bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Matters of development and experience: Evaluation of dog and human emotional expressions by children and adults
Authors: Törnqvist Heini , Höller Hanna , Vsetecka Kerstin , Hoehl Stefanie , Kujala Miiamaaria V.
Published: July 2023

Emotional facial expressions are an important part of across species social communication, yet the factors affecting human recognition of dog emotions have received limited attention. Here, we characterize the recognition and evaluation of dog and human emotional facial expressions by 4-and 6-year-old children and adult participants, as well as the effect of dog experience in emotion recognition. Participants rated the happiness, anger, valence, and arousal from happy, aggressive, and neutral facial images of dogs and humans. Both respondent age and experience influenced the dog emotion recognition and ratings. Aggressive dog faces were rated more often correctly by adults than 4-year-olds regardless of dog experience, whereas the 6-year-olds’ and adults’ performances did not differ. Happy human and dog expressions were recognized equally by all groups. Children rated aggressive dogs as more positive and lower in arousal than adults, and participants without dog experience rated aggressive dogs as more positive than those with dog experience. Children also rated aggressive dogs as more positive and lower in arousal than aggressive humans. The results confirm that recognition of dog emotions, especially aggression, increases with age, which can be related to general dog experience and brain structure maturation involved in facial emotion recognition.
Trends in cancer-free working life expectancy based on health insurance data from Germany–Is the increase as strong as in working life expectancy?
Authors: Tetzlaff Fabian , Nowossadeck Enno , Epping Jelena , di Lego Vanessa , Muszynska-Spielauer Magdalena , Beller Johannes , Sperlich Stefanie , Tetzlaff Juliane
Published: July 2023

Background

Against the backdrop of population ageing, governments are facing the need to raise the statutory retirement age. In this context, the question arises whether these extra years added to working life would be spent in good health. As cancer represents a main contributor to premature retirement this study focuses on time trends and educational inequalities in cancer-free working life expectancy (WLE).

Methods

The analyses are based on the data of a large German health insurer covering annually about 2 million individuals. Cancer-free WLE is calculated based on multistate life tables and reported for three periods: 2006–2008, 2011–2013, and 2016–2018. Educational inequalities in 2011–2013 were assessed by two educational levels (8 to 11 years and 12 to 13 years of schooling).

Results

While labour force participation increased, cancer incidence rates decreased over time. Cancer-free WLE at age 18 increased by 2.5 years in men and 6.3 years in women (age 50: 1.3 years in men, 2.4 years in women) between the first and third period while increases in WLE after a cancer diagnosis remained limited. Furthermore, educational inequalities are substantial, with lower groups having lower cancer-free WLE. The proportion of cancer-free WLE in total WLE remained constant in women and younger men, while it decreased in men at higher working age.

Conclusion

The increase in WLE is accompanied by an increase in cancer-free WLE. However, the subgroups considered have not benefitted equally from this positive development. Among men at higher working age, WLE increased at a faster pace than cancer-free WLE. Particular attention should be paid to individuals with lower education and older men, as the general level and time trends in cancer-free WLE are less favourable.
Risky behavior during stair descent for young adults: Differences in men versus women
Authors: Cho HyeYoung , Arnold Amanda J. , Cui Chuyi , Yang Zihan , Becker Tim , Kulkarni Ashwini , Naik Anvesh , Rietdyk Shirley
Published: July 2023

Injuries commonly occur on stairs, with high injury rates in young adults, especially young women. High injury rates could result from physiological and/or behavioral differences; this study focuses on behaviors. The purposes of this observational study were (1) to quantify young adult behaviors during stair descent and (2) to identify differences in stair descent behavior for young adult men versus women. Young adult pedestrians (N = 2,400, 1,470 men and 930 women) were videotaped during descent of two indoor campus staircases, a short staircase (2 steps) and a long staircase (17 steps). Behaviors during stair descent were coded by experimenters. Risky behaviors observed on the short staircase included: No one used the handrail, 16.1% used an electronic device, and 16.4% had in-person conversations. On the long staircase: 64.8% of pedestrians did not use the handrail, 11.9% used an electronic device, and 14.5% had in-person conversations. Risky behaviors observed more in women included: less likely to use the handrail (long staircase), more likely to carry an item in their hands (both staircases), more likely to engage in conversation (both staircases), and more likely to wear sandals or heels (both staircases) (p≤0.05). Protective behaviors observed more in women included: less likely to skip steps (both staircases), and more likely to look at treads during transition steps (long staircase) (p≤0.05). The number of co-occurring risky behaviors was higher in women: 1.9 vs 2.3, for men vs women, respectively (p<0.001). Five pedestrians lost balance but did not fall; four of these pedestrians lost balance on the top step and all five had their gaze diverted from the steps at the time balance was lost. The observed behaviors may be related to the high injury rate of stair-related falls in young adults, and young women specifically.
Determinants of parent-reported child mental health status in San Diego public schools during the height of the COVID-19 omicron outbreak: A serial cross-sectional study
Authors: McDougal Lotus , Majnoonian Araz , Stone Gabriela , Fielding-Miller Rebecca
Published: July 2023

