bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Potential of Religious Education in Preventing Suicide among Children and Adolescents in Poland: Theoretical Analysis and Implications for Pre-suicidal Prevention
Authors: Chrostowski Mariusz
Published: February 2025

The second leading cause of death in Poland is suicide committed by young people aged 7 to 18 years. It appears that not enough is being done in the Polish Catholic community to protect the young generation from self-destructive behaviour. The preventive powers of Christianity and Religious Education in this area remain largely unutilised. This article not only highlights the primary causes and various aspects of suicide among children and youth in Poland, but it also signals (on the level of theoretical considerations) the ‘pro-life potential’ that lies in Religious Education. The implications related to the teaching of religion are presented as a starting point for the systemic and planned religious-pedagogical and pastoral activities for suicide prevention, as well as mental and spiritual support of students at risk of suicide.
Clinical efficacy and safety of P-15 peptide enhanced bone graft substitute in surgical bone regenerative procedures in adult maxillofacial, spine, and trauma patients
Authors: Spanninga Barend J. , Hoelen Thomáy-Claire A. , Johnson Scott , Cheng Boyle , Blokhuis Taco J. , Willems Paul C. , Arts Jacobus J. C.
Published: February 2025

Aims

Autologous bone graft (ABG) is considered the ‘gold standard’ among graft materials for bone regeneration. However, complications including limited availability, donor site morbidity, and deterioration of regenerative capacity over time have been reported. P-15 is a synthetic peptide that mimics the cell binding domain of Type-I collagen. This peptide stimulates new bone formation by enhancing osteogenic cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review to determine the clinical efficacy and safety of P-15 peptide in bone regeneration throughout the skeletal system.

Methods

PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched for relevant articles on 13 May 2023. The systematic review was reported according to the PRISMA guidelines. Two reviewers independently screened and assessed the identified articles. Quality assessment was conducted using the methodological index for non-randomized studies and the risk of bias assessment tool for randomized controlled trials.

Results

After screening, 28 articles were included and grouped by surgical indication, e.g. maxillofacial procedures (n = 18), spine (n = 9), and trauma (n = 1). Published results showed that P-15 peptide was effective in spinal fusion (n = 7) and maxillofacial (n = 11), with very few clinically relevant adverse events related to P-15 peptide.

Conclusion

This systematic literature review concluded that moderate- (risk of bias, some concern: 50%) to high-quality (risk of bias, low: 46%) clinical evidence exists showing equivalent safety and efficacy in bone regeneration using a P-15 peptide enhanced bone graft substitute compared to ABG. P-15 peptide is safe and effective, resulting in rapid bone formation with a low probability of minor complications.

Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2025;14(2):77–92.
Enhancing Radiation Management in Passive Solar Greenhouses: Innovative Design Exploring the Synergy of Front Cover Geometry and Solid Top Roof
Authors: Mao Rui , Zhao Zilong , Lei Tian , Pan Wenjun , Wang Xinlei
Published: February 2025

Highlights

Novel envelope design was developed for a typical passive solar greenhouse.

Assessed the impacts of varied front roof slope and curve on regulating solar infiltration.

Seasonal and latitudinal variations were considered in the model optimization.

The solid and opaque design on the top roof has proved effective in avoiding overheating.

ABSTRACT. The passive design of greenhouses is regarded as the key to solving the imbalanced space heating and cooling efficiency. Unfortunately, the lack of knowledge in their geometric variables—slope and curve of the outer envelope—prohibits the development of more energy-efficient greenhouses. This study proposes an innovative design for the greenhouse envelopes, including the front and top roofs, aiming at solving both the insufficient heating in winter and excessive heating in summer to ensure a passive and balanced energy environment. The overall geometry of the greenhouse, including the proposed steeper front roof and solid top roof design, is first introduced, followed by the mathematical model used for modeling the solar radiation and effective solar infiltration. Furthermore, a wide range of slope angles and curvatures at the slope for the greenhouse front roof are selected to be implemented in the model. By taking into account the varied latitudinal and seasonal factors, a comprehensive set of simulations is conducted to obtain the optimal slopes and curves at different set conditions. The top roof is also explored in a solid-finish design using a virtual case study simulated in Champaign, IL, USA. The independent and coupled impacts of slope and curve on the solar transmissivity and accumulation of solar radiation are evaluated and discussed. Non-negligible impacts were found in the design of the greenhouse envelope, as the optimal slope may impose up to 53% variation in winter and 93% in summer regarding the solar accumulation. The impact of curvature is found to be less significant, while it still influences the intake of solar radiation by approximately 10% in spring and summer in the simulated scenarios. The results obtained from this study may provide insights for the practitioners in the agricultural industry. Keywords: Design optimization, Passive greenhouse, Roof curvature, Roof slope, Solar radiation.
Preliminary Evaluation of Bio-Inspired Quasi-Static Mixers for In-Line Injection Systems
Authors: Liu Zhixin , Zhang Zhihong , Yuan Wen , Dai Junjie , Mao Jingyang
Published: February 2025

Highlights

A bio-inspired quasi-static mixer mimic gastrointestinal peristalsis was designed.

