bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Women in Morocco
Authors: Sadiqi Fatima
Published: May 2024

Women in Morocco have a rich, complicated history. In the past, they expressed themselves through creating designs in rug-weaving and related arts such as cloth making, tattoos, jewelry, collecting and safeguarding oral literature, building one of the first universities in the world, and serving their communities as political leaders and saints. In the postcolonial era, women have continued to produce oral and written texts. Such texts have been used to resist colonization; others have called for girls’ and women’s education and participation in politics. Since Morocco gained independence, women have continued to be present in the public sphere and have built one of the strongest women’s-rights movement in the Arab world by constantly adapting to historical, political, and social changes and endeavoring to network beyond ideological and political “redlines” that have characterized postcolonial Morocco.

Using approaches that may be termed secular, Islamic, or a combination of both, Moroccan women organized themselves in the public sphere and advocated for social, economic, legal, and political reforms. In this way, they succeeded in marking important eras in modern Morocco and became crucial players in the public landscape. In the aftermath of the 2010–2011 uprisings that shook North Africa and other Middle Eastern countries, Moroccan women have produced new forms of movements and activism and given new meanings to their actions. More importantly, they are reinventing their identities, using new strategies and methodologies, and continuing the creativity and resilience that has marked their long history of agency. With the 2011 formalization of Amazigh (Berber) language as an official language in Morocco, women’s ancestral knowledge has come full circle not only as part of Moroccan women’s voices but as a central feature of Morocco’s homegrown identity.
Paleolithic and Neolithic Northeast Africa
Authors: Usai Donatella
Published: May 2024

The Nile Valley with the deserts and the Ethiopian highlands with the Afar depression and the Rift were, albeit to different extents and in different phases, witnesses of the human enterprise from the origin of the species up to the formation of one of the most important forms of complex society. These regions form a vast area of Africa and, although archaeological and anthropological research make great strides, and the help of science contributes ever more to understanding, the available knowledge is still like a drop in an ocean. From the oldest traces of humankind to the societies that underlie the formation of the pharaonic kingdoms, tracing this history requires a great capacity for synthesis on the basis of a precise line; in this case, one approach can be described as evolutionary. The story begins with the oldest evidence of artifacts made by the first hominids and continues with their evolution into increasingly elaborate form, in a constant relationship with the surrounding environment and under the yoke of a climate that has, sometimes, dictated the times and ways of these changes. This part of the story sees the Ethiopian and the Afar and Rift depressions as the richest in evidence. The most recent phases see the Nile Valley with evidence of the hunter-gatherer groups of the Late Pleistocene and the Early Holocene always grappling with climate changes but with new tools to face and overcome them. The invention of pottery may be seen as one of these tools. This is also when the foundations for a food-producing economy are laid. For a long time, however, hunting and gathering practices continue and, especially along the Nile, fishing activities remain a constant in the economy of prehistoric societies, with herding and plant cultivation differently contributing and, supposedly, according to the potential and characteristics of each corner of this immense area.
Mia Couto
Authors: Marques Irene
Published: May 2024

Mia Couto (b. 1955) is a contemporary Mozambican writer and biologist. Writing in Portuguese, Couto is the most prolific writer from Mozambique, and his works have been translated into more than thirty languages. He is the author of over thirty books, including poetry, short stories, chronicles, creative essays, novels, and children’s and young adult books. His works have won several national and international prizes and have been adapted to film, theater, and television. His topics cover Mozambican culture and religion, ontologies and epistemologies, orality, Portuguese colonialism, anticolonial resistance, wars of liberation, personal and collective identity, postcolonial nation building, civil war, memory, trauma, violence and amnesia, neoliberal international agendas of development, cultural syncretism, African “authenticity,” corruption, women’s oppression and agency, and gender fluidity. He is considered a highly innovative writer, known for inventing a plethora of neologisms; his literary creations show an intrinsic link between orality, poetry, and an evolving and dynamic language that draws heavily from the multiple cultural and linguistic realities of Mozambique. This creative linguistic manipulation is primarily present in his earlier work. However, Couto’s script is far from being a mere play on aesthetics—it is a literature fundamentally preoccupied with political, cultural, historical, and pragmatic matters, reflecting important aspects of Mozambique’s past and present historical and sociopolitical contexts.
Women in Zimbabwe
Authors: Charumbira Ruramisai
Published: May 2024

