bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Infrastructures and Organization of the Early Islamic Slave Trade with Northern Europe
Authors: Jankowiak Marek
Published: February 2025

Is it likely that the hundreds of thousands of dirhams found in northern and eastern Europe mostly represent payments for slaves imported to the Islamic world? The transportation of thousands of captives from northern Europe to central Asia or Muslim Spain must have raised formidable logistical difficulties. This chapter reviews the evidence—written, numismatic, and archaeological—pertaining to the importation of slaves into the Islamic world in an attempt to understand how, concretely, the early Islamic slave trade may have operated. The wide variety of attested operating models, from merchant diasporas to long-distance caravans, illustrates its complexity and flexibility.
The Landscapes of Science and Religion
Authors: Spencer Nick , Waite Hannah
Published: February 2025

The Landscapes of Science and Religion seeks to identify and explore what exactly people are disagreeing about when they disagree about science and religion — where, in effect, the conflict lies, or at least is perceived to. To answer this, the book first defines or, more precisely, disambiguates the two category terms ‘science’ and ‘religion’. Building on the work of Peter Harrison, and on Wittgenstein’s argument that meaning resides in usage, and his advocacy of ‘family resemblance’ approach to definition, it draws on various legal and philosophical definitions of science and religion, to which it brings a considerable new source of data, from over a hundred hours of research among scientists, philosophers, sociologists, theologians, and communicators, and a substantial quantitative study of UK public attitudes. From these, it elucidates two disambiguated ‘family definitions’ of science and religion. On the basis of these, Part II explores the points of contact between these disambiguated ‘family definitions’, and pays particular attention to four areas, or ‘fronts’, where the perceived conflict is sharpest. These are (1) metaphysics, (2) methodology, (3) anthropology, and (4) public authority and public reasoning. For each of these the book sets out in detail, firstly, where the perceived conflict lies; secondly, how this tension can be attenuated or even resolved; and finally, what are the outstanding points of disagreement in each area. In doing to, the book offers a comprehensive and empirically grounded response to the popular, long-standing but often polemicised and obscure debates around science and religion
Disaggregating Science
Authors: Spencer Nick , Waite Hannah
Published: February 2025

This chapter draws on over a hundred interviews with scientists, philosophers, sociologists, and communicators, and builds on an initial disaggregation of the dimensions or ‘features’ of science derived from legal and philosophical analysis. From this new and extensive data source, it outlines six distinct dimensions or ‘features’ of science, pertaining to its (1) method(s), (2) subject, (3) presuppositions, (4) objectives, (5) values, and (6) institutional structure. Each of these encompasses a range of factors, and none is wholly discrete or watertight. All, but especially the last two, incorporate the descriptive, as well as the normative aspect of what science is. Between them, they enable us to build up a broad, composite, and flexible ‘family definition’ of what science is.
Disaggregating Science and Religion
Authors: Spencer Nick , Waite Hannah
Published: February 2025

This chapter builds on the work of sociologist John Evans, and uses a new data source of over 5,000 UK adult interviews to assess the public understanding of science and religion in the UK, specifically of what science and what religion actually are. Data show that for the vast majority of the UK public, their main source of information about science and religion does not come from first-hand personal or educational experience but via the media. Accordingly, public conceptions of science in the UK are usually embedded in progressive narratives, tied up with science doing things like warning, healing, or predicting. By contrast, religion—or more specifically religions—are also encountered as embedded in newsworthy narratives, although often ones that are problematic or even threatening. As a result, public conceptions of science and religion are usually weighted, in different directions, by their perceived ethical features, as Evans argues is the case in the US. However, this is not altogether at the expense of other features, and the chapter shows that, albeit not expressed in those terms, public conceptions of science and of religion also recognise the significance of their metaphysical and methodological/epistemological features.
Methodology
Authors: Spencer Nick , Waite Hannah
Published: February 2025

This chapter explores the ways in which different conceptions of methodology are central to the perceived conflict between science and religion. Because method plays such a central role within the ‘family definition’ of science, it naturally looms large in debates around science and religion. The consequence is a widespread if superficial belief that ‘science relies on evidence whereas religion relies on faith’. On closer examination, and in particular when the asymmetric comparison between a ‘theorised’ understanding of scientific method and a ‘rank-and-file’ understanding of religious belief is avoided, the chapter shows that there is more complementarity between the respective methods than a straightforwardly oppositional approach would have it. Science not only establishes its knowledge through adherence to scientific method(s), but also integrates features that are familiar to religion as a means of establishing its knowledge. In a similar vein, the process by means of which religious authorities and scholars acquire, refine, deepen, defend, and develop beliefs exhibits features that resonate with science’s methodologies. The chapter examines these similarities, before concluding that, such correspondences notwithstanding, there remain certain legitimate methodological tensions between science and religion, and it concludes by highlighting four, pertaining to revelation, evidence, consensus, and confidence
Unpaid Labour and Inequality in Precarious Work
Authors: Pulignano Valeria , Domecka Markieta
Published: February 2025