Image-based methods for assessing uniformity were performed.

Consistently low variations confirmed the mixer's performance in mixture uniformity.

Offers insights for enhancing mixer performance with bio-inspired approaches.

Abstract. In precision agriculture, the in-line pesticide mixing system enhances conventional premixing methods by integrating a key component: the in-line mixer. This study introduces a novel bio-inspired quasi-static mixer designed to mimic gastrointestinal peristalsis, aimed at improving functionality. Utilizing the pixel-based coefficient of variation (CV) and histogram information entropy (HIE) for assessment, this research evaluates the performance of in-line mixers. Results demonstrate that the bio-inspired mixer consistently achieves CV values below 3.84%, obviously enhancing mixture uniformity. Specifically, it improves uniformity by an average of 34.09% for CV and 14.67% for HIE compared to conventional static mixers. These metrics effectively measure the uniformity levels of pesticide mixtures, indicating the superior performance of the bio-inspired mixer in achieving homogeneous mixtures under varied operational conditions. Furthermore, the study confirms the mixer's adaptability, showing notable performance improvements with increased flow rates and mixing ratios. This research validates the potential of bio-inspired design in enhancing the efficiency and efficacy of mixing systems and provides valuable insights for future mixer optimization to meet diverse agricultural needs. Keywords: Image processing, In-line detection, Mixture uniformity, Pesticide, Static mixer.
CALVINO I LES ENTREVISTES ESPANYOLES: UNA CRONISTORIA
Authors: Luti Francesco
Published: February 2025

Aquest article recull, per primera vegada, les entrevistes concedides per Italo Calvino a la premsa i televisió espanyoles. Les de televisió, no disponibles en línia, es remunten als anys 1979 i 1981, respectivament, d’aquest material es desprèn dos principals elements rellevants: quant es coneixia de Calvino a Espanya i quant en sabia Calvino de literatura en castellà. I, sobretot, el missatge que, a través d’aquests testimonis, l’autor ha volgut transmetre a qui els llegia o els escolta. En conjunt, tot això constitueix un testimoni inèdit, almenys des del punt de vista italià, capaç d’aportar un element útil més a l’estudi d’aquest autor capital del segle xx, un nom que s’ha convertit en un clàssic internacional.
IL PAESAGGIO SUBTERRESTRE DI CALVINO COME CRONOTOPO GEOLOGICO E LUOGO DELL’IO
Authors: Latini Ginevra
Published: February 2025

Partendo dall’analisi del racconto cosmicomico Il cielo di pietra, in cui il protagonista Qfwfq discende nelle viscere della Terra, è possibile comprendere in termini bachtiniani come il cronotopo del subterrestre si sviluppi nella poetica calviniana e si declini in altre caratteristiche paesaggistiche creando un filo di continuità tra natura del sottosuolo e geografia interiore dell’io. In Dall’opaco, l’idea di subterrestre - inteso come mondo alla rovescia e regno del «negativo»  - coincide con il paesaggio dell'io che scrive. Sottosuolo, vulcani e voragini, oltre a corredare l’immaginario paesaggistico di Calvino, si collegano implicitamente all’atto della scrittura: è necessario attingere in modo "schizofrenico" alle doti saturnine e vulcaniane, proprie degli oscuri regni primordiali. La stratificazione geologica del subterrestre rappresenta - sia in senso ecocritico che psicanalitico - una mappa per interrogarsi sulla geografia dell’io che richiama freudianamente «un'idea geologica e verticale di psicologia del profondo, fatta di strati sovrapposti».
Feminismo es amor
Authors: Jourdan Clara
Published: February 2025

El amor que mueve el feminismo es el hilo que une algunas prácticas políticas para actuar en el mundo de hoy, vividas en el recorrido de una feminista italiana entre los siglos XX y XXI. En su recorrido las prácticas de poner en palabras a partir de sí en relación, amor femenino de la madre, relación de diferencia con hombres, se descubren a través de lecturas, encuentros y relaciones con mujeres conocidas por todas partes, empezando con el tejido de relaciones llamado Librería de mujeres de Milán, y continuando con mujeres de Duoda, de Barcelona y de otras ciudades italianas e ibéricas, europeas y americanas. La práctica de poner en palabras a partir de sí en relación es fundamental para encontrar palabras nuevas, sentido libre de la diferencia femenina y de toda la realidad. Amor femenino de la madre es el nombre de una mediación necesaria, un paso que la mente debe dar para poder desarrollar sus capacidades. Con la relación de diferencia con hombres, en la que poner en juego las ganancias y los descubrimientos de la política de las mujeres, intentamos incidir en la cuestión masculina, o sea en el enorme problema que el sexo masculino causa al mundo con las guerras y violencias que no paran al final del patriarcado. Es todo muy grande y difícil, no estamos a la altura, pero estamos.
Literacidad crítica como herramienta para educar por el diálogo: la insurgencia de voces invisibilizadas
Authors: De Aguiar André Effgen
Published: February 2025

