Subsequent Publications Research Articles

АКТУАЛИЗАЦИЯ НАУЧНЫХ ИСТОЧНИКОВ ПО ФОЛЬКЛОРУ В ВОЗРОЖДЕНИИ ОБРЯДОВОЙ ПРАКТИКИ МАНСИ

The work is devoted to the most important ritual sphere of the traditional culture of the northern Mansi, associated with the worship of a bear, that lost a number of essential components in the XX century. The ritual folklore of Bear’s Holidays consists almost exclusively of songs, and exactly they were what was forgotten. These are “bear songs”, songs of farewell to a bear at night and its morning awakening, songs of the end of a holiday, and invocation songs for the spirits. The task of the study is to analyse the experience of updating the works of Russian and foreign researchers of Mansi folklore in the process of revival of a Bear’s Holiday. As a result, in this regard the most significant materials of A. Kannisto are identified, which are considered along scientific and practical lines. The first line is implemented in the form of Russian translations of texts with subsequent publication, combined with a version in the modern literary Mansi language. Samples of songs recorded on a phonograph in the form of notes and in a digital version on a disk have also been introduced into academic circulation. The practical line of updating was carried out in 1994–2020 in the form of lectures for the Mansi youth and joint learning of songs and scenes of a Bear’s Holiday according to these sources

Admonitions of Enrique Jose Varona and the problem of Cuba’s «men of colour»

The article examines the last work (actually a political testament) of Enrique José Varona (1849–1933) and its role in the debate on Cuba's "men of colour" after the fall of President Gerardo Machado's regime in August 1933. The debate touched upon the slogan of «Negro minority» self-determination proclaimed by the Communist Party of Cuba. In subsequent publications, the text of Varona's testament was changed. The article discusses the reasons and nature of such editing, related to Cuban ethno-political history and its interpretation after 1959.

New Year's Greetings

The year 2020 brought significant challenges to all of us in our professional and personal lives, as we have had to face the ravages and disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these challenges, Maternal-Fetal Medicine had a very productive year thanks to our authors, reviewers, leadership, and members of the journal's Editorial Board. Many papers were well received by our readers and cited in subsequent publications in top scientific journals, including The Lancet Infection Diseases, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (a FIGO position paper), as well as high-impact journals in the field of maternal-fetal medicine. Maternal-Fetal Medicine has also been listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). We recognize that 2021 will bring with its own challenges. The Editors and editorial team at Maternal-Fetal Medicine are prepared for whatever 2021 has to offer. We hereby affirm that we will continue to work tirelessly to better serve you, our authors, and our readership. Together, we can have a positive impact by providing the most up to date information in a timely and easily digestible format and sharing the insights of our experts. We will continue to promote collaborative research in China and around the world. Finally, we wish you, your families, and all of our authors and readers a peaceful and successful New Year.

Publication Rate of Abstracts Presented at the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society Annual Meeting From 2008 to 2017.

Conference abstracts serve an important role in the timely dissemination of scientific and clinical advancements, but most fail to be published. The goal of this study was to investigate the publication rate and factors associated with publication of abstracts presented at the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (NANOS) Annual Meeting over a 10-year period. NANOS Annual Meeting abstracts from 2008 to 2017 were extracted and categorized into Walsh presentations, scientific platforms, or poster presentations. An original automated web scraping program was validated to search PubMed, Embase, Medline, and Google Scholar for publications. Publication date, journal, authors, study type, multicenter involvement, and financial disclosures were retrieved. A total of 195 Walsh presentations, 231 scientific platform presentations, and 1735 scientific posters were included in the study with an overall publication rate of 31.5% (681/2,161). This was stable over the study period. Publication was the highest for scientific platforms (67.1%), followed by Walsh abstracts (36.4%) and poster presentations (27.2%). Multivariable analysis identified 3-4 authors, 5 or more authors, basic science, and sample size of 100 or more significantly correlated with subsequent publication. The top 3 countries for NANOS submissions were the United States, Canada, and South Korea, and the most frequent journal of publication was the Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology. Publication rate of NANOS abstracts is comparable to other conferences in ophthalmology and the neurological sciences. Conference attendees should be aware that more than two-thirds of abstracts fail to be published and publication rates vary widely by type of submission.

