bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Satellite quenching and morphological transformation of galaxies in groups and clusters
Authors: Oxland M , Parker L C , de Carvalho R R , Sampaio V M
Published: March 2024

We investigate the role that dense environments have on the quenching of star formation and the transformation of morphology for a sample of galaxies selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We make a distinction between galaxies falling into groups [13 ≤ log(Mhalo/M⊙) < 14] and clusters [log(Mhalo/M⊙) ≥ 14], and compare to a large sample of field galaxies. Using galaxy position in projected phase space as a proxy for time since infall, we study how galaxy specific star formation rate and morphology, parametrized by the bulge-to-total light ratio, change over time. After controlling for stellar mass, we find clear trends of increasing quenched and elliptical fractions as functions of infall time for galaxies falling into both groups and clusters. The trends are strongest for low-mass galaxies falling into clusters. By computing quenching and morphological transformation time-scales, we find evidence that star formation quenching occurs faster than morphological transformation in both environments. Comparing field galaxies to recently infalling galaxies, we determine that there is pre-processing of both star formation and morphology, with pre-processing affecting star formation rates more strongly. Our analysis favours quenching mechanisms that act quickly to suppress star formation, while other mechanisms that act on longer time-scales transform morphology through bulge growth and disc fading.
The fundamental plane of blazars based on the black hole spin-mass energy
Authors: Zhang Xu , Xiong Ding-rong , Gao Quan-gui , Yang Gui-qin , Lu Fang-wu , Na Wei-wei , Qin Long-hua
Published: March 2024

We examine the fundamental plane of 91 blazars which include flat-spectrum radio quasars and BL Lacertae objects with known X-ray luminosity (LR), radio luminosity (LX), and black hole mass measurements (M) to reflect the relationship between jet and accretion for blazars. The fundamental plane of blazars are logLR = ${0.273}_{+0.059}^{-0.059}\log L_X$ + ${0.695}_{+0.191}^{-0.191}\log M$ + ${25.457}_{+2.728}^{-2.728}$ and logLR = ${0.190}_{+0.049}^{-0.049}\log L_X$ + ${0.475}_{+0.157}^{-0.157}\log M$ + ${28.568}_{+2.245}^{-2.245}$ after considering the effect of beam factor. Our results suggest that the jet of blazars has connection with accretion. We set the black hole spin energy as a new variable to correct the black hole mass and explore the effect of black hole spin on the fundamental relationship. We find that the fundamental plane of blazars is affected by the black hole spin, which is similar to the previous work for active galactic nuclei. We additionally examine a new fundamental plane which is based on the black hole spin-mass energy (Mspin). The new fundamental plane (logLR = ${0.332}_{+0.081}^{-0.081}\log L_X$ + ${0.502}_{+0.091}^{-0.091}\log M_{spin}$ + ${22.606}_{+3.346}^{-3.346}$ with R-Square = 0.575) shows that Mspin has a better correlation coefficient compared to the M for fundamental plane of blazars. These results suggest that the black hole spin should be considered as an important factor for the study of fundamental plane for blazars. And these may further our understanding of the Blandford–Znajek process in blazars.
Radio spectra of pulsars fitted with the spectral distribution function of the emission from their current sheet
Authors: Ardavan Houshang
Published: March 2024

In their catalogue of pulsars’ radio spectra, Swainston et al. distinguish between five different forms of these spectra: those that can be fitted with (i) a simple power law, (ii) a broken power law, (iii) a low-frequency turn-over, (iv) a high-frequency turn-over or (v) a double turn-over spectrum. Here, we choose two examples from each of these categories and fit them with the spectral distribution function of the caustics that are generated by the superluminally moving current sheet in the magnetosphere of a non-aligned neutron star. In contrast to the prevailing view that the curved features of pulsars’ radio spectra arise from the absorption of the observed radiation in high-density environments, our results imply that these features are intrinsic to the emission mechanism. We find that all observed features of pulsar spectra (including those that are normally fitted with simple or broken power laws) can be described by a single spectral distribution function and regarded as manifestations of a single emission mechanism. From the results of an earlier analysis of the emission from a pulsar’s current sheet and the values of the fit parameters for each spectrum, we also determine the physical characteristics of the central neutron star of each considered example and its magnetosphere.
Photoabsorption spectra of solid O2 in ultraviolet and far-vacuum ultraviolet region at 9–30 K
Authors: Lo Jen-Iu , Lu Hsiao-Chi , Hung Wei-Hsiu , Sivaraman B , Mason N J , Cheng Bing-Ming
Published: March 2024

