bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Monkeypox Disease: An Updated Review
Authors: Hossain Md. Mofazzal , Sarkar Bidduth Kumar , Sarkar Arghya Prosun , Hasan Maimuna , Afroz Mst. Sarmin
Published: October 2023

Monkeypox has recently garnered significant attention as a result of its rapid and simultaneous global dissemination. The objective of this study is to present a succinct overview of the existing literature, while also elucidating the development of the disease in respect to contemporary instances, possible therapeutic approaches, and strategies for preventing infection. To date, a total of 12,261 occurrences have been recorded over a wide range of 76 nations. Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease that has previously been limited to endemic areas in Western and Central Africa. However, there have been isolated outbreaks in other countries, including the United States, that have been linked to the importation of wild animals from Ghana and other affected areas. The current outbreak has seen a significant shift, with human-to-human transmission surpassing all other modes of transmission. This development has raised concerns regarding the potential extension of the outbreak within communities, particularly in cases that may have gone unreported. The observed results may be attributed to the increase in human-to-human transmission subsequent to the cessation of smallpox vaccination, which provided partial immunity against monkeypox. The occurrence of outbreaks beyond the African continent underscores the worldwide importance of the illness. The demographic that exhibits the highest vulnerability to infection is young males who engage in sexual activity with other males. While the existing understanding suggests that the clinical progression of the disease is very moderate, there remain several unresolved inquiries that necessitate additional investigation. These include the possibility of a genital reservoir of the virus in humans and the possibility of airborne transmission.
In Vitro Antioxidant Activity, Pharmacognostical Evaluation, HPTLC and FTIR Fingerprinting of Phyllanthus Acidus L. Stem Bark Extract for Better Application in Phytotherapy
Authors: Siddiqui Zeba , Khan Mohammad Irfan , Badruddeen Badruddeen , Akhtar Juber , Ahmed Mohammad
Published: October 2023

Background: For safe and efficacious use of natural products, quality control of the crude drug is of paramount importance. Due to lack of scientific investigations pertaining to quality control phytochemical and pharmacological properties of Phyllanthus acidus (L.) Skeels, the present study was undertaken. Objective: The aim of the study is to establish various pharmacognostical and phytochemical parameters, including both macro and microscopic studies, along with HPTLC and FTIR fingerprinting analysis, total phenolic and flavonoid content of stem bark of Phyllanthus acidus, followed by exploring its anti-oxidant potential. Method: The determination of total phenolic and flavonoid content was done by various colorimetric assays. DPPH assay was used to establish antioxidant activity. Physiochemical analysis was carried out and presence of various functional groups was determined using various techniques like HPTLC, FTIR analysis and colorimetric assays. Result: The phytochemical screening showed the presence of various phytoconstituents like phenols, carbohydrates, flavonoid, tannins and terpenoids. in various solvent systems. Total phenolic was established as 189.74±0.52mg GAE/g and flavonoid content was found to be38.92±0.47 mg QE/g. Concentration of heavy metal was within acceptable limits. The stem bark showed comparable antioxidant activity in methanolic and aqueous extract showed IC50 values of 26.92 and 26.52 respectively compared to ascorbic acid having IC50 value of 31.82. HPTLC fingerprinting envisaged the presence of several phytoconstituents in Phyllanthus acidus. The FTIR analysis established the presence of phenolic functional groups. Conclusion: The referential information provided by this study will be useful to determine and manage adulterations in raw material. The study also provides insight into antioxidant property of this plant validating its ethno pharmacological use as a natural antioxidant.
Relationship between Dietary habits, lifestyle risk factors and dysglycemia among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Al Madinah Al Munawara, Saudi Arabia
Authors: El-Alameey Inas R. , Al-Aswad Weam A. , M. Khojah Reham , Al-Rehaili Raneem D. , Al-Saedi Lujain A. , Al-Buladi Yara S.
Published: October 2023

Background and Aim : Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic global health condition that affects people of all ages at an alarming rate. It's more widespread in Middle Eastern countries, especially Saudi Arabia which has the second-highest rate of diabetes in the Middle East, according to the World Health Organization. The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between dietary habits, lifestyle factors, and dysglycemia among type 2 diabetic patients in Al-Madinah Al-Munawara, Saudi Arabia. Subjects and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 281 type 2 diabetic patients aged between 20 and 65 years old via an online survey. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, dietary habits, physical activity, and other lifestyle data were collected from patients of Al Madinah's King Fahad Hospital in Al Madinah Al Munawara. Results: The highest age group of those surveyed was 41-65 years old. The majority (65.1%) were female. More than half of the surveyed population had university or college-level education. There was no association between family history and gender (p=0.631). There was a significant association between gender and intake of sweets (p= 0.001), red meat (p= 0.002), red tea (p= 0.013), green tea (p= 0.031), and consumption of grains (p= 0.027). Male patients were more active compared to the female group (14.3% vs. 4.9%), (p=0.043). Conclusion: Food habits influenced hyperglycemia. Female hyperglycemic patients had considerably greater rates of insufficient physical activity and sweet consumption. Male dysglycemic patients consumed considerably more red meat and poultry. Future consideration should be given to increasing awareness and knowledge of dietary intake and lifestyle factors and their importance to prevent future complications.
Effect of Penicillin on Hematological and Plasma Biochemical Parameters in Female Wistar Rats
Authors: K. O Oyedeji , R.O. Momoh
Published: October 2023

