‘Yeah, he’s my Daddy’: Linguistic Constructions of Fictive Kinships in a Street-Level Sex Work Community

This paper examines how language assists in the construction of fictive kinship networks amongst U.S. street-level sex workers, thereby establishing affective ties and obligations as well as a definitive power structure between various members of their community and social hierarchy. Research findings suggest that these kin structures impact sex workers’ sense of agency in relation to others while simultaneously providing an additional means of insulation, alienation, and even exclusion from the dominant culture. This study indicates that language use within this community operates as a discursive framework that plays a critical role in relationship formation and maintenance

A Low-Dimensional Representation for Robust Partial Isometric Correspondences Computation

Intrinsic isometric shape matching has become the standard approach for pose invariant correspondence estimation among deformable shapes. Most existing approaches assume global consistency, i.e., the metric structure of the whole manifold must not change significantly. While global isometric matching is well understood, only a few heuristic solutions are known for partial matching. Partial matching is particularly important for robustness to topological noise (incomplete data and contacts), which is a common problem in real-world 3D scanner data. In this paper, we introduce a new approach to partial, intrinsic isometric matching. Our method is based on the observation that isometries are fully determined by purely local information: a map of a single point and its tangent space fixes an isometry for both global and the partial maps. From this idea, we develop a new representation for partial isometric maps based on equivalence classes of correspondences between pairs of points and their tangent spaces. From this, we derive a local propagation algorithm that find such mappings efficiently. In contrast to previous heuristics based on RANSAC or expectation maximization, our method is based on a simple and sound theoretical model and fully deterministic. We apply our approach to register partial point clouds and compare it to the state-of-the-art methods, where we obtain significant improvements over global methods for real-world data and stronger guarantees than previous heuristic partial matching algorithms.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figure

Combinatorial Gradient Fields for 2D Images with Empirically Convergent Separatrices

This paper proposes an efficient probabilistic method that computes combinatorial gradient fields for two dimensional image data. In contrast to existing algorithms, this approach yields a geometric Morse-Smale complex that converges almost surely to its continuous counterpart when the image resolution is increased. This approach is motivated using basic ideas from probability theory and builds upon an algorithm from discrete Morse theory with a strong mathematical foundation. While a formal proof is only hinted at, we do provide a thorough numerical evaluation of our method and compare it to established algorithms.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figure

Time-Dependent 2-D Vector Field Topology: An Approach Inspired by Lagrangian Coherent Structures

This paper presents an approach to a time-dependent variant of the concept of vector field topology for 2-D vector fields. Vector field topology is defined for steady vector fields and aims at discriminating the domain of a vector field into regions of qualitatively different behaviour. The presented approach represents a generalization for saddle-type critical points and their separatrices to unsteady vector fields based on generalized streak lines, with the classical vector field topology as its special case for steady vector fields. The concept is closely related to that of Lagrangian coherent structures obtained as ridges in the finite-time Lyapunov exponent field. The proposed approach is evaluated on both 2-D time-dependent synthetic and vector fields from computational fluid dynamics

Wczesnośredniowieczne grodzisko w Skrwilnie (stanowisko 1), w świetle badań przeprowadzonych w 2015 roku