A guaranteed deterministic approach to margining on exchange-traded derivatives market

The article discusses a modern approach to risk management of the central counterparty, primarily the issue of the sufficiency of its financial resources, including the provision of clearing members, the capital of the central counterparty and the mutual liability fund. The main subject is the margining system, responsible for an adequate level of collateral for clearing members, that plays an important role in risk management. The regulation that is currently accepted in international practice is critically analyzed. A system of margining a portfolio of options and futures in the derivatives market is described, with default management based on the methodology proposed by a number of inventors, registered in 2004. For this system, a mathematical model of margining (i.e. determining the required level of the collateral) is built. The main idea is that the measurement of portfolio risk for margining purposes should take into account the default management method, and instead of the simple procedure of liquidating the defaulted positions, the central counterparty should use the default portfolio management. The novelty of this article is in the use of the ideology of a guaranteed deterministic approach to superhedging, proposed by one author in a number of publications and based on a game-theoretic interpretation. The Bellman–Isaacs equations for the required margin level are directly derived from the economic meaning of the problem. The properties of these equations are studied, in particular, the property of subadditivity of the portfolio margin is proved, which is an important requirement for the margin system from an economic point of view. The equations are reduced to a form convenient for calculations, allowing to carry out numerical experiments; the results of analysis of the margin system’s performance will be presented in a subsequent publication.

КОРОНАВИРУСЫ (ТАКСОНОМИЯ, СТРУКТУРА ВИРУСА)

The review is devoted to the little-known and insufficiently studied until recently taxonomic group of viruses - coronaviruses. The publication provides definitions: «coronaviruses» and «coronavirus infection». The issues of modern taxonomy of coronaviruses and its development from the discovery of the first coronavirus to the emergence of the last pandemic species - SARS-CoV-2 are discussed. The modern results of studying the morphology, structure and structure of the viral cell in coronaviruses, the characteristics of various representatives that cause diseases in humans and are of medical importance are described. The differences in the structure and structure of viruses of different types are pointed out and it is proposed to conditionally divide into «especially dangerous» and «banal» groups of coronaviruses. To analyze virological problems, modern literary sources, the opinion of international organizations, articles in the world’s leading medical and biological journals were used. In subsequent publications, the topic of coronaviruses and coronavirus infection will be continued.

Каменная индустрия пещеры Сомчай (раскопки 1980–1981 годов)

Purpose. This article is dedicated to the collection of stone tools obtained as a result of excavations of the Somchai cave (North Vietnam) in 1980–1981. Somchai cave was discovered as a cultural object in 1980 and was investigated by various Vietnamese archaeologists in 1980–1981. The Somchai stone industry was attributed by Vietnamese researchers to the cultural and chronological stages of Hoabin II (Mezolithic) and Hoabin III (Early Neolithic). At the same time, the stratigraphic sequence of the lithological divisions of the site raises questions, due not only to the fragmentation of information in published sources, but also the influence of the modern anthropological factor. The description of archaeological material was selectively compiled, and subsequent publications were devoted to general reviews and paleobotany. Results. Somchai Cave belongs to the Karst region of the Kimboy massif of the northern part of the Annam Highlands (Chyongshonbak). The object is located at an altitude of 85 m above u.m. in the limestone remains in the Muongwang Valley of the Buoy River. It was discovered as a cultural site in 1980 and was investigated by various Vietnamese archaeologists in 1980–1981, 1982 and 1986. The stone industry of the Somchai site contains 845 artifacts. Among tools, the multiple group is represented by sumatralita, further on the frequency of occurrence the adzes, polished axes, choppers stand out, scraped, scrapers and other single products. Conclusion. By relying on a technical and typological analysis of a collection of stone artifacts obtained during research in 1980–1981, the Somchai cave industry can be defined as pebble and flake. It demonstrates the already developed features of stone technologies and tools, which are more distinctive for later cultures, such as Bakshon and Dabut, but at the same time the splitting traditions characteristic of the Paleolithic of Vietnam, which, like the Paleolithic of all Southeast Asia, continued the pebble-cleaved tradition, are preserved.