An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention of such infections. This study was designed to investigate effect of penicillin on blood parameters in female rats. Ten female Wistar rats (130 – 150 g) were grouped into control and penicillin (17.14 mg/kg) – treated groups for blood assay. The penicillin was administered orally for 50 days. Haematological assay was carried out using haemocytometer, while biochemical assay was carried out using spectrophotometry. Mean +/- SEM and student’s t-test at p<0.05 were determined. Penicillin (17.14 mg/kg) significantly decreased haemoglobin and lymphocyte values, but induced significant increase in eosinophil value relative to their controls. It also significantly decreased total protein and ALP values relative to their controls. Conclusively, it can be suggested that penicillin had harmful effects on blood parameters in female Wistar rats via induction of significant reductions in hemoglobin, lymphocyte and total protein values. However, it also had advantageous effects on blood parameters in female Wistar rats via induction of significant increase in eosinophil value as well as significant decrease in ALP activity.
Targeted Pharmaceutical Analysis of Antibiotic Use by Risk Criteria in Patients Hospitalized in the Infectious and Tropical Diseases Department at Treichville Teaching Hospital (Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire)
Authors: Balayssac Joseph Eric , Djadji Lenoir Thierry Ayoman , Aimé Brou N’Guessan , Silue Awa Nounaferi Gnieneferetien , Tia Eric Gbongue , Eholié Serge Paul
Published: October 2023

Introduction: Most pharmacotherapeutic problems in hospitals are caused by anti-infectives. Audit of prescriptions by a clinical pharmacist is a control and prevention element for iatrogenic risks. Objective: The main aim of our study was to assess the use of antibiotics according to risk criteria in patients hospitalized in the infectious diseases Unit of the Treichville Teaching Hospital (Abidjan, Ivory Coast). Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study conducted from August to December 2022 in the Infectious and Tropical Diseases department of the Treichville University Hospital aimed to analyze the use of antibiotics in patients with risk criteria. The tools for detecting pharmacotherapeutic problems allowed us to evaluate the frequency and nature of pharmaceutical interventions, highlighting the role of the pharmacist in patient management. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 software (IBM, USA). Results: A total of 88 patients were included in the study, with a majority of singles (54.5%) and a predominance of subjects under 45 years of age (87.6%) and HIV-positive (93.2%). Antibiotics were the most frequent treatment (75.1%), followed by beta-lactams (36.7%). The main drug interactions were precautions for use (53.6%) and contraindicated associations (45.6%), especially the combination of Ofloxacin with bivalent cations or didanosine. The main pharmaceutical interventions proposed were monitoring of biological parameters in at-risk patients (68.8%) and drug substitution (14.8%). All proposed pharmaceutical interventions were accepted by prescribers. Risk criteria associated with the use of antibiotics were significantly associated with the nature of proposed pharmaceutical interventions. Conclusion: In conclusion, the use of antibiotics in patients with risk criteria is common in the Infectious and Tropical Diseases department of the Treichville University Hospital. The results emphasize the importance of prescription audit by a clinical pharmacist in detecting pharmacotherapeutic problems and preventing iatrogenic risks. The proposed pharmaceutical interventions were accepted by prescribers and were tailored to the risk criteria associated with the use of antibiotics.
Effect of Boric Acid on Oxidative Damage in Immunocompetent Organs under Conditions of Potassium Bichromate and Gamma Radiation Exposure
Authors: Iztleuov Marat , Iztleuov Yerbolat , Temirova Gulnara , Yesmukhanova Dariga , Akhmetova Ainur , Temirbayeva Assem , Medeuova Raushan , Zhumasheva Almagul , Sarishova Arailym
Published: October 2023

The immune system supports antigenic homeostasis in the body and regulates the processes of proliferation and differentiation of cellular components in hemo- and immunopoiesis. Chromium compounds and ionizing radiation lead to the formation of highly reactive free radicals. Sublethal dose of gamma-irradiation is characterized by a 56% decrease in thymus cellularity and a 22% decrease in lymph nodes against the background of a 44% increase in the number of lymphoid cells in the spleen. Under the combined effect of hexavalent chromium and gamma-radiation, a decrease in the number of lymphoid cells is observed. In thymus the cellularity decreases by 70%, in spleen - by 40%, in lymph nodes - by 42% in comparison with control data. Under the influence of boric acid the number of lymphoid cells in thymus significantly increases by 47%, in lymph nodes - by 14% (p<0.05) compared to the data of irradiated animals. Boric acid administration weakens the development of oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation decreases, and the activity of antioxidant defense enzymes in immunocompetent cells is increased.
Chemopreventive Measurements and Oxidative Stress Effects of Terpenoid-rich Canarium odontophyllum Miq. Leaf Extract (TRCO) in Ultraviolet B-Induced In-Vitro Skin Carcinogenesis Model
Authors: Abdul Aziz Muhammad Wahizul Haswan , Basri Dayang Fredalina , Masre Siti Fathiah , Ghazali Ahmad Rohi
Published: October 2023

