bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structure and oxygen-sensitive properties of thin films of natural carbon
Authors: Kovalchuk A A
Published: August 2022

Thin film carbon nanomaterials are widely studied and used as functional, conductive, reflective, and sensor coatings. In this work, films of natural graphene-based carbon are studied as a sensitive material for a gas sensor operating close to room temperature. The structural features of the films were studied by scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. It has been found that the deposition of natural carbon on substrates with a conductive coatings of indium oxide and of indium tin oxide allows to obtain a thin films, represented by homogeneous carbon nets, in the nodes of which are globular nano-sized particles. Microwave conductivity measurements were carried out using a λ/4 coaxial resonator based on a symmetric two-wire line. The results demonstrated that films on substrates with deposited indium oxide and indium tin oxide desorb oxygen from various structural levels of graphene-based carbon.
Terahertz technology in diagnosis of glioma molecular markers
Authors: Kuznetsov S , Konnikova M , Heinz T , Dizer E , Nikolaev N , Utkin D , Cherkasova O
Published: August 2022

Gliomas are invasive brain tumors with high rates of recurrence and mortality. It has been shown that specific markers for glioma’s differential diagnostics are enantiomers of 2-hydroxyglutarate (L-2HG and D-2HG) in brain tissues and blood. These isomers have unique absorption peaks originating from vibrational and rotational transitions in their molecules. In particular, the peaks centered at 1.337 THz and 1.695 THz correspond to L-2HG and D-2HG isomers, respectively. The goal of this work is to develop highly efficient frequency-selective sensors for L-2HG and D-2HG isomers using the effect of nanoantenna-assisted plasmonic enhancement of THz absorption. Such an approach provides a noticeable increase in detection sensitivity versus direct non-resonant methods. In this paper, we present the numerical results of the design optimization for L-2HG and D-2HG sensors based on Si/SiO2-wafer-backed arrays of golden nanoantennas of linear geometry. The optimal structural parameters of the arrays found through integral averaging of the square of the surface electric field over an array unit cell are recommended for further nanolithographic fabrication of this kind of THz sensor.
Numerical metrics for complete intersection and Kreuzer–Skarke Calabi–Yau manifolds
Authors: Larfors Magdalena , Lukas Andre , Ruehle Fabian , Schneider Robin
Published: August 2022

We introduce neural networks (NNs) to compute numerical Ricci-flat Calabi–Yau (CY) metrics for complete intersection and Kreuzer–Skarke (KS) CY manifolds at any point in Kähler and complex structure moduli space, and introduce the package cymetric which provides computation realizations of these techniques. In particular, we develop and computationally realize methods for point-sampling on these manifolds. The training for the NNs is carried out subject to a custom loss function. The Kähler class is fixed by adding to the loss a component which enforces the slopes of certain line bundles to match with topological computations. Our methods are applied to various manifolds, including the quintic manifold, the bi-cubic manifold and a KS manifold with Picard number two. We show that volumes and line bundle slopes can be reliably computed from the resulting Ricci-flat metrics. We also apply our results to compute an approximate Hermitian–Yang–Mills connection on a specific line bundle on the bi-cubic.
Notes on solutions of KZ equations modulo 𝑝^{𝑠} and 𝑝-adic limit 𝑠→∞
Authors: Varchenko Alexander
Published: August 2022

We consider the differential KZ equations over

C

\mathbb C

in the case, when the hypergeometric solutions are one-dimensional hyperelliptic integrals of genus

g
g

. In this case the space of solutions of the differential KZ equations is a

2
g

2g

-dimensional complex vector space.

We also consider the same differential equations modulo

p
s

p^s

, where

p
p

is an odd prime number and

s
s

is a positive integer, and over the field

Q

p

\mathbb Q_p

of

p
p

-adic numbers.

We describe a construction of polynomial solutions of the differential KZ equations modulo

p
s

p^s

. These polynomial solutions have integer coefficients and are

p
s

p^s

-analogs of the hyperelliptic integrals. We call them the

p
s

p^s

-hypergeometric solutions. We consider the space

M

p
s

\mathcal M_{p^s}

of all

p
s

p^s

-hypergeometric solutions, which is a module over the ring of polynomial quasi-constants modulo

p
s

p^s

. We study basic properties of

M

p
s

\mathcal M_{p^s}

, in particular its natural filtration, and the dependence of

M

p
s

\mathcal M_{p^s}

on

s
s

.

We show that the

p
p

-adic limit of

M

p
s

\mathcal M_{p^s}

as

s
→
∞

s\to \infty

gives us a

g
g

-dimensional vector space of solutions of the differential KZ equations over the field

Q

p

\mathbb Q_p

. The solutions over

Q

p

\mathbb Q_p

are power series at a certain asymptotic zone of the KZ equations.

