Economic Freedom: The Top, the Bottom, and the Reality. I. 1997–2007

We recall the historically admitted prerequisites of Economic Freedom (EF). We have examined 908 data points for the Economic Freedom of the World (EFW) index and 1884 points for the Index of Economic Freedom (IEF); the studied periods are 2000–2006 and 1997–2007, respectively, thereby following the Berlin wall collapse, and including 11 September 2001. After discussing EFW index and IEF, in order to compare the indices, one needs to study their overlap in time and space. That leaves 138 countries to be examined over a period extending from 2000 to 2006, thus 2 sets of 862 data points. The data analysis pertains to the rank-size law technique. It is examined whether the distributions obey an exponential or a power law. A correlation with the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), an admittedly major determinant of EF, follows, distinguishing regional aspects, i.e., defining 6 continents. Semi-log plots show that the EFW-rank relationship is exponential for countries of high rank (≥20); overall the log–log plots point to a behaviour close to a power law. In contrast, for the IEF, the overall ranking has an exponential behaviour; but the log–log plots point to the existence of a transitional point between two different power laws, i.e., near rank 10. Moreover, log–log plots of the EFW index relationship to country GDP are characterised by a power law, with a rather stable exponent (γ≃0.674) as a function of time. In contrast, log–log plots of the IEF relationship with the country’s gross domestic product point to a downward evolutive power law as a function of time. Markedly the two studied indices provide different aspects of EF.

Sexual selection as race making

Charles Darwin's theory of sexual selection, as described in The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (1871), should be viewed as a significant transitional point in the modern expression of race. Unlike earlier race theorists, Darwin proposed that sexual reproduction was not merely a testing ground of racial character, but was itself a causal force that could create new races. His account of race was distinctly modern – viewing race not in terms of blood but as a collection of population-level characteristics. Recognizing this feature of Darwin's sexual-selection theory allows us to situate Darwin's work not solely within the history of evolutionary science, but also within the structures of racism that became the governing principles of modern nation states. In other words, sexual selection is an expression of Michel Foucault's biopolitics, in which political power is exercised by states not through the contracts of liberal governance but through the management of population-level phenomena. Furthermore, by contextualizing sexual selection in this theoretical framework, it becomes possible to more clearly emphasize the importance of race in the rise of modern biopolitics.

447 What Age is Best to Perform Myringoplasty?

Aim This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to assess this relationship and determine the most appropriate age for recommendation of surgery. Method According to the “Preferred Reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis” (PRISMA) statement, a literature search was performed across Medline, EMBASE and the Cochrane library from 1946-2018. Articles examining a relationship between age and myringoplasty or type 1 tympanoplasty success rates were screened. Results 20 articles encompassing data from 2244 procedures were included. The overall results conveyed a clear correlation between increasing age and rising success rate. A t-test was conducted which demonstrated a significant (P = 0.05) transition at aged 10, whereby success rate below age 10 was 70.6% and above 10 was 86%. Conclusions This systematic review and meta-analysis has uncovered a clear correlation between increasing age and increasing success rate for myringoplasty in the paediatric population. Furthermore, a significant transitional point has been demonstrated at the age of 10 and We hope that knowledge of increased success rates particularly after the age of 10 helps clinicians make more informed decisions about when to operate

Development of the system of self-regulation of activity in the process of personal professionalization

The article is devoted to the study of the practical and theoretical issue of the formation and realization of a system of conscious self-regulation of professional activity. The purpose of the study is to identify patterns of development of the procedural subsystem of self-regulation of the surgeon’s activities at different stages of his professionalization. The choice of goal is due to the fact that the study of the patterns the formation of a system of self-regulation of professional activity is given insufficient attention against the background of a large number of psychological works devoted to the study of various aspects of self-regulation. The methodological basis of this research is the psychological theory of conscious self-regulation, developed by O. A. Konopkin, his students and followers. Self-regulation is defined as a structurallevel metasystem, reflecting the level of formation of general and special regulatory resources and capabilities. The research is identified the qualitative, quantitative and structural patterns of development of the procedural subsystem of self-regulation of activity. It is shown that structural transformations determine the essence of the development of the procedural subsystem of self-regulation. The cyclical development of the procedural subsystem of self-regulation is revealed, which indicates a change in the leading trends in its formation and realization. A critical or transitional point in the development of the procedural subsystem of self-regulation of the surgeon’s activity, which falls on the professional experience of 20 years, is determined. The constructive, stagnation and destructive trends in the development of the procedural subsystem of self-regulation of the surgeon’s activity are analyzed. It is defined that in the course of constructive development there is an active growth of the components of the procedural subsystem of self-regulation and the formation of its effective structure. In the course of stagnation and destructive development, the growth of the components of the self-regulation subsystem stabilizes and decreases, their differentiation increases and the destruction of its structure begins. The relationship between the development of the procedural subsystem of self-regulation and the effectiveness of the surgeon’s professional activity is fixed.

