bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparative Assessment of Mitomycin C versus Limbal Conjunctival Autograft for Primary Pterygium Removal: An Evaluation of Efficacy
Authors: Shah Syed Ali Raza , Noor Shahid
Published: May 2024

Objective: This study aims to evaluate and contrast the outcomes achieved by application of mitomycin C 0.02% intra-operatively versus employing limbal conjunctival autograft after the removal of primary pterygium.
Study Design: Randomized controlled trial (RCT)
Place and duration: The research was carried out at the Ophthalmology Department of Ghazi Hospital in Dera Ghazi Khan, spanning from October 2021 to September 2022.
Methodology: The research included 62 participants who were divided into two groups; one group receiving Mitomycin C and the other group underwent limbal conjunctival autograft. The main variables assessed in the study were the laterality of pterygium, size of pterygium extending over the limbus, preoperative and postoperative best corrected visual acuity, and the rate of pterygium recurrence in both groups. The analysis of data was conducted utilizing SPSS version 24.
Results: In Group MMC, 48.4% of patients showed right laterality, while in Group LCAU, 58.1% (p=0.445) showed it. The average size of pterygium crossing the limbus, as well as preoperative and postoperative best corrected visual acuity, were similar between both groups (p>0.050). Regarding recurrences, the percentages at 3, 6, and 9 months, as well as after 1 year, were higher in Group MMC (12.9%, 6.5%, 16.1%, 9.7%, 45.2%) compared to Group LCAU (9.7%, 9.7%, 3.2%, 6.5%, 29%), but these differences were not statistically significant (p=0.526).
Conclusion: Limbal conjunctival autograft appears to be more effective in preventing recurrence following the excision of primary pterygium compared to intraoperative application of Mitomycin C. However, both techniques, whether simple excision with LCAU or MMC application, demonstrate acceptable outcomes with only minor differences in recurrence rates. Surgeon expertise and preferences in local practice play significant roles as main risk factors influencing the choice between these two methods.
Comparison between open lateral sphinectomy and posterior midline sphinectomy with Fissecrectomy in treatment of chronic anal fissure
Authors: Asghar Haida , Haroon Kinza , Kalsoom Sidra
Published: May 2024

Objective: to compare the outcomes between two methods of treating chronic anal fissure; open lateral internal sphincterotomy (LIS) with fissurectomy versus posterior midline sphincterotomy (PIS) with fissurectomy, in terms of post-operative complications.
Study design: Randomized control trial
Place and duration: surgery department of Nishtar Hospital Multan from 10th February 2019 to 9th February 2020 in one year duration.
Methodology: Patients presented at outpatient department of hospital and diagnosed as chronic anal fissure were enrolled in study and divided into two groups for treatment. Group A was treated with open lateral sphinectomy with fissurectomy and group B was treated with posterior midline sphinectomy with fissurectomy. SPSS version 23 was used for data analysis.
Results:In LIS Group, the most common post-operative complication was infection 34.8%. The most common complication in PIS Group was also infection 77.8%. The differences were statistically significant for infection (p=0.000), bleeding (p=0.008) and bruising (p=0.000).
Conclusion: No differences was observed between lateral internal sphinectomy and posterior midline spinectomy in term of healing rates, symptomatic pain relief and the side effect occurrence after surgeries.
Inteligencia artificial y derechos fundamentales
Authors: Gutiérrez García Elisa
Published: May 2024

La inteligencia artificial (IA) ha llegado para quedarse. Indudablemente, se trata de una tecnología que ofrece numerosos beneficios en nuestro día a día, desde múltiples perspectivas. Emergen oportunidades únicas hasta la fecha, como en el ámbito de la medicina y la salud, donde las distintas aplicaciones pueden incrementar nuestra calidad y esperanza de vida. Sin embargo, hay que ser cautelosos con el impacto que la IA puede tener para los bienes más preciados de las personas. La presente obra realiza un desglose y análisis de los principales derechos fundamentales que pueden quedar afectados por el desarrollo y despliegue de la IA. Se presta especial atención a los deepfakes —o ultrafalsificaciones—, dado el impacto transversal de pueden conllevar para los derechos de las personas a través la distorsión de la realidad que procuran. También a las neurotecnologías, cuya confluencia con la IA despierta un sinfín de inquietudes jurídicas, incluso para garantizar la estabilidad social. Los retos que se presentan en esta nueva era digital precisan de respuestas y soluciones de diversa índole para tratar de garantizar una convivencia pacífica en la que todos podamos aprovecharnos y disfrutar de las oportunidades que nos brinda la IA, quedando la tecnología al servicio de las personas (y no al revés).
An overview of chemical synthesis of antiviral peptides
Authors: Maharani Rani , Muhajir Muhamad Imam
Published: May 2024