We report ultraviolet and far-vacuum ultraviolet (FUV) absorption spectra of solid molecular oxygen recorded over the wavelength region 110–365 nm for temperatures between 9 and 30 K, in which the light source was dispersed from a synchrotron. The UV/FUV spectra of solids O2 deposited at various temperatures appeared distinctly different profiles due to variation of compositions of α-O2, β-O2, and the imperfect crystal structure at the specific temperature; in addition, the icy sample exhibited its own scattering curve deposited at specific temperature. Resolved from the thermal ramping technique, the absorption spectra of solids α-O2 and β-O2 were established in the wavelength region 110–250 nm at 9 and 30 K, respectively, for the first time.
Magnetospheric flows in X-ray pulsars – I. Instability at super-Eddington regime of accretion
Authors: Mushtukov A A , Ingram A , Suleimanov V F , DiLullo N , Middleton M , Tsygankov S S , van der Klis M , Portegies Zwart S
Published: March 2024

Within the magnetospheric radius, the geometry of accretion flow in X-ray pulsars is shaped by a strong magnetic field of a neutron star. Starting at the magnetospheric radius, accretion flow follows field lines and reaches the stellar surface in small regions located close to the magnetic poles of a star. At low mass accretion rates, the dynamics of the flow is determined by gravitational attraction and rotation of the magnetosphere due to the centrifugal force. At the luminosity range close to the Eddington limit and above it, the flow is additionally affected by the radiative force. We construct a model simulating accretion flow dynamics over the magnetosphere, assuming that the flow strictly follows field lines and is affected by gravity, radiative, and centrifugal forces only. The magnetic field of a neutron star is taken to be dominated by the dipole component of arbitrary inclination with respect to the accretion disc plane. We show that accretion flow becomes unstable at high mass accretion rates and tends to fluctuate quasi-periodically with a typical period comparable to the free-fall time from the inner disc radius. The inclination of a magnetic dipole with respect to the disc plane and strong anisotropy of X-ray radiation stabilize the mass accretion rate at the poles of a star, but the surface density of material covering the magnetosphere fluctuates even in this case.
Despite the odds: formation of the SARS-CoV-2 methylation complex
Authors: Matsuda Alex , Plewka Jacek , Rawski Michał , Mourão André , Zajko Weronika , Siebenmorgen Till , Kresik Leanid , Lis Kinga , Jones Alisha N , Pachota Magdalena , Karim Abdulkarim , Hartman Kinga , Nirwal Shivlee , Sonani Ravi , Chykunova Yuliya , Minia Igor , Mak Paweł , Landthaler Markus , Nowotny Marcin , Dubin Grzegorz , Sattler Michael , Suder Piotr , Popowicz Grzegorz M , Pyrć Krzysztof , Czarna Anna
Published: March 2024

Coronaviruses modify their single-stranded RNA genome with a methylated cap during replication to mimic the eukaryotic mRNAs. The capping process is initiated by several nonstructural proteins (nsp) encoded in the viral genome. The methylation is performed by two methyltransferases, nsp14 and nsp16, while nsp10 acts as a co-factor to both. Additionally, nsp14 carries an exonuclease domain which operates in the proofreading system during RNA replication of the viral genome. Both nsp14 and nsp16 were reported to independently bind nsp10, but the available structural information suggests that the concomitant interaction between these three proteins would be impossible due to steric clashes. Here, we show that nsp14, nsp10, and nsp16 can form a heterotrimer complex upon significant allosteric change. This interaction is expected to encourage the formation of mature capped viral mRNA, modulating nsp14’s exonuclease activity, and protecting the viral RNA. Our findings show that nsp14 is amenable to allosteric regulation and may serve as a novel target for therapeutic approaches.
Expanding the flexibility of base editing for high-throughput genetic screens in bacteria
Authors: Gawlitt Sandra , Collins Scott P , Yu Yanying , Blackman Samuel A , Barquist Lars , Beisel Chase L
Published: March 2024

Genome-wide screens have become powerful tools for elucidating genotype-to-phenotype relationships in bacteria. Of the varying techniques to achieve knockout and knockdown, CRISPR base editors are emerging as promising options. However, the limited number of available, efficient target sites hampers their use for high-throughput screening. Here, we make multiple advances to enable flexible base editing as part of high-throughput genetic screening in bacteria. We first co-opt the Streptococcus canis Cas9 that exhibits more flexible protospacer-adjacent motif recognition than the traditional Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9. We then expand beyond introducing premature stop codons by mutating start codons. Next, we derive guide design rules by applying machine learning to an essentiality screen conducted in Escherichia coli. Finally, we rescue poorly edited sites by combining base editing with Cas9-induced cleavage of unedited cells, thereby enriching for intended edits. The efficiency of this dual system was validated through a conditional essentiality screen based on growth in minimal media. Overall, expanding the scope of genome-wide knockout screens with base editors could further facilitate the investigation of new gene functions and interactions in bacteria.
Exhaustive identification of genome-wide binding events of transcriptional regulators
Authors: Nordin Anna , Pagella Pierfrancesco , Zambanini Gianluca , Cantù Claudio
Published: March 2024