The most common type of cancer found in the human outer and middle skin layers is keratinocyte carcinoma, often known as non-melanoma skin cancer. Although it can be aggressive, skin cancer is generally not fatal. This study aims to measure the chemopreventive and oxidative stress effects of terpenoid-rich Canarium odontophyllum Miq.’s leaf extract (TRCO) in the UVB-induced skin carcinogenesis model. The model involving human keratinocytes (HaCaT) was adapted with optimisations with pretreatment of 500 µg/ml TRCO (TRCO500) & 1000 µg/ml TRCO (TRCO1000). The HaCaT oncogenic transformation model's repetitive UVB exposure resulted in altered cell shape, according to our findings. Pretreatment of TRCO1000 significantly reduced tumour protein p53 (TP53) and marker of proliferation KI-67 (KI67) expression in UVB-induced HaCaT. Treatment with TRCO resulted in an overall reduction in oxidative stress. TRCO pretreatment showed reduced lipid peroxides, LPO and significantly reduced protein carbonyls. In conclusion, the promising results of this chemopreventive study using TRCO on this in-vitro skin carcinogenesis model suggested that it is worthwhile to conduct further isolations and assessments of terpenoids from C. odontophyllum Miq. leaf as a possible chemoprevention agent.
Weakening of Virulence Factors and Biofilm in Salmonella Typhi by Medicinal Plants Extracts
Authors: Ahmed Akhter Ahmed , Hassan Pakhshan Abdulla , Ismaeil Abdulilah Saleh , Ali Shahnaz Burhan
Published: October 2023

Objective(s): Salmonella typhi, is a serious global health threat because it causes typhoid fever, a severe systemic infection. According to the World Health Organization, millions of cases of typhoid are recorded annually, and thousands of people die from it. To combat this pathogen, new medications are required. The current study aims to study the ability of medicinal plants (thyme and cinnamon) to modulate the properties of Salmonella typhi isolates instead of killing them. Materials and Methods: The plants were extracted with the help of solvents (ethanol and ethyl acetate) and to find out the minimum inhibitory concentration, the different concentrations were used. The biofilm and expression of genes (invA & fliC) of the bacterium were studied when exposed to sub-inhibitory concentrations of the plant extracts. Results: MIC values ranging between 20-25 mg/ml and 10-15 mg/ml for ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts of Thyme respectively. While the MIC values of cinnamon were 18-25 and 10-15 mg/ml for both ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts respectively. The examinations revealed a significant decrease in the composition of biofilms by isolates when treated with SICs from plant extracts. The transcription expression profile of invasion (invA) and flagellar (fliC) genes were downregulated when treated with the plant extracts. Conclusion: The findings indicate that both thyme and cinnamon extracts may have promising activity against the biofilm and virulence of S. typhi. Thus, they could be used as potential as an antibacterial drug.
Autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma: A Potential Therapy to Mitigate Severe Covid-19 Manifestations
Authors: Harkitasari Saktivi , Sumardika I Wayan , Purnamasidhi Cokorda Agung Wahyu , Adiputra I Komang Hotra , Purnama Giovanca Verentzia , Suteja Richard Christian
Published: October 2023

The Chinese Ministry of Health's Chinese Health Protection Centers reported the appearance of COVID-19, a group of pneumonia, in Wuhan toward the end of 2019. Common symptoms found are sore throat, headache, pain, diarrhea, skin lesions, and eye irritation. The immune regulatory system may become dysfunctional as a result of SARS-COV-2, leading to an uncontrolled inflammatory response. These events will then result in lymphocyte activation and dysfunction, lymphopenia, an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokine productions, and abnormalities in granulocytes and monocytes, all of which are symptoms of cytokine release syndrome (CRS). CRS may result in shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome, organ failure, respiratory failure, and even death in COVID-19 patients. In order to avoid this, activated autologous platelet-rich plasma (aaPRP) therapy was created to treat CRS. aaPRP therapy is replicable in a short time, easy, and at a low cost. The numerous growth factors in aaPRP have anti-inflammatory properties that reduce the production of IL-1, IL-6, and TNF. The use of aaPRP treatment may lessen the need for invasive mechanical breathing, avoid alopecia and sepsis, and lessen pulmonary fibrosis. According to the findings of the phase I/II study that were conducted, it shows that aaPRP was given through intravenously and did not cause side effects in COVID-19 patients. To fully comprehend the aaPRP treatment for COVID-19 patients, however, more research is required. This review will go into discuss about the pathophysiology of COVID-19 as well as potential areas for aaPRP therapy.
Bone Mineral Density and Its Determinants: A Systematic Review of Risk Factors and Prevention Strategies
Authors: Alsaad Latifa Nabeel , Abdulameer Juman Ahmed , Akolaa Ethel Aputerebuno , Muttappallymyalil Jayakumary , Sreedharan Jayadevan
Published: October 2023

Bone mineral density (BMD) is a measurement of the amount of minerals, primarily calcium and phosphorus, in bone tissue. Factors that can affect BMD include age, gender, genetics, lifestyle factors, and medical conditions. As people age, the density of their bones starts to decline gradually. Due to hormonal changes during menopause, the chance of developing osteoporosis among women is very high. Genetics also play a role in BMD, with some individuals having a higher genetic predisposition to osteoporosis and lower BMD. Physical activity, alcohol consumption, and smoking are some factors associated with BMD. Regular exercise is a protective factor, whereas other two smoking and excessive alcohol are risk factors. It is important to monitor BMD throughout life to identify any potential health concerns and take steps to prevent bone loss. A healthy lifestyle is an important factor that will help maintain sufficient calcium and vitamin D intake and take medication or supplements as directed by a healthcare professional. Regular physical activity such as walking and running can help promote bone health and maintain BMD.
Evaluation of the Analgesic Activity of Ethanolic Extract of Manilkara Zapota Seeds in Experimental Animal Model
Authors: Ramanna Mali Kalpana , Priyadarsini. K Soundarya , S. Janti Siddharam , Annamalai Maduram , Eerike Madhavi
Published: October 2023

