bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lateralized response of skull bone marrow via osteopontin signaling in mice after ischemia reperfusion
Authors: Xu Chaoran , Zhang Qia , Zhang Yi , Chen Huaijun , Tang Tianchi , Wang Junjie , Xia Siqi , Chen Gao , Zhang Jianmin
Published: December 2023

Skull bone marrow is thought to be an immune tissue closely associated with the central nervous system (CNS). Recent studies have focused on the role of skull bone marrow in central nervous system disorders. In this study, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on ipsilateral and contralateral skull bone marrow cells after experimental stroke and then performed flow cytometry and analysis of cytokine expression. Skull marrow showed lateralization in response to stroke. Lateralization is demonstrated primarily by the proliferation and differentiation of myeloid and lymphoid lineage cells in the skull bone marrow adjacent to the ischemic region, with an increased proportion of neutrophils compared to monocytes. Analysis of chemokines in the skull revealed marked differences in chemotactic signals between the ipsilateral and contralateral skull, whereas sympathetic signals innervating the skull did not affect cranial bone marrow lateralization. Osteopontin (OPN) is involved in region-specific activation of the skull marrow that promotes inflammation in the meninges, and inhibition of OPN expression improves neurological function.

Graphical Abstract
Research priorities in HIV, aging and rehabilitation: building on a framework with the Canada-International HIV and Rehabilitation Research Collaborative
Authors: O’Brien Kelly K. , Ibáñez-Carrasco Francisco , Birtwell Kelly , Donald Graeme , Brown Darren A. , Eaton Andrew D. , Kasadha Bakita , Stanmore Emma , St. Clair-Sullivan Natalie , Townsend Liam , Vera Jaime H. , Solomon Patricia
Published: December 2023

Background

In 2016, the Canada-International HIV and Rehabilitation Research Collaborative established a framework of research priorities in HIV, aging and rehabilitation. Our aim was to review and identify any new emerging priorities from the perspectives of people living with HIV, clinicians, researchers, and representatives from community organizations.

Methods

We conducted a multi-stakeholder international consultation with people living with HIV, researchers, clinicians and representatives of community-based organizations. Stakeholders convened for a one-day Forum in Manchester, United Kingdom (UK) to discuss research priorities via a web-based questionnaire and facilitated discussions. We analyzed data using conventional content analytical techniques and mapped emerging priorities onto the foundational framework.

Results

Thirty-five stakeholders from the UK(n = 29), Canada(n = 5) and Ireland(n = 1) attended the Forum, representing persons living with HIV or representatives from community-based organizations(n = 12;34%), researchers or academics(n = 10;28%), service providers(n = 6;17%), clinicians(n = 4;11%); and trainees(n = 4;11%). Five priorities mapped onto the Framework of Research Priorities across three content areas: A–Episodic Health and Disability Aging with HIV (disability, frailty, social participation), B-Rehabilitation Interventions for Healthy Aging across the Lifespan (role, implementation and impact of digital and web-based rehabilitation interventions) and C–Outcome Measurement in HIV and Aging (digital and web-based rehabilitation health technology to measure physical activity). Stakeholders indicated methodological considerations for implementing digital and web-based rehabilitation interventions into research and practice and the importance of knowledge transfer and exchange among the broader community.

Conclusion

Results highlight the sustained importance of the Framework of Research Priorities and provide further depth and areas of inquiry related to digital and web-based rehabilitation interventions and technology aging with HIV.
Novel sternoclavicular hook plate for the treatment of posterior sternoclavicular dislocation: a retrospective study
Authors: Xin Hanlong , Wang Xingui , Zhang Shaohua , Lin Lie , Chen Haixiao , Hong Huaxing
Published: December 2023

Background

Controversies regarding the optimal internal fixation method for posterior sternoclavicular dislocation (SCD) exist. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of a new type of sternoclavicular hook plate for treating posterior SCD.

Methods

Eleven patients (eight men and three women) with posterior SCD who underwent treatment with the new sternoclavicular hook plate from June 2011 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients’ ages ranged from 33 to 71 years (54.91 ± 13.58 years). Operation time, blood loss, length of hospital stay, and postoperative complications were recorded. Postoperative joint reduction and healing were evaluated using radiography and computed tomography. The Constant–Murley and Rockwood sternoclavicular joint scores were used to evaluate the functional recovery of the affected limb 12 months after surgery.

Results

All 11 patients were followed up for 12–24 months (18.00 ± 3.74 months). All incisions healed by first intention. The healing time ranged from 9 to 13 days (10.82 ± 1.54 days), and the joint healing time was 3–4 months (3.55 ± 0.52 months). The operation time was 45–75 min (59.55 ± 11.06 min), intraoperative blood loss was 22–58 mL (39.91 ± 11.07 mL), and the length of hospitalization was 6–14 days (9.91 ± 3.27 days). There were no complications such as infections, internal fixation failure, or nerve injury. The Constant–Murley score was 93.64 ± 9.01 at 12 months postoperatively. The Rockwood score was 13.36 ± 1.86, of which nine cases were excellent, one case was good, and one case was fair.