Genome-wide binding assays aspire to map the complete binding pattern of gene regulators. Common practice relies on replication—duplicates or triplicates—and high stringency statistics to favor false negatives over false positives. Here we show that duplicates and triplicates of CUT&RUN are not sufficient to discover the entire activity of transcriptional regulators. We introduce ICEBERG (Increased Capture of Enrichment By Exhaustive Replicate aGgregation), a pipeline that harnesses large numbers of CUT&RUN replicates to discover the full set of binding events and chart the line between false positives and false negatives. We employed ICEBERG to map the full set of H3K4me3-marked regions, the targets of the co-factor β-catenin, and those of the transcription factor TBX3, in human colorectal cancer cells. The ICEBERG datasets allow benchmarking of individual replicates, comparing the performance of peak calling and replication approaches, and expose the arbitrary nature of strategies to identify reproducible peaks. Instead of a static view of genomic targets, ICEBERG establishes a spectrum of detection probabilities across the genome for a given factor, underlying the intrinsic dynamicity of its mechanism of action, and permitting to distinguish frequent from rare regulation events. Finally, ICEBERG discovered instances, undetectable with other approaches, that underlie novel mechanisms of colorectal cancer progression.
Biochemical characterization of the meiosis-essential yet evolutionarily divergent topoisomerase VIB-like protein MTOPVIB from Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Chen Hsin-Wen , Yeh Hsin-Yi , Chang Chih-Chiang , Kuo Wei-Chen , Lin Sheng-Wei , Vrielynck Nathalie , Grelon Mathilde , Chan Nei-Li , Chi Peter
Published: March 2024

Formation of programmed DNA double-strand breaks is essential for initiating meiotic recombination. Genetic studies on Arabidopsis thaliana and Mus musculus have revealed that assembly of a type IIB topoisomerase VI (Topo VI)-like complex, composed of SPO11 and MTOPVIB, is a prerequisite for generating DNA breaks. However, it remains enigmatic if MTOPVIB resembles its Topo VI subunit B (VIB) ortholog in possessing robust ATPase activity, ability to undergo ATP-dependent dimerization, and activation of SPO11-mediated DNA cleavage. Here, we successfully prepared highly pure A. thaliana MTOPVIB and MTOPVIB-SPO11 complex. Contrary to expectations, our findings highlight that MTOPVIB differs from orthologous Topo VIB by lacking ATP-binding activity and independently forming dimers without ATP. Most significantly, our study reveals that while MTOPVIB lacks the capability to stimulate SPO11-mediated DNA cleavage, it functions as a bona fide DNA-binding protein and plays a substantial role in facilitating the dsDNA binding capacity of the MOTOVIB-SPO11 complex. Thus, we illustrate mechanistic divergence between the MTOPVIB-SPO11 complex and classical type IIB topoisomerases.
FUS reads histone H3K36me3 to regulate alternative polyadenylation
Authors: Jia Junqi , Fan Haonan , Wan Xinyi , Fang Yuan , Li Zhuoning , Tang Yin , Zhang Yanjun , Huang Jun , Fang Dong
Published: March 2024

Complex organisms generate differential gene expression through the same set of DNA sequences in distinct cells. The communication between chromatin and RNA regulates cellular behavior in tissues. However, little is known about how chromatin, especially histone modifications, regulates RNA polyadenylation. In this study, we found that FUS was recruited to chromatin by H3K36me3 at gene bodies. The H3K36me3 recognition of FUS was mediated by the proline residues in the ZNF domain. After these proline residues were mutated or H3K36me3 was abolished, FUS dissociated from chromatin and bound more to RNA, resulting in an increase in polyadenylation sites far from stop codons genome-wide. A proline mutation corresponding to a mutation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis contributed to the hyperactivation of mitochondria and hyperdifferentiation in mouse embryonic stem cells. These findings reveal that FUS is an H3K36me3 reader protein that links chromatin-mediated alternative polyadenylation to human disease.
Engineering an Escherichia coli strain for production of long single-stranded DNA
Authors: Shen Konlin , Flood Jake J , Zhang Zhihuizi , Ha Alvin , Shy Brian R , Dueber John E , Douglas Shawn M
Published: March 2024

Long single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) is a versatile molecular reagent with applications including RNA-guided genome engineering and DNA nanotechnology, yet its production is typically resource-intensive. We introduce a novel method utilizing an engineered Escherichia coli ‘helper’ strain and phagemid system that simplifies long ssDNA generation to a straightforward transformation and purification procedure. Our method obviates the need for helper plasmids and their associated contamination by integrating M13mp18 genes directly into the E. coli chromosome. We achieved ssDNA lengths ranging from 504 to 20 724 nt with titers up to 250 μg/l following alkaline lysis purification. The efficacy of our system was confirmed through its application in primary T-cell genome modifications and DNA origami folding. The reliability, scalability and ease of our approach promise to unlock new experimental applications requiring large quantities of long ssDNA.
Digital Being: social media and the predictive mind
Authors: White Ben , Clark Andy , Miller Mark
Published: March 2024