Women, as part of communities, societies, and nations, have, on one hand, participated in national mythmaking, however “nation” has been defined. On the other hand, women, have also been some of the fiercest opponents of the idea of the nation, as its self-definition often subjected them—and all those deemed deviant—to hetero-patriarchal violence, physically and otherwise. Women in Zimbabwe since the late 1800s, when that country became the British colony of Southern Rhodesia, have been integral to that country’s history, despite periodic historiographical invisibility. Thus, in the long and short arcs of Zimbabwe’s history, women’s historical and contemporary lives have been interpreted teleologically and ontologically. The teleological is in the literature that writes women as destined to be subservient to men across time. The ontological is in the literature that writes not only of women’s agency but their connectedness to their communities, societies, and the larger world. The triumph of contemporary women in Zimbabwe, against fierce patriarchal odds, is the reclamation of voice and space in visible and invisible ways in that country. The tragedy, of course, is the long shadow cast by virulent patriarchal nationalisms of both colonial and postindependent Zimbabwe that has dispersed millions of people into the diaspora around the world. For women, and the people of Zimbabwe writ large, hope is not a noun but a verb. Refusing to give up is an act of defiance and a claim to life.
History of Cabo Verde
Authors: Rego Márcia
Published: May 2024

The islands of Cabo Verde were first settled in the 1460s by European colonists and enslaved men and women from West Africa. Due to the archipelago’s arid climate, Cabo Verde did not thrive as an agrarian colony, but its geographic location made it a profitable slave-trade entrepôt for over three centuries—a fact which left a lasting social legacy.

Since its origin as a Portuguese colony, Cabo Verde has been marked by continual and significant migration. Its sizable diaspora is scattered on both sides of the Atlantic and contributes in many ways to the nation-building efforts of the homeland. Cabo Verde became an independent nation (República de Cabo Verde) in 1975, after a decade-long armed struggle that took place in Guinea-Bissau (formerly Portuguese Guinea), its partner in the fight for independence. It has since become a stable democracy with a steadily developing economy, growing access to health services and educational opportunities, a booming tourism industry, and relatively low levels of crime and corruption. The country’s official language continues to be Portuguese; however, it coexists with the more widely spoken Cabo Verdean language (or Kriolu), the first language of most Cabo Verdeans. The relatively young Cabo Verdean population has a vibrant musical and artistic culture and is invested in defining its national identity and promoting its traditions, even as it becomes increasingly globalized.
The Development of the Early Portuguese Slave Trade and African Responses in Upper Guinea, 1450–1669
Authors: Mark Peter
Published: May 2024

The Atlantic slave trade originated along the Upper Guinea Coast,with the Portuguese maritime explorations of the 1440s. . Local Africans responded to the threat of capture, but also to potential economic gain, in a variety of ways. Some sought refuge in the nearly inaccessible coastal mangrove region. Some began to sell members of their community who had been accused of crimes, including witchcraft. Others, such as the Bijógó peoples, became raiders themselves. And some escaped captives found refuge in asylum villages; these villages may be seen as prototypes for the earliest New World Maroon communities.
The Image of the Enslaved African in European Art
Authors: Kaplan Paul H. D.
Published: May 2024

The representation of Black Africans is a significant feature of the European visual arts from antiquity to the modern era, encompassing at a minimum around twenty thousand extant artworks, but those images that clearly depict Black Africans as enslaved constitute only a relatively small percentage of that corpus. To put it another way, Black African skin color and facial features in European works of art are not, by themselves, enough to confirm the enslaved status either of the model or the figure represented. The most common element used to specify that a particular African figure is enslaved is some kind of metal restraint—chain, manacle, or collar.

Chronologically, these images of enslavement begin with the ancient Mediterranean of the 3rd millennium bce and end in the mid-19th century, the era of abolition’s most significant achievements in Europe and the United States. The art of the colonial and postcolonial Americas is mostly excluded, although it, of course, does bear many of the marks of the European tradition. The terms Black and African are used in this article to describe dark-skinned people originally from regions south of the Sahara, as well as their diasporic descendants in Europe, the Americas, North Africa, and the Middle East.
Comprehensive Abortion Care
Authors: Kapp Nathalie , Romero Mariana , Dupte Shamala , Shaber Allison , Grossman Daniel
Published: May 2024

Abortion is a common part of people’s reproductive lives, regardless of where they live in the world.

When using World Health Organization-recommended methods of either surgical or medical abortion, procedures are very safe and effective, and providers do not need a lot of information or testing to provide quality services. Both medical and surgical methods may be used to induce or to treat incomplete abortion. Although both methods are safe and effective, they have different characteristics and acceptability; therefore, clients should be given the choice of method in settings where it is possible.

Service delivery can include provision of surgical and medical abortion services by many cadres of providers, from nurses and midwives to physicians. Most people (generally around 90%) seek induced abortion before 12 weeks’ gestation, during which time medical abortion can be safely provided either through an in-person clinical encounter or through telemedicine, and there is emerging evidence of safe over-the-counter-like use.

