bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Washington, DC
Authors: Murphy Mary-Elizabeth B.
Published: December 2023

Since its founding as the nation’s capital in 1800, Washington, DC, has been typified by an atypical urban history—a city that was home to the federal government and a diverse population of local inhabitants. This local–federal dynamic has shaped nearly every aspect of its history. The central industry has always been the federal government, local governance has ebbed and flowed, and federal officials have exerted authority in moments of political strife. Washington is the only major US city devoted to administration rather than commerce, industry, or finance. At times, policies in the nation’s capital were envisioned as programs that could be implemented across the country, while at other moments, Washington fell behind other cities. As the nation’s capital, Washington has attracted a diverse group of residents, giving the city a distinctive, cosmopolitan presence. Washington began as a Southern city, and then shifted to become a Northern one, and by the mid-20th century, it became national and global. Since its founding, multiracial Washingtonians waged sweeping campaigns for social justice, often inspiring national movements but were tempered by the persistent lack of statehood, an ongoing struggle.
Fazlur Rahman Khan: Structural Engineer
Authors: Elnimeiri Mahjoub
Published: December 2023

Dr. Fazlur Khan was one of the world’s top structural engineers of the 20th century. Fazlur was a preeminent, innovative, award-winning structural engineer who, among his many achievements, was noted for elevating the role of the engineer to a partnership with the architect. He was responsible for the structural design of many landmark buildings such as the John Hancock Center and the Sears (Willis), both in Chicago, and the Hajj Terminal in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Born and raised in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), his Muslim upbringing had a lasting impact in shaping his gracious, humble, and generous personality. Fazlur died in 1982 at the age of 53.
Construction-Based Research in China
Authors: Yang Xu , Lapolla Randy J.
Published: December 2023

Research on construction-based grammar in China began in the late 1990s. Since its initial stages of introduction and preliminary exploration, it has entered a stage of productive and innovative development. In the past two decades, Chinese construction grammarians have achieved a number of valuable research results. In terms of theoretical applications, they have described and explained various types of constructions, such as schematic, partly variable, and fully substantive constructions. They have also applied the constructionist approach to the teaching of Chinese as a second language, proposing some new grammar systems or teaching modes such as the construction-chunk approach (构式-语块教学法), the lexicon-construction interaction model (词汇-构式互动体系), and trinitarian grammar (三一语法). In terms of theoretical innovation, Chinese construction grammarians have put forward theories or hypotheses such as the unification of grammar and rhetoric through constructions, the concept of lexical coercion, and interactive construction grammar (互动构式语法).

However, some problems have also emerged in the field of construction grammar approaches. These include a narrow understanding of the concept of construction, a limited range of research topics, and a narrow range of disciplinary perspectives and methods. To ensure the long-term development of construction-based research in China, scholars should be encouraged to make the following changes: First, they should adopt a usage-based approach using natural data, and they should keep up with advances in the study of construction networks. Second, they should broaden the scope of construction-based research and integrate it with language typology and historical linguistics. Finally, they should integrate cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary research findings and methods. In this way, construction-based research in China can continue to flourish and make significant contributions to the study of grammar and language.
Exercise for falls prevention in aged care: systematic review and trial endpoint meta-analyses
Authors: Dyer Suzanne M , Suen Jenni , Kwok Wing S , Dawson Rik , McLennan Charlotte , Cameron Ian D , Hill Keith D , Sherrington Catherine
Published: December 2023

Background

There is strong evidence that exercise reduces falls in older people living in the community, but its effectiveness in residential aged care is less clear. This systematic review examines the effectiveness of exercise for falls prevention in residential aged care, meta-analysing outcomes measured immediately after exercise or after post-intervention follow-up.

Methods

Systematic review and meta-analysis, including randomised controlled trials from a Cochrane review and additional trials, published to December 2022. Trials of exercise as a single intervention compared to usual care, reporting data suitable for meta-analysis of rate or risk of falls, were included. Meta-analyses were conducted according to Cochrane Collaboration methods and quality of evidence rated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach.

Results

12 trials from the Cochrane review plus 7 new trials were included. At the end of the intervention period, exercise probably reduces the number of falls (13 trials, rate ratio [RaR] = 0.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.49–0.95), but after post-intervention follow-up exercise had little or no effect (8 trials, RaR = 1.01, 95% CI = 0.80–1.28). The effect on the risk of falling was similar (end of intervention risk ratio (RR) = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.72–0.98, 12 trials; post-intervention follow-up RR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.92–1.20, 8 trials). There were no significant subgroup differences according to cognitive impairment.