Social media is implicated today in an array of mental health concerns. While concerns around social media have become mainstream, little is known about the specific cognitive mechanisms underlying the correlations seen in these studies or why we find it so hard to stop engaging with these platforms when things obviously begin to deteriorate for us. New advances in computational neuroscience, however, are now poised to shed light on this matter. In this paper, we approach the phenomenon of social media addiction through the lens of the active inference framework. According to this framework, predictive agents like us use a ‘generative model’ of the world to predict our own incoming sense data and act to minimize any discrepancy between the prediction and incoming signal (prediction error). In order to live well and be able to act effectively to minimize prediction error, it is vital that agents like us have a generative model, which not only accurately reflects the regularities of our complex environment but is also flexible and dynamic and able to stay accurate in volatile and turbulent circumstances. In this paper, we propose that some social media platforms are a spectacularly effective way of warping an agent’s generative model and of arresting the model’s ability to flexibly track and adapt to changes in the environment. We go on to investigate cases of digital tech, which do not have these adverse effects and suggest—based on the active inference framework—some ways to understand why some forms of digital technology pose these risks, while others do not.
Hippocampal subfield volumetric changes after radiotherapy for brain metastases
Authors: Holikova Klara , Selingerova Iveta , Pospisil Petr , Bulik Martin , Hynkova Ludmila , Kolouskova Ivana , Hnidakova Lucie , Burkon Petr , Slavik Marek , Sana Jiri , Holecek Tomas , Vanicek Jiri , Slampa Pavel , Jancalek Radim , Kazda Tomas
Published: March 2024

Background

Changes in the hippocampus after brain metastases radiotherapy can significantly impact neurocognitive functions. Numerous studies document hippocampal atrophy correlating with the radiation dose. This study aims to elucidate volumetric changes in patients undergoing whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) or targeted stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) and to explore volumetric changes in the individual subregions of the hippocampus.

Method

Ten patients indicated to WBRT and 18 to SRT underwent brain magnetic resonance before radiotherapy and after 4 months. A structural T1-weighted sequence was used for volumetric analysis, and the software FreeSurfer was employed as the tool for the volumetry evaluation of 19 individual hippocampal subregions.

Results

The volume of the whole hippocampus, segmented by the software, was larger than the volume outlined by the radiation oncologist. No significant differences in volume changes were observed in the right hippocampus. In the left hippocampus, the only subregion with a smaller volume after WBRT was the granular cells and molecular layers of the dentate gyrus (GC-ML-DG) region (median change −5 mm3, median volume 137 vs. 135 mm3; P = .027), the region of the presumed location of neuronal progenitors.

Conclusions

Our study enriches the theory that the loss of neural stem cells is involved in cognitive decline after radiotherapy, contributes to the understanding of cognitive impairment, and advocates for the need for SRT whenever possible to preserve cognitive functions in patients undergoing brain radiotherapy.
Plasma ctDNA enables early detection of temozolomide resistance mutations in glioma
Authors: Jones Jordan J , Jones Kate L , Wong Stephen Q , Whittle James , Goode David , Nguyen Hong , Iaria Josie , Stylli Stan , Towner James , Pieters Thomas , Gaillard Frank , Kaye Andrew H , Drummond Kate J , Morokoff Andrew P
Published: March 2024

Background

Liquid biopsy based on circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is a novel tool in clinical oncology, however, its use has been limited in glioma to date, due to low levels of ctDNA. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate that sequencing techniques optimized for liquid biopsy in glioma patients can detect ctDNA in plasma with high sensitivity and with potential clinical utility.

Methods

We investigated 10 glioma patients with tumor tissue available from at least 2 surgical operations, who had 49 longitudinally collected plasma samples available for analysis. Plasma samples were sequenced with CAPP-seq (AVENIO) and tissue samples with TSO500.

Results

Glioma-derived ctDNA mutations were detected in 93.8% of plasma samples. 25% of all mutations detected were observed in plasma only. Mutations of the mismatch repair (MMR) genes MSH2 and MSH6 were the most frequent circulating gene alterations seen after temozolomide treatment and were frequently observed to appear in plasma prior to their appearance in tumor tissue at the time of surgery for recurrence.

Conclusions

This pilot study suggests that plasma ctDNA in glioma is feasible and may provide sensitive and complementary information to tissue biopsy. Furthermore, plasma ctDNA detection of new MMR gene mutations not present in the initial tissue biopsy may provide an early indication of the development of chemotherapy resistance. Additional clinical validation in larger cohorts is needed.
Inequalities in access to neuro-oncology supportive care and rehabilitation: A survey of healthcare professionals’ perspectives
Authors: Boele Florien , Rosenlund Lena , Nordentoft Sara , Melhuish Sara , Nicklin Emma , Rydén Isabelle , Williamson Aoife , Donders-Kamphuis Marike , Preusser Matthias , Le Rhun Emilie , Kiesel Barbara , Minniti Giuseppe , Furtner Julia , Dirven Linda , Taphoorn Martin , Galldiks Norbert , Rudà Roberta , Chalmers Anthony , Short Susan C , Piil Karin
Published: March 2024

Background

Neuro-oncology patients and caregivers should have equitable access to rehabilitation, supportive-, and palliative care. To investigate existing issues and potential solutions, we surveyed neuro-oncology professionals to explore current barriers and facilitators to screening patients’ needs and referral to services.