In the appendix written jointly with Steven Sperber we consider all asymptotic zones of the KZ equations in the special case

g
=
1

g=1

of elliptic integrals. It turns out that in this case the

p
p

-adic limit of

M

p
s

\mathcal M_{p^s}

as

s
→
∞

s\to \infty

gives us a one-dimensional space of solutions over

Q

p

\mathbb Q_p

at every asymptotic zone. We apply Dwork’s theory of the classical hypergeometric function over

Q

p

\mathbb Q_p

and show that our germs of solutions over

Q

p

\mathbb Q_p

defined at different asymptotic zones analytically continue into a single global invariant line subbundle of the associated KZ connection. Notice that the corresponding KZ connection over

C

\mathbb C

does not have proper nontrivial invariant subbundles, and therefore our invariant line subbundle is a new feature of the KZ equations over

Q

p

\mathbb Q_p

.

Also in the appendix we follow Dwork and describe the Frobenius transformations of solutions of the KZ equations for

g
=
1

g=1

. Using these Frobenius transformations we recover the unit roots of the zeta functions of the elliptic curves defined by the affine equations

y
2

=
β

x
(
x
−
1
)
(
x
−
α
)

y^2= \beta \,x(x-1)(x-\alpha )

over the finite field

F

p

\mathbb F_p

. Here

α
,
β
∈

F

p
×

,
α
≠
1

\alpha ,\beta \in \mathbb F_p^\times , \alpha \ne 1

. Notice that the same elliptic curves considered over

C

\mathbb {C}

are used to construct the complex holomorphic solutions of the KZ equations for

g
=
1

g=1

.
Solid locally analytic representations of 𝑝-adic Lie groups
Authors: Rodrigues Jacinto Joaquín , Rodríguez Camargo Juan
Published: August 2022

We develop the theory of locally analytic representations of compact

p
p

-adic Lie groups from the perspective of the theory of condensed mathematics of Clausen and Scholze. As an application, we generalise Lazard’s isomorphisms between continuous, locally analytic and Lie algebra cohomology to solid representations. We also prove a comparison result between the group cohomology of a solid representation and of its analytic vectors.
Heritability estimation for a linear combination of phenotypes via ridge regression
Authors: Li Xiaoguang , Feng Xingdong , Liu Xu
Published: August 2022

Motivation

The joint analysis of multiple phenotypes is important in many biological studies, such as plant and animal breeding. The heritability estimation for a linear combination of phenotypes is designed to account for correlation information. Existing methods for estimating heritability mainly focus on single phenotypes under random-effect models. These methods also require some stringent conditions, which calls for a more flexible and interpretable method for estimating heritability. Fixed-effect models emerge as a useful alternative.

Results

In this article, we propose a novel heritability estimator based on multivariate ridge regression for linear combinations of phenotypes, yielding accurate estimates in both sparse and dense cases. Under mild conditions in the high-dimensional setting, the proposed estimator appears to be consistent and asymptotically normally distributed. Simulation studies show that the proposed estimator is promising under different scenarios. Compared with independently combined heritability estimates in the case of multiple phenotypes, the proposed method significantly improves the performance by considering correlations among those phenotypes. We further demonstrate its application in heritability estimation and correlation analysis for the Oryza sativa rice dataset.

Availability and implementation

An R package implementing the proposed method is available at https://github.com/xg-SUFE1/MultiRidgeVar, where covariance estimates are also given together with heritability estimates.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Climate Change and the Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases in the United States
Authors: Edelson Paul J , Harold Rachel , Ackelsberg Joel , Duchin Jeffrey S , Lawrence Steven J , Manabe Yukari C , Zahn Matt , LaRocque Regina C
Published: August 2022

The earth is rapidly warming, driven by increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide and other gases that result primarily from fossil fuel combustion. In addition to causing arctic ice melting and extreme weather events, climatologic factors are linked strongly to the transmission of many infectious diseases. Changes in the prevalence of infectious diseases not only reflect the impacts of temperature, humidity, and other weather-related phenomena on pathogens, vectors, and animal hosts but are also part of a complex of social and environmental factors that will be affected by climate change, including land use, migration, and vector control. Vector- and waterborne diseases and coccidioidomycosis are all likely to be affected by a warming planet; there is also potential for climate-driven impacts on emerging infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance. Additional resources for surveillance and public health activities are urgently needed, as well as systematic education of clinicians on the health impacts of climate change.
Outcomes of Partial Oral Antibiotic Treatment for Complicated Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia in People Who Inject Drugs
Authors: Wildenthal John A , Atkinson Andrew , Lewis Sophia , Sayood Sena , Nolan Nathanial S , Cabrera Nicolo L , Marschall Jonas , Durkin Michael J , Marks Laura R
Published: August 2022

Background

Staphylococcus aureus represents the leading cause of complicated bloodstream infections among persons who inject drugs (PWID). Standard of care (SOC) intravenous (IV) antibiotics result in high rates of treatment success but are not feasible for some PWID. Transition to oral antibiotics may represent an alternative treatment option.

Methods

We evaluated all adult patients with a history of injection drug use hospitalized from January 2016 through December 2021 with complicated S. aureus bloodstream infections, including infective endocarditis, epidural abscess, vertebral osteomyelitis, and septic arthritis. Patients were compared by antibiotic treatment (standard of care intravenous [SOC IV] antibiotics, incomplete IV therapy, or transition from initial IV to partial oral) using the primary composite endpoint of death or readmission from microbiologic failure within 90 days of discharge.

