bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Research on the Application Strategy of 5G+ Virtual Reality Immersive Teaching to Empower Higher Vocational English Classroom
Authors: Long Jiaqun
Published: March 2024

English teaching in higher vocational colleges often lacks the real context of language use, which can not meet the needs of a lot of repeated training. 5G+ virtual simulation can effectively solve the dilemma of English teaching in higher vocational colleges. This paper is based on the experience of virtual simulation technology integration in English classes in higher vocational colleges, which plays an important role in training students’ vocational skills and promoting employment.
On the Application of Zhimi APP in English Vocabulary Learning in Junior Middle School
Authors: Liu Jin , Liu Xiaoli
Published: March 2024

The popularity of mobile devices and the emergence of English vocabulary APPs have greatly enriched English learners’ vocabulary learning approaches. However, there are various vocabulary APPs in the current market, with different functional positioning and learning effects. This study takes Zhimi APP as the research object, focusing on the effect of its application in junior high school English vocabulary learning. Guided by Informal Learning Theory and Multimodal Theory, the author explores the influence of Zhimi APP on students’ English vocabulary learning by setting up experimental class and control class. English vocabulary learning based on Zhimi APP can effectively improve students’ vocabulary learning effect and help them develop good learning habits, which is worth recommending to English learners as an extracurricular auxiliary tool for vocabulary learning.
Cultivating Cross-Cultural Competence in Students
Authors: Lyu Jingyu
Published: March 2024

In our increasingly interconnected and globalized world, the ability to navigate cross-cultural land-scapes with agility and understanding has emerged as an indispensable skill for students. This critical compe-tence is vital for fostering global connections, promoting mutual respect, and facilitating effective interna-tional collaboration. This paper delves into the significance of cross-cultural competence, dissecting its es-sential components and outlining effective strategies for its cultivation among students. It emphasizes the pivotal role of education in nurturing cultural awareness, honing communication skills, fostering empathy, and enhancing adaptability—key elements that together form a robust framework for developing cross-cul-tural acumen. We argue that educators and educational institutions play a crucial role in equipping students with the necessary knowledge and skills to thrive in diverse settings. Through the implementation of experi-ential learning opportunities, engagement in intercultural exchange programs, and the adoption of inclusive curricula that reflect the rich tapestry of global cultures, students are encouraged to step beyond their comfort zones. This paper champions the integration of cross-cultural competence into educational practices, high-lighting its importance not only as a critical aspect of personal development but also as a strategic imperative for success in the 21st century. By fostering an educational environment that values and promotes understand-ing across cultures, we prepare students to become adept navigators of our complex, multicultural world, thereby underscoring the profound significance of cross-cultural competence in shaping future global citizens.
Comparison of the Current Educational Status in China and South Korea
Authors: Kim Ye-eun
Published: March 2024

China and South Korea are neighboring countries with the closest geographical and cultural proximity. From ancient times to the present, social exchanges between China and South Korea have been highly active and extensive across a wide range of fields, resulting in significant mutual influences in various aspects of society. This includes areas such as philosophy, culture, education, and technology. The educational systems of both countries have their origins in Confucianism, hence there are similarities in their current educational states. However, there are also differences in aspects such as educational systems and environments. This paper aims to compare the current educational status in China and South Korea.
Digital Evaluation of the Trueness and Fitting Accuracy of a Three-Unit Fixed Zirconium Bridge Fabricated from Different Types of Zirconia and Different Marginal Cement Space Thickness
Authors: Mosa Mutaz Omran , Ibraheem Adel Farhan , Hussein Hashim Mueen
Published: March 2024

Objective The aim of this study was to measure the internal, marginal fitness, and trueness of a three-unit fixed zirconium bridge fabricated using two types of zirconia and different marginal cement space thicknesses.

Methods and Materials Thirty-two aluminum master models, constructed by computer numerical control (CNC) milling machines using aluminum rod, representing two prepared aluminum abutments (the upper first premolar and the first molar) were chosen due to differences in shape and dimensions, which may affect adaptation. It may also be considered one of the most common cases in clinical practice and a missing second premolars were used to fabricate a three-unit fixed partial zirconium bridge. A master model was scanned with an intraoral scanner. Fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) were fabricated with two designs (single-layer high-translucent [HT] Katana and ultra-translucent multilayer (UTML] zirconia Katana) and two marginal cement space thicknesses (0 and 25μm for HT and ML). These specimens are divided according to marginal cement space and type of zirconia into four groups, each containing eight samples. Group A: 25-μm marginal cement space with single-layer HT zirconia. Group B: 25-μm marginal gap with UTML zirconia. Group C: 0 μm marginal gap single-layer HT zirconia. Group D: 0 μm marginal gap with UTML zirconia. Fitness and trueness of the fabricated three-unit FDPs were evaluated by scanning the silicone replica of the cement space and analyzing the thickness of the silicone replica in the three-dimensional inspection software (Geomagic Control X, Morrisville, North Carolina, USA).