Antiviral peptides are a class of compounds with outstanding properties for the treatment of viral diseases. The sources of these peptides are varied, including plants and bacteria and they can also be chemically synthesized. As chemical synthesis is being increasingly applied, this review discusses the chemical synthesis of antiviral peptides. Initially, the antiviral peptides were grouped depending on their basic structures, including peptide and peptide conjugate groups, followed by a discussion of the synthetic approach. Two techniques commonly used to synthesize the peptides are solution-phase and solid-phase peptide synthesis, where the latter is mostly applied to make the peptides. The synthesis strategies, including the selection of the N-amino protecting group, coupling reagents, resin cleavage cocktails, resin, and other approaches, were also discussed.
Activity of methanolic Andrographis paniculate crude extract and its purified andrographolide against Japanese-encephalitis virus
Authors: Rabablert Jundee , Charoenteeraboon Juree , Tiewchareon Supathra , Rabablert Natthapol , Makittithorn Weesuda , Chutipanyaporn Nantarat , Rajchacham Supoth , Junnu Virach , Yoksan Sutee
Published: May 2024

Infection of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) generates brain swelling, namely Japanese encephalitis (JE) in human. This virus is spread by Culex spp. mosquitoes and causes 30% case-fatality rate in Asia and Western Pacific regions annually.  No specific cure for the disease is available. Andrographis paniculate methanolic extract and its purified andrographolide exhibit anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. Our study is focused to antiviral activity of A. paniculate extracts and its elements against JEV in vitro. Half-maximal cytotoxicity (CC50) and the maximum non-toxic doses (MNTD) of A. paniculata in SK-NMC and LLC-MK2 are less than the CC50 and MNTD of andrographolide in SK-NMC and LLC-MK2 at 3 days-post treatment by MTT colorimetric assay. Both A. paniculata and andrographolide have antiviral effect by simultaneous treatment more than pre-treatment and post-treatment at 3 days-post treatment by time-of-addition assay. Antiviral action of these agents interfered virus attachment and had virucidal activity. The results indicated that A. paniculata and andrographolide have the potential antiviral activity against JEV.
Impact of porcine follicular fluid during folliculogenesis as a supplement on the primary cell culture of oviductal epithelial cells
Authors: Youngsabanant Mayuva , Srinark Chanikarn , Gumlungpa Nongnuch , Panyarachun Busaba , Chuen-Im Thanaporn , Panyarachun Panadda
Published: May 2024

The impact of varying concentrations of porcine follicular fluid (pFF) derived from three ovarian follicle types and produced during folliculogenesis on porcine oviductal epithelial cell (pOEC) culture was studied for 24 h using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay. Cells treated with pFF at a protein concentration of 500 µg/mL (from small- and large-sized ovarian follicles) and 600 µg/mL (from medium-sized ovarian follicles) showed the highest viability, which was significantly different from that observed in the control group (p<0.05) and not significantly higher than that observed in the positive control group.This study demonstrated that the impact of pFF on pOECs can be used as a model for biotechnological studies. Further, the study showed that instead of costly fetal calf serum, pFF produced during folliculogenesis can be used as a supplement in culture media to promote porcine oviductal epithelium cell growth and development.
Clinical effectiveness of Sahasthara remedy for relief of musculoskeletal pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Sookying Sontaya , Piromyapron Mutita , Puttarak Panupong , Vimolmangkang Sornkanok , Saokaew Surasak
Published: May 2024

Sahasthara (SHT) has been used for more than thirty years for reducing pain. The remedy has been listed in the Thailand national list of essential medicines. Evidence on the clinical benefits of SHT has never been summarized and documented. Its effectiveness is still limited and unclear. This study aims to systematically review and meta-analyze the clinical effects of SHT for pain reduction. Studies were eligible if they measured pain intensity. Ninety-nine identified studies were systematically searched and two of those were included into the synthesis and analysis. Quality of articles was assessed using the Jadad scale and risk of bias tool. This study was performed and reported in line with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement. Two publications included in this meta-analysis were randomized control trials that compared the efficacy of SHT to diclofenac, a standard drug used for pain. SHT shows significant differences in pain reduction compared to diclofenac. Our findings indicated the potential of SHT as a pain reliever that is superior to diclofenac. Safety data, however, were not reported systematically, although the studies provided safety information compared to NSAIDs. Longitudinal studies on the efficacy and safety of SHT are needed.
Targeted protein degradation systems to enhance Wnt signaling
Authors: Sampathkumar Parthasarathy , Jung Heekyung , Chen Hui , Zhang Zhengjian , Suen Nicholas , Yang Yiran , Huang Zhong , Lopez Tom , Benisch Robert , Lee Sung-Jin , Ye Jay , Yeh Wen-Chen , Li Yang
Published: May 2024