РОССИЯ И КИТАЙ: ОТ СТРАХА ПЕРЕД ПАНМОНГОЛИЗМОМ К ПОСТИЖЕНИЮ ЕВРАЗИЙСТВА

This article is a fragment of a series of publications by the author on the relationship between the three civilizations that largely determine the fate of the world today, namely, America, Russia, and China. The subject of the study is civilizational identity, which is formed by both internal and external factors. Internal factors should include the key events that took place in the history of each civilization, determining both the mentality of the people and their collective identity. External factors include the pressure exerted by the values of other civilizations, especially those claiming leadership in modern history. There is a concept of the «Other» in contemporary philosophy. The article also examines the interaction between civilizations according to the principle of the «Other». It is clear that going beyond Westernization in the early twentieth century and not being the leader of world history, although the historical archetype of «Third Rome» seemed to oblige the country to play this role, with the revolution of 1917 giving grounds for this, Russia has experienced a long period of transition in the twentieth century. Nowadays, in the situation when China is claiming to play the role of a new world leader, Russia has started thinking of its Eurasian roots more often. As for China, enchanted by Marxism, it also underwent a long period of transition in the twentieth century, during which relations between Russia and China became more complicated, although it seems that Marx's ideas and the idea of socialism should have contributed to their becoming closer. By now, the conflicts between Russia and China seem to have been resolved. For some time now, the idea of Russian émigré thinkers, who called themselves Eurasianists, has become the new political course. In all likelihood, the rise of China cannot but affect the transformation of the civilizational identity of today's Russia. Thus, the question once asked by the Russian thinker P. Chaadayev has become relevant again – which supercivilization is Russia closer to: the West or the East. The author attempts to examine this psychological transformation unfolding in Russia through the prism of cinema, analyzing Russian, American, and Chinese films in this, as well as in the previous and subsequent publications in this journal.

Сравнительный анализ условий готовности России и Украины к неоиндустриализации

The relevance of the study is that a comparative analysis of the conditions of readiness for neo-industrialization of economic systems (states, regions, industrial complexes, industrial enterprises), taking into account the totality of obstacles and risks, makes it possible to establish competitive advantages and weaknesses of objects, strategic and operational directions, effective tools for achieving goals in a new technological order. The aim of the study is to carry out a comparative analysis of the conditions for the readiness of the industry in Russia and Ukraine for neo-industrialization based on digitalization. The methodological basis of the research is made up of general and general scientific methods of cognition, as well as the concrete historical method, the comparative historical method, the method of the unity of the historical and the logical, the method of comparative analysis, etc. Considering that Russia and Ukraine had equal starting conditions for the beginning of neo-industrialization after the collapse of the USSR, and in the post-Soviet period there were a number of general tendencies in de-industrialization, then the modern experience of Russia should be considered as a standard for a number of post-Soviet countries. The article presents the main results of a comparative analysis of obstacles (institutional, technological, socio-economic) to neo-industrialization in Russia and Ukraine. It has been substantiated that synergistic and multiplier effects from neo-industrialization can be obtained through complex solutions in the spheres of institutions, technologies and economics. The study also presents a classification of risks (by levels of formation: global, supra-organizational, including sectoral, organizational; by areas: social, environmental, cyber-physical, etc.) of neo-industrialization and assessed them. It has been established that against the background of the continuing «active» processes of de-industrialization in the Ukrainian industry, the Russian industry has a much higher degree of readiness for neo-industrialization, including due to the digitalization of the manufacturing industry. The process of de-industrialization in Ukraine can be stopped only with economic integration with Russia. Having a sufficiently high scientific and educational potential, states should transform it as actively as possible into fundamental innovations: technological, institutional, managerial, product innovations. The practical significance of the obtained research results lies in the fact that the developed scientific and methodological approaches allow assessing the level of readiness of economic systems for neo-industrialization and comparative analysis with the standard, diagnosing competitive advantages and weaknesses, which should be further taken into account when justifying and implementing strategic and operational decisions. In subsequent publications, the results will be presented, reflecting the developed applied directions and proposed measures to accelerate the neoindustrialization of the two countries, taking into account the spatial and industrial, technological, institutional, organizational and managerial, financial and economic and quantitative (economic and mathematical modeling of the «digital factor» of production) aspects.