Methods

Members of the European Association of Neuro-Oncology and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Brain Tumor Group (EORTC-BTG) were invited to complete a 39-item online questionnaire covering the availability of services, screening, and referral practice. Responses were analyzed descriptively; associations between sociodemographic/clinical variables and screening/referral practice were explored.

Results

In total, 103 participants completed the survey (67% women and 57% medical doctors). Fifteen professions from 23 countries were represented. Various rehabilitation, supportive-, and palliative care services were available yet rated “inadequate” by 21–37% of participants. Most respondents with a clinical role (n = 94) declare to screen (78%) and to refer (83%) their patients routinely for physical/cognitive/emotional issues. Survey completers (n = 103) indicated the main reasons for not screening/referring were (1) lack of suitable referral options (50%); (2) shortage of healthcare professionals (48%); and (3) long waiting lists (42%). To improve service provision, respondents suggested there is a need for education about neuro-oncology-specific issues (75%), improving the availability of services (65%) and staff (64%), developing international guidelines (64%), and strengthening the existing evidence-base for rehabilitation (60%).

Conclusions

Detecting and managing neuro-oncology patients’ and caregivers’ rehabilitation, supportive,- and palliative care needs can be improved. Better international collaboration can help address healthcare disparities.
An Unexpectedly High Incidence of Invasive Fungal Diseases in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients Taking Belatacept for Organ Rejection Prophylaxis: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Bell Elizabeth , Pisano Jennifer , Brown Manasa , Friedman Daniel
Published: March 2024

Among solid organ transplant recipients taking belatacept, 15% developed invasive fungal diseases. The most common invasive fungal diseases were aspergillosis (56%) and candidiasis (22%). The infected cohort was more likely to receive basiliximab, undergo lung transplantation, or identify as White. Higher rates of aspergillosis were seen in this lung cohort than previously reported.
W. E. B. Du Bois
Authors: Carson Edward
Published: March 2024

During William Edward Burghardt Du Bois’s sojourn to Germany and co-founding the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, he engaged in the universal struggle against capitalism. Often congregating with White Socialists, Du Bois’s understanding of class struggle as a material force evolved. He was suspicious of the Russian experience and the communist experience in the United States given the ideological complexities of Afro-American life. However, during the 1930s, Du Bois reached greater clarity of his ideological beliefs, as reflected in his publication Black Reconstruction in America, 1860–1880. Nevertheless, by the 1940s, Du Bois still held contradictory narratives regarding socialism and communism while his evolutionary process persisted. In 1961, Du Bois submitted his application to join the Communist Party USA after a life spent being a reluctant communist. His submission reflected a life dedicated to fighting against racial prejudice and the perils of White supremacy and his evolution toward socialism and communism.
Redress or Socialism?
Authors: Stewart James B. , Darity William A.
Published: March 2024

This chapter examines W. E. B. Du Bois’s views regarding claims for reparations for Black Americans descendants of persons enslaved in the United States, deriving from the multigenerational impact of slavery, legal segregation, and ongoing discrimination and stigmatization. The chapter insists that a comprehensive reparations program must include a specific plan to compensate victims and heirs, whether in monetary or nonmonetary fashion. Although Du Bois’s analysis in Black Reconstruction could undergird substantive claims for reparations, he limited the national claim for redress to removal of restrictions denying equal access to crucial arenas, especially electoral politics and employment. Furthermore, he actually opposed monetary payments. This chapter characterizes Du Bois’s endgame as a domestic and international socialist revolution that neglects a call for reparations. It concludes that identifying Du Bois as a progenitor of the contemporary reparations movement obscures his refusal to demand compensation for the community victimized by American white supremacy.
Gerda Walther (1897–1977)
Authors: Parker Rodney K. B.
Published: March 2024

Gerda Walther was a phenomenologist associated with the Munich and Freiburg phenomenological circles. A student of Alexander Pfänder and Edmund Husserl, she applied the phenomenological method to issues in social and abnormal psychology and parapsychology, with a particular interest in mystical and religious experiences. Her dissertation, Toward an Ontology of Social Communities, is a pioneering work in social ontology that investigates we-experiences and the feeling of inner connectedness characteristic of belonging to a community. Her Phenomenology of Mysticism aims to give a scientific analysis of mystical lived-experiences, differentiating them from other varieties of experience, such as perception, dreams, hallucinations, and so on.
Edith Stein (1891–1942)
Authors: Moran Dermot
Published: March 2024

This chapter analyzes Edith Stein’s philosophical contributions, beginning with her original phenomenological studies on empathy, embodiment, emotions, the nature of the person; and, including her later metaphysical writings, where she defends a concept of human existence as aiming at fulfillment and transcendence, in opposition to Heidegger’s ontology of human emptiness and finitude. For Stein, the embodied subject is constituted through emotions, and apprehends others in empathy. In her Christian period, she developed an original synthesis of Husserlian phenomenology and Thomistic ontology, focusing on “essence” (Wesen), “being” (Sein), finitude and infinitude, and the individual essence of the human person. Each individual human has an individual essence (Einzelwesen), or “thisness,” with a finite “life-energy” (Lebenskraft) emanating from a deep personal core that “unfolds” (entfaltet) but is never exhausted across the whole of one’s life.
Idealism and Romanticism
Authors: Stone Alison , Valpione Giulia
Published: March 2024