Conclusion

The novel sternoclavicular hook plate is effective for the treatment of posterior SCD. This novel device can facilitate early joint functional exercises and good functional recovery.
Circadian rhythm-associated lncRNA RP11-414H17.5 as a key therapeutic target in osteosarcoma affects the tumor immune microenvironment and enhances malignancy
Authors: Huang Liangkun , Liang Wanting , Cai Wenxiang , Peng Hao
Published: December 2023

Background

It has previously been proven that circadian rhythm disruption is associated with the incidence and deterioration of several tumors, which potentially leads to increased tumor susceptibility and a worse prognosis for tumor-bearing patients. However, their potential role in osteosarcoma has yet to be sufficiently investigated.

Methods

Transcriptomic and clinical data of 84 osteosarcoma samples and 70 normal bone tissue samples were obtained from the TARGET and GTEx databases, circadian rhythm-related genes were obtained from Genecards, and circadian rhythm-related lncRNAs (CRLs) were obtained by Pearson correlation analysis, differential expression analysis, and protein–protein interaction (PPI) analysis. COX regression and LASSO regression were performed on the CRLs in order to construct a circadian rhythm-related prognostic prediction signature (CRPS). CRPS reliability was verified by Kaplan–Meier (KM), principal component analysis (PCA), nomogram, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. CRPS effects on the immune microenvironment of osteosarcoma were explored by enrichment analysis and immune infiltration analysis, and the effect of critical gene RP11-414H17.5 on osteosarcoma was experimentally verified.

Result

CRPS consisting of three CRLs was constructed and its area under the curve (AUC) values predicted that osteosarcoma prognosis reached 0.892 in the training group and 0.843 in the test group, with a p value of < 0.05 for the KM curve and stable performance across different clinical subgroups. PCA analysis found that CRPS could significantly distinguish between different risk subgroups, and exhibited excellent performance in the prediction of the immune microenvironment. The experiment verified that RP11-414H17.5 can promote metastasis and inhibit apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells.

Conclusion

The study revealed that circadian rhythm plays a crucial role in osteosarcoma progression and identified the impact of the key gene RP11-414H17.5 on osteosarcoma, which provides novel insights into osteosarcoma diagnosis and therapy.
Pneumothorax with liposuction, awareness of rare complication: a case report
Authors: Alwadai Abdulelah , Gaber Mustafa , Alammar Alwaleed Khalid , Alsaedan Abdullah M. , Eldaib Jamal
Published: December 2023

Background

Liposuction is the most commonly performed procedure in aesthetic plastic surgery worldwide, the complications and morbidity are under evaluated. Pneumothorax is thought to be a rare complication after liposuction but the exact rate still unknown.

Case presentation

We presented to you a 45-year-old Arabian female with history of hypertension underwent lipoabdominoplasty, back liposuction and gluteal lipofilling. On the first postoperative day, the patient was complaining of chest pain accompanied with tachypnea and tachycardia, oxygen saturation was maintained on room air. Upon chest auscultation, diminished air entry was markedly noted on her left side, immediate chest x-ray and electrocardiogram (ECG) was done, which showed unremarkable x-ray and ECG shows sinus tachycardia. Computed tomography (CT) carried out and showed left side pneumothorax. An urgent thoracic surgery consultation was done and chest tube was inserted. The patient reported immediate improvement of her symptoms and the vital signs retain to normal range. On day 3, air leak stopped, chest tube was clipped by thoracic surgery, and the chest tube was removed 24 h later. The patient had a relatively smooth recovery with no other complications.

Conclusion

Pneumothorax have possibility to happen with liposuction, awareness of possible risk factors should detect by plastic surgeon, to manage earlier as soon as possible.
Extramedullary hematopoiesis in ribs and severe pulmonary hypertension disease following intermediate beta-thalassemia: a case report
Authors: Takaldani Ali Hossein Samadi , Javanshir Nima , Honardoost Helia , Negaresh Mohammad
Published: December 2023

Background

Thalassemia is a type of congenital hemoglobinopathy that falls into the category of hemolytic anemias. Extramedullary hematopoiesis is a complication of this disease, which is a mechanism to compensate for chronic anemia in these patients, and imaging is the best diagnostic method.

Case report

In this report, a 36-year-old Caucasian female patient with intermediate beta thalassemia is presented who, at the time of referral, complained of exacerbated shortness of breath. Imaging showed diffuse expansion masses with soft tissue components in the ribs of both hemithoraxes, leading to the diagnosis of extramedullary hematopoiesis.