Motivation as a necessary factor in the organization of non-linguistic students’ scientific work

Students’ scientific work is an integral element of the training of creative specialists, so the motivation for the implementation of this type of work is a necessary task at the modern stage of the development of education. The article presents approaches to students’ scientific work (an instructional technique with the help of which the teacher supports and manages educational activities to deepen and expand their knowledge and skills; active pedagogy, which contributes to the development of students’ research; active learning of students with an emphasis on the development of their intellectual and research skills; one of the most important means of improving the quality of training and education of future specialists, etc.). The main driving motivational factors of scientific work are identified (desire to obtain subjectively new knowledge, development of cognitive and creative abilities, desire to understand the essence of certain phenomena and reveal them to other participants of the educational process, desire for self-realization, etc.). Main types of scientific work when teaching the English language to students of the non-linguistic specialties are presented (summary and annotation in English, preparation and defence of abstracts on relevant topics, preparation of theses or articles with their subsequent publication, encouraging students to participate in scientific conferences in English). Our own experience in organizing the scientific work of students is described (defining the topic of the abstract according to the working programs of the faculties, holding conferences at the faculties and the All-Ukrainian scientific students’ conference). Scientific work of this format contributes to the formation of students' positive motivation for self-education and self-development; regular participation in scientific work develops the need for self-education, creative growth, and ability to solve problems independently.

Systematic Review of Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy for Patients With Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer

There is a paucity of robust clinical evidence for the role of neoadjuvant immunotherapy in patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer. The primary aim of the study was to identify the available data on the feasibility, safety and efficacy of neoadjuvant immunotherapy. A systematic review was conducted using electronic databases. Relevant studies were identified according to predefined selection criteria. Five relevant publications on 4 completed trials were identified. In most studies, >90% of patients were able to undergo surgery within the planned timeframe after neoadjuvant immunotherapy. There was a high incidence of open thoracotomy procedures, either planned or converted from a planned minimally invasive approach. Mortality ranged from 0 to 5%, but none of the reported deaths were considered directly treatment-related. Morbidities were reported according to adverse events related to neoadjuvant systemic therapy, and postoperative surgical complications. Survival outcomes were limited due to short follow-up periods. Major pathologic response ranged from 40.5 to 56.7%, whilst complete pathologic response of the primary tumor ranged from 15 to 33%. Radiological responses were reported according to RECIST criteria and fluorodeoxyglucose-avidity. This systematic review reported safe perioperative outcomes of patients who underwent resection following neoadjuvant immunotherapy. However, there was a relatively high incidence of open thoracotomy procedures, partly due to the technical challenges associated with increased fibrosis and inflammation of tissue, as well as the more advanced stages of disease in patients enrolled in the studies. Future studies should focus on identifying predictors of pathological response.

Амулеты и талисманы из «египетского» фаянса с территории Краснодарского края. Источники и историография

The paper presents the source base of figured forms of the so-called "Egyptian" faience, stored in the archaeological funds of the Krasnodar State Historical and Archaeological Museum-Reserve. Historiographical review, in relation to the findings from the territory of the Krasnodar region, complements it. The author tested the method of cross-comparison of data from academic literature and archival data and materials of scientific reports. This opens up new opportunities for the study of funeral and memorial cults of the indicated region in the 1st century B.C. – 3d century A.D. The core content of the study is related to the comparison of different types of sources used to form the database created on a reference group of shapes from faience. The author aimed to trace the processes of formation of the source base from the stage of excavation to the creation of reporting and accounting documentation and the subsequent publication of the extracted materials. The paper summarizes for the first time the materials from the territory of Krasnodar region available for the author. These data provide to determine that some types of amulets could be produced from local raw materials at the manufacturing basis of the cities-policies of the Northern Black Sea region. In some field reports, the problem of incompleteness of the primary source base was identified. In some cases, collections’ inventories of the items do not correspond to the data recorded in the course of their scientific processing. Their comparison with the records of the archive and archaeological museum collections allows the author to eliminate the occurring contradictions. Information about amulets and the conditions for their findings contained in academic publications may add details. However, these articles do not acquire the status of a scientific source.