Introduction: Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and opioids use remain the mainstay for pain treatment. However, both groups of drugs are well known for their common and severe side effects. Medicinal plants could be the better option to overcome these side effects. The anti-inflammatory activity of seeds of Manilkara zapota has already been demonstrated in experimental animals. As pain always accompanies inflammation, we have set forward a study to discover the analgesic activity of the ethanolic extract of Manilkara Zapota in animal models using Eddy's hot plate method. Aims and objectives: To explore the analgesic activity of ethanolic extract of Manilkara zapota seeds using Eddy's hot plate method. To compare the effect of ethanolic extract of Manilkara zapota seeds with the commonly used analgesic drug aspirin. Material and Methods: This study was conducted by using Eddy's hot plate method. A total of 12 Adult Wistar albino rats were grouped into three groups of 4 animals in each group. These groups were Group I: Control (normal saline), Group II: Standard (Aspirin 25mg per kg) Group III: Ethanolic extract of Manilkara zapota (200mg per kg). The reaction time was recorded at 0, 30, 60 & 90 minutes after injecting normal saline, standard drug, and extract. Result: The increase in mean reaction time of the extract was statistically significant (p< 0.0001) at 30, 60, and 90 min compared to that of the control. There was less increase in the reaction time of extract treated group compared to that of the aspirin-treated group at 30 min & 60 min points. Conclusion: The analgesic activity of the extract was significantly more than that of the control group. Peak analgesic activity occurred at 60 and 90 minutes.
Degenerative Changes of Buccal Cells After One Cycle of Chemotherapy on Male Breast Cancer Patients
Authors: Alidema Fitim , Alidema Arieta Hasani , Fejza Albina , Selmani Albulena Jashari
Published: October 2023

Introduction: Micronucleus test (MN) in buccal cells of the mouth presents a new road on the way of studying the degenerative changes directly in the targeted organs which were impacted by the tumoral diseases. Aim of the study: This paper aims to analyze the incidence of the test micronucleus in the epithelial cells of the buccal mucosa of the oral cavity in male patients with breast carcinoma after a cycle of chemotherapy. Material and Methods: In the study, 40 male patients with breast cancer with an average age of 45.8±15.5 years were taken for analysis. From the measured parameters, we analyzed the incidence of degenerative changes and the effect of chemotherapy, after one cycle of chemotherapy. Results: The average number of deteriorative modifications in the exfoliative cells deriving from the buccal mucosa of breast cancer patients, increased significantly after a single cycle of chemotherapy with 15.5±22.4 being the number of degenerated cells before treatments and 27.5±30.1 after the first cycle of chemotherapy, p<0.0002. A significant increase was noticed in all types of nuclear degenerations. The incidence of acute nuclear changes as well as the total number of these modifications was high in males diagnosed with breast carcinoma Conclusion: The results show that cytostatic drugs induced cellular cytotoxicity. However, it did not significantly change chromosomal changes or the micronuclei formation.
Central Obesity Diminishes Circulating Betatrophin Level in Middle-aged Male Subjects
Authors: Linn Thiri Wai , Hlaing Chaw Su , Oo Ma Saung , AR Zakaria , Yee Khin Than , Aung Thin Thin , Bhattacharjee Aniruddha , Han Minn , Sein Mya Thanda , Thwin Mya Mya
Published: October 2023

Central adiposity presents an important risk factor for advancing insulin insensitivity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Betatrophin, a liver or adipocyte-derived hormone, was assumed to improve islet insulin secretion and compensate insulin resistance but its level during obesity is still conflicted. This study aimed to explore serum betatrophin level in centrally-obese middle-aged men with diabetic potentials compared with age-matched non-obese ones. Sixty-eight male subjects of 40-60 years of age, residing in North Okkalapa Township, Yangon, Myanmar, were recruited and classified into centrally-obese group (n=34) and non-obese group (n=34). Fasting blood samples were obtained to quantify plasma glucose by glucose oxidase method, and serum insulin and betatrophin levels by ELISA. Plasma glucose levels were comparable between the two groups, while insulin concentration of obese group was significantly greater than that of non-obese group. Therefore, HOMA-IR was markedly increased in obese subjects when compared to non-obese ones (4.87±0.28 vs 1.90±0.14, p<0.001) and so did HOMA-β (310.88±26.58 vs 149.00±11.83, p<0.001). Interestingly, betatrophin hormone level was significantly reduced in obese group than non-obese group (1.72±0.21 vs 2.72±0.26 ng/ml, p<0.01). Moreover, betatrophin had a strong negative correlation with glucose and insulin levels (p<0.05) as well as with the indicator of central adiposity, waist circumference (p<0.05), among the subjects. However, significant correlation between betatrophin and HOMA-IR and HOMA-β was not observed in both groups (p=0.14 and 0.20 respectively). Taken together, betatrophin hormone has been found to decrease in adult central obesity, which is noticeably associated with insulin resistance and compensatory beta-cell hyperfunction. Betatrophin, previously regarded as beta-cell mitogen, has been denied in this study, owing to lack of correlation with HOMA indexes of diabetes.
Locating Sacajawea
Authors: Adams-Campbell Melissa
Published: October 2023

