bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Causal Structure Learning for Recommender System
Authors: Xu Shuyuan , Xu Da , Korpeoglu Evren , Kumar Sushant , Guo Stephen , Achan Kannan , Zhang Yongfeng
Published: July 2024

A fundamental challenge of recommender systems (RS) is understanding the causal dynamics underlying users’ decision making. Most existing literature addresses this problem by using causal structures inferred from domain knowledge. However, there are numerous phenomenons where domain knowledge is insufficient, and the causal mechanisms must be learned from the feedback data. Discovering the causal mechanism from RS feedback data is both novel and challenging, since RS itself is a source of intervention that can influence both the users’ exposure and their willingness to interact. Also for this reason, most existing solutions become inappropriate since they require data collected free from any RS.

In this article, we first formulate the underlying causal mechanism as a causal structural model and describe
CSL4RS
, a general causal structure learning framework for RS grounded in the real-world working mechanism. The essence of our approach is to acknowledge the unknown nature of RS intervention. We then derive the learning objective from our framework and utilize an augmented Lagrangian solver for efficient optimization. We conduct both simulation and real-world experiments to demonstrate how our approach compares favorably to existing solutions, together with the empirical analysis from sensitivity and ablation studies.
Too Small to Succeed: Small Samples and the p-Value Problem
Authors: Aguirre-Urreta Miguel I. , Rönkkö Mikko , McIntosh Cameron N.
Published: July 2024

Determining an appropriate sample size is a critical planning decision in quantitative empirical research. In recent years, there has been a growing concern that researchers have excessively focused on statistical significance in large sample studies to the detriment of effect sizes. This research focuses on a related concern at the other end of the spectrum. We argue that a combination of bias in significant estimates obtained from small samples (compared to their population values) and an editorial preference for the publication of significant results compound to produce marked bias in published small sample studies. We then present a simulation study covering a variety of statistical techniques commonly used to examine structural equation models with latent variables. Our results support our contention that significant results obtained from small samples are likely biased and should be considered with skepticism. We also argue for the need to provide a priori power analyses to understand the behavior of parameter estimates under the small sample conditions we examine.
Information Security Research in the Information Systems Discipline: A Thematic Review and Future Research Directions
Authors: Totty Stephanie , Li He , Zhang Chen , Janz Brian
Published: July 2024

Information security continues to grow in importance in all aspects of society and therefore evolves as a prevalent research area. The information systems (IS) discipline offers a unique perspective to move this stream of literature forward. Using a semiautomated thematic analysis approach based on the topic modeling technique, we review a broad range of information security literature to investigate how we may integrate and advance our understanding of information security. Our analysis reveals four major themes, including information security policy (ISP) compliance, motivations and susceptibility, software security decisions, and firm security strategy. We also identify a theme of security in broader contexts, in which studies consider the societal impacts of information security and online hacker behavior. This review contributes to IS literature by 1) synthesizing the broad range of information security research published in the top journals of the field, moving beyond prior reviews focusing on a narrower scope such as individual ISP compliance; 2) identifying major themes and proposing an overarching research framework encompassing these themes and their interconnections, allowing us to envision future research directions; and 3) enumerating a semiautomated topic modeling approach that other researchers can employ.
2023 ACM Fellow: Stefan Saroiu, Microsoft.
Authors: Cox Landon
Published: July 2024

My friend and Microsoft colleague Stefan Saroiu was recently named an ACM Fellow. I had the pleasure of interviewing him over email about his work and career.
RetroSphere: Enabling Low-power and Affordable 3D Input for Lightweight Augmented Reality Devices
Authors: Narayanan Balaji Ananta , Kimber Clayton , Du Ruofei , Kim David
Published: July 2024

RetroSphere introduces a self-contained 6-degree-of-freedom (6DoF) controller tracker, designed for seamless integration with resourceconstrained Augmented Reality (AR) devices such as AR glasses and smartphones. This system employs a tracking mechanism using one to three retro-reflective spheres on a passive controller, thus eliminating the need for any onboard electronics or batteries. Detection is enabled by a stereo pair of mass-produced infrared blob trackers, each outfitted with infrared LED emitters. The system utilizes a lightweight stereo depth-estimation algorithm on an Arduino-compatible ESP32 microcontroller to achieve 6DoF tracking. RetroSphere achieves a tracking accuracy of approximately 96.5%, with positional errors as low as 3.5 cm across a tracking range of 100 cm, while maintaining a power consumption of just about 400 mW. The complete hardware and firmware details for RetroSphere are available as open source on GitHub: https://github.com/AnantaBalaji/RetroSphere
A Multifunctional Additive Facilitates Anode Directional Deposition to Achieve Dendrite-Less Zinc Ion Batteries
Authors: Huang Andong , Chen Yili , Tong Wenbin , Zhu Shaokun , Gong Shijie , Zhang Jinghui , Jiang Tao , Huang Tong , Mu Chao , Chen Wenyong , Wu Guohua , Rong Xianhui , Chen Shuanghong
Published: July 2024

Long-term reversible plating / stripping of zinc anodes is a key aspect of various zinc-based water cells, but the formation of irregular dendrites and the generation of by-products has been a great challenge, Here we demonstrate that the incorporation of butanediol (BDO) can effectively modulate the solvation shell structure of Zn2+ by displacing water molecules, thereby establishing a solvation shell with high affinity towards the (002) crystalline plane leads to uniform Zn deposition without dendrite formation. According to molecular simulations of adsorption energy, BDO molecules preferentially adsorb horizontally on the Zn (002) plane, controlling Zn2+ deposition sites and diffusion channels to promote the development of (002) plane while reducing H2 generation. These findings are ultimately achieved in both symmetric cells composed of Zn//Zn electrodes as well as Zn//V2O5 full cells.
Impact of Binder Thin-Films on Surface Chemistry of Silicon Anodes in Lithium-Ion Batteries
Authors: Johnson Richard , Waller Gordon H. , Bezsonov Igor , Mansour Azzam N. , Nadimpalli Siva P. V.
Published: July 2024

The effect of polymer binder on the nature and location of solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation on Si active material was investigated. Thin layers of polymeric binder (polyvinylidene fluoride and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose) were spin-coated onto polished single crystal Si wafers. The samples were cycled against a Li counter/reference electrode under various electrochemical conditions in a coin cell configuration. The electrolyte was 1 M of LiPF6 in 1:1:1 wt% EC:DEC:DMC. After cycling, the samples were extracted from the coin cell