Conclusion

Extramedullary hematopoiesis in the ribs is an uncommon finding in patients with thalassemia and is a sign of the severity of the disease and a poor prognostic factor that might be preventable if blood transfusion begins at younger ages.
A survey on filtered-x least mean square-based active noise control systems with emphasis on reducing computational complexity
Authors: Li Xiaolong , Chen Wan , Liu Zhien , Lu Chihua , Sun Menglei
Published: December 2023

Active noise control (ANC) is gaining ever-increasing attention owing to its powerful ability to attenuate low-frequency noise. The computational complexity of an ANC system may directly affect its computational efficiency, control performance, and hardware costs. Therefore, the focus of this paper is mainly on discussing the development of ANC systems with emphasis on reducing computational complexity. The ANC systems are classified into two groups of narrowband and broadband systems. The computational complexity analysis is provided to show the computational merit of each system with respect to the conventional ANC systems. In addition, numerical simulations are performed to evaluate the convergence speed and noise reduction performance of the considered systems. The results show that, in the narrowband ANC systems, the LFE-NANC, CFX-NANC and BFX-NANC systems enjoy better overall performance in terms of the computational complexity, convergence speed and steady-state error, and in the broadband ANC systems, the DF-BANC system has the lowest computational complexity but cannot effectively attenuate the broadband noise with high spectral dynamics, whereas the DS-BANC and MDS-BANC systems can. This study provides in-depth insight into current typical low-complexity ANC systems.
PRP significantly promotes the adhesion and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells on stent material
Authors: Wu Yin-Di , Jiang Hong-Jing , Zhou Hao-Hao , Xu Jian-Yi , Liu Qing , Sun Xu-Heng , Wu Yue-Heng , Lin Zhan-Yi
Published: December 2023

Background

The adhesion and survival state of cells on scaffold material is a major problem in tissue-engineered blood vessel (TEBV) culture. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) contains a large amount of biologically active factors and fibrin, which is expected to play an important role in TEBV culture.

Purpose

To combine PRP with cells and scaffold material to promote cell adhesion and biological activity on the scaffold material.

Methods

The adhesion status and migration of SMCs under the optimal concentration suitable for SMC growth and the optimal concentration of PRP were examined by scanning electron microscopy, HE staining, CCK-8 assays, qPCR, WB, and other experimental methods and compared with those under the conventional culture (20% FBS); finally, the effect of PRP on the deposition of ECM in vascular tissue engineering culture was verified by three-dimensional culture.

Results

PRP at 20% is a suitable concentration for SMCs. Compared with the control group, the 20% PRP group had better migration, and the number of SMC adhesions was significantly higher than that of the control group. In addition, collagen deposition in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group.

Conclusion

PRP (20%) can promote SMC adhesion, migration, and collagen deposition on the scaffold material.
Psychometric properties of the Persian version of Proactive-Safety Role Orientation questionnaire (PRO-SAFE)
Authors: Jafari Nodoushan Reza , Halvani Gholam Hossein , Sefidkar Reyhane , Mokarami Hamidreza , Jafari Nodoushan Mahdi
Published: December 2023

Background

Participation and initiative of workers are effective in promoting safety in the workplace. Proactive-Safety Role Orientation questionnaire (PRO-SAFE) is a proper tool to evaluate the psychological drivers that support the proactive orientation of individuals toward workplace safety. This study was conducted to translate and measure the psychometric properties of the Persian version of PRO-SAFE.

Methods

The PRO-SAFE was translated into Persian using procedures for translation and cross-cultural adaptation. To collect data, 252 employees of a steel complex were selected. To measure the validity of the questionnaire, face, content, convergent, and construct validity was utilized. The questionnaire’s reliability was evaluated by assessing its internal consistency.

Results

The mean of the content validity index and content validity ratio was equal to 0.83 and 0.85, respectively. We found a positive correlation between PRO-SAFE and safety behavior dimensions (r = 0.372 to 0.792, P < 0.001). Confirmatory factor analysis showed the Persian version of the PRO-SAFE questionnaire had an excellent six-factor model consistent with the original questionnaire. Cronbach’s alpha of the Persian version of the PRO-SAFE questionnaire was obtained between 0.717 to 0.880.

Conclusions

The Persian version of the PRO-SAFE questionnaire was found to have appropriate psychometric properties, indicating that it can be confidently used as a valid tool for assessing proactive role orientation toward safety management among Iranian employees.
Soaring over open waters: horizontal winds provide lift to soaring migrants in weak thermal conditions
Authors: Škrábal J. , Krejčí Š. , Raab R. , Sebastián-González E. , Literák I.
Published: December 2023

Background

For soaring birds, the ability to benefit from variable airflow dynamics is crucial, especially while crossing natural barriers such as vast water bodies during migration. Soaring birds also take advantage of warm rising air, so-called thermals, that allow birds to ascend passively to higher altitudes with reduced energy costs. Although it is well known that soaring migrants generally benefit from supportive winds and thermals, the potential of uplifts and other weather factors enabling soaring behavior remains unsolved.

Methods

In this study, we GPS-tracked 19 Red Kites,Milvus milvus, from the Central European population that crossed the Adriatic Sea on their autumn migration. Migratory tracks were annotated with weather data (wind support, side wind, temperature difference between air and surface—proxy for thermal uplift, cloud cover, and precipitation) to assess their effect on Red Kites' decisions and soaring performance along their migration across the Adriatic Sea and land.

Results

Wind support affected the timing of crossing over the Adriatic Sea. We found that temperature differences and horizontal winds positively affected soaring sea movement by providing lift support in otherwise weak thermals. Furthermore, we found that the soaring patterns of tracked raptors were affected by the strength and direction of prevailing winds.

