Why Curate a Festival Without an Audience?

Why curate live arts without the bodily presence of external live audiences? After all, are the latter not the omphalos of live arts? This article responds to the above questions through a case study of the 2018 GAN and GAN International Performance Art Festival that took place on May 1, 2, and 3—an annual off-the-grid festival in the village of Meibei in the Southern Chinese province of Jiangxi. As a festival without an external live audience, GAN and GAN challenges both the central position of the audience in the conceptual framework of live arts curating and established concepts of audiences. I examine the curatorial practice and philosophy of the festival’s two curators, Xiong Yunhao and Xiao Shang and demonstrate how their live arts festival—curated for its artists—not only preserves the endangered genre of Xingwei Yishu (performance/behavioral art from China) but widens the scope of contemporary curatorial practice.

Comparing Blind and Ultrasound-Guided Retrobulbar Nerve Blocks in Equine Cadavers: The Training Effect

In standing ophthalmic surgery in horses, a retrobulbar nerve block (RNB) is often placed blindly for anesthesia and akinesia. The ultrasound (US)-guided RNB may have fewer complications, but the two techniques have only been compared once in equine cadavers. This study compares the techniques for success and complication rates and analyzes the effect of training on US guidance. Twenty-two equine cadavers were divided into three groups: blind RNBs were performed bilaterally in eight cadavers, US-guided RNBs were performed bilaterally in seven cadavers, and after US-guided training, blind RNBs were performed bilaterally in seven cadavers. All RNBs were performed by the same two inexperienced operators, and a combination of contrast medium (CM; 1.25 mL) and methylene blue dye (1.25 mL) were injected (2.5 mL total volume). Needle positioning in the periorbita and the distance of the CM to the optic foramen were assessed using computerized tomography (CT). Dye spreading was evaluated by dissection. In group 1, 37.5% of the injections were in the optimal central position in the periorbita; in group 2, 75% and in group 3, 71.4%. There was no significant difference between the groups regarding needle position (groups 1 and 2 p = 0.056; groups 1 and 3 p = 0.069, groups 2 and 3 p = 0.8). The mean CM distribution distance was not significantly different between all groups. Group 1 had 18.75% intraocular injections versus 0% in group 2 and 7.1% in group 3 (not significant). US guidance showed no significant increases in accuracy nor decreases in complications. However, the effects on accuracy showed a trend towards significant improvement, and larger scale follow-up studies might show significant training effects on US guidance.

Incivility and Knowledge Hiding in Academia: Mediating Role of Interpersonal Distrust and Rumination

Workplace incivility is under investigation for the last three decades, and it holds a central position in organizational behavior literature. However, despite the extensive investigations in the past, there exists a missing link between workplace incivility and knowledge hiding in academia. This study aims to tap this missing link for which data were collected from the universities staff. Data were collected in two waves to reduce the common method biases. In the first wave, questions were asked from the respondents regarding their demographic characteristics and exposure to workplace incivility. At this stage, 400 questionnaires were floated and 355 completely filled responses were received back, while in the second wave, those respondents were approached for data collection who have completely filled questionnaires in the first wave. The time interval between the two waves was 1 month. In the second wave, questions related to distrust and knowledge hiding behavior were asked from the respondents. At this stage, 323 questionnaires were received back out of which 290 were filled and these were considered for final data analysis. Collected data were analyzed by applying structural equation modeling (SEM) through SmartPLS. Results indicated that employees tend to hide knowledge when they experience incivility at workplace. Moreover, they develop a sense of distrust in response to workplace incivility which further triggers them to hide knowledge. Limitations and future directions are also discussed.

Assessment of risk factors in medical data using improved Binary Artificial Fish Swarm Algorithm with Classification upon Evaluation from F-Test

The objective of this research work is to effectively deploy improved Binary Artificial Fish Swarm optimization Algorithm (BAFSA) with the data classification techniques. The improvement has been made with accordance to the condition of visual scope and the movement of fish to update towards the central position and chasing behavior towards best point of movement has been modified among the given population. The experimental results show that feature selection by BAFSA and classification by Decision trees and Gaussian Naïve bayes algorithm provides an improved accuracy of about 89.6% for Pima Indian diabetic dataset, 91.1% for lenses dataset and 94.4% for heart disease dataset. Statistical analysis has also been made using Fisher’s F-Test for two sample variance and the selected risk factors such as glucose, insulin level, blood pressure for diabetics datasets, spectacle prescription, tear production rate for lenses dataset and trestbps, cholesterol level, thalach, chest pain type for heart disease dataset are found to be significant with R2<0.001 respectively.

Numerical Simulation of Rod Jet Formed by Shaped Charge under Rigid Constraint

In order to study the forming law of rod jet formed by shaped charge under rigid boundary constraint, ANSYS/LSDYNA finite element software is used to simulate the forming process of rod jet with ALE essential boundary, and the influence of structural parameters of shaped charge on rod jet forming is studied. The results show that compared with the free boundary constraint, the head velocity of rod jet increases by 63.5 % and the tail velocity increases by 59.3 % under the rigid boundary constraint. The head velocity and length-diameter ratio of rod jet decrease with the increase of the outside curvature radius of the liner, the thickness of the liner central position and the variable ratio of wall thickness. Furthermore, the tail velocity increases with the increase of the outside curvature radius of the liner, and decreases with the increase of the thickness of the liner central position and the variable ratio of wall thickness.