The chapter critically examines arguments of unpaid labour, precarious work, and inequality, all the while differentiating between employees in employment relationships and self-employed workers in service provision relationships. It initiates the exploration of the theoretical framework concerning the politics inherent to unpaid labour, discussing their potential to address the inequalities inherent to precarious work environments. This discussion strives to elucidate the rationale behind individuals’ experiences and the significance they ascribe to unpaid labour. It also works to embed the analysis of stigma and resilience into studies on unpaid labour, inequality, and precarious work. Stigma is the ‘social norm’ reflecting the social roles in place in a given setting, resilience is the availability and uptake of various resources.
Weaponizing Civilian Protection
Authors: 9780198897392  , Gregory Thomas
Published: February 2025

Civilian protection is often seen as an external restraint on wartime violence, as something that can limit the death and destruction inflicted upon the civilian population. Weaponizing Civilian Protection contests this view, showing how militaries have used it to re-calibrate their violence to make it more effective and to mitigate the harm caused to civilians to make it appear more legitimate. Focusing on the recent conflict in Afghanistan, the book traces how coalition officials tried to re-imagine civilian casualties as a martial concern rather than a humanitarian consideration—as a strategic problem that could imperil the mission. Drawing on interviews with coalition officials and numerous declassified documents, it examines the restrictions coalition officials imposed on combat operations to minimize civilian casualties and the post-incident responses that officials used to rationalize these deaths, including counting the casualties and issuing condolence payments to the victims. Despite claiming to prioritize civilian protection, this book shows how these measures worked to devalue and dehumanize Afghan civilians, leaving their lives profoundly losable and their deaths eminently ungrievable within the prevailing normative framework. Moreover, the book shows that these enhanced protections are more fragile than they might appear, with commanders able to relax these restrictions—or remove them entirely—in conflicts where protecting civilians is not considered critical to mission success.
Introduction
Authors: Gregory Thomas
Published: February 2025

This introductory chapter provides an overview of the arguments outlined in this book. It will explain how and why coalition officials tried to re-imagine civilian casualties as a martial concern rather than a humanitarian consideration during the recent conflict in Afghanistan—as strategic setbacks that could imperil operations rather than collateral damage that is incidental to mission success. The chapter outlines what was behind these changes and the measures that this change enabled, including the restrictions that were imposed on combat operations to minimize civilian casualties and the post-incident responses that were supposed to mitigate their effects. Crucially, it shows how these measures worked to devalue and dehumanize Afghan civilians, constituting their lives as losable and their deaths as ungrievable.
Calibrating Violence
Authors: Gregory Thomas
Published: February 2025

This chapter contextualizes coalition attempts at weaponizing civilian protection, showing why reducing civilian casualties and mitigating the strategic consequences was considered so important to mission success. It begins with an overview of the biopolitical imperatives that shape contemporary counterinsurgency doctrine, which transform the civilian population from innocent bystanders that have been caught up in a conflict outside their making into a military objective. It then discusses the necropolitical imperatives that follow, explaining what counterinsurgency doctrine says about calibrating lethal force, minimizing unnecessary harm, and mitigating the consequences of these casualties. This chapter reveals why the coalition reframed civilian casualties as a strategic setback rather than a humanitarian concern, linking the political tensions these casualties were creating to strategic concerns about how civilian casualties might increase support for insurgents.
(Not) Compensating Civilians
Authors: Gregory Thomas
Published: February 2025

Coalition officials disbursed millions in ex-gratia payments to Afghan and Iraqi civilians to make amends for the harm inflicted upon them. These ex-gratia payments were intended as an expression of sympathy rather than an admission of fault, and the programme itself has been criticized for the arbitrary, inconsistent, and low valuation of civilian lives. Rather than viewing ex-gratia payments as a humanitarian response to civilian suffering, this chapter argues that these payments were used as a weapon to legitimize this harm, and to prevent tactical victories becoming strategic setbacks. The chapter will begin with an overview of the ex-gratia schemes introduced during the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and then move on to examine the literature on compensating civilians. It will then trace how the coalition tried to weaponize money during these conflicts in order to secure local support, and to prevent civilian casualties jeopardizing this support.
Conclusion
Authors: Gregory Thomas
Published: February 2025

This concluding chapter connects the arguments outlined throughout the book to nascent debates about developing new policies on protecting civilians, focusing specific attention on the United States Department of Defense Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan and Department of Defense Instruction 3000.17 on Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response. It argues that the documents give commanders considerable latitude to disregard these restrictions in conflicts where protecting civilians is not considered mission critical, and it shows how coalition officials chose to disregard these measures during the latter stages of the conflict in Afghanistan, and during Operation Inherent Resolve in Syria and Iraq. Against efforts to weaponize civilian protection, the book insists that civilians are neither collateral damage nor strategic setbacks. It maintains that civilians do not deserve to die, and should not be exposed to violence, no matter how carefully it is calibrated.
Administration of Estates in Early-Modern Europe
Authors: Rüfner Thomas
Published: February 2025