Despite extensive debate on the effects of COVID-19 mitigation measures in school settings, little evidence exists on trends in school children’s mental health over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this paper was to identify factors affecting parent reports of school children’s mental health during COVID-19 Omicron variant outbreak in a cohort of high-risk, socially vulnerable children attending public elementary schools. We analyzed four waves of cross-sectional, online-administered surveys completed by parents of children attending public elementary schools in San Diego between November 2021 and March of 2022. Children (n = 684) ranged in age from 2–17 years. We used multilevel linear mixed effects models to assess determinants of parent-reported child mental health status. The outcome was child mental health, as reported by the parent. Parents consistently rated their children’s mental health as very good, though parents who experienced recent COVID-related challenges and who had older children reported lower levels of mental health in their children. Children’s mental health was generally considered to be very good, as judged by their parents during a period of constant in-school masking and the Omicron variant outbreak. Structural support mechanisms aimed at mitigating COVID-related challenges for adults may offer benefit to children’s mental health.
La Sassa cave: Isotopic evidence for Copper Age and Bronze Age population dynamics in Central Italy
Authors: Romboni Marco , Arienzo Ilenia , Di Vito Mauro Antonio , Lubritto Carmine , Piochi Monica , Di Cicco Maria Rosa , Rickards Olga , Rolfo Mario Federico , Sevink Jan , De Angelis Flavio , Alessandri Luca
Published: July 2023

This study focuses on the changes in diet and mobility of people buried in the La Sassa cave (Latium, Central Italy) during the Copper and Bronze Ages to contribute to the understanding of the complex contemporary population dynamics in Central Italy. To that purpose, carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses, strontium isotope analyses, and FT-IR evaluations were performed on human and faunal remains from this cave. The stable isotope analyses evidence a slight shift in diet between Copper and Bronze Age individuals, which becomes prominent in an individual, dating from a late phase, when the cave was mainly used as a cultic shelter. This diachronic study documents an increased dietary variability due to the introduction of novel resources in these protohistoric societies, possibly related to the southward spread of northern human groups into Central Italy. This contact between different cultures is also testified by the pottery typology found in the cave. The latter shows an increase in cultural intermingling starting during the beginning of the middle Bronze Age. The local mobility during this phase likely involved multiple communities scattered throughout an area of a few kilometers around the cave, which used the latter as a burial site both in the Copper and Bronze ages.
Stakeholder collaboration for solid waste management in a small tourism island
Authors: Koiwanit Jarotwan , Filimonau Viachaslau
Published: July 2023

Although stakeholder collaboration is key for sustainable development of tourism in small islands, research on its determinants is only emerging. The lack of empirical studies hampers an understanding of how effective stakeholder partnerships for sustainability in small tourism islands can be formed and sustained. To partially address this knowledge gap, this study explores stakeholder collaboration for solid waste management in the island of Koh Phayam, Thailand, from the perspective of stakeholder theory, social capital and proximity effect. Semi-structured interviews (n = 26) reveal a lack of understanding of collaboration benefits alongside leadership and reciprocity among stakeholders. However, due to geographical proximity, the level of stakeholder trust in each other is significant, thus indicating potential for future successful partnerships. For these partnerships to become effective, a system of financial incentives for stakeholders to separate and recycle solid waste in situ should be designed. To improve stakeholder communication and reciprocity, capacity building workshops and round tables can be organised. Municipal authorities should lead on solid waste management, and a steering committee comprising the representatives of all other stakeholders needs to be established to oversee the work of municipal authorities. Lastly, the feasibility of setting private public partnerships for solid waste management in Koh Phayam should be considered given the significant extent of knowledge and trust among local stakeholders. External stakeholders, such as farmers, can be involved in management of organic waste, thus extending the scope of partnerships for sustainability beyond the island.
A network pharmacology approach to decipher the total flavonoid extract of Dracocephalum Moldavica L. in the treatment of cerebral ischemia- reperfusion injury
Authors: Hu Xu , Mola Yideresi , Su Wen-ling , Wang Yue , Zheng Rui-fang , Xing Jian-guo
Published: July 2023

Background and objective

Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI) is a major injury that seriously endangers human health and is characterized by high mortality and high disability. The total flavonoid extract of Dracocephalum moldavica L.(TFDM) in the treatment of CIRI has been proved by clinical practice. But the mechanism for the treatment of CIRI by TFDM has not been systematically revealed.

Study design and methods

The active compounds contained in TFDM were screened by literature mining and pharmacokinetic parameters, and the targets related to CIRI were collected by searching Drugbank, Genecards and OMIM databases. Cytoscape software was used to construct the protein interaction network of TFDM for the prevention and treatment of CIRI. Geneontology and signal pathway enrichment were analyzed. The key target pathway network of TFDM compounds was constructed and verified by pharmacological experiment in vitro.