Results

Patients who received oral antibiotics after an incomplete IV antibiotic course were significantly less likely to experience microbiologic failure or death than patients discharged without oral antibiotics (P < .001). There was no significant difference in microbiologic failure rates when comparing patients who were discharged on partial oral antibiotics after receiving at least 10 days of IV antibiotics with SOC regimens (P > .9).

Conclusions

Discharge of PWID with partially treated complicated S. aureus bacteremias without oral antibiotics results in high rates of morbidity and should be avoided. For PWID hospitalized with complicated S. aureus bacteremias who have received at least 10 days of effective IV antibiotic therapy after clearance of bacteremia, transition to oral antibiotics with outpatient support represents a potential alternative if the patient does not desire SOC IV antibiotic therapy.
Persistent Circulating Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Spike Is Associated With Post-acute Coronavirus Disease 2019 Sequelae
Authors: Swank Zoe , Senussi Yasmeen , Manickas-Hill Zachary , Yu Xu G , Li Jonathan Z , Alter Galit , Walt David R
Published: August 2022

The diagnosis of postacute sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 (PASC) poses an ongoing medical challenge. To identify biomarkers associated with PASC we analyzed plasma samples collected from PASC and coronavirus disease 2019 patients to quantify viral antigens and inflammatory markers. We detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike predominantly in PASC patients up to 12 months after diagnosis.
The Roles of Unrecognized Mpox Cases, Contact Isolation and Vaccination in Determining Epidemic Size in Belgium: A Modeling Study
Authors: Van Dijck Christophe , Hens Niel , Kenyon Chris , Tsoumanis Achilleas
Published: August 2022

We used a network model to simulate a mpox epidemic among men who have sex with men. Our findings suggest that unrecognized infections have an important impact on the epidemic, and that vaccination of individuals at highest risk of infection reduces epidemic size more than post-exposure vaccination of sexual partners.
The Retirement–Health Puzzle: A Sigh of Relief at Retirement?
Authors: Okamoto Shohei , Kobayashi Erika , Komamura Kohei
Published: August 2022

Objectives

While the health effects of retirement have been well studied, existing findings remain inconclusive, and the mechanisms underlying the linkage between retirement and health are unclear. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of retirement on health and its potential mediators.

Methods

Using a national household survey conducted annually from 2004 to 2019 in Japan (the Japan Household Panel Survey), we evaluated the effects of retirement among Japanese men aged 50 or older on their health, in addition to other outcomes that could be attributed to health changes associated with retirement (i.e., health behaviors, psychological well-being, time use for unpaid activities, and leisure activities). As outcomes are not measured every year, we analyzed 5,794–10,682 person-year observations for 975–1,469 unique individuals. To address the potential endogeneity of retirement, we adopted an instrumental variable fixed-effects approach based on policy changes in eligibility ages for employee pensions.

Results

We found that retirement improved psychological well-being, exercise habits, and time spent on unpaid work. The psychological benefits of retirement were no longer observed for longer durations after retirement, whereas healthy habits and unpaid activities continued. Moreover, health-related improvements after retirement occurred mostly in the higher-income group.

Discussion

Enhancement in personal quality of life owing to increased leisure time and stress reduction from work in addition to lifestyle changes may be key to understanding the health benefits of retirement. Considering the mechanisms behind retirement–health relationships and potential heterogeneous effects is essential for healthy postretirement lives when increasing the retirement age.
Calcified thrombi of the Valsalva sinuses mimicking an aortic valve tumour
Authors: Nakamura Ryo , Honda Kentaro , Kunimoto Hideki , Nishimura Yoshiharu
Published: August 2022

Tumours or tumour-like lesions around the aortic valve are relatively rare and are difficult to diagnose. We report an interesting case of calcified thrombi in the Valsalva sinuses and coronary cusps that mimicked an aortic valve tumour. A 68-year-old man presented with a 20-mm calcified mass in the non-coronary and left-coronary cusps extending to their corresponding Valsalva sinuses, which was detected by echocardiography and contrast-enhanced computed tomography. The lesions were resected to establish the diagnosis and prevent systemic embolization. Intraoperative and histopathological examination revealed an atrophied non-coronary leaflet and calcified atherosclerotic lesions of the Valsalva sinuses and contiguous parts of the cusps, with ulceration and fibrin thrombi. The lesions were resected and aortic valve replacement was performed to avoid aortic valve dysfunction. The patient’s atrial fibrillation was controlled, and anticoagulants were discontinued 3 months postoperatively. Surgery to establish the diagnosis and to prevent systemic thromboembolism was thought to be reasonable, even in the absence of valvular dysfunction.
Mad CoW: A Reply to Gibler and Miller
Authors: Lyall Jason
Published: August 2022

In Divided Armies, I argue that inequality within armies (“military inequality”) has shaped their battlefield performance in conventional wars since 1800. Gibler and Miller (2022) are unpersuaded. They raise a flurry of concerns about the cross-national evidence and one statistical analysis in the book’s Chapter 4. In particular, they maintain that Project Mars, the book’s dataset, offers nothing new compared to the Correlates of War (CoW). I find their criticisms misplaced. I use their own statistical models for reanalyzing Project Mars to demonstrate that military inequality is an important driver of battlefield performance across six different measures in all types of CoW wars over the past 200 years. We should build, not bury, a research program that further explores the relationship between inequality and political violence.
Do Armed Drones Counter Terrorism, Or Are They Counterproductive? Evidence from Eighteen Countries
Authors: Schwartz Joshua A , Fuhrmann Matthew , Horowitz Michael C
Published: August 2022