Results Highest mean value of internal gap was recorded at the molar abutment of group D (95.05, ± 3.42 μm), while the lowest was recorded at the premolar abutment of group A (57.12, ± 2.43μm). For marginal gap, the lowest marginal gap was also recorded at the premolar abutment of group A (36.14, ± 3.94μm), and the highest was at the molar abutment of group D (84.74, ± 2.98 μm).

For trueness, group A showed the lowest root mean square (RMS) of mean with both abutments compared with group D, which recorded the highest RMS of mean for trueness.

Conclusion The marginal cement space thickness affects the FPD internal, marginal fitness, and trueness; single-layer HT (Katana) zirconia shows better fitness and trueness than UTML (Katana).
Vertical-axis turbine performance enhancement with physics-informed blade pitch control. Basic principles and proof of concept with high-fidelity numerical simulation
Authors: Wisner Kai S. , Yu Meilin
Published: March 2024

In this study, we developed active physics-informed turbine blade pitch control methods to conquer the inconsistent energy harvesting efficiency challenges encountered by the vertical-axis turbines (VATs) technology. Specifically, individual turbine blades were pitched by actuators following commands from the physics-informed controllers, and the turbine performance improvements as a result of the blade pitch control mechanism and the associated flow physics were studied. The aim of the blade pitch control was to maintain constant effective angles of attack (AoAs) experienced by turbine blades through active blade pitch, and the constant AoA function was designed to facilitate control mechanism implementation into real-world VATs. To gain in-depth understanding of the capability of the control, flow physics was studied for different constant AoA control strategies across a wide range of tip speed ratios and wind speeds and was compared with that from the corresponding baselines without control, and that from the sinusoidal AoA control strategy. The comparison between the turbine performance with constant AoA control and that without control showed a consistent increase in the time-averaged net power coefficient, a measure of energy harvesting efficiency taking out of the actuator loss, ranging from 27.4% to 704.0% across a wide spread of wind speeds. The superior turbine performance with constant AoA control was largely attributed to blade dynamic stall management during the blade upstream and downstream cycles and the transition between the two cycles.
Orphan lysosomal solute carrier MFSD1 facilitates highly selective dipeptide transport
Authors: Boytsov Danila , Madej Gregor M. , Horn Georg , Blaha Nadine , Köcher Thomas , Sitte Harald H. , Siekhaus Daria , Ziegler Christine , Sandtner Walter , Roblek Marko
Published: March 2024

Orphan solute carrier (SLC) represents a group of membrane transporters whose exact functions and substrate specificities are not known. Elucidating the function and regulation of orphan SLC transporters is not only crucial for advancing our knowledge of cellular and molecular biology but can potentially lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies. Here, we provide evidence for the biological function of a ubiquitous orphan lysosomal SLC, the Major Facilitator Superfamily Domain-containing Protein 1 (MFSD1), which has remained phylogenetically unassigned. Targeted metabolomics revealed that dipeptides containing either lysine or arginine residues accumulate in lysosomes of cells lacking MFSD1. Whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiological recordings of HEK293-cells expressing MFSD1 on the cell surface displayed transport affinities for positively charged dipeptides in the lower mM range, while dipeptides that carry a negative net charge were not transported. This was also true for single amino acids and tripeptides, which MFSD1 failed to transport. Our results identify MFSD1 as a highly selective lysosomal lysine/arginine/histidine-containing dipeptide exporter, which functions as a uniporter.
Development of a novel bioartificial cornea using 3D bioprinting based on electrospun micro-nanofibrous decellularized extracellular matrix
Authors: Zhang Shi-yao , Zhang Mingshan , Li Xin-yu , Huang Shuai , Han Daobo , Chang Le , Ling Liyun , Huo Yan , Alzogool Mohammad , Yang Ning , Ye Qing , Wang Yan
Published: March 2024

