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"Volatile States in International Politics" by Eleonora Mattiacci explores the increasing unpredictability of state behavior in world politics. The book combines statistical data and archival frames of reference to explain the concept of "volatility" in international politics, its causes, impact, and potential remedies. The author examines factors that contribute to interstate volatility, such as relative power and resource availability, and proposes novel methods for measuring volatility. The book also provides a detailed assessment of countries engaged in strategic rivalry and explores the prevalence of volatility in interactions between countries with defensive commitments. While the book emphasizes the importance of understanding volatility, it neglects the larger context of the security dilemma and the potential value of creative diplomacy in countering volatility. Overall, "Volatile States in International Politics" is a well-written and valuable introduction to the concept of volatility in international politics. [Extracted from the article]

"George Orwell's Perverse Humanity: Socialism and Free Speech" by Glenn Burgess is a book that explores the relationship between liberalism and socialism in Orwell's work. The author argues that Orwell's vision combines both ideologies and that they are mutually dependent on each other. The book examines Orwell's views on real-world experiences, political violence, and the importance of freedom of speech. However, the book also addresses contemporary issues such as "wokeism" and the debate surrounding cancel culture, although the evidence presented in this regard may be less convincing. Overall, the book provides a comprehensive analysis of Orwell's political thinking and his contributions to the fields of liberalism and socialism. [Extracted from the article]

"Big Bend National Park: Mexico, the United States, and a Borderland Ecosystem" by Michael Welsh is a historical exploration of Big Bend National Park, situated on the border between Mexico and the United States. The book examines the unique landscape of the park, shaped by the Rio Grande river, and the challenges posed by its borderland ecosystem. Welsh discusses the efforts of conservationists, politicians, and scientists in establishing the park and highlights the potential for binational cooperation and collaboration. The book also addresses the tensions between preservation and development in national parks and the need to navigate the changing cultural and political landscape. While the book lacks an examination of the park's future in the face of climate change and public policy, it offers valuable insights for students and scholars interested in national identity, border relations, and environmental protectionism. [Extracted from the article]

"Wayfaring Strangers: The Musical Voyage from Scotland and Ulster to Appalachia" is a book by Fiona Ritchie and Doug Orr that explores the cultural pathways of traditional Scottish and Irish folk music as it traveled to Appalachia. The book examines the influences of Welsh, English, German, Dutch, French, African American, and Cherokee cultures on these songs. It is structured into three main sections and includes photographs, maps, and sidebars covering various topics related to folk music. The authors also exchange letters discussing their perspectives on Old and New World music. The book sheds light on the history of American folk music and its connection to immigrant experiences. It includes a contextual timeline, resource centers, a discography, and a bibliography for further exploration. Scholars and music enthusiasts will find this book to be a valuable resource. [Extracted from the article]

"English Renaissance Manuscript Culture: the paper revolution" by Steven W. May is a book that explores the paper revolution and its impact on manuscript culture during the English Renaissance. May argues that the transition from script to print was not as simple as previously believed and offers correctives to earlier accounts. He also challenges the notion of exclusive coteries and highlights the open and freely circulating nature of texts during this period. May reconstructs the network of manuscript culture through compilers' testimony, textual criticism, biographical research, and handwriting analysis. The book invites further research and emphasizes the importance of understanding the circulation of manuscripts during the English Renaissance. [Extracted from the article]

"Schools and Screens: A Watchful History" by Victoria Cain explores the use of screens and their content in American classrooms from the New Deal Era to Y2K. The book examines the historical and cultural significance of screens in education, focusing on four core issues: citizenship, race, private money, and teachers. Cain discusses the challenges and successes of incorporating film, television, and computers into the education system, highlighting the impact of private funding and the commercialization of educational technology. The book emphasizes the complex and nuanced role of screens in shaping and being shaped by the American education system. [Extracted from the article]

"Reaching Through Time: Finding My Family's Stories" by Shauna Bostock is a highly acclaimed book that aims to educate non-Aboriginal Australians about the historical injustices faced by Aboriginal Australians. Bostock, a Bundjalung historian, writes as an academically trained historian with a strong connection to her family and community. The book tells the compelling stories of her ancestors, connecting them to broader events in Australian history. It also serves as a guide for Indigenous Australians researching their own family histories and advocates for truth-telling and understanding between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. [Extracted from the article]

