Theoretical reflections on narrative in action research

Narrative is an important tool for developing and writing up action research experiences. Its power lies in the fact that narrative construction and narrative recounting are fundamental human communication practices. Narratives are also knowledge producing devices, since they make sense of personal experiences and share that sense-giving with others. However, the twinned duality of narrative knowing (sense-making) and narrative telling (communicating that sense) has often caused narrative as a methodological approach to be disregarded or misunderstood. Our objective is to reflect on how we can best use the narrative method in action research by paying due attention to these issues. In doing so, we consider ontologies, epistemologies and key characteristics. We argue that what has been seen as a weakness in the narrative method, its deep subjectivity, can actually be employed as an analytical strength in action research. We show how examining explanations of context, inherent in narrative processes, can provide rich insights into the meanings of phenomena

Theoretical reflections on narrative in action research.

Narrative is an important tool for developing and writing up action research experiences. Its power lies in the fact that narrative construction and narrative recounting are fundamental human communication practices. Narratives are also knowledge producing devices, since they make sense of personal experiences and share that sense-giving with others. However, the twinned duality of narrative knowing (sense-making) and narrative telling (communicating that sense) has often caused narrative as a methodological approach to be disregarded or misunderstood. Our objective is to reflect on how we can best use the narrative method in action research by paying due attention to these issues. In doing so, we consider ontologies, epistemologies and key characteristics. We argue that what has been seen as a weakness in the narrative method, its deep subjectivity, can actually be employed as an analytical strength in action research. We show how examining explanations of context, inherent in narrative processes, can provide rich insights into the meanings of phenomena

Society, Law, and Culture in the Middle East. “Modernities” in the Making

Society, Law, and Culture in the Middle East: “Modernities” in the Making is an edited volume that seeks to deepen and broaden our understanding of various forms of change in Middle Eastern and North African societies during the Ottoman period. It offers an in-depth analysis of reforms and gradual change in the longue durée, challenging the current discourse on the relationship between society, culture, and law. The focus of the discussion shifts from an external to an internal perspective, as agency transitions from “the West” to local actors in the region. Highlighting the ongoing interaction between internal processes and external stimuli, and using primary sources in Arabic and Ottoman Turkish, the authors and editors bring out the variety of modernities that shaped south-eastern Mediterranean history. The first part of the volume interrogates the urban elite household, the main social, political, and economic unit of networking in Ottoman societies. The second part addresses the complex relationship between law and culture, looking at how the legal system, conceptually and practically, undergirded the socio-cultural aspects of life in the Middle East. Society, Law, and Culture in the Middle East consists of eleven chapters, written by well-established and younger scholars working in the field of Middle East and Islamic Studies. The editors, Dror Ze'evi and Ehud R. Toledano, are both leading historians, who have published extensively on Middle Eastern societies in the Ottoman and post-Ottoman periods

Effect of sodium hypochlorite on microleakage of composite restorations bonded with a polyalkenoic containing adhesive system

Abstract no. 905published_or_final_versio

Effect of different helmet shell configurations on the protection against head trauma

[EN] Head trauma following a ballistic impact in a helmeted head is assessed in this work by means of finite element models. Both the helmet and the head models employed were validated against experimental high-rate impact tests in a previous work. Four different composite ply configurations were tested on the helmet shell, and the energy absorption and the injury outcome resulting from a high-speed impact with full metal jacket bullets were computed. Results reveal that hybrid aramid-polyethylene configurations do not prevent bullet penetration at high velocities, while 16-layer aramid configurations are superior in dissipating the energy absorbed from the impact. The fabric orientation of these laminates proved to be determinant for the injury outcome, as maintaining the same orientations for all the layers led to basilar skull fractures (dangerous), while alternating orientation of the adjacent plies resulted in an undamaged skull. To the authors knowledge, no previous work in the literature has analysed numerically the influence of different stack configurations on a single combat helmet composite shell on human head trauma.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The study received the funding support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness in the framework of the projects DPI2013-46641-R and DPI2017-89197-C2-2-R and the Generalitat Valenciana in the context of the Programme PROMETEO 2016/007.Palomar-Toledano, M.; Belda R.; Giner Maravilla, E. (2019). Effect of different helmet shell configurations on the protection against head trauma. Journal of Strain Analysis for Engineering Design. 54(7-8):408-415. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309324719835706S408415547-

Paraísos fiscales, wealth taxation, and mobility

This paper analyzes the effect of wealth taxation on mobility and the consequences for tax revenue and wealth inequality. We exploit the unique decentralization of the Spanish wealth tax system in 2011—after which all regions levied positive tax rates except for Madrid—using linked administrative wealth and income tax records. We find that five years after the reform, the stock of wealthy individuals in the region of Madrid increases by 10% relative to other regions, while smaller tax differentials between other regions do not matter for mobility. We rationalize our findings with a theoretical model of evasion and migration, which suggests that evasion is the mechanism most consistent with all of the mobility response being driven by the paraíso fiscal. Combining new subnational wealth inequality series with our estimated elasticities, we show that Madrid’s status as a tax haven reduces the effectiveness of raising tax revenue and exacerbates regional wealth inequalities

Independent ferroelectric contributions and rare-earth-induced polarization reversal in multiferroic TbMn2O5