Corneal damage contributes to blindness in millions of people. Simulating natural corneas with artificial corneas is challenging due to material and manufacturing limitations, including poor mechanical properties, complex manufacturing processes, and ocular histocompatibility. In this study, electrospun micro-nanofibrous decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) is combined with digital light processing 3D bioprinting and validated as a bioartificial cornea for the first time. Electrospinning gives the material a controllable shape, and the electrospun micro-nanofibrous dECM, with preserved inherent biochemical components, can better mimic the natural ECM native microenvironment. An efficient platform can be developed for creating novel structural materials, when combined with intelligent manufacturing. Artificial biological corneas developed using this method showed five-fold improvements in mechanical properties (248.5 ± 35.67 kPa vs. 56.91 ± 3.68 kPa, p < 0.001), superior guidance for cell organization and adhesion, and better maintenance of the cellular phenotype of keratocytes. In animal studies, in vivo transplantation of this artificial cornea showed better regeneration, which accelerated corneal epithelialization and maintained corneal transparency. This method has potential for biomedical applications, and bioartificial corneas manufactured by this method have ideal properties as an alternative to lamellar keratoplasty, with promise for clinical transformation.
Effect of carbon nanotube content and annealing temperature on corrosion performance of carbon nanotube/Ni composite layer
Authors: Li Yuxin , Yang Ping , Xiao Yi , Liu Yingnan , Chen Yulin , Yang Hongshan , Feng Hao , Zhang Jian , Shu Baipo
Published: March 2024

Adding carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to metal composites changes their corrosion resistance, which is significantly affected by the distribution of CNTs. In this study, the effect of the content and distribution of CNTs on the corrosion resistance of composites was investigated by changing the electrodeposition process. The results indicated that could inhibit grain growth and act as an elemental channel for passivation film formation, which positively enhanced the corrosion resistance of the material. However, the annealing used to improve the bonding strength of CNTs to the matrix increased the grain size of the material, which had a weakening effect on the corrosion resistance. Using ultrasonic in electrodeposition had an obvious promoting effect on the uniform distribution of CNTs. The composites with 0.1 g/l CNT showed the best corrosion resistance after annealing for 30 min at 600 °C.
SARS-CoV-2 Orf6 is positioned in the nuclear pore complex by Rae1 to inhibit nucleocytoplasmic transport
Authors: Makio Tadashi , Zhang Ke , Love Nicole , Mast Fred D. , Liu Xue , Elaish Mohamed , Hobman Tom , Aitchison John D. , Fontoura Beatriz M. A. , Wozniak Richard W.
Published: March 2024

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) accessory protein Orf6 works as an interferon antagonist, in part, by inhibiting the nuclear import activated p-STAT1, an activator of interferon-stimulated genes, and the export of the poly(A) RNA. Insight into the transport regulatory function of Orf6 has come from the observation that Orf6 binds to the nuclear pore complex (NPC) components: Rae1 and Nup98. To gain further insight into the mechanism of Orf6-mediated transport inhibition, we examined the role of Rae1 and Nup98. We show that Rae1 alone is not necessary to support p-STAT1 import or nuclear export of poly(A) RNA. Moreover, the loss of Rae1 suppresses the transport inhibitory activity of Orf6. We propose that the Rae1/Nup98 complex strategically positions Orf6 within the NPC where it alters FG-Nup interactions and their ability to support nuclear transport. In addition, we show that Rae1 is required for normal viral protein production during SARS-CoV-2 infection presumably through its role in supporting Orf6 function.
CD56/NCAM mediates cell migration of human NK cells by promoting integrin-mediated adhesion turnover
Authors: Martinez Amera L. , Shannon Michael J. , Sloan Tyler , Mace Emily M.
Published: March 2024

Natural killer (NK) cells patrol tissue to mediate lysis of virally infected and tumorigenic cells. Human NK cells are typically identified by their expression of neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM, CD56), yet despite its ubiquitous expression on NK cells, CD56 remains a poorly understood protein on immune cells. CD56 has been previously demonstrated to play roles in NK cell cytotoxic function and cell migration. Specifically, CD56-deficient NK cells have impaired cell migration on stromal cells and CD56 is localized to the uropod of NK cells migrating on stroma. Here, we show that CD56 is required for NK cell migration on ICAM-1 and is required for the establishment of persistent cell polarity and unidirectional actin flow. The intracellular domain of CD56 (NCAM-140) is required for its function and the loss of CD56 leads to enlarged actin foci and sequestration of phosphorylated Pyk2 accompanied by increased size and frequency of activated LFA-1 clusters. Together, these data identify a role for CD56 in regulating human NK cell migration through modulation of actin dynamics and integrin turnover.
The Plea
Authors: Wang Elise
Published: March 2024

This chapter posits that the Placita Corone, the only extant manual of criminal pleading, was designed to teach narrative satisfaction, and that the plea offers a way to think about narrative theory in medieval law. Although there is a lively scholarly conversation on narrative in the law in the modern context, it has been more difficult to develop a similar focus in the medieval context. Drawing on recent scholarship on medieval narrative theory, this chapter argues that this manual and this conversation was designed for the medieval reader, who was trained by the most popular literary genres to relish repetitions and stitch up connections between discontinuous episodes. With this perspective, the chapter considers the manual alongside examples of literary pleaders, including the sages in the Seven Sages of Rome, Chaucer’s Man of Law, and John Gower’s ideal pleader, to trace a shared conversation about the construction and dangers of narrative satisfaction to the law.
Testimony
Authors: Wang Elise
Published: March 2024