Results

21 active components were screened, 158 potential drug targets for the prevention and treatment of CIRI were obtained, 53 main targets were further screened in the protein-protein interaction network, and 106 signal pathways, 76 biological processes, 26 cell components and 50 molecular functions were enriched (P<0.05). Through the compound-target-pathway network, the key compounds that play a role in the prevention and treatment of CIRI, such as acacetin, apigenin and other flavonoids, as well as the corresponding key targets and key signal pathways, such as AKT1, SRC and EGFR were obtained. TFDM significantly decreased LDH, MDA levels and increased the NO activity levels in CIRI. Further studies have shown that TFDM increases the number of SRC proteins, and TFDM also increases p-AKT/ AKT. Molecular docking results showed that acacetin-7-O (- 6’’-acetyl) -glucopyranoside, acacetin7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, apigenin-7-O-β-D-galactoside respectively had good affinity for SRC protein. Acacetin-7-O (- 6’’-acetyl) -glucopyranoside,acacetin-7-O-β-D-glucuronide, acacetin7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside had good affinity for AKT1 protein, respectively.

Conclusion

Our research showed that TFDM had the characteristics of multi-component, multi-target and multi-channel in the treatment of CIRI. The potential mechanism may be associated with the following signaling pathways:1) the signaling pathways of VEGF/SRC, which promote angiogenesis, 2) the signaling pathways of PI3K/AKT, which inhibit apoptosis, and 3) acacetin-7-O (- 6’’-acetyl) -glucopyranoside is expected to be used as a candidate monomer component for natural drugs for further development.
Bosques y orlas forestales de los territorios atlánticos del Noroeste Ibérico
Authors: Fernández Prieto José Antonio , Amigo Javier , Bueno Álvaro , Herrera Mercedes , Rodríguez-Guitián Manuel Antonio , Loidi Javier
Published: July 2023

Este trabajo trata de compendiar toda la información generada hasta la fecha sobre los bosques naturales y sus orlas forestales del territorio comprendido en la provincia biogeográfica Atlántica de la Península Ibérica. El concepto y límites de este territorio se han revisado y modificado levemente tras incorporar nueva información sobre la vegetación de diversas zonas aledañas. Se ha revisado toda la literatura fitosociológica producida desde los inicios del siglo XX hasta la actualidad, la cual se ofrece en un listado específico, y se ha realizado un catálogo crítico de las unidades de vegetación, en formato de esquema sintaxonómico comentado. En él se ordenan los sintaxones aceptados, que incluyen las clases (9), órdenes (14), alianzas (30), subalianzas (19) y asociaciones (141). De cada una de ellas se aporta su nombre, autoría y lugar de publicación, más una descripción de su estructura, su hábitat, su combinación característica de plantas, su distribución y su variabilidad, que en el caso de las asociaciones se manifiesta mediante las subasociaciones reconocidas. De todas estas unidades se facilitan sus sinónimos más utilizados y la indicación de su tipo nomenclatural. En los casos en que se han estimado necesarias, se añaden algunas observaciones. Se abarca el mundo forestal y subforestal, que incluye los matorrales orotemplados de la alta montaña y los matorrales que constituyen los mantos que sellan los bosques en su periferia y los sustituyen en una primera etapa sucesional. Las clases que se tratan son: Alnetea glutinosae, Betulo carpaticae-Alnetea viridis, Cytisetea scopario-striati, Junipero sabinae-Pinetea sylvestris, Loiseleurio procumbentis-Vaccinietea microphylli, Quercetea ilicis, Querco roboris-Fagetea sylvaticae, Rhamno catharticae-Prunetea spinosae y Salicetea purpureae.
Szakmai nap a Vállalkozásfejlesztés mesterszakon
Authors: Aranyossy Márta
Published: July 2023

Ahogy egy sikeres vállalkozásnak, úgy egy sikeres vállalkozásfejlesztési képzésnek is kulcseleme a jó csapat. Így, a csapatépítés szellemében, egyben a szakmai fejlődést is szem előtt tartva szerveztünk egész napos rendezvényt a Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem vállalkozásfejlesztés mesterszakos hallgatói számára 2023. május 16-án. A szakmai nap a Corvinus Vállalkozás és Innováció Intézete és az YCON Egyesülettel közös szervezésben, az Ifjúsági Vállalkozásélénkítő Egyesülettel együttműködésben, az OFA Nonprofit Kft. támogatásával valósult meg.
Needful Structures
Authors: Siegler Marcel
Published: July 2023

How do humans, their needs, and technology interact in society? Marcel Siegler explores the dialectical relationship between human needs and desires, the demands and requirements of the built world, and the forms of organization that hold both humans and the built world together. He argues that complex societal constellations emerge from the actions individuals perform with the technological means at hand to satisfy their needs and desires in the short and long run. Based on a novel, complementary reading of French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, the study develops a conceptual framework for analyzing the intricate machinations of sociotechnical systems from a perspective on situated human-technology interaction.
Digitale Desökonomie
Authors: Althoff Sebastian
Published: July 2023