Conclusion

Thanks to modern GPS–GSM telemetry devices and available data from online databases, we explored the effect of different weather variables on the occurrence of soaring behavior and soaring patterns of migratory raptors. We revealed how wind affected the soaring pattern and that tracked birds could soar in weak thermals by utilizing horizontal winds, thus reducing energy costs of active flapping flight over vast water bodies.
Integration of ATAC-seq and RNA-seq identifies MX1-mediated AP-1 transcriptional regulation as a therapeutic target for Down syndrome
Authors: Guo Zhenglong , Zhu Yongchang , Xiao Hai , Dai Ranran , Yang Wenke , Xue Wei , Zhang Xueying , Hao Bingtao , Liao Shixiu
Published: December 2023

Background

Growing evidence has suggested that Type I Interferon (I-IFN) plays a potential role in the pathogenesis of Down Syndrome (DS). This work investigates the underlying function of MX1, an effector gene of I-IFN, in DS-associated transcriptional regulation and phenotypic modulation.

Methods

We performed assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with high-throughout sequencing (ATAC-seq) to explore the difference of chromatin accessibility between DS derived amniocytes (DSACs) and controls. We then combined the annotated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and enriched transcriptional factors (TFs) targeting the promoter region from ATAC-seq results with the DEGs in RNA-seq, to identify key genes and pathways involved in alterations of biological processes and pathways in DS.

Results

Binding motif analysis showed a significant increase in chromatin accessibility of genes related to neural cell function, among others, in DSACs, which is primarily regulated by members of the activator protein-1 (AP-1) transcriptional factor family. Further studies indicated that MX Dynamin Like GTPase 1 (MX1), defined as one of the key effector genes of I-IFN, is a critical upstream regulator. Its overexpression induced expression of AP-1 TFs and mediated inflammatory response, thus leading to decreased cellular viability of DS cells. Moreover, treatment with specific AP-1 inhibitor T-5224 improved DS-associated phenotypes in DSACs.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that MX1-mediated AP-1 activation is partially responsible for cellular dysfunction of DS. T-5224 effectively ameliorated DS-associated phenotypes in DSACs, suggesting it as a potential treatment option for DS patients.
Role for Nongenomic Estrogen Signaling in Male Fertility
Authors: Graceli Jones B , Zomer Helena D , Medrano Theresa I , Hess Rex A , Korach Kenneth S , Cooke Paul S
Published: December 2023

Estrogen actions are mediated by both nuclear (n) and membrane (m) localized estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1). Male Esr1 knockout (Esr1KO) mice lacking functional Esr1 are infertile, with reproductive tract abnormalities. Male mice expressing nESR1 but lacking mESR1 (nuclear-only estrogen receptor 1 mice) are progressively infertile due to testicular, rete testis, and efferent ductule abnormalities similar to Esr1KO males, indicating a role for mESR1 in male reproduction. The H2NES mouse expresses only mESR1 but lacks nESR1. The goal of this study was to identify the functions of mESR1 alone in mice where nESR1 was absent. Breeding trials showed that H2NES males are fertile, with decreased litter numbers but normal pup numbers/litter. In contrast to Esr1KO mice, H2NES testicular, and epididymal weights were not reduced, and seminiferous tubule abnormalities were less pronounced. However, Esr1KO and H2NES males both had decreased sperm motility and a high incidence of abnormal sperm morphology. Seminiferous tubule and rete testis dilation and decreased efferent ductule epithelial height characteristic of Esr1KO males were reduced in H2NES. Consistent with this, expression of genes involved in fluid transport and ion movement that were reduced in Esr1KO (Aqp1, Car2, Car14, Cftr) were partially or fully restored to wild-type levels in H2NES. In summary, in contrast to Esr1KO males, H2NES males are fertile and have reduced phenotypic and functional abnormalities in the testis and efferent ductules. Thus, mESR1 alone, in the absence of nESR1, can partially regulate male reproductive tract structure and function, emphasizing its importance for overall estrogen action.
Drug interactions and hormonal contraception
Authors: Noble Nikki
Published: December 2023

There are several classes/types of drugs that interact with hormonal contraception, which can increase or reduce the effectiveness of the contraception. Contraceptive hormones can also increase or decrease the safety and effectiveness of certain drugs the individual is taking. Therefore, it is important for any health professional who provides contraception to take a through drug history and check interactions before prescribing. Health professionals must ensure contraceptive consultations are thorough, and that these drug interactions are avoided to ensure optimum prescribing and unintended pregnancy. The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health has updated its guidance on drug interactions with hormonal contraception, and this article provides a summary of this updated guidance, along with best practice points.
NEPS of complex unit gain graphs
Authors: Belardo Francesco , Brunetti Maurizio , Khan Suliman
Published: December 2023

