bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Phenobarbital, Midazolam Pharmacokinetics, Effectiveness, and Drug-Drug Interaction in Asphyxiated Neonates Undergoing Therapeutic Hypothermia
Authors: Favié Laurent M.A. , Groenendaal Floris , van den Broek Marcel P.H. , Rademaker Carin M.A. , de Haan Timo R. , van Straaten Henrica L.M. , Dijk Peter H. , van Heijst Arno , Simons Sinno H.P. , Dijkman Koen P. , Rijken Monique , Zonnenberg Inge A. , Cools Filip , Zecic Alexandra , van der Lee Johanna H. , Nuytemans Debbie H.G.M. , van Bel Frank , Egberts Toine C.G. , Huitema Alwin D.R. ,   on behalf of the PharmaCool study group
Published: June 2019

Background: Phenobarbital and midazolam are commonly used drugs in (near-)term neonates treated with therapeutic hypothermia for hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy, for sedation, and/or as anti-epileptic drug. Phenobarbital is an inducer of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A, while midazolam is a CYP3A substrate. Therefore, co-treatment with phenobarbital might impact midazolam clearance. Objectives: To assess pharmacokinetics and clinical anti-epileptic effectiveness of phenobarbital and midazolam in asphyxiated neonates and to develop dosing guidelines. Methods: Data were collected in the prospective multicentre PharmaCool study. In the present study, neonates treated with therapeutic hypothermia and receiving midazolam and/or phenobarbital were included. Plasma concentrations of phenobarbital and midazolam including its metabolites were determined in blood samples drawn on days 2–5 after birth. Pharmacokinetic analyses were performed using non-linear mixed effects modelling; clinical effectiveness was defined as no use of additional anti-epileptic drugs. Results: Data were available from 113 (phenobarbital) and 118 (midazolam) neonates; 68 were treated with both medications. Only clearance of 1-hydroxy midazolam was influenced by hypothermia. Phenobarbital co-administration increased midazolam clearance by a factor 2.3 (95% CI 1.9–2.9, p < 0.05). Anticonvulsant effectiveness was 65.5% for phenobarbital and 37.1% for add-on midazolam. Conclusions: Therapeutic hypothermia does not influence clearance of phenobarbital or midazolam in (near-)term neonates with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy. A phenobarbital dose of 30 mg/kg is advised to reach therapeutic concentrations. Phenobarbital co-administration significantly increased midazolam clearance. Should phenobarbital be substituted by non-CYP3A inducers as first-line anticonvulsant, a 50% lower midazolam maintenance dose might be appropriate to avoid excessive exposure during the first days after birth.
Analysis of the Risk Factors for Postherpetic Neuralgia
Authors: Wei Shijuan , Li Xiaoting  , Wang Huiping , Liu Quanzhong , Shao Lili
Published: June 2019

Background: Postherpetic neuralgia is the most common complication of herpes zoster, affecting 30% of patients. It seriously affects the quality of life of patients and the curative effect of treatment is limited. So far, researchers do not fully understand the risk factors for postherpetic neuralgia and more research is needed. Objective: The aim of this paper was to investigate the risk factors for postherpetic neuralgia and provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment. Methods: A total of 202 inpatients with herpes zoster in the General Hospital of Tianjin Medical University were recruited as study subjects. According to the occurrence of postherpetic neuralgia, the patients were divided into the postherpetic neuralgia group and the nonpostherpetic neuralgia group. Data on age, gender, initial symptoms, clinical classification, involved nerves, pain grading, antiviral therapy, glucocorticoid use, and other clinical data of patients in the two groups were collected and statistically analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analysis methods were used to analyze the differences between the two groups and determine the influencing factors of postherpetic neuralgia. Results: The univariate statistical analysis of the factors influencing postherpetic neuralgia showed that the contribution of gender, initial symptoms, general clinical classification, use of glucocorticoid, and the interval from onset to antiviral therapy were not statistically significant, while the differences in age, specific clinical classification, involved nerves, severity of pain during the acute stage, and body side of skin lesion distribution were statistically significant. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that gender, use of glucocorticoid, interval from onset to antiviral therapy, involved nerves, and specific clinical classification showed no statistical significance. However, there were significant differences in age, body side of skin lesion distribution, general clinical classification, and degree of pain during the acute stage of the disease. Conclusion: Pain during the acute stage of herpes zoster, age greater than 70 years, and serious type of skin lesion are risk factors for postherpetic neuralgia (p < 0.05, OR >1).
Is Weight Loss Harmful for Skeletal Health in Obese Older Adults?
Authors: Papageorgiou Maria , Kerschan-Schindl Katharina , Sathyapalan Thozhukat , Pietschmann Peter
Published: June 2019