Three independent contributions to the magnetically induced spontaneous polarization of multiferroic TbMn2O5 are uniquely separated by optical second harmonic generation and an analysis in terms of Landau theory. Two of them are related to the magnetic Mn3+/4+ order and are independent of applied fields of up to 7 T. The third contribution is related to the long-range antiferromagnetic Tb3+ order. It shows a drastic decrease upon the application of a magnetic field and mediates the change of sign of the spontaneous electric polarization in TbMn2O5. The close relationship between the rare-earth long-range order and the non-linear optical properties points to isotropic Tb-Tb exchange and oxygen spin polarization as mechanism for this rare-earth induced ferroelectricity.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure

Shear bond strength of composite bonded to different treated dentin surfaces

Abstract no. 16published_or_final_versio

A zinc-doped endodontic cement facilitates functional mineralization and stress dissipation at the dentin surface

The purpose of this study was to evaluate nanohardness and viscoelastic behavior of dentin surfaces treated with two canal sealer cements for dentin remineralization. Dentin surfaces were subjected to: i) 37% phosphoric acid (PA) or ii) 0.5 M ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) conditioning prior to the application of two experimental hydroxyapatite-based cements, containing sodium hydroxide (calcypatite) or zinc oxide (oxipatite), respectively. Samples were stored in simulated body fluid during 24 h or 21 d. The intertubular and peritubular dentin were evaluated using a nanoindenter to assess nanohardness (Hi). The load/displacement responses were used for the nano-dynamic mechanical analysis to estimate complex modulus (E*) and tan delta (?). The modulus mapping was obtained by imposing a quasistatic force setpoint to which a sinusoidal force was superimposed. AFM imaging and FESEM analysis were performed. After 21 d of storage, dentin surfaces treated with EDTA+calcypatite, PA+calcypatite and EDTA+oxipatite showed viscoelastic discrepancies between peritubular and intertubular dentin, meaning a risk for cracking and breakdown of the surface. At both 24 h and 21 d, tan ? values at intertubular dentin treated with the four treatments performed similar. At 21 d time point, intertubular dentin treated with PA+oxipatite achieved the highest complex modulus and nanohardness, i.e., highest resistance to deformation and functional mineralization, among groups. Intertubular and peritubular dentin treated with PA+oxipatite showed similar values of tan ? after 21 d of storage. This produced a favorable dissipation of energy with minimal energy concentration, preserving the structural integrity at the dentin surface

Phylogenetic relationships of the South American ground beetle subgenus Chilioperyphus Jeannel (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae: Bembidiini: Bembidion Latreille)

The boundaries and relationships of the ground beetle group Chilioperyphus Jeannel (a subgenus of the cosmopolitan genus Bembidion Latreille) are examined using DNA and morphological data. DNA sequence data from seven genes (six nuclear and one mitochondrial) indicates that Chilioperyphus (as newly defined) is monophyletic, and is related to the subgenera Antiperyphanes Jeannel and Plocamoperyphus Jeannel, within the South American Antiperyphanes Complex. Chilioperyphus includes two described species, B. mendocinum Jensen-Haarup and B. orregoi Germain. Bembidion cassinense Roig-Juñent and Gianuca as well as Bembidion cuyanum Roig-Juñent and Scheibler, formerly placed in subgenus Chilioperyphus, are transferred to subgenus Antiperyphanes. Bembidion cuyanum is considered a junior synonym of B. hirtipes Jeannel. The male genitalia of Chilioperyphus is unique in having a very long flagellum that is folded twice, allowing it to fit much of its length within the walls of the median lobe. However, the brush sclerite and basal part of the flagellum are not contained within the median lobe, as they extend anterior to its baseSe analizaron los límites y las relaciones del grupo de coleópteros Chilioperyphus Jeannel (un subgénero del género cosmopolita Bembidion Latreille) usando los datos de la secuencia del ADN y las características morfológicas. Las secuencias del ADN indican que Chilioperyphus es monofilético y se relaciona con los subgéneros Antiperyphanes Jeannel y Plocamoperyphus Jeannel, dentro del complejo de Antiperyphanes que se halla en América del Sur. Chilioperyphus incluye dos especies descritas, B. mendocinum Jensen-Haarup y B. orregoi Germain. Por su parte, Bembidion cassinense Roig-Juñent y Gianuca y Bembidion cuyanum Roig-Juñent y Scheibler, anteriormente situados en el subgénero Chilioperyphus, se transfieren al subgénero Antiperyphanes. Bembidion cuyanum se considera un sinónimo de B. hirtipes Jeannel. El endofalo de Chilioperyphus es único al tener un flagelo muy largo que se dobla dos veces, lo que le permite alojarse enteramente dentro del edeago. Sin embargo, el esclerito en cepillo y la parte basal del flagelo no se sitúan en el lóbulo medio, sino que están por delante de su base.Fil: Madisson, David R.. Oregon State University. Department of Zoology; Estados UnidosFil: Toledano, Luca. Museo Civico di Storia Naturale; ItaliaFil: Sallenave, Soledad. Gobierno de Mendoza. Secretaría de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable; ArgentinaFil: Roig, Sergio Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de Zonas Aridas; Argentin