bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Theory of Change
Authors: McLellan Timothy G.
Published: May 2024

This chapter elaborates on the Theory of Change as a theoretical framework for analyzing scientific practice. Iterations of the Theory of Change include aspirational future of outcomes thinking, monitoring and evaluation frameworks in future perfect, and eternal impetus for brand growth. Theory of Change provoked scientists at the Institute for Farms and Forests to conceive of this new research project, but it also gave us a new means for evaluating a project's success. Thus, the diverse iterations of the Theory of Change demonstrate the multiplicity of future orientations that can structure knowledge production. The chapter also considers the distinction between implicit Theories of Change.
Continuity
Authors: Mitchell Stephen A.
Published: May 2024

This chapter looks into the issue of continuity in Old Norse folklore. It notes how many early scholars think that folklore was that cultural oddity that did not fit in or make sense in modern society. However, provable links to past practices, belief systems, codes of behavior, and linguistic usages offer data and insights into the study of understanding the past. The perceived continuous relationship to Nordic traditions presents the factors of communality, variation, continuity, and function. The texts also play as important psychological tools in the arsenal of the colonized late medieval Icelanders while supporting an embryonic sense of nationalism.
Performance and Norse Poetry
Authors: Mitchell Stephen A.
Published: May 2024

This chapter focuses on performance and Norse poetry. It highlights how poetry was so highly prized in the Old Norse world that the chief god of their pagan pantheon, Óðinn, was reported to have spoken entirely in meter. Bragi Boddason the Old is the oldest known skald, a historical ninth-century figure famous as the primogenitor of the art. The oral presentation of poetry and prose in the Old Norse world provides a snapshot of distinctly different models of literary activity in the thirteenth century. The chapter discusses how the Nordic mead of poetry underscores the reality of the Norse materials that enable performance and referent of tradition.
Courts, Consorts, and the Transformation of Medieval Scandinavian Literature
Authors: Mitchell Stephen A.
Published: May 2024

This chapter explores the extent of Medieval Scandinavian literature. Native traditions concerning viking activities and the era of Icelandic colonization retained their vitality in Iceland and fed into the production of saga literature. Meanwhile, Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish courts were increasingly responding to the cultural rhythms of European developments. The chapter explains that one of the erosion causes of skaldic poetry's status was the change in the character and composition of the courts themselves. At the close of the thirteenth century, Scandinavian literature was subject to a variety of forces, such as cultural, literary, and linguistic, which then called for the development of a new form of poetry.
Tradition as Norm-System and Narrative
Authors: Hellebust Rolf
Published: May 2024

This chapter examines the reception-oriented project of Czech literary historian Felix Vodička and his conception of the various structural units of literature as all equally subject to aesthetic evaluation and reception by readers and writers, critics and historians. It evaluates the link between tradition and the artistic norm—a key concept in the Czech structuralist theory of literary evolution. If, as Vodička claims, tradition like the individual work is subject to the process of aesthetic concretization, it must exist within the consciousness of the writing and reading public. Yet the artistic norm, properly understood, must be hidden in the reception process if it is to retain its aesthetic function. Thus, by Vodička’s own structuralist criteria, his attempts to equate tradition and norm can only be rejected. The chapter presents a model for literary tradition that adequately expresses the relationship of tradition to norm-system. It contends that the most promising model is to be found neither in lists of works nor in collections of norms or ideas, but as an element in the overall narrative structure that all historians, literary and otherwise, impose on their material.
The Redemptive Mission
Authors: Hellebust Rolf
Published: May 2024

This chapter evaluates the most important factor in the perceived unity of Russian literature: the belief of critics, writers, and historians in the sacred myth of its social function—its redemptive mission—the concrete manifestations of which are as various and contradictory as are the individual texts of the Tradition. It begins with a rough typology of the changes that Tradition creators might imagine arising from literature, along with the mechanisms behind these changes. The chapter then looks at the versions of the myth of the Tradition’s protean redemptive mission. Russian critics have promoted literature as the essence—if not the entirety—of national culture. Their literary exceptionalism is informed by a broader national exceptionalism and is something to be taken with a grain of salt. Ultimately, the Tradition’s historiogenic function is no more than a mythic potential—and one that, given concrete ideological form, disintegrates into a variety of mutually contradictory programs. The chapter also considers the debate over the utility of literature.
Marshal of Countess Marie and Count Henry II
Authors: Evergates Theodore
Published: May 2024

This chapter describes Geoffroy of Villehardouin's horizon during the fifteen years he served as a garrison knight that was limited to the city of Troyes and its immediate vicinity. It also covers his purview as marshal from 1185 that extended across the entire county of Champagne with its thirty or more walled towns and fortified sites. During his seventeen years as marshal of Champagne, Geoffroy confronted a political landscape in flux after the long reign of Louis VII. The chapter highlights Geoffrey's knowledge of practical military affairs that were acquired through his years of garrison duty in Troyes and as marshal responsible for the defense of the county. Geoffroy and the other officials with him at Gisors took the cross to accompany Count Henry II of Champagne overseas in January 1188.
Marshal of Count Thibaut III
Authors: Evergates Theodore
Published: May 2024