The chapter discusses the contributions to idealism and romanticism made by Caroline Schlegel-Schelling, Dorothea Veit-Schlegel, Sophie Schubart-Mereau, Sophie Tieck, Karoline von Günderrode, Dorothea Tieck, and Bettina Brentano von Arnim. The authors will consider these women’s contributions to political philosophy, to philosophy of nature, to romantic translation theory, and to the idea of self. The chapter starts with Mereau’s, Veit’s, Sophie Tieck’s, and Caroline Schlegel-Schelling’s critiques of Fichte’s self-positing self in favor of a conception of self as relational, affective, and linguistic. The chapter then focuses on the role of Caroline Schlegel-Schelling and Dorothea Tieck in the German translation of Shakespeare’s plays and their translation theory. The third section focuses on the relation between love, birth, and death in Schlegel-Schelling, and the role that this relation plays in Günderrode’s philosophy of nature. The chapter closes with a discussion of the original contributions of Karoline von Günderrode and Bettina Brentano von Arnim in romantic political philosophy.
Trends in Aesthetics
Authors: Matherne Samantha
Published: March 2024

This chapter explores the contributions of four women to developments in aesthetics in German philosophy in the long nineteenth century: the early romantic Dorothea Veit-Schlegel; the feminist Hedwig Dohm; the early phenomenologist Edith Landmann-Kalischer; and the psychological theorist Vernon Lee. The chapter uses this survey to highlight two trends in aesthetics during this period. The first, which emerges in the discussion of Veit-Schlegel and Dohm, is an emphasis on the social and political value the aesthetic has with respect to Bildung and achieving ideals, such as freedom and gender equality. The second, which emerges in the discussion of Landmann-Kalischer and Lee, is the desire to offer a psychologically informed account of the nature of aesthetic experience.
Sophie Mereau (1770–1806)
Authors: Daub Adrian
Published: March 2024

As is the case with many nineteenth-century women, literary history has often framed Sophie Mereau (1770–1806) as a muse for the more famous men around her, as a poet in dialogue with the philosophies of the various ages her short life straddled. In recent years, however, scholars have identified Mereau as an originary thinker and important coequal philosophical interlocutor. This article suggests that Mereau’s philosophy was articulated through genres that were only gradually being recognized as vehicles for philosophy—poetry, fragment, letter. It proposes that Mereau strategically triangulated between competing philosophical preoccupations of her age to carve out a unique philosophical program that combined an idealist politics with pronounced political edge.
Estonian Runosongs on Childcare, Pregnancy, Birth, and Intimacy
Authors: Sarv Mari
Published: March 2024

This chapter focuses on the processes of creating emblems of national culture on the basis of folk culture and how selectivity is informed by content. For this purpose, three groups of songs in the Estonian branch of the Finnic runosong tradition will be observed: lullabies and other songs on and to small infants, songs on pregnancy and childbirth, and songs on sexual matters. All of the songs are related to the private spheres of life in modern society. Through folklore collecting and archiving, they have been brought to the public domain as part of “national heritage.” This analysis addresses the conflict of private and public and the clash of moral expectations in the course of collecting folklore as well as remediating the information to the public. Runosongs that have been collected on the verge of the fading away of the tradition have been re-introduced in the public spheres to represent “the genuine culture of Estonians”. The study demonstrates that in cultural re-use, preference is given to the songs that show the tradition bearers as good and heroic, while the songs on the themes that have not been considered appropriate to discuss in public, for example, songs concerning sexuality and bodily aspects of life, have been avoided even in academic publications and research. Through this kind of selective process, a picture of Estonian peasant culture was created that was more suitable to contemporary morals and closer to the expectations of modern people than the reality might have been.
Silk
Authors: Onaga Lisa
Published: March 2024

Histories of silk cultivation can project impressions that regard failures as anomalous, but particular failings can have historical significance nonetheless. Individual histories of sericulture of different eras and across the globe alone cannot explain the conditions of failure in sericulture. This essay shows how repeated human efforts to grow silk are important aspects of the history of sericulture. Sericulture situated in nineteenth- and twentieth-century California—an area with a history famed for agricultural production but not for silk—provides a geographic middle ground where silkworms, mulberry, and expertise from East Asia and Europe came together. Moreover, the histories of plants and insects in the seri-histories of North, South, and Meso-American gather to a point in California to illuminate the integrality of diverse roles of women that factored into the business and technics of making silk and caring for the larvae of the silk moth (including the boiling of cocoons and reeling their silk filaments together). Across racial lines, women’s practical attempts at and decisions about silk cultivation provides a useful counterbalance to scholarly explorations of the histories of establishing sericulture nested within the discourse of internationalization. By examining the challenges and failures of silk production critically, a better understanding of the common threads that knit these disparate stories together comes into view. These sericultural initiatives of the New World ultimately contextualize the typicality of non-continuity in the making of silk threads.
Watershed Moments
Authors: Pastore Christopher L.
Published: March 2024