Flow Statistics in the Transitional Regime of Plane Channel Flow

The transitional regime of plane channel flow is investigated above the transitional point below which turbulence is not sustained, using direct numerical simulation in large domains. Statistics of laminar-turbulent spatio-temporal intermittency are reported. The geometry of the pattern is first characterized, including statistics for the angles of the laminar-turbulent stripes observed in this regime, with a comparison to experiments. High-order statistics of the local and instantaneous bulk velocity, wall shear stress and turbulent kinetic energy are then provided. The distributions of the two former quantities have non-trivial shapes, characterized by a large kurtosis and/or skewness. Interestingly, we observe a strong linear correlation between their kurtosis and their skewness squared, which is usually reported at much higher Reynolds number in the fully turbulent regime.

Using the Arcuate Eminence–Trigeminal Notch Line to Localize the Anterior Wall of the Internal Auditory Canal in a Subtemporal Approach: An Anatomical Study

Background This article aims to describe the regional anatomy of the anterior end of the arcuate eminence, the lateral end of the trigeminal notch, and the line connecting the two (i.e., the arcuate eminence–trigeminal notch line [ATL]) and to determine whether the ATL could be used as a landmark for localizing the internal auditory canal (IAC). Methods Twenty sides of the middle cranial fossae were examined. The anterior end of the arcuate eminence, the lateral end of the trigeminal notch, the ATL, and other crucial structures were exposed. The relevant distance and angle of related structures in the anterior wall of the petrosal bone were measured. Results The anterior end of the arcuate eminence and the lateral end of the trigeminal notch could be identified in all specimens. The anterior end of the arcuate eminence lay over the geniculate ganglia and the vestibule area, and could be visualized directly or determined from the intersection of the long axes of the greater superficial petrosal nerve and arcuate eminence. On the petrous ridge, the lateral end of the trigeminal notch was also the transitional point of the suprameatal tubercle and trigeminal notch. The ATL corresponded to the projection of the anterior wall of the IAC on the anterior surface of the petrous bone. Conclusion The ATL corresponded to the projection of the anterior wall of the IAC on the anterior petrous surface and could be used as an alternative landmark for localizing the anterior wall of the IAC.

On the Optimal Resolution of Inverse Kinematics for Redundant Manipulators Using a Topological Analysis

The redundancy resolution schemes based on the optimization of an integral performance index are investigated from the topological point of view. The topological notions of self-motion manifold, C-path-homotopy and extended aspect are clarified in relation to the limitations of the necessary conditions of optimality provided by calculus of variations. On one hand, they do not guarantee the achievement of the optimal solution, and on the other hand, they translate into a two-point boundary value problem (TPBVP), whose resolution, under certain circumstances, may not lead to a feasible solution at all. In response to the limitations of calculus of variations, a dynamic-programming-inspired formalism is developed, which is based on the discretization of the state space and on its representation in the form of multiple grids. Building upon the topological analysis, effective algorithms are designed that are able to find the optimal solution in any condition, across all C-path homotopy classes and self-motion manifolds, with no limitation due to the passage through singularities. Moreover, if the grids are representative of the manipulator’s extended aspects, the topological notion of the transitional point can be used to reduce the computational complexity of the optimal redundancy resolution algorithm. The results are demonstrated on a canonical 4R planar robot in two different scenarios.

Literacies of the Body

Education is at a transitional point: multicultural, multilingual environments are the norm and diversity a defining feature. Classrooms embrace a culture of change, enriched by people who experience the world differently - conceptually, linguistically, and emotionally, with different world visions, values, beliefs, socio-cultural and socio-economical experiences. A new understanding of identities in multicultural contexts requires pedagogies that teach and practise intercultural competence. With specific reference to (1) the author's research on the embodied learning of literacies through drama, sociodrama and empathy, and (2) the projects of The Empathy Reactive Media Lab (eRMLab), an interdisciplinary academic research lab which investigates virtual reality and its educational potential with reference to empathy, this chapter draws on diverse academic research from the fields of education, the arts, psychology, medicine, image processing, and computer vision, to examine present and future pedagogies which foster intercultural competence and the development of literacies.

Dante’s Influence on Virgil

This chapter highlights one particular moment in translation theory that reveals Dante’s influence on the role of translation as reception in vernacular literatures. Armstrong focuses on the not widely known work of Enrique de Villena (1384–1434), whose translation can be seen as a transitional point between medieval and modern translational practices and as marking the beginning of a ‘vernacularization’ of translation, a process designed to make the translated text more accessible to the target audience. In analysing the Castilian Eneida of Villena, Armstrong reflects on the philological conscience of a translator faced with the daunting task of translating Virgil, as well as on the boundaries that separate text from paratext.