Rigid Definition Research Articles

Navigating Academic Identity: Autoethnography of Otherness and Embarrassment Among First-Generation College Students

As a first-generation college student (FGCS), I have never felt entirely comfortable with this label, both in academic spaces and in various personal family situations. The notion of being a FGCS has evoked internal embarrassment, a sense of academic otherness, and external micro-aggressions. Through an autoethnographic analysis of my participation in the FGCS annual workshop, I explore the strengths and weaknesses of this category. The workshop provided insights into the diverse experiences of FGCSs, revealing it to be a fluid academic construct with multiple voices and narratives. However, when intersecting with other identities, the fragility of the FGCS category emerged, leading to conflicting conversations and resistance among participants. A rigid definition of FGCS overlooks its historical context of social exclusions and disregards the unique sensitivities and differences among ethnic and national groups within it. This approach weakens the struggle of marginalized groups and perpetuates their exclusion, both on and off campus. Acknowledging the complexity and diversity within the FGCS category can foster a more inclusive environment that respects the unique experiences of each individual. This approach paves the way for a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by FGCSs and empowers them to navigate their academic journeys with confidence.

A finite element model for investigating the influence of keel design and position on unicompartmental knee replacement cementless tibial component fixation

ObjectivesThe cementless Oxford Unicompartmental Knee Replacement (OUKR) tibial component relies on an interference fit to achieve initial fixation. The behaviour at the implant-bone interface is not fully understood and hence modelling of implants using Finite Element (FE) software is challenging. With a goal of exploring alternative implant designs with lower fracture risk and adequate fixation, this study aims to investigate whether optimisation of FE model parameters could accurately reproduce experimental results of a pull-out test which assesses fixation. Materials and methodsFinite element models of implants with three methods of fixation (standard keel, small keel, and peg) in a bone analogue foam block were created, in which implants were modelled using an analytical rigid definition and the foam block was modelled as a homogenous linear isotropic material. The total interference and elastic slip were varied in these models and optimised by comparing simulated and experimental results of pull-out tests for two (standard and peg) implant geometries. Then the optimised interference and elastic slip were validated by comparing simulated and experimental data of a third (small keel) implant geometry. ResultsThe optimisation of parameters established an interference of 0.16 mm and an elastic slip of 0.20 mm as most suitable for modelling the experimental force–displacement plots during pull-out. This combination of parameters accurately reproduced the experimental results of the small keel geometry. The maximum pull-out forces from the FE models were consistent with experimental data for each implant design. ConclusionsThis study shows that experimental pull-out tests can be accurately modelled using adjusted interference values and non-linear friction and outlines a method for determining these parameters. This study demonstrates that complex problems in modelling implant behaviour can be addressed with relatively simple models. This can potentially lead to the development of implants with reduced risk of failure.

International Law Enforcement Observer XII

Aim: Issue XII of the Observer covers topics that could have a significant impact on both public safety strategy and the future development of criminal justice policy. There is no doubt that the strengthening of constitutional values and the need to make the functioning of state power more effective are new challenges for law enforcement. The following reviews report on research from abroad that can serve the development of policing, law enforcement and criminal justice.Methodology: In addition to the traditional jurisprudential methodology, the literature increasingly draws on political science disciplines with a global perspective. A good example is Tamás Suszter’s paper, which gives us a picture of how the situation of NGOs in some countries has been assessed in recent times. Róbert Berei also reports on ground-breaking research in his report on the organisational culture of the Metropolitan Police Service in London in 2023. BernadettBacsó’s analysis is not far behind, confronting the reader with the lessons of the so-called German police family model. Typical criminological reactions are highlighted by Barbara Mágó when she notes that ‘the majority of narratives on human trafficking focus on criminals exploiting vulnerable victims’.Findings: One of the findings of the study analysing the situation of NGOs is that, ‘It is important to note, however, that although the laws against NGOs do not appear to be a cause of wider human rights repression in the period under review, this does not mean that they do not have a deterrent effect on the functioning of NGOs.’ A new feature in the criminological analysis of trafficking is the analysis from the perspectives of consent, coercion and fraud, which ‘... provides a somewhat more nuanced view of the rigid legal definition, and empirical studies present a less hostile picture of trafficking. The approach of the study can thus be considered as a niche one.’ Róbert Bogotyán cites a US example from the field of penitentiary law when he states, ‘The late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries saw a dramatic jump in parole revocations: both new offenses and parole violations were now sufficient to contribute to the increase in American incarceration.’Value: Despite the diversity of the reviews in the fields of constitutionalism, public security, law enforcement, criminal justice and prison culture, they are united in their defence of human values. From civilian control to the reintegration of those serving their sentences, the common theme is the effective and humane service of public order and public safety.