Postabortion care includes the timely management of an unsafe or spontaneous abortion (spontaneous loss of pregnancy) that has happened or is in progress; it has been a global strategy to reduce the morbidity and mortality related to less safe abortions. For all people having an abortion, postabortion care includes information and voluntary provision of postabortion contraception or other desired reproductive health services.
Improving Post-Acute Care Quality for Older Adults in the U.S.: Nursing Homes and Beyond
Authors: Thirukumaran Caroline P. , McGarry Brian E.
Published: May 2024

Medical and surgical post-acute care (PAC) encompasses the rehabilitative and palliative health services that individuals typically receive following a stay in an acute care hospital and is a critical source of post-hospitalization care for Medicare-insured patients undergoing surgeries such as hip and knee replacements, or with medical conditions such as septicemia or severe sepsis. PAC, commonly delivered through skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), has long been prone to quality issues, and national policies are routinely reformed to improve their quality. Yet reform initiatives are often hampered by challenges related to the measurement of quality and the way in which PAC, especially in SNFs, is financed. Moreover, the lack of clear guidelines about the optimal PAC setting (e.g., institution vs. home) and the clinical and social characteristics of patients that may benefit from a particular setting has resulted in PAC being a source of wasteful spending. These challenges have been heightened by extensive payment reforms following the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes have the potential to upend the status quo of the PAC business model, with wide-ranging potential implications for older adults’ access to high-quality rehabilitative care. The determination of value in PAC settings has commonly used Medicare claims and assessment data; focused on metrics such as readmissions, length of stay, spending, and transition to the community; and relied on reporting through the Care Compare website. The advances in PAC-focused reforms and the growing emphasis on care coordination have motivated promising initiatives such as standardization of metrics across PAC settings; the use of accountable care organizations and episode-based bundled payments for PAC reimbursement; the use of telehealth; and other innovations that are positioned to encourage the delivery of high-quality rehabilitative care.
Preterm Birth: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, Pathogenesis, and Prevention
Authors: Zeng Xiaojing , Jiang Wen , He Xiaoqing , Zhang Jun
Published: May 2024

Preterm birth is a significant global public health issue. It is defined by the World Health Organization as infants born alive before 37 completed weeks of gestation. The preterm birth rate varies significantly across countries and regions. Globally, an estimated 13.4 million babies were born preterm in 2020 (i.e., 1 in 10 babies worldwide was preterm birth). It is the leading cause of under-5 child mortality worldwide, and preterm infants are particularly vulnerable to respiratory complications, feeding difficulty, poor body temperature regulation, and high risk of infection. Both genetic and nongenetic factors (exposome factors) contribute to the risk of preterm birth. Social and behavioral factors, medical and pregnancy conditions, and environmental exposures are common nongenetic risk factors for preterm birth. Individuals from certain ethnic and racial groups, in low- and middle-income countries, or with a low socioeconomic status are at an increased risk of having preterm birth, and social determinants of health are the root causes of these factors. Existing pregnancy complications, history of preterm birth, and other medical conditions are also common risk factors. Environmental exposures such as air pollution, climate change, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals have been increasingly realized as potential risk factors for preterm birth. Various pathological events in different feto-maternal systems have been reported to be involved in the development of preterm birth. Immunopathogenesis plays a pivotal role, and both pathogenic and nonpathogenic inflammation can induce preterm birth. Oxidative stress, decidual hemorrhage and vascular lesions, uterine overdistension, and cervical insufficiency have all been proposed to contribute to the pathophysiology of preterm birth. Prevention strategies for preterm birth include primary prevention aimed at the modifiable risk factors at the individual and societal levels and therapeutic approaches using pharmaceuticals and mechanical interventions, such as progesterone and cervical cerclage. A comprehensive approach is still needed to reduce the global disease burden of preterm birth.
Tektites
Authors: Koeberl Christian
Published: May 2024

Tektites are a rare type of impact glass; they are found in only four distinct and geographically extended strewn fields, ranging from 0.8 to 35 million years in age. For three of these four strewn fields, the source crater is known. Microtektites from three of the four fields are also known from deep-sea cores, in addition to normal, centimeter-sized specimens; their distribution defines the extent of the strewn fields. Tektite-like glasses have more recently been found in a few other locations, but they show limited distribution, or few specimens have been recovered, or their sources and origins are not well understood, or a combination of these circumstances may be the case. Tektites differ from “normal” impact glasses in that they were derived from the very surface of the target area (as is indicated by their high content of the cosmogenic radioisotope 10Be) and may have formed and been ejected before the main crater excavation phase even began. They have very minor meteoritic components, as indicated in, for example, Os isotopic studies. As most tektites are homogeneous glass, they must have experienced extremely high formation temperatures. Twenty-first-century work has shown that Zn, Cu, Cd, and Sn are isotopically fractionated by volatilization in tektites. The study of unconventional stable isotopes provides interesting clues regarding the formation, differentiation, and deposition of tektites. Tektites are clearly an interesting and unusual subtype of impact glasses.
Foreign Aid, Development Cooperation and International Relations
Authors: Malacalza Bernabé
Published: May 2024

Despite the dominance of development economics in the study of foreign aid and development cooperation since the 1950s, particularly with the emergence of modernization theory, an examination of academic contributions to the larger debates in international relations (IR) reveals something not extensively documented in the scholarly literature. It is that the study of foreign aid and development cooperation is inherently intertwined with IR, constituting an integral component thereof. Understanding the evolution of foreign aid and development cooperation studies, as well as its interaction with IR theories, is essential for deciphering the contemporary theoretical, normative, methodological, ontological, and epistemological challenges faced by the field.