Die Warnung von Eltern, aufzupassen, was man online teilt, ist allgegenwärtig. Dem schließen sich Datenschützer*innen an und gebieten einen bewussten und sparsamen Umgang mit Diensten und Daten. Eine digitale Desökonomie widersetzt sich diesen Warnungen und sucht den kritischen Umgang mit der digitalen Gegenwartskultur nicht in der Askese, sondern im Exzess. Kunstwerke, Bilder und Daten sind »zu viel«, türmen sich auf und wiederholen sich ständig. Mit Bezug auf Ansätze der Gouvernementalität, der Queer Theory und auf Theorien von Georges Bataille und Roger Caillois analysiert Sebastian Althoff diese unproduktive Produktionsweise des Digitalen und zeigt eine Praxis auf, die Trägheit statt flow schafft.
Odczarowywanie urojeń płciowych
Authors: Rogowska-Stangret Monika
Published: July 2023

Recenzja książki Cordelii Fine "Urojenia płciowe. Jak dzięki naszym umysłom, społeczeństwu i neuroseksizmowi powstają różnice między kobietami a mężczyznami", Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika, Toruń 2018.
RESEPSI PEMBACA SASTRA ARAB DIGITAL: STUDI NOVEL “MIN ‘ĀLAM ĀKHAR” PADA APLIKASI WATTPAD
Authors: Rohmah Alfia , Kusumawati Aning Ayu
Published: July 2023

The role of readers in responding to literary works is very important in determining the quality of literary works in the digital world, such as literary works written in the Wattpad application. Based on this, the researcher conducted research on reader reception of Min 'Ālam Ākhar's novel which was uploaded to the Wattpad application by the username Manjiro57 using Stuart Hall's theory which groups receptions into three categories, namely dominant-hegemonic position, negotiated position and oppositional position. The data in this study were obtained from the comments column on Min 'Ālam Ākhar's novel in the Wattpad application which were collected using the note-taking technique based on a purposive sampling technique. The data found were analyzed using descriptive-analytical methods. This research shows that the dominant-hegemonic position is found more often than the negotiated position or oppositional position. The existence of the dominant-hegemonic position means that this novel is enough to attract the attention of readers. The negotiated position can be a suggestion for novel writers to find out how the storyline that the reader wants. In the oppositional position, the readers provided comments related to several storylines which they think did not make sense.
Isaiah D. Clawson: A Salem County Politician in a Time of Transformation
Authors: Bendler Bruce A.
Published: July 2023

Isaiah D. Clawson was a physician and politician from Salem County in the antebellum era. He first affiliated with the Whig Party. When that party disintegrated in the mid-1850s, Clawson sought the support of the American (Know-Nothing) Party before affiliating with the more enduring Republican Party. Clawson's political maneuvers when he ran for, and was elected to, the U.S. House of Representatives in 1854 and 1856 revealed the political options open to Whigs as their party faded from the political scene. In the context of New Jersey politics, where the American Party endured longer than elsewhere, political figures such as Clawson had to gain and hold on to support from both Americans and Republicans to unify the opposition to the Democrats. Although Clawson's political positions were more in line with Republican thinking on slavery and internal improvements, political realities of the time compelled him to rely on a united opposition to win and retain his seat in the House of Representatives.
The Diversification of Rural Livelihoods After the Year 2000 in Zimbabwe
Authors: Chiba Moffat
Published: July 2023

The article explores rural livelihood diversification patterns after the year 2000 using the Zimbabwean case. It relied on 30 households’ life history accounts alongside document analysis by examining the processes, determinants, and outcomes of these livelihood configurations. While rural households’ livelihoods had come to entirely rely on either agriculture or wage employment or both before the 2000s, evidence has demonstrated that after the year 2000, the means of survival have been diversified into a number of a complicated archaeology of occupational testing through the streamlining of land and labour away from agriculture, and the consequent following of such occupations like hair-cutting, vending, migration among others. These livelihood patterns have been due to a complicated archaeology of events ranging from rural households’ socio-economic changes, the Fast Track Land Reform Programme, the unemployment effects of the fourth Industrial revolution and ecological destabilisation. Policy interventions, thus, need to acknowledge rural livelihoods diversification and help citizens by incorporating and helping these rural households into rural development projects and programmes to better their livelihoods.
The Perceived Impact of Online Course Design on the Persistence of Students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Authors: Stevenson Alana N. , Brown Walter A.
Published: July 2023