Conclusions

Exercise is recommended as a fall prevention strategy for older people living in aged care who are willing and able to participate (moderate certainty evidence), but exercise has little or no lasting effect on falls after the end of a programme (high certainty evidence).
CoSIA: an R Bioconductor package for CrOss Species Investigation and Analysis
Authors: Haldar Anisha , Oza Vishal H , DeVoss Nathaniel S , Clark Amanda D , Lasseigne Brittany N
Published: December 2023

High-throughput sequencing technologies have enabled cross-species comparative transcriptomic studies; however, there are numerous challenges for these studies due to biological and technical factors. We developed CoSIA (Cross-Species Investigation and Analysis), a Bioconductor R package and Shiny app that provides an alternative framework for cross-species transcriptomic comparison of non-diseased wild-type RNA sequencing gene expression data from Bgee across tissues and species (human, mouse, rat, zebrafish, fly, and nematode) through visualization of variability, diversity, and specificity metrics.

Availability and implementation

https://github.com/lasseignelab/CoSIA.
Days alive and out of hospital after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery wedge resection in the era of enhanced recovery
Authors: Huang Lin , Frandsen Mikkel Nicklas , Kehlet Henrik , Petersen René Horsleben
Published: December 2023

Background

Days alive and out of hospital is proposed as a valid and patient-centred quality measure for perioperative care. However, no procedure-specific data exist after pulmonary wedge resection. The aim of this study was to assess the first 90 days alive and out of hospital after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery wedge resection in an optimized enhanced recovery programme.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data of consecutive patients undergoing enhanced recovery thoracoscopic wedge resections from January 2021 to June 2022 in a high-volume centre was carried out. All factors leading to hospitalization, readmission, and death were evaluated individually. A logistic regression model was used to evaluate predictors. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was performed.

Results

A total of 433 patients were included (21.7% (n = 94) with non-small cell lung cancer, 47.6% (n = 206) with metastasis, 26.8% (n = 116) with benign nodules, and 3.9% (n = 17) with other lung cancers). The median duration of hospital stay was 1 day. The median of postoperative 30 and 90 days alive and out of hospital was 28 and 88 days respectively. Air leak (112 patients) and pain (96 patients) were the most frequent reasons for reduced days alive and out of hospital from postoperative day 1 to 30, whereas treatment of the original cancer or metastasis (36 patients) was the most frequent reason for reduced days alive and out of hospital from postoperative day 31 to 90. Male sex, reduced lung function, longer dimension of resection margin, pleural adhesions, and non-small cell lung cancer were independent risks, confirmed by a sensitivity analysis.

Conclusion

Days alive and out of hospital within 90 days after enhanced recovery thoracoscopic wedge resection was only reduced by a median of 2 days, mainly due to air leak and pain.
Potential proarrhythmic side effect of high dose and prolonged infusion of sodium nitroprusside through calcium ion reduction: a case report
Authors: Fazzini Luca , Gori Mauro , Dessalvi Christian Cadeddu , Senni Michele
Published: December 2023

Background

Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) is an excellent drug in acute decompensated heart failure (HF) patients with high vascular peripheral resistance. Its prolonged administration may cause thiocyanate accumulation and toxicity. A proarrhythmic side effect has never been reported.

Case summary

Herein, we report a case of an adult male affected by advanced HF due to a valvular cardiomyopathy admitted to our intensive cardiology unit with severe decompensation and waiting for a heart transplant. He was treated for several weeks with high-dose SNP, due to severe pulmonary hypertension and an extremely labile haemodynamic profile. He progressively developed high thiocyanate levels and, concomitantly, free calcium ion depletion, despite normal total calcium levels, with iterative ventricular arrhythmias. Calcium ion depletion was not responsive to calcium supplementation. We suspected a causative role of thiocyanate since the negatively charged sulfur atom of the thiocyanate molecules could bind the positively charged free calcium ions, leading to a free calcium ion depletion. Thus, we cautiously reduced SNP dosage, according to the patient's haemodynamic profile, with concomitant progressive free calcium ion normalization, thus reducing the arrhythmic burden of the patient, being able to finally perform heart transplantation.

Conclusion

We describe for the first time a proarrhythmic side effect of prolonged SNP administration, namely, calcium ion depletion, likely related to thiocyanate toxicity. Despite aggressive calcium supplementation, the only way to reduce the arrhythmic burden was SNP down titration.
Improving accuracy of age estimates for insect evidence—calibration of physiological age at emergence (k) using insect size but without “k versussize” model
Authors: Wydra Jędrzej , Smaga Łukasz , Matuszewski Szymon
Published: December 2023