Typologies of stations’ catchment areas in metropolitan urban peripheries: From car-oriented to sustainable urban strategies

After decades of sprawl and car-dependent urban developments, especially on the peripheries of metropolitan areas, new policies are being oriented towards more efficient and sustainable mobility. In the process of change towards more sustainable mobility patterns in peripheral areas, commuter railways must play a predominant role because of their capacity and speed. The main aim of this paper is to analyse commuter rail stations’ catchment areas (SCAs) to identify typologies of these nodes in large metropolitan areas as a key step in proposing strategies for making mobility much more sustainable, both in the medium and proximity scales, by promoting soft mobility towards stations, a strategy that will facilitate commuters’ use of daily rail transport. The method proposed is based on a twofold clustering analysis. The first is to consider urban-planning variables to detect consolidated stations; the second is to use both public space and land-use variables to characterise the quality of the urban environment for walking/cycling. These methods are applied in the metropolitan area of Madrid and offer some key insights. The results show that different typologies are found – from consolidated, dense and mixed-use SCAs, with large residential developments, to low-density SCAs in sprawl areas or low consolidated mixed-use SCAs with large parking spaces, following the park-and-ride model, among others. This identification of SCAs’ typologies is key for policy makers to propose different strategies, which could be small projects oriented towards improving public spaces promoting soft mobility, or deeper changes that require a re-densification process in the stations’ surroundings, breaking with the rigid definition of transit-oriented developments and adapting the decisions taken to each context.

Determining the quality of photosupercapacitors and photobatteries in different modes of operation — A new approach

Monolithically integrated photosupercapacitors and photobatteries (photostorage devices) are a growing field of research and development. Yet there is currently no universally agreed-upon figure of merit for these devices that is independent of arbitrary testing parameters and also applicable to all possible operating scenarios.In this work we address this issue by introducing a way of defining a set of quality functions that can be evaluated unambiguously for any given device and that provide useful metrics for all operating scenarios. This is achieved by first identifying three distinct fundamental modes of operation for a photostorage device. Secondly we demonstrate a method to calculate a quality function for each mode from the parameters of an equivalent circuit model.This strategy avoids using variable physical parameters to evaluate a real device, such as a capacitance that depends on an arbitrary charging or discharging current. Rather, the combination of the three fundamental modes of operation and the constant nature of the model parameters allows a rigid definition of the quality of a device and reliable predictions of its performance under any conditions. This could serve to better compare the performance of photostorage devices and to determine design criteria in view of specific applications.

Interrogating Two Concepts in Islamic Criminal Jurisprudence: Victim’s Family vs. Offender’s Family