A complex unit gain graph (or $\mathbb T$-gain graph) is a gain graph with gains in $\mathbb T$, the multiplicative group of complex units. Extending a classical construction for simple graphs due to Cvektovic, suitably defined noncomplete extended $p$-sums (NEPS, for short) of $\mathbb T$-gain graphs are considered in this paper. Structural properties of NEPS like balance and some spectral properties and invariants of their adjacency and Laplacian matrices are investigated, including the energy and the possible symmetry of the adjacency spectrum. It is also shown how NEPS are useful to obtain infinitely many integral graphs from the few at hands.Moreover, it is studied how NEPS of $\mathbb T$-gain graphs behave with respect to the property of being nut, i.e., having $0$ as simple adjacency eigenvalue and nowhere zero $0$-eigenvectors. Finally, a family of new products generalizing NEPS is introduced, and their few first spectral properties explored.
To sit quietly by oneself: on neoliberal capitalism’s ‘unprecedented inner loneliness’
Authors: Gerard Nathan
Published: December 2023

Building upon Max Weber’s insightful critique of the capitalist spirit as causing ‘unprecedented inner loneliness’, this article traces the trajectory of a fraught subjectivity over the course of a socioeconomic order from the Protestant Reformation to the present. Beginning with the premise that this socioeconomic order has a long history of both inviting and foreclosing upon the capacity to have an inner life, the general argument is pursued that grappling with one’s separateness, as well as the separateness of the object, gives rise to an inevitable sense of loneliness. This psychoanalytically informed sense of loneliness is juxtaposed with the gnawing loneliness that seems to haunt neoliberal subjectivity, revealing how the former might provide an imperfect but still viable antidote to our increasing inability to sit quietly by ourselves. Particular focus is given to re-evaluating Winnicott’s notion of the capacity to be alone in light of cultivating a separate self. The article concludes with some tentative thoughts on what suffering a separate self might entail, including suffering one’s inevitable loneliness.
Reading Marguerite de Navarre with Psychoanalysis
Authors: Frelick Nancy M.
Published: December 2023

Abstract: This article pays homage to Robert D. Cottrell’s significant contributions to Marguerite de Navarre studies, particularly his use of structuralist psychoanalysis, in interpreting both her spiritual and secular texts. While such an approach might seem anachronistic, Marguerite herself has been described as a fine psychologist avant la lettre . Her writings even had an influence on the seminars of Jacques Lacan, who confessed that the Heptaméron inspired him throughout his seminar on the ethics of psychoanalysis. One of the striking aspects of Cottrell’s body of work is that, for him, reading with psychoanalysis never means reading biographically: unlike some other critics, he always focuses on analyzing texts rather than the lives of their authors. Thus, we explore some of the rhetorical strategies he underscores, such as Marguerite’s use of anaphora and chiasmus, which appear to have a kind of mimetic function in her devotional mirror-poems, Le Miroir de l’âme pécheresse and Miroir de Jhesus Christ crucifié . We also analyze Cottrell’s use of Lacan’s three registers—the Imaginary, the Symbolic, and the Real—to illuminate the desire for union between human subject and divine Object in these spiritual mirrors. Finally, we consider promising avenues opened up by Cottrell’s readings, namely the theatricality and performativity of Marguerite’s works, some of which he likens to spiritual exercises. Without a doubt, one of Cottrell’s greatest contributions is to have treated all of the queen’s writings not only as equally important, but also as flowing from a deeply spiritual source.
“Pis que morte”: les lettres de Marguerite d’Angoulême à Guillaume Briçonnet, laboratoire de l’écriture du Dialogue en forme de vision nocturne (automne 1524)
Authors: Garnier Isabelle
Published: December 2023

Abstract: Before she became Queen of Navarre in 1527, Marguerite d’Angoulême, Sister of King Francis I, and Guillaume Briçonnet, Bishop of Meaux, wrote more than one hundred and twenty letters to each other between 1521 and 1524. Several scholars have already shown how Marguerite drew inspiration from the letters of Briçonnet. This article reveals how much Marguerite’s own letters to the bishop nourished her first important poem, the famous Dialogue en forme de vision nocturne , written after the death of her niece Charlotte de France in 1524. After a necessary clarification on the date of composition of this funeral text, the article shows that the letters written by Marguerite guide her in the appropriation of Briçonnet’s theological teachings before they are shaped in the poem. Because Marguerite’s letters constitute a spiritual exercise on the path of poetic writing, they enable the reader of the Dialogue to decode the meanings of the paradoxical expression “pis que morte”, which is to be understood quite differently between the very beginning of the poem and its final line: the spiritual significance of the whole Dialogue is thus revalued.
Le Miroir de Jésus Christ crucifié dans le champ des textes dévotionnels
Authors: Pantin Isabelle
Published: December 2023

Abstract: The Miroir de Jesus Christ crucifié , written by Marguerite de Navarre shortly before her death (1549), is a devotional text, i.e . associated with the practice of prayer and spiritual exercises. It aims at arousing the experience of an inner transformation both in its author and in its reader. In this poem, the body of the Crucified, contemplated part by part, acts as an accusing mirror in which the worshipper sees her/his own “darkness”, and at the same time as an illuminating mirror through which the soul gradually perceives the “clarity” of divine charity until it reaches the threshold of annihilation as a prelude to mystical union. The poem is therefore a meditation on the Passion and belongs to a long and dense tradition of texts, from the Bible to contemporary spiritual literature, which work on the same motifs. This study adopts the point of view of the editor of the poem, anxious to identify its sources correctly. It shows how the devotional character of the text and its belonging to a particularly rich and uninterrupted meditative tradition modify the constraints and difficulties of this work. Getting lost in a labyrinth of motifs reflected as far as the eye can see in countless texts is an indispensable step, but the search for models allowing to clarify certain choices of composition of the poem is the means to deepen the reflection on its mode of operation, even if it does not deliver the keys for its understanding.
“Parler ou mourir?”: Speech and Silence in the Heptaméron
Authors: Peterson Nora Martin
Published: December 2023