Abstract: “Locating Sacajawea” traces how three Native women authors— Monique Mojica (Kuna-Rappahonnock), Mary Kathryn Nagle (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma), and Diane Glancy (Cherokee and German descent)— incorporate archival found text and Indigenous community concerns to challenge US myths surrounding Sacajawea’s participation in the Lewis and Clark expeditions. In retelling Sacajawea’s story, these authors reconnect her to Native communities and concerns.
The Problem of Ethical Ideals in Hellenistic Philosophy and in Psychoanalysis
Authors: Dews Peter
Published: October 2023

Abstract: Hellenistic philosophy invites comparison with psychoanalysis. The aim of its leading currents, Epicureanism and Stoicism, was explicitly therapeutic—to enable individuals to lead a good life. Pursuing this comparison, Freud may be regarded as a successor to Epicureanism because of his hedonistic theory of motivation, his materialistic outlook, and his critique of religion. However, both Epicureanism and classical Freudianism are faced with the problem of explaining how individuals can be motivated to pursue higher ethical and cultural ideals. In this regard the Stoic critique of Epicureanism reveals parallels with later developments in psychoanalytical theory, such as the work of Klein, Winnicott, and Hans Loewald. The work of Loewald is a special interest in this context, since he strives to give a coherent account of the problematic psychoanalytic concept of “sublimation,” which is often employed in attempts to explain the redirection of psychic energy toward higher goals. Loewald’s attendant challenge to the materialism and objectivism of much psychoanalytic theory suggests that writers such as Stephen Greenblatt, who emphasize only the affinities between Epicureanism and the modern world outlook, fail to tell the full story.
Beyond the Dynamic Unconscious: Some Thoughts on Expanding Psychoanalytic Clinical Work
Authors: De Masi Franco
Published: October 2023

Abstract: After some reflections on the intuitive unconscious that scientists employ, the focus of the first part of this article concerns the analytic method, based on associations and symbolic interpretations, as formulated by Freud and his most important followers. I see this as a valid method when used with patients we can ascribe to the neurotic area, but not with the more seriously ill, non-neurotic patients. This distinction does not particularly concern symptomatology, but a kind of unconscious functioning. When working with more seriously ill patients, such as those who have suffered infantile emotional trauma, or have a borderline or a psychotic disorder, analysts are confronted with more complex tasks. Considered here are functions of the mind outside awareness, the problem of non-representability, and several aspects of psychotic functioning. As the title states, this article goes beyond the dynamic unconscious to investigate areas of the mind that have not yet been systematically explored.
Embodying Relationality and Enacting Resistance: Celluloid Mobilities in the Silent Film The Daughter Of Dawn
Authors: Toll Shannon
Published: October 2023

Abstract: “Embodying Relationality and Enacting Resistance: Celluloid Mobilities in the Silent Film The Daughter Of Dawn ” discusses how Kiowa and Comanche actors embedded their respective material cultures in the 1920 silent film The Daughter of Dawn . Filmed in the Wichita Wildlife Refuge and featuring an all-Indigenous cast, this film is a unique entry in the canon of silent Westerns produced in Oklahoma during its nascent statehood. The author illustrates how the Kiowa and Comanche cast enacted what Michelle Raheja calls “visual sovereignty,” engaging in traditional cultural practices, both on and off camera, which were under attack by settler institutions. The performance and recording of these dynamic instances of buffalo culture, traditional dance, and Plains Indian Sign Language, which the author collectively refers to as “celluloid mobilities,” constituted an embodied refusal of settler-colonial interference in Indigenous cultural continuance.
Locked Doors and Fondled Doorknobs: Gothic Domesticity and Deviant Sexuality of 1950s America in Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House
Authors: Naser-Hall Emily
Published: October 2023

Abstract: Shirley Jackson’s fame during her lifetime as a writer of both Gothic horror stories and domestic humor for mainstream women’s publications demonstrates her use of Gothic conventions to illuminate the quotidian horrors of women in the American midcentury. Her work uniquely foregrounds the nation’s preoccupation with normativity, deviance, and female sexuality in the 1950s. Jackson’s novel The Haunting of Hill House (1959) resists the binaries of normative/deviant or normal/monstrous by demonstrating how perversity lies not in the Gothic sensuality of Hill House bur rather within narratives of female sexual license in mainstream American society. The sexual pathologies and liberations of Eleanor Vance position the house itself as the agent of transgressive female sexuality, exploring the liminal normativity/deviance of the erotics of touch to rewrite master narratives about the coalescing intimacy and authority upon which the family home’s stability depends.
Shame, Desire, and Queer Jewish Girlhood in Annette Eick's Semiautobiographical Fiction, 1929–1930
Authors: Paradis Meghan
Published: October 2023