Abstract Calls for abolition of the death penalty invariably encounter a negative response by those political regimes which exploit the classical rigid definition of victim’s family concept. The death penalty could not be abolished by the legislative authority because the heirs of victim are the only people who have the right to waive death penalty based on the classical understanding of the definition of the victim’s family. I argue that if the definition of the victim’s family is revisited to have the same flexibility as the offender’s family, the Nation-State may be included in the definition, and the legislative authority will have the power to abolish the death penalty. Furthermore, revisiting these two terms within the contemporary context would have an impact on the gap between Shariʿa and national legal systems. The social contexts of the two legal systems have been shaped based on two different social bases: modernity and pre-modernity. The two different social bases have created a gap that is exploited in many controversial issues, not only the death penalty in the Muslim world but also harsh penalties in some Muslim legal systems, the right of a husband to discipline his wife, gender equality, legal perspectives on homosexuality, the absence of a clear distinction between public and private realms, and ignoring any distinction separating out the role to the public and nation in crimes of homicide and bodily injuries. Thus, the purpose of reviewing these two concepts from a perspective oriented towards the contemporary context is an attempt to bridge the gap between national criminal legal systems and the Shariʿa pre-modern criminal system, so that these controversial issues may be appropriately relocated in the modern national systems of Egypt and the Muslim world.

Competing Notions of Integration in Canada’s First Coptic Orthodox Parishes, 1960s–1980s


 
 
 Coptic identities are neither static nor reducible to a single definition. For the Coptic Orthodox, immigration and the process of integration produced multiple, competing responses across central Canada in the second half of the twentieth century that expose the complex social lives of individuals and groups. The author charts a history of collaboration and contestation among clergy, church activists, and cultural events organizers who held competing notions of integration in Cold War Montreal and Toronto. Rejecting a culturally driven interpretation that sees the Coptic Orthodox as homogenous and indistinguishable from their religious practices, this article argues that heteroglossia—of varied and at times opposing voices—should serve as a starting point for inquiry. Given the huge range and the challenges that lie ahead for reconstructing the Egyptian immigrant experience, the process of sharing in an array of interpretations is more important than a rigid definition.
 
 

Rigid-body assignment in integrative determination of protein complex structures

Integrative modeling of macromolecular protein complexes typically involve representing structurally available components of the complex generated using X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM or comparative modeling, as rigid bodies, and sampling their relative spatial arrangements to generate an ensemble of models that are maximally consistent with input information. While there exist some sparse guidelines in the literature for optimizing the resolution of flexible regions used to represent missing residues within and between the rigid components, the process of defining rigid regions is entirely ad-hoc, often leading to several tedious rounds of trial and error between the computational modeler and their experimental collaborator, alternating between guessing a rigid body definition and running a computationally expensive structural sampling using this definition, until the model achieves both a desirable precision and a quantifiably good fit to input data.

Intralingual Diachronic Translation and Transfer: The Case of Old French

ABSTRACT Intralingual translation presupposes the crossing of several types of boundaries: societal, geographic, religious and diachronic among others. This paper focuses on the diachronic aspect. The French language has seen a large number of diachronic intralingual transpositions throughout its history, such as gloss, summaries, extracts, adaptations, reduced copies and translations. Interestingly, a text can be taken for a translation at a given moment, but viewed differently at a later stage and vice versa. The label ‘translation’ is significant because its use reflects accepted conceptions of change and linguistic continuity. Indeed, descriptive translation studies avoid formulating a rigid definition of the process and the product of translation. Based on a corpus of modern transpositions of medieval French texts, we aim to find the contexts and circumstances in which the term ‘translation’ emerged, demonstrating the different categories of intralingual transfer, in particular the affinities and relations between translation and paratext on the one hand and editions and translations on the other. As a case study, the paper reviews the various translations of Saint Alexis since 1880 and examines the circumstances of their production, their features and their positions on relevant questions of language and literature.

A cracked zone clustering method for discrete fracture with minimal enhanced degrees of freedom