This chapter considers Geoffroy of Villehardouin as an invaluable, trusted mentor to eighteen-year-old Thibaut, whom he had known since birth. Geoffrey played a key but discreet role in the six-month transition between Countess Marie's last appearance in October 1197 and Thibaut's homage to the king in April 1198. The chapter notes that Geoffroy was among the eleven important men who accompanied Thibaut to Melun in April 1198 to do liege homage to the king. Five months after Count Thibaut's succession, the new pope, Innocent III issued his encyclical Post miserabile that called for a new crusade to recover Jerusalem. The chapter cites indirect evidence that suggests that Geoffroy, as Count Thibaut's closest adviser, had a hand in developing Count Thibaut's new policies regarding castle lordships within the county.
The Logics of Refugee Governance under Capitalism
Authors: Bhagat Ali
Published: May 2024

This chapter discusses the logics of refugee governance under capitalism. It frames refugee survival on three prongs: shelter, work, and political belonging. Shelter and work are interrelated aspects of survival, and most refugees are unable to find long-term housing or a stable job that pays for their daily necessities. In Nairobi, this has meant an overreliance on credit and other forms of informal lending. In Paris, this has meant cyclical street living and ongoing displacement. The third category, political belonging, is slightly more elusive to define. The chapter proposes political belonging instead of citizenship because often refugee status by means of formal documentation is not enough to secure the everyday dimensions of survival. Moreover, political belonging also points to the ways that states and societies of relocation treat refugees. For the most part, refugees in both France and Kenya are unwanted despite potentialities of labor and international appearances of acceptance. Not only do most displaced people face rejection as their claims are being adjudicated, but they also face violence and exclusion in their societies of relocation.
Disposability
Authors: Bhagat Ali
Published: May 2024

This chapter focuses on the concept of disposability and looks at debates in Marx's surplus population and raced labor. Disposability is framed not only as a deepened form of Marx's relative surplus population but also in relation to the liminal positions that refugees occupy as they attempt to survive. Refugees face various strategies of abandonment as they arrive and survive in various cities. Refugees are also abandoned through neoliberal strategies of integration that focus on either abject exclusion or self-reliance. The chapter argues that refugees experience deeper marginality than do the extant poor in both Paris and Nairobi. Many refugees in these cities end up in a fragmented landscape of welfare. While the presence of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and international organizations (IOs) is palpable, they are unable to target refugee livelihood in a meaningful way outside of microcredit loans and job training. The chapter also asserts that the refugee experience mirrors queer conceptions of liminality, thereby highlighting refugees as quintessential queer subjects.
Refugee Governance and Encampment Fantasies in Kenya
Authors: Bhagat Ali
Published: May 2024

This chapter addresses Kenya and its hosting of refugees for close to thirty years. Keeping in mind the various incongruities concerning refugee management among the East African Community (EAC), global aid, and the Government of Kenya (GOK), the chapter looks at the Kenyan Refugee Act of 2006 and the Tripartite Agreement among the GOK, the government of Somalia, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The chapter also highlights some key organizations that assist in refugee governance. Unlike the EU, Kenya relies on a variety of international organizations to govern refugees, such as the International Rescue Committee, the International Organization for Migration, and various UN agencies. The chapter is concerned with the ways that refugees are increasingly seen as a burden as media attention has pivoted to Europe and international aid money has dried up. In turn, some refugees are removed from Kenya's camps and returned to Somalia. Meanwhile, neoliberal policies have shifted from welfare in encampment to integration, thereby opening up refugee camps to private actors, microfinance agencies, and fintech-driven solutions for poverty alleviation. In mirroring EU policies, the chapter is similarly focused on detention, deportation, and surveillance.
Citizen Recognition
Authors: Raeymaekers Timothy
Published: May 2024

This chapter focuses on the citizenship rights of Black African workers in Southern Italy. It examines citizenship in the context of the deep geopolitical, social, ecological, and economic transformation the Mediterranean region has been going through in the period 2014–2020. The connection between race and nation is actively forged into a moral boundary that places categories of people into an unequal relation of power concerning contemporary operations of capitalism. Moreover, labor formalization is deeply affected by the current Mediterranean border crisis and its insistence on emergency rule and surveillance. The chapter cites that the experience of the Capo Free-Ghetto Off project and its many ramifications in Puglia highlighted the intricacies of formalizing informal migrant work in the context of South Italy's rural economy.
Introduction
Authors: Vinokour Maya
Published: May 2024