Molecules that facilitate targeted protein degradation (TPD) offer great promise as novel therapeutics. The human hepatic lectin asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGR) is selectively expressed on hepatocytes. We have previously engineered an anti-ASGR1 antibody-mutant RSPO2 (RSPO2RA) fusion protein (called SWEETS
TM
) to drive tissue-specific degradation of ZNRF3/RNF43 E3-ubiquitin ligases, which achieved hepatocyte-specific enhanced Wnt signaling, proliferation, and restored liver function in mouse models, and an antibody-RSPO2RA fusion molecule is currently in human clinical trials. In the current study, we identified two new ASGR1 and ASGR1/2 specific antibodies, 8M24 and 8G8. High-resolution crystal structures of ASGR1:8M24 and ASGR2:8G8 complexes revealed that these antibodies bind to distinct epitopes on opposing sides of ASGR, away from the substrate binding site. Both antibodies enhanced Wnt-activity when assembled as SWEETS molecules with RSPO2RA through specific effects sequestering E3 ligases. In addition, 8M24-RSPO2RA and 8G8-RSPO2RA efficiently downregulate ASGR1 through TPD mechanisms. These results demonstrate the possibility of combining different therapeutic effects and degradation mechanisms in a single molecule.
Fine-scale tracking reveals visual field use for predator detection and escape in collective foraging of pigeon flocks
Authors: Delacoux Mathilde , Kano Fumihiro
Published: May 2024

During collective vigilance, it is commonly assumed that individual animals compromise their feeding time to be vigilant against predators, benefiting the entire group. One notable issue with this assumption concerns the unclear nature of predator “detection”, particularly in terms of vision. It remains uncertain how a vigilant individual utilizes its high-acuity vision (such as the fovea) to detect a predator cue and subsequently guide individual and collective escape responses. Using fine-scale motion capture technologies, we tracked the head and body orientations of pigeons (hence reconstructed their visual fields and foveal projections) foraging in a flock during simulated predator attacks. Pigeons used their fovea to inspect predator cues. Earlier foveation on a predator cue was linked to preceding behaviors related to vigilance and feeding, such as head-up or down positions, head-scanning, and food-pecking. Moreover, earlier foveation predicted earlier evasion flights at both the individual and collective levels. However, we also found that relatively long delay between their foveation and escape responses in individuals obscured the relationship between these two responses. While our results largely support the existing assumptions about vigilance, they also underscore the importance of considering vision and addressing the disparity between detection and escape responses in future research.
Structural characterization and dynamics of AdhE ultrastructures from Clostridium thermocellum: A containment strategy for toxic intermediates
Authors: Ziegler Samantha J , Knott Brandon C , Gruber Josephine N , Hengge Neal N , Xu Qi , Olson Daniel G , Romero Eduardo E , Joubert Lydia M , Bomble Yannick J
Published: May 2024

Clostridium thermocellum
, a cellulolytic thermophilic anaerobe, is considered by many to be a prime candidate for the realization of consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) and is known as an industry standard for biofuel production.
C. thermocellum
is among the best biomass degraders identified to date in nature and produces ethanol as one of its main products. Many studies have helped increase ethanol titers in this microbe, however ethanol production using
C. thermocellum
is still not economically viable. Therefore, a better understanding of its ethanol synthesis pathway is required. The main pathway for ethanol production in
C. thermocellum
involves the bifunctional aldehyde-alcohol dehydrogenase (AdhE). To better understand the function of the
C. thermocellum
AdhE, we used cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to obtain a 3.28 Å structure of the AdhE complex. This high-resolution structure, in combination with molecular dynamics simulations, provides insight into the substrate channeling of the toxic intermediate acetaldehyde, indicates the potential role of
C. thermocellum
AdhE to regulate activity and cofactor pools, and establishes a basis for future engineering studies. The containment strategy found in this enzyme offers a template that could be replicated in other systems where toxic intermediates need to be sequestered to increase the production of valuable biochemicals.
RGS10 deficiency facilitates distant metastasis by inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer
Authors: Liu Yang , Jiang Yi , Qiu Peng , Ma Tie , Bai Yang , Bu Jiawen , Hu Yueting , Jin Ming , Zhu Tong , Gu Xi
Published: May 2024

Distant metastasis is the major cause of death in patients with breast cancer. Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) contributes to breast cancer metastasis. Regulator of G protein-signaling (RGS) proteins modulate metastasis in various cancers. This study identified a novel role for RGS10 in EMT and metastasis in breast cancer. RGS10 protein levels were significantly lower in breast cancer tissues compared to normal breast tissues, and deficiency in RGS10 protein predicted a worse prognosis in patients with breast cancer. RGS10 protein levels were lower in the highly aggressive cell line MDA-MB-231 than in the poorly aggressive, less invasive cell lines MCF7 and SKBR3. Silencing RGS10 in SKBR3 cells enhanced EMT and caused SKBR3 cell migration and invasion. The ability of RGS10 to suppress EMT and metastasis in breast cancer was dependent on lipocalin-2 and miR-539-5p. These findings identify RGS10 as a tumor suppressor, prognostic biomarker, and potential therapeutic target for breast cancer.
Robust single nucleus RNA sequencing reveals depot-specific cell population dynamics in adipose tissue remodeling during obesity
Authors: So Jisun , Strobel Olivia , Wann Jamie , Kim Kyungchan , Paul Avishek , Acri Dominic J. , Dabin Luke C. , Kim Jungsu , Roh Hyun Cheol
Published: May 2024