Purpose of Review: In view of the existing uncertainty about the implications of intentional weight loss in older obese adults, the present review (a) summarizes the available evidence from epidemiological and interventional studies concerning the effects of weight loss through lifestyle modifications on skeletal health parameters in older overweight/obese individuals, (b) proposes mechanisms that link weight loss to bone loss in this age group, and (c) identifies appropriate animal models. Main Findings and Future Directions: Based on prospective epidemiological studies, weight loss is associated with bone loss, impaired bone macro- and microstructure, and increased fracture risk in the elderly. Data from interventional studies confirm the negative effects of intentional weight loss achieved by lifestyle modifications on skeletal health outcomes in obese older individuals. These effects appear to be modest following a single weight loss attempt, but may persist in the longer term, and presumably, during subsequent weight loss efforts. Current evidence suggests that resistance exercise coupled with caloric restriction mitigates bone and muscle loss. However, alternative strategies do not exist for older individuals, especially those who are unable or unwilling to exercise. Clinical weight loss studies in obese older individuals and preclinical research in relevant animal models with obesity and osteoporosis are required. These will advance our understanding of the pathophysiology of weight-loss-associated skeletal alterations and provide evidence on how bone loss can be counteracted or prevented.
Decontamination of genetically modified mice strains by embryo transfer for obtaining SPF colonies in a Brazilian animal facility
Authors: Antiorio Ana Tada Fonseca Brasil , Massironi Sílvia Maria Gomes , Luca Rosália Regina de , Carvalho Márcio Augusto Caldas Rocha , Tambellini Vanessa Yamamoto , Wadt Danilo , Bortolatto Juliana , Bom Joana , Mori Claudia Madalena Cabrera
Published: July 2019

The introduction of new strains of mice in specific pathogen-free (SPF) animal facilities should be performed carefully to avoid breaking sanitary barriers. To meet this need, animals should be rederived to reduce infection risk and thus avoid research interference caused by loss of animal health status and welfare. The objective of this study was to implement mice embryo transfer in the laboratory mouse facility of the Department of Immunology at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences/University of São Paulo, Brazil. Embryo transfers were performed to rederive genetically modified mouse strains with undefined sanitary status, received from different research and educational institutions. Fertilized eggs at two-cell stage were obtained by natural means and transferred into the oviducts of SPF pseudo-pregnant female mice. All surgical procedures were performed under aseptic conditions. A total of 625 embryos were transferred into therecipients. 148 pups were born, of which 140 were reared. Viruses, bacteria and intestinal protozoa were eliminated using this technique. The improvement in the microbiological status of mice allowed their expansion in our SPF facility. With these results, we can stimulate the use of embryo transfer technique between rodent facilities in Brazil and thus encourage the distribution of better models to our scientific community.
No fio da navalha: efeitos da masculinidade e virilidade no trabalho de agentes socioeducativos
Authors: Vinuto Juliana , Abreo Leandro De Oliveira , Gonçalves Hebe Signorini
Published: July 2019

O artigo tem como objetivo discutir os efeitos da noção de masculinidade e da virilidade no trabalho e na saúde de agentes socioeducativos que atuam em unidades de medida socioeducativa de internação para adolescentes em conflito com a lei. Partimos do entendimento de que a virilidade é um valor positivado na sociedade em geral, e que tem características singulares no ambiente de internação. Demonstrações de coragem e frieza são as formas pelas quais a virilidade se manifesta nas unidades de internação, com o objetivo de imposição do medo aos adolescentes e inibição do próprio medo de ser agredido, sendo que, a longo prazo, tais estratégias podem levar ao adoecimento e/ou à banalização da violência. Tal situação nos revela forte estratégia defensiva do “cinismo viril”, construída pelo coletivo de profissionais, para minimizar a experiência de sofrimento diante das situações deletérias de trabalho. Aqueles que não colaboram com as práticas viris são alvos de deboche, acarretando a segregação desses profissionais. Nesse sentido, notamos que a evidenciação da virilidade mostra-se como forma de sobrevivência para os agentes socioeducativos, sendo entendida por muitos como necessária à manutenção da ordem e da disciplina em seu local de trabalho.
De imorais a superpredadoras: a criminalização das meninas nos Estados Unidos
Authors: Otto Natália Bittencourt
Published: July 2019

Resenha de Chesney-Lind, Meda; Shelden, Randall. Girls, Delinquency and Juvenile Justice. 4a ed. Oxford: Wiley & Blackwell, 2014. 361 p.
Estudos históricos sobre a gestão da menoridade
Authors: Salla Fernando
Published: July 2019

Resenha de:Bernal, Elaine Marina Bueno. Arquivos do Abandono: experiências de crianças eadolescentes internados em instituições do Serviço Social de Menores de São Paulo,1938-1960. São Paulo: Cortez, 2004.Vianna, Adriana de Resende B. O mal que se advinha: polícia e menoridade no Rio de Janeiro, 1910-1920. Rio de Janeiro: Arquivo Nacional, 1999.
Menoridade e Periculosidade: intersecções e assujeitamentos
Authors: Teixeira Alessandra , Matsuda Fernanda Emy
Published: July 2019

Este artigo pretende discutir como, na experiência nacional, a partir dos discursos médico-legal e criminológico e das práticas de controle e punição dirigidas à infância e à juventude pobre e abandonada, as categorias menoridade e periculosidade se articularam, apropriando-se do instituto da periculosidade presumida (aplicada a adultos vadios e reincidentes no Código Penal de 1940), para diferenciar a menoridade, necessariamente pobre, da infância e juventude abastadas, eventualmente infratora. O artigo recorre a análise da normativa (entre as décadas de 1920 e 1950), levantamento e análise de material bibliográfico, bem como a dados e discursos de Relatórios Policiais das décadas 1930 e 1940, no estado de São Paulo, como fontes primárias.
Educar sob coação: uma sociologia da justiça juvenil
Authors: Cordeiro Veridiana Domingos
Published: July 2019