In early-modern Europe, the administration of estates was governed by a complex interplay of customary rules and provisions derived from Roman and Canon law (ius commune). The chapter demonstrates the characteristic interaction of local custom and the ius commune, taking the regions of northern France and Saxony as the main paradigms. The central issue was the settlement of debts of the estate. Unlike ancient Roman law or modern civil law systems, customary law tended not to make the heir or heirs fully liable for the estate debts. Over time, however, the liability rules became stricter. Since the heir’s liability was originally limited to certain assets of the estate, customary law favoured the automatic acquisition of the estate by the heir without formal entrance upon the inheritance. The position of a testamentary executor was relatively weak under early-modern law. This foreshadows the rules of the French and German civil codes.
Administration of Estates in France
Authors: Pérès Cécile
Published: February 2025

This chapter describes and analyses the French rules on estate administration. It begins with a historical overview leading up to the reform of 2006; this confirms the classic principles on which French succession law is based—transmission of assets upon death, immediate apprehension of assets by heirs, unlimited liability for debts—while multiplying and reinforcing the adjustments to these principles. The chapter continues with a study of the acquisition of rights, of administration and administrators of the estate, and of the settlement of debts, and touches on some of the criticisms that have been made against the unlimited liability of successors.
Administration of Estates in Hungary
Authors: Vékás Lajos
Published: February 2025

Hungarian succession law is notable for the strength and endurance of tradition. Some of the institutions and solutions have a history of more than 150 years even if, to an outsider, they may appear unusual. On death, the estate of the deceased accrues automatically to the heirs. Their liability, in turn, is limited to the value of the estate. Notaries public have traditionally played an important role in the administration of estates even if, due to automatic accrual, estate proceedings have declaratory rather than constitutive effect. Among the distinctive features of Hungarian succession law are the exceptions to the principle of universal succession and also the recognition of legacies per vindicationem. The smooth functioning of everyday practice and the intense discussions during the preparatory work for the Civil Code of 2013 have convinced the legislator that the traditional solutions of Hungarian law remain viable and deserve to be preserved.
Administration of Estates in English Law before the Wills Act 1837
Authors: Jones Neil
Published: February 2025

The English law of succession historically differentiated between freehold land and personal property, the former passing by automatic inheritance to the deceased’s heir, as determined by law, the latter being capable of passing by will or testament through the hands of executors or administrators. The English system conceded primary jurisdiction over wills and intestate estates of personal property to the ecclesiastical courts, thereby diverging both from the assumptions of the Roman and Canon laws and from practice in other European jurisdictions. But the ecclesiastical testamentary jurisdiction was not exclusive. The court of Chancery came to exercise an important jurisdiction in contentious cases, and the common law courts entertained a range of claims by and against executors, including actions to recover debts owed by or to the deceased. This chapter examines will-making practice in the period, together with the rules and principles applied in testamentary cases by the various jurisdictions involved.
Administration of Estates in Canada
Authors: Popovici Alexandra , Smith Lionel
Published: February 2025

In the Canadian federation, Quebec has a civilian private law, while the common law governs in the other provinces and in the territories. Estate administration in the common law jurisdictions conforms closely to the system of English law, with some local variation; the ‘personal representative’ plays a central role. Quebec law is derived from French law, but with some significant modifications under the Civil Code of Québec. While the assets and liabilities pass directly to the heirs, they remain in a divided patrimony and under the management of a ‘liquidator’ until liquidation is complete. Federal law may intervene in two ways. First, in relation to those members of First Nations to whom it applies, federal law grants wide powers to the relevant minister to intervene in estate administration. Secondly, an estate may be bankrupt in the technical sense, attracting federal regulation with a distinct regime of administration.
Yearning for a Partnership of Equals
Authors: Wolf Reinhard
Published: February 2025

The chapter demonstrates that shifts in perceived dis/respect profoundly affected Russia’s behavior towards the West, and the United States in particular. Revealingly, the Kremlin reacted most vividly to American actions that seemingly showed that Washington was unwilling to treat Russia as a fully-fledged great power with equal rights and voice opportunities. Confronted with alleged American high-handedness, Moscow responded with costly acts of assertiveness, which largely elude established theories of great power politics. Moreover, Russia’s negative reactions show that the Kremlin primarily objected to the way in which Washington disregarded its claim to eye-level treatment. To make America respect Russia’s equal role in international crisis management, policy-makers were even willing to sacrifice Russia’s reputation as a ‘good citizen’ of international society, i.e. parts of its international prestige. On the other hand, the chapter also reveals that the Kremlin responded positively to Washington’s respect overtures during the Obama administration’s ‘reset’.
The Significance of Respect for Scholars and Practitioners
Authors: Wolf Reinhard
Published: February 2025