Single nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq), an alternative to single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), encounters technical challenges in obtaining high-quality nuclei and RNA, persistently hindering its applications. Here, we present a robust technique for isolating nuclei across various tissue types, remarkably enhancing snRNA-seq data quality. Employing this approach, we comprehensively characterize the depot-dependent cellular dynamics of various cell types underlying adipose tissue remodeling during obesity. By integrating bulk nuclear RNA-seq from adipocyte nuclei of different sizes, we identify distinct adipocyte subpopulations categorized by size and functionality. These subpopulations follow two divergent trajectories, adaptive and pathological, with their prevalence varying by depot. Specifically, we identify a key molecular feature of dysfunctional hypertrophic adipocytes, a global shutdown in gene expression, along with elevated stress and inflammatory responses. Furthermore, our differential gene expression analysis reveals distinct contributions of adipocyte subpopulations to the overall pathophysiology of adipose tissue. Our study establishes a robust snRNA-seq method, providing novel insights into the mechanisms orchestrating adipose tissue remodeling during obesity, with broader applicability across diverse biological systems.
Flamingo participates in multiple models of cell competition
Authors: Bosch Pablo Sanchez , Cho Bomsoo , Axelrod Jeffrey D.
Published: May 2024

The growth and survival of cells with different fitness, such as those with a proliferative advantage or a deleterious mutation, is controlled through cell competition. During development, cell competition enables healthy cells to eliminate less fit cells that could jeopardize tissue integrity, and facilitates the elimination of pre-malignant cells by healthy cells as a surveillance mechanism to prevent oncogenesis. Malignant cells also benefit from cell competition to promote their expansion. Despite its ubiquitous presence, the mechanisms governing cell competition, particularly those common to developmental competition and tumorigenesis, are poorly understood. Here, we show that in
Drosophila
, the planar cell polarity (PCP) protein Flamingo (Fmi) is required by winners to maintain their status during cell competition in malignant tumors to overtake healthy tissue, in early pre-malignant cells when they overproliferate among wildtype cells, in healthy cells when they later eliminate pre-malignant cells, and by supercompetitors as they compete to occupy excessive territory within wildtype tissues. “Would-be” winners that lack Fmi are unable to over-proliferate, and instead become losers. We demonstrate that the role of Fmi in cell competition is independent of PCP, and that it uses a distinct mechanism that may more closely resemble one used in other less well-defined functions of Fmi.
Futures Thinking in Middle School Science Textbooks
Authors: Fiel'ardh Khalifatulloh
Published: May 2024

This research aims to illuminate the characteristics of "Futures Thinking" components within the interdisciplinary units of "Science, Technology, and Humanity" and "Nature and Humanity" and "Sustainable development" within Japanese middle school science textbooks. Grounded in pre-existing literatures, this research meticulously organizes the essential competencies of future-oriented thinking into three distinct components: "Envisioning the Future," "Predicting the Future," and "Planning for the Future." Each component is further broken down into more precise indicators. For "Envisioning the Future," indicators include perspectives on "Multiple Futures," the "Science of Future," and "Hope and Fears." For "Predicting the Future," we delve into the "Scenario" technique, alongside "Forecasting" and "Backcasting" strategies. "Planning for the Future" assesses the "Precautionary" approach, "Evaluating Action," and understanding "Risk and Changes." The research involved a cross-sectional analysis of content types (such as texts, diagrams) and contexts (individual, regional, national, and global), determining the presence or absence of these indicators. The findings reveal: (1) a more frequent articulation of these competencies within the "Science, Technology, and Humans" unit, (2) a scant representation of "Multiple Futures" and "Scenario" methods among the nine indicators, (3) a prevalence of explanatory text in presenting these concepts, and (4) a consistent inclination towards a global context in the textbooks' narratives. These insights imply an extant gap within the current pedagogical tools, underscoring the importance of an expanded, multifaceted approach to teaching these competencies. The implications for future curriculum development and instructional strategies in middle school science education are profound, necessitating a more integrated approach that resonates with the uncertainties and possibilities of the future.
Introduction
Authors: Fittante Daniel
Published: May 2024

This chapter provides a background on the Armenians from every corner of the world that have converged on Glendale, Los Angeles. The chapter explores how the Glendale Armenians' political incorporation story has become a new chapter in US political history. It also presents the story of a recently established population whose members stem from diverse locations, such as Armenia, Iran, Lebanon, Russia, and Syria, and who are internally fragmented and have little experience with the US political system. The chapter covers the emergence of ethnopolitical entrepreneurs and political incorporation among newcomers in contemporary US suburbs to explain significant shifts taking place in the country's elections and political culture. Glendale's ethnopolitical entrepreneurs had the vision, creativity, and ambition to identify the electoral potential of the internally diverse Armenian population.
Russia
Authors: Henne Peter S.
Published: May 2024