Resenha de: Sallée, Nicolas. Éduquer sous contrainte: une sociologie de la justice des mineurs. Paris: Éditions de l’EHESS, 2016.
Atrial Fibrillation Catheter Ablation Improves 1-Year Follow-Up Cognitive Function, Especially in Patients With Impaired Cognitive Function
Authors: Jin Moo-Nyun , Kim Tae-Hoon , Kang Ki-Woon , Yu Hee Tae , Uhm Jae-Sun , Joung Boyoung , Lee Moon-Hyoung , Kim Eosu , Pak Hui-Nam
Published: July 2019

Background:

Although atrial fibrillation (AF) has a risk of cognitive dysfunction, it is not clear whether AF catheter ablation improves or worsens cognitive function. This prospective case-control study sought to assess the 1-year serial changes in the cognitive function with or without AF catheter ablation.

Methods:

We evaluated the Montreal Cognitive Assessment score in 308 patients (71.4% male, 60.6±9.1 years of age, 34.1% persistent AF) who underwent AF ablation (ablation group) and 50 AF patients on medical therapy who met the same indication for AF ablation (control group), at baseline and 3 and 12 months after enrollment. Cognitive impairment was defined as a published cutoff score of <23 points. To exclude any learning effects, we used the practice-adjusted reliable change index for assessing the cognitive changes.

Results:

Preablation cognitive impairment was detected in 18.5% (57/308). The Montreal Cognitive Assessment score significantly improved 1 year after radiofrequency catheter ablation in both overall ablation group (24.9±2.9–26.4±2.5;
P
<0.001) and the propensity-matched ablation group (25.4±2.4–26.5±2.3;
P
<0.001), but not in the control group (25.4±2.5–24.8±2.5;
P
=0.012). Preablation cognitive impairment (odds ratio, 13.70; 95% CI, 4.83–38.87;
P
<0.001) was independently associated with an improvement in the 1-year post-ablation cognitive function. In the reliable change index analyses, 94.7% of propensity-matched ablation group showed an improved/stable cognitive function at the 1-year follow-up.

Conclusions:

Catheter ablation of AF, at least, does not deteriorate the cognitive function, but rather improves the performance on 1-year follow-up neurocognitive tests, especially in patients with a preablation cognitive impairment.
“Superstar Cities” & the Generation of Durable Inequality
Authors: Le Galès Patrick , Pierson Paul
Published: June 2019

The striking economic agglomerations emerging in affluent democracies are generating, reproducing, and expanding inequalities. A major mechanism for this is housing, which is both a repository for wealth and, under these conditions, a magnifier of wealth. Access to urban areas – the site of educational, labor, and marriage market advantages – is contingent upon access to housing. We use comparative analysis of cases in Europe (London and Paris) and the United States (New York and San Francisco) to consider the capacities of different societies to limit or ameliorate these new sources of diverging opportunity. These seemingly local issues remain shaped by distinct national political contexts, which vary dramatically in their capacity to support local affordable housing and reduce the collective action problems confronting major metropolitan areas.
The Role of Vision in Ladislav Sutnar and Knud Lönberg-Holm's Designing Information
Authors: Pivo Hannah
Published: July 2019

In 1947, Czech designer Ladislav Sutnar and Danish architect Knud Lönberg-Holm published three articles in Interiors magazine introducing their theories of modern visual communication to the professional design community in the United States. These articles, subsequently released together as Designing Information, were informed by the authors’ work at Sweet's Catalog Service, a dominant publisher of industrial catalogs at the time. At Sweet's, Lönberg-Holm and Sutnar developed standards for product information centered on the concept of “visual flow.” This article examines vision and flow in Designing Information, analyzing how the authors applied ideas from diverse realms of midcentury discourse—including visual education, Gestalt, and Behaviorist psychologies—to the context of American business and industry.
On the Complexity of Logistic Regression Models
Authors: Bulso Nicola , Marsili Matteo , Roudi Yasser
Published: July 2019

We investigate the complexity of logistic regression models, which is defined by counting the number of indistinguishable distributions that the model can represent (Balasubramanian, 1997 ). We find that the complexity of logistic models with binary inputs depends not only on the number of parameters but also on the distribution of inputs in a nontrivial way that standard treatments of complexity do not address. In particular, we observe that correlations among inputs induce effective dependencies among parameters, thus constraining the model and, consequently, reducing its complexity. We derive simple relations for the upper and lower bounds of the complexity. Furthermore, we show analytically that defining the model parameters on a finite support rather than the entire axis decreases the complexity in a manner that critically depends on the size of the domain. Based on our findings, we propose a novel model selection criterion that takes into account the entropy of the input distribution. We test our proposal on the problem of selecting the input variables of a logistic regression model in a Bayesian model selection framework. In our numerical tests, we find that while the reconstruction errors of standard model selection approaches (AIC, BIC, [Formula: see text] regularization) strongly depend on the sparsity of the ground truth, the reconstruction error of our method is always close to the minimum in all conditions of sparsity, data size, and strength of input correlations. Finally, we observe that when considering categorical instead of binary inputs, in a simple and mathematically tractable case, the contribution of the alphabet size to the complexity is very small compared to that of parameter space dimension. We further explore the issue by analyzing the data set of the “13 keys to the White House,” a method for forecasting the outcomes of US presidential elections.
Approximating the Architecture of Visual Cortex in a Convolutional Network
Authors: Tripp Bryan
Published: July 2019

Deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have certain structural, mechanistic, representational, and functional parallels with primate visual cortex and also many differences. However, perhaps some of the differences can be reconciled. This study develops a cortex-like CNN architecture, via (1) a loss function that quantifies the consistency of a CNN architecture with neural data from tract tracing, cell reconstruction, and electrophysiology studies; (2) a hyperparameter-optimization approach for reducing this loss, and (3) heuristics for organizing units into convolutional-layer grids. The optimized hyperparameters are consistent with neural data. The cortex-like architecture differs from typical CNN architectures. In particular, it has longer skip connections, larger kernels and strides, and qualitatively different connection sparsity. Importantly, layers of the cortex-like network have one-to-one correspondences with cortical neuron populations. This should allow unambiguous comparison of model and brain representations in the future and, consequently, more precise measurement of progress toward more biologically realistic deep networks.
Flexible network community organization during the encoding and retrieval of spatiotemporal episodic memories
Authors: Schedlbauer Amber M. , Ekstrom Arne D.
Published: July 2019

Memory encoding and retrieval involve distinct interactions between multiple brain areas, yet the flexible structure of corresponding large-scale networks during such memory processing remains unclear. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we employed a spatiotemporal encoding and retrieval task, detecting functional community structure across the multiple components of our task. Consistent with past work, we identified a set of stable subnetworks, mostly belonging to primary motor and sensory cortices but also identified a subset of flexible hubs, mostly belonging to higher association areas. These “mover” hubs changed connectivity patterns across spatial and temporal memory encoding and retrieval, engaging in an integrative role within the network. Global encoding network and subnetwork dissimilarity predicted retrieval performance. Together, our findings emphasize the importance of flexible network allegiance among some hubs and the importance of network reconfiguration to human episodic memory.
How Things Happen for the Sake of Something: The Dialectical Strategy of Aristotle, Physics 2.8
Authors: Kress Emily
Published: July 2019

I offer a fresh interpretation of the dialectical strategy of Physics 2.8’s arguments that things in nature happen for the sake of something. Whereas many recent interpreters have concluded that these arguments inevitably beg the question against Aristotle’s opponents, I argue that they constitute a careful attempt to build common ground with an opponent who rejects Aristotle’s basic worldview. This common ground, first articulated in the famous Winter Rain Argument, takes the form of an intriguing pattern of reasoning: that natural proceedings that happen in a given manner always or for the most part do not do so by chance.
To Rot and Not to Die: Punitive Emasculation in Early and Medieval China
Authors: Hoeckelmann Michael
Published: July 2019

Historians agree that the primary source of supply for eunuchs in late imperial China was not the penal system but self-emasculation. What is less known is that the legal institution of punitive emasculation and the political institution of court eunuchs were separated long before then. While some scholars argue that emasculation was not among the mutilating punishments that Han Emperor Wen abolished in 167 BCE, there is enough evidence to show that the Han court no longer used it as a regular punishment after his reign and that Wen had indeed done away with emasculation. In fact, it was the non-Chinese Northern Wei dynasty that reintroduced it centuries later, from whence it continued to be used intermittently until the late seventh century.
Provincializing Korea: The Construction of the Chinese Empire in the Borderland and the Rise of the Modern Chinese State
Authors: Wang Yuanchong
Published: July 2019

This article examines China’s approach to integrating Korea into Chinese territory in history and its significant influence on the construction of the Chinese Empire and state. It discusses major instances of Chinese integration of Korea before and under the Mongol Empire and reveals that the tributary relationship with Korea that the Ming and Qing dynasties cultivated in the post-Mongol period allowed Korea to maintain a significant degree of independence from China. It points out that the Qing imperial discourse described Korea as a province by combining the Manchu ruling house’s and European Jesuits’ understandings of the Chinese empire. Qing China refrained from colonizing Korea in the nineteenth century primarily because of the post-Mongol shift in its policy toward the country and because of its Confucian ethos. The article further argues that China did not become a modern state until the 1950s, when the Chinese option of provincializing Korea permanently disappeared.
Is a ‘Left Populism’ Possible?
Authors: Sotiris Panagiotis
Published: July 2019

This article deals with theories and political projects that can be defined as ‘left populism’. It begins with a reading and critique of the work of Ernesto Laclau on the theory of populism and then moves to recent debates about the possibility of left-populist movements. In contrast to these positions it attempts to present an alternative theoretical framework based on Gramscian notions, in order to rethink the notion of the people in ways that do not de-link it from class analysis and social relations of production.
Marx’s Social Republic: Political not Metaphysical
Authors: Roberts William Clare
Published: July 2019