Medieval law depended heavily on hearsay and reputation, and this has made it seem as though neither scholars nor laymen saw any problems in a testimonial system based on the word of the “oathworthy witness.” This chapter argues that we can locate a sharp critique of the testimonial system in legal-minded literature and in cases that tried “oathworthy men” for abuse of their powers. It focuses on The Pistil of Swete Susan, a Middle English adaptation of the story of Susannah and the Elders from Daniel, in which the virtuous Susannah is falsely accused of adultery after spurning the advances of the lecherous Elders. I pair this with a case in which a justice baldly attempts to cajole, threaten, and beg a group of oathworthy men into accepting some token accountability for their criminal actions to demonstrate that the case and the justice’s forthrightness partake in the same understanding of the testimonial system’s inherent instabilities.
Standing Mute
Authors: Wang Elise
Published: March 2024

Chapter 5 addresses the practice of refusing to plead, or “standing mute,” and the effect it had on the audience and the procedure itself. The law had its own response—torture via peine forte et dure—but this chapter considers the silence itself. It considers to two literary versions of silence, one dramatic and one allegorical, in order to understand this practice that was unique to felony procedure. The most obvious analogue for those watching an accused stand silent at trial would have been the Christ of the Mystery Plays, whose dramatic trials would have posed silence as a protest, but whose own words caution against interpreting messages in silence. I turn then to the personification of silence in the poem Mum and the Sothsegger, whose aggressive interruption helps us see that—when speech is the order of the day—silence seems aggressive, even if it is not intended that way. The chapter argues that these treatments of silence caution us against interpreting silence too hastily, and that in preserving a space for uninterpretability it in its procedure, the felony trial both undermined and shored up its own authority.
Epilogue
Authors: Wang Elise
Published: March 2024

This Epilogue returns with more sustained attention to the problem presented in the Introduction: felony provides the archetype for crime, but is only ever defined by its practice, which this book and other works have repeatedly shown to be contingent and capricious. In this Epilogue, I briefly trace its post-medieval conceptual history, demonstrating the resilience of the category. I suggest that the way we treat felons and felony convictions demonstrates that current American law has retained the medieval concept of felony, in which felony is an act that reveals essential villainy, not a discrete crime in itself. While several scholars have called for felony’s abolition on the grounds of its inconsistencies and cruelties, I argue that we retain it because it allows us to maintain a fiction that crime—in its most essential form—brings punishment down upon itself. The concept of felony allows us to rid our impression of the law of contingency and fallible actors, providing a fantasy of judgment perfectly clear and punishment perfectly justified.
The Last Great Plague of Colonial India
Authors: Sarkar Natasha
Published: March 2024

Plague has attained pandemic proportions on three occasions in recorded history, and it is within the context of the third, modern pandemic that this book unfolds. Colonial India was not new to the disease, but when plague resurfaced in the late nineteenth century, it took over twelve million lives in India alone. A crisis of such magnitude is captured for the first time in a book-length treatise on India’s encounter with the plague, detailing the nature and progression of the disease in a complex colonial environment. It raises broad concerns regarding colonial assumptions and attitudes, exploring deep-seated colonial anxieties about governing India, and reflecting a space where disease carriers were identified and scapegoats stigmatized. While anti-plague measures signified perceptions of the disease, both old and new, the clash between Western imperialism and its speedy developments in biomedicine on the one hand, and older indigenous medical systems on the other, was inevitable. The book throws a revealing light on the mentalities of Indian society. It studies what the indigenous population made of the disease, and investigates whether social prejudices became increasingly polarized in a colonial environment. It locates the disparate, heterogeneous voices across communities, for the Indians encapsulated all the contradictions that came from being a multi-religious, multi-lingual, and multi-cultural society. This book examines with meticulous attention the last great plague of colonial India and its political, social, economic, and demographic dimensions.
Introduction
Authors: Sarkar Natasha
Published: March 2024

The chapter introduces readers to the times when bubonic plague attained pandemic proportions in recorded history, and India’s association with the disease through the ages. It traces the origins of the third and most recent plague pandemic, primarily focusing on how it devastated British India. It argues that this book will add to the growing historical scholarship around the conquest of diseases and critiques of systems as tools of domination within the socio-political structures of colonialism. It then makes a case for the relevance of the book through an examination of the existing historiography on plague. The introductory chapter also engages with the scope of the book, a description of the book’s individual chapters and the sources used. It provides an overview of the significance of the book in this day and age.
Indigenous Response
Authors: Sarkar Natasha
Published: March 2024