Assessment of risk factors in medical data using improved Binary Artificial Fish Swarm Algorithm with Classification upon Evaluation from F-Test

The objective of this research work is to effectively deploy improved Binary Artificial Fish Swarm optimization Algorithm (BAFSA) with the data classification techniques. The improvement has been made with accordance to the condition of visual scope and the movement of fish to update towards the central position and chasing behavior towards best point of movement has been modified among the given population. The experimental results show that feature selection by BAFSA and classification by Decision trees and Gaussian Naïve bayes algorithm provides an improved accuracy of about 89.6% for Pima Indian diabetic dataset, 91.1% for lenses dataset and 94.4% for heart disease dataset. Statistical analysis has also been made using Fisher’s F-Test for two sample variance and the selected risk factors such as glucose, insulin level, blood pressure for diabetics datasets, spectacle prescription, tear production rate for lenses dataset and trestbps, cholesterol level, thalach, chest pain type for heart disease dataset are found to be significant with R2<0.001 respectively.

Nation-state and Islamic Government Theoretical and Factual studies

The concept of nation state presented by the West at its core is the idea of humanism. In which man was given a central position and freed from the concept of God. Denied everything that was not observed. Therefore, man expelled religion in all matters of life. The logical consequence of which was that the head of human unity was scattered. The slogan of nationalism was used to unite man in the struggle for unity. Which eventually manifested itself in the formation of nation-states the western colonial powers ruled the world in the form of the United Nations change the way of life in the Western World and especially in Muslim society. Which has a profound effect on the Islamic system of government. Islam envisioned divine sovereignty in the system of government. Today the Muslim rulers have forgotten it, and the Western system considered its survival in democracy. The article explains what the core concern of the nation state and Islamic Government is and whether it is based on its own ideas in modern times has been considered.

IJTIHAD POLITIK KYAI: PERGESERAN OTORITAS KHR. ACH. FAWAID AS’AD SITUBONDO

This study found that the relationship between santri and kyai is a pattern of emotional relations such as the feudal system. Kyai has three pillars. They are the mass base as a pattern of social structure, the ulama base as a leadership structure and the cultural base as a scientific basis. However, these three pillars have experienced a shift due to the kyai's entry into practical politics due to his political ijtihad. This shift places the authority of the kyai from a spiritual teacher (central position) to a politician (peripheral position). In this case, the kyai is still obeyed when he is in a central position as a spiritual teacher and not obeyed when his position is marginal as a politician. Of course, this becomes an authority dilemma as experienced by kyai Fawaid who is directly involved in practical politics. The involvement of kyai Fawaid in politics does not belong to the opportunist category but is a form of concern for carrying out the commands of ma'ruf nahi munkar in social transformation. Kyai Fawaid's political ijtihad was strongly influenced by the habituation of Islamic boarding schools based on fiqh. Habituation here is to create a political situation and condition (persistence life situation) through a process of internalization and habituation in accordance with the values ​​of the pesantren, not to be carried away by the flow of political habituation which is always pragmatic and materialistic. The result of his Ijitihad that winning in politics by deception must be abandoned and losing in the right way must be maintained. Thus, the findings of this study can invalidate the theory from the results of research that has been carried out by Ernst Utrecht, Mochtar Naim, Daneli Lev, Justus van der Kroef, Arnold Brackman and Munir Mulkan, where they say that kyai or pesantren of Nahdlatul Ulama who participate politics are opportunists.

The Implementation of Meunasah-based Sharia in Aceh: A Social Capital and Islamic Law Perspective

This research examined meunasah as the social capital in implementing Islamic law in Aceh. It aimed to explain the social capital of meunasah concerning its role and functions in supporting the Islamic law implementation in Aceh. This research has its root in studying the sociology of law, emphasizing the empirical legal analysis within the society. The researchers used social capital, which consisted of cognitive and structural aspects as a theoretical framework, and interviews, literature study, and observation, as the data collection methods. This study found that meunasah had a central position in Acehnese society as a center for religious activities, a place to learn the Qur’an, social activities, and as a customary institution. Since time immemorial, meunasah has played a central role as a center for community activities at the gampong level. Even though meunasah had transformed itself into a mosque in urban areas, its function and role remained as a place for internalizing the Islamic law principles, as a medium for socializing Islamic law, and as a center for religious, social activities. This study argues that meunasah can still be the ‘glue’ of social networks with its religious, social, and customary values as a cognitive, social capital. On another side, imuem meunasah can be considered a structural social capital. Meunasah, as part of social institutions, can support social order and order, which is a social function of law. Without the support of meunasah as a cognitive social capital, the researchers argue that Islamic law will be difficult to be internalized in society.

Digital campaigning as a policy of democracy promotion: Applying deliberative theories of democracy to political parties

Today’s election campaigns are heavily data-driven. Despite the numerous skeptical voices questioning the compatibility of specific campaigning practices with fundamental principles of liberal democracies, there has to date been little comprehensive work in this area from the perspective of normative democratic theory. Our article addresses this gap by drawing on recent research on the normative theory of political parties in the field of deliberative democratic theory. The deliberative theories of democracy proposed by Habermas and Rawls contain structural elements of a normative theory of the political party: the special status of political parties as mediators between background culture and the political forum, between the political system and the public sphere, and between the individual and the state, confers on them a central position as actors in in the public use of reason and deliberation.We argue in this article for a view of digital campaigning as a policy of democracy promotion and for the proposition that, alongside other actors, political parties have a special responsibility in this regard. We point to the implications for the evaluation and design of digital political microtargeting that arise from the application of deliberative principles to political parties and consider the need they reveal for the ongoing development of detailed, nuanced normative theories of democracy.