When Marx dissected the capitalist economy and intervened in the international workers’ movement, he did so in the service of freeing people from alien, uncontrolled power. His political project was the realisation of what he called the social republic, and his theoretical project was to identify the forces that promote or retard this political project. In order to bring out the specificity and cogency of the social-republican Marx, this essay uproots the positive-freedom reading that has overgrown the edifice of his thought. Marx certainly hoped for ‘real freedom’, which is a sort of self-realisation. He also hoped for a sort of collective self-determination. And he thought that collective self-determination was a prerequisite for general self-realisation. But Marx also thought that generalised freedom from domination was a prerequisite for collective self-determination.
Nominal vs copular clauses in a diachronic corpus of Ancient Greek historians
Authors: Mambrini Francesco
Published: July 2019

We study the distribution of the nominal and copular construction of predicate nominals in a subset of authors from the Ancient Greek Dependency Treebank (AGDT). We concentrate on the texts of the historians Herodotus, Thucydides (both 5th century BCE) and Polybius (2nd century BCE). The data comprise a sample of 440 sentences (Hdt = 175, Thuc = 91, Pol = 174). We analyze the impact of four features that have been discussed in the literature and can be observed in the annotation of AGDT: (1) order of constituents, (2) part of speech of the subjects, (3) type of clause and (4) length of the clause. Furthermore, we test how the predictive power of these factors varies in time from Herodotus and Thucydides to Polybius with the help of a logistic-regression model. The analysis shows that, contrary to a simplistic opinion, the nominal construction does not drop into irrelevance in Hellenistic Greek. Moreover, an analysis of the distributions in the authors highlights a remarkable continuity in the usage patterns. Further work is needed to improve the predictive power of our logistic-regression model and to integrate more data in view of a more comprehensive quantitative diachronic study.
The Practicality of Holiness
Authors: Delgado Dara
Published: July 2019

In the second edition of the book African American Religion: Varieties of Protest and Accommodation, Hans A. Baer and Merrill Singer explore the relationship between Black Holiness–Pentecostalism and social activism. Ultimately, the authors conclude this portion of their study by asserting that “the vast majority of African American conversionist sects [among which they include Black Holiness–Pentecostalism] remain apolitical in their posture toward the larger society.” The idea is that Black Holiness–Pentecostals tend to put more emphasis on socially approved behaviors, attitudes, work ethic, and styles of dress than on engaging in socioeconomic and political affairs. This article considers Baer and Singer’s claim that Black Holiness–Pentecostals have historically tended to be apathetic toward worldly concerns and puts that claim into conversation with the life and work of Ida Bell Robinson, founder of the Mt. Sinai Holy Church of America (1925–1946). I explore the issues of class, race, and gender in relation to holiness. Moreover, I contend that the distinct practices of early Black Holiness–Pentecostals proved critical to living a sanctified, or clean, life and also determined the ways local churches addressed and worked to remedy problems around poverty (both social and economic) in their communities.
The Marco Cappato and Fabiano Antoniani (dj Fabo) Case Paves the Way for New Assisted Suicide Legislation in Italy: An Overview of Statutes from Several European Countries
Authors: Montanari Vergallo Gianluca
Published: July 2019

The article looks into the case involving Fabiano Antoniani, who, following a major road accident, was left tetraplegic. Marco Cappato drove him to a Swiss clinic where Mr. Antoniani took his own life by self-administration of lethal pentobarbital sodium. Cappato was put on trial, but the Italian Constitutional Court urged the Parliament to decriminalise assisted suicide in extremely serious cases. From a comparison with other European countries, approaches range from restrictive (banning both active euthanasia and assisted suicide), to entirely permissive. An intermediate approach only entails a ban on active euthanasia. It would be desirable to uniformise the diverse national statutes on a European level, which would make it possible for everyone to receive assistance towards ending their suffering, with limitations to incurable cases to be medically verified, and at the end of a path designed to ensure that patient freedom of choice is upheld at all time.
Judicial Adherence to the Minimum Core Obligation of a Right to Health in Bangladesh
Authors: Karim Sheikh Mohammad Towhidul , Alam Shawkat , Tomossy George F , Al Faruque Abdullah
Published: July 2019

This article examines how a right to health, expressed as a minimum core obligation under international law, can be advanced within the constitutional framework of Bangladesh. Reinforcing this right is important within the post-2015 Development Agenda under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Drawing upon examples of other jurisdictions to develop minimum core obligations of a right to health, it is argued that courts have a key role to play in actively enforcing a right to health to benefit poor, vulnerable and marginalised people. This article proposes that judicial adherence through interpretation of domestic and international law may provide the best mechanism to promote a right to health as a minimum core obligation in Bangladesh.
Reflections on Literary Studies in South Africa
Authors: Wittenberg Hermann
Published: July 2019