There is strong evidence that the experience of respect or disrespect often influences a government’s willingness to cooperate in ways that go beyond an instrumental rationality. In that context, most policy-makers care more about attaining respect for their countries’ status roles than for ‘proper’ representations of their nations’ presumed status markers. Evidence further shows that the (negative) effects of disrespect tend to be stronger than the (positive) consequences of renewed respect. Paying greater attention to the respect concerns of others is thus often helpful for improving interstate interactions and for avoiding confrontations—especially in an international society that seems to get more diverse and dynamic. However, making others feel respected usually means giving them real influence. While promoting a more harmonious relationship, demonstrating genuine and lasting respect also tends to constrain one’s own freedom of action. Showing respect is useful, but also costly.
Introduction
Authors: Smith Adam I. P.
Published: February 2025

Why, when, and how did Gettysburg become the most memorable, and, in most accounts, the most consequential battle of the American Civil War? This book explains why a battle came to be fought there, why it ended how it did, and what it has meant ever since. This is the story of a battle that has acquired meanings far beyond the purely military. Gettysburg is the most famous small town in America and the most American small town. As a place and an event, it has become a repository of the values and ideals different groups of Americans have wished to place upon it. Accounts of the battle often begin with the observation that these two vast armies clashed there because all the roads in the region converged in the center of the town. Similarly, it so often seems that all investigations into what the United States is and has been led, and still lead, in one way or another, through Gettysburg.
The Confederate Invasion, June–July 1863
Authors: Smith Adam I. P.
Published: February 2025

This chapter describes the Army of Northern Virginia’s incursion into Pennsylvania in the summer of 1863. As generations of historians have recorded, the Battle of Gettysburg was a “meeting engagement,” meaning that neither side had planned to fight there at that time. Even so, Gettysburg was a natural point for the collision to happen. It had strategic importance thanks not only to its location at the hub of the region’s road network but also because of the railroad to Harrisburg which provided a supply route for the Union Army, and this was why Confederate control of the town after the first day was potentially threatening.
Gettysburg as the Nation’s “Turning Point,” c.1880–1933
Authors: Smith Adam I. P.
Published: February 2025

This chapter develops the idea of Gettysburg as the turning point of the war, describing the memorialization efforts of the early twentieth century, including the reunions of veterans on both sides, especially the grand semi-centennial reunion of 1913, which foregrounded soldiering as a test of heroic masculinity and obscured the politics that explained why the war was ever fought. This way of framing the war was sentimental and theatrical. It celebrated the role of the individual amid the mass of modernity; it dwelt on contingency not structure.
Global Theories, Chronologies, and Geographies of Realism
Authors: Bowers Katherine , Vaysman Margarita
Published: February 2025

This chapter discusses global theories, chronologies, and geographies of realism, laying out the organizational principles of The Oxford Handbook of Global Realisms. Realism is an artistic practice that aims to faithfully represent reality. Historically, realism has been practiced across different media, from early pictorial art and epic oral narratives through literature and visual arts to film, music, and digital media. However, an understanding of what it means to “faithfully represent reality” is not universal; rather, it varies from culture to culture. This handbook brings the diversity of global realisms—literary, visual, sonic, dramatic, and digital; Victorian and modernist; socialist, capitalist, magical and marvelous, postcolonial, environmental, and posthuman—to the fore. By foregrounding theories, practices, and forms of realism that are less well known to anglophone readers than “classic” realisms, the handbook revises the Eurocentric geography of the concept. It offers a broad chronology that overcomes the habitual fixation in studies of realism on the nineteenth century as its starting point and offers, instead, a more flexible timeline of this artistic practice. This chapter offers an overview of the handbook’s four sections—“Theories of Global Realism,” “Practices of Global Realism,” “Global Realisms and the Novel,” and “Intermedial Global Realisms”—as well as a short summary of each chapter. This chapter, and the volume as a whole, present therefore a global view of realism through contextualized case studies, which showcase previously underrepresented and marginalized theories, practices, forms, and media of realist cultural production.
Get(ting) Out of the American Dream/Nightmare
Authors: Mask Mia
Published: February 2025

Jordan Peele’s Get Out is one of the most significant films of this century for its deft subversion of the racial contract and its indictment of U.S. racial politics. Released on February 24, 2017, the film seemingly took newly elected President Donald Trump’s racist, sexist, and xenophobic politics to task and commented on racial profiling and anti-Black police brutality. Get Out is a multi-layered text that also has far-reaching cinematic implications. Employing abjection, postcolonial, psychoanalytic, and critical race theories, this chapter demonstrates how Get Out calls upon horror movie audiences to rethink three genres: (1) the social-problem picture as romantic comedy (such as Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner); (2) the self-reflexive horror film (like Night of the Living Dead, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, or Scream franchises); and (3) the transgressive cult movie (i.e., The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Myra Breckinridge, or Casablanca).
Mary Magdalene across Borders in the Global South
Authors: Córdova Quero Hugo , Mor Cristian
Published: February 2025