This introductory chapter provides an overview of the ubiquity of the language of fluids at all levels of the Stalinist master text. Already present in Russian culture before 1917, this motif became especially prominent in Soviet society during the years of mass collectivization and the First Five-Year Plan. Because labor was at the center of the Soviet political imaginary, liquid discourse in 1920s- and 1930s-era texts centers on the channeling of fluids into physical and intellectual toil. Beyond the obvious categories of industrial and peasant labor, Stalinism subsumed fiction writing, the visual arts, scientific research, performance, and most other forms of human activity under the master category of “work.” Through an emphasis on liquidity, Stalinist labor culture managed to be at once futuristically utopian and, in its insistence on a personal heroism unencumbered by technological innovation, strikingly atavistic. Moving beyond the post-Soviet setting, the book also examines a prominent vein of liquidity within the late-capitalist Anglo-American West.
And Quietly Flows Platonov
Authors: Vinokour Maya
Published: May 2024

This chapter explores the themes of liquidity and bodily fluids in the works of Andrei Platonov, which testify to the degradation of prerevolutionary fluid utopias in 1930s-era labor culture. It looks at “Garbage Wind” (1934), For Future Use (1931), and The Foundation Pit. Like much of Platonov's writing, “Garbage Wind” participates in Stalinist liquid discourse, but with a crucial corrective. Rather than focusing on flow as a transformative, productive channeling of energy, he makes liquids agents of waste, rot, and decay. Platonov subscribed to the idea that human energies must remain balanced in order to achieve maximal labor output. Yet the projects in which his characters engage, from lock building to pit digging to electrification, rarely succeed. Moreover, any mechanism capable of directing flows, like a pump or a sluice, becomes synonymous with failure-ready utopian construction. Bursting with uncontrollable liquidity, Platonov's Happy Moscow (1933–1936) testifies to the erosion of his faith in the feasibility and morality of the Soviet project.
Border Conditions
Authors: Platt Kevin M. F.
Published: May 2024

This chapter explores the border conditions focusing on Latvia's Russian and Russian-speaking population. The Soviet collapse rebirthed national sovereignty and independence, which also presented a particular set of challenges to Russians and others who identified with the Russian language, culture, and identity outside the Russian Federation. The Russian border condition unfolded in parallel with increasingly fraught interstate relations, such as the war in Ukraine. In Latvia, as elsewhere in the USSR, conceptual domination of national identity partially obscured the domination of non-Russian identity and culture. Meanwhile, the 1995 law on noncitizens offered the population a path to naturalization, which needs linguistic proficiency in Latvian and knowledge of Latvian history, culture, and anthem.
Empire and the Gift of Culture
Authors: Platt Kevin M. F.
Published: May 2024

This chapter discusses the gifts of Russian imperial and Soviet culture while referencing the barriers to cultural belonging. It looks into the complexity surrounding culture in places where both political borders and regimes of memory have undergone repeated episodes of cardinal transformation. Dipesh Chakrabarty's vision of provincializing Europe includes the master categories of European social life and post-Enlightenment political philosophy. The challenge of navigating the multiple geographical claims of the past revolves around the deep matrices of the social imaginary and geopolitical abstraction. The chapter also explains how the effects of colonial regimes were imagined in terms of civilizational tutelage.
Hierarchy in the Caribbean and Central America
Authors: Lake David A.
Published: May 2024

This chapter examines the international hierarchy created by the United States to govern the region and the politics of resistance within the Caribbean and Central America. It primarily focuses on the potential for opportunism and the rules imposed by the United States before considering the subsequent forms of resistance in the region. Though regional elites were powerful, they were not powerful enough to impose their policy preferences on the mass of society. Thus, the United States changed the politics and possibilities within its client states through indirect rule. However, the United States faced resistance from the mass public, mostly in the form of anti-Americanism.
Introduction
Authors: Galmarini Maria Cristina
Published: May 2024

This chapter argues that socialist disability activism was a form of advocacy that made a difference to the development of international disability politics. The dominance of memoirs and oral histories about activists from the United States and Britain has created the false impression that only the Global North had autochthonous disability movements. Through a focus on the untold history of blind international activism, the chapter details how the book shows that the socialist paradigm of blind advocacy was a viable alternative to the models practiced in liberal democracies. It reveals that blind activists' international contacts during the Cold War created a lively and contested space that enabled all sides to learn from each other and bring new ideas, methods, and technologies to bear on individual national struggles. It also addresses the question of who was displayed in socialist disability advocacy and what marginalizing effects the denial of representation had on others.
The Basmachi and Soviet Islam
Authors: Klimentov Vassily
Published: May 2024

The chapter explores the historiography of Islam in the USSR. It mentions how Soviet historiography is ideologically biased and sees religion as an archaism that delayed Soviet modernity. The Basmachi had originated to protest conscription into the tsarist army during the First World War, which was in conflict with the caliph's Ottoman Empire. The chapter highlights that Islam played a central role in ensuring the Basmachi's cohesion. Moreover, the perception of Islam as a progressive religion based on social justice or a stepping stone towards Marxism–Leninism carried how the Soviets saw Islam in Afghanistan, which then resulted in considerable ambiguity.
Love and Excess/Love as Excess
Authors: Silleras-Fernandez Nuria
Published: May 2024