Este artículo investiga, desde el marco teórico de la literacidad crítica (Aguiar, 2021, 2023; Monte Mór, 2019; Shor, 1999; Sardinha, 2018; Bishop, 2014), la importancia de formar docentes para trabajar desde la perspectiva de la educación dialógica (Freire, [1968] 2019); Freire y Shor, 1986) con la intención de formar estudiantes más críticos y más comprometidos social y políticamente con sus comunidades. El análisis se centrará en un extracto de una grabación de una clase de Artes celebrada en una escuela de un barrio periférico de Brasil. Para analizar estos datos, utilizo el marco teórico-metodológico de la Investigación Colaborativa Crítica (PCCol), una metodología activista, que busca intervenir en los espacios en los que trabaja el investigador, buscando la transformación social de los sujetos involucrados. Finalmente, entiendo que educar a través del diálogo es una forma de acercar la democracia a la escuela y hacer que docentes y estudiantes aprendan a construir conocimiento de manera colaborativa a través de la escucha sensible de los demás.
Partnership and Competition: The strategic alliance between Schneider et Cie and the Škoda Works during the Interwar Period
Authors: Skřivan Aleš , Burianová Tereza
Published: February 2025

Strategic alliances play an important role in business. This article analyses the interwar relationship between two major European arms manufacturing enterprises – the Czechoslovak Škoda Works and its post First World War majority shareholder the French Schneider et Cie – from the Czechoslovak viewpoint, based chiefly on the extensive research of unpublished sources. This study illustrates the development of mutual relations using the example of exports of artillery material under the so-called Artillery Convention, which divided export territories between the two companies and was valid for most of the monitored period. Though relations between the companies were initially determined by the proprietary relationship, they gradually stabilised, and these functioning relations can be considered an example of a successful joint venture between the enterprises. Schneider’s involvement in Škoda was positive for Škoda and Czechoslovakia because it also contributed to Škoda’s attainment of a strong position in the international arms trade.
La capacitat d’aprenentatge i responsabilitat. L’ús d’indicadors per a la mesura de competències transversals
Authors: Blasco-Martel Yolanda , El Bachiri Nabil , Lozano-Pérez Sergi
Published: February 2025

El objetivo de este trabajo es evaluar cuantitativamente la percepción de estudiantes universitarios de su capacidad de aprendizaje y responsabilidad, una competencia transversal de la Universidad de Barcelona (UB). Para ello, desarrolla una metodología que permite evaluar el grado de autoconocimiento y autorregulación que, durante en el proceso de aprendizaje, alcanzan los estudiantes universitarios. Concretamente, dicha metodología se basa en dos encuestas (una al inicio del curso y otra al final), para medir la percepción de los estudiantes sobre su propia competencia de aprendizaje y responsabilidad al inicio y el grado de cumplimiento de sus expectativas iniciales al final del curso. El estudio fue realizado sobre una muestra de más de 1500 estudiantes de primer curso de universidad durante dos cursos (2019-2021), ya que muchos estudios han identificado el primer año como un momento clave para explicar la continuidad y éxito en la Universidad. Nuestros resultados señalan que las expectativas iniciales del estudiantado están por encima de la actividad que realmente desarrolla a lo largo de un curso. Su toma de conciencia se produce a posteriori, cuando observan que no han cumplido con lo que se habían propuesto al inicio. Un estudio continuado con estos indicadores permitiría abordar antes las dificultades de aprendizaje y evaluar el impacto de utilizar diferentes medidas para evitar la deserción.
Lideratge digital en l’educació: una revisió dels últims 50 anys
Authors: Villa Sánchez Aurelio , Pizarro Fuentes Evelyn
Published: February 2025

El lideratge educatiu i l'adopció tecnològica són temes de creixent interès, una tendència que es reflecteix en la integració de terminologies avançades en l'àmbit educatiu. Segons la UNESCO (2021), el 70% dels directors d'escoles, en països desenvolupats, consideren essencial la formació en lideratge tecnològic per millorar la qualitat educativa. Mentre que, a Amèrica Llatina, només el 35% de les escoles compten amb programes de formació en aquesta àrea, excepte en països com Xile i l'Uruguai que estan a l'avantguarda. L'estudi té una metodologia mixta que inclou una revisió exhaustiva de la literatura i una anàlisi qualitativa. L'objectiu d'aquest estudi és analitzar la influència del lideratge digital en l'adopció de noves tecnologies educatives a les escoles, i els objectius específics són: conèixer l'estat actual dels articles referents al lideratge digital, identificar els desafiaments i oportunitats que la tecnologia digital presenta en l'àmbit educatiu, i avaluar la relació entre les pràctiques de lideratge digital i la taxa d'adopció de noves tecnologies educatives a les escoles. Les troballes indiquen que la formació en lideratge tecnològic és crucial per millorar la qualitat educativa, ja que les escoles amb líders que la promouen i l'adopten tenen un 30% més de probabilitats de millorar els seus resultats acadèmics. Així es veu a Espanya, on la participació en programes d'alfabetització digital ha crescut notablement, i l'ús de tecnologies emergents, com la intel·ligència artificial, està en augment. La relació entre el lideratge digital i els resultats acadèmics és evident, per la qual cosa una major inversió en programes de desenvolupament professional i la promoció d'una cultura d'innovació tecnològica poden ampliar significativament les probabilitats d'èxit en la implementació de noves eines digitals.
Perception of Professional Practices from the voice of the student body of Pedagogy
Authors: Ordóñez-Sierra Rosario , Gómez-del-Castillo-Segurado Mª Teresa , Rodríguez-Gallego Margarita
Published: February 2025