Investigating the historical evolution of this field in relation to IR involves analyzing, in parallel, its development alongside shifts in the international order. The historical analysis highlights how foreign aid and development cooperation have been shaped by changing power structures, ideological shifts, and geopolitical events, underscoring its inseparable connection to broader IR dynamics and its theorization. The interconnected nature of these domains demonstrates how prevailing theoretical perspectives influence not only the methods employed but also the identification of underlying forces and the normative principles guiding research, as well as the design of foreign aid and development cooperation policies.

Analyzing how epistemological approaches, such as rationalism and reflectivism, have influenced the investigation of narratives and practices within the realms of foreign aid and development cooperation reveals potential elements of theoretical complementation. Beyond mere theoretical differentiation, there are elements that contribute significantly to fostering notions of dialogue, pluralism, and interdisciplinarity within the field of foreign aid and development cooperation studies. The prevailing trend is a movement toward theoretical eclecticism, wherein researchers increasingly draw upon a variety of theoretical frameworks to better grasp the intricate dynamics of foreign aid and development cooperation. This transformation stems from the evolving nature of global challenges and the recognition that a singular theoretical approach may fall short in capturing the multifaceted dimensions of foreign aid and development cooperation. Moreover, it underscores the dynamic and evolving nature of the field, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary approaches and theoretical flexibility to address the complex issues surrounding foreign aid and the discussion of the concept of development in times of global planetary crisis.
Republicanism
Authors: Bellamy Richard , McHugh Hannah
Published: May 2024

Republicanism rests on the insight that justice entails the fair distribution of political and social power. As a result, it emphasizes the importance of civic virtue and political participation and favors a political system involving a mixed constitution and the rule of law. However, whereas a neo-Aristotelian tradition of republicanism, going back to ancient Greece, involves an ethical naturalist theory of positive liberty, which views political participation as necessary for self-mastery, a later, neo-Roman, republican tradition, associated with Cicero, Machiavelli, Harrington, and (more contentiously) Rousseau and Kant, involves a theory of negative liberty as freedom from mastery. The most prominent contemporary republican program, associated with Philip Pettit, develops this latter, neo-Roman, account. It characterizes political liberty as a condition of nondomination or independence from arbitrary power. It distinguishes this conception from both liberal conceptions of negative freedom and neo-Aristotelian conceptions of positive freedom. Accordingly, neo-Roman republicanism focuses on the role of power imbalances in creating domination and explores how a condition may be created, both domestically and internationally, that reduces the capacity for agents and agencies to interfere arbitrarily in the decisions of individuals and the collectivities, notably states, to which they belong. This focus allows republican theorists to offer accounts of domination and nondomination along both a vertical dimension, such as that which arises between the rulers and the ruled, on the one hand, and a horizontal dimension, such as that which arises between rich and poor citizens within a polity, on the other. Republicanism provides a normative language able to engage with and criticize certain features of the international world. This engagement and critique addresses not only the exercise of power by states over the citizens of other states as well as their own but also the influence of corporate actors operating across states and the economic structures and relations they create between the various agents acting within them. As such, republicanism provides a powerful tool for analyzing the current global economic and social order as well as the global political order. Moreover, it can link the two to explore how the maldistribution of political and economic power interact to create injustice. This perspective has informed recent republican-inspired critiques of colonialism and neoliberal processes of globalization.
The Archaeology of Northern Slavery and Freedom
Authors: Delle James
Published: May 2024

The archaeology of northern slavery and freedom began with the excavations of Lucy Foster’s Garden in the 1940s. Following trends then current, in the 1970s, researchers began to consider evidence for the retention of African cultural traits in the archaeological record. Attention to the dynamics of northern slavery exploded following the excavation of the African Burial Ground site in New York during the early 1990s. As the paradigm on African American sites shifted following this project, archaeologists began to consider unsubstantiated assumptions on the nature and scope of slavery in the northern states. Multiple projects were conducted on sites best considered to be northern plantations, and although archaeological evidence for the condition of slavery is sometimes elusive, archaeologists have been able to locate and document northern plantations throughout the greater Northeast. Projects exploring the archaeology of freedom have considered sites associated with veterans of the American Revolution, who were emancipated following their service, as well as sites related to the clandestine and sometimes violent struggle against enslavement. Conditions for freed populations, both before and after the legal abolition of slavery, have also been explored archaeologically, from the gravesites of free communities to the archaeological signature of sanctuary settlements where people fleeing enslavement in the South were able to establish meaningful and free lives in both urban and rural contexts.
US-Russian Relations before 1917
Authors: Behringer Paul
Published: May 2024