This chapter examines how courtiers behaved and were expected to behave in the courtly environment, how love was understood, and why it was seen as dangerous. It contextualizes the lives of Isabel of Portugal, Isabel of Aragon, and Juana of Castile and other historical personalities to highlight the contradicting messages regarding love, marriage, virtue, and rulership circulating at court. It also reviews evidence of the private lives of royal women, who were constantly accompanied and observed by servants, ladies-in-waiting, courtiers, and attendants, and who were under near-constant surveillance. The chapter discusses the aristocratic masculine ideal of the late Middle Ages that embodied the need to manifest force and demonstrate intellect. love. The pursuit of love complemented the warrior persona of the knight, redeeming his essential brutality.
Eight Dogs, or "Hakkenden"
Authors: Bakin Kyokutei
Published: May 2024

Kyokutei Bakin's Nansō Satomi Hakkenden is one of the monuments of Japanese literature. This multigenerational samurai saga was one of the most popular and influential books of the nineteenth century and has been adapted many times into film, television, fiction, and comics. “His Master's Blade,” the second part of Hakkenden, begins the story of the eight Dog Warriors created from the mystic union between Princess Fuse and the dog Yatsufusa and born into eight different samurai families in fifteenth-century Japan. The first is Inuzuka Shino, orphaned descendent of proud warriors. Left with nothing save a magical sword and the bead that marks him as a Dog Warrior, young Shino escapes his evil aunt and uncle and sets out to restore his family name. Unaware of their karmic bond, Shino and the other Dog Warriors are drawn into a world of vendettas and quests, gallants, and rogues, as each strives to learn his true nature and find his place in the eight-man fraternity.
Chapter XXIII
Authors: Bakin Kyokutei
Published: May 2024

This chapter recounts how Shino had passed his days in Hikiroku and Kamezasa's household in sequestration. Shino did not converse intimately with any of the villagers except for the farmer Nukasuke, with whom his aunt allowed him to converse because of their old acquaintance and whom he for the same cause trusted. By nature, Nukasuke was a guileless simpleton and his dim wit never led him to lie, making Shino love his artlessness that approached benevolence. The chapter highlights the coins worth ten ryō that Bansaku left for Shino so he could pay for the funeral and for him to spend in great time of need. Shino had been living with his aunt and her husband for about eight years, and they did not treat him well.
Chapter XXXI
Authors: Bakin Kyokutei
Published: May 2024

This chapter details Kenpachi and Shino's fight at the roof and their tumble down on the side of the mansion and onto a fishing boat, which got untethered and then flowed down towards the cove at Gyōtoko, in Katsushika. Enraged by Kenpachi and Shino's sudden disappearance, Arimura selected Niiori Hodayū Atsumitsu, head of the fief's warriors, as commander of the pursuit, and relayed to him Nairuji's orders to capture Shino or bring back his head if he had perished from the fall. The chapter mentions a man named Konaya Bungobei, who found Kenpachi and Shino's boat adrift while fishing at the base of a bridge at the estuary in Gyōtoko. The chapter recounts Shino's conversation with Bungobei, expressing his guilt over Kenpachi's untimely death and his desire to take his own life. Then Kenpachi, who was not dead, suddenly jolted up and stopped Shino from plunging a blade unto himself.
The Sephardic Meshal ha-kadmoni as an Ashkenazic German Manuscript (MS. Heb. 107, Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek)
Authors: Gronemann Simona
Published: May 2024

This chapter focuses on the Hebrew text of the 13th-century Sephardic fable book Meshal ha-kadmoni, which is known from five extant Ashkenazic illuminated manuscripts and one incunabulum. The fable book is written in the form of a maqama and is comprised of dialogs between its protagonists, who are alternately humans and animals. The chapter mentions that the Munich copy of Meshal ha-kadmoni has the most complete text and is considered to have textually guided later copies of the book. From a brief stylistic analysis of the drawings, Robert Suckale concluded that the artist of Munich came from the workshop of the master Martinus Opifex. The chapter points out that the illustrations in the manuscripts of Meshal ha-kadmoni borrowed from Buch der Natur by Konrad von Megenburg.
Communication Aspect of National Testing Digitalization: Investigating Key Stakeholders’ Satisfaction
Authors: Jevtić Miloš , Cicvarić Kostić Slavica , Okanović Milan
Published: May 2024