The excavation work carried out within the early mediaeval stronghold in Skrwilno (site 1) was one of the tasks carried out as part of a research project financed by the National Program for the Development of Humanities. So far, the most spectacular discoveries related to the recognition of the Maidan zone and the rampart of the stronghold, as well as the part directly adjacent to the early mediaeval stronghold, were made in the 1960s, under the supervision of Jadwiga Chudziakowa. The main assumption of the field research carried out in 2015 was, inter alia, verification of the chronology of cultural layers lying on the stronghold, including relics of residential buildings and elements of fortifications (palisade and embankment structure).Grodzisko (local name Okop Szwedzki) is situated on the very shore ofSkrwileńskie Lake. The first mentions of the object in question come from the 1880s. The facility is now located on a small, sandy clump – the original island which, due to the rapid drying out of Skrwileńskie Lake and the Skrwa River connected with it, is now situated in the coastal (north-western) part of the reservoir. The object is in the shape of a regular oval measuring 90 × 56 m (measured on the outer base of the embankment) and covers an area of about 40 ares.The work carried out in 2015 focused on three research excavations, within which the infrastructure of the inner part of the square, the structure of the embankment, as well as the zone directly adjacent to Skrwileńskie Lake, in the form of a fragment of a bridge with a stone fortification and remains of a palisade, were identified. From the preserved wooden elements, samples were taken for dendrochronological and radiocarbon analyzes. During the field work, six cultural objects were documented (objects 1–3, 3a, 3b, 4), all of them were registered within the area of the stronghold (excavation 1/15). During the excavations carried out in 2015, a total of 423 fragments of pottery vessels were obtained, representing: the early Iron Age (2 fragments), the early Middle Ages (418 fragments) and the late Middle Ages (3 fragments). Among the early mediaeval vessels there were hand-made, fully rolled (GT V) items with forms characteristic of both Kujawy (2nd half of the 11th century) and the Chełmno Land, including the Lower Drwęca and Kałdus basins, where analogous specimens appear in the cultural layers combined withthe VI–VII settlement phase of the hillfort (dated from the second to the fourth quarter of the 11th century).By comparing the results of the stratigraphic and typological-comparativeanalysis of movable source materials, especially vascular ceramics, with dendrochronological data, the oldest stage of use of this site in the early Middle Ages can be related to the second half of the 11th century and should be combined with the elements of the internal buildings of the hillfort (object 3b), with a palisade and with the preserved elements of the wooden and earth embankment erected in a sandwich structure. The next stage of settlement activity should be connected with the first half of the 12th century, when the burnt hillfort was rebuilt (objects 1 and 3a – the older level; objects 2, 3 and 4 – the younger level). For this stage, dendro dates were obtained for three oak piles (1120–1125 AD; Valid 2016).In 2015, the presence of hand-glued, partially rolled materials, documented during research in the 1960s, was not confirmed. However, this does not rule out the assumption that the beginning of the functioning of the facility in Skrwilno (castle complex?). Can be referred to the end of the 9th–beginning of the 10th century. Contrary to Kujawy and the Chełmno Land, the settlement of the Dobrzyń Land during this period was, however, a relatively incidental initiative. The subsequent stages of the development of the Skrvilean center should be related to the 11th century, when the castellan organization was formed, which involved the reorganization of the spatial structures of settlement and the emergence of new castle centers. Around the second half of the 11th century, the so far small building was surrounded by a huge wooden and earth embankment built in a sandwich structure, and the usable space of the courtyard was built up with houses and elements of communication infrastructure. It can be assumed with high probability that the stronghold in Skrwilno, due to its peripheral location and powerful defensive assumptions, played a remarkably guarding role in the Piast castle system. After partial destruction, the Skrwilno facility was rebuilt again in a relatively short time (around 1120–1125 AD). However, its role in the state defense system has probably decreased significantly over time. In such a situation, the tasks of the castle in Skrwilno could be taken over by other objects, e.g. the castle in Starorypin.W artykule zaprezentowano wyniki badań archeologicznych przeprowadzonych na wczesnośredniowiecznym grodzisku w Skrwilnie (stanowisko 1) w 2015 roku. W trakcie prac rozpoznano relikty drewniano-ziemnego wału, elementy wczesnośredniowiecznej infrastruktury związanej z zabudową majdanu oraz strefą przylegającą bezpośrednio do Jeziora Skrwileńskiego. Pozyskany materiał ceramiczny reprezentuje formy charakterystyczne dla Kujaw i ziemi chełmińskiej w XI wieku

Źródła nieceramiczne z początku wczesnego średniowiecza ze strefy chełmińsko-dobrzyńskiej