In an emotionally charged environment, it was only a matter of time before a mass exodus took place. This chapter delineates this outward flow of population from Bombay city, and the resultant suburbanization that took place. The chapter further examines the paradox of resistance, rebellion, and cooperation in the face of colonial anti-plague measures. Epidemics provide a mirror to the systemic disadvantages of women and the chapter reveals how a great many women suffered from insensitivity and loss of personal dignity and honour. The interventionist measures also led to the emergence of a more vocal press, and a section on sedition delves into the circumstances surrounding the demand for stringent sedition laws. In the face of anxiety and resistance, the chapter also uncovers the remarkable contributions of public-spirited indigenes in allaying the fears of the masses.
Missionary Zeal
Authors: Sarkar Natasha
Published: March 2024

This chapter discusses missionary work and its accomplishments during the period. While the uncertainty around the laws that governed the origins and spread of the plague were acknowledged, the sanitarian view of the disease held by the colonial administration was embraced by the missionaries. The latter reckoned that since the anti-plague measures were adopted by the colonial government and were dictated by experts, and hence represented the weight of scientific opinion, they constituted the best course of action to save the masses. The chapter looks at the role of medical missionaries in breaking down traditional resistance to medical aid by bringing the sick to hospitals and by insisting upon the use of prescribed remedies—actions that were helpful in furthering the cause of Western medicine. The record of services rendered by the mission nurses, and the gratitude they evoked, forms a gratifying picture of the plague years.
The Evolution of Sex
Authors: Teather Kevin Lee
Published: March 2024

The evolution of sexual reproduction has perplexed biologists for decades. The earliest organisms on Earth could replicate by themselves, so why do almost all multicellular species combine their genetic material with other individuals to reproduce? After all, asexual reproduction was very successful for well over a billion years. It remains the only mode of reproduction in all of today’s bacteria and is used by many multicellular organisms at certain times in their lifecycle. Sex is costly. It is characterized by increased time and energy at the cellular and organismal levels, may result in injury or even death, and exposes individuals to predators and parasites. Conversely, it can repair damaged stretches of DNA and create the variability necessary for natural selection. Furthermore, assuming that there is some benefit to reproducing sexually, why are sex partners so different? Given that the objective of both individuals is to optimize the production of high-quality progeny, one would expect all members of a species to be similar. Instead, the two types of individuals we denote as biological males and females often exhibit an array of anatomical and behavioural differences that may influence their approach to sexual encounters. Interactions between the two can be co-operative, but their unique strategies often reveal an underlying conflict. This book explores the possible reasons why sex evolved, examines how the differences between males and females arose, and discusses how those differences affect their reproductive strategies.
Introduction
Authors: Teather Kevin
Published: March 2024

Why do most organisms on Earth reproduce sexually? There are significant costs to this mode of reproduction, and many organisms can replicate their genomes without it. Indeed, the first kind of reproduction was asexual, and this mode is still employed by many species today. Further, why do males’ and females’ reproductive approaches differ when the goals of each are the same? Indeed, why are there two sexes at all? After laying out the topics covered in subsequent chapters, various issues are reviewed. These include natural and sexual selection, proximate and ultimate questions, gender and sex, and the naturalistic fallacy. The intention of the book is to give readers a fundamental understanding of these topics, making it easier to follow subsequent material. While disagreements over the scientific validity of statements are always welcomed, any difference of opinion resulting from an incomplete understanding of these subjects is unwarranted.
Sexual Reproduction Is Costly
Authors: Teather Kevin
Published: March 2024

In examining the evolution of a particular trait, it’s essential to understand the costs and benefits of that behaviour. Sexual reproduction has many costs. Importantly, sexual reproducers, using the same energy, produce only half as many offspring capable of breeding. This disadvantage is often referred to as the twofold cost of males. Additionally, during meiosis, favourable gene combinations may be broken apart. Species that reproduce sexually must devote a significant amount of time to the activity at both the cellular and organismal levels. In some species, this may involve searching for and assessing mates. Increased energy to produce structures used during reproduction, increased exposure to predators, and increased likelihood of contracting diseases spread through close contact are all costs that asexual breeders don’t encounter. These costs suggest that sexual reproduction must have been offset by significant benefits for it to have evolved.
So Why Sex?
Authors: Teather Kevin
Published: March 2024

Asexual reproduction faces a few drawbacks. The most important of these are the accumulation of deleterious mutations and the lack of variability between individuals in a population. Both problems are partially offset in prokaryotes, where transformation, conjugation, and transduction make it possible to use parts of the chromosome of another individual to repair its own and add variability to the genome. However, sexual reproduction addresses both disadvantages more fully, and addressing one or both may have been influential in its evolution. Combining genes with those of another individual during reproduction results in access to genetic material that can also be used to repair, or at least mask, DNA damage or deleterious mutations. Additionally, sexual reproduction results in variable young. This variability is due to crossing-over and the random segregation of chromosomes during the formation of gametes and combining the genes of two individuals. Recent studies have focussed on the Red Queen hypothesis, which states that having offspring genetically different from their mother makes them less susceptible to parasites. A short life cycle enables these parasites to adapt well to their hosts. Offspring can better combat pathogens tailored to their mother by being a little different.
Determining an Individual’s Biological Sex
Authors: Teather Kevin
Published: March 2024