This chapter evaluates Russia's use of religious appeals in its attempts to undermine Western opposition to its dominance of the Russky Mir or “Russian world.” Russia has attempted to maintain control of former Soviet states it sees as its historical sphere of influence, even as Western alliances expanded into this region. Despite the official atheism of the Soviet Union, the Orthodox Church has regained a prominent place in Russian politics. This, combined with the ideological nature of its struggle against the West, led Russia to deploy religious appeals to undermine Western influence. Russia has framed itself as a defender of traditional values, which has resonated among conservative groups in Western Europe and the United States. This led some of them to call for closer ties with Russia and oppose harsh Western reactions to Russian aggression. Yet, Western states have material interests in opposing Russian influence. As a result, tensions have increased between the two sides, with the former hardening its stance against the latter.
Expanding the Analysis
Authors: Henne Peter S.
Published: May 2024

This chapter assesses a series of shorter case studies that provide more information on the importance of varying levels of the theorized conditions. Saudi–Iranian tensions over Bahrain's independence demonstrate how religious states do not draw on religious appeals in nonideological crises. Likewise, European countering violent extremism efforts demonstrate that states do not turn to religious appeals when they have a low moral authority of religion, even in ideological crises. Meanwhile, Saddam Hussein's failed use of religious appeals to combat Operation Desert Storm and Thailand and Cambodia's competing use of religious appeals to gain support in their border dispute demonstrate what happens in cases of low credibility and low material incentives. By contrast, the Vatican's intervention in the Syrian civil war and Iran's postrevolutionary Middle East mobilization demonstrates the success of religious appeals in cases of high credibility and material incentives. Finally, the backlash China has faced over its use of Confucius Institutes to gain support for its Belt and Road Initiative provides further insight into cases of low credibility and high material incentives.
Other Trees with Other Challenges
Authors: Meiners Scott J.
Published: May 2024

This chapter pays attention to tree species that have slightly different challenges on ecological aspects, focusing on the trees' ecology and their threats. It discusses the flowering dogwood that plays two distinct roles in forests: forming a large part of the understory layer in mature forests and being key early colonizing species in disturbed habitats. The beech scale insect, Cryptococcus fagisuga, are sucking insects that use piercing mouthparts to feed on plant juices and can be quite destructive. The chapter includes black walnut trees that typically occur on rich mesic soils and grow rapidly in full sun, making them excellent colonizers of open habitats. Spongy moths, Lymantria dispar, consume over five hundred species of plants as a generalist herbivore and exhibit a clear preference for oaks over other trees.
The Supernatural Vulnerabilities of Domestic Space in Late Antique Egypt
Authors: Frankfurter David
Published: May 2024

This chapter shows how the occupants of ancient houses were believed to include supernatural beings, such as unseen demonic powers whose visitations were an unwelcome, but widely recognized, feature of domestic life. It provides vivid testimony to relatable human hopes and anxieties, such as maintaining the favor of the gods, protecting one's children, and preventing sickness. It also suggests that rituals for safeguarding the house might be analogized to a kind of therapy in their emotional and cognitive effects on the people conducting the rituals. The chapter discusses the Greco-Roman Egyptian house as an architectural entity and as a social site whose groups often extended across several houses. It looks at the conceptualization of supernatural danger to the domestic sphere, specifically to houses and households.
The Remaking of Guåhan
Authors: Flores Alfred Peredo
Published: May 2024

This chapter discusses how American periodicals helped to justify the militarization of Guåhan through a discourse of Western modernity and benevolence that was centered on the island's infrastructure. Though the US military had engaged in modernization projects in the prewar era, the end of World War II marked a significant shift in which the military heavily invested in the expansion of Guåhan's infrastructure. Thus, the development of the island's infrastructure primarily aided the military's administration of Guåhan while simultaneously obscuring the desecration of Indigenous landscapes throughout the island. The chapter first examines the prewar discourse on infrastructure projects such as Apapa Harbor, homes, and roads. It then looks at how the US military and various periodicals perceived Japan's military occupation of Guåhan through infrastructure projects. Finally, the chapter focuses on the infrastructure of Cold War suburban life in US military bases.
The Civilian Military Workers of Guåhan
Authors: Flores Alfred Peredo
Published: May 2024

This chapter begins by focusing on the racialization of military labor and exposing the connections that linked Guåhan, the Philippines, and the United States. It then examines the immigration, work, and social experiences of Filipino and white American laborers. The chapter also investigates CHamoru and Filipino labor discontent as it relates to the proposed Guam Wage Bill of 1956. This bill sought to make the island exempt from the US federal minimum wage and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. As the chapter demonstrates, the creation of Guåhan's military labor system was predicated on hierarchies of race, indigeneity, and nationality that produced issues such as access to employment, the creation of a stratified wage scale, an unequal immigration policy, and the formation of company camps that were reflective of Jim Crow practices from the US South. Ultimately, military base employment led to the largest influx of settlers into Guåhan, which shifted the island's demographics in a way that remains today.
Pound, Yeats, Eliot, and Joyce
Authors: Baggett Holly A.
Published: May 2024