Zakes Mda is not only one of South Africa’s most significant post-apartheid novelists, but has worked in diverse media such as theatre, film, opera, painting and music. His prolific creativity in forms other than the novel needs to be taken into account when evaluating his writings. This article proposes an intermedial analysis of Black Diamond (2009), a novel which has largely been given unfavourable critical attention, and suggests that it needs to be considered as a mixed medial text that is shaped by a cinematic mode of narration. The novel is also re-interpreted in the light of a postcolonially inflected “surface reading,” which makes the pervasive visuality of Mda’s prose visible. Finally, it is argued that texts such as Black Diamond raise questions about the interpretive methodologies and reading practices in English literary studies, pointing to future challenges and opportunities in the discipline.
From the Autonomy Framework towards Networks and Systems Approaches for ‘Autonomous’ Weapons Systems
Authors: Liu Hin-Yan
Published: July 2019

The legal debate surrounding the development and deployment of autonomous weapons systems (aws) has stagnated in recent years, having arguably hit the hard limits of legal doctrine. At the heart of this impasse lies the focus upon autonomy as both the innovative and defining feature of aws. Thus, the autonomy of the weapons system places it in a legally liminal zone between agent and object, revealing a set of legal problems that revolve around issues of control, influence, responsibility and liability, and questions of legal compliance that follow from the prospect of autonomous lethal decision-making.

This paper seeks to explore alternative framings to the same underlying technology as a means of escaping the limits imposed by the autonomy framework that has dominated the debate to date, and to examine the consequences that flow from pursuing these approaches from legal and regulatory perspectives. In particular, emphasis is placed upon the networks approach, and the systems approach, which this paper sets out and differentiates from the orthodox emphasis upon autonomy. These alternative approaches suggest that the legal problems arising from the autonomy framing are the easiest set of issues to address, insofar as these frame legal problems, while the networks and systems approaches seem to touch upon legal mysteries to which no ready legal or regulatory responses can be made. Rather than dismiss the network and systems approaches, however, this paper suggests that appropriate, adequate and robust legal and regulatory responses must consider the insights and challenges that these approaches pose, and that pursuing these approaches will lead to powerful converging arguments supporting a moratorium on the deployment of aws.
Royal Pilgrims from Takrūr According to ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jazīrī (12th–16th Century)
Authors: Hadrien Collet
Published: July 2019

This piece is a presentation and a translation of al-Jazīrī’s al-Durar al-farāʾiḍ chapter on the royal pilgrims from Takrūr. This chapter presents notably an entirely new account on the pilgrimage of Idrīs b. ʿAlī, greatest sultan of Borno. The Cairene Sufi historian al-Jazīrī was at the time heading the office administrating the pilgrimage to Mecca. He was then at the center of the information traffic. An introduction presenting the author, his work, and royal pilgrims from West Africa opens the article, followed by the translation and the Arabic text.
The Production of Swahili-Islamic Manuscripts with Specific Reference to Swahili Ink Making
Authors: Parkar Ahmed
Published: July 2019

This article briefly examines the production of Swahili-Islamic manuscripts with specific reference to Swahili ink making in coastal Kenya. The Swahili scribes used organic, carbonic and carbonic-iron inks to write their manuscripts for centuries. Currently, the knowledge on what sort of ink ingredients were used and how to make the inks themselves is in the domain of a dwindling number of elderly individuals. This paper tries to explain the types of ingredients mentioned by these individuals during interviews carried by the researcher in the period of 2015–2017 in East Africa.
Beyond Quietism: Transformative Experience in Pyrrhonism and Wittgenstein
Authors: Gutschmidt Rico
Published: July 2019

Pyrrhonian skepticism is usually understood as a form of quietism, since it is supposed to bring us back to where we were in our everyday lives before we got disturbed by philosophical questions. Similarly, the ‘therapeutic’ and ‘resolute’ readings of Wittgenstein claim that Wittgenstein’s ‘philosophical practice’ results in the dissolution of the corresponding philosophical problems and brings us back to our everyday life. Accordingly, Wittgenstein is often linked to Pyrrhonism and classified as a quietist. Against this reading, I will employ Laurie Paul’s notion of epistemically transformative experience and argue that Pyrrhonian skepticism and Wittgenstein’s philosophy can be interpreted as a philosophical practice that changes our self-understanding in significant ways. I will argue that this practice can evoke transformative experiences and is thereby able to yield a non-propositional insight into the finitude of the human condition. This shows that Pyrrhonian skepticism and Wittgenstein’s philosophy go beyond quietism.
Dimensions of Multiplicity: New Perspectives on Turkish Muslim Community Centres in Germany as Relational Space
Authors: Herz Kathrin , Munsch Chantal
Published: July 2019

The paper is based on an ethnographic study of Turkish Muslim Community Centres in Germany. It analyses the multiplicity of these centres at various levels on the basis of participant observations, interviews, plans and photographs. The article describes the multiplicity of religious, cultural, social and commercial functions in the multifunctional clusters that are constantly changing. It clearly shows how individual spaces house a variety of overlapping social practices and how users associate diverse meanings with the centres. The paper develops a new perspective on mosques by focusing on the space and the complexity of everyday routines.
Critics, Moralists and Intellectuals: The Transformation of the Udabāʾ in the Arab Nahḍah: a Historical-Conceptual Approach
Authors: Pepe Teresa
Published: July 2019

This article analyzes the importance of the Nahḍah (Arabic Renaissance) for current developments in the field of Arabic literature. In particular it links the contemporary debate concerning the role and nature of writers and intellectuals (udabāʾ) in Arabic society to the semantic transformations undergone by the term adīb during the Nahḍah.