Do armed drone programs decrease or increase terrorism? Existing studies on this question produce conflicting arguments and evidence. Drone optimists contend that armed drones reduce a country's vulnerability to terrorism, while pessimists claim that this military technology provokes higher levels of terrorism. Prior research focuses almost exclusively on one particular context: the short-term effect of the US drone program in Pakistan. However, armed drones have proliferated rapidly over the last decade and eighteen countries now possess this technology. We expand the scope of prior studies by leveraging new data to assess how obtaining armed drones and conducting drone strikes changed the degree to which all drone possessors experienced terrorism between 2001 and 2019. Employing a variety of estimation strategies, including two-way fixed effects, we find that armed drone programs are associated with significant reductions in terrorism. Our analysis, based on the full universe of cases over an eighteen-year period, provides further evidence that drones can be effective as a counterterrorism tool in some cases.
Unmasking Militants: Organizational Trends in Armed Groups, 1970–2012
Authors: Malone Iris
Published: August 2022

Despite the prevalence of armed groups in world politics, a prominent measurement challenge obscures understanding about many of these militant actors, especially when their activities fall below the threshold of civil war. This note addresses this gap by introducing a new dataset on the organizational characteristics of 1,202 armed groups that operated in 124 countries between 1970 and 2012. It outlines the dataset's construction and uses principal component analysis to explore organizational trends across armed groups. The results show armed groups tend to organize around three archetypes, each with different ideological goals, recruitment tactics, and areas of operation. Armed group campaigns are far more numerous than previously realized and can evolve in intensity over time. Unpacking these trends creates substantial opportunities for developing and testing new group-level theories about the causes of militant formation, escalation processes, and consequences of organizational decisions.
PAN-cODE: COVID-19 forecasting using conditional latent ODEs
Authors: Shi Ruian , Zhang Haoran , Morris Quaid
Published: August 2022

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused millions of deaths around the world and revealed the need for data-driven models of pandemic spread. Accurate pandemic caseload forecasting allows informed policy decisions on the adoption of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce disease transmission. Using COVID-19 as an example, we present Pandemic conditional Ordinary Differential Equation (PAN-cODE), a deep learning method to forecast daily increases in pandemic infections and deaths. By using a deep conditional latent variable model, PAN-cODE can generate alternative caseload trajectories based on alternate adoptions of NPIs, allowing stakeholders to make policy decisions in an informed manner. PAN-cODE also allows caseload estimation for regions that are unseen during model training. We demonstrate that, despite using less detailed data and having fully automated training, PAN-cODE’s performance is comparable to state-of-the-art methods on 4-week-ahead and 6-week-ahead forecasting. Finally, we highlight the ability of PAN-cODE to generate realistic alternative outcome trajectories on select US regions.
How I Approach Leishmaniasis: Diagnosis and Treatment in the United States
Authors: Ness Tara E , Martin-Blais Rachel , Weatherhead Jill E
Published: August 2022

Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease caused by over 20 species of obligate intracellular protozoa belonging to the genus Leishmania. Leishmaniasis has a global distribution, including in the United States, and can cause a spectrum of clinical syndromes, including cutaneous, mucosal, and visceral diseases depending on host factors and the infecting Leishmania spp. Accurate diagnosis, including Leishmania species identification, is an important step to guide the most appropriate therapeutic intervention. Antileishmanial therapy is dependent on the Leishmania spp. identified, the clinical syndrome, and the child’s immune system. However, many treatment regimens for children have been extrapolated from adult clinical trials, which may lead to underdosing and subsequent poor outcomes in infected children. Additional research is urgently needed to help guide therapy for children and determine appropriate antileishmanial agents, doses, and treatment courses for children with leishmaniasis.
Immunotherapy for metastatic liver disease from colorectal carcinoma: case series from the Middle East
Authors: Kakati Rasha T , Faraj Walid , Qaraqe Taha , El Chaer Frederic , Hussain Hero , Shamseddine Ali , Khalife Mohamad Jawad
Published: August 2022

Immunotherapy poses new considerations and alterations to the management of metastatic colorectal carcinoma (mCRC), where chemotherapy achieves complete radiological response but yields complete pathological response in few patients only. Immunotherapy may be superior in the conversion of unresectable disease to resectable liver lesions from mCRC and downsizing borderline lesions for more feasible resectability and achieving complete pathologic response, with the potential for cure and to alter current, established guidelines for surgical resection with a shift from chemotherapy. We present two patients with hepatic lesions from mCRC characterized by deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) which were unresectable after traditional chemotherapy but were converted to resectable lesions with a complete histopathological response following immunotherapy. Complete histopathologic response and radiologic regression or disappearance of liver lesions was observed in patients with dMMR mCRC after pembrolizumab. Immunotherapy exhibits notable potential for cure, achieving complete, successful surgical resection and improving prognosis.
Dexamethasone and MicroRNA-204 Inhibit Corneal Neovascularization
Authors: Zhang Xiaoping , Wang Gang , Wang Qing , Jiang Rui
Published: August 2022

Introduction

This was an in vivo animal study designed to investigate the interaction between dexamethasone (Dex) and microRNA-204 (miR-204) in a mouse alkali burn-induced corneal neovascularization (CNV) model. The function of miR-204 was then investigated in human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs) in vitro.