This research study aimed to investigate the influence of online course design on the persistence of undergraduate students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). By examining the concept of persistence, the study aimed to enhance understanding of how integrated online learning materials can promote student engagement, academic assimilation, and social acceptance. The study considered the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on online education and sought to contribute to discussions on online course design effectiveness. The study was conducted at two HBCUs in the southern region of the United States. A qualitative research method was employed, utilizing purposeful criterion-based sampling. Seventeen undergraduate students who had enrolled in fully-online courses participated in semi-structured interviews, which were transcribed and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding techniques. The findings revealed several themes related to student persistence in online courses. Participants expressed a preference for asynchronous learning, highlighting the flexibility it offered. Student-instructor interaction was identified as vital, emphasizing the importance of regular engagement, personalized guidance, and timely feedback. The value of multimedia resources and engagement with classmates was recognized, with participants valuing diverse materials and interactions that enhanced their understanding and motivation. Community-building activities, such as online discussions and group projects, were found to foster a sense of belonging and encourage active participation. These findings provide insights for HBCUs and higher education institutions to enhance online course design and support mechanisms for student persistence. The study underscores the significance of teacher presence, interactive learning environments, and institutional support for online educators and contributes to the advancement of online education and promotes successful student outcomes within the context of HBCUs.
Identification of Factors: Affecting the Performance of the Sri Lanka Netball Team
Authors: Wanasingha Sanjeevani , Senaweera Lalith Nimal
Published: July 2023

This study employs a critical examination and methodical analysis of factors affecting the performance of the National netball team performance of Sri Lanka. Accordingly, the document will focus on (a) Identifying the factors affecting the performance of the national Netball team. (b) Reveal the relationships between the above-identified factors vs the performances of the team. (c) Identify the insights on how those findings are applied in the refereeing era. (d) Derive conclusions and recommendations of research findings for performance enhancement of the National Netball team. The findings of this document will emphasize National level Netballers in Sri Lanka to achieve their pinnacles in individual and team performances in order to keep the National flag high in the international netball arena. Further, these findings can be applied to other team sports and team-based professional environments for enhancing their performances too. Also, the author indirectly expects those revealed findings will simultaneously affect the promotion of the game and uplift women’s empowerment among 52% of the feminine population in Sri Lanka, for their wellbeing.
Effects of flipped language classrooms on learning outcomes in higher education: A Bayesian meta-analysis
Authors: Chen Xieling , Zou Di , Cheng Gary , Xie Haoran , Su Fan
Published: July 2023

Despite accumulated evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of flipped language classrooms in higher education, there is no quantitative examination of the extant empirical studies to draw a general conclusion. Based on Bayesian methodologies and 26 effect sizes, this study quantitatively examines empirical studies that investigated flipped language classrooms’ effects on learning outcomes in higher education. Our results indicate a large overall effect in favour of the effectiveness of flipped language classrooms. Subgroup analyses indicated that intervention duration, target languages, outcome types, allocation, and school locations were significantly related to the variability in language learning outcomes. A low risk of publication bias was identified. This study concluded that the flipped language classroom was a promising pedagogical approach to promoting language learning. Findings provided insights into an evidence-informed application of flipped language classrooms, for example: (1) sufficient face-to-face time to maximise the effectiveness of flipped language classrooms; (2) making flipped design adjustments based on student responses during long-term intervention; (3) giving students pre-training of flipped language classrooms and showing them the underlying beneﬁts; (4) flipping basic contents of language learning and teaching complex contents face-to-face; and (5) adopting scaffolding strategies like code-switching to scaffold lower achievers.
Implications for practice or policy:

Instructors should flip writing and speaking courses with enough face-to-face time and technical support being provided to students.
Instructors should consider time variance’s effects on learning performance and seek ways to maintain learners’ interest.
Instructors should pre-train learners of flipped learning before implementation.
Instructors should include practices, quizzes, and asynchronous online interaction tools in pre-class activities to check learners’ understandings and promote interaction and feedback provision.
Investigating university students’ online proctoring acceptance during COVID-19: An extension of the technology acceptance model
Authors: Jiang Xinyu , Goh Tiong-Thye , Chen Xinran , Liu Mengjun , Yang Bing
Published: July 2023

To ensure the normal operation of teaching and meet the needs of teaching quality assessment in the COVID-19 situation, universities in various countries have adopted online proctoring for assessment. The epidemic has accelerated the development of online education. Online proctoring, as an integral part of future online teaching, has not yet drawn sufficient attention. To understand students’ experiences and attitudes towards initial online proctoring, an extended technology acceptance model was utilised to examine the motivations and barriers that influence students’ online proctoring acceptance in terms of technology perception, presence and social influence. Structural equation models were used to analyse data from a questionnaire survey of 760 university students. Results revealed that social influence, social presence and perceived usefulness are the significant predictors of online proctoring acceptance. Social influence and social presence have significant positive effects on online proctoring acceptance through perceived usefulness, and social presence has a positive effect on perceived ease of use. However, perceived ease of use has a significant negative effect, while place presence has no significant effect. Implications, limitations and future work are discussed at the end.
Implications for practice or policy:

Online proctoring organisers can bring a better exam experience to students by ensuring the flexibility and integrity of online proctoring.
Online proctoring workers can improve students' exam experience by building a positive group atmosphere in the early stages of online proctoring applications.
Social recognition and support for online proctoring can enhance students' choice and willingness to use online proctoring and increase opportunities for online proctoring development.
Book Review: Polish Minority in the Russian Federation: Conditions, Current Status and Prospects [Mniejszość Polska W Federacji Rosyjskiej: Uwarunkowania, Stan Aktualny I Perspektywy]
Authors: Czerwieniec-Ivasyk Marta
Published: July 2023