The study analyses a number of statements made by Egyptian writers in the historical cultural press, critical essays, and ̩̩literary works, in which the term adīb is discussed, using R. Koselleck’s method of conceptual history. It shows that, during the Nahḍah, the term absorbed the European concepts of “author”, “man of letter”, “intellectual”. Nonetheless, the classical meanings of adīb as a subject associated with eloquence, encyclopaedic knowledge and moralistic attitude, were also revived, and this spurred a lively debate characterized by plurality of views and intellectual dispositions.

Linking the nahḍawī debates to the debate concerning writers and intellectuals (udabāʾ) in contemporary society, the article shows how these same meanings are being re-disputed today in the midst of global and local cultural transformations.
Distribution of lignin, pectins and hemicelluloses in tension wood fibers of European ash (Fraxinus excelsior)
Authors: Kim Jong Sik , Daniel Geoffrey
Published: July 2019

Although there is considerable information on the chemistry of gelatinous (G) layers in tension wood (TW) fibers consisting of S1 + S2 + G cell wall structure (poplar), little is known on the chemistry of G-layers in TW fibers organized with S1+ G structure. This study investigated the distribution of lignin and non-cellulosic polysaccharides in ash TW fibers (S1+ G) using histochemistry and immunolocalization methods. TW fibers studied were fully developed (mature fibers) and obtained from two (TW-1, TW-2) mature European ash trees (Fraxinus excelsior L.). Based on differences in microfibril angle (MFA) and TW trees used, TW fibers were mainly classified into three types; 1) Type-1 fibers with MFA almost parallel to the fiber axis that were found in TW-1, 2) Type-2 fibers with 12° MFA that were abundant at the end of growth rings of TW-1 and 3) Type-3 fibers with 10° MFA that were found in TW-2. The S3 layer was absent in all TW fibers. In this study, the secondary cell wall structure of Type-1 and Type-2/Type-3 fibers were defined as G and GL (gelatinous-like) layers, respectively. Lignin with syringyl (S) units was detected in G/GL-layers, in which intensity and patterns of lignin staining likely related to the difference in MFA between G- and GL-layers. With hemicelluloses, heteroxylan and heteromannan epitopes were detected in G/GL-layers but these were much less abundant than those in S2 layers of normal wood (NW) fibers. Like lignin, distribution patterns of heteromannan epitopes in G/GL-layers likely related to differences in MFA between fiber types. Sparse xyloglucan epitopes were also detected in G/GL-layers. Homogalacturonan epitopes were absent in G/GL-layers. All fiber types showed abundant a-1, 5-arabinan epitopes in G/GL-layers. Overall results indicate that the chemistry of ash TW fibers studied differs significantly from that of other species reported previously, specifically TW fibers composed of S1 + S2 + G structure.
Girl Power Gone Right in Exodus 1–2: Miriam as Model for Contemporary Youth
Authors: Lewis Jennifer
Published: July 2019

Biblical scholars and Christian ministers have long viewed Miriam as an exemplar of female leadership. Few, however, recognise Miriam as a role model for female youth or explore the Biblical text for hints regarding the formation of courageous and competent young women. This paper contributes to research on youth leadership formation by providing exegetical commentary on Exodus 1–2, with a view to how the text might provide Christian communities clues about what female leaders look like and how to help girls become them.
Soil Organic Carbon (soc): A Proxy to Assess the Degree of Anthropogenic and Natural Stress
Authors: Dutta Joystu , Banerjee Kakoli , Agarwal Sangita , Mitra Abhijit
Published: July 2019

The carbon budget of planet earth is regulated by the soil compartment in all types of ecosystems. We conducted a first order analysis of soc in November 2017 both in the mangrove dominated Indian Sundarbans and the highly urbanized city of Kolkata with the aim of identifying the natural and anthropogenic contributions of organic carbon in soil. We also attempted to analyze the spatial variation of soc between these two significantly different ecosystems. We observed a comparatively higher mean value of soc in Kolkata (2.06%) than in the Sundarbans (1.25%). The significant spatial variation in soc between Kolkata and the Sundarbans (p < 0.05) may be attributed to anthropogenic stress, which is of greater magnitude in the city of Kolkata. The significant spatial variation in soc between north and south Kolkata (p < 0.05) is due to the efficiency of the drainage system in the north and the magnitude of city limit expansion in the south. In the Sundarban deltaic complex, a natural phenomenon like erosion seems to be a determining factor in the domain of soil carbon dynamics. soc analyses of all major metropolises around the world, of which Kolkata is one, are essential to understand the carbon sequestration potential of urban soils.
The Modality of Climate Change in the Middle East: Drought or Drying up?
Authors: Karami Nasser
Published: July 2019