Materials and Methods

The CNV model was induced by corneal alkali burn in BLAB/c mice. The mice were randomly divided into five groups: normal control (Ctrl), alkali burn-induced corneal injury (Alkali), alkali burn + Dex (Dex), alkali burn + negative control (NTC), and alkali burn + miR-204 agomir (miR-204). Subconjunctival injection of NTC, Dex, or miR-204 agomir was conducted at 0, 3, and 6 days, respectively, after alkali burn. The corneas were collected at day 7 after injury, and the CNV area was observed using immunofluorescence staining. The expression of miR-204 was analyzed with quantitative real time (qRT)-PCR. In HMECs, exogenous miR-204 agomir or antagomir was used to strengthen or inhibit the expression of miR-204. Migration assays and tube formation studies were conducted to evaluate the function of miR-204 on HMECs.

Results

At 7 days post-alkali burn, CNV grew aggressively into the cornea. MicroRNA-204 expression was reduced in the Alkali group in contrast with the Ctrl group (P = .003). However, miR-204 was upregulated in the Dex group (vs. alkali group, P = .008). The CNV areas in the NTC and miR-204 groups were 59.30 ± 8.32% and 25.60 ± 2.30%, respectively (P = .002). In vitro, miR-204 agomir showed obvious inhibition on HMEC migration in contrast with NTC (P = .033) and miR-204 antagomir (P = .017). Compared with NTC, miR-204 agomir attenuated tube formation, while miR-204 antagomir accelerated HMEC tube formation (P < .05).

Conclusion

The role of Dex in attenuating CNV may be partly attributed to miR-204. MiR-204 may be a potential therapeutic target in alkali burn-induced CNV.
Disease burden, risk factors, and trends of primary central nervous system (CNS) cancer: A global study of registries data
Authors: Huang Junjie , Chan Sze Chai , Lok Veeleah , Zhang Lin , Lin Xu , Lucero-Prisno Don Eliseo , Xu Wanghong , Zheng Zhi-Jie , Elcarte Edmar , Withers Mellissa , Wong Martin C S ,   NCD Global Health Research Group,   Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU)
Published: August 2022

Background

This study aimed to evaluate the global incidence, mortality, associated risk factors, and temporal trends of central nervous system (CNS) cancer by sex, age, and country.

Methods

We extracted incidence and mortality of CNS cancer from the GLOBOCAN (2020), Cancer Incidence in Five Continents series I–X, WHO mortality database, the Nordic Cancer Registries, and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. We searched the Global Health data exchanges for the prevalence of its associated risk factors. We tested the trends by Average Annual Percentage Change (AAPC) from Joinpoint regression analysis with 95% confidence intervals in different age groups.

Results

The age-standardized rates (ASRs) of CNS cancer incidence and mortality were 3.5 and 2.8 per 100,000 globally. Southern Europe (ASR = 6.0) and Western Asia (ASR = 4.2) had the highest incidence and mortality, respectively. The incidence was associated with Human Development Index, Gross Domestics Products per capita, prevalence of traumatic brain injuries, occupational carcinogens exposure, and mobile phone use at the country level. There was an overall stable and mixed trend in the CNS cancer burden. However, increasing incidence was observed in younger male population from five countries, with Slovakia (AAPC = 5.40; 95% CI 1.88, 9.04; P = .007) reporting the largest increase.

Conclusions

While the overall global trends of cancer have been largely stable, significant increasing trends were found in the younger male population. The presence of some higher-HDI countries with increasing mortality suggested an ample scope for further research and exploration of the reasons behind these epidemiological trends.
Kings and Subjects
Authors: Podany Amanda H.
Published: August 2022

The Early Dynastic period (2900–2300 bce) began when powerful men in Sumerian cities first took the title of king. The writing system developed into cuneiform, which began to represent the Sumerian language. A case study of a priest, Ushumgal, and his daughter, Shara-igizi-Abzu, shows that powerful people at this time could transfer large amounts of property under oath, and that a permanent legal record was desired, attesting to a developing legal system. Short biographies of three kings of the city-state of Lagash explore the development of royal propaganda and interpret the nature of kingship at the time. First is Ur-Nanshe, who bragged of his temple construction, promotion of international trade, and warfare against distant Elam. He also began hostilities against neighboring Umma, which continued for many generations. The second biography is of Eannatum, who commissioned the Stela of the Vultures, depicting the divine authority that he claimed for his military campaigns against Umma, and the oaths sworn by the kings. The third king is Enmetena, an innovator in the use of diplomacy, the creation of alliances, and the cancellation of some of his subjects’ debts. He and other kings were represented by inscribed statues that prayed on their behalf to the gods. The Royal Tombs of Ur demonstrate the great wealth accumulated by some Early Dynastic kings and queens, and their power to be joined in death by attendants. The kings wished to live on in the afterlife and to be remembered by the gods and by people in the future.
Royal Couples, Divine Couples, and Envoys
Authors: Podany Amanda H.
Published: August 2022