This chapter highlights Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap's mixed feelings about Ezra Pound's tenure as the Little Review foreign editor between 1917 and 1919. The most loyal Little Review subscribers were strongly put off by Pound's contributions, arguing that he fostered an anti-American tilt that was decidedly obnoxious. The chapter points out that Anderson and Heap did not feel threatened that Pound might assume too large a role within the Little Review. It provides an assessment of pre-Little Review influences on Pound, his contributions, and the material of others he forwarded, which explores how much sway the occult as a topic held for him. The year Pound became foreign editor in 1917, he was already under the sway of Joséphin Péladan, a French Rosicrucian of the late nineteenth and twentieth century interested in Greek drama.
Lesbian Literature, Women Writers, and Modernist Mysticism
Authors: Baggett Holly A.
Published: May 2024

This chapter talks about the Little Review's contemporary and historical reputation as a sponsor of modernism that was primarily the result of the prodigious publication of work by the “men of 1914.” In the span of Jane Heap and Margaret Anderson's professional careers, webs of relationships were central to the work they published in the Little Review. The chapter highlights the mysticism of May Sinclair's and Mary Butts's fiction and the inspired “madness” of Baroness Elsa von Freytag Loringhoven's poetry that intrigued Anderson and Heap. It recounts Anderson's first mention of homosexuality in the Little Review through her 1915 essay on Edith Ellis, but references to lesbianism became more pronounced after Heap joined the magazine. The relationships described in stories between women were seen as a rehearsal for a woman's later and inevitable marriage to a man.
George Ivanovich Gurdjieff: A Messenger Between Two Worlds
Authors: Baggett Holly A.
Published: May 2024

This chapter describes how Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap were clearly intrigued by the highly eclectic spiritual paths followed by the women published in the Little Review. It details the introduction of George Gurdjieff in the Little Review, who initially provided a spiritual school that introduced new departures in critiquing modernism. The oppressive combination of financial worries, the Ulysses trial, and the deterioration of her relationship with Jane Heap reinforced her decision to withdraw from the Little Review after seven years. However, Anderson was surprised that Heap resisted and argued that the friction between her and Andersons gave her the inspiration to create. The chapter looks at evidence of rumors that Heap about Anderson having suffered an actual nervous collapse, even writing to Hart Crane to say that Anderson was crazy.
Henio and Others
Authors: Tokarska-Bakir Joanna
Published: May 2024

This chapter examines the stories of Janek Binkowski and Henio Błaszczyk, whose disappearance ignited the Kielce pogrom. Kids like Janek Binkowski ran away to the countryside not only to get away from school but also, like Henio, to escape hunger. On the night of July 3–4, 1946, Henio's father went to the police station to report that he had been found. Henio's stories—told by him, as well as by witnesses who first heard these stories on Podwalna Street and later on Focha Street—speak about fear of a world in which adults are devious and a full belly is unattainable. Fearing for a severe beating from his father if he told the truth, Henio instead says that he was kidnapped by Jews. Subsequently, the first, second, and third patrols goes to Planty Street, sent out by the director of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the MO, Stefan Sędek, and they spread the word about the whole affair.
The People’s Authorities and the Jews
Authors: Tokarska-Bakir Joanna
Published: May 2024

This chapter begins by evaluating the passivity of the Kielce MO (Citizens' Militia or police). The official alibi for neglecting the matter of antisemitism was the Marxist thesis that proclaimed it to be merely a vestigial “defense mechanism of the sick classes against the revolution” that would inevitably disappear as communism advanced. Hierarchs of the Catholic Church as well as many activists and historians also doubted the existence of postwar antisemitism and mass attacks on Jews in the Kielce region. The chapter looks at the collection of documents called “Hiding Place no. 1,” so named because one of the most interesting versions of the first interview with Henio Błaszczyk is hidden there. Moreover, it contains reports of extortion and the murder of Jews by policemen in the Kielce MO between 1946 and 1949. These materials confirm the thesis that incidents of anti-Jewish violence were systematically covered up in order to conceal one of the biggest problems of postwar communism in Poland. The chapter also considers the reports of Seweryn Kahane, the head of the Provincial Jewish Committee in Kielce; the difference between the standard of living of Poles and Jews; the rise of the image of a Jewish conspiracy; and the motivations behind employment in the MO.
Provincial Governor Wiślicz-Iwańczyk and His People
Authors: Tokarska-Bakir Joanna
Published: May 2024

This chapter highlights the response of the Kielce provincial governor, Eugeniusz Wiślicz-Iwańczyk, to the Kielce pogrom. The Kielce provincial governor based his power in the region on a system of guarantees that also helped him dodge prison for having killed a guardsman in Jasieniec and executed Jews on the Kotyska River. In Russia such an institution of guarantees was called “krugovaya poruka,” meaning collective or mutual responsibility. Wiślicz's effectiveness was underpinned by a readiness to share that which belonged to others, or in other words, to give a chosen few access to state resources. In addition to the Union of Participants in Armed Struggle, his lifetime achievement became the aforementioned “Świt” construction corps. The chapter considers the concept of Mafia clientelism. Wiślicz's strategy invariably depended on maneuvering between the law that he nominally represented and the lawlessness that he practiced in reality; between Communism, which he was helping to install, and the prewar Poland that he imitated.
Searching for Ōtium and Finding a Pedagogy of Escapism
Authors: McAdams Alexander Lowe , Cook Nina , Lowe Annie
Published: May 2024