Leończyk S. (2021) Mniejszość Polska w Federacji Rosyjskiej: uwarunkowania, stan aktualny i perspektywy. Prace Instytutu Europy Środkowej nr 13/2021. Lublin: Instytut Europy Środkowej.
Literary and critical encounters with the Anthropocene: An interview with Seán Hand
Authors: Zou Li , Hand Seán
Published: July 2023

Seán Hand is Professor of French Studies at the University of Warwick and Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Europe) of the University of Warwick. His research mainly focuses on literature, ideas and related developments in France and other Western countries from the early twentieth century to the present day. In this wide-ranging interview, Hand points out that there is a competition of intellectual versions of the Anthropocene, such as Capitalocene, Plantationocene and Chthulucene. With regards to the situation of the Anthropocene, he argues that literary and critical studies should move beyond masterful exposition of a work and take up the task of calling attention to our actions, renewing our connection and commitment to the life-web we inhabit, and engaging critically with technologization discussions. Hand also discusses the relationships between the “post-human turn” and the “non-human turn” and suggests that while post-human is connected with a teleological notion of development into a “beyond”, non-human is more grounded in today’s, and yesterday’s, reality. As an analyst of Emmanuel Levinas’s philosophy, he here maintains that while Levinas’s insights on alterity could not be unproblematically applied in dealing with the “Anthropocene”, Levinasian ethics and Anthropocene concerns could produce transformative insights and effects. Lastly, Hand gives inspiring suggestions on the career development of young scholars and emphasizes the importance of doing multi-disciplinary, inter-disciplinary and international studies.
“Old things made new”: Transfusive rejuvenescence in M. E. Braddon’s “Good Lady Ducayne” and H. G. Wells’s “The Story of the Late Mr. Elvesham”
Authors: Green James Aaron
Published: July 2023

In 1897, congratulating Bram Stoker on the release ofDracula, the writer M. E. Braddon tries to establish precedence for herself by classifying the novel not, as we might expect, as a story of vampirism, but as one of “transfusion”. Taking this designation as its cue, this article recovers examples of what I term “transfusive rejuvenescence fiction”, in which a prolongation of life or restoration of youth is achieved via corporeal transferal. It contextualizes this sub-genre by charting how a revival of interest in blood transfusion’s rejuvenatory promise occurred alongside shifts in the attitudes to age and aging – to old age especially. Contrary to medical writers, who optimistically envisaged transfusion as an integral part of a “sentimental economy” – in which blood is donated out of “fellow-feeling” – transfusive rejuvenescence fiction raises the prospect of bloodborne youthfulness becoming commodified and circulating according to the tenets of the capitalist marketplace. In these fictions, transfusion serves as an evocative and versatile figure for expressing anxieties around the increasingly urgent question of provision for old age and the issues of intergenerational equity implied therein. To prove the argument, this article performs a comparative reading of Braddon’s “Good Lady Ducayne” and H. G. Wells’s “The Story of the Late Mr. Elvesham”, both of 1896. The comparable but distinctive approaches taken by these two short stories means that examining them in tandem provides us with a fuller picture of the contributions that transfusive rejuvenescence fiction made to fin-de-siècle discourses of age and aging.
“Inside many of us / is a small old man” – age/ing in Anne Sexton’s Transformations: A community discussion
Authors: Zittlau Andrea
Published: July 2023

The poetry book Transformations by Anne Sexton consists of seventeen poems based on the versions of fairytales by the Brothers Grimm. Told by Sexton, the tales become sharp comments on American culture, changing characters and action to focus on gender, power systems and medical histories. Analyzing the poems “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, “Rapunzel”, and “Rumpelstiltskin”, this article focusses on Sexton’s revelation of the aging and ageism inherent in both the fairytales and contemporary American culture. I am interested in a reading of the poems beyond the confessional approach so common in analyses of Sexton’s poetry, focusing instead on how the characters struggle with beauty expectations, age and gender roles as well as loneliness. Therefore, I have discussed the chosen poems with different communities beyond the academic context with an interest in other approaches and experiences applied in the readings. The voices are woven into the article, adding to the analysis and offering a comment on contemporary reading practices.
The wisdom of intergenerational relationships in Ursula Le Guin’s series Annals of the Western Shore (Gifts, VoicesandPowers)
Authors: Oró-Piqueras Maricel , Benderska Yuliia
Published: July 2023