This study highlights the importance of the practicum in the training of education professionals, since it is a key moment for students to reach the specific competences of the profession in an active and reflective manner. The main aim of research in this field is to assess the pedagogy students’ perception of the blog, videoconference, and peer mentoring as effective tools for reflection and communication in monitoring and evaluating professional practices. The design/methodology about the evaluation of students’ perception was conducted using a mixed design, employing both quantitative and qualitative methods. It involved an already validated online questionnaire and individual blog entries submitted by the 131 participants.
 
It can be highlighted among the results that the blog proved instrumental in enhancing Pedagogues’ knowledge of their professional tasks and fostering a more profound reflective process. Students favor its utilization for practice evaluation over traditional memory-based approaches, as it facilitates experience sharing, fosters camaraderie, and offers insights into diverse professional teams and career opportunities.
 
The main conclusion about the main conclusion about the use of the blog, videoconferences and work dynamics through the Mentoring Groups is that they are favorably valued. There is unanimity regarding its use, throughout the four years analyzed; they value it very positively, for being motivating and, above all, enriching for the whole group, proposing that it be the work methodology for both third- and fourth-year students.And, the main contribution of this experience can be generalized to any of the university studies that carry out professional practices in labor scopes. The results of this research show the improvement of the theoretical-practical learning of the students, an alternative to the end-of-practicum project, compared to the traditional written memory and knowledge of other institutions where peers participate.
Participación del alumnado en los procesos de evaluación en la docencia universitaria: autoevaluación y coevaluación
Authors: Penelas-Leguía Azucena , Cuesta-Valiño Pedro , López-Sanz José María , Durán-Álamo Patricia
Published: February 2025

En todo proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje, la evaluación se emplea como una herramienta clave para medir cuantitativamente el progreso de los estudiantes. Tradicionalmente, el enfoque educativo asignaba al docente la exclusiva responsabilidad de evaluar. No obstante, involucrar al alumnado en el proceso evaluativo incrementa notablemente las oportunidades de optimizar el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje. Por esta razón, resulta esencial introducir modificaciones en el enfoque de evaluación, particularmente en el ámbito universitario, combinando métodos de evaluación convencionales, como la heteroevaluación, con enfoques más participativos que integren la autoevaluación y la coevaluación. Estas técnicas también han sido implementadas en diversas universidades de la Unión Europea, facilitando que los estudiantes desarrollen competencias en evaluación y retroalimentación. En este estudio, se explora el nivel de conocimiento y satisfacción de los alumnos con el uso de estas metodologías en las asignaturas “Marketing Estrategias” y “Simulador Empresarial en Marketing” de los grados en ADE y DADE en la Universidad de Alcalá. La investigación revela un notable nivel de satisfacción por parte del alumnado respecto a la implementación de estas metodologías innovadoras de coevaluación y autoevaluación, demostrando una alta capacidad para llevarlas a cabo como parte integral del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje. El presente trabajo, de carácter exploratorio, empleó una metodología cuantitativa basada en encuestas realizadas a 82 estudiantes. Los datos recogidos fueron analizados con herramientas estadísticas y permitieron evaluar tanto el conocimiento como la percepción del alumnado respecto a la autoevaluación y la coevaluación. Los hallazgos proporcionan una base para reflexionar sobre el impacto de estas metodologías innovadoras en la educación universitaria y su capacidad para fomentar un aprendizaje más participativo y democrático.
Cicero’s Lamp: Enslavement and the Light of Roman Authorship
Authors: Warwick Ryan
Published: February 2025

Abstract: In a letter to Atticus from 50 b.c.e. (Cic. Att . 7.7 SB 130), Cicero complained that his lamp was going out. This essay reads this fleeting episode in the author’s life against depictions of lamplight across Roman literature, where a lamp’s flame often stands in for the labor of enslaved workers. Such small moments of dissonance can challenge the pervasive perspective of Roman enslavement, revealing other figures standing in the shadows as Cicero wrote. These scribes, grammarians, and lamp attendants all had a share in the Cicero we find on the page. We then conclude by applying these insights to another lamplit letter (Cic. Att. 8.2 SB 152), which sheds new light on a key passage one of Cicero’s most famous works, the De amicitia .
Treatment Barrier in Overdose Crisis: A Critical Participatory Action Study of an Inpatient Smoking Ban
Authors: Bohrman Casey , Radis Brie , Feldman Brooke
Published: February 2025