Postmortem interval may be estimated based on the age of insect evidence collected on a death scene. Reference data that are used in such estimation frequently comprise thermal summation constant (i.e. k), which is equal to the insect age upon completion of immature development expressed in accumulated degree-days or degree-hours (ADD or ADH). Essentially, k is a central point of an insect group and it may poorly represent insect evidence that is near the limits of variation for the group. Accordingly, it was postulated to calibrate k for particular insect evidence and insect size and sex were found to be useful for this purpose in some of the species. However, the calibration is only possible by using the model that correlates k with insect size. Since very few such models were published, this lack of data limits the calibration of k in forensic casework. In this article, we develop a formula that is useful for the calibration of k without the use of “k versus size” model (and related datasets). The formula uses k from the general thermal summation model for a species (with its standard error), size range for the species (retrieved from entomology literature), and size measurements for particular insect evidence. The calibration of k with the formula was validated using the Creophilus maxillosus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) and Necrodes littoralis (Coleoptera: Silphidae) datasets. It was particularly useful while analyzing unusually small and large insects, in case of which the formula reduced the inaccuracy of k from the general model on average by ~25 ADD in C. maxillosus and ~40 ADD in N. littoralis. We discuss the limitations and prospects of the calibration protocol that employs the formula.
Site-specific glycosylation analysis of epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (ErbB2): exploring structure and function toward therapeutic targeting
Authors: Fujitani Naoki , Uehara Yasuaki , Ariki Shigeru , Hashimoto Ukichiro , Mukai Jo , Hasegawa Yoshihiro , Takahashi Motoko
Published: December 2023

Glycans found on receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) have emerged as promising targets for cancer chemotherapy, aiming to address issues such as drug resistance. However, to effectively select the target glycans, it is crucial to define the structure and function of candidate glycans in advance. Through mass spectrometric analysis, this study presents a “glycoform atlas” of epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (ErbB2), an RTK targeted for the treatment of ErbB2-positive cancers. Our analysis provides an in-depth and site-specific glycosylation profile, including both asparagine- and serine/threonine-linked glycosylation. Molecular dynamics simulations of N-glycosylated ErbB2 incorporating the identified glycan structures suggested that the N-glycan at N124 on the long flexible loop in the N-terminal region plays a role in stabilizing the ErbB2 structure. Based on the model structures obtained from the simulations, analysis employing an ErbB2 mutant deficient in N-glycosylation at N124 exhibited a significantly shorter intracellular half-life and suppressed autophosphorylation compared to wild-type ErbB2. Moreover, a structural comparison between the N-glycosylated forms of ErbB2 and its structurally homologous receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), demonstrated distinct variations in the distribution and density of N-glycans across these two molecules. These findings provide valuable insights into the structural and functional implications of ErbB2 glycosylation and will contribute to facilitating the establishment of glycan-targeted therapeutic strategies for ErbB2-positive cancers.
Qualitative evaluation of a Salutogenic Healthy Eating Programme for Dutch people with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Polhuis Kristel C M M , Koelen Maria A , Bouwman Laura I , Vaandrager Lenneke
Published: December 2023

The salutogenic model of health (SMH) is a health-promoting theory that focuses on resources, strengths, and coping capacities in everyday life as a way to improve health and wellbeing. The SMH was applied to develop a programme for enabling healthy eating practices among people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM): the SALUD programme. This study aims to gain insight in how participants with T2DM experienced the content and meaning of the SALUD programme. Three focus groups with participants (six to eight participants/group) that finished the SALUD programme were conducted. The focus groups were video-recorded, transcribed ad verbatim and thematically analysed. The SALUD programme was perceived by the participants as a positive, meaningful learning experience. Key factors why the participants described the programme as positive were that they felt a sense of social-belonging and (emotionally) safe (theme 1). The SALUD programme’s positive encouraging approach presented by the coach invited participants to join an active learning process (theme 2). Performing trial-and-error experiments and weekly reflecting on goals is what characterized active learning. The meaningfulness of the learning process (theme 3) was derived from (i) positive self-confrontation; (ii) exploring mind-body connections and perceiving improved health and (iii) noticing positive changes in their social environment (theme 3). To conclude, the study uncovered that the SALUD programme incited a positive, meaningful learning process for healthy eating and the contextual factors important in this. Potential leads to further improve the SALUD programme are discussed in order to maximize the chance of inciting an inclusive, active learning process.
Multicentre experience with valve-sparing aortic root replacement by means of combined remodelling and external aortic ring annuloplasty in patients with Marfan syndrome
Authors: Accord Ryan E , Mecozzi Gianclaudio , Aalberts Jan J J , Nijs Jan , ter Weeme Mimi , van Aarnhem Egidius E H L , Mariani Massimo A , van den Berg Maarten P
Published: December 2023

OBJECTIVES

The most recent valve-sparing root replacement technique combines the advantages of the reimplantation (David) and remodelling (Yacoub) techniques. The aortic root is reconstructed according to the remodelling technique, the aortic valve is repaired according to the principle of effective height, and an external ring provides annular support. The purpose of this study was to evaluate operative and mid-term outcomes using this technique in patients with Marfan syndrome.

METHODS

Adult patients with Marfan syndrome who had an indication for aortic root surgery according to European Society of Cardiology guidelines and were operated on using this new root replacement technique were retrospectively evaluated. Follow-up was obtained from standard outpatient visits and included echocardiography.