From the American Revolution until the late 19th century, the United States and Russia enjoyed a “distant friendship,” meaning that the first interactions and perceptions between Russians and Americans were mostly positive, but the affinity for one another did not run particularly deep. The two peoples looked at each other across a wide geographic and cultural chasm.

As the United States spread across the North American continent and into the Pacific, and Russia established colonies in Alaska and at Fort Ross, Russians and Americans began to encounter one another more frequently. Occasionally this trend led to tension and competition, but overall relations remained cordial, reaching a high point in the 1850s and 1860s when the United States tacitly supported Russia during the Crimean War and Russia backed the Union during the American Civil War. The goodwill culminated in the Russian decision to sell Alaska to the United States.

Soon, however, differences in ideology and interests drove the two countries into a more tense and competitive relationship. Americans came to view Russians as squandering their land’s great potential under the yoke of an autocratic government and cultural “backwardness,” while Russians scoffed at America’s claims of moral superiority even as the United States expanded into an overseas empire and discriminated against Black and Asian people at home. These views of each other, combined with growing rivalry over influence in Northeast Asia, drove US-Russian relations to a low point on the eve of World War I. Many of the stereotypes about each other and the conflicts of interest, papered over briefly as allies against the Central Powers in 1917, would resurface during the Soviet period.
Mexican Islam in the Perspective of Islam in Latin America
Authors: Taussig Sylvie
Published: May 2024

The very idea of a Mexican Islam is paradoxical: this religion comes from outside, through the migration of people from Arab Islamic countries or through the circulation of symbolic goods fed from outside and circulating ever more easily with the rise of new technologies. However, in the early 21st century, Islam in Mexico and, more generally, Latin America is not a “foreign” or outsider religion. On one hand, sociologically, its followers are equally migrants and converts. On the other hand, Islamic organizations are working hard to think about their territorialization. Finally, like any social fact, the Muslim form of the religion does not exist absolutely but inflects itself according to the context in which it is situated: in this case, if it is true that Islam is one, the practice of Islam is necessarily delineated differently in a Mexican context.

The paradox of the Latinity of Mexican Islam needs to be explored in its different dimensions, historical, sociological, ideological, and metapolitical. In fact, tension arises from the double claim of a transnational ummah (whether it is the universalism of Islam as a monotheism that does not take into account races, genders, classes, nations, and so on or the constitution of a community through its religion) and of a Mexican Islam. The Latin perspective has to be addressed by proceeding with the identification of commonalities between the Muslim realities of Latin countries and examining the very claims of a Latinity and then of a Hispanicity of Islam in order to consider the no less paradoxical question of Mexico as an opportunity for renewal for Islam.
Conventual Visual Culture in Ecuador
Authors: Fernández-Salvador Carmen
Published: May 2024

Women have been typically excluded from the study of colonial art from Quito, except for a few salient names, among them Isabel de Cisneros, the daughter of celebrated painter Miguel de Santiago. Other than Cisneros, indeed, other women artists did not sign documents such as contracts or testaments. More importantly, the artistic canon has focused on sculpture and painting, and thus women’s artworks, usually described as miniature, has been traditionally deemed as a lesser form of art. Other than Cisneros, however, there is ample evidence that other women engaged in artistic creation. Estefanía de San José Dávalos, a member of the Creole nobility, may have learnt to paint along with other arts such as singing or playing musical instruments. Estefanía entered the convent of El Carmen Moderno in Quito, where she probably continued to practice the art of painting. Sister María de la Merced, from the convent of La Concepción, in Cuenca, signed a painting depicting the Virgin of Mercy, while the Clarise nun Gertrudis de San Ildefonso may have practiced drawing to translate her visionary experiences, as an act of obedience to her confessor. As Estefanía, María de la Merced, and Gertrudis, other nuns silently made many of the anonymous works that are still preserved in nunneries. Artmaking was probably connected to Christian piety and devotion, as it accompanied spiritual exercises. Shaping a conventual visual culture, aesthetic similarities are evidenced between painting and other forms of artistic creation practiced by women, such as embroidery, manuscript illumination and the making of devotional objects.
Cartography and Environment in Colonial Latin American History
Authors: Offen Karl
Published: May 2024