Abstract: Objective: Amidst a national overdose epidemic some have expressed concerns that smoking bans in substance use treatment facilities could be a barrier to treatment. After the enactment of a smoking ban on treatment facilities in Philadelphia, university researchers partnered with a local syringe exchange to examine the impact of the ban on people with substance use disorders who were cigarette smokers. Methods: Utilizing a critical participatory action research approach, researchers used a convenience sample to access this hard-to-reach population through the syringe exchange and the organization’s Facebook page. A sample of 112 individuals, including 80 men and 32 women completed an online survey asking about their utilization of inpatient treatment and the role of the smoking ban on entering treatment as well as leaving treatment early. Results: Forty-four percent of respondents said that smoking had been a factor in past decisions about entering treatment and 50% said it would be a factor in future decisions. Of those who left inpatient treatment early, 85% said that smoking was a factor. University and community researchers used this data to help overturn the smoking ban at inpatient substance use treatment facilities. Conclusions: Smoking bans in inpatient facilities may serve as a deterrent to entering treatment and may contribute to individuals leaving treatment early. Results from this study suggest that people with substance use disorders need to be included in policy development regarding smoking restrictions.
Conducting Community-Partnered Cardiorespiratory Fitness Assessments with Young Adults Underrepresented in Physical Activity Research: Lessons Learned
Authors: Kramer-Kostecka Eydie N. , Kaja Sarah M. , Harris Velma , Quinlivan Catherine , Treacy Jill , Hooper Laura , Barr-Anderson Daheia J. , Neumark-Sztainer Dianne
Published: February 2025

Abstract: Background: Physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) research often overrepresents White, affluent groups. Of additional concern, standard CRF testing can be inaccessible given the specialized equipment and heightened participant burden required for maximal effort fitness assessments. To address these barriers, we partnered with community-based fitness professionals and conducted field-based, submaximal effort CRF assessments among a sample of young adults enrolled in the Project EAT (Eating and Activity over Time) study. Participants were diverse in ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, and weight; these groups are underrepresented in physical activity research. Objectives: (1) Describe the community-informed study procedures our cross-sector team used, and (2) identify community translation lessons learned from conducting accessible CRF assessments among a sample of underrepresented young adults. Methods: Using a train-the-trainer model, community-based fitness professionals taught university-based research staff how to conduct inclusive CRF assessments. Data collection, including low-burden field tests of CRF, occurred at recreational facilities in participants’ neighborhoods. Post-data collection, community-university partners co-created study takeaways that fitness entities and researchers can use to inform future community-centered projects. Our team adapted the RE-AIM framework (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) to present five lessons learned from this project. Lessons Learned: Train-the-trainer models and accessible, community-informed practices prepare research staff to evaluate CRF among participants from diverse backgrounds in a respectful, inclusive manner. Moreover, our adapted RE-AIM framework can inform future community-centered CRF assessment research. Conclusions: The expertise of community can honor professionals’ expertise and leverage community assets to support feasible fitness assessments for underrepresented community members.
Using Give–Get Grids to Evaluate Community-Engaged Interprofessional Education Partnerships
Authors: Alexander Leah , Ketel Christian , Szetela Carolyn , Leavell Jacinta , Waterman Amanda , Jones Jessica , Winkfield Karen
Published: February 2025

Abstract: Background: Including community partners in interprofessional education (IPE) activities for health care trainees can engage students in learning experiences that engender an authentic appreciation for serving community health needs. Although such endeavors aim for mutual benefit for all participating partners, tools to assess the value of engagement with community partners could enhance transparency and follow-through for assessing the benefits of participation for the community partners. Objectives: Based on a give–get grid used to describe participants’ expectations relative to IPE experiences, we developed a gave–got grid. It was used to evaluate community partners’ experiences and outcomes after engaging in community–academic partnerships. Methods: Initial give–get grids completed by community partners were used to develop a gave–got grid, which served as a template for interviewing key community partner leaders after receipt of the project deliverable. Qualitative interviews were conducted and evaluated for common themes. Results: Four community partners completed gave–got interviews and noted that their contributions to the IPE program were substantial and acceptable in relation to their gains. They identified valuable participation outcomes, including fresh perspectives on their organizations’ work, inspiration from diverse health professions trainees, trainees’ expertise in bettering their community’s health, and receiving essential deliverables for their community populations. Conclusions: Developing transparent aims that clearly outline what each community partner will give and what they hope to receive before engaging students in a learning experience can be mutually beneficial in developing community partnerships for Interprofessional Education. Such practices can enhance mutual understanding, respect, and responsiveness among health care trainees, community organizations, and their constituents.
COVID-19’s Impact on Community Resilience Practice: Lessons Learned from an Academic–Community–Government Partnership to Reduce HBV
Authors: Jeon Min Jeong , Ciceron Annie Coriolan , Yang Y. Tony , Juon Hee-Soon , Pan Jane , Le Daisy
Published: February 2025