Abstract: Annette Eick (1909–2010) is best known as a Jewish lesbian writer and poet who managed a miraculous escape from Nazi Germany in November 1938. However, her fiction and poetry published in the late Weimar Republic have been hitherto neglected. This article examines two of her serialized novellas, Die Arbeitsgemeinschaft (The study circle; 1929) and Petra (1930), which were published in the lesbian periodical Die Frauenliebe when Eick was in her late adolescence. Both works center adolescent girls whose inability to confide in the adults around them about their desires for other women produces paralyzing shame and loneliness. This article situates these works within the context of interwar-era antisemitism and Jewish communal efforts to mitigate antisemitism through gendered performance of bourgeois respectability. It argues that through these works Eick mounts a dual critique of antisemitism in the lesbian press and of German-Jewish commitments to respectability and the silences and shame the requisite self-repression imposed.
Gadji Feminism(s) in Serbia: Racial Privilege and “Intersectional” Solidarity in an Eastern European Semiperiphery
Authors: Pražić Ivana , Vilenica Ana
Published: October 2023

Abstract: In this paper, we follow Jelena Savić, the only Romani critical race theoretician, poet, and decolonial activist in Serbia in her call for unpacking the colonial legacy and whiteness behind the feminist politics. Accordingly, we trace the historical trajectory through which whiteness has been introduced into and became paradigmatic of specific post-Yugoslav Serbian feminist activism and theories. In line with Savić’s critique of the feminist politics in Serbia, we identify two types of gadji (non-Roma European) feminism(s): gadji saviorism and gadji performative solidarity . In the first section we outline the notion of gadji saviorism as an optics perceiving Roma women as victims of the purportedly backward Romani way of life and the supposed inherent poverty from which Roma women need to be “saved” or “uplifted” by the enlightened Eurocentric culture(s). We point both to similarities and differences between colonial-state antiziganist subjugation of Roma women and children in the Austro-Hungarian empire/kingdom and the contemporary Serbian feminist “savior politics” aligned with transnational European and national Serbian policies. In the second section, we look at the (post)socialist genealogies behind the concept which Savić identified as white feminist “performative solidarity” and its race-blind approach to both feminism and solidarity based on its (self)conflation with the ideology of “sisterhood and unity”. Our research shows how these ideas nested in the Serbian feminist scene following the fall of socialism and the end of Cold War.
Signing Dynamics of the Signature Rocks
Authors: Rudolph Conrad , Weems Jason
Published: October 2023

Abstract: This article establishes more clearly the character of a significant but not yet fully explained phenomenon of one of the most iconic episodes in American history. From 1839 to 1869, approximately 400,000 Euro-Americans made the overland passage from the Missouri River to the Pacific Coast, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of signatures inscribed onto the immense rock formations that were often used as landmarks along the way—the signature rocks—one rock alone being said in 1860 to have 40,000 to 50,000 signatures. This study identifies the various cultural dynamics of self-assertion motivating this mass signing, including a sense of trespassing, participation in a great historical movement, "vainglory," and, for the vast majority, the dynamic of tourism (traditional "curiosity" but also Romantic ideas of landscape and the sublime). Native American petroglyphs appear to have been respected within the context of emigrant signing practices, an attitude in keeping with "trespassers" claiming passage but not land. It was largely only with the first generation of settlers, those who did claim the land, that intentional dominance appears to have become a distinct factor in overwriting petroglyphs.
"Gay Equals Left?": Conservatism in Male Homosexual Politics in 1970s West Germany and the United States
Authors: Griffiths Craig
Published: October 2023

Abstract: The history of gay liberation in the 1970s has primarily been told through the prism of radical or left-alternative activists, focusing on groups like the Gay Liberation Front in New York or the Homosexual Action West Berlin. Complicating this narrative, this article analyses "cultures of conservatism" in male homosexual politics, comparing the Federal Republic with the United States in the 1970s. Zooming in on discourses of responsibility and caution, while focusing on the identifications of some gay men as "ordinary" and "sensible," and their rejection of confrontation and flamboyance, this article shows that concepts such as "liberation," "emancipation," or even "gay power" have no fixed meanings, far less meanings that are inherently "radical" or "conservative."
The Family Factor: Earl G. Graves Sr.’s Legacy as Publisher of Black Enterprise
Authors: Bland Dorothy M. , Daniels George L. , Tait Gabriel B.
Published: October 2023

Abstract: While much has been written about Ebony , Essence , and other Black-oriented publications, little has been established on the Black family as depicted in the business-oriented publication Black Enterprise , which has been in operation for more than a half century. Tenets of sustainable family business theory are useful in understanding the ideas and innovations of Earl G. Graves Sr., who founded Black Enterprise magazine and transformed it into one of the nation’s top Black-owned and Black-operated media companies. This study focuses on twenty-eight of Graves’s Publisher’s Page columns printed between 1970 and 2015 that showcase the role of the Black family, particularly in the development of successful business enterprises.
The Creation of Community in Reiman Magazines: “By Us, for Us, About Us”
Authors: Webb Sheila
Published: October 2023