Impact of pharmacy-supported interventions on proportion of patients receiving non-indicated acid suppressive therapy upon discharge: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

ObjectiveConduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the impact of pharmacy-supported interventions on the proportion of patients discharged from the hospital on inappropriate acid suppressive therapy (AST).MethodsTo identify studies, the following databases were systematically searched on October 14th, 2018 and repeated on September 12th, 2019: Ovid MEDLINE(R) and In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations and Daily, Embase.com, CINAHL, Web of Science, Cochrane CENTRAL (EBSCO), and ClinicalTrials.gov. Eligible studies consisted of adults, intervention and historical/usual care groups, description of active pharmacy-supported intervention, and proportion of patients discharged on inappropriate AST. Qualitative assessments and quantitative analyses were performed. Modified funnel plot analysis assessed heterogeneity. Preferred reporting items of systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) methodology was used to evaluate studies in this review.ResultsSeventeen publications resulting in 16 studies were included in the review. Using random effects model, meta-analysis showed a significant reduction in the odds of being discharged on inappropriate AST from the hospital in the pharmacist-supported intervention arm versus comparator (Odds Ratio 0.33 [95%CI 0.20 to 0.53]), with significant heterogeneity (I2 = 86%). Eleven studies favored pharmacy-supported interventions, four were inconclusive and one favored usual care. Using modified funnel plot analysis, our final evaluation was distilled to 11 studies and revealed a similar outcome (OR 0.36 [95%CI 0.27 to 0.48]), but with less heterogeneity (I2 = 36%).ConclusionThis systematic review and meta-analysis showed that pharmacy-supported interventions were associated with a significantly reduced probability of patients discharged on inappropriate AST. However, heterogeneity was high and may affect interpretation of results. Using funnel plot optimization method, three positive and two negative studies were objectively removed from analyses, resulting in a similar effect size, but with less heterogeneity. To improve study quality, future researchers should consider utilizing a pre-post, multi-arm, prospective design with sampling randomization, training of data extractors (preferably two extractors), re-evaluating a small dataset to check for agreement and providing a comprehensive methodology in subsequent publications.

Assessment of Duplicate Publication of Chinese-Sponsored Randomized Clinical Trials

Duplicate publications of randomized clinical trials are prevalent in the health-related literature. To date, few studies have assessed the interaction between duplicate publication and the language of the original publication. To assess the existence of duplicate publication and the extent to which duplicate publication is associated with the language of the original publication. In this retrospective cohort study, eligible randomized clinical trials were retrieved from trial registries, and bibliographic databases were searched to determine their publication status. Eligible randomized clinical trials were for drug interventions from January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2014. The search and analysis were conducted from March 1 to August 31, 2019. The trial registries were either primary registries recognized by the World Health Organization or the Drug Clinical Trial Registry Platform sponsored by the China Food and Drug Administration. Individual randomized clinical trials with positive vs negative results. Journal articles were classified as main articles (determined by largest sample size and longest follow-up among all journal articles derived from that randomized clinical trial) and duplicates. The duplicates were classified into 4 types: (1) unreferenced subgroup analysis (article did not disclose itself as a subgroup analysis or reference its main article); (2) unreferenced republication (article did not disclose itself as a replicate of the main article or reference it); (3) unreferenced interim analysis (article did not disclose itself as an interim analysis or reference its main article); and (4) partial duplicate (article did not disclose its sharing a subset of participants with other articles or reference them). Among 470 randomized clinical trials published by August 2019 as journal articles, 55 (11.7%) had 75 duplicates, of which 53 (70.7%) were cross-language duplicates. Of the 75 duplicates, 33 (44.0%) were unreferenced republications, 25 (33.3%) unreferenced subgroup analyses, 15 (20.0%) unreferenced interim analyses, and 2 (2.7%) partial duplicates. When the main article of a randomized clinical trial was published in Chinese, those with positive findings were 2.48 (95% CI, 1.08-5.71) times more likely to have subsequent duplicate publication than those with negative findings. In this study, most duplicates were cross-language duplicates and the most common type was unreferenced republication of the main article. Duplicate publication bias exists when the main articles of randomized clinical trials were published in Chinese, potentially misleading readers and compromising journals and evidence synthesis.

A reference dataset for the Neogene lithostratigraphy in Flanders, Belgium

Subsurface research often makes use of information from locations where subsurface investigations occurred or that had temporary outcrops. In time, data and knowledge of these locations increases, though compilation of the former information, and uniquely identifying these in subsequent publications is seldom done. Data quality control and documentation are therefore required, including tracing the data sources to their unique reference in governmental databases. In this paper, a five-step approach is described on how all relevant data can be uniquely combined into a reference dataset for the Neogene of Flanders. The dataset is made available in the online web portal for soil and subsoil in Flanders. The individual data points, as well as the reference dataset, can be consulted and are re-usable in an accessible format by scientists, professionals and citizens with an interest in the subsurface, and even so by machines. The reference dataset approach can be elaborated for other subsurface data collections and is proposed to evolve to a standard practice for open subsurface data in Flanders. It increases the visibility and the quality of the data and the research. Inclusion of a reference dataset URL in research or other portals further contributes to data and knowledge integration. Such an open data approach is pivotal for (governmental) data management institutes providing geological services that facilitate a more sustainable use and management of the subsurface.