The marriage of King Irkab-damu and Queen Tabur-damu of Ebla provides insights into the administration, beliefs, and economy of a Syrian kingdom in the Early Dynastic period. The chapter explores the stages in the royal marriage, including gifts given and received (some from distant lands), sacrifices to the gods and to dead kings, anointing of the bride, processions, and appearance of the couple before the city gods. The honeymoon was largely spent in the “House of the Dead” performing rituals to honor ancient kings and gods. By the end of the honeymoon, Tabur-damu and Irkab-damu were considered the true queen and king. As in southern Mesopotamia at this time, statues of past kings and queens were venerated and provided with gifts. Many gifts in Ebla were of textiles. Even more than in Sumer, textiles drove the local economy; people were even paid in textiles. Ebla had contacts with many kingdoms in Syria and beyond. A diplomatic letter found in the archive refers to an alliance as a relationship of “brotherhood” and shows that the ties were maintained by envoys who carried letters and gifts between courts. A biography of two merchants, Enar-Lim and Ruzi-malik, shows that Ebla even had ties to Egypt, where the men traveled for the king of Ebla, taking silver, tin, lapis lazuli, and oil and receiving linen, elephant ivory, copper, monkeys, and other goods in exchange. Travel was common; even the royal family traveled regularly within the kingdom of Ebla, especially on pilgrimages to shrines.
Sparring Kings and Their Military Commanders
Authors: Podany Amanda H.
Published: August 2022

The Ur III dynasty was succeeded by the kingdom of Isin (2017–1817 bce) and the kingdom of Larsa (1932–1763 bce), which together dominated the era called the Isin-Larsa period. This chapter looks at the struggles between these two kingdoms from the perspective of the town of Kisurra, which was located near their border, and focuses on a number of kings who ruled during the era. Several new dynasties were founded by Amorite-speaking leaders in this era. Letters written by King Sumu-El of Larsa to his military commanders, detailed in a case study, provide a view of his specific concerns during warfare. Sumu-El mentions concerns over the release of needed troops and over quarrels among the generals, intelligence about the enemy’s movements, oracles taken to determine the gods’ directives for attacks, and advice about fort construction, though he makes few references to casualties in his letters. His messages were conveyed by and to military men, one of whom was named Pihatni-ipiq. This official’s responsibilities, both military and civilian, are examined. Two more kings are profiled in the chapter: Sumu-la-El, who founded an Amorite dynasty in Babylon, and Enlil-bani of Isin, who apparently came to the throne in an unusual way. He was said to be a gardener who was serving as a substitute king, ready to die in order to fulfill an omen predicting the king’s death, but the true king died. Enlil-bani kept the throne and devoted much of his attention to venerating the gods.
Businessmen, Charioteers, and Translators
Authors: Podany Amanda H.
Published: August 2022

Mittani, a kingdom in northern Syria, expanded west to the Mediterranean and east to Assyria during the fifteenth century bce. Its kings’ archives have not been found, so little is known about its court. The kings had Indo-Aryan throne names, but spoke the local Hurrian. Alalakh, in western Mittani, was rich from trade. The people there were divided into social classes with specific obligations. Ilim-ilimma was a businessman in Alalakh. As a member of the elite maryanni class, he would have fought in a chariot, and was exempt from corvée labor. All classes of men in Mittani served in the military when needed. Ilim-ilimma lent silver to other citizens, purchased slaves, and found other ways to enrich himself. The kings oversaw and sealed many transactions and contracts; this included local kings, like the ruler of Alalakh who witnessed Ilim-ilimma’s transactions, and the great king of Mittani. The great powers of Mittani, Hatti, and Egypt fought for control of northwest Syria until around 1418 bce when they reached a peace agreement, and began to interact following ancient rules of diplomacy. Their relationships depended on envoys and translators. A profile of Hane, an Egyptian translator, reveals the responsibilities of translators, how they were treated, the education of cuneiform scribes in Egypt, the challenges of travel between capital cities, and difficulties of translation. The translators also had to understand nuances of the languages used. These are seen in a study of the word “love” as used by the king of Mittani.
“I Just Got on My Travelin’ Shoes”
Authors: Zolten Jerry
Published: August 2022

The 1930s were formative and expansive years for all styles of African American entertainment, including acapella gospel quartets. Recordings, radio, and touring provided regional groups access to broad audiences. James Davis and Barney Parks were inspired to pursue a livelihood as professional singers. They called themselves the Dixie Hummingbirds and began a campaign of “wildcatting,” going from town to town and remaining until they had established themselves there before moving on to the next. The Hummingbirds drove as far north as Michigan down south to Florida. They faced trial and tribulation along the way: detentions, sleeping in the car, all-night driving, wrecks, not getting paid, and racist confrontations. Their break came in the late 1930s for the famous recording group when Jimmy Bryant, stranded in Greenville while on tour with the Heavenly Gospel Singers of Detroit, used his record company connections to get the Hummingbirds an audition. The group, Bryant, James Davis, Barney Parks, and Wilson Baker, drove to New York City and recorded fourteen acapella spirituals for the Decca record label, which were released in 1939. The Hummingbirds were paid a flat fee. They returned home with the prestige of having recorded, but otherwise their career had stalled, leaving them wondering where to go from there.
“Twelve Gates to the City”
Authors: Zolten Jerry
Published: August 2022