Research Question: The paper deals with the analysis of the elements of the communication system in the process of digitalization of the national testing process in the Republic of Serbia. Motivation: National testing represents an important segment of education in most countries. Considering that it involves a large number of stakeholders and activities, innovations based on the implementation of new technologies are complex and require significant efforts and resources for their implementation. The digitalization of national testing in Serbia, in addition to the development of software and organizational solutions, is accompanied by the development and implementation of a communication system aimed at facilitating the acceptance of innovations by all participants. This paper addresses the analysis of the efficiency of the elements of the communication system and satisfaction of stakeholders with them, at the final exam at the end of primary education in the Republic of Serbia. Idea: The paper aims to describe a successful communication system implemented to support the process of national testing digitalization. Effective communication is essential due to the large number of participants involved in the process and should ensure national testing effectiveness and transparency. Data: For the analysis of the satisfaction of two stakeholder groups with the highest interest and influence in the process of conducting the final exam, data obtained from surveys conducted in 2021, 2022, and 2023 were used. Each year, the questionnaire was completed by over 900 primary school principals and over 8,000 parents of final-grade pupils. Tools: In the research, a questionnaire specifically designed for two stakeholder groups - primary school principals and parents of final-grade pupils was used. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were employed. Findings: The research has found that high satisfaction among key stakeholders (primary school principals and parents) is achieved through a carefully designed and implemented communication system, which includes an internet portal, written and video instructions, as well as direct support from trained and expert individuals. The communication system element that has the greatest impact on principals' satisfaction is the administrative portal, while for parents, it comprises all instructions prepared for carrying out activities. Contribution: This paper expands on existing research related to the digitalization of national testing and highlights the key elements of the communication system to enhance participant satisfaction in the process.
Multi-view data visualisation via manifold learning
Authors: Rodosthenous Theodoulos , Shahrezaei Vahid , Evangelou Marina
Published: May 2024

Non-linear dimensionality reduction can be performed by manifold learning approaches, such as stochastic neighbour embedding (SNE), locally linear embedding (LLE) and isometric feature mapping (ISOMAP). These methods aim to produce two or three latent embeddings, primarily to visualise the data in intelligible representations. This manuscript proposes extensions of Student’s t-distributed SNE (t-SNE), LLE and ISOMAP, for dimensionality reduction and visualisation of multi-view data. Multi-view data refers to multiple types of data generated from the same samples.

The proposed multi-view approaches provide more comprehensible projections of the samples compared to the ones obtained by visualising each data-view separately. Commonly, visualisation is used for identifying underlying patterns within the samples. By incorporating the obtained low-dimensional embeddings from the multi-view manifold approaches into the K-means clustering algorithm, it is shown that clusters of the samples are accurately identified. Through extensive comparisons of novel and existing multi-view manifold learning algorithms on real and synthetic data, the proposed multi-view extension of t-SNE, named multi-SNE, is found to have the best performance, quantified both qualitatively and quantitatively by assessing the clusterings obtained.

The applicability of multi-SNE is illustrated by its implementation in the newly developed and challenging multi-omics single-cell data. The aim is to visualise and identify cell heterogeneity and cell types in biological tissues relevant to health and disease. In this application, multi-SNE provides an improved performance over single-view manifold learning approaches and a promising solution for unified clustering of multi-omics single-cell data.
KBPT: knowledge-based prompt tuning for zero-shot relation triplet extraction
Authors: Guo Qian , Guo Yi , Zhao Jin
Published: May 2024

Knowledge representation is increasingly recognized as an effective method for information extraction. Nevertheless, numerous studies have disregarded its potential applications in the zero-shot setting. In this article, a novel framework, called knowledge-based prompt tuning for zero-shot relation triplet extraction (KBPT), was developed, founded on external ontology knowledge. This framework serves as a catalyst for exploring relation triplet extraction (RTE) methods within low-resource scenarios, warranting further scrutiny. Zero-shot setting RTE aims to extract multiple triplets that consist of head entities, tail entities, and relation labels from an input sentence, where the extracted relation labels are those that do not exist in the training set. To address the data scarcity problem in zero-shot RTE, a technique was introduced to synthesize training samples by prompting language models to generate structured texts. Specifically, this involves integrating language model prompts with structured text methodologies to create a structured prompt template. This template draws upon relation labels and ontology knowledge to generate synthetic training examples. The incorporation of external ontological knowledge enriches the semantic representation within the prompt template, enhancing its effectiveness. Further, a multiple triplets decoding (MTD) algorithm was developed to overcome the challenge of extracting multiple relation triplets from a sentence. To bridge the gap between knowledge and text, a collective training method was established to jointly optimize embedding representations. The proposed model is model-agnostic and can be applied to various PLMs. Exhaustive experiments on four public datasets with zero-shot settings were conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Compared to the baseline models, KBPT demonstrated enhancements of up to 14.65% and 24.19% in F1 score on the Wiki-ZSL and TACRED-Revisit datasets, respectively. Moreover, the proposed model achieved better performance compared with the current state-of-the-art (SOTA) model in terms of F1 score, precision-recall (P–R) curves and AUC. The code is available at https://Github.com/Phevos75/KBPT.
Polymorphism in the aggressive mimicry lure of the parasitic freshwater mussel Lampsilis fasciola
Authors: Hewitt Trevor L. , Johnson Paul D. , Buntin Michael , Moore Talia Y. , Ó Foighil Diarmaid
Published: May 2024