This chapter explores the figure of Mary Magdalene and her significant influence on the religious imagination of the Global South, encompassing Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Historically, Mary Magdalene has been subject to varied interpretations, from being a follower of Jesus to his closest companion, stirring emotions in communities across the Global South. The term “Global South” highlights global inequalities and postcolonial perspectives, emphasizing these regions’ varied social, political, and economic contexts. It addresses how her story has been received and adapted within various cultural contexts, focusing on the impact of colonialism and local interpretations. The dual process of her narrative integration illustrates how colonialism introduced Mary Magdalene through missionary work. Yet, local communities also had their pre-existing visions of her, demonstrating a complex interplay between external imposition and local adaptation. The chapter highlights the intrinsic need for people of faith to see themselves reflected in religious characters driven by race/ethnicity, gender, geography, and culture. Such appropriations provide spiritual comfort and contextualize faith in personal terms. Mary Magdalene’s veneration exemplifies how sacred narratives adapt to resonate with diverse communities. By focusing on Asia, Latin America, and Africa, the chapter reveals Mary Magdalene’s central role in religious diversity, underscoring her adaptability and enriching the understanding of Christian faith in the Global South. It uncovers the complexity and richness of Christian faith in a globalized and diverse world through selected examples.
The Natufian Archaeological Culture in Southwestern Asian Epipalaeolithic Context
Authors: Stutz Aaron Jonas
Published: February 2025

This chapter reviews current research on the Natufian archaeological culture of the Levant. The Natufian may be situated within the Late period of the regional Epipalaeolithic chronology, which stretches overall from c. 23,000–10,000 bc. As an archaeological culture, the Natufian is widely recognized as important because it consists of traces of the last forager societies in the Near East that entirely lacked farming neighbours. The internal chronology of the Natufian is generally divided into Early and Late components, dating to 13,000–11,500 bc and 11,500–10,000 bc, respectively. The Early Natufian component is marked by a relatively dramatic increase in the use of durable stone-foundation architecture at hamlets, seasonal campsites, and special ritual locales. These architectural features persist throughout the Late Natufian component, which begins in the centuries prior to the Younger Dryas global climatic reversal, which brought cool and dry conditions to the eastern Mediterranean, after c. 10,900 bc. Recent research confirms that the Natufian culture involved year-round settlement at some hamlet sites, but other social technologies—including ritualized memorialization of the dead, long-distance exchange, and use of specialized foraging and food-preparation gear—seem to mark an accelerating departure from Palaeolithic patterns of smaller co-resident group-size and higher residential mobility across ecological zones.
Early and Middle Holocene Climate and Environmental Change
Authors: Crombé Philippe
Published: February 2025

The Mesolithic corresponds to a period of abrupt global warming resulting in a series of profound environmental changes, such as rapid sea level rise, decreased river discharge and lake levels, increased drought and forest fires, and a radical overturn of both fauna and flora. The latter includes the rapid replacement of cold-tolerant species occurring in an open tundra environment by temperate-boreal species, adapted to the forested environment of the Early and Middle Holocene. However, global warming was repeatedly interrupted by short but abrupt cooling events, the impact of which on both ecosystems and humans remains largely unexplored.
Hunter-Gatherer Mobility and Sedentism
Authors: Holst Daniela
Published: February 2025

Mobility has always been in the focus of Mesolithic archaeology and forms one of the important clues for the understanding of this period. Still the evidence remains few, diverse, and controversial. Recent investigations in Mesolithic land use and communication networks that consider different aspects and scales of mobility and sedentism partly convert traditional conceptions. Several references indicate reduced residential mobility already in early Mesolithic communities. Land use systems seem to be characterized by long-lasting residences in restricted, permanently managed territories, where local resources were harvested, maintained, and storaged. Contemporaneously, individuals or small groups increased their movements and maintained long distance communication and exchange networks.
Identity, Gender, and Power
Authors: Rigaud Solange , Little Aimée
Published: February 2025