Ursula Le Guin’s novels included in Annals of the Western Shore, published between the years 2004 and 2007, have as protagonists three young characters who, among uprising, rebellion and unfair states, have to find their place in Le Guin’s the Western Shore world. The three protagonists share a gift – the gift of remembering and telling stories – which is transmitted to two of them through an older man from the community where they live. Once the main characters come together at the end of the third novel of the saga, they realise that the only way in which a free and prosperous state can be achieved is through knowledge and the sharing of the stories of both ancestors and new writers. The series, thus, problematizes the concept of wisdom associated with a binary stereotypical image of old age as either attached to loss and decrepitude or to wisdom, particularly in the fantastic mode. In this article, and following Le Guin’s belief in the intrinsic interconnectivity of all things, “organic and inorganic, material and spiritual, object and force – [that] shape and are shaped by each other” (Senior 1996: 104), we aim to explore the value of intergenerational relationships in building a fairer and more prosperous society in Le Guin’s series Annals of the Western Shore. Whereas the young characters and protagonists in each of the three novels need the guidance of older members of their communities to come to terms with their “gifts”, the coming of age of these young protagonists will also question the unfair and destructive beliefs behind the social organisation of the regimes in which they grew up and became adults.
Éilís Ní Dhuibhne’s Little Red and Other Stories and gerotranscendence on the page
Authors: Zarebska Zuzanna
Published: July 2023

Little Red and Other Stories is a collection of short stories that taps into many different dimensions of older women’s existence, exploring characters who are often bereft or in search of a more meaningful expression of their identity. Divided by physical and non-physical frontiers, gerontological challenges persist as much as the desire to live in spite of internal and external changes. The stories are shaped by mortality and by the subjective and imaginary discourses of culture, with the issues of autonomy, agency, intimacy and well-being remaining at their core. Little Red and Other Stories provides us with a multidirectional perspective on the aging process. It offers stories that see characters move towards a greater experience of agency and relational freedom. The internal interrogations and external interpellations present in the narratives are reinforced by the author’s use of metatextuality, bearing in mind her expertise in folk literature and mythology. She deliberately places her characters in unusual circumstances in order to convince her reader that if crossing of the real/fantastic worlds is possible, it is also possible to cross, or challenge, age definitions. If transgressions are possible on the page, we, too, have the capacity to create our own life-narratives and be agentic in our older age, a time conventionally seen as stagnant, limited and dominated by decline. Indeed, older people, mostly women in Ní Dhuibhne, have an extraordinary capacity to translate their experience into wisdom and possess the necessary stamina to rewrite their stories.
Rewriting rules, changing worlds: Diegetic and ludic forms of metareference in The Magic Circle
Authors: Krampe Theresa
Published: July 2023

In addition to transmedial techniques such as metalepses, allegories, or obtrusive narrators, contemporary videogames also use medium-specific forms, including game rules, mechanics, or interfaces, to create metareference. Similarly, metareferential games seem not only concerned with questions of their fictionality but show particular interest in their own technological infrastructure and embeddedness in digital culture. In this article, I propose a systematic approach to analysing metareference in videogames, distinguishing between the gameworld and the game system as the two main layers of communication from which metareference emerges. In a case study of the indie metagame The Magic Circle (Question 2015), I show that the game’s distinctive metareferential style is the result of interactions between what I call diegetic and ludic forms of metareference, and which are produced at the level of the gameworld and the game system, respectively.
Unresolved conflicts and suspended ethics: Reading “The Monster” from the perspective of voice
Authors: Kang Mengni
Published: July 2023

This article draws on rhetorical narrative theory and makes a case for Stephen Crane’s employment of the resource voice to communicate the naturalistic theme of “The Monster”. It argues that by modulating voices on different communicative tracks, the author invites us to recognize two pairs of conflicting forces: one of free will and external forces that shows in the causes of Henry’s and Trescott’s heroic acts, and the other of individual agency and collective identity that characterizes the narrative’s engagement with Whilomville. It is my view that the author invites readers to share his naturalistic outlook and refrain from making conclusive ethical judgments on the characters and the community. For readers, attending to the synthesis of tone, style, and values in utterances helps with inferring the author’s rhetorical purposes. To this end, the article also considers Crane’s biographical information and newspaper sketches, calling for the inclusion of contextual and intertextual matters in rhetorical criticism.
Insights from an empirical study on communicative functions and L1 use during conceptual mediation in L2 peer interaction
Authors: Nadal Sanchis Laura , Bello Viruega Iria
Published: July 2023

Conceptual mediation is one of the competences described by the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) during the acquisition of foreign languages. When practicing mediation, learners collaborate in the construction of knowledge to conduct activities that require higher-level cognitive skills, such as teamwork. This study analyzes the communicative functions and L1 use in peer interaction during a conceptual mediation activity in a group of students following Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) instruction and another receiving traditional language tuition. The sample was made up of 60 L1 Spanish, L2 German speakers enrolled in a A2.2 German course (age 18–20). For the analysis, the oral interaction of the groups was recorded through an online videoconference platform. The type of mediation used as well as the presence or absence of speakers’ L1 (Spanish) were assessed. The analysis demonstrates that groups following a CLIL approach resorted to regulative discourse for work organization purposes (relational mediation) more frequently than those students following a more traditional approach. Regarding the use of the L1, non-CLIL groups used their first language to a greater degree in regulative discourse and during communicative mediation, that is, when they had to resort to translation to ensure comprehension among peers.
Fabrication and performance analysis of sustainable municipal solid waste incineration fly ash alkali-activated acoustic barriers
Authors: Dong Peng , Yuan Hongyan , Wang Quan
Published: July 2023