RESULTS

The study group comprised 22 patients (mean age 36 years, 68% males). Mean follow-up was 7.5 years. There were no mortalities. Two patients required aortic valve replacement because of aortic regurgitation. In both patients, the aortic root was severely dilated (≥65 mm) preoperatively, with grade III aortic valve regurgitation and aortic valve cusps that were very fragile. Aortic regurgitation was grade ≤I on follow-up in 18 of the remaining 20 patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Valve-sparing root replacement using remodelling combined with aortic-ring annuloplasty is safe in patients with Marfan syndrome. The mid-term outcome is promising in patients undergoing elective valve-sparing root replacement at recommended root diameters. However, in patients with extremely dilated aortic roots and already severe aortic regurgitation, the technique should be used cautiously as aortic cusps are fragile and might not be suitable for durable repair.

Clinical registration number

UMCG Research registry #11208
Simultaneous UPLC Assay for Oxitropium Bromide and Formoterol Fumarate Dihydrate in Pressurized Metered Dose Inhaler Products for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: Seckin Serdar , Saglik Aslan Serap
Published: December 2023

Backround

Oxitropium bromide (OB) and formoterol fumarate dihydrate (FFD) are inhaler molecules that are widely used in the treatment of chronic lung diseases.

Objective

The goal of this work was to create a reversed phase–ultra performance liquid chromatography (RP-UPLC) technique for assay and identification of OB and FFD, as well as identification and estimate of its associated compounds in pressurized metered dose inhaler product (pMDI).

Method

Separation of oxitropium and formoterol peaks were enhanced on a C18 (50 × 2.1 mm × 1.7 μm) UPLC column with ethylene-bridged-hybrid technology, The mobile phase consists of buffer (0.07 M KH2PO4) and acetonitrile (80:20, v/v). The detector wavelength of 210 nm, flow rate of pump 0.6 mL/min, and oven temperature for column were set at 25°C. The injection volume was 10 μL. The method run time was 2 min. The mobile phase was used as the solvent.

Results

Retention times (RTs) were 0.5 min for OB and 1.0 min for FFD. The assay analysis was linear range for all analytes within the range for concentrations 0.03—14.8 µg/mL of OB, 0.01–0.88 µg/mL of FFD. LOD values and LOQ values 0.009 and 0.026 µg/mL for OB and 0.003 and 0.009 µg/mL for FFD, respectively. Recoveries were obtained at 96.3% for OB and 97.2% for FFD. Precisions values were (as RSD, %) ≤1.5%.

Conclusions

With the UPLC method developed and validated according to the current ICH guidelines, it is possible to simultaneously detect OB and FFD of assay analysis in pMDI products accurately, precisely and selectively, independent of the matrix effect.

Highlights

The present method is the first method in the literature based on the UPLC method for this purpose. The UPLC method is a time-saving method, it provides a faster and cheaper technique than the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method.
Grill-Related Burn Injuries: A Matched Cohort Study
Authors: Choe Deborah , Cooper Michael , Roberts Miki , Gillenwater Justin , Yenikomshian Haig A
Published: December 2023

Barbequing can result in devastating burn injuries with unsafe practices. This study aims to characterize the demographics, injury characteristics, and outcomes of grill-related burns and identify ways of burn prevention. A retrospective review of patients admitted to a single-institution, metropolitan burn center from January 1, 2017, to July 1, 2023. Data included demographics, burn injury characteristics, and outcomes. Each Grill Cohort patient was matched to 3 nongrill controls by mBaux score and burn location. Of 2355 patients, 69 (2.9%) met Grill Cohort inclusion criteria. The Grill Cohort had 55 (79.7%) males and an average age of 41.7 ± 17.5 years old. In the Grill Cohort, 25 (36.2%) patients had positive blood alcohol, 8 (11.6%) tested positive for amphetamines, and 5 (7.2%) for cocaine at the time of admission. A total of 61 (88.4%) Grill Cohort burns involved the upper extremity, 43 (62.3%) the head/neck, 34 (49.3%) the lower extremity, and 30 (43.5%) the trunk. Compared with the Control Cohort, the Grill Cohort had smaller proportions of patients who were undomiciled (P < .01) or had a history of mental illness (P < .001). Grill-related burns had a greater proportion of flash/flame burns (P < .001). This study suggests that middle-aged, domiciled males without psychiatric comorbidities are more likely to make preventable grilling errors resulting in burn injuries. Prevention strategies targeting this demographic group should emphasize the risks of grilling while intoxicated, proper handling of propane tanks and lighter fluid, and the use of flash/flame-resistant gear protecting the upper extremities and head/neck.
Latest evidence on clinical outcomes and prognostic factors of advanced urothelial carcinoma in the era of immune checkpoint inhibitors: a narrative review
Authors: Taguchi Satoru , Kawai Taketo , Nakagawa Tohru , Kume Haruki
Published: December 2023