Abstract: “‘Madame, je vous supplie de me conseiller lequel il vault myeulx, ou parler ou mourir’” (75), asks Amadour at a key moment in the Heptaméron’s tenth novella. It is a loaded question, and one that continues a chain of conversations about the relationship between speaking, silence, and death. In the Heptaméron , speech and danger coexist, and modify one another as both restorative and destructive. In this article, I will read four novellas in which speech and/or silence play a central role in the intrigue and outcome of the tale, and in which the stakes of speaking or remaining silent are very high. In each novella, the trope appears with intensity, but the outcome of what I will call the parler/mourir dichotomy is different in each situation, and reflects the complexity of the situations that these novellas represent. Marguerite shows that speech can perpetuate power, can heal and promote justice, or be deadly. In another instance, she demonstrates that silence is the most effective way to gain victory. It is my contention that Marguerite shows an interest in exploring the different manifestations of speech and silence as they pertain to women. As such, the parler/mourir dichotomy can increase our understanding of Marguerite’s project to dialogically expose and discuss the conditions of women in her society and to put women’s experiences front and center.
Performing Rape for Laughs: Male Desire and Female Ties Gone Awry
Authors: Polachek Dora E.
Published: December 2023

Abstract: By focusing on the relatively unexamined Nouvelle 45, I want to continue my exploration of Heptaméron comic tales that focus on rape, and to foreground the role of female alliances in such tales. By female alliances, I am referring to the partnerships that women form, often transcending class divisions, as a means of thwarting aggression. As a corollary, I will explore what is at stake when this female uniting of forces is replaced by succumbing, often unwittingly, to competing allegiances that comprise the patriarchal strictures that characterize the world in which these protagonists circulate. The lack of female bonds characterizes Nouvelle 45, and the consequences, albeit recounted in a comic register, are telling. As for the comic, my goal is to focus primarily on the narrative devices that Marguerite mobilizes that transform a rape story from one that elicits terror and horror (for that, we need to turn to Nouvelle 2) to one that has all the markings of a text designed to spark the reader’s laughter and amusement. My aim is to show that there remain avenues to explore that privilege the ludic dimensions that infuse the Heptaméron’ s complex structure, even when it comes to such freighted topics as the premeditated sexual violation of innocent victims.
Seriously Funny: Stand-Up Comedy Clips for Diverse Voices in French
Authors: Adamson Sophie Rigolot
Published: December 2023

Abstract: Stand-up comedy in France has achieved great success. Clubs are flourishing, and there has been an explosion of recorded performances available on the internet. Stand-up is also the subject of documentaries and shows, including the new French comedy show Standing Up (2022). Unlike their predecessors who performed "one-man" shows with props, today's young, diverse generation of "stand-uppers" is speaking into the microphone about contemporary topics that are socio-politically charged. They are accessible, timely, and engaging, and they deserve our attention as they offer a unique rhetorical form through which our students may explore diverse voices and topics in French.
Education as Mêlée: Jean-Luc Nancy's Singular Plural in the (French) Language and Culture Classroom
Authors: Collins Ashok
Published: December 2023

Abstract: In this article, I explore the significance that Jean-Luc Nancy's concept of the mêlée and his broader thinking on the singular plural hold for the teaching of French language and culture. I make the case that the mêlée provides a lens for seeing subjectivity as open-ended and dynamic and argue that it offers a valuable alternative to the dominant Levinasian paradigm of alterity in the educational space. This alternative allows otherness to be respected while avoiding its relegation to the sphere of the entirely unknown and irrelevant, thus paving the way for more enriching encounters in the classroom.
Director, Sportsman, Auteur: Henri Decoin and the Art of Self-Reflexivity in Filmmaking
Authors: Leconte Maxence , Bauer Thomas
Published: December 2023

Abstract: This article revisits the multifaceted contribution of Henri Decoin to French cinema's rich history through the lens of sport and auteurism. Decoin, who began his career as a professional swimmer in the 1910s, turned to sports journalism during the 1920s before switching his focus to filmmaking until the mid-1960s. Despite an extensive cinematic oeuvre, film scholars are yet to conduct a systematic examination of his influence as a director. By taking a closer look at the recurring sporting motifs and symbolism present in his work, we argue that Decoin not only ought to be seen as a genuine auteur, but also as one of French cinema's most versatile players.
Land/Labor Ratios, Citizenship, and Migrants: Exploring the Hidden Links in the Political Economy of Immigration Regimes
Authors: Scholten Melle , Leblang David
Published: December 2023