Beginning with the dawn of agriculture and concluding in the present, this chapter examines three turning points in human-water interactions that reshaped both agricultural practices and the geometry of watersheds. Close focus on the hydraulic dimensions of the Neolithic Revolution, the early modern Agricultural Revolution, and the twentieth-century Green Revolution—three “watershed moments” in hydro-agricultural development—shows that the ongoing negotiation between human innovation and the exigencies of nature has transformed global hydrology and, in turn, modes of water governance. By exploring the ways local hydrologic changes have long been connected to global-scale processes, moreover, this chapter suggests that water engineering is an important indicator of the Anthropocene.
Contestations over Agricultural Production in Colonial Africa
Authors: Mark-Thiesen Cassandra
Published: March 2024

By the end of the colonial period, African agriculture was marked by two disparate systems of production: widespread small-scale farming in West Africa and European-driven large-scale plantations in East Africa and to the south of the continent. Moreover, individual colonial economies had become specialized providers of specific agricultural produce, leaving them vulnerable to shifts in global markets. While it has been noted elsewhere that African export agriculture emerged prior to the partition of Africa, the precise role of colonial states in effectuating the aforementioned outcomes while further integrating these markets remains a topic for discussion. This chapter is concerned with the faces of colonial agricultural policy visible across the continent and, yet, particular in space and time, as well as the contentions that surrounded them. In addition, it is interspersed with insights into African responses to these interventions.
English in Laos
Authors: Soulignavong Latsanyphone , Souvannasy Bouangeune , Hashim Azirah
Published: March 2024

English has become the most important foreign language in Laos, as the language is considered a key element of the country’s competitiveness and enables its people to communicate with others in ASEAN and beyond, to gain access to freely available information on the internet, and to integrate into global markets more easily. This chapter discusses the challenges faced in Laos with regard to the English language and what possible future directions might be taken from multiple perspectives. It discusses the status, role, and use of English, and reports on a study of university students’ English language proficiency. Challenges related to the use of English in Laos are discussed with regard to vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, and pronunciation, using samples from secondary school to university level.
English in Thailand
Authors: Snodin Navaporn , Savski Kristof , Sameephet Banchakarn
Published: March 2024

This chapter describes how English made its journey into Thailand and discusses the changing status of English throughout its history. This includes detailed analysis of the current English language policy and explorations of the current use of English in Thai society. The chapter also describes the possible unique or distinctive forms and functions of Thai English and provides an overview of published studies on English in Thailand and Thai English from 1986 up to 2021. The chapter ends with a discussion about the current and emerging trends of English in Thailand and a prediction what the future might hold for English in the country.
English language education and educational policy in Indonesia and Timor-Leste
Authors: Zein Subhan
Published: March 2024

This chapter examines English language education policies in Indonesia and Timor-Leste by paying particular attention to the linguistic ecologies of the two nations. The chapter argues that English continues to become a prestigious language in the linguistic ecologies of Indonesia and Timor-Leste. The chapter shows that the prestige of English has surpassed that of Indonesian in the nation’s dynamic and polycentric linguistic ecology, ‘superglossia’. Meanwhile, English is currently gaining ascendancy in terms of prestige, and will in some way compete with Portuguese in the near future to sit at the summit of the Timor-Leste linguistic hierarchy. The chapter further asserts that a comprehensive language education policy which caters for indigenous languages alongside English and national languages is required for both countries in order for them to be able to increase engagement with ASEAN member states.
English language education and educational policy in Myanmar
Authors: Tin Tan Bee
Published: March 2024

English language education has a long history in Myanmar (also known as Burma). In accordance with changing political conditions, the status of English and educational policies has changed frequently and abruptly in Myanmar. To understand current English language policies and practice in Myanmar, the chapter first opens the history pages, from the colonial era (1886–1948) to Covid-19 and the Spring Revolution (2020–21). English language education in Myanmar is explored not only through a theoretical and historical lens but also through a personal one. In addition to published documents, literature, and data collected from online social media written in Myanmar (Burmese), the author’s own personal experience in a culture (a Burmese society) is used as a way of expanding understanding of the cultural phenomenon through a personalized, autoethnographic approach.
English as a lingua franca in Southeast Asia’s Expanding Circle
Authors: Kirkpatrick Andy
Published: March 2024

The distinction Kachru made between countries of the Outer and Expanding Circles was that Outer Circle countries had been colonies of English-speaking empires where English played institutional roles and where local varieties of English had developed. In Expanding Circle countries, by contrast, English played no societal role and was restricted to being a school subject. In the ensuing years, however, English has begun to play an increasing number of roles both within Expanding Circle countries themselves and as a lingua franca between people from Expanding Circle countries and elsewhere. In this chapter, the increasing roles of English within Expanding Circle countries and between these and Outer and Inner Circle countries will be described and illustrated. The contemporary relevance of Kachru’s ‘circles’ classification will be discussed and the possibility of developing a model to account for the development of English in Expanding Circle countries questioned.
English in Hong Kong and Macau
Authors: Bolton Kingsley , Moody Andrew J.
Published: March 2024