Two stages of pottery development, corresponding to the structure of vessel assemblages, have been identified in the Chełmno-Dobrzyń region: an initial settlement stage (latter half of the 7th and early 8th century), characterised by a low level of occupation within this region, and a stage of intensified settlement activity (8th and 9th centuries), marked by significantly more dynamic development. In addition to analysis of pottery assemblages, detailed comparative studies have also been carried out on non-ceramic artefacts from this microregion. The material culture representing the onset of the early medieval period includes various categories of artefact made of bone, antler, clay and metals (Cnotliwy 1998, p. 366; Dulinicz 2001, p. 115). Antler combs and fittings, stone moulds, iron and bronze spurs as well as items of jewellery highlight the craftsmanship of their makers and point to their high material value. A small number of these artefacts are of similar form to items from reliably dated assemblages, and are, therefore, good chronological indicators. Some non-ceramic finds were produced at household level in unaltered form for many years because the raw materials needed to make them were readily available, or because they involved simple production processes that did not require specialist workshops. This category of find often still occured well into the early medieval period. It is difficult to determine whether exceptional artefacts (combs, spurs and decorative accessories) which could only be made by someone with the appropriate skills and a specialist workshop were made locally by a migrant craftsman or were imported. The category of finds presented herein does not resolve the issue of defining a more precise chronology for the assemblages which they represent; it does, however, confirm that they are related to the initial phase of the early medieval period.W artykule zaprezentowano wybrane elementy kultury materialnej, związane z najstarszą fazą wczesnego średniowiecza. Omówiono przedmioty o wyjątkowym charakterze, będące świadectwem wysokiej umiejętności ich wytwórców. Wśród nich znalazły się grzebienie, oprawki z poroża, kamienne formy odlewnicze, żelazne i brązowe ostrogi oraz elementy biżuterii.

Źródła nieceramiczne z początku wczesnego średniowiecza ze strefy chełmińsko-dobrzyńskiej

Two stages of pottery development, corresponding to the structure of vessel assemblages, have been identified in the Chełmno-Dobrzyń region: an initial settlement stage (latter half of the 7th and early 8th century), characterised by a low level of occupation within this region, and a stage of intensified settlement activity (8th and 9th centuries), marked by significantly more dynamic development. In addition to analysis of pottery assemblages, detailed comparative studies have also been carried out on non-ceramic artefacts from this microregion. The material culture representing the onset of the early medieval period includes various categories of artefact made of bone, antler, clay and metals (Cnotliwy 1998, p. 366; Dulinicz 2001, p. 115). Antler combs and fittings, stone moulds, iron and bronze spurs as well as items of jewellery highlight the craftsmanship of their makers and point to their high material value. A small number of these artefacts are of similar form to items from reliably dated assemblages, and are, therefore, good chronological indicators.Some non-ceramic finds were produced at household level in unaltered form for many years because the raw materials needed to make them were readily available, or because they involved simple production processes that did not require specialist workshops. This category of find often still occured well into the early medieval period. It is difficult to determine whether exceptional artefacts (combs, spurs and decorative accessories) which could only be made by someone with the appropriate skills and a specialist workshop were made locally by a migrant craftsman or were imported. The category of finds presented herein does not resolve the issue of defining a more precise chronology for the assemblages which they represent; it does, however, confirm that they are related to the initial phase of the early medieval period.W artykule zaprezentowano wybrane elementy kultury materialnej, związane z najstarszą fazą wczesnego średniowiecza. Omówiono przedmioty o wyjątkowym charakterze, będące świadectwem wysokiej umiejętności ich wytwórców. Wśród nich znalazły się grzebienie, oprawki z poroża, kamienne formy odlewnicze, żelazne i brązowe ostrogi oraz elementy biżuterii.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Comprehensive Staff Training Package for Behavioral Interventions for Children with Autism

The effectiveness of behavioral interventions for the treatment of young children with autism has been well documented in professional literature. The success of these procedures, however, depends on the fidelity of implementation and proper training of the therapist. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a 125-skill, comprehensive staff training package that involved a graduated sequence of teaching. In addition to changes in skills, social validity and training time were also assessed. Results indicate that correct demonstration of skills increased following training, incorrect implementation decreased, teachers rated the procedures favorably, and the total training took between 20 and 32.5 hours for over 120 skills to reach mastery criteria. A discussion of the results as well as implications for future research is also provided