Courage and cowardice in wartime

Special Issue

From War in History 

From the ancient period to the present, courage and cowardice have been central to the experience and interpretation of war. Arguably no virtue, attribute, or quality has a greater impact on the outcome of military endeavour than courage. The evolution of weapons technology and tactics over the centuries and the sort of violence soldiers have faced on the battlefield has varied a great deal from con­flict to conflict. Representations of battlefield courage, or lack thereof, have similarly changed significantly over time.

Identifying and investigating the sort of battlefield conduct that is either valorized as courageous or castigated as cowardly is a complex business that raises a series of challenging questions for the historian of war. The articles gathered together in this special issue consider European armies at war from the first century BC to the Second World War and attempt to go some way toward answering these questions. Each author approaches the subject from a different angle and, understandably, given the very broad chronological framework, a diverse range of methodologies has been employed. In each case, of the groups of combatants under review, courage and cowardice were central to their experience of combat and to the military and civilian interpretation of that experience.

Long-term benefits of smartphone use to aid those suffering memory loss

Long-term benefits of the Memory-Link programme in a case of amnesia

From Clinical Rehabilitation

Research suggests that electronic devices (pagers, PDAs, smartphones) are effective memory aids for individuals with mild or moderate-to-severe memory impairment. This study assesses a single case where a woman with longstanding memory impairment undergoes a Memory-Link programme. This programme offers training on an electronic device and aims to tap into intact procedural memory to enable skill learning in the use of mobile technologies. The assessment examines clinical gains 18 months after completion of the programme.  A phone call task was used as an objective measure of prospective memory function. self-report, ecologically valid questionnaires were also completed to further assess generalization of smartphone use to day-to-day memory function. The subject retained excellent technical use of her smartphone and continued to use it independently in her daily life. She reported making fewer memory mistakes at the 18-month follow-up than she did at all other time points. In conclusion, the current study demonstrates for the first time that treatment gains from a memory intervention programme in electronic device use can be maintained for at least 18 months post intervention.

Computers are oversold and underused in Middle East classrooms

Promoting the Knowledge Economy in the Arab World

From SAGE Open

This article discusses the need for a deeper institutional reform that will bring Arab classrooms into the 21st century. The research studies educational programs in Bahrain, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates, information and communication technology (ICT) is not effectively utilized in classrooms in the Middle East. Many technology-related policies overlook the real needs of students. While ICT infrastructure aims to incorporate electronic classes and teaching systems that enhance students’ and teachers’ technological abilities, in reality it has become little more than a way to mechanically optimize the operation of equipment and to perpetuate cultural traditions. The author observes “This is undoubtedly a reflection of the difficulties inherent in implementing an agenda for modernization and reform within countries which have only been free from colonial domination for a few decades”. He called for more rigorous research that goes beyond mere speculation about ICT implementation. “If the findings from this research are able to identify best practices that can be replicated in different settings, then educationalists can begin to be satisfied that computers in the classroom are not just ‘oversold and underused’.”

Recognizing cutting edge robotics research

From The International Journal of Robotics Research

During a visit to Carnegie Mellon University’s National Robotics Engineering Center, Obama launched the New Robotics Initiative which seeks to advance the “next generation of robotics”. The National Robotics Initiative involves the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, NASA, and the Department of Agriculture, which combined will make available up to $70 million per year to fund new robotics projects. Just as Obama stated during his speech, “You might not know this, but one of my responsibilities as commander-in-chief is to keep an eye on robots,” researchers in robotics will need to ‘keep an eye’ on what is happening at the cutting edge of robotics research.

To celebrate the recognition of this important area of research and the commitment provided to future initiatives, SAGE has freed access to four relevant articles from one of its key Robotics titles – The International Journal of Robotics Research (now ranked #1 in the 2010 Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Reports, Robotics category).

Read these articles for free

Flagellated magnetotactic bacteria as controlled mri-trackable propulsion and steering systems for medical nanorobots operating in the human microvasculature

Nanorobot for brain aneurysm

Driver inattention detection based on eye gaze—road event correlation

Design and control of a bio-inspired human-friendly robot