Inconsistency and low transparency were found between core outcome set protocol and full text publication: a comparative study

ObjectivesThe objective of the study was to assess inconsistencies between individual protocols and associated full-text publications in the development of core outcome sets (COSs). Study Design and SettingProtocols and subsequent full-text publications were retrieved by searching the following electronic databases: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials database from inception to October 1, 2019. We summarized changes in the general and methodological characteristics by comparing the protocols with the full-text publications and reported change as information frequency and proportion. ResultsA total of 24 protocols and 32 corresponding full-text publications that encompassed 14 study topics were identified from databases. In the identified initial list of outcomes, five COSs (20.8%) changed the included study type, none of which explained the reasons for these changes. In addition, eight COSs showed inconsistencies between the protocols and full-text publications in the searched databases, of which, only two studies explained the reasons for these changes. Compared with the protocols, three COSs changed the number of Delphi rounds, eight COSs changed the participants (stakeholder groups), and three COSs changed the consensus definition of the Delphi survey. Only two COSs explained the reason for changing the number of Delphi rounds, and none of the studies explained why the participants changed. For the face-to-face consensus meeting, we found that nine COSs changed the participants and none explained the reasons for these changes. ConclusionOur study found many inconsistencies between protocols and the full-text publications concerning COS development. These inconsistencies related to the included study types, databases searched, Delphi surveys, and face-to-face consensus meetings. As it is necessary to publish protocols before developing COSs, transparency regarding any changes to the methods is needed.

The spin-off to civilian medical practice in the UK and USA from medical research developed during conflict

Expertise in the treatment of wounded and mentally damaged military personnel can be transferred to the clinical care of civilian patients by military clinicians though academic publications and working alongside civilian colleagues. Citations to papers written by military authors by civilian researchers can show the transfer of this military knowledge into civilian practice. We examined citations to UK and US academic papers on military physical and mental injury from 2001 to 2018 in the Web of Science, and determined the numbers from civilian and military sources in the authors' own country, and for the US papers, also the Veterans Administration. United States civilian researchers contributed to 52% of the US citations in 2006, rising to 65% in 2018. The numbers of US citing papers from the individual states correlated fairly well with their population sizes. For the UK, civilian citations to its papers also increased with time, but were heavily concentrated in London and Birmingham. This study shows that it is possible to track the diffusion of knowledge in the experience of treating combat casualties from military authors to subsequent military and civilian publications through analysis of the citation history of the original papers.

Bricks and Antiquarianism: Masonry and Historical Method in the Historical Sciences

AbstractThe role of sentiment in narratives generated by antiquarians, dilettanti and geologists in late eighteenth‐century Britain features as a significant force in the development of the historical sciences. During the fieldwork for and subsequent publication of The Geography and Antiquities of Ithaca (1807), by Sir William Gell (1777‐1836), and A Description of the Principal Picturesque Beauties, Antiquities and Geological Phenomena of the Isle of Wight (1816), by his colleague Sir Henry Charles Englefield (c.1752‐1822), the role of association and sentiment makes visible the ruins of everyday‐type architectures and geological processes, and demonstrates tensions between human‐made and natural artefacts.

Is the truthfulness of a proposition verifiable through access to reference corpora?