In 1943 the Dixie Hummingbirds moved to Philadelphia, a strategic location that offered population density, easy access to nearby cities, and an opportunity to perform on the radio. They also wanted to escape the racist climate of the South. Philadelphia became the home base for the Hummingbirds and their families. The move paid off when powerhouse producer John Hammond, who had helped the careers of Bessie Smith and Benny Goodman, offered the Hummingbirds a regular spot at a New York City nightclub, Café Society. Café Society offered the best in African American talent at affordable prices with no racial restrictions as at other New York City venues. The Hummingbirds filled in for the Golden Gate Quartet when they were away on tour, but when a second location was opened, the Hummingbirds got their own weekly featured spot. Billed as the Jericho Quartet, in that guise they appeared in white-tailed tuxedos and started their show by sliding out from side stage into formation around their microphones as they performed their opening number. During their run, the Hummingbirds associated with entertainment luminaries including Paul Robeson, Josh White, and Billie Holiday. They polished stagecraft and artistry that kept audiences riveted. The war, however, continued to rage and Barney Parks and bass singer Wilson Baker were drafted. Baker was replaced by William Bobo, Tucker's childhood friend from Spartanburg. Bobo would become one of the most respected bass singers in the history of gospel.
“Who Are We?”
Authors: Zolten Jerry
Published: August 2022

The Hummingbirds—James Davis, Ira Tucker, James Walker, Beachey Thompson, and Howard Carroll—celebrated their fiftieth anniversary with an album, Golden Flight. The album and the occasion sparked appearances on numerous network television programs. The group was the subject of a segment on ABC-TV’s magazine show 20/20 and Ebony Magazine ran a cover story. Looking for independence and artistic control, the Hummingbirds began producing their own recordings, leasing them to independent labels. Aging and constant travel taking a toll, James Davis retired, though remaining compensated and in control. The group drew on reserve singers and Paul Owens rejoined after a thirty-year absence. A documentary about the Hummingbirds began shooting in 1992, but while it was underway, James Walker and Beachey Thompson passed. Carl Davis stepped in and the documentary, We Love You Like a Rock, was released in 1994. The Dixie Hummingbirds—Ira Tucker, Paul Owens, Carl Davis, and Howard Carroll—toured internationally. They marked their seventieth anniversary with the album Music in the Air, featuring musical guests Shirley Caesar, Isaac Hayes, Wynona Judd, Mavis Staples, Deniece Williams, Vickie Winans, Bobby Womack, Paul Simon, and Stevie Wonder. They performed with Simon and Wonder on NBC’s The Late Show with David Letterman. The Hummingbirds were inducted into the Gospel Music and Vocal Group Halls of Fame and named National Heritage Fellows. Leading up to their seventy-fifth anniversary, they questioned continuing and in what form.
Interior Frontiers
Authors: Stoler Ann Laura
Published: August 2022

This book reviews the colonial projects of the nineteenth and twentieth century which cast a long shadow on the laws, politics, and culture of nations around the world. It mentions the colonial residue that is apparent in fears about caravans of refugees and their effects on national culture. It also highlights the argument that nationalism isn’t something that appeared out of nowhere, pointing out that liberals failed to see it coming because of the philosophical concepts that can’t capture the importance of imperial thinking to liberal notions of self and nation. The book looks at a range of concepts that fall outside of traditional political measures and that structure the ways in which nations and individuals conceive of themselves. It considers Europe as a “shatterzone,” an eighteenth-century geological term for areas of fissured rock that networks of veins that fill with rich mineral deposits.
Interior Frontiers
Authors: Stoler Ann Laura
Published: August 2022

This chapter reviews the early-nineteenth-century term, interior frontier, that was forged into a political concept and became an unexpected conceptual hinge for the thinking about racial formations. It reflects on the paradoxical, quixotic quality of a concept in the practices interior frontier calls forth. It also talks about seal affiliations among “a people,” and between person and polity to bolster moral armament or tear at the inner seams of civic life, turning persons against one another. The chapter analyzes the French expression “moi peau,” which invites to thought about the skin as an envelope, a sensorial limit, site of excitation, a protection against aggression, or a defense against effraction. It explains that moi peau is thought less as a metaphor of “me” or ego, but more of the skin’s capacity to designate features activated in becoming a political subject.
“All Things Being Equal”
Authors: Stoler Ann Laura
Published: August 2022

This chapter discusses shatterzones that are on the borderlands of civility and beyond their common designated location in Syria, Afghanistan, or Iraq. It elaborates how the shatterzone equally describes the contemporary carceral history of Europe and the U.S. and defines them as sites of compressed inequalities, racial cleavages, and racial geopolitics distributing exorbitant divisions of poverty and wealth. The chapter focuses on a constellation of practices and policies that question the U.S. as a carceral exception and look at one of the hinges on which collusions between capitalist profits and state expansion depend, such as convict leasing and the extraction and mobility of penal labor. It emphasizes how the usual time frame offered for convict leasing that was confined to the period 1885 to 1928 and to the American South is misleading.
Anton Wilhelm Amo
Authors: Smith Justin E. H.
Published: August 2022