Unionoid freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae) are free-living apart from a brief, obligately parasitic, larval stage that infects fish hosts, and gravid female mussels have evolved a spectrum of strategies to infect fish hosts with their larvae. In many North American species, this involves displaying a mantle lure: a pigmented fleshy extension that acts as an aggressive mimic of a host fish prey, thereby eliciting a feeding response that results in host infection. The mantle lure of Lampsilis fasciola is of particular interest because it is apparently polymorphic, with two distinct primary lure phenotypes. One, described as “darter-like”, has “eyespots”, a mottled body coloration, prominent marginal extensions, and a distinct “tail”. The other, described as “worm-like”, lacks those features and has an orange and black coloration. We investigated this phenomenon using genomics, captive rearing, biogeographic, and behavioral analyses. Within-brood lure variation and within-population phylogenomic (ddRAD-seq) analyses of individuals bearing different lures confirmed that this phenomenon is a true polymorphism. The relative abundance of the two morphs appears stable over ecological timeframes: the ratio of the two lure phenotypes in a River Raisin (MI) population in 2017 was consistent with that of museum samples collected at the same site six decades earlier. Within the River Raisin, four main “darter-like” lure motifs visually approximated four co-occurring darter species (Etheostoma blennioides, E. exile, E. microperca, and Percina maculata), and the “worm-like” lure resembled a widespread common leech, Macrobdella decora. Darters and leeches are typical prey of Micropterus dolomieui (smallmouth bass), the primary fish host of L. fasciola. In situ field recordings of the L. fasciola “darter” and “leech” lure display behaviors, and the lure display of co-occurring congener L. cardium, were captured. Despite having putative models in distinct phyla, both L. fasciola lure morphs have largely similar display behaviors that differ significantly from that of sympatric L. cardium individuals. Some minor differences in the behavior between the two L. fasciola morphs were observed, but we found no clear evidence for a behavioral component of the polymorphism given the criteria measured. Discovery of discrete within-brood inheritance of the lure polymorphism implies potential control by a single genetic locus and identifies L. fasciola as a promising study system to identify regulatory genes controlling a key adaptive trait of freshwater mussels.
Comparative evaluation of the sleep quality metrics between a cardboard bed and a camp cot: a randomized controlled crossover study
Authors: Hamanishi Seiji , Miki Airi , Sasaki Shinsuke
Published: May 2024

Background

Health-beneficial emergency bedding has become increasingly important for dealing with natural disasters such as the anticipated Nankai Trough earthquake in Japan. When the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, cardboard beds were provided to evacuees. However, there were concerns about lower back pain and sleep disturbances, as cardboard beds offer insufficient pressure distribution. This study aimed to compare the effects of cardboard beds with those of foldable camp cots on sleep quality.

Methods

A randomized controlled crossover study involving 20 healthy participants aged 18–45 years was conducted between June 2022 and January 2023. Participants were asked to sleep for one night on a camp cot and for another night on a cardboard bed, with a minimum three-day washout period between the two nights. Body pressure distribution and sleep metrics obtained from polysomnography (PSG) and questionnaires were compared between the two-bed types (P < 0.05).

Results

The camp cot exhibited better body pressure distribution than a cardboard bed, leading to improved sleep satisfaction, bedding comfort, and reduced morning sleepiness. Nevertheless, polysomnography revealed no notable differences in sleep metrics or sleep architecture between the two types of beds.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that cardboard beds have lower pressure dispersion capabilities than camp cots, leading to an increased number of position changes during sleep. Additionally, subjective sleep quality, such as alertness on waking, sleep comfort, and sleep satisfaction, was lower for cardboard beds, suggesting that camp cots might offer a more comfortable bedding option for evacuees. However, there were no discernible differences between the two-bed types in terms of objective sleep metrics derived from PSG. The potential for sleep disturbances caused by lower back pain from a hard mattress has been noted, and it is possible that a single night’s experience in healthy individuals might not be enough for sleep issues to manifest.
Using a golf specific functional movement screen to predict golf performance in collegiate golfers
Authors: Shi Min , Wu Hua , Ruan Hui , Xu Dan , Deng Libo , Pang Shibo
Published: May 2024

Background

This study aims to examine the relationship between functional movements and golf performance using the Golf Specific Functional Movement Screen (GSFMS).

Methods

This cross-sectional study included a total of 56 collegiate golfers (aged 20.89 ± 0.99 years, height of 174.55 ± 7.76 cm, and weight 68.48 ± 9.30 kg) who met the criteria, and were recruited from Hainan Normal University in June 2022. The participants’ golf motor skills (1-yard putt, 10-yard putt, 25-yard chip, 130/100-yard set shot, driver, and 9-hole stroke play) were tested and the GSFMS (e.g., pelvic tilt, pelvic rotation, and torso rotation) was used.

Results

There were significant weak or moderate correlations between the variables. Furthermore, a multiple linear regression analysis found that pelvic rotation and lower-body rotation abilities can significantly predict golf skill levels, which collectively explain 31.2% of the variance in golf skill levels among collegiate golfers (Adjusted R2 = 0.312, F = 2.663, p < 0.05). Standardised β values indicate that pelvic rotation (β = 0.398) has a more substantial impact on golf skill levels than lower-body rotation (β = 0.315).