Maps and their makers have long influenced and documented Latin American history. By the late 20th century, scholars have reconsidered the historical significance of maps and mapmaking, and the methodological approaches to both. Four historical periods are important in this regard: the early mapping of the New World and the representation of its peoples and environments; Indigenous mapping traditions and the Relaciones Geográficas of New Spain; the middle colonial period, coinciding with Jesuit mapping and the expansion of Northern Europeans into the hemisphere; and the late colonial period, defined by Bourbon reforms, cartographic professionalism, scientific and military mapping, and the Enlightenment. There is no single or generalizable relationship between cartography and the environment; instead, there are trends and developments that emerged over time that reflect geographical knowledge, intent and purpose, audience and expectation, politics and power.
Phonological Variation and Change in Catalan
Authors: Carrera-Sabaté Josefina
Published: May 2024

The article gives an overview of the origin and vitality of several ongoing processes of change in Catalan. In the area of consonants, it presents (a) the existing alternation between [ʎ] and [j] or [ʝ] (and [ʒ]) in Eastern Catalan and (b) the variation between post-alveolo-palatal fricatives and affricates in different positions in word-initial, post-consonantal, intervocalic, and word-final position, also taking into account Eastern and Western Catalan dialects. In the area of vowels, the article presents the variation that exists within the stressed and unstressed vowel systems in Catalan: (a) The stressed vowel systems have different mid vowels among the Catalan dialects, and these vowels present important differences in openness; (b) the unstressed vowel systems of Catalan split vowel variation within Catalan dialects into two main groups (Eastern and Western) taking into account the scope of vowel reduction and, in particular, the phonological mechanisms of these groups. The article also contains a description of variable patterns of intonation in Catalan regarding assertions, imperatives, and questions. These patterns are closely tied to pragmatics, with questions having the most variable patterns among Catalan dialects.

The generalized observation of the ongoing processes of variation and change allows the conclusion that schooling in Catalan and the teaching of written Catalan, after a dictatorship that prohibited it, are bringing about changes in pronunciation that are especially conditioned by the written language. These changes tend to be led by the youngest generations in the urban centers that have the most influence over their respective administrative zones. These are important enclaves for the spread of linguistic changes and are areas in which contact with and use of Spanish and, in the early 21st century, other languages are also leaving a mark on phonetics.
PPs and Particles in Germanic
Authors: Elenbaas Marion
Published: May 2024

Prepositional phrases (PPs) are headed by a preposition, an indeclinable word that expresses relationships between two entities, the Figure and the Ground. Prepositions are members of a larger class of adpositions, which also includes postpositions, circumpositions, and particles. The Germanic languages are predominantly prepositional, while postpositions and circumpositions are much rarer. Prepositions express either spatial (locative, directional) relationships or nonspatial (such as temporal, aspectual) relationships. PPs may function as nonargument modifiers (of verbs, nouns, adjectives) or as arguments (of verbs, nouns, adjectives). The syntax and argument structure of PPs is characterized by a range of phenomena that are found across the Germanic languages, though not necessarily to the same extent and with the same properties.

A number of prepositions are homonymous with so-called particles, which feature in what is often called a particle (or “phrasal”) verb. Particle verbs are extremely common in all Germanic languages and have an array of spatial and nonspatial meanings. While there is some variation in the morphosyntactic behavior of particle verbs across the Germanic languages, they have in common that they straddle the boundary between morphology and syntax: the verb and the particle behave as a unit, and yet they are separable. Particles are often treated as intransitive prepositions (with a Figure but without a Ground) and therefore as a type of adposition. The heterogeneous nature of the category of adposition and the characteristics of PPs and particles in Germanic languages have led to considerable debate concerning the functional or lexical nature of adpositions as well as the morphological (word) status or syntactic (phrasal) status of particle verbs.
Gender, International Law, and Disasters
Authors: Aronsson-Storrier Marie
Published: May 2024

Charting gender within international law on disasters is a twofold exercise: The first, more limited, inquiry concerns the development of regulations on disasters and disaster risk and the position of gender within these instruments. The second, more foundational, question is that of the position of gender and the space allowed for feminist and queer perspectives within international law itself, which, in turn, relates strongly to the root causes of disasters and the creation of disaster risk.