This chapter provides an overview of the status, functions, and features of English in Hong Kong and Macau. These two geographically adjacent societies share an overlapping past as colonial territories of Britain and Portugal, and today both are Special Administrative Regions (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China and home to predominantly Cantonese-speaking communities. In Hong Kong, English enjoys de jure recognition as a co-official language of government, the civil service, and the legal profession, thus approximating, in terms of societal multilingualism, to an Outer Circle context. In Macau, however, English lacks overt recognition as an official language. Both societies have historical and contemporary contacts with Southeast Asia and the development of English in the region.
Integration of Research into EMDR Practice
Authors: Osborne Alison K. , Gates Jessica , Mann Emily , Wilson-Menzfeld Gemma
Published: March 2024

Engaging in research is critical for EMDR therapists. This chapter will introduce the research process and illustrate the importance of using the evidence base to inform clinical practice. This chapter distinguishes between different types of research practices and presents the hierarchy of evidence to show what is considered as “gold standard” research. Different types of research methods are discussed alongside ethical considerations within research, particularly in relation to working with vulnerable populations. The process of developing a research project is set out to provide guidance from the beginning of the journey, developing a project proposal, through to the dissemination of the findings. Finally, research quality markers are discussed. Examples and case studies are provided throughout this chapter, with the hope of supporting clinicians in the field of EMDR and trauma, to support engagement with published research in the field and to engage in their own research within academia and clinical practice.
Courts as Agents of Change
Authors: Rosenberg Gerald N.
Published: March 2024

This chapter investigates the comparative role of courts as agents of social change. In the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, courts around the world increasingly made decisions ordering social change. Focusing on courts in democratic political systems, it examines that factors that lead courts to issue ‘progressive’ judicial decisions that protect and further the rights of large groups of historically disadvantaged people such as the poor, ethnic and racial minorities, women, gay men and lesbians, immigrants, political dissidents, etc. It identifies four characteristics of judges and legal systems that influence judges’ ability to act. These include judicial independence, the rules and procedures governing jurisdiction and access to courts, the willingness of judges to act, and the breath of rights, both constitutional and statutory, available to judges. It highlights six political and social factors that influence progressive judicial decision-making: history and legitimacy, public opinion, government inaction, allies and support structures, resource constraints and expertise, and the importance of strategic thinking in judicial decision-making. The chapter suggests that judicial decision-making designed to produce progressive social change is highly contextual, varying from country to country. It also suggests that scholars need a reliable baseline of in-depth, focused, country studies, both qualitative and quantitative. A compilation of such studies will provide a strong foundation for comparative analysis.
Introduction to the Study of Comparative Judicial Behaviour
Authors: Epstein Lee , Grendstad Gunnar , Šadl Urška , Weinshall Keren
Published: March 2024

Comparative judicial behaviour seeks to illuminate the choices judges make and the consequences of their choices for society. This chapter begins with a brief discussion of each key term in this definition: choices, consequences, and comparisons. It then considers the major theoretical approaches to judicial choices: legalism, attitudinal model, rational choice accounts, identity accounts, and ‘thinking-fast’ judging. The chapter concludes with an overview of the book’s content and goals. As readers will discover, despite their common interest in explaining the causes and effects of judicial choices, scholars ask substantively different questions, subscribe to manifold theories, apply multiple methodologies, and pursue varied targets of inquiry. The scholars’ motivations are also diverse, from describing features of judging to offering measures of crucial concepts to making causal inferences to developing implications for law and public policy. Overall, this Handbook unites scholars from many corners of the world and disciplinary pockets to offer up-to date expert roadmaps of the topics falling under the field’s domain, from approaches to judging to staffing the courts to relations among courts and society.
Transcending the Domestic–International Divide
Authors: Naurin Daniel , Voeten Erik
Published: March 2024

Over the past three decades, international courts have proliferated and increasingly produced judgments with considerable economic, social, and political consequences. Scholarly studies have boomed in tandem with this growing influence. This chapter investigates to what extent research on judicial behaviour is becoming comparative not only across countries and over time but also across the domestic-international level. First, the chapter takes a bird’s-eye view of the literature on judicial behaviour by conducting a bibliometric analysis. Second, the chapter reviews in more depth the research on judicial autonomy at the international level and finds that scholars of judicial behaviour are not writing in one coherent literature. There are distinct divisions between the US judicial politics literature and research on comparative and international courts. The overall trend is also not pointing towards convergence. That said, the authors’ reading of the literature on international judicial autonomy shows that important recent work seamlessly integrates research on domestic and international courts. These studies serve as exemplary of how scholars of domestic and international courts can gain an additional level of comparison by building on each other’s work.