Abstract This paper reviews Louw’s (1993 and subsequent publications) deployment of reference corpora in the light of existing philosophical and linguistic milestones when it comes to the notion of the truthfulness of a proposition. Louw (William Ernest. 1993. Irony in the text or insincerity in the writer? The diagnostic potential of semantic prosodies. In Mona Baker, Gill Francis & Elena Tognini-Bonelli (eds.), Text and technology: In honour of John Sinclair, 152–176. Amsterdam: John Benjamins) resorts to reference corpora in order either to explicate a rhetorical device (in Louw 1993, that of irony) or to attempt to reveal the true attitude of the speaker to his/her own proposition (including instances of insincerity). Using two methods (co-selection and wildcarding), an author’s collocational patterns in context are checked against those in the reference corpus, also in context. The frequent lexical variables of grammar strings are taken to represent that string’s corpus-derived subtext. Recently, Louw’s Contextual Prosodic Theory (CPT) has revealed the mechanism of prospection, whereby the grammatical pattern in the first line of a poem anticipates by its most frequent lexical collocates the themes in the remainder of the poem (Louw, Bill & Milojkovic, Marija. 2016. Corpus stylistics as contextual prosodic theory and subtext, 176–183. Amsterdam: John Benjamins). The philosophical background of Louw’s CPT is the works of Frege, Russell and Wittgenstein (Louw, William Ernest. 2010a. Collocation as instrumentation for meaning: A scientific fact. In Willie van Peer, Vander Viana & Sonia Zyngier (eds.), Literary education and digital learning: methods and technologies for humanities studies, 79–101. Hershey, PA: IGI Global and subsequent works) and could be said to be in need of further explanation and illustration. The paper discusses Louw’s take on insincerity (1993) as the speaker’s attitude to the truthfulness of her own statement from the point of view of Frege’s Sinn/Bedeutung distinction, Russell’s logical language, and Wittgenstein’s attitude to the relationship between language and reality. Since prospection may be considered objective proof of the effectiveness of Louw’s approach, an instance of prospection from a poem by Brodsky is used to show that Wittgenstein’s concern for the truthfulness of propositions may be viewed as both the guarantor and the beneficiary of Louw’s views. Additionally, the paper presents an example of prospection in the first line of a novel, Don DeLillo’s White Noise. However, other grammatical patterns in the passage studied in this paper do not contain deviations from the corpus norm, which conforms to the existing commentary on DeLillo in the field of literary criticism. The paper concludes by stating that reference corpora used inductively (Louw, William Ernest. 2017. Uneasy humour as discovery: Collocation and empathy as Whewellian consilience. Studying Humour: International Journal 4) may shed light on the speaker’s attitude to the truthfulness of their own statement.

Soiling of Pig Pens: A Review of Eliminative Behaviour.

Simple SummaryThe soiling of pig pens has important negative consequences in terms of animal welfare, health, workload, and environmental emissions of pig farming. The aim of this review is to present the state-of-the-art regarding pigs’ normal eliminatory behaviour (i.e., defaecation and urination) and pen soiling, aimed here at solving pen-soiling problems in existing systems, and in a following publication aimed at the design of a more sustainable pig-farming system. To this end, we summarize a large body of literature on pen soiling and pigs’ eliminative behaviour in different farming systems. We propose a “disease framework” interpretation of pen soiling, to help identify its causes, underlying mechanisms, and solutions.This is a comprehensive review on the pigs’ normal eliminatory behaviour (i.e., defaecation and urination) and pen soiling. This review is aimed primarily at solving issues with pen soiling in current systems, and ultimately at the future design of a well-functioning pig toilet, which we intend to elaborate on in a subsequent publication. In this paper, first, normal elimination is described in relation to what is known about its phylogeny, ontogeny, causation, and function, i.e., according to Tinbergen’s four why questions concerning animal behaviour. Then, pen soiling is described as if it were a medical disorder, highlighting its importance, aetiology, symptoms, diagnosis, pathogenesis, treatment, and prevention. Due to its negative consequences in terms of animal welfare, health, workload, and environmental emissions, possible methods to address pen soiling in current systems are described. Probably, pigs do not choose a specific place to eliminate but rather choose the most comfortable place for resting, and avoid eliminating there. We identified four main strategies to reduce pen soiling: (1) reducing the suitability of the designated elimination area to be used for other functions, especially resting or thermoregulation; (2) improving the suitability of other functional areas in the pen to be used for their specific function, such as resting and activity; (3) reducing the suitability of other functional areas to be used for elimination; and (4) improving the suitability of the elimination area for elimination. These prevention strategies and the encompassing disease framework provide a structured approach to deal with pen soiling in existing systems and to support the future design, development, and implementation of a well-functioning pig toilet that can help to achieve some of the main goals of modern pig production, namely reducing environmental emissions as well as substantially improving pig welfare.