Many state-of-the-art approaches for predicting discrete fracture within the finite element framework were designed by enhancing the continuous displacement field with a discontinuous part. Broadly categorised into elemental and nodal enrichment approaches, they provided unprecedented versatility in discretising domains with prescribed and evolving boundaries. However, there can be an additional computational burden when global tracking schemes are used to enforce the continuity of tractions/jumps along crack paths. Many current approaches also entail involved integration procedures over cut subdomains, which pose challenges of efficiency and accuracy. In addition, although cracks do not need to conform to the geometry of the mesh, the discretisation of cracks is still linked to that of the underlying elements, which can lead to the inaccurate representation of traction profiles along stiff interfaces. Aiming at overcoming these issues, the present work introduces a new formulation with minimal enhanced degrees of freedom. This is achieved by decoupling the discretisation of bulk and cracks, a feature that is enabled by a novel clustered rigid body definition of enhancement field in the set of the variational equations. A new method, termed Cracked Zone Clustering Method (CZCM), is then proposed for discrete fracture propagation by deploying only one rotational degree of freedom per set of cracked elements within the same zone. The stability of the method is first studied using element examples. The method is also shown to resolve the issue of traction oscillations over stiff interfaces. The accuracy and efficiency of the independent discretisation strategy are studied using several known crack propagation benchmarks. Results are compared with the Extended/Generalised Finite Element Method (XFEM/GFEM) and the Discrete Strong Discontinuity Approach (DSDA). In summary, it is shown that the cracked zones can encompass a multitude of elements, thus significantly decreasing the required number of enhancement degrees of freedom by orders of magnitude and without compromising accuracy.

Response: In and Out of the Game, as Usual

In this response article, I revisit the idea of paratext in video games. I start, however, with the example of a book by Tolstoy, and the textual studies work of McKenzie and McGann, in order to make the point that paratextuality has never been limited to Genette’s rigid definition, even in the case of print texts. Video games foreground what has always been the case: the dynamic, volatile, multidirectional nature of paratexts, which can take you into but also out of the enclosure of the main text (or “game itself”) in unexpected ways. Illustrations include Animal Crossing: New Horizons and a mobile sneakerhead game, Aglet.

RESEARCH REPORT ON THE REFORM OF CLASSROOM TEACHING BASED ON PROMOTING STUDENTS' LEARNING MOTIVATION

The main purpose of the classroom teaching reform is to improve students' learning motivation. To construct the learning rights and interests of students, the authority of teachers should not be so great, nor should the sense of responsibility of teachers be expanded infinitely. In contrast to the tradition of authoritative teacher education in China, to respect students as the subject of learning, the right to learn and the sense of responsibility, teachers should be oriented towards a softer way to manage their knowledge classrooms. The following is a course of "> for online payment and settlement", which gives me some inspiration: when it comes to the teaching philosophy of the course, it does not have to be explained in a rigid definition. We applied the "Online Payment and Settlement >" course in class to observe students' learning motivation, and observed students' learning conditions in class and after class, and applied and designed a series of classroom teaching reforms. We use the blended teaching model to achieve students' learning goals and further enhance students' learning confidence.

Beyond Tomorrow: German Science Fiction and Utopian Thought in the 20th and 21st Centuries by Ingo Cornils