The management of advanced (locally advanced or metastatic) urothelial carcinoma has been revolutionized since pembrolizumab was introduced in 2017. Several prognostic factors for advanced urothelial carcinoma treated with pembrolizumab have been reported, including conventional parameters such as performance status and visceral (especially liver) metastasis, laboratory markers such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, sarcopenia, histological/genomic markers such as programmed cell death ligand 1 immunohistochemistry and tumor mutational burden, variant histology, immune-related adverse events, concomitant medications in relation to the gut microbiome, primary tumor site (bladder cancer versus upper tract urothelial carcinoma) and history/combination of radiotherapy. The survival time of advanced urothelial carcinoma has been significantly prolonged (or ‘doubled’ from 1 to 2 years) after the advent of pembrolizumab, which will be further improved with novel agents such as avelumab and enfortumab vedotin. This review summarizes the latest evidence on clinical outcomes and prognostic factors of advanced urothelial carcinoma in the contemporary era of immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Arachnoid webs with spinal cord compression: insights from three cases
Authors: Derouen Kaleb , Shelvin Kierany B , Payton Tayler , Crabill George A , Wilson John M , Tender Gabriel
Published: December 2023

Spinal arachnoid webs are intradural bands of abnormally formed arachnoid tissue, located within the subarachnoid space and causing compression of the dorsal aspect of the spinal cord. Arachnoid webs are uncommon and can be difficult to treat. We report 3 patients presenting with a spinal arachnoid web within a 6-month period. All of them exhibited signs of thoracic myelopathy and the MRI showed the pathognomonic ‘scalpel sign’. Two of the patients underwent surgery for removal of their spinal arachnoid web, whereas the third patient case is currently being managed conservatively. We also present our 2D intraoperative video for arachnoid web removal and spinal cord decompression.
Laparoscopic repair of internal hernia in one anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB): a case report
Authors: Al-Mulla Ahmad Essam , Elgazzar Mohamed , Shalaby Omar
Published: December 2023

One anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB), considered an alternative to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, is becoming an increasingly common procedure. It shows excellent results in terms of weight reduction and remission of metabolic disease. Among the advantages of OAGB is the lack of internal hernia due to the absence of jejuno-jejunal anastomosis. However, internal herniation in OAGB is not impossible, and multiple cases have been mentioned in the literature. We describe a laparoscopic revisional surgery of internal hernia in a patient with a 2-month history of OAGB.
Intrinsically disordered regions of the Msn2 transcription factor encode multiple functions using interwoven sequence grammars
Authors: Mindel Vladimir , Brodsky Sagie , Cohen Aileen , Manadre Wajd , Jonas Felix , Carmi Miri , Barkai Naama
Published: December 2023

Intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are abundant in eukaryotic proteins, but their sequence-function relationship remains poorly understood. IDRs of transcription factors (TFs) can direct promoter selection and recruit coactivators, as shown for the budding yeast TF Msn2. To examine how IDRs encode both these functions, we compared genomic binding specificity, coactivator recruitment, and gene induction amongst a large set of designed Msn2-IDR mutants. We find that both functions depend on multiple regions across the > 600AA IDR. Yet, transcription activity was readily disrupted by mutations that showed no effect on the Msn2 binding specificity. Our data attribute this differential sensitivity to the integration of a relaxed, composition-based code directing binding specificity with a more stringent, motif-based code controlling the recruitment of coactivators and transcription activity. Therefore, Msn2 utilizes interwoven sequence grammars for encoding multiple functions, suggesting a new IDR design paradigm of potentially general use.
Exporters under foreign heat
Authors: Nedoncelle Clément
Published: December 2023

In this article, I estimate the effect of foreign weather shocks on firm-level exports, exploiting the French firm-level customs data from 1995 to 2009. I find support for a small, negative impact of foreign temperatures on average but estimate a robust and strong differential effect across exporters, leading to composition changes. Larger firms are more negatively harmed by foreign weather shocks than small exporters. Regarding mechanisms, demand-side mechanisms (such as import demand changes) are mainly at play, whereas I find no evidence for supply-side (competition) mechanisms.
Turn to Kitsch
Authors: Gabrillo James
Published: December 2023

During the 1990s, the variety television program Eat Bulaga! became a prime figure behind the arrangement of a kitsch musical and popular culture in the Philippines. The show developed a novel style that foregrounded parodic spectacle and mimicry, while adopting varieties of musical and presentational qualities from local and foreign traditions. Presented on a nationwide platform of broadcast television, Eat Bulaga! and its subsequent mass popularity influenced the creation and programming of other local musical shows, effectively establishing a template for cultural spectacles driven by comical song and dance. Its enduring presence on television until today—and the comings-and-goings of performances and products that continue in their emulation of the program’s aesthetic, tonal, and thematic strategies—manifests the significant role that musical performance plays in Filipino culture and to the audiences sustaining their support.
Murder, She Arranged
Authors: Steigerwald Ille Megan
Published: December 2023