Abstract: Background: Essential to the global elimination of viral hepatitis are insights and guidelines on how to coordinate and sustain community health efforts during times of public health crises. A community-based participatory research-driven academic–community–government (ACG) partnership was formed to improve the hepatitis B virus (HBV) screening and vaccination infrastructure for at-risk communities in the Washington–Baltimore metropolitan region. Objectives: We describe the challenges and innovative adjustments made by the partnership to provide continued prevention modalities to reduce HBV during the earlier phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Key informant interviews were conducted to assess program implementation facilitators and barriers. Results: Three thematic categories about the pandemic’s impact on the ACG partnership emerged: innovations in hepatitis screening, access and linkage to care, and collaborative leadership. Lessons learned included the need to identify gaps in care, foster a safe environment for patients and staff, and provide technical assistance to enhance health information technology and systems infrastructure. Conclusions: Despite COVID-19, partnership members remained agile and responsive to community needs. Sustaining an effective ACG partnership requires regular and transparent communication, as well as shared and equal decision-making opportunities.
Back to the Future
Authors: Thomas Downing A.
Published: February 2025

Abstract: This issue of L'Esprit Créateur is devoted to a form of 'creative disruption' that aims to question the self-contained time periods of academic specialization, bringing into focus interdisciplinary connections between the contemporary Francophone and the early modern. Introducing each article's particular 'disruption', Thomas provides an example by exploring potential connections between early-modern representations of the fête galante and France's growing colonial ambitions. Thomas argues that the ambiguity of the fête galante as simultaneously revealing and concealing alluring visions of global mercantilism offered a veiled glimpse of the forced labor that fueled it.
L'Indomptable Bigidi !
Authors: Lēnablou Lnablou
Published: February 2025

Abstract: La Caraïbe est un laboratoire vivant et actif où le corps dansant caribéen est chargé de l'expérience du chaos. Il ne fait que traduire l'adaptation de l'humain face à l'imprévisibilité des choses, des êtres, des événements et de la Nature, en réponse à son histoire coloniale et esclavagiste. Dans cet article je me propose d'explorer la théorie du Bigidi sur des corps étrangers à la culture caribéenne. Cette expérience à l'Université d'Iowa me permet d'insérer dorénavant une nouvelle donne à la théorie du Bigidi, celle de son atemporalité pour sa compréhension heuristique.
Invitation as Intervention: Hervé Youmbi's Bamiléké-Dogon Ku'ngang Mask and the Stanley Museum of Art
Authors: Gundlach Cory , Youmbi Hervé
Published: February 2025

Abstract: The Stanley Museum of Art acquired recently Hervé Youmbi's Bamiléké-Dogon Ku'ngang Mask VI, 2019–2022, to highlight the contemporary relevance of masquerade in Africa, and to critique the ways in which African ritual objects function in an American art museum context. Created as a commodity for the global artworld and for ritual performance by members of the Ku'Ngang Society in Cameroon, Youmbi's work blurs and defies conventional museological and ritual practices. Through an invitation to circulate the work regularly between an American art museum and African community of origin, Youmbi's mask becomes an intervention into the troubled legacies of their separation.
The Anxiety of “Slighted Charms”: The Hysteric’s Desire, Fantasy, and Affect in Henry James’s “The Turn of the Screw”
Authors: Yang Seokwon
Published: February 2025

Abstract: This article examines the dynamics of the hysteric’s desire in “The Turn of the Screw,” drawing on Lacan’s maxim “Man’s desire is the desire of the Other.” Uncovering beneath the governess’s sense of duty her unconscious fantasy of being the object of the master’s desire, the article peruses her anxiety about losing her status as this object and analyzes her encounters with the ghosts via her libidinal relationship with him. The article further delves into her psychology by interpreting her identity crisis as a glimpse of the abysmal void of human subjectivity and a prefiguration of her imminent fall out of her fantasy screen.
Autonomy Without Compromise: Wolff, Kant, and the Grounds of Moral Laws
Authors: Stratmann Joe
Published: February 2025

abstract: Moral autonomy might seem to harbor inconsistency. Whereas nomos suggests that moral laws are grounded in our essence or nature (and thus are not up to us), autos suggests that they are grounded in some free act of self-legislation or prescription (and thus are up to us). Latter-day Kantians often respond by compromising on autonomy, deflating either nomos or autos . This investigation reconstructs how Christian Wolff, Kant’s great rationalist predecessor, already forged a path for embracing autonomy without compromise. His reconciliation, I argue, rests on distinguishing different respects in which moral laws stand in need of grounding. I further unravel why no parallel reconciliation is found in Kant. This, I conclude, still leaves open that Kant may similarly seek to embrace autonomy without compromise.
Antonio Zúñiga's Mara o de la noche sin sueño : A Postmodern, Transnational Docudrama
Authors: Cypess Sandra Messinger
Published: February 2025

Abstract: From its inception in Los Angeles in the 1980s by young Salvadoran immigrants to the US, the Mara Salvatrucha gang has been a transnational phenomenon, operating in a number of countries, from Central America to the US to Europe. Mara o de la noche sin sueño (2010), by Antonio Zúñiga, is based on real events involving gang members and the murder of Brenda Díaz, a former member turned informant. Notwithstanding the historical facts, the surreal rendering of events suggests a postmodern, transnational docudrama. Zúñiga's portrayal of the life of the young immigrant Brenda brings to mind transnational archetypes such as Cinderella, Helen of Troy, and Lady Macbeth. In this inventive play, Zúñiga invites us to see the protagonists both as unique individuals and as representatives of the universal dilemma in which we are all caught between reality and dreams and between wanting love and power, only to lose both.
Conservative Modernity: The Self-Making of the Modern Colonial Woman in Cornelia Sorabji's India Calling
Authors: Kundu Anwesha
Published: February 2025