In some situations, it is advantageous to the parent to produce either male or female offspring. Because males can potentially father more offspring than females, high-quality males may have greater reproductive success than high-quality females. For this reason, females in good condition might favour male offspring. While there is good evidence that sex-ratio manipulation occurs in some species, there is little evidence for it in others. Part of a parent’s ability to influence the sex ratio of their progeny probably depends on how sex is determined. We often think of genes controlling whether an individual becomes male or female, which is the case in many species, including mammals. However, sex can also be determined by the environment in which the organism develops. While temperature is the most frequently studied environmental factor, location, population density, and other factors may also contribute to sex determination. Hermaphrodites can change sex from male to female, female to male, or even harbour the reproductive organs of males and females simultaneously. This ability is advantageous when reproductive performance is related to size or when individuals of the opposite sex are difficult to find.
Co-operation Between the Sexes
Authors: Teather Kevin
Published: March 2024

Co-operative strategies to enhance breeding performance are employed intrasexually as well as intersexually. For example, males may co-operate with other males to maximize their access to females. In contrast, females may collaborate with other females to maximize the quantity or quality of offspring they produce. When co-operation with the other sex increases the reproductive success of each individual, they may work together to rear offspring. A male or female uses individuals of the other sex like any other object in their environment. Intersexually, we most often see co-operation when biparental care of offspring is required. Despite this collaboration between males and females, each is trying to optimize their lifetime fitness. As a result, conflict between the two sexes often arises, even during periods of co-operation.
The Best Mate
Authors: Teather Kevin
Published: March 2024

Males and females have differing strategies when it comes to maximizing their fitness. In general, males are limited by the availability of receptive females, while females are constrained by the number of offspring they can produce. However, their availability for reproduction largely determines which sex competes and which is most selective about their breeding partner. Typically, the sex that requires more time to go through one reproductive cycle (thus being unavailable for breeding) is the sex that invests more in reproduction; correspondingly, they tend to be choosiest. Alternatively, the sex available to breed for more time typically invests less in offspring and competes for members of the opposite sex. Thus, while males usually compete for choosy females, the opposite may be true, or both sexes may be choosy. When competing, indirect means (e.g. finding mates, sexual endurance) and direct interactions (fighting) may result in selection for different characteristics. ‘Intrasexual selection’, often used interchangeably with ‘female choice’, has been used to explain the evolution of elaborate male traits. Runaway selection, the handicap principle, parasite resistance, and mitonuclear compatibility have all been proposed as hypotheses for intrasexual selection. Current evidence suggests choosing high-quality mates may be based on parasite resistance or overall energy levels.
Not All Sex Results in Reproduction
Authors: Teather Kevin
Published: March 2024

In Chapter 2, the ability to replicate one’s genome without resorting to sex was examined. In this chapter, the engagement in sex repeatedly without reproduction being the immediate goal is considered. Males are often expected to engage in repeated intercourse, as fertilizing as many eggs as possible is usually the goal. However, females typically receive enough sperm from one male to fertilize all their eggs. The various reasons females engage in repeated copulation are often related to increased reproductive output, even though they may not immediately result in more offspring. These include hedging their bets against infertility or sperm depletion, getting materials from males that are obtained through sex, improving the genetic quality of their progeny, mate assessment, reassuring males of their paternity, and even to enhance social positioning. In some cases, males harass females or force them to mate. This difference in the copulation aims of males and females demonstrates sexual conflict, and repeated copulation by females is not in their best interest.
Why Criticize Desires for the Bad?
Authors: Hazlett Allan
Published: March 2024

This chapter presents an argument that goodness is the accuracy condition for desire, in the same sense that truth is the accuracy condition for belief. It makes sense to criticize a desire on the grounds that its object is bad, and it is argued here that the claim that goodness is the accuracy condition for desire provides the best explanation of why this is so. On the explanation proposed, desires for the bad are inaccurate. Various alternative explanations are considered, including the idea that desires for the bad are vicious, the idea that desires for the bad might have bad consequences, the view that desires for the bad are unfitting, and the idea that desires for the bad are desires there is a reason not to have. These various alternative explanations are either rejected as implausible or argued to imply that goodness is the accuracy condition for desire.
The Problem
Authors: Hazlett Allan
Published: March 2024