Conclusions

This study found the weak to moderate correlations between the GSFMS and golf performance, and pelvic rotation and lower-body rotation abilities, thus predicting golf skills. Our findings provide novel insights into the relationship between functional abilities and comprehensive skill performance within the context of the Gray Cook’s Movement Pyramid model, and provide theoretical support and practical reference for collegiate golf motor-skill learning and sports injury prevention.
Diversity & Economic Dynamics Impact on Women in the Workforce: A Literature Review
Authors: Swati . , Dua Kavita
Published: May 2024

The discussion revolves around understanding the interplay between diversity, especially regarding gender, and the economic forces affecting women in the workforce. It aims to analyze how the complexities of a diverse workforce interact with economic dynamics, shaping women's roles, opportunities, and impacts within organizations. The focus is on managing diversity effectively while navigating the economic environment to foster inclusivity, innovation, and success in professional settings. This review paper delves into the complexities of balancing work and personal life, addressing disparities in workforce participation, highlighting the transformative potential of diversity, and examining the evolving economic landscape. Through a comprehensive analysis of scholarly research, empirical studies, and real-world examples, the paper aims to provide valuable insights into the interplay between gender, diversity, and economic dynamics in contemporary workplaces.
Non-monetary Compensation and Employees’ Performance in the Transmission Company of Nigeria, Abuja
Authors: Oigbochie Abel Ehizojie , Ajalie Stanley Nwannebuife , Okwara Princewill
Published: May 2024

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of non-monetary compensation on employees performance in the transmission company of Nigeria. Man is generally perceived as an economic man, as his economic well being is what fuels his desire to give his best for the growth and sustainability of his organisation. Over the years employees have persistently clamoured for better remuneration, thereby leading to agitation between employee union and management. This article identified employee recognition, promotion, praise and office environment as constructs for measuring non-monetary compensation in this study.  Through the use of a structured questionnaire, data was collected from a sample size of 214 respondents. Data was analysed using regression analysis via the statistical package of social sciences (SPSS). Findings from the study showed that Praise (PR) = .78-0.63, Promotion (PRT) = .78-0.9, Employee Recognition (ER) =.78-0.24 and Office Environment (OE) = .78-0.14 all have a significant effect on employees performance in the transmission company of Nigeria. The study recommends other non-monetary compensation packages like shopping vouchers, praise dinners and trophies in order to boost productivity in the organisation.
Measuring the Effect of Regime Change on Petroleum Price in Nigeria Using Moving Index
Authors: Ekum Matthew Iwada , Oyeyemi Sheriffdeen Taiwo , Alakija Temitope Olufunmilayo , Francis Saduwa Akpoviri , Omodasola Azeez Olabisi , Akinmoladun Olusegun Mayowa
Published: May 2024

The ongoing volatility of crude oil prices on the international market has harmed every sector of the Nigerian economy. Every Nigerian government regime experiences fluctuations in the price of petroleum. Thus, this research studied the effect of change in government regime on change in petroleum prices using a moving index with a constant and moving base year. Data on government regime and prices of petroleum were collected (1960 to 2021) from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Statistical Bulletin, and National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), spanning 62 years, and the changes in these prices over all the regime were observed via the time plot.  The results of the analysis showed that regime change in Nigeria has significantly impacted the price of petroleum. The trend of change in petroleum prices using 1960 as a constant base year showed that regime change has a significant effect on change in petroleum price, while the moving index with varying base years showed no significant effect on the change in the petroleum price. Therefore, it can be concluded that variations in the price of petroleum in Nigeria are caused by both changes in time and regime. The estimated trend of change in the prices of petroleum with the period under study showed an upward trend. The movement showed that the price of petroleum is not likely to reduce shortly but rather will increase if nothing is done to stabilize it.
Current Pathophysiological and Therapeutic Options for Children with Hutchinson Gilford Syndrome
Authors: Bittmann Stefan
Published: May 2024

Hutchinson-Gilford-Progeria syndrome (HGPS) cannot, to date, be treated causally. Therapy for affected children focus on alleviating the symptoms, treating secondary diseases and preventing complications such as strokes or heart attacks. Various medications and physiotherapeutic methods are primarily available for this extremely rare pediatric genetic disease. Lonafarnib, a farnesyltransferase inhibitor, has been used for the treatment of progeria in children since 2022, which can extend the life of children with HGPS up to 4 years. Farnesyltransferase inhibitors are able to block an enzyme that is involved in progerin processing. Progerin is the altered protein that occurs in HGPS due to the spelling mistake in the lamin A gene and accumulates within the cell nucleus envelope. As a result, the envelope is weakened and the cell nucleus becomes deformed. The spectrum of therapies includes progerin-targeting strategies on one hand and on therapies to alleviate the tremendous effects by progerin. Research focus on different new targets in the management of HGPS-like the farnesyltransferase inhibitor lonafarnib, Acetyltransferase NAT10-inhibitors, KAT 6a/b and -7 inhibitors, paclitaxel, small molecule ICMT-inhibitors, exportin CRM-1 Inhibitors, progerin-lamin A binding inhibitors (Progerinin), Ghrelin, micro-RNA inhibitors, doxycycline and the regulation of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). This manuscript analyses these new therapeutic targets and pathophysiological aspects in a review manuscript.
Exploring Pod Seeded Groundnut and its Response to Spacing and Nutrient Levels
Authors: Swetha S. , Ragavan T.
Published: May 2024