References to a “gender-based” approach to disaster risk management are abundant in international law and policy instruments and can be seen in, for example, both the United Nations Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (Sendai Framework) and the International Law Commission’s (ILC) 2016 Draft Articles on the Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters (ILC Draft Articles)—two leading international law and policy instruments on disasters. However, neither of these instruments accounts for a particularly inclusive view of gender, nor do they engage with the underlying reasons for gender inequality. This is illustrative of broader issues concerning gender in international law and policy, and many of the challenges and shortcomings of international law and policy on disasters are inherent and (re)produced in the very fabric of the international legal system. Therefore, in addition to exploring the extent to which gender has been incorporated into the legal frameworks on disasters to date, it is essential to also critically explore core structures and practices of international law.
Social Entrepreneurship
Authors: Godwin Cherése Novelle , Crocker-Billingsley Judith
Published: May 2024

Social entrepreneurship has emerged as a powerful catalyst in the contemporary era, marked by complex social dilemmas and pressing global issues. By transcending conventional business paradigms, social entrepreneurship redefines the entrepreneurial landscape, offering innovative and sustainable solutions to significant social, racial, and environmental challenges. Social entrepreneurs blend entrepreneurial principles with a steadfast commitment to beneficence, striving for profound, positive, equitable, and deliberate social impact while achieving both professional and financial success. Adaptability, innovation, and resilience are key attributes that enable social entrepreneurs to navigate complex challenges, seeking transformative, systemic change to address and reshape societal issues. Collaborations across sectors amplify their impact, inspiring a new generation of changemakers to leverage business for positive, equitable, and sustainable social change in a world filled with both challenges and opportunities. Real-world case studies and empirical evidence help unravel the interplay between these pivotal components, illuminating their collective impact on driving transformative social change.
Masaryková, Alice
Authors: Špiláčková Marie , Štenclová Nikola
Published: May 2024

Alice Garrigue Masaryková (1879–1966) was a prominent figure who played a key role in the early days of social work in Czechoslovakia. She laid the foundations of social work education, maintained and developed international professional contacts, organized and attended international conferences, implemented her foreign experience in the Czechoslovak environment, emphasized the scientific foundations of social work, and developed social work associations. Her activities also included roles as a teacher and translator. She focused, in particular, on the topics of alcoholism and education. She was the President of the Czechoslovak Red Cross and also the daughter of the first President of Czechoslovakia, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk.
Moral Injury in the Military
Authors: Hawkins Lataya
Published: May 2024

Moral injury has become a common term used to describe the complex symptoms experienced when there is a violation of one’s moral code. While the term is new, the concept of moral injury has been prevalent in human society since ancient times and conceivably since the beginning of humankind. It can be traced back to the Greco-Roman era when warriors shared intimate stories of their moral challenges on the battlefield. Moral injury has been extensively researched within the military population to describe the soul wound some service members carry because of war. It should not be confused with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the well-known mental health condition associated with veterans, however they can comorbidly exist with overlapping symptoms which therefore often makes it difficult to distinguish. What makes moral injury different from PTSD is that in many occurrences, it is the individual who commits a moral offense (versus mortal danger to self or others), and consequently must deal with aftermath of failing to be the moral (good) person they believed they were. Moral injury is important to understand conceptually and recognize clinically as it has been found to be closely associated with increased risk of suicide in service members and veterans.
Alterations in regulators of the renal-bone axis, inflammation and iron status in older people with early renal impairment and the effect of vitamin D supplementation
Authors: Christodoulou Marilena , Aspray Terence J , Piec Isabelle , Fraser William D , Schoenmakers Inez ,   VDOP Trial group, Aspray Terry J , Francis Roger M , McColl Elaine , Chadwick Thomas , Prentice Ann , Schoenmakers Inez
Published: May 2024

Context

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) leads to alterations in fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) and the renal-bone axis. This may be partly driven by altered inflammation and iron status. Vitamin D supplementation may reduce inflammation.

Objective and methods

Older adults with early CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 30–60 ml/min/1.73 m2; CKDG3a/b; n = 35) or normal renal function (eGFR >90 ml/min/1.73 m2; CKDG1; n = 35) received 12,000, 24,000 or 48,000 IU D3/month for 1 year. Markers of the renal-bone axis, inflammation and iron status were investigated pre- and post-supplementation. Predictors of c-terminal and intact FGF23 (cFGF23; iFGF23) were identified by univariate and multivariate regression.

Results

Pre-supplementation, comparing CKDG3a/b to CKDG1, plasma cFGF23, iFGF23, PTH, sclerostin and TNFα were significantly higher and Klotho, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D and iron were lower. Post-supplementation, only cFGF23, 25(OH)D and IL6 differed between groups. The response to supplementation differed between eGFR groups. Only in the CKDG1 group, phosphate decreased, cFGF23, iFGF23 and procollagen type I N-propeptide increased. In the CKDG3a/b group, TNFα significantly decreased, and iron increased. Plasma 25(OH)D and IL10 increased, and carboxy-terminal collagen crosslinks decreased in both groups. In univariate models cFGF23 and iFGF23 were predicted by eGFR and regulators of calcium and phosphate metabolism at both time points; IL6 predicted cFGF23 (post-supplementation) and iFGF23 (pre-supplementation) in univariate models. Hepcidin predicted post-supplementation cFGF23 in multivariate models with eGFR.