In 1738 the German-based African philosopher Anton Wilhelm Amo published the last and by far the longest of his three philosophical works: the Treatise on the Art of Soberly and Accurately Philosophizing. It is first and foremost a work of logic, evidently intended for students following the courses he taught. In it, Amo covers a wide range of topics, and notably makes some original contributions on the subject of hermeneutics. It also draws on some surprising and unexpected sources, and often poses difficult questions to today’s reader seeking to understand why Amo was attracted to this or that predecessor’s ideas rather than another's. Notably absent among his sources is any other African philosopher or author interested in African philosophical traditions, and here we are pushed toward another sort of interpretive question: Was Amo himself an African philosopher in any meaningful sense?
Civility, Silence, and Epistemic Labor in Audre Lorde’s Sister Outsider
Authors: Khader Serene J.
Published: August 2022

Audre Lorde writes that conditions of oppression and injustice make it difficult to arrive at an accurate shared understanding of social reality. This chapter identifies three mechanisms by which Lorde takes oppression to impede shared knowledge of social reality. The first is a distorting or deficient conceptual repertoire. The second is unjust epistemic labor flows that demand that the oppressed, rather than devoting their energy to pursuing the questions that they prioritize, devote labor to the questions, and framings of those questions, that interest the dominant. The third is the perception that anger is epistemically disadvantageous, and that expressing it is a violation of the spirit of collective inquiry. The piece suggests connections between Lorde’s ideas and contemporary discussions of cancel culture, emotional labor, and the expectation that the oppressed educate the dominant.
Religious Republics in Seville, 1248–1502
Authors: Graubart Karen B.
Published: August 2022

Late medieval Seville was a city built on complex social and economic relationships involving Muslims, Christians, and Jews. While Christian authorities sometimes expressed a will to separate minority populations and designate them with insignias, these measures were largely ineffective until the late fourteenth century. When fifteenth-century Jewish and Muslim notarial archives are mapped onto the city using arcGIS, the aljamas come to life as networks of relationships within and across the faiths. Muslims and Jews carved out their own enclaves and also found alliances with others of their status or occupation. The chapter investigates the structures of the Muslim and Jewish communities, and how these shaped their members’ experiences in the city.
Alma Mahler-Werfel, “Licht in der Nacht” (1901)
Authors: Smith Kenneth M.
Published: August 2022

From Mahler-Werfel’s catalogue of seventeen songs, this chapter examines “Licht in der Nacht” from 1901, along with several other songs which stage a similar narrative of searching for a light. Mahler-Werfel displays a technique which the author likens to the cybernetic concept of feedback, by which her tense chord progressions continually attempt to find resolution, first trying out one route, then another, groping, as if in the dark, for light. The chapter considers how Mahler-Werfel integrates octatonic and hexatonic cycles within diatonic cycles of fifths. Several passages of the song are plotted on a model of functional harmonic space that is designed to illuminate the diatonic thread that runs through Mahler-Werfel’s complex chord surface. The chapter uses neo-Riemannian theory to further consider her technique of parsimoniously transforming chords, always serving the broader poetic narrative.
Rebecca Clarke, “Tiger, Tiger” (1933)
Authors: Bernstein Zachary
Published: August 2022

Rebecca Clarke’s setting of William Blake’s “The Tyger,” entitled “Tiger, Tiger,” is one of her most ambitious tonal experiments, revealing an innovative and creative sense of tonality’s possibilities for extension. This chapter explores how the song’s use of selectively chosen and creatively reconfigured tonal characteristics support its text setting. Harmony, linearity, and motivic structure combine to support a reading of the text that vividly captures the dark forces depicted in Blake’s poem. A modified Schenkerian approach—adapted using concepts from Daniel Harrison’s Pieces of Tradition—illuminates Clarke’s exceptional approach to tonality.
Ethel Smyth, The Boatswain’s Mate (1913–14)
Authors: Lumsden Rachel
Published: August 2022

Ethel Smyth’s The Boatswain’s Mate (1913–14) is Smyth’s fourth opera, and the first opera for which she wrote the music and libretto alone. Loosely based on a short story by W. W. Jacobs, Boatswain chronicles the experiences of a widowed business owner (Mrs. Waters) as she humorously outsmarts the various men in her community. In Mrs. Waters’s two solo scenes (part 1, scene 6, and part 2, scene 8) Smyth uses motive-driven chromaticism to provide a complex, multifaceted depiction of Mrs. Waters, and to represent her philosophical struggles with aging and love. In Smyth’s hands, a seemingly simple embellishing chromatic motive generates significant musical moments, both small-scale and large-scale, which illustrate the evolution of this intrepid female character over the course of the opera. The motivic “wrinkles” that Smyth weaves into these two solos help to depict Mrs. Waters’s increasing self-awareness: rather than lamenting her supposedly lost youth, by the end of the opera Mrs. Waters accepts herself, wrinkles and all.