Reviewed by: Beyond Tomorrow: German Science Fiction and Utopian Thought in the 20th and 21st Centuries by Ingo Cornils Christina Becher Beyond Tomorrow: German Science Fiction and Utopian Thought in the 20th and 21st Centuries. By Ingo Cornils. Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2020. Pp. x + 322. Cloth $80.00. ISBN 978-1640140356. Ingo Cornils's Beyond Tomorrow: German Science Fiction and Utopian Thought in the 20th and 21st Centuries is the third major publication on German science fiction literature, or more specifically, on science fiction from a German vantage point, within the last three years, among Hans Esselborn's Die Erfindung der Zukunft in der Literatur. Vom technisch-utopischen Zukunftsroman zur deutschen Science Fiction (2019) and Dietmar Dath's monumental essay "Niegeschichte. Science Fiction als Kunst- und Denkmaschine" (2019). This series strongly indicates a rising academic interest in an engagement with German science fiction that is long overdue. Cornils's book comes at just the right time to open up the discussion for international students and scholars: by providing an English-language study on German science fiction (SF), he tackles the fact that "German Studies has a blind spot when it comes to speculative fiction" (3). Cornils's contribution is led by his hypothesis "that German SF is an ongoing project of Zukunftsbewältigung" (9). Drawing on seventy novels and twenty-five films (a chronological list is provided in the appendix) he maps out [End Page 629] the didactic potential of science fiction to make its recipients aware of the changes and ethical pitfalls that go along with new technologies, to enhance their resilience in a world that grows more complex, and how that helps them to make informed choices as responsible citizens. In doing so, Cornils draws a historical panorama with an emphasis on West Germany and recent literature. Beyond Tomorrow contains two main parts: the first explores what Cornils presents as the three tributaries for science fiction, namely futurism, utopian thought, and utopian/dystopian fiction. While utopian thought is concerned with philosophical questions, i.e., "what the future ought to look like," futurism identifies "probable futures (plural) and determin[es] which of them are likely to become reality" (33). As a third tributary, utopian, dystopian, and apocalyptical fiction supplies the aesthetic level that processes the other discourses. One of the great advantages of an English-language perspective on German science fiction is shown by Cornils's presentation of two corresponding angles on the three discourses: the Anglo-American and British context, that, in a sense, represents the target group of his publication, and the German discourse, which is unilaterally influenced by the English one. Despite this impact, Cornils raises the question of whether "there is a distinctively German flavor to the texts" (192) and answers it by historically referring to Germany's participation in World Wars I and II, the Holocaust, its position during the Cold War, the country's division into the FRG and the GDR, its reunification, and also to a "strong sense of belonging (Heimat)" (82) that is condensed in German science fiction. I would argue that this rather schematical explanation might apply for every other genre as well. Cornils infers that it is especially the German science fiction after the millennium that points "to strategies that could lead to a mindset that is better equipped to face the moral, ethical and ideological challenges we will be facing," that is Zukunftsbewältigung (222). Since "there is no such thing as a canon of German SF" (77), Cornils points to the three threads of futurism, utopian thought, and their fictional processing that are used to weave any science fictional textum. Instead of giving a rigid definition, this rather loose approach reflects the difficulty of defining the heterogeneous field ranging from the Zukunftsromane around 1900 to today's posthuman conceptions and allows for a broad overview that is not concerned with differentiating between low- and highbrow literature. This "inclusive" (7) approach also enables Cornils to talk about literature as well as film. The second part of Cornils's study follows a systematic structure that extrapolates thirteen main themes that are displayed in German science fiction and also relate to their specific historical context. I will exemplarily address...

A non-enveloped arbovirus released in lysosome-derived extracellular vesicles induces super-infection exclusion.

Recent developments on extracellular vesicles (EVs) containing multiple virus particles challenge the rigid definition of non-enveloped viruses. However, how non-enveloped viruses hijack cell machinery to promote non-lytic release in EVs, and their functional roles, remain to be clarified. Here we used Bluetongue virus (BTV) as a model of a non-enveloped arthropod-borne virus and discovered that the majority of viruses are released in EVs. Based on the cellular proteins detected in these EVs, and use of inhibitors targeting the cellular degradation process, we demonstrated that these extracellular vesicles are derived from secretory lysosomes, in which the acidic pH is neutralized upon the infection. Moreover, we report that secreted EVs are more efficient than free-viruses for initiating infections, but that they trigger super-infection exclusion that only free-viruses can overcome.

Pure Endoscopic Excision of Parenchymal Brain Tumors: Feasibilty, Risks, Advantages and Realities - A Beginners Perspective

Abstract Background Neuroendoscopy is gaining popularity and is reaching new realms. Young neurosurgeons are exploring the various possibilities associated with the use of neuroendoscopy. Neuroendoscopy in excision of parenchymal brain tumors is less explored, and young neurosurgeons should be aware of the realities. The present article is an approach to put forward the difficulties faced by a young neurosurgeon and the lessons learnt. Objective To report the experience of surgical excision of parenchymal brain tumors, in selected cases, using pure endoscopic approach and to discuss its feasibility, technical benefits, risks and comparison with conventional microscopic excision. Method Eight patients of variable age group with parenchymal brain tumors were operated upon by a single surgeon and followed up for a period varying from 6 months to 2 years. Data regarding operating time, illumination, clarity of the field, size of craniotomy, blood loss and course of recovery was evaluated. All of the tumors were resected using rigid high definition zero and 30° endoscope. Results Out of eight cases, seven had lesions in the supratentorial and one in the infratentorial location. The age group ranged from 27 to 74 years old. Near to gross total resection was achieved in all except two cases. All of the patients recovered well without any significant morbidity or mortality. Hospital stay was reduced by 1 day on average. Conclusion Excision of parenchymal brain tumors via pure endoscopic method is a safe and efficient procedure. Although there is an initial period of learning curve, it is not steep for those already practicing neuroendoscopy, but the approach has its advantages.