Abstract: This study examines the history, importance, and uniqueness of the Reiman magazines, which featured food, crafts with a country flair, nostalgia, and birds and gardening. The analysis shows how an imagined community is formed, explicates taste cultivation, analyzes how narratives of hearth and home embodied in stories fostered a dialogue among readers and editors, examines how the magazines provided a site for identity formation, and reveals how resonant pastoral values were reified in the stories. The study conveys the ways in which, before the advent of the internet, the Reiman company excelled at creating a virtual community, as 80 percent of content was reader submitted. The qualitative analysis was based on responses from 109 submitters to a questionnaire about how they saw core values confirmed in the magazines.
Soi-même comme un autre. Jean-Marc Tera’ituatini Pambrun: Ethos d’un écrivain mā’ohi
Authors: Aït-Aarab Mohamed
Published: October 2023

Abstract: Un écrivain, dit-on, écrit toujours le même livre pour parler d’un seul et unique sujet, lui-même. L’œuvre de Jean-Marc Tera’ituatini Pambrun, multiple, éclatée, diverse, se distingue notamment par sa faculté et sa volonté d’aborder des territoires littéraires multiples. On connaît peu et mal l’homme, trop tôt disparu (2011), écorché vif aux engagements incandescents. Son roman Le Bambou noir (2005) dévoilait, précautionneusement, une personnalité inquiète, souvent à contre-courant de la pensée dominante, des valeurs du groupe. L’œuvre de Pambrun est traversée par les questionnements sur une identité (personnelle, collective) qu’il s’agit de mettre au jour, ensevelie qu’elle fut (qu’elle est?) sous des “flots d’encre” (Margueron). Mais une réflexion sur le sujet ne peut s’envisager sans tenir compte de l’Autre. La confrontation avec l’altérité, qu’elle s’avance bienveillante ou se révèle dominatrice, est un passage obligé pour qui veut penser sa présence au monde, sa place dans l’histoire.
Autofiction et fiction d’une identité multiculturelle. Qu’est-ce que l’illustration chez Yiling Changues?
Authors: Armianu Irina
Published: October 2023

Abstract: Les œuvres plastiques et les illustrations de Yiling Changues rappellent le lyrisme de Gauguin, tout comme elles évoquent l’identité mêlée d’une Polynésienne métissée. En revenant sur ses origines multiculturelles, l’artiste, de retour dans ses îles, se confie: “On part pour mieux revenir” (Rambaud 1). Cet article examine en quoi l’enjeu de cette identité culturelle est la création d’une œuvre d’art comme lieu de mémoire du multiculturalisme à Tahiti. Yiling s’y réapproprie ses racines dans un métissage des traditions folkloriques chinoises et tahitiennes, pour remplir un “vide” qu’elle considère comme essentiel dans son voyage vers une identité culturelle intériorisée. Incursion dans le passé, l’ambiance moderne de son style et de sa technique retient l’attention: des lignes en noir et blanc impriment comme des impulsions énergiques aux contours d’une nature exotique. Ces lignes ondulatoires transmettent la spontanéité de la vie locale, reliant de façon surprenante la modernité du style et de la technique à l’illustration de la nature et de la vie des gens portraitisés.
Fragmentation et reconstruction du moi dans la littérature francophone de la Polynésie française
Authors: Pineri Riccardo
Published: October 2023

Abstract: Cet article met en lumière l’héritage des modèles de la littérature identitaire des auteurs français récents dans la jeune littérature polynésienne francophone, mais également les identités d’emprunt puisées dans la culture indigéniste de l’Amérique latine et de la littérature postcoloniale africaine. Dans Microlectures polynésiennes (2017), le chercheur hongrois Kàroly Sandòr Pallai examine des textes d’écrivains polynésiens récents, les passant au crible de la critique postmoderne de Derrida, Deleuze et Lyotard. Cette rencontre de la critique hypermoderne occidentale et de l’écriture polynésienne est un exemple intéressant de la fabrication identitaire dans les cultures des nations postcoloniales. La fin de l’article évoque Le Sentier semé d’étoiles de Fetia Maucotel (2021), roman d’apprentissage d’un jeune auteur sino-polynésien. En quête du sens de la vie, il s’écarte du nombrilisme de toute une littérature contemporaine et retrouve la figure de l’individu problématique à la recherche de la construction du moi, essentielle dans l’histoire de la littérature, loin des “novlangues” et des indigences identitaires.
A Narrative Poetics of Adventure with a Case Study on Its History in Medieval and Early Modern Romance Literature
Authors: Mühlbacher Manuel
Published: October 2023

Abstract: Adventure is a narrative pattern of fundamental importance in the history of the novel, but research on the topic continues to be divided according to philological specializations. This article strives to establish a conceptual synthesis and to push the inquiry forward. In the first section, it proposes a narrative poetics of adventure that is both sufficiently general to embrace the centuries-long tradition of adventurous storytelling as well as flexible enough to account for its particular historical forms. While gathering material from classical theories of adventure and from contemporary research, this study also follows an agenda of its own and argues that adventure should be conceived as a precarious balance between various contraries such as contingency and providence or risk and security. Adventure paradoxically strives to make these polarities coincide. The second section provides a case study in order to flesh out some of these claims. It retraces the transformations that lead from the inception of chivalric adventure—the courtly romances written by Chrétien de Troyes—to the moment when Cervantes integrates it into the modern novel as a figment of the imagination.
The Seduction of Narrative Desire: An Unnatural Reading of Hermann Broch's
Authors: van der Kolk Jacob A.
Published: October 2023