Groundnut is cultivated mainly by small and marginal farmers. Seed cost and sowing are stated to be the most expensive operations which combined are responsible for about 45% of the entire cost of groundnut cultivation. The seed cost is increased mainly by the operation of shelling, which raises it to 3 times. The objective of this research was to test the viability of sowing groundnut with pods after proper seed treatment to reduce the shelling cost. Treatments include four spacing and three nutrient levels. It was sown in the spacing of 30 cm × 10 cm, 20 cm × 20 cm, 25 cm × 15 cm, and 30 cm × 15 cm. The different nutrient levels followed were the soil-based recommendation approach, 100% Recommended dose of fertilizers (25: 50: 75 N, P2O5, K2O kg ha-1) and, 125% Recommended dose of fertilizers (31.25: 62.5: 93.75 N, P2O5, K2O kg ha-1). Groundnut response was evaluated based on dry matter production, number of pods per plant, hundred pod weight, pod yield, haulm yield, harvest index and B: C ratio. The combination of 30 cm × 15 cm spacing, and 125% recommended dose of fertilizers (S4N3) documented the highest double pods per plant, hundred pod weight, highest pod yield of 3791 kg ha-1 and benefit-cost ratio of 2.89. The higher yield as well as the higher benefit-cost ratio, indicates the practical feasibility and economic viability of adoption of pod-seeded groundnut.
Understanding the Dynamics of MGNREGA Beneﬁciaries through Social Work Lens: A Study in Shivamogga District, Karnataka State, India
Authors: S. N. Shridhar , K. Thippesh
Published: May 2024

This comprehensive study delves into the intricate tapestry of MGNREGA beneficiaries' perspectives, unravelling a rich array of insights that illuminate their empowerment journey. The objectives of the study include understanding the socioeconomic dynamics of MGNREGA beneficiaries, examining its impact on livelihood security, exploring the role of social work in its implementation, and analyzing the empowerment dimensions of the program. Utilizing data from 80 respondents in Shivamogga District, the study employs the Shapiro-Wilk test for normality, ANOVA for group differences, and Tukey's post-hoc test for specific comparisons. Key findings highlight significant improvements in communication skills, decision-making power, leadership skills, and social empowerment among beneficiaries. Economic empowerment aspects, such as annual income and food consumption patterns, also showed positive outcomes. Psychological empowerment, encompassing attitudes towards the program, role perception, and desire for control, reflected a high level of empowerment. The research highlights the critical role of social work in enhancing and sustaining these positive impacts, offering recommendations for policy improvement and contributing to the advancement of rural development practices. This exploration extends beyond mere statistical analyses, offering a profound examination of the human dimensions that shape empowerment dynamics in rural India.
A biocolonialidade do poder
Authors: Cajigas-Rotondo Juan Camilo
Published: May 2024

Este texto corresponde a um capítulo do livro El giro decolonial. Reflexiones para una diversidad epistémica más allá del capitalismo global, organizado em 2007 por Santiago Castro-Gómez e Ramón Grosfoguel pela Siglo del Hombre Editores. O autor problematiza a biodiversidade na globalização hegemônica, considerada a fase atual de uma colonialidade de “longa duração”. Desenvolve uma cartografia cognitiva centrada em duas narrativas que encapsulam as perspectivas ocidentais e amazônicas sobre a biodiversidade como um campo de conflito. Refere-se às narrativas da “escassez” e da “abundância”, que estabelece relações de subordinação, resistência e articulação de políticas de biodiversidade. Ele também centra atenção no diálogo entre conhecimento local (ecosofias) e conhecimento científico ocidental (Resumo elaborado pelos editores do periódico, uma vez que não há um no texto original).
Quantification of Allosteric Interactions at G Protein–Coupled Receptors Using Radioligand Binding Assays
Authors: Leach Katie , Sexton Patrick M. , Christopoulos Arthur
Published: March 2011

Allosteric interactions involve the simultaneous binding of two ligands to the same receptor. An allosteric modulator causes a conformational change in the receptor protein that yields a change in the binding or signaling of an orthosteric agent, i.e., an agonist or competitive antagonist that binds to the endogenous agonist binding site. Because of the complex nature of allosteric phenomena, the detection and quantification of their effects on orthosteric ligand binding relies on the use of both equilibrium and non‐equilibrium assays to ensure proper interpretation of the findings. Outlined in this unit are the most common experimental approaches for measuring allosteric effects on orthosteric ligand affinity at G protein‐coupled receptors. There is also a discussion of the analysis of experimental data derived from such assays. Curr. Protoc. Pharmacol. 52:1.22.1‐1.22.41. © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.