This chapter covers the author's reflections on how running a civic humanities program during the pandemic shutdown developed her pedagogy. While revising a program for urban high school students to experience college-level humanities seminars at Rice University, the author developed what she terms a Pedagogy of Escapism. The chapter explains that the pedagogy is based in nonevaluative learning experiences and borrows from the ancient Imperial Roman concept of ōtium, a principle of relaxed repose that is completely absent of labor. The chapter illustrates how the author's alternative approach responds to the rigid structure of state-mandated curricula and is founded on the bedrock of accommodation via an engagement with disability studies. It clarifies the underlying pedagogical philosophies that informed the massive undertaking of transforming an interactive, face-to-face program into a wholly virtual format.
Community Engaged Migration Research
Authors: Irwin Robert McKee , Monte Juan Antonio Del
Published: May 2024

This chapter talks about the two authors: one, the founder of the Humanizing Deportation digital storytelling project at University of California–Davis and the other, a cultural studies scholar at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte. The chapter details their tremendous challenges and resulting frustrations of being largely unable to continue their community engaged scholarship projects with migrants due to lockdowns and travel restrictions. Accustomed to working in person on the ground in support of migrants arriving at the United States–Mexico border, the authors criticize inflexible institutional policies that kept them from documenting and assisting the migrants during the pandemic. The chapter reviews some of the special difficulties that the pandemic has presented for migrants in Tijuana during its first two years. It reflects on the lessons learned by the authors as they returned to in-person work in 2021.
Congress Embraces the New Park
Authors: Hart Judy
Published: May 2024

This chapter highlights the journey of the proposed Women's Rights National Historical Park through the bureaucracy of the National Park Service. It recounts how Director William J. Whalen took a leap into the future and submitted the New Area Study to the House and Senate and to the state's US senators and the district's representative in Congress. Senator Moynihan immediately and enthusiastically promoted the park proposal all the way through the legislative process. The chapter discusses Congressman Gary Lee, who received the draft bill but was enthusiastic about the park idea and was unwilling to introduce a bill in the House. It describes the hearing on pending legislation that brings together pressure from three separate organizations on the administration's requisite testimony: the National Park Service, the Department of the Interior, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the White House.
Something besides “Speechifying”
Authors: Godine Amy
Published: May 2024

This chapter begins with William Hodge, who broke the law when he preached against slavery and was arrested on the charge of giving fugitives false papers. White vigilantes had been targeting free Black families in Princess Anne County and after William's midnight breakout and the outbreak and suppression of Nat Turner's slave uprising in 1831, the stalking and harassment got much worse. Preaching by all Black Virginians was outlawed, Black travelers had to carry permits, and mobs in masks and face paint roamed the county and stormed Black homes with impunity. The chapter talks about how Willis Hodges, William's brother, implored Black Americans to move into the country and the small growing villages and grow up with the small town. Willis Hodges organized a temperance union and integrated Williamsburg's abolition society.
A Fluid Cartography
Authors: Godine Amy
Published: May 2024

This chapter discusses how Gerrit Smith never mapped the gift land as getting every land grant inventoried in his Land Book was all the map he needed. It describes the taped-together survey maps of Franklin and Essex Counties, which matched each land grant to the forty-acre square it claimed. A map of the Black Woods where Black settlers actually chose to live was fluid and it ebbed and flowed to its own rules. The chapter highlights the Black settlers who followed White pioneers that were rewarded with a legal title on easy terms when they cleared wild land and farmed it and a sweat equity that trumps the paper claim of an absentee landowner. In North Elba, the Hendersons, Jeffersons, Carasaws, Wortses, Fraziers, Halls, Thompsons, and Browns all chose to farm on undeeded land.
Acton’s Lessons for Today
Authors: Lazarski Christopher
Published: May 2024

This concluding chapter reflects on lessons that can be learned from Lord Acton's theory of liberty and liberalism, issues of fundamental importance to anyone who wants to live in freedom. Acton made liberty the supreme principle in politics and rejected any other precept contending for that exalted place. He surrounded liberty with a set of complementary principles that circumscribe it and give it its proper meaning and scope and make it truly an ordered liberty. In brief, liberty is the freedom to do what we ought to do both as individuals and as citizens. Liberty is thus limited, first by the dictates of our conscience and morality formed by natural law and second by the traditions, laws, and customs of our communities. Acton's theory also emphasizes that liberty is an end, not a state of being, and that it evolves to meet the many challenges that life brings. In other words, freedom has a history and therefore a tradition that is essential to its organic development. Another key feature of Acton's theory of liberty is self-governance. The chapter then considers Acton's warning against the amalgamation of pure democracy, the modern state, and revolutionary measures.
Author’s Introduction
Authors: Rukeyser Muriel
Published: May 2024