Due to its widespread political and social consequences, the relationship between drought and climate change in the Middle East has been widely reported on by the media. Climate change is mainly understood within the paradigm: “prolonged drought is created and intensified by global warming.” The purpose of the study is to review this paradigm and examine aspects of it. Thus, climate trends in the Middle East are studied across three periods: 1900–1970, 1970–2000, and 2000–2017. Due to the importance of studying sequences of drought occurrence based on timescales of climatic patterns, the climatic trends of the Khuzestan Plain, were examined too. The results show that to have a clear understanding of both the modality of climate change in the Middle East and the current dominant paradigm, predominant assumptions of the paradigm should be reconsidered. For example, prolonged droughts are part of the natural pattern of climate in the Middle East, although the current drought has not been recorded for at least 100 years. This claim is based on the fact that prolonged droughts in this region can have natural causes, which can be studied as long-term climate trends, although the impact of global warming on the escalation of the Middle Eastern drought is undeniable. However, the exacerbating effect of non-anthropogenic factors on the impact of drought in the region should be studied, too. Additionally, as an epistemological assumption, the term “drying up” (as a new normal and permanent climatic pattern) should be used instead of “drought” (as a normal and reversible pattern) to determine the current climate change situation in the Middle East. The author concludes that the findings emphasize the need for further research in order to identify the modality of climate change in the Middle East.
The Origin of the Northern Tungusic Generalizing Particle *-gal ~ *-wal
Authors: de la Fuente José Andrés Alonso
Published: July 2019

The paper presents a survey of the generalizing clitical particle documented in Northern Tungusic in the forms -wal, -mal, -gal, -wul, -ul, etc., which, in some languages, is also attested in the function of the disjunctive conjunction ‘either—or’. Focusing on the dialectological and diachronic explanation of the initial alternation of w and g in this particle, the paper brings forth arguments in favour of the hypothesis that these elements are ultimately connected with the verbal root gǝlǝǝ- ‘to want, to please, to look for’. The conclusion is of general typological interest, and well-known parallels for the proposed development can be found in, for instance, several European languages.
The correct spelling of the nomen of the Yunnan giant flying squirrel Petaurista yunanensis Anderson, 1875 (Rodentia, Sciuridae)

Authors: CASANOVAS-VILAR ISAAC
Published: July 2019

Anderson (1875: 282) originally introduced the nomen Pteromys yunanensis for the Yunnan flying squirrel and later (Anderson 1879: 282) redescribed it as Pteromys yunnanensis, likely to fit with the alternative English spelling ‘Yunnan’ for the name of this Chinese province. Subsequently this species was transferred to the genus Petaurista Link, 1795 by Robinson & Kloss (1918: 173), which includes many recognized species and subspecies. Later on, it was considered a synonym of either Petaurista petaurista (Pallas, 1766) or Petaurista philippensis (Elliot, 1839) in subsequent taxonomic revisions (Ellerman & Morrison-Scott 1951; Corbet & Hill 1992; Thorington & Hoffmann 2006) until recent molecular phylogenetic analyses found it to be a separate species (Yu et al. 2006). More recent phylogenetic analyses have confirmed its species rank (e.g., Oshida et al. 2010; Casanovas-Vilar et al. 2018) and recent revisions have considered it a distinct species (Jackson 2012; Jackson & Thorington 2012; Koprowski et al. 2016).
Lectotypification and a new synonym for Strobilanthes pulneyensis C.B. Clarke (Acanthaceae)
Authors: ARIGELA RAVI KIRAN , SINGH RAJEEV KUMAR
Published: June 2019

The name Strobilanthes pulneyensis C.B. Clarke is lectotypified and the recently described new species S. orbiculata Thomas, Mani & Britto is treated here as its synonym. In addition the name, Strobilanthes circarensis Gamble, another synonym of Strobilanthes pulneyensis, is lectotypified.
Laetiporus lobatus (Basidiomycota, Polyporales), a new fungal species from Costa Rica
Authors: KOUT JIŘÍ , VLASÁK JOSEF , LINDNER DANIEL L. , BANIK MARK T.
Published: July 2019

A new species of Laetiporus, L. lobatus, is described. The species is closely related to L. caribensis, having similar ITS sequence and morphology. L. lobatus has smaller pores than L. caribensis and also has a distinctively lobed edge on its basidiocarps. To date, this species has only been found in Costa Rica. Taxonomic issues associated with Laetiporus are briefly discussed.
Exclusion of Glochidion coccineum (Phyllanthaceae) from the flora of China
Authors: YAO GANG , SONG ZHUQIU , LI YULING , SHI SHI , LUO SHIXIAO
Published: July 2019

The species Glochidion coccineum has long been considered to be widely distributed in China. Based on results from extensive specimen examinations and field investigations, we demonstrate that all the Chinese specimens previously identified as G. coccineum belong to G. daltonii, G. ellipticum, G. lanceolarium, G. oblatum, G. puber or G. sphaerogynum. Glochidion coccineum is not known to China and thus the distribution of the species in China is excluded. Filed images as well as a key to G. coccineum and relevant misidentified species are provided.
Isostigma resupinatum (Coreopsideae, Asteraceae), a new species from Central Plateau, Goiás State, Brazil
Authors: BUENO VINICIUS R. , MORAIS ISA L. , NAKAJIMA JIMI N.
Published: July 2019

The new species Isostigma resupinatum is described and illustrated. It is morphologically similar to Isostigma sparsifolium, from which it differs mainly in its entire, subulate, and resupinate leaves. Distribution maps and phenological data are included.