The study of past material culture and related practices can be insightful for exploring the construction of past identities. Approaches employed to explore the production and negotiation of identity in the archaeological record rely on a broad range of cultural proxies. However, the funerary record is most commonly used to address questions of gender, identity, and to reconstruct social organization. In this chapter, recent conceptual, theoretical, and methodological developments in the exploration of past identities in Mesolithic Europe are discussed through the scope of object life histories approach. Objects, like humans, possess life histories, and through a focus on primary archaeological deposits, we are gaining critical insights into the role everyday things played in shaping social identity within Mesolithic society. Advances in archaeological science have enabled researchers to push the boundaries of object life histories by extending deep into the biographical histories of stones, bones, and other materials transformed into beads, tools, and other objects. This chapter encourages a nuanced and multidimensional focus, pushing beyond the typochronologies that have dominated past narratives, to reveal how the essence of different materials were drawn upon, in life and in death, through artefacts.
Relationships with the Environment
Authors: Taylor Barry , Overton Nick J.
Published: February 2025

This chapter discusses the ways that we have studied the relationships between humans and their environment during the European Mesolithic. The human–environment relationship has been a central theme of Mesolithic archaeology throughout its history, and the different ways it has been studied reflects broader changes in the theoretical perspectives that our discipline has adopted. This chapter discusses the principal approaches that developed during the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries: the economic and ecological models that focused on the role of plants and animals as sources of food and material; and the cultural models that explored how Mesolithic communities perceived and understood their environment. While these approaches are often seen as being in opposition to each other, the authors argue that both offer important insights on the character of human–environment interactions. What is more, recent developments in the discipline, notably the adoption of multispecies perspectives and the concept of non-human agency can help reconcile these apparent differences, leading to new ways of conceptualizing the relationship between humans, plants, and animals during the Mesolithic.
Hunting
Authors: Overton Nick J.
Published: February 2025

This chapter brings together evidence for hunting technology and hunting methods, and considers how this evidence can allow an examination of the experience of hunting practices in Mesolithic Europe. It begins with an overview of the evidence for hunting technology recovered from Mesolithic sites, before presenting a detailed examination of the capabilities and uses of Mesolithic hunting technology, based on archaeological, anthropological, and experimental studies. It then uses this evidence to consider how humans may have hunted in the Mesolithic, with a particular focus on the specific character of hunting certain species, or using particular technology and methods. Finally, this chapter considers the role of hunting encounters, shaped by technological capabilities, hunting methods, human choices, and animal behaviours and habits, as a dynamic theatre for the formation and negotiation of human–non-human relationships.
Orwell, War, and Violence
Authors: Pong Beryl
Published: February 2025

This chapter considers the complicated roles that war and violence played across Orwell’s variegated oeuvre, and the formal strategies he employed to both depict and resist their logic. From his writings of the interwar period through to the Second World War and the Cold War, recurring concerns include the vexed, symbolic use of animals to represent inhumane violence; the marshalling of modernist aesthetics in capturing that violence; and a generic ambivalence at the heart of his writings, which often blend autobiography with fiction, and in the late works, with what he called ‘fantasy’. Orwell explored how language could make violence appear otherwise: violence that is as much physical and psychological as it is rhetorical and symbolic, with each dimension facilitating and reinforcing the other. This challenge would call to task and implicate the politics of his own aesthetic choices.
Literacy in school-aged children: A paediatric approach to advocacy and assessment
Authors: Kawamura Anne , Orsino Angela , McLeod Scott , Handley-Derry Mark , Siegel Linda , Vine Jocelyn , Jones-Stokreef Nicola
Published: February 2025

Literacy is a key social determinant of health that affects the daily socioemotional lives of children and their economic prospects later in life. Being able to read, write, and understand written text is essential to participating in society, achieving goals, developing knowledge, and fulfilling potential. Yet a significant proportion of adults in Canada do not have the literacy skills they need to meet and manage increasingly complex workforce demands. Paediatric care providers play a pivotal role in identifying children and families at risk for low literacy. This statement offers approaches for assessing children and counselling families to improve reading skills while advocating for their right to access evidence-based reading instruction.
A powdery mildew core effector protein targets the host endosome tethering complexes HOPS and CORVET in barley
Authors: Sabelleck Björn , Deb Sohini , Levecque Sophie C J , Freh Matthias , Reinstädler Anja , Spanu Pietro D , Thordal-Christensen Hans , Panstruga Ralph
Published: February 2025

