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The article explores dwarfs as representation of the elements of grotesque realism in George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire." Topics discussed are aspects of violence or degradation as preconditions for recovery and healing, apex of Targaryen power and artificiality of hierarchies, instances of Clutean thinning such as Rhaenyra's capture of the King's Landing, and pattern of death and rebirth implied by Bakhtinian grotesquery.

Why do some people go abroad to engage in other people's wars? Some studies attempt to discern why individuals choose to fight in distant lands (Malet, 2013) or seek to count how many do so (Hegghammer, 2013). The term foreign fighter has been used nearly exclusively in recent research to describe transnational fighters who join with Islamist organizations, or more generally for individuals fighting with resistance groups against a state. However, little research has been done on the many transnational fighters who travel to fight against resistance groups or against Islamist organizations. Our paper examines these transnational militants who battle against the Islamic State, focusing on Americans who engage in such activities, often referred to as volunteers. Through a review of open-source media, we created a dataset of these individuals, recording demographic data such as each individual's military experience and stated purpose for becoming a transnational fighter. We show descriptive analyses on these data, and then compare these findings against current scholarship on Islamist transnational fighters. We argue that American volunteers and foreign terrorist fighters are phenomena with difference in degree, but not in kind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the Sharing, Narrowing, Agreeing, Recording/Reporting, Evaluating (SNARE) Method for making group decisions. (JM)

A process designed to promote understanding of student motivation and to help in dealing effectively with misbehavior is outlined. (Author)

Lawns must be managed increasingly under less frequent or deficit irrigation. Deficit irrigation can reduce gas exchange, carbon assimilation, and physiological function in both warm- (C4) and cool- (C3) season turfgrasses, yet limited research has compared the physiological response to increasing levels of soil water deficit. The objectives of this greenhouse study were to compare three commonly used transitionzone turfgrasses--bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] (C4), buffalograss [Buchloe dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm.] (C4), and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) (C3)--and their ability to maintain quality and physiological function under water deficit stress. Visual turf quality, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), reflective canopy temperature, and gross photosynthesis were evaluated initially near field capacity (FC), and subsequent soil water deficit [48% (moderate) and 33% (severe) of plant-available water] conditions. Bermudagrass and tall fescue had similar quality ratings near FC, although the photosynthetic rate was greater for bermudagrass. Compared with other turfgrasses, bermudagrass maintained greater turf quality, NDVI, and photosynthetic rates further into water deficit stress. Tall fescue quality and photosynthetic rates declined most rapidly in both experiments as a result of the combined heat and drought stress. Buffalograss used less water compared with other species, and maintained consistent turf quality, NDVI, and photosynthetic rates under moderate and severe water deficit. These results support the notion that buffalograss and bermudagrass are better adapted than tall fescue at maintaining functional and ecosystem services with shallow soil depths in landscape situations under imposed summertime water restrictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an analysis of season eight of the television show "Game of Thrones," David Beniof and D.B. Weiss's adaptation of George R. R. Martin's book "A Song of Ice and Fire." Topics discussed include observations on the popularity of "Game of Thrones," an analysis of Martin's focalisers and an explanation on the sense of moral ambiguity in Martin's narrative.

How do conciliatory and coercive counterinsurgency tactics affect militant group violence against civilians? Scholars of civil war increasingly seek to understand intentional civilian targeting, often referred to as terrorism. Extant research emphasizes group weakness, or general state attributes such as regime type. We focus on terrorism as violent communication and as a response to government actions. State tactics toward groups, carrots and sticks, should be important for explaining insurgent terror. We test the argument using new data on terrorism by insurgent groups, with many time-varying variables, covering 1998 through 2012. Results suggest government coercion against a group is associated with subsequent terrorism by that group. However, this is only the case for larger insurgent groups, which raises questions about the notion of terrorism as a weapon of the weak. Carrots are often negatively related to group terrorism. Other factors associated with insurgent terrorism include holding territory, ethnic motivation, and social service provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the conceptual literature on terrorism, there is no shortage of answers to the question: "What is terrorism?" Indeed, the terrorism literature has been heavily criticized for a deluge of definitions. And yet the booming quantitative terrorism literature generally examines a narrow set of "what is terrorism?": how country-level factors explain variation in the number of terrorist attacks. This article demonstrates the variety of ways in which scholars currently operationalize terrorism and compares them to the ways it could be operationalized. I replicate studies using alternative operationalizations of terrorism to examine the consequences of the terrorism literature's collective bet to focus on attack counts at the country level. Finally, I discuss the implications of the narrow set of operational choices with an eye towards how a greater variety of approaches would produce a more robust research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plantar fibromatosis (Ledderhose disease) is a rare, benign, hyperproliferative fibrous tissue disorder resulting in the formation of nodules along the plantar fascia. This condition can be locally aggressive, and often results in pain, functional disability, and decreased quality of life. Diagnosis is primarily clinical, but MRI and ultrasound are useful confirmatory adjuncts. Given the benign nature of this condition, treatment has historically involved symptomatic management. A multitude of conservative treatment strategies supported by varying levels of evidence have been described mostly in small-scale trials. These therapies include steroid injections, verapamil, radiation therapy, extracorporeal shock wave therapy, tamoxifen, and collagenase. When conservative measures fail, surgical removal of fibromas and adjacent plantar fascia is often done, although recurrence is common. This review aims to provide a broad overview of the clinical features of this disease as well as the current treatment strategies being employed in the management of this condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 9/11, entertainment media has focused on depictions of terrorism and counterterrorism. How do dramatic depictions of counterterrorism practices—specifically torture—affect public opinion and policy? Using a mixed within-subjects and between-subjects experimental design, we examine how framing affects support for torture. Participants (n = 150) were randomly assigned to a condition for dramatic depictions showing torture as (a) effective, (b) ineffective, or (c) not present (control). Participants who saw torture as effective increased their stated support for it. Participants who saw torture—regardless of whether or not it was effective—were more likely to sign a petition on torture. We discuss the policy implications of our findings on how framing affects opinion and action regarding torture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]