This chapter provides an articulation of the problem of nihilism and canvasses a number of solutions to it, none of which are found satisfying. The problem of nihilism is understood as premised on the assumption that it is irrational to desire something you believe is not good. If this is so, then it is irrational for someone who believes that nothing is good or bad—a “nihilist about value”—to desire anything. Nihilism about value, in this way, seems to mandate total indifference. The solutions to the problem of nihilism considered here include the Humean solution (on which desire does not admit of irrationality), the realist solution (on which nihilism about value is obviously false), and the naturalist solution (on which it is not possible for a human being to sustain total indifference for very long).
Seeing More
Authors: Matherne Samantha
Published: March 2024

The book defends a systematic interpretation of the philosopher Immanuel Kant’s theory of imagination. To this end, it offers an account of what kind of mental capacity Kant takes imagination to be in general, as well as an account of the way in which we use this capacity in theoretical, aesthetic, and practical contexts. In contrast with more traditional theories of imagination, as a kind of fantasy that we exercise only in relation to objects that are not real or not present, it proposes that Kant theorizes imagination as something that we exercise just as much in relation to objects that are real and present. It thus attributes to Kant a view of imagining as something that pervades our lives. In order to bring out this pervasiveness, it explores Kant’s account of how we exercise our imagination in perception, ordinary experience, the appreciation of beauty and sublimity, the production of art, the pursuit of happiness, and the pursuit of morality. However, it also makes the case that Kant’s analysis of this wide range of phenomena is underwritten by a unified theory of what imagination is as a remarkably flexible cognitive capacity that we can exercise in constrained and creative, playful and serious ways.
Introduction
Authors: Matherne Samantha
Published: March 2024

This chapter introduces a systematic interpretation of Kant’s theory of imagination that compares his theory with a traditional theory of imagination as fantasy, as well as with a range of contemporary approaches to imagination. It orients the discussion of Kant’s relationship to contemporary accounts of imagination around three key questions that are alive in philosophical debates about imagination today. The first is the unity question: is there any reason to think that there is something we can refer to as ‘the imagination’? The second is the taxonomy question: how should we classify imaginative phenomena? The third is the use question: how do we use imagination in epistemic, aesthetic, and practical contexts? After comparing Kant’s answers to these questions with contemporary answers, the chapter offers a linear overview of the book, which includes a chapter-by-chapter breakdown and some remarks on how Kant’s texts are used throughout.
Imagination as a Cognitive Capacity
Authors: Matherne Samantha
Published: March 2024

The goal in this chapter is to begin situating imagination in Kant’s cognitive architecture. To this end, it offers an analysis of his treatment of imagination as a capacity that belongs to faculty of cognition. The chapter discusses exactly what Kant means by “cognition.” It also addresses Kant’s account of the structure of the faculty of cognition as divided between two stems, sensibility and understanding, and their logical, metaphysical, and functional distinction. And it considers the basic implications that this picture of cognition has for how we are to think of imagination as a cognitive capacity on Kant’s view.
Imagination Is Part of Sensibility
Authors: Matherne Samantha
Published: March 2024

The chapter proposes that Kant’s considered view is that imagination is part of sensibility, rather than a third thing distinct from sensibility and understanding or a sensible exercise of the understanding. Central to its argument is the claim that Kant defends a bipartite account of sensibility as containing two parts, sense and imagination, each of which realize the general logical, metaphysical, and function profile of sensibility in a specific way. In order to spell out the details, the chapter explores his distinction between the two parts of sensibility in light of the types of intuitions they generate, the mental processes they involve, and the cognitive function they perform. The upshot of this chapter is that once we appreciate Kant’s bipartite account of sensibility, we have reason to not only regard imagination as part of sensibility, but also to revise certain assumptions about intuition and sensibility on his view.
A Priori Imagination and the Conditions of Experience I
Authors: Matherne Samantha
Published: March 2024

The aim of this chapter is to elucidate Kant’s account of the a priori exercise of imagination in the B-edition of the Transcendental Deduction. It focuses, in particular, on issues surrounding the relationship that the a priori exercise of imagination has to space and time in light of Kant’s distinction between ‘formal intuitions’ and ‘forms of intuition’. The chapter argues against a radical reading of Kant, according to which the a priori exercise of imagination is the source of our most fundamental pure intuitions of space and time that condition empirical intuitions. It, instead, defends a mediating model that is in keeping with Kant’s theory of imagination more generally. According to this mediating model, the a priori exercise of imagination mediates between pure intuitions of space and time and the categories, and it makes possible the way we take up empirical intuitions given through sense in perception and experience.
A Priori Imagination and the Conditions of Experience II
Authors: Matherne Samantha
Published: March 2024