Abstract: Through a reading of Cornelia Sorabji's autobiography India Calling , this essay argues that the modern Indian colonial woman was a paradoxical and conservative figure. I examine Sorabji's employment of Western genres of women's autobiography and harem literature, which produces hierarchic intimacies between traditional womanhood and the exceptional category of the modern colonial woman. Reconstructing her contradictory allegiances to Indian women and British audiences, I draw attention to the resultant impossibility of creating a coherent self. Her failures at self-construction, I argue, prove that to be modern as a colonial woman is to keep modernity from others.
Between Apparition and Disappearance: Queer Penumbrae in Wu He's Ghosts and Fairies
Authors: Tian Keyun
Published: February 2025

Abstract: This essay examines Taiwanese author Wu He's 2000 novel Ghosts and Fairies ( Gui'er yu ayao ) through its portrayal of sexual minorities as ghostly beings. The gui'er (literally "ghosts") of the title serve as an alternative to the common translation of queer as ku'er in Chinese. Bringing together Anglophone theorizations of queer spectrality and Taiwanese scholars Jen-peng Liu and Naifei Ding's formulation of the queer penumbra ( wangliang ) as a figure of ghostly liminality, I explore how Wu He's figuration of gui'er straddles the boundary between visible and invisible, present and absent, corporeal and incorporeal, and thereby probes the limits of visibility without recourse to a diametrically opposed politics of invisibility.
Staying in Character: Ocean Vuong and the Usefulness of Refugee Beauty
Authors: August Timothy K.
Published: February 2025

Abstract: This essay argues that Ocean Vuong foregrounds character over identity in his novel On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous —not only to voice the unevenness created by US imperialism, racial violence, and refugee selection, but also to refashion the marginal positioning that refugees are accorded in conventional representations—through his relentless attention to beauty. Although "usefulness" is not a concept usually paired with beauty, Vuong's elegant transformation of the enduring trials of refugee life can be read as a pragmatic and calculated intervention into the aesthetic structures and readerly desires under which refugee stories are usually consumed.
Taboo Revisited in Dystopia: Aldous Huxley's Brave New World
Authors: Arikan Seda
Published: February 2025

Abstract: This article reads Aldous Huxley's dystopian novel Brave New World as a portrayal of two societies, one primitive and the other futuristic, founded on taboos. Although the two contradictory worlds survive on opposite taboos, the study argues that the social and psychic mechanisms behind the operation of taboos in the Savage Reservation and in the World State are structurally similar. Drawing on Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan, Slavoj Žižek, and Julia Kristeva, the article examines Huxley's narrative of taboos in terms of the dialectic of desire and law.
Cremation Poetry: Probing Secularism in Verse
Authors: Kosuch Carolin
Published: February 2025

Abstract: This essay examines poems about cremation written by adherents of both 19th-century German bourgeois initiatives to reintroduce cremation and the early 20th-century German proletarian freethought movement. Supporters of these currents held secularist views. Cremation poems can be considered a laboratory of secularism in which certain secularist truths and beliefs could be formulated and expressed in compelling ways. Notably, these poems fleshed out secularism by paying particular attention to its emotional aspects. The poems discussed point to the existence of a secularist, cremationist emotional community across class and temporal boundaries. The essay contributes to the study of secularist mentalities and convictions in the 19th and 20th centuries, probing the role of poetry in establishing secularist themes and positions.
Now what? Lessons Learned from a Diversity Audit
Authors: Emerson María Evelia
Published: February 2025

abstract: Diversity audits are frequently used as an assessment method to measure the diversity of a library collection. Yet, there is not frequent research on the aftermath of diversity audits, especially in the context of comparing data from several audits to assess the difference in the makeup of a library collection. In this article, the author discusses the changes a small academic library made in response to a diversity audit conducted several years before, as well as the results of a new, smaller audit to confirm that the initial audit had an impact. This article shares the results of the new audit and reflects on the lessons learned during the process.
Administrators' Perceptions of Racial Equity Accountability Practices in Academic Libraries
Authors: Caragher Kristyn
Published: February 2025

abstract: This article examines racism and accountability practices within academic libraries from the perspective of academic library administrators, with attention to differences between BIPOC and White academic library administrators. The quantitative data collected via an online survey show White academic library administrators are more likely to believe leadership is accountable and proactive in addressing racism within the workplace than BIPOC academic library administrators. The data reveal a need for accountability to be better defined within libraries and for academic library administrators to work together to better align on commitments toward addressing racism within the library workplace.
Ernest Richmond, Director of the Department of Antiquities in Palestine (1927–37), and His Approach to Archaeological Research by Members of the Jewish Yishuv
Authors: Lash Mordechay , Goldstein Yossi , Shai Itzhaq
Published: February 2025