Powdery mildew fungi are serious pathogens affecting many plant species. Their genomes encode extensive repertoires of secreted effector proteins that suppress host immunity. Here, we revised and analyzed the candidate secreted effector protein (CSEP) effectome of the powdery mildew fungus, Blumeria hordei (Bh). We identified seven putative effectors that are broadly conserved in powdery mildew species, suggesting that they are core effectors of these phytopathogens. We showed that one of these effectors, CSEP0214, interacts with the barley (Hordeum vulgare) vacuolar protein sorting 18 (VPS18) protein, a shared component of the class C core vacuole/endosome tethering (CORVET) and homotypic fusion and protein-sorting (HOPS) endosomal tethering complexes that mediate fusion of early endosomes and multivesicular bodies, respectively, with the central vacuole. Overexpression of CSEP0214 and knockdown of either VPS18, HOPS-specific VPS41 or CORVET-specific VPS8 blocked the vacuolar pathway and the accumulation of the fluorescent vacuolar marker protein (SP)-RFP-AFVY in the endoplasmic reticulum. Moreover, CSEP0214 inhibited the interaction between VPS18 and VPS16, which are both shared components of CORVET as well as HOPS. Additionally, introducing CSEP0214 into barley leaf cells blocked the hypersensitive cell death response associated with resistance gene-mediated immunity, indicating that endomembrane trafficking is required for this process. CSEP0214 expression also prevented callose deposition in cell wall appositions at attack sites and encasements of fungal infection structures. Our results indicate that the powdery mildew core effector CSEP0214 is an essential suppressor of plant immunity.
The transcription factor WRKY41–FLAVONOID 3′-HYDROXYLASE module fine-tunes flavonoid metabolism and cold tolerance in potato
Authors: Bao Huihui , Yuan Li , Luo Yongchao , Zhang Jinxiu , Liu Xi , Wu Qiuju , Wang Xiyao , Liu Jitao , Zhu Guangtao
Published: February 2025

Cold stress adversely affects crop growth and productivity. Resolving the genetic basis of freezing tolerance is important for crop improvement. Wild potato (Solanum commersonii) exhibits excellent freezing tolerance. However, the genetic factors underlying its freezing tolerance remain poorly understood. Here, we identified flavonoid 3’-hydroxylase (F3’H), a key gene in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway, as highly expressed in S. commersonii compared to cultivated potato (S. tuberosum L.). Loss of ScF3’H function impaired freezing tolerance in S. commersonii, while ScF3’H overexpression in cultivated potato enhanced its freezing tolerance. Metabolic analysis revealed that F3’H generates more downstream products by adding hydroxyl (-OH) groups to the flavonoid ring structures. These flavonoids enhance reactive oxygen species scavenging, thereby contributing to freezing tolerance. Furthermore, the W-box element in the F3’H promoter plays a critical role in cold responses. Cold-induced transcription factor ScWRKY41 directly binds to the ScF3’H promoter region and recruits histone acetyltransferase 1 (ScHAC1), which enhances histone acetylation at the F3’H locus and activates its transcription. Overall, we identified the cold-responsive WRKY41–F3’H module that enhances freezing tolerance by augmenting the antioxidant capacity of flavonoids. This study reveals a valuable natural gene module for breeding enhanced freezing tolerance in potato and other crops.
Nitrate reductase-dependent nitric oxide production mediates nitrate-conferred salt tolerance in rice seedlings
Authors: Teng Zhenning , Zheng Qin , Peng Yaqiong , Li Yi , Meng Shuan , Liu Bohan , Peng Yan , Duan Meijuan , Yuan Dingyang , Zhang Jianhua , Ye Nenghui
Published: February 2025

Soil salinity is a destructive environmental factor that inhibits plant growth and crop yield. Applying nitrogen fertilizer is a practical method to enhance salt tolerance. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrated that NO3−-enhanced salt tolerance in rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings is mediated by nitrate reductase (NR)-dependent nitric oxide (NO) production. Seedlings grown in nitrate condition (N) exhibited much greater salt tolerance compared to those grown in ammonium nitrate (AN) and ammonium (A) conditions, a pattern also observed in the MADS-box transcription factor 27 (mads27) mutant. NR activity was highly induced by NO3− under both normal and salt stress conditions. Only the double mutant nr1/2 and the triple mutant nr1/2/3 displayed a dramatic reduction in salt tolerance. Application of tungstate suppressed salt tolerance of wild-type seedlings but not the triple mutants. Furthermore, both NO3−-enhanced salt tolerance and salt-induced NO production were totally blocked in triple mutants. However, treatment with exogenous sodium nitroprusside (an NO donor) significantly enhanced salt tolerance in both NIP and the triple mutants. Antioxidant enzyme activities in shoots were significantly inhibited in the triple mutants when compared with NIP. Furthermore, expression of OsAKT1 was specifically induced by NO3− but was inhibited in the roots of triple mutants, resulting in a lower potassium/sodium ratio in NR triple mutants. Our results revealed that NO3−-conferred salt tolerance is mediated by NR-dependent NO production in rice seedlings.
Does the value of rational activity explain the badness of human extinction?
Authors: Clifton Owen
Published: February 2025

Why postpone human extinction? The dominant view is utilitarian: postponing extinction matters if it maximizes the net sum of happiness that is ever enjoyed. But, many object, we have reason to make people happy, not to make happy people. Plus, the utilitarian view does not explain why failing to postpone extinction matters terribly if the future it would cost our species is utopian, but not if it is dystopian. For, a dystopia may contain a greater net sum of happiness than a utopia. I therefore consider a budding alternative: postponing extinction matters if it ensures the ongoing instantiation of rational activity. Regretfully, I show this view faces objections analogous to, but more robust than, those that beset its utilitarian rival. For example: we have reason to make people rational, not to make rational people. I conclude by pointing to another alternative that critics of the utilitarian view ought to investigate further.
Frequency and predictors of red blood cell transfusion in the pediatric intensive care unit: a prospective observational study
Authors: Tiwari Surya Kant , Rajesh Jomol , Mathew Neethu Mariya , Dhochak Nitin , Lodha Rakesh , Joshi Poonam
Published: February 2025

Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion is crucial in treating anemia in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), though safety and necessity concerns persist. This prospective observational study examined the frequency and predictors of RBC transfusions among critically ill children, highlighting implications for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A single-center observational study enrolled 104 children admitted to a PICU from January to September 2021. Demographic details, past medical history, Pediatric Index of Mortality-3 scores, sedation, inotrope administration, ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), new-onset shock, respiratory failure, sepsis, renal failure, new or progressive multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), and duration of ventilation were recorded. Our results showed that 37 patients (35.6%) received RBC transfusions. The mean pre-transfusion hemoglobin level was 6.58 grams per deciliter (g/dl) (SD 1.71). The transfused group required more sedation (P < .001) and vasoactive agents (P < .001), had longer PICU stays (P = .013), and developed VAP (P = .037), new-onset shock (P = .025), respiratory failure (P = .021), and MODS (P = .023) more often than the non-transfused group. Logistic regression analysis showed that hemoglobin >10 g/dl at admission reduced the odds of RBC transfusion [odds ratio (OR) = 0.57, confidence interval (CI) = 0.43–0.74], while sepsis at admission increased the odds (OR = 3.24, CI = 1.09–9.60). The current study demonstrates that about one-third of critically ill children received RBC transfusions. Hemoglobin above 10 g/dl at admission was associated with significantly lower odds of RBC transfusion, while sepsis at admission significantly increased the odds. These findings are particularly relevant for LMICs, where resource constraints necessitate careful evaluation of transfusion practices to optimize patient outcomes and resource utilization.
Ship collision risk analysis in port waters integrating GRA algorithm and BPNN
Authors: Wang Dan , Jing Yan
Published: February 2025

With the developing cross-border shipping, ships’ traffic flow in various port waters also significantly increases. The increase in traffic flow will enhance ship collisions. The traditional research methods for ship collision risk are mostly based on statistical analysis or empirical models. These methods have certain limitations when dealing with complex and ever-changing port water environments. To address these issues, a risk predicting model for port waters based on grey relational analysis and backpropagation neural network was proposed. The study first used fuzzy grey correlation to analyze collision risk data, and then combined it with backpropagation neural network to enhance predicting efficiency, and constructed a risk prediction model. In the results, the relative error and root mean square error of this predicting means in the data processing process were 0.26% and 80.62%, respectively. The fitness value and data analysis accuracy of this model were 0.92 and 93.29%, respectively. These indicators were obviously better than other methods. This confirms that this model has higher accuracy and stability. It can provide a scientific and reasonable decision-making basis for port management departments, thereby reducing the occurrence of ship collision accidents.
Salicylic Acid Plays a Major Role in Potato Defense Against Powdery Scab Pathogen, Spongospora subterranea f. sp. subterranea
Authors: Jayasinghe Samodya K. , Moroz Natalia , Yuan Peiguo , Kolomiets Michael V. , Tanaka Kiwamu
Published: February 2025

Potato powdery scab, caused by the soil-borne pathogen Spongospora subterranea f. sp. subterranea (Sss), poses a significant threat to potato production, reducing potato value and impacting fresh market quality. Effective management strategies for this disease are currently lacking, and Sss is widespread in many potato-growing regions, highlighting the urgent need for effective control measures. Although the use of disease-resistant cultivars holds potential as a sustainable solution, the genetic mechanisms underlying resistance to Sss remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of the defense-related phytohormone salicylic acid (SA) in potato resistance to Sss. Initial analyses of defense gene expression revealed transcriptional reprogramming in response to Sss infection in potato hairy root cultures. Quantification of defense-related phytohormones further demonstrated a significant increase in SA levels in Sss-infected roots, while other phytohormones, jasmonic acid and ethylene, showed no substantial variation. Pretreatment of hairy roots with SA resulted in a marked reduction in Sss propagation, suggesting that SA contributes to induced resistance against the pathogen. To further elucidate the role of SA, we utilized transgenic hairy roots overexpressing the SA receptor SlNPR1 to enhance SA sensitivity and expressing the bacterial nahG gene to degrade endogenous SA. Our findings showed reduced Sss growth in SlNPR1 overexpression lines, whereas nahG lines exhibited increased pathogen proliferation. These findings were further validated in fully grown potato plants using a pot assay. Collectively, our results indicate that SA plays a pivotal role in mediating resistance to powdery scab in potato.