An effective method to compute the box-counting dimension based on the mathematical definition and intervals

Fractal dimension is an appropriate indicator to describe the complexity of a certain geometry, and box-counting analysis is proved to be an effective and appropriate method for fractal dimension estimation which is widely used. However, traditional box-counting methods based on images may not always accurate especially in small box scale due to the restriction of pixels. This paper aims to introduce a method based on generating fractal and determining boxes by rigid mathematical definition to eliminate the deviation of each box scale and to carry out more dependable results. Several samples of the simple and recursive fractal are analyzed to verify the accuracy of the box-counting method based on mathematical definition and interval in this paper.

Constructing Identities

This book explores the construction of regional identities in the Early Bronze Age through the temporal variation in burial practice in Southwest Norway. Earthen barrows from the regions Etne, Karmøy, Jæren, and Lista are used as the archaeological source for this study. How historically constituted structures together with external practice form part of an open-ended process of identity construction is investigated. Previous research has often used a set, rigid definition of identity, and earthen barrows along the coast of Southwest Norway have therefore frequently been portrayed as part of a southern Scandinavian culture. These perceptions are not necessarily wrong, but neglect the complicated processes that give rise to groups. In this study it is argued that patterns found in the material remains, both unintentional and intentional, express regional variation. Through a quantitative methodology based on a selection of focus points and spatial analysis in ArcGIS the multifaceted process behind identity construction is showcased. As a result, the southwest coast of Norway during the Early Bronze Age can be seen as a more complex and dynamic region. Although many similarities between regions are shared, they are also clearly divided and competitive.

The Political Budget Cycle in Earmarked Taxes for Local Public Services: A Comparison of Poland and Bulgaria

The concept of the political cycle was formulated in relation to the decision making of governments and parliaments at the national level, but it has also been used as a framework for studying local financial decision making. Most of the earlier empirical studies focused on public expenditures, but later studies also investigated local tax policies. This article argues that, in Central and Eastern Europe (where the concept of political cycle has been applied very early so far), the meaning of typical local taxes is relatively limited, and levies financing local services may be a more likely policy area to demonstrate the existence of the political budget cycle. This case study is related to tariffs for water provision in Poland and solid waste collection in Bulgaria. In spite of official terminology, the legal definition and practice of both duties do not meet all criteria of the rigid definition of user charges for services. Due to their actual nature, the term “earmarked taxes” is used in the title, while the terms tariffs and earmarked taxes are used interchangeably in the text. The existence of the political cycle is tested through panel logistic and linear regression models. According to the legal regulations in both countries, tariffs for both services should be calculated in a technocratic way based on actual costs, however the article demonstrates that the impact of the electoral cycle on actual decisions on the level of levies still exists.