This chapter presents a background of Muriel Rukeyser's life. It begins by detailing Rukeyser's childhood and education in a religious school, where she learned about Jewish history and the English Bible. The chapter then reflects on her feelings toward her Jewishness. Ultimately, the themes that Rukeyser used in her writing depended on her life as a poet, as a woman, as an American, and as a Jew. She tried to integrate these four aspects, and to solve her work and her personality in terms of all four. To Rukeyser, the value of her Jewish heritage, in life and in writing, is its value as a guarantee. According to her, “Once one's responsibility as a Jew is really assumed, one is guaranteed, not only against fascism, but against many kinds of temptation to close the spirit.”
Long Step Ahead Taken by Gregory in New Epic Poem (1935)
Authors: RuKeyser Muriel
Published: May 2024

This chapter addresses Horace Gregory's Chorus for Survival (1935). With this new book, Gregory reached a more ambitious place in poetry than any American had done. Chorus for Survival opened up a new form for the epic idea. There had been a demand for heroic structure that would be adapted to life and to revolutionary thought. The book suggests and contains one solution, for its progress, as narrative and as formal scheme, builds up to a resemblance to the old epic that is no longer usable. The poetry is difficult to classify, with its resources of American and classical history, its wiry, graceful fluency, its political stand so close to the Communist Party, but with a national rather than a sectarian emphasis. Ultimately, Chorus for Survival is an effort toward permanence that deserves its goal, a work that could be seized upon by the left-wing as one of its real advances in American poetry.
The Life to Which I Belong (1974)
Authors: RuKeyser Muriel
Published: May 2024

This chapter studies Franz Kafka's Letters to Felice (1973). When Franz Kafka met Felice Bauer in the summer of 1912 in Prague, he was working for the Workmen's Accident Insurance Company. A recent entry in his diary had said: “The moment I were set free from the office, I would yield at once to my desire to write an autobiography.” The letters to Felice are, in a certain way, that autobiography. They must be taken with his other writings and his diaries, but Kafka wrote them to Felice. These letters are the attempt to show the entire person to the beloved, in preparation for an enduring relationship. Twice they were engaged, and finally the engagement and the letters ended.
Women of Words: A Prefatory Note (1974)
Authors: RuKeyser Muriel
Published: May 2024

This chapter presents the author's preface to the second-wave feminist poetry anthology The World Split Open: Four Centuries of Women Poets in England and America, 1552–1950 (1974). Why should there be a book of poems by women? Why does a woman write a poem? These questions are partly answered in this book. Because this race of women, the women poets, have opened a music in their lives that out of a mixture of strength and weakness, sex and protest, visibility and invisibility, offers a glimpse of possibility that we may be on the edge of claiming. The chapter then considers the poems by black women, mill workers, blues singers, set with the “literary” forms. These are poems not simply of protest but of the person entire, the woman.
Translation, Pseudotranslation, and the Manuscripts
Authors: Cooper David L.
Published: May 2024

This chapter examines the role of translation and pseudotranslation in the composition of the Czech manuscripts and their respective receptions. It mentions that pseudotranslation is also a particular and common form of the larger practice of literary mystification or forgery. Translation plays a crucial role in making the texts of the Czech manuscripts accessible to the Czech reading public. The Old Czech text with its old orthography and obsolete grammatical forms would have been unreadable to all but a handful of the most educated, so the translations allowed most readers to become familiar with Czech manuscripts. The chapter also presents Karel Krejčí's argument on the prevailing assumption that the Old Czech text was a product of translation.
Science and Presence
Authors: Martin-Nielsen Janet
Published: May 2024

This chapter begins with the declaration Douglas Mawson made in the autumn of 1946 that the Antarctic contained great deposits of uranium. Soon after Mawson's comments, the New York Times ran a story describing a six-nation race to find and exploit this uranium. The chapter highlights journalist and translator Gustave Aucouturier, who wrote that France should be wary of American intentions as they refused to recognize France's claim to Terre Adélie and famed aviator and polar explorer Richard E. Byrd had a new Antarctic expedition called Operation Highjump. The chapter describes that the French state's lack of engagement with Terre Adélie in the immediate postwar years reflected political instability of the Fourth Republic, whose revolving-door governments allowed only the most urgent tasks to be tackled. Although the United States planned to claim a big share of the 6,000,000-square-mile of the Antarctic continent, the French government made only the weakest of diplomatic protests.
An Antarctic Power Malgré Soi
Authors: Martin-Nielsen Janet
Published: May 2024

This chapter points out how France cannot remain a major player in the Antarctic without significant investment that comes in the form of real money. The goals enunciated by President Emmanuel Macron, such as championing the protection of Antarctica's environment and standing out as a scientific powerhouse, are all critical to France's legitimacy in the Antarctic world. It discusses how France once again finds itself at a crossroads in the Antarctic, although it has remained an Antarctic power malgré soi. The chapter considers Terre Adélie as a site used by France to show itself superior to rivals, from Britain in the nineteenth century to the United States in the postwar period to China and Russia today. The story of France in the Antarctic is rooted in national pride and honor rather than strictly in territory.