This chapter questions how contemporary arrangements of canonic operas might subvert pervasive notions of Werktreue (faithfulness to the original) that exist for even twenty-first century performers. Drawing on ethnographic research completed in 2016 at the Banff Centre, this chapter examines the rehearsals and performances of No One’s Safe, a workshop production created by Canadian director Joel Ivany, which combines a new English libretto with arias and ensembles chosen from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosi fan Tutte to depict a whodunit following a murder. The chapter argues that this work demonstrates how experimental arrangements might allow performers to decontextualize the performance of Mozart from both the operatic canon and institutionalized hierarchies of performance. Simultaneously, No One’s Safe also reveals the pervasive ways in which the ghost of Mozart—and correspondingly, “his” authority—haunts even performances that seek to move beyond traditional conventions of the operatic stage.
Gardens and Human Flourishing
Authors: Stuart-Smith Sue
Published: December 2023

Gardening is unique amongst the creative therapies in drawing on the power of nature’s growth and in the extent to which it brings together the emotional, physical, social, vocational, and spiritual aspects of life. This chapter presents key findings described in my book, The well gardened mind: rediscovering nature in the modern world (2020). There is first an overview of the history of horticulture as a health intervention in Western culture, including the medieval monastic gardens and the rehabilitation gardens for ex-servicemen that were established following both world wars, as well as recent models of Green Care and Social Prescribing. The chapter then examines how gardens offer an aesthetic experience that involves all the senses and explores how, through gardening people can experience themselves as empowered and creative. In addition, deep existential meanings can emerge through working with the cycle of life in the garden.
Ethnography
Authors: Pachirat Timothy
Published: December 2023

Riffing on a poem by Zbigniew Herbert, I posit ethnography as a “fifth-stanza method” with two movements. First, the translation of worlds into words through ethnography’s modes of access, modes of analysis, and finished forms. Second, the often violent turning back of ethnographic words into worlds via the conscription of ethnographic knowledge by those in power. Ethnography foregrounds questions about the ethics and politics of knowledge creation that also apply to other social science research methods and that invite further reflection on academia’s fundamentalist faith in the generation of knowledge as a good in its own right.
Research Design and Personal Identity
Authors: Özçelik Ezgi , Sumner Jane L.
Published: December 2023

The core components of research design, as set out by King, Keohane, and Verba (1994), have remained largely unchanged for two decades. Yet in recent years more attention has been paid to the ways that individual identity shapes the steps of research design and therefore the final research product. This chapter discusses the ways this occurs and provides some explanations for why they occur. It concludes by discussing why failing to recognize and accommodate how individual identity shapes the research design process—in other words, enforcing homogeneity—can be bad for researchers as well as for political science as a whole.
The Ethics of Research with Human Participants and the Value of Reflexive Openness
Authors: MacLean Lauren M. , Posner Elliot , Thomson Susan , Wood Elisabeth Jean
Published: December 2023

This chapter discusses the implications of giving primacy to the ethical treatment of human participants for empirical research in the social sciences. It advances a broad and distinct approach of “reflexive openness” that incorporates sustained reflection on the ethics of research practices. Drawing on the literature, the Qualitative Transparency Deliberation process, and the authors’ decades of experience in varied subfields, empirical contexts, and methodologies, the chapter systematically evaluates the risks, dilemmas, and consequences of a narrower notion of research transparency as compared to the reflexive openness approach. It argues that a shift to this approach yields great potential benefits and should be the foundation of research methods and practices. In conclusion, the chapter urges political scientists to strengthen such ethical commitments across disciplinary institutions including departments, professional associations, and journals. The lives and livelihoods of the subjects are at stake, as are the prospects for an engaged methodological pluralism that fosters multiple and diverse perspectives.
Harnessing the Power of Combined Methods
Authors: Darmofal David
Published: December 2023

Spatial analysis, network analysis, and event history analysis each seek to model dependent data. To date, however, integration of these three modeling approaches has been much too limited. Spatial and network analyses, in particular, have developed along separate tracks, but each’s integration with event history analysis has also been more limited than necessary and the synthesis of the three has been particularly limited. In this chapter I examine these modeling approaches, areas of divergence and of potential integration, and a potentially fruitful modeling approach that can integrate the three approaches and simultaneously account for spatial dependence, network features, and event occurrence.
The Global Expansion of Judicial Power
Authors: Hirschl Ran
Published: December 2023

The global expansion of judicial power is one of the most significant developments in late-twentieth and early twenty-first-century government. Scholars have identified this trend as the ‘judicialization of politics’, ‘governing with judges’, and ‘juristocracy’, conceptualizing judges as ‘legislators in robes’ and suggesting that our time may well be defined as the ‘Judicial Era’. This chapter focuses on three key aspects of this trend: (i) the dramatic increase in the number and types of national and transnational courts and tribunals; (ii) the ever-growing significance of courts and judges in determining political and policy-making outcomes worldwide; and (iii) criticism of, resistance to, and occasional backlash against expanded judicial power. It concludes by suggesting that from epistemological and methodological standpoints, the global expansion of judicial power provides new opportunities to develop and test arguments concerning judicial behaviour across time and place. The rise of law, courts, and judges as critical forces in comparative and world politics further suggests that politics and law are becoming increasingly intertwined domains, affecting each other in intricate ways that are seldom acknowledged by doctrinal analyses. Consequently, traditional disciplinary boundaries between the study of law and politics become increasingly difficult to sustain.
Strategic Analysis
Authors: Dothan Shai
Published: December 2023

