterogeneous phenomena and currents among Muslim populations worldwide, coupled with the utilization of multiple theoretical approaches to define and formulate them within the realm of social studies, has posed significant challenges to their usage. The inherent ambiguity and lack of determinacy surrounding the dominant categories and definitions prevalent in the study of political Islam have led to a decline in their explanatory capacity, giving rise to a host of theoretical, methodological, normative, and political dilemmas and predicaments. This problematic state, compounded by the extensive body of research in the field of political Islam, necessitates an epistemological interrogation into the prevailing categories and definitions within this scholarly domain. Through a critical examination of prevailing definitions within the field, particularly in relation to the idea of foundation, the present article draws on the post-foundationalist approach to propose a distinctive conceptual apparatus for understanding and interpreting the phenomena categorized under political Islam. By juxtaposing the notions of discursive tradition and social configuration, the article endeavors to construct a nuanced understanding of political Islam that not only incorporates and comprehends the singular characteristics of the objects of inquiry but also encompasses varying levels of universality in elucidating the social phenomena observed among Muslims and in the Islamic world.

Editorial: Who Counts? Issues of definition in anti-trafficking and housing research and action

The relationship between homelessness and contemporary forms of slavery and human trafficking is well established. Early research often took this relationship for granted and was frequently divorced from housing policy or theory. Interdisciplinary research has continued to ignore how the housing sector struggled with its own issues around defining homelessness and what the dominant definition (the United States’ HUD-Rossi definition) meant for our understanding of homelessness. This Editorial to a Special Issue of Anti-Trafficking Review on ‘home and homelessness’ discusses the HUD-Rossi definition, its impact on research, both domestically and abroad, and the recent rejection of ‘roof-based’ for a return to socio-cultural definitions. With these socio-cultural definitions in mind, this special issue introduces the research touching upon the intersection of housing and anti-trafficking in three categories: 1) listening to traditional subjects of anti-trafficking research and their views on housing, homelessness, and homes; 2) illustrating how state housing and immigration policies encourage exploitation; and 3) critiquing how housing provided by the anti-trafficking and criminal justice sector often falls short in supporting a home-like environment.

When I say … burnout.

In the world of wellness, 'burnout' might as well be a God term. But what do we really mean when we say, "I'm burned out." And is this one little word enough?

On the Challenges of Identifying Benthic Dominance on Anthropocene Coral Reefs

The concept of dominance is frequently used to describe changes in rapidly reconfiguring ecosystems, but the definition of dominance can vary widely among studies. Using coral reefs as a model, we use extensive benthic composition data to explore how variability in applying dominance concepts can shape perceptions. We reveal that coral dominance is sensitive to the exclusion of key algal groups and the categorization of other benthic groups, with ramifications for detecting an ecosystem phase shift. For example, ignoring algal turf inflates the dominance of hard and soft corals in the benthic habitats underpinning reef ecosystems. We need a consensus on how dominance concepts are applied so that we can build a more comprehensive understanding of ecosystem shifts across a broad range of aquatic and terrestrial settings. For reefs, we highlight the benefits of comprehensive and inclusive surveys for evaluating and managing the altered ecosystem states that are emerging in the Anthropocene.

“I Feel Your Fear”: (Counter)stories of East Asian International Doctoral Students About Awakening, Resistance, and Healing

ABSTRACT As an extension of the personal and intellectual conversations that took place in the sister-scholar group consisting of four East Asian international doctoral students from China and South Korea, in this article, we narrate and examine our (counter)stories traversing between different spaces and across time. These narratives center our racial, linguistic, social, and academic experiences and illustrate our processes of awakening, resistance, and collective healing. We used transnationalism and Asian Critical Theory as our theoretical guide, and collaborative autoethnography as our methodology. Through the canvas of (counter)stories, we (a) refuse dominant views and definitions of what it means to be Asian in the United States, (b) resist the simplistic and monolithic ways of understanding our existence and experiences as international students, and (c) challenge the academic community and broader society to develop more complex and critical social praxis regarding race, culture, and relations of power.

Crossing thresholds: women directors making a home in Japanese cinema

ABSTRACT Within many of the works of contemporary Japanese women commercial filmmakers, we see a new vision of home, home spaces, and the act of home making. These depictions diverge from cinematic spaces of and metaphors about the home found in the works of previous directors. While ‘home’ on screen has been shaped throughout Japanese cinema history by dominant gendered narratives that imagine family and the physical house itself as an ideological extension of the state, contemporary Japanese women directors reimagine home as not a physical structure or ‘traditional’ family, but as a matter of repetitive habit expressed through visual and narrative motifs. This creates a sense of ‘at-homeness’ in their films that resonates with how a contemporaneous generation of young people in Japan have also found new definitions of and feelings about home. This article traces both the depiction of home in Japanese cinema and the dominant definitions of ‘home’ in Japanese public discourse from the early 1920s to the early 2000s, before offering a close analysis of two case studies – directors Tanada Yuki and Ogigami Naoko – to show how members of this new generation find an expression of home through the formal craft of cinema itself.