Conclusion

Alterations in regulators of the renal-bone axis, inflammation and iron status were found in early CKD. The response to vitamin D3 supplementation differed between eGFR groups. Plasma IL6 predicted both cFGF23 and iFGF23 and hepcidin predicted cFGF23.
Regression models for average hazard
Authors: Uno Hajime , Tian Lu , Horiguchi Miki , Hattori Satoshi , Kehl Kenneth L
Published: May 2024

Limitations of using the traditional Cox’s hazard ratio for summarizing the magnitude of the treatment effect on time-to-event outcomes have been widely discussed, and alternative measures that do not have such limitations are gaining attention. One of the alternative methods recently proposed, in a simple 2-sample comparison setting, uses the average hazard with survival weight (AH), which can be interpreted as the general censoring-free person-time incidence rate on a given time window. In this paper, we propose a new regression analysis approach for the AH with a truncation time τ. We investigate 3 versions of AH regression analysis, assuming (1) independent censoring, (2) group-specific censoring, and (3) covariate-dependent censoring. The proposed AH regression methods are closely related to robust Poisson regression. While the new approach needs to require a truncation time τ explicitly, it can be more robust than Poisson regression in the presence of censoring. With the AH regression approach, one can summarize the between-group treatment difference in both absolute difference and relative terms, adjusting for covariates that are associated with the outcome. This property will increase the likelihood that the treatment effect magnitude is correctly interpreted. The AH regression approach can be a useful alternative to the traditional Cox’s hazard ratio approach for estimating and reporting the magnitude of the treatment effect on time-to-event outcomes.
White Nationalism, Politically Motivated Reasoning and Americans’ Attitudes About Criminally Charging Donald Trump
Authors: Sloan Melissa M , Haner Murat , Pickett Justin T , Cullen Francis T
Published: May 2024

On 19 December 2022, the United States House Select Committee referred former president Donald Trump to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution. Subsequently, Mr. Trump was indicted four times and charged with 91 felonies. Nevertheless, some Americans have remained steadfast in supporting him. Observers theorize that indifference to Mr. Trump’s wrongdoing reflects white nationalism and politically motivated reasoning. We test this theory using experimental data from a national survey fielded before any public hearings or charges. Our analyses reveal that Americans who endorse white nationalism and those who hold right-wing political views are more likely to oppose criminal charges. Furthermore, the relationship between white nationalism and attitudes about criminally charging Mr. Trump is indirect, through identification with the political right.
Growing up with juvenile vulvar lichen sclerosus: the experiences and care needs of adult women with lichen sclerosus since childhood – a qualitative exploration
Authors: Morrel Beth , Kampherbeek H Janneke , ten Kate-Booij Marianne J , van der Avoort Irene A M , van Hees Colette L M , Wigny Kiki M G J , Burger Curt W , Pasmans Suzanne G M A , Lugtenberg Marjolein
Published: May 2024

Background

Vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS) is a chronic remitting condition that affects the genital skin of females of all ages. Although qualitative studies have been conducted that have focused on women with VLS in mid-life or beyond, less is known about the experiences of individuals with VLS from childhood or adolescence onward.

Objectives

To gain an understanding of the experiences of women with a history of juvenile VLS (JVLS) with regard to the impact of the disease on their personal lives, and their experiences and needs regarding care and guidance.

Methods

A qualitative study was conducted consisting of 27 in-depth face-to-face interviews with adult women with a histologically confirmed history of JVLS, striving for maximum variation and saturation. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. A thorough thematic content analysis was performed.

Results

Three main themes were identified. Theme 1 was named ‘Varying impact of living with JVLS’: women experienced diverse emotional and physical impacts, from shame and denial to complete acceptance, from restrictions in daily functioning to no limitations; they felt hindered by their own lack of knowledge about JVLS and generally expressed positivity in sharing their experiences with people close to them. Theme 2 was entitled ‘Finding one’s way in care and guidance’: while navigating care and guidance, women often felt hindered by knowledge gaps among healthcare professionals (HCPs), lack of continuity in care and guidance, lack of life phase-adjusted and future-oriented information provision, inadequate guidance around life events and insufficient monitoring of determinants of treatment adherence. Theme 3 was named ‘Need for patient-tailored care involving appropriate and compassionate care and guidance’: patients stressed the need for age-appropriate and life phase-adjusted information, guidance around life events and compassionate contact with knowledgeable HCPs aware of the determinants of treatment adherence and influencing factors.

Conclusions

Age-appropriate, life phase-adjusted, individually tailored care for women diagnosed with VLS in childhood or adolescence is needed. Care and guidance from childhood onward should encompass a standard of care adapted to the individual as their needs change over time. This involves taking interpersonal differences into account, including differences in support network and coping strategies. These findings demonstrate the need to improve awareness and knowledge about JVLS/VLS among HCPs, especially primary care providers, and among the general public.