Abstract: This article examines the approach of Ernest Tatham Richmond, director of the Department of Antiquities of the British Mandate government in Palestine from 1927 to 1937, toward the archaeological research of members of the Jewish Yishuv. The initial years of the Mandate reflected a supportive approach toward the Jewish Yishuv, and under the Department's first director, John Garstang, Jewish research was warmly received. In August 1927, Garstang was replaced by Richmond, who, in his previous position in Palestine as an advisor to the High Commissioner, expressed distinctly anti-Zionist views. Upon starting his new position, members of the Yishuv voiced grievances with his selection; in addition to its scientific value, they regarded archaeology as a means of realizing their national aspirations. The examination of several cases documented in various archives indicate that in the course of his tenure, Richmond treated the Jews and their research fairly, and at times even with a warm and supportive approach. The assessments of a few researchers, who hold that under Richmond's tenure the Department was biased toward the Arabs, appear to have been influenced by his actions at the beginning of the Mandate and by publications in the Hebrew press. However, a broader examination indicates that, in practice, "Jewish archaeology" actually experienced more substantial growth during his tenure, despite initial difficulties in its development. This observation enables us to better understand the Mandate authorities' approach toward political developments and local initiatives in the field of archaeology.
The Flight of a Mother: Rape and National Coercion in David Grossman's To the End of the Land
Authors: Yehuda Omri Ben
Published: February 2025

Abstract: This study offers a new reading of one of Israel's most acclaimed novels, David Grossman's To the End of the Land (2008), and identifies domestic rape as the trauma lying at the heart of the novel. Interpretation becomes an endeavor which is relevant not only to the way we read a literary text, but more fundamentally to the way we engage on a more general level with trauma, history, and national narratives. I argue that scholars' avoidance of the excessive indulgence of the sensual in this novel has blinded them to its woman protagonist's immersion in a consistent and rigorous posttraumatic lamentation for the loss of sexual desire toward her own son, whose participation in the coercive patriarchy revalidates the relations between the sexes inside the family cell. Scholars also shy away from the ethnic reverberations of the collective ethos in this epic novel, causing them to miss this lamentation for the loss of Israel's imagined golden age (1948–66) which touches directly on Israel's self-justification and its blindness to the violence its culture contains and produces. The novel thus laments both Israel's imagined sane and Ashkenazi past and the loss of love between a mother and her son. The question of experience thus becomes the most poignant political scrutiny for reception of cultural milestones, and the work of the literary critic thus more acute.
Ziara: Moroccan Common Wisdom : Muslims and Jews Share Moroccan Meta-Identity in a Liminal Artistic Space
Authors: Gigi Moti , Bitton Haim
Published: February 2025

Abstract: Our article examines the art exhibition Ziara: Moroccan Common Wisdom that was part of the Fourth Jerusalem Biennale, held in 2019. In this article, we show how the creation of this liminal venue in the exhibition at the Jerusalem International YMCA afforded the artists from Morocco and Israel a safe space to express themselves critically about the religious, social, cultural, and national norms that prevail in their countries, and how the themes that engaged them at the exhibition reflect central theoretical themes in the analytical demarche that the betwixt-and-between state and the liminal situation offered at the exhibition. We also claim that by borrowing the term "Ziara" to denote a space of shared cultural meaning, the artists and the curator took advantage of the platform that the exhibition provided to send messages that may challenge the basic sociocultural assumptions of Moroccan Jews and Muslims alike. We show how they emphasized the idea that "betwixt-and-between," as a common Jewish–Muslim cultural space, may serve as a vessel that can accommodate their split identity, enable them to connect with multiple homelands, and to thereby challenge the borders and barriers that nationalism has erected among members of the Moroccan diaspora. Finally, it is our main argument that the works displayed at the exhibition in their artistic context tend to exemplify a radical stance of blurring of national distinctions between Jews and Muslims in the diasporic context; they may even reflect an attempt to redefine the way Moroccans define their "Moroccanness" and establish a Moroccan meta-identity in which the diasporic component is central.
Give Signs—Make Happy: Metaphorical Extension and Grammaticalization of give in Sign Language of the Netherlands
Authors: Joosten Vivianne , Pfau Roland
Published: February 2025

Abstract: The transfer verb "give" has been shown to be subject to metaphorical extension and—in a second step—grammaticalization in many unrelated languages. As for the former process, we observe extension to abstract transfer (e.g., "give responsibility/pleasure"); as for the latter, "give" may grammaticalize into, for instance, a benefactive or causative marker (e.g., Kuteva et al. 2019). The mechanisms underlying these diachronic changes appear to be modality-independent, as similar processes have been identified in various sign languages. In the present study, we offer the first comprehensive overview of various uses of "give" in a single sign language, Sign Language of the Netherlands (NGT), based entirely on naturalistic corpus data. A search of the Corpus NGT yielded 131 tokens of geven ("give"). Analysis of these tokens reveals that less than a third of them actually express concrete transfer, while the remaining tokens express abstract transfer of various types (e.g., "give chance," "give name"), including grammatical meanings like change of state/causation (e.g., "give happy"). We discuss our findings from a crossmodal and intramodal typological perspective, offering also speculations about a possible grammaticalization path.