Within sovereign states citizenship is arguably the most important political marker of in- and outsiders. As a result, questions about who gets to reap the benefits of citizenship often result in distributional conflict. This conflict becomes inflamed when a country goes through a period of significant inward migration. Given that citizenship is so important and so contentious, from where do the rules governing its acquisition come? Our starting point is the acknowledgment that migrants are mobile labor. From this perspective, countries in which elites benefit from an increased supply of productive labor—that is, those with high land/labor ratios—will be more likely to adopt policies that attract migrants, such as easier naturalization rules, including birthright citizenship. We illustrate the plausibility of our argument with some statistical evidence and suggest some avenues to further explore this crucial question.
China’s cautious ‘facetuning’: The art of cultural diplomacy and nation branding1
Authors: Chao Jenifer , Browning Christopher S.
Published: December 2023

This introduction for the Special Issue establishes and substantiates China as a timely case study for the understanding of cultural diplomacy and nation branding. It traces the country’s mobilization of creative expressions, including contemporary art, to recalibrate its international image in line with its expanding power, but also more often, to offset what it perceives as hostile representations and critique of its authoritarian rule. We first disentangle the overlapping objectives and strategies between cultural diplomacy and national branding, then how they are rendered through artistic expressions to both redeem and – sometimes unintentionally – undermine China’s reputation. Finally, we mark the relationship between the assembled papers which explore a variety of cultural diplomacy and nation branding activities that have emerged out of different artistic traditions, geopolitical contexts and economic motivations. These papers pursue diverse themes, for instance, the misalignment of nationalist branding messages and actual cultural relations on the ground, or the shifting of China’s external image as dictated by the evolving agenda of the Chinese Communist Party. The particularities of these approaches and discoveries, nevertheless, coalesce to underscore that knotted relationship between politics and aesthetics which China must manage and manipulate continually to sway global perception.
Digital China and its discontents: On the politics of Sinofuturism and image building at the Venice Biennale
Authors: Wong Gigi Wai-Chi
Published: December 2023

This article examines how the China Pavilion at the 2022 Venice Biennale attempts to reimagine a new ontology between contemporary Chinese art, artificial intelligence-generated art and artistic practices, as well as the official Chinese discourse on technological positivity. It argues that the China Pavilion can be read through the lens of a Sinofuturist discourse and how the pavilion is spatially and temporally situated in contemporary digital Chinese art. Taking the title ‘Meta-Scape’, the China Pavilion can be understood as a futuristic phototype that the Chinese state mobilizes in formulating a rhetoric of a cohesive digital civilization. This underlines the ways the pavilion not only generates technological inquiries to imagine new paths for artistic practices but also manifests the role that Chinese new media art has on rendering the nation’s international image. In exploring one of the AI-generated artworks titled Streaming Stillness (2022), this article investigates how the ‘techno-turn’ in contemporary Chinese art illuminates the digitalization of cultural memory in relation to the dynamics and discontents between technological aestheticism and China’s national image building process.
Rebranding China through facsimiles: A study of mubanshuiyin reproductions in PRC’s art diplomacy and soft power building, 1952–79
Authors: Qian Yitao
Published: December 2023

In September 2022, China Central Television released a five-episode documentary about Rongbaozhai, one of the oldest stationery companies and art galleries in China, to celebrate its 350th anniversary. This was part of the global propaganda aiming to reintroduce traditional Chinese cultural brands and their products under Xi’s art and culture policy of ‘telling China’s stories well’. One of the episodes is dedicated to the woodblock facsimiles of traditional Chinese paintings (mubanshuiyin) that Rongbaozhai produced in the 1950s and 1960s following Mao’s literature and art policy. However, the perspective of the storytelling is almost entirely focused on technical details. Little has been mentioned about these exquisitely crafted prints’ political function as specimens to demonstrate PRC’s cultural orthodoxy to traditional Chinese arts and crafts and its resolution of restoring Chinese cultural heritage. Drawing on archival materials, memoirs of former employees and a case study of the first mubanshuiyin reproduction – zanhua shinü tu (Court Ladies Wearing Flowered Headdresses) – this article traces the development of this unique art form during its golden age when it was marketed as both diplomatic gifts and souvenirs and a paradigm of collective craftsmanship by proletariat artisans. As a frequently used gift-giving practice for culture promotion, this article also unveils the contribution of mubanshuiyin reproductions to China’s soft power building and early art diplomacy from the 1950s to 1970s.
Curation-as-branding and the problem with cultural diplomacy: The case of Q Art Group
Authors: Bovino Emily Verla
Published: December 2023