The aim of this chapter is to elucidate Kant’s account of the a priori exercise of imagination in the Schematism chapter of the first Critique. The chapter focuses, in particular, on issues surrounding the relationship that the a priori exercise of imagination has to the categories in light of Kant’s account of transcendental schematism. It argues against a radical reading, according to which the a priori exercise of imagination is the source of the categories, in favor of a mediating model that is in keeping with Kant’s theory of imagination as a faculty of exhibition. According to this mediating model, transcendental schematism mediates between pure intuitions of space and time and the categories, and it generates intuitions (‘transcendental schemata’) that exhibit the categories. The chapter also offers an interpretation of how the transcendental schematism of the categories of quantity, quality, and relation works and how it conditions perception and experience on Kant’s view.
Imaginative Sight and the Faculty of Desire
Authors: Matherne Samantha
Published: March 2024

This chapter explores Kant’s account of the role imagination plays in our practical lives in light of how imagination, as a capacity that enables us to see more, contributes to our pursuit of happiness and morality through the faculty of desire. It offers a reconstruction of how the imaginative activity of seeing more bears on three basic ways in which we exercise this faculty: the specification of practical principles, the assessment of concrete situations in light of particular practical principles, and deliberation about which course of action to pursue in concrete situations. It also addresses Kant’s account of happiness as an “ideal of imagination,” and argues that he ascribes it an important role vis-à-vis exercises of the lower and higher faculties of desire. Finally, it takes up the role that imaginatively seeing more can play in relation to testing maxims in light of the categorical imperative.
What does it mean to be ‘left behind?’
Authors: Eisenberg Ann M
Published: March 2024

This comment critiques the idea of geographic regions being “left behind.” It argues that the term frames the regions in question as passive experiencers of natural phenomena, in turn obfuscating the structural forces that have shaped those regions and local populations’ efforts to pursue better living conditions. The comment draws on three examples from the rural United States to illustrate how the designation of being “left behind” serves to mask subjugation and struggle.
Development of marine biodiversity database (BISMaL) to enable estimations past habitat conditions for marine life in the northwestern Pacific
Authors: Hosono Takashi , Kitayama Tomoaki , Saito Hideaki , Fujikura Katsunori
Published: March 2024

Global activities involving the collection of marine biodiversity information have provided a large amount of biological observation records that cover various spatiotemporal areas. To predict biological responses or distribution changes in response to environmental changes by using these observation records, it is essential to analyze not only the current marine physicochemical environmental conditions but also the past conditions when the organisms were observed. We developed a new function to estimate the past marine environmental conditions for the observation records in our marine biodiversity database (Biological Information System for Marine Life: BISMaL) and examine whether the database can reliably estimate thermal habitats for both benthic and planktonic marine organisms. For the benthic squat lobster Shinkaia crosnieri, the estimated and observed in situ temperatures were similar to each other. For the planktonic chaetognaths Krohnitta pacifica and K. subtilis, the estimated temperatures showed clear seasonal changes specific to their distribution areas. These results indicated that BISMaL can reliably provide past habitat conditions regardless of planktonic or benthic lifestyles. BISMaL, which provides both biological observations and estimated past environmental conditions through web services, could lower the barrier to data access and use and make data-driven science available not only for data scientists but also for various marine scientists, such as taxonomists, ecologists and field scientists.

Database URL:  https://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/bismal/e/
“How will we cope?” Couples With Intellectual Disability Where One Partner Has a Diagnosis of Dementia
Authors: Watchman Karen , Jacobs Paula , Boustead Louise , Doyle Andrew , Doyle Lynn , Murdoch Jan , Carson Jill , Hoyle Louise , Wilkinson Heather
Published: March 2024

Background and Objectives

People with intellectual disability are at increased risk of dementia at an earlier age. This is the first study to explore experiences of couples with an intellectual disability when one partner has dementia.

Research Design and Methods

Four people with intellectual disability whose partner had dementia and one partner who had both an intellectual disability and dementia took part in narrative life story interviews. One of the interviews was conducted as a couple giving direct perspectives from 4 couples overall. Additionally, 13 semistructured interviews were conducted with 9 social care professionals and 4 family members. This provided perspectives of the relationships of a further 4 couples, which collectively led to data on 8 couples.

Results

The emotional impact of a dementia diagnosis, planning for the future, and fear of separation was noted by couples with intellectual disability. Partners took on caring roles thus challenging views of being solely care-receivers. Families spoke of commitment and longevity in relationships, whilst social care staff highlighted how their own information needs changed recognizing the importance of intellectual disability and dementia-specific knowledge.

Discussion and Implications

Couples with intellectual disability continue to enjoy intimate relationships into later life and will face common conditions in older age including dementia. Those who provide support need to ensure that they are sensitive to the previous experience and life story of each couple and have specific knowledge of how dementia can affect people with intellectual disability.