Abstract: Unnatural narratology enhances reader-response theory. In particular, Henrik Skov Nielsen's interpretive praxis can account for texts that resist normal methods of reception, even when they do not adhere to the narratological definition of unnatural. To demonstrate this flexibility, this article adapts Nielsen's praxis to Hermann Broch's Der Tod des Vergil ( The Death of Virgil , 1945), an enigmatic text that puts notions of conventional reception to the test. At first glance, the work flirts with readers' narrative desire, the compulsion for a mimetic, plot-driven interpretation. Nevertheless, subtle semiotic signals unfold through reading that cue an anti-mimetic reading. Against the progressive unfolding of plot, these signals instigate a montage-like reading process in which readers must speculatively reconstruct relations of meaning on their own. Through this speculation, they create a nonlinear "counter-plot," which reconstitutes the unfolding of meaning into a repetitive, labyrinthine practice that spoils narrative satisfaction. Readers thus performatively experience firsthand a demonstrative critique of narrative desire. Nielsen's method can thus account for novel and strange forms of reading, such as "coquettish" texts like Broch's. In this regard, this method contributes to existing discourses on deliberate difficulty as aesthetic tactics.
Enhanced laser-induced damage performance of all-glass metasurfaces for energetic pulsed laser applications
Authors: Ray Nathan J. , Yoo Jae-Hyuck , Nguyen Hoang T. , Norton Mary , Cross David , Carr Christopher W. , Feigenbaum Eyal
Published: October 2023

To fabricate optical components with surface layers compatible with
high-power laser applications that may operate as antireflective
coatings, polarization rotators, or harness physical anisotropy for
other uses, metasurfaces are becoming an appealing candidate. In this
study, large-beam (1.05 cm diameter) 351-nm laser-induced
damage testing was performed on an all-glass metasurface structure
composed of cone-like features with a subwavelength spacing of
adjacent features. These structures were fabricated on untreated fused
silica glass and damage tested, as were structures that were
fabricated on fused silica glass that experienced a preliminary
etching process to remove the surface Beilby layer that is
characteristic of polished fused silica. The laser-induced damage
onset for structures on untreated fused silica glass was 19.3J⋅cm−2, while the sample that saw an initial
pretreatment etch exhibited an improved damage onset of 20.4J⋅cm−2, only 6% short of the reference
pretreated glass damage onset of 21.7J⋅cm−2. For perspective, the National
Ignition Facility operational average fluence at this wavelength and
pulse length is about 10J/cm2. At a fluence of 25.5J⋅cm−2, the reference (pretreated) fused
silica initiated 5.2 damage sites per mm2, while the antireflective metasurface
sample with a preliminary etching process treatment initiated 9.8
damage sites per mm2. These findings demonstrate that
substrate-engraved metasurfaces are compatible with high energy and
power laser applications, further broadening their application
space.
Photonic generation of dual-mode multi-format chirp microwave signals
Authors: Huang Chaoqun , Chi Hao , Yang Shuna , Yang Bo , Zhai Yanrong , Ou Jun
Published: October 2023

In this paper, we present a novel, to the best of our knowledge, photonic scheme for the generation of dual-mode multi-format chirp microwave signals, utilizing a dual-drive dual-parallel Mach–Zehnder modulator (DD-DPMZM). By inputting a single-chirp signal and controlling the input binary sequences, the proposed method can generate up-, down-, dual-, or triangular-chirp signals in both pulse and continuous-wave modes. Moreover, the duty cycle of the generated chirp signals in the pulse mode can be easily adjusted by manipulating the injected binary sequences. The compact structure of the proposed scheme eliminates the need for polarization control in signal switching and avoids the use of any optical filter. Experimental verification confirms the feasibility of our approach, while also pointing towards its promising applications in multi-functional radar systems.
Effect of optical fiber end face scratches on laser-induced damage threshold
Authors: Wu Xiao , Lin Lin , Zhang Zhihang , Liang Cui , Zhang Dengwei
Published: October 2023

The scratches on the fiber end face can enhance the local electrical field, which lowers the damage threshold. The damage mechanism of a high-energy laser is investigated. The effect of scratches on the electric field is simulated by the finite difference time domain (FDTD) solution. The results show that the depth of the scratch has a greater ability to influence the electric field than the width, and multiple scratches have a stronger modulation than a single scratch. In calculation, the damage threshold of the scratch-free end face is 0.456J/cm2 when the incident light electric field intensity is 50MV/cm, compared to 0.345J/cm2 in the presence of the scratch on the end face.
10-GHz-clock time-multiplexed non-degenerate optical parametric oscillator network with a variable planar lightwave circuit interferometer
Authors: Yonezu Yuya , Inaba Kensuke , Yamada Yasuhiro , Ikuta Takuya , Inagaki Takahiro , Honjo Toshimori , Takesue Hiroki
Published: October 2023

A coherent XY machine (CXYM) is a physical spin simulator that can simulate the XY model by mapping XY spins onto the continuous phases of non-degenerate optical parametric oscillators (NOPOs). Here, we demonstrated a large-scale CXYM with >47,000 spins by generating 10-GHz-clock time-multiplexed NOPO pulses via four-wave mixing in a highly nonlinear fiber inside a fiber ring cavity. By implementing a unidirectional coupling from the ith pulse to the (i + 1)th pulse with a variable 1-pulse delay planar lightwave circuit interferometer, we successfully controlled the effective temperature of a one-dimensional XY spin network within two orders of magnitude.