Many scholars have investigated the role of judges and courts as strategic actors. At least in some cases, strategists deviate from the sincere manifestation of their policy views to reach better results considering the expected reactions of other actors. The strategic analysis of judicial behaviour can throw light on actions that are not properly explained by competing models. This chapter will review the definition of strategic analysis, the challenges in proving this form of behaviour, and the types of strategies examined by the literature in law and political science. The chapter distinguishes between strategies of judges and of courts and between strategies that are focused on the short term—one judgement and its aftermath—and on the long term.
Circuits of Knowledge of Tropical Commodities
Authors: Fernández-Prieto Leida
Published: December 2023

This chapter explores the role of knowledge circuits as a category of analysis in the techno-scientific developments of tropical products within the history of science and environmental and commodity histories. It uses the terms ‘domestic knowledge circuits’ and ‘tropical scientific knowledge’ to understand the intimate connection between the advances of science and the clearly practical and productivist objectives of knowledge applied to basic goods. This suggests complex and changing dynamics within the chain and life cycle of goods and illustrates areas of encounter, negotiation, and hybridity in the production and circulation of knowledge. This is exemplified with a case study of the control and eradication of the sugar cane mosaic virus in Cuba and Puerto Rico, highlighting the necessary interconnections between local and global strategies for the generation of new scientific knowledge. The chapter concludes with suggestions as to how such analytical frameworks may further research into the knowledge circuits of commodities.
Land-Rights Commodification
Authors: Cottyn Hanne
Published: December 2023

At the start of the twenty-first century, rural communities and the struggles over their lands are back on the global development and research agenda. This chapter historicizes processes of land-rights commodification and related transformations and conflicts in rural communities. What appears to be a universal experience in fact differed wildly over time and space. The chapter presents a theoretical discussion of the emergence of a modern land-rights regime and its disputed relation to a multiplicity of parallel existing land-rights regimes. It traces a global and uneven trajectory of land-rights commodification that intensified from the nineteenth century on. Drawing from empirical research on Andean communities, it illustrates how rural trajectories that have remained outside the scope of privatization are the outcome of dynamic negotiations over expanding commodity relations. The chapter closes with a historical perspective to the ongoing global land rush.
Introduction
Authors: Curry-Machado Jonathan , Stubbs Jean
Published: December 2023

Commodities provide a lens through which local and global histories can be understood and written, following these goods as they make their way from land and water, through processing and trade, to eventual consumption. Commodity history is a fast-developing field, with collaborative, comparative, and interdisciplinary research, using new information technologies, becoming increasingly important. Although many individual researchers continue to focus on particular commodities and regions, they often do so in projects with others working on different commodities and regions and employing a range of theoretical and methodological approaches, placing commodity history at the forefront of local and global historical analysis. This has shaped the editors’ approach to the Handbook, with contributions by scholars involved in these developments in a range of countries and linguistic regions, who here discuss the state of the art in their field, draw on their own work, and signal lacunae for future research.
Anti-Commodities Revisited
Authors: Hazareesingh Sandip , Maat Harro
Published: December 2023

This chapter examines the use and relevance of the concept of anti-commodity originally devised to highlight how local cultures of crop cultivation in societies under colonial rule functioned as forms of resistance to the attempted imposition of regimes of commercial agriculture. It argues that the concept remains particularly fruitful in the context of local small-farmer strategies and cultural choices around food crop cultivation and consumption. Anti-commodity defines and reveals alternative farmer value systems and cultivating practices to ongoing profit-oriented processes of commodification of food systems. The chapter outlines two research-based case studies, concretely illustrating diverse modes of counter-hegemonic food culture. One study is set in the colonial past, the other in the post-colonial present, suggesting that anti-commodity practices remain an important story to be told and heard not only about peasant pasts but also about farmer counter-movements in the contemporary world.
Futures Trading and German Agricultural Markets
Authors: Engel Alexander
Published: December 2023

In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, in a general acceleration of trade, the circulation of information began to outpace that of goods. Commodities became sold while still on their way: forward contracting made trading more abstract and speculative, and the standardisation of this at mid-nineteenth century commodity exchanges created a new mercantile practice—futures trading. This chapter provides an overview of the historiography relating to futures markets. Historical studies have focused in particular on the roots of the practice, the peculiar nature and functional role of commodity futures exchanges, and cultures of risk and speculation. The chapter continues with the illustrative case of the history of German futures markets for agricultural goods, during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It concludes with a consideration of inter-cultural differences in conceptualizing futures trading in commodities, and of the prospects for further research into its transnational history.
Knives, Vendettas, Bifurcations
Authors: Pimentel Pinto Júlio
Published: December 2023