Founded in 2018 by Hong Kong heiress Queenie Rosita Law of the Law family apparel brand Bossini fame, Q Art Group is a private art initiative between Hungary and China that, in the words of its Hungarian artistic director, promotes Central and Eastern European art ‘within the dynamics of the Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI). Hungary was the first European country to sign onto BRI cooperation, and it leads the 14 + 1 initiative promoting investment between China and Central and Eastern Europe. The country’s national-conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orbán uses Hungary’s position as a BRI gateway to bolster an ‘illiberal’ agenda within the European Union. Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Q Art Group – comprising the Budapest private museum, Q Contemporary, the Hong Kong gallery Double Q and Q Studio, an art studio that works with luxury properties – is rebranding both Central and Eastern Europe and China in a mix of cultural diplomacy and art market strategy between Hong Kong and Budapest. The article considers the co-constituting images of the Greater China and Central and Eastern Europe that Q Art Group presents in Hungary and Hong Kong by positioning itself as a discourse maker in Central and Eastern European art. What is the ‘post-communist landscape’ – as Q Art Group calls Central and Eastern Europe – mobilized in this endeavour and how does it serve China’s cultural diplomacy and nation-branding? Mapping the social, economic, juridical and political conditions that Q Art Group negotiates, this article asserts there is no ‘good’ way of curating art for cultural diplomacy, but that the exchange of what is called ‘culture’ and ‘identity’ under cultural diplomacy is but an operation of mutual branding among privileged forms of state capital that use art to circulate the violent philosophical logic behind cultural difference.
Problems of Restructuring the Work Style and Strengthening Discipline of the Party-Administrative Elite of the Altai Territory in the Early 1960s
Authors: Golovinova Yu.V. , Golovinov A.V.
Published: December 2023

The presented publication is aimed at researching within the elite processes taking place within the framework of the socio-professional group of the party-administrative administrative apparatus of the Altai Territory in the beginning of the 1960s. Archival sources are analyzed. First of all, the documentation stored in the State Archive of the Altai Territory. In particular, the protocols and transcripts of regional party conferences. The study is based on the methodology of the “new social history”, since it is precisely such tools that allow us to consider the party and administrative elite of the Altai Territory as a special social group.

The authors note that the 1960s became the time to search for ways to transform the professional activities of the state-economic apparatus of power, both at the level of the highest Soviet administrative elite, and in its regional variations.

It has been established that the main vector of transformations in the professional activities of the party-administrative elite of the Altai Territory in the 1960s the fight against violations of party-state discipline. Such problems as excessive bureaucracy, isolation and abstraction from the real state of affairs, irresponsibility and negligence of the regional administrative apparatus were highlighted.
Urban Space and Its Structural Components Study in Russian Historiography
Authors: Karpov A.V.
Published: December 2023

The article examines the historiography of studies devoted to various components of urban space and approaches to its study in Russian historical urban studies. It is noted that in most of the studies on the history of the city, the urban space is considered only partially, from the point of view of a separate aspect, which often does not allow to form a complete picture. The authors trace the formation of modern trends in the study of the city as a historical phenomenon, highlight the main components of the concept of "urban space", the study of which together allows you to make a synthetic description of the city space and trace its changes in the historical perspective, such as natural landscape conditions, development, zoning, culture, as well as the activities of the citizens themselves. Each of these aspects contains a separate layer of characteristics that are significant for understanding urban space. From the point of view of the historical process, the importance of each of these components for the representativeness of research findings is traced. The importance of multidimensional analysis of the city's space to identify patterns of historical development is emphasized. The conclusions reflect the main trends in the study of urban space in different periods.
History of the Study of Traditional Clothing of the Krasnoufim Mari (18th-20th Centuries)
Authors: Nechvaloda E.E.
Published: December 2023

The Krasnoufim Mari is a group of Ural Mari people, whose traditional clothing was marked by bright originality. They attracted the attention of travelers, researchers, local historians, ethnographers, art historians. The costume of the Ural Mari was repeatedly described by researchers of the 18th-19th centuries, and in the 20th-21st centuries it was the object of study of both Russian and Finnish ethnographers of different generations. The earliest evidences about the costume of the Ural Mari left by P.S. Pallas. In the 19th century the clothing of Mari people of Krasnoufimsky uyezd was described by G. Gorodskoy (V.N. Shishonko), S. Som-mier, D.P. Nikolsky. In the twentieth century the costume of this group of Mari ethnos was studied by T.E. Evseviev, S.N. Shitova, T.L. Molotova, as well as by A.O. Heikel and I. Lehtinen. In the 20th centure only one article devoted to the clothing of the Krasnoufim Mari people was published, and in the 21st century a number of richly illustrated articles and editions were published, the chapters of which were devoted to the costume of the Ural Mari people. Some of them are based on the materials collected in the Krasnoufim District of the Sverdlovsk Region. Three main bodies of sources on the topic were grouped by the researchers of the 18th-21st centuries: texts; collections of clothing items; photo-documents. In this article the history of formation of all three groups of sources is considered, as they were interrelated and represented often only different parts of a single research process.
DIDACTIC POTENTIAL OF PR MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS
Authors:   “Milutin Milankovic” High Medical College of Professional Studies, J. Subotić-Krivokapić
Published: December 2023

PR media representations and television have undeniably contributed to importantchanges in people's lives through the advancement of technology. The aim of this work is to analyzethe didactic potential of PR media representations, as well as the analysis of the didactic potential oftelevision series on various health topics for students of psychology and medicine. Considering thatthis is a review article in which various previous researches will be presented, the basic method willbe content analysis. We will present objectivist and constructionist theories of knowledge and theprocesses underlying their internalization, but also give examples of good media practice and thehigh didactic potential of various media representations of health phenomena.