The recycling of hazardous municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWIFA) is drawing more attention, in which the alkali-activation technique may provide great potential to make full use of it as sustainable acoustic materials. The present work evaluated the applicability of alkali-activated MSWIFA-based materials (AAFMs) as porous acoustic barriers. The chemical composition and microtomography of the as-prepared AAFMs were characterized by X-ray diffraction. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. With the incorporation of MSWIFA and foaming agents, the dry bulk density and porosity of AAFMs were subsequently examined. Moreover, the compressibility and leachability of AAFMs were also investigated to evaluate their mechanical performance and environmental safety as construction materials. A sound absorption test was eventually conducted to explore the sound absorption performance of AAFMs, considering the main factors such as aluminum addition, MSWIFA dosage, and sample thickness. The results verified the good chemical stability, leachability, and sound absorption performance of porous AAFMs. Specifically, it indicated that the aforementioned factors have a boosting effect on forming highly porous structures that improve sound absorption performance, namely sound absorption coefficient and noise reduction coefficient.
Deber de memoria: el corazón por archivo: Conversando con Lady Rojas Benavente sobre Estrellas de sangre
Authors: Bolaños Aimée G. , Benavente (entrevistada) Lady Rojas
Published: July 2023

Integrado por tres partes, este trabajo inicialmente presenta una lectura del libro Estrellas de sangre de Lady Rojas Benavente, autora migrante, referida fundamentalmente a su poética. En tal sentido se ofrece una visión de conjunto de la estructuración, motivaciones temáticas, filiaciones artísticas, imaginario simbólico, género y tipología con la intención de evidenciar su identidad artística en el contexto mayor de la poesía de autoría femenina contemporánea. Completa esta presentación una conversación con la autora referida a Estrella de Sangre, particularizando en modos de crear, pensar y actuar en los espacios de vida social, cultural y literaria. Por último, se incluye una muestra de poemas que constituyen el libro.
In memoriam : Régine Robin (1939-2021)
Authors: Balint Adina
Published: July 2023

Ce texte rend hommage à Régine Robin (1939-2021), écrivaine, historienne, sociologue et traductrice d’origine juive polonaise qui vécut entre Paris et Montréal, dont l’œuvre aux multiples facettes apporte une contribution pertinente à la culture et à la critique contemporaines en français.  This text pays tribute to Régine Robin (1939-2021), writer, historian, sociologist and translator of Jewish origin, who lived between Paris and Montréal, and whose multi-faceted work brings an essential contribution to French contemporary culture and critical theory.
Expediente e Editorial
Authors: Bernd Zilá , Dos Santos Eloína Prati , Axt Gunter , Cerqueira Fabio Vergara , Hanciau Nubia
Published: July 2023

Expediente e editorial vol 21
Eleições federais canadenses em jornais do Quebec: uma análise da visibilidade de atores sociais na cobertura de impressos regionais
Authors: Araújo Arthur , Durazo Herrmann Julian
Published: July 2023

Este artigo tem como objetivo principal analisar quais fatores da estrutura social, política e jornalística interferem na cobertura feita por jornais locais da província do Quebec às eleições federais canadenses entre 2008 e 2015. Para isso, utiliza como método a análise de conteúdo (Bardin, 1977) em uma perspectiva quantitativa e qualitativa. Como principais resultados, aponta que 1) a estrutura de “corrida de cavalos” assumida pela cobertura é decisiva na centralização da atenção nos chefes de partidos; 2) pertencer à localidade é fator essencial na visibilidade da mídia local, filtro ultrapassado apenas em casos de altíssimo grau hierárquico ou elevada autoridade de contexto; 3) o posicionamento político dos jornais interfere em escala perceptível no tratamento dado aos atores; 4) fatores ligados ao jornalismo, como valores e critérios de noticiabilidade possuem maior influência na filtragem dos demais atores que conquistam cotas de visibilidade de alguma relevância.
Livro-reportagem: um produto cultural a serviço da memória: uma análise da obra Uma Questão de Justiça da jornalista canadense Isabel Vincent
Authors: Oliveira Adriana Seibert , Bernd Zilá
Published: July 2023

Jornalismo e literatura são duas áreas que sempre estiveram ligadas. Quando os primeiros jornais foram editados, eram os escritores os responsáveis pelo seu conteúdo. Em consequência disso, elementos textuais mais utilizados na arte literária estão presentes em alguns produtos jornalísticos, bem como elementos jornalísticos também estiveram e estão presentes em obras literárias. Com essa aproximação e contaminação das áreas, surgiu um novo gênero: o Jornalismo Literário, que parte do jornalismo e utiliza recursos textuais da literatura para informar. O livro-reportagem é um dos produtos deste novo gênero, que traz, de uma forma aprofundada, mais informações que as do jornalismo do cotidiano. Sabendo dessa contaminação, este trabalho pretende apontar as influências da literatura no jornalismo, mais especificamente nos livros-reportagem ao analisar a obra Uma Questão de Justiça, da jornalista canadense Isabel Vincent, que foi por nós entrevistada