Detective fiction appears in Borges’s work in several ways: in the reading experience; in his activities as an editor, anthologist, and reviewer; and in the formulation of a set of rules and characterizations of the genre. It is present in his own work as well as in his work in collaboration with Adolfo Bioy Casares. Borges identified the general origins of detective fiction then dismantled and reconstructed them, transforming the usual searches for clues and deciphering of mysteries into a rigorous textual geometry. His enigmas take the form of theoretical discussions about the literary craft, the dilemmas of time and temporality, and the dialogue between fiction and history. Contrary to the construction of literary formulas, which certain critics tend to associate with the history of the genre, stories such as “Hombre de la esquina rosada” [Man on Pink Corner], “El jardín de senderos que se bifurcan” [The Garden of Forking Paths], “Emma Zunz,” “La muerte y la brújula” [Death and the Compass], and “Abenjacán el Bojarí, muerto en su laberinto” [Ibn Hakkan al-Bokhari, Dead in His Labyrinth], among others, are not limited to the mere identification of a murderer or the motive of a crime; they go beyond the confines of the genre and suggest a theoretical understanding of fiction as a rereading and rational construction—simultaneously historical and imaginative—of the world.
Transitional Justice in Latin America
Authors: Roht-Arriaza Naomi
Published: December 2023

This chapter looks into transitional justice within Latin America. It mentions how limitations of transitional justice are apparent in the pervasive and destabilizing grand corruption and the continuing exclusionary and dysfunctional politics in the regions. Transitional justice techniques have proven helpless against rising crime of various varieties that make the region the most violent in the world. The chapter cites that grand corruptions and human rights violations went hand-in-hand across the continent. It explains how transitional justice in the region differs from other places because of the severe time lag between the underlying events and the implementation of transitional justice mechanisms.
Transitional Justice in the Ancient World
Authors: Lanni Adriaan
Published: December 2023

The ancient Athenian democracy provides our first richly documented example of a self-conscious transitional justice policy. This chapter explores the classical Athenians’ complex response to the atrocities committed during the reign of the Thirty Tyrants at the end of the fifth century BCE. Following the return of the democracy, the Athenians carefully balanced retribution and forgiveness: an amnesty protected collaborators from direct prosecution, but in practice private citizens could indirectly sanction even low-level oligarchic sympathizers by raising their collaboration as character evidence in unrelated lawsuits. They also balanced remembering and forgetting: discussion of the civil war in the courts memorialized the atrocities committed during the tyranny but also whitewashed the widespread collaboration by ordinary citizens, falsely depicting the populace as members of the democratic resistance.
The Record as Command
Authors: Lowry James
Published: December 2023

Records are imbued with and imbue power: all archives therefore hold power. This chapter argues that State records are material instantiations of commands and other illocutionary speech acts that create a dialogical but asymmetrical power dynamic between state and subject. The ‘record-as-command’ is a form of disciplinary writing through which states govern at a distance, coding persons, places, and actions into data points that can be counted and policed. Records therefore represent power, but they also manufacture it. Data-as-command is the increasingly granular, digitized, and automated extension of this phenomenon. The record-as-command and data-as-command work through the apparatus of bureaucracy, which is a supersubject composed of and always entangling new subjects. Through Rancière’s notions of dissensus and impertinent dialectics, this chapter suggests that critical participation in record-making, and information system design, can counteract power asymmetry.
Archives, Art, and the Performativity of Practice
Authors: Birkin Jane
Published: December 2023

This chapter considers how performative (rules-driven) methodologies and modalities are common to both archival and artistic practices, and it deliberates the relationship between work and art that follows from this. Although techniques of recordkeeping and documentation are routine inside the archive, they may appear radical when brought into art practice. This radicalization follows the Duchampian model of the ‘readymade’: the shift from a familiar to an unfamiliar context. Although the debate here lies outside conventional archive theory and art criticism, it is pertinent to both archives and art. Additionally, whilst archival thinking has informed the art practices discussed here (both text—and image-based), it is hoped that consideration of such practices may be thought provoking and constructive when taken back into the archive. The themes of performativity, labour, media archaeology, material culture, and cultural theory addressed here are as critical to archival thinking as they are to art.
An Artist Unpacks the Archives
Authors: Maclennan Ruth
Published: December 2023

This chapter tells the story of my encounters as an artist with archives and the ideas and artworks they inspired. It begins inside the archives of the London School of Economics, where I made The Gatekeepers, a film about the archivists and other works exploring institutional archives and performance in the workplace. The chapter discusses films that draw on archival images to speak to contemporary concerns around corporate workplaces and genetics. It then moves on to experiments with archives as containers for circulating ideas, and as documents of live events. Leaving institutions behind, it shifts focus to landscapes as living archives, repositories of occluded lives in the Scottish Highlands, the Kazakh steppes, Crimea, and the Russian Arctic. The chapter concludes with reflections on the climate emergency and the uses of archives for ecological thinking.