World Dance Cultures: From Ritual to Spectacle by Patricia Leigh Beaman

Reviewed by: World Dance Cultures: From Ritual to Spectacle by Patricia Leigh Beaman Yizhou Huang WORLD DANCE CULTURES: FROM RITUAL TO SPECTACLE. By Patricia Leigh Beaman. New York: Routledge, 2018. 309 pp. Cloth, $135; Paperback, $49.95; eBook, $24.98. World Dance Cultures: From Ritual to Spectacle is the first monograph by Patricia Leigh Beaman, artist-in-residence at Wesleyan University and visiting associate artist at New York University's Tisch Department of Dance. With a focus on non-Western cultural traditions, Beaman presents a rich set of introductory materials on twenty-seven dance cultures. Though written as an undergraduate textbook, World Dance Cultures, with its accessible language and carefully chosen illustrations, also appeals to general readers. Given that more than half of the dance cultures featured in the text originate in Asia and the Pacific islands, the book can also serve as a starting point of research for Asian performance scholars. Beaman does not uphold a rigid definition of dance when choosing what to include in the book. In the introduction, Beaman elucidates her selection criteria as "the fragility of cultural traditions, and in some heartening instances, their resilience, is an important theme throughout this introductory textbook, which delves into the historical, political, economic, and artistic factors that shaped both these cultures and their dances" (p. xviiii). Beaman's selection criteria lead to both the book's strengths and weaknesses. On one hand, her emphasis on the fragility and resilience of cultural traditions guides readers to appreciate the dance forms in their own contexts. On the other hand, her stress on the obstacles that a dance overcomes in its development sometimes hinders a balanced depiction of the art form's cultural background. The book discusses a variety of Asian theatre, dance, and performance forms. The first chapter discusses the Indian dance forms Bharatanatyam and Kathak and dance theatre Kathakali. Chapter Two, titled "Bali and Java: from Temple, to Village, to Court," looks at the baris, sanghyang, and legong dance in Bali, Balinese dance theatre calonarang, and Javanese dance bedhaya. The next chapter, "Cambodia and China: Dance as a Political Tool," introduces Cambodia's robam boran, China's jingju, and model opera The Red Detachment of Women. Zooming in on Japan, chapter 4 examines noh, kabuki, and butoh. The following chapter takes readers to the pacific islands for the Hula kahiko in Hawai'i, the Māori haka, and the gisalo ceremony practiced in Papua New Guinea. Further chapters include dance and performance forms from Africa, North Africa, Turkey, Spain, and the Americas. World Dance Cultures has many helpful features for classroom use. Beaman's thoughtful way of structuring each chapter ensures that students treat each art form not as an amalgamation of techniques but [End Page 250] an expression of its culture. Instead of delving right into the specificities, each chapter starts with a map of the region and an overview that summarizes the discussion to come. After the overview, each section then tackles one particular form of dance. Using subheadings throughout these sections, Beaman makes sure to introduce major sociopolitical events, key figures, and culture-specific concepts before addressing the form's techniques, training, costume, and makeup. For instance, an account of kathak's history, including its emergence in the Mughal Empire, the prejudices that practitioners faced in the British Raj, and the form's resuscitation during the nationalist movement, precedes an examination of kathak's technical aspects. Beaman ends her discussion of each form with a subsection titled "Current trends," informing students of the recent development of the form and, if applicable, major practitioners on the domestic and international stage. World Dance Cultures includes multiple types of materials that facilitate teaching and student engagement. Color photographs are scattered throughout the book. To spark in-depth discussions, Beaman from time to time adds pertinent quotes and case studies ("Women in noh," for instance, pp. 97–98). To provide students with different perspectives, some chapters include excerpts of first-hand experience of the dances written by practitioners or researchers (e.g., "Mediating Cambodian History, the Sacred, and the Earth" by cultural anthropologist Toni Shapiro-Phim, p. 75). Instructors can find discussion questions both at the end of each section...

Thinking about Japan’s Territorial Disputes

Japan has territorial disputes with each of its international neighbors in the form of sovereignty contests over small islands that are shards of its once vast mid-twentieth century empire. In the meantime, recently emerging global ocean laws have taken root that urge some nationalists to take a maximalist approach to defining the space of their respective countries, although these same laws allow for more flexible approaches as well. In the past two decades, Japanese leaders have made clear that they are committed to national policies and planning that re-orient Japan again as a maritime nation. Moving forward, therefore, is the question of whether Japanese leaders will adopt a rigid definition for Japan or a more fluid one that emphasizes borderlines in the sea around it.