Bridget Griffen-Foley's book, "Australian Radio Listeners and Television Viewers: Historical Perspectives," explores the experiences of Australian radio and television audiences throughout the twentieth century. Through six historical case studies, Griffen-Foley examines how radio and television stations engaged their audiences through promotions and initiatives, and how listeners and viewers responded. The book draws on primary sources such as fan letters and regulatory records to provide detailed insights into the lives of Australian media consumers. While the book raises many questions, it serves as a valuable resource for future researchers interested in exploring the relationship between Australian society, media consumption, and cultural identities. [Extracted from the article]

"The Art of the Observer: A Personal View of Documentary" by David MacDougall is a book that offers insights into the role of an anthropological director in documentary filmmaking. MacDougall emphasizes the importance of selective observation and the connection between shots in a film. The book also provides a personal account of MacDougall's fifty-year journey as a filmmaker and world traveler. However, some critics argue that MacDougall's perspective may have a colonialist aspect and that his own story restricts his recognition of the significance of his documentary subjects. Overall, the book offers valuable insights into the filmmaking process but may leave readers with feelings of confusion and awkwardness due to unconscious bias in the author's wording. [Extracted from the article]

"Hollis Frampton: Navigating the Infinite Cinema" is a book that focuses on the work of experimental filmmaker Hollis Frampton. The author, Michael Zryd, draws from his own previous scholarship, existing literature on Frampton, Frampton's own writings, and archival materials to explore Frampton's Magellan series. The book examines Frampton's notion of "infinite cinema" and pays attention to the treatment of colonialism in his work. It also discusses themes such as linearity, encyclopedic impulse, and metahistory in Frampton's films. Overall, the book is a valuable resource for understanding Frampton's theories and cinematic goals in the digital age. [Extracted from the article]

Kara Walker is best known for her depictions of sexualized violence and gendered racism during slavery in the form of black paper silhouettes. Scholars such as Salamishah Tillet argue that Walker's art, along with art by some of her post-civil rights contemporaries, offers 'aesthetic interventions' to problematic racial histories as part of a larger project of memory reclamation and justice. Walker's A Subtlety, Or the Marvelous Sugar Baby, an Homage to the unpaid and overworked Artisans who have refined our Sweet tastes from the cane fields to the Kitchens of the New World on the Occasion of the demolition of the Domino Sugar Refining Plant is another such interventionist project. Debuting in the Williamsburg neighbourhood of Brooklyn, New York in May of 2014, A Subtlety explores how a figure like mammy 'survives as a cultural force that influences and reflects a national conscience' (Wallace Sanders [2008]. Mammy: a century of race, gender, and southern memory. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 12). And yet, to say that the historical rootedness of the title, sugar sphinx sculpture, and molasses-covered walls and cherub-faced small figures throughout the installation were ambiguous to some spectators, is an understatement. Hundreds of photographs and videos were uploaded to social media sites with people making gestures towards the figure that some critics deemed highly inappropriate. This paper explores how A Subtlety both understands and undermines representations of Black women's bodies and how Black artists in the African diaspora contend with complex cultural signs of the past in the present. Utilizing studies of Black feminist theory and visual culture, I argue that Walker's A Subtlety – and her art more broadly – offers theoretical and geographic space to ponder where Black pleasure and collective memory can exist in systems of misogynoir, as well as in the Black nostalgic imagination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Abortion Care is Health Care" by Barbara Baird provides a historical account of abortion services in Australia from the 1990s to the 2020s. The book argues that although abortion has been effectively pro-choice for decades, access to abortion services remains uneven and inequitable. Baird highlights that the majority of abortion services are provided by private clinics, resulting in limited access for marginalized and disadvantaged women. The book is meticulously researched and provides comprehensive information on providers, laws, regulations, and events in each Australian state and territory. However, it may be more suitable for scholars than a general audience. [Extracted from the article]

AbstractPurposeMaterials and methodsResultsConclusionsIndividuals with reduced vision may rely on handheld magnifiers for near reading of texts on household items such as food packaging and far reading of information notices and signposts. Smartphones have become favoured magnification devices due to their pervasiveness. Users typically take a photo of the text, view the image with magnification and explore details by panning in two-dimensions. However, two-dimensional panning is cumbersome, confusing and slow.To improve the magnification experience, we implemented a proof-of-concept magnifier that reflows text to fit the device’s viewport width. The user navigates through the text by scrolling up/down. Our implementation relies on a novel pixel-based text reflow image analysis algorithm.The prototype can successfully reflow text printed on sheets of paper such as notices. Initial tests showed that users preferred the smart digital magnifier over ordinary magnification.More work is needed to successfully handle other important use cases such as electronic information boards and household product packaging. We discuss open challenges and future directions for smart magnifiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Darkhouse Lighthouse is a permanent installation in the Troy Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is part of a collection of Art Houses created by art collector Evan Mirapaul. The lighthouse is located in a residential neighborhood and was built in a home that was previously damaged by fire. The artwork aims to highlight the city's history and its connection to the sea, as well as evoke a sense of nostalgia and imagination. The lighthouse is filled with historic items and offers an immersive experience for visitors. The project also incorporates elements of craftwork and architectural repair. [Extracted from the article]

AbstractPurposeMethodsResultsConclusions\nIMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThe manual, user-operated Arise Standing Wheelchair (SWC) is the end result of multiple design iterations based on findings and feedback from user trials. The Arise SWC provides standing functionality, outdoor mobility, affordability, and customisability. This paper describes a long-term community integration study of the Arise SWC.All participants (N = 8; 7 Male, 1 Female) were persons with spinal cord injuries. During the study period (six months), the participants integrated the Arise SWC into their daily routines. To assess the impact of the Arise SWC on various outcome measures, participants’ responses were captured using a Likert-scale questionnaire at the beginning of the study, after 30 days, and after 180 days of Arise SWC usage.The long-term usage of the Arise SWC positively impacted the users’ standing performance (ability to stand regularly, stand at different locations, and stand in community settings), productive ability (accessibility to environmental controls and ability to perform overhead reaches), and pathophysiology (spasticity and ability to get proper sleep). Furthermore, all the users were able to independently move using the Arise SWC over even and uneven terrain (some needed minimal assistance over uneven terrain).Overall, we believe that Arise SWC will benefit eligible users and improve their ability and performance in daily activities.Arise Standing Wheelchair (SWC) positively impacted users’ standing performance, mobility over uneven terrain, ability to transfer between surfaces, and overhead reaches.Arise SWC positively impacted users’ overall physical well-being.The study shows that Arise SWC improved the users’ overall daily living activities.Arise SWC, an affordable solution, is anticipated to have a global impact, especially on low-income nations.Arise Standing Wheelchair (SWC) positively impacted users’ standing performance, mobility over uneven terrain, ability to transfer between surfaces, and overhead reaches.Arise SWC positively impacted users’ overall physical well-being.The study shows that Arise SWC improved the users’ overall daily living activities.Arise SWC, an affordable solution, is anticipated to have a global impact, especially on low-income nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractPurposeMaterials and MethodsResults and Conclusions\nIMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONActivity-based locomotor training improves intrinsic trunk control in children with spinal cord injury (SCI). To reinforce these improvements, there is a need to develop community integration activities to allow a patient to apply the retrained nervous system at home. One activity that has been explored is rocking in a rocking chair. This paper describes the design, fabrication, and evaluation of a rocking chair for children with SCI.The Quality Function Deployment (QFD) design process was used. Fundamental needs and features for the rocking chair were defined in a focus group with experienced therapists, and needs were then rated for importance. A House of Quality (HOQ) matrix was developed to correlate needs with design features, and a prototype design was generated. Virtual motion studies and finite element analysis (FEA) were utilized to assess the design. The chair was fabricated and physical testing was performed, including tipping and static and dynamic load assessments.The needs identified through the QFD process were categorized into (1) safety, (2) therapeutic, (3) practical and aesthetic, and (4) data to track chair use. Features selected to meet these needs include safety stops, padding, straps, a stable base, armrests, adjustable footrest, and sensors to capture rocking data. FEA showed a factor of safety (FOS) > 5. Physical testing confirmed physical integrity, load-bearing capacity, and stability of the prototype glider rocking chair. The prototype provides a safe tool for further investigation of rocking for promotion of trunk muscle activation in children with SCI.Rocking in a rocking chair promotes carryover of gained trunk control capacity, from clinic to home in a population that is non-ambulatory.Rocking provides opportunity for self-practice in population with severely compromised capacity.Rocking is a movement that may be performed when other types of movement cannot be readily performed, e.g., resistance exercise, movement against gravity.Rocking creates opportunity for repetitive, voluntary, self-directed movement that is inherently pleasurable and reinforcing.Rocking in a rocking chair promotes carryover of gained trunk control capacity, from clinic to home in a population that is non-ambulatory.Rocking provides opportunity for self-practice in population with severely compromised capacity.Rocking is a movement that may be performed when other types of movement cannot be readily performed, e.g., resistance exercise, movement against gravity.Rocking creates opportunity for repetitive, voluntary, self-directed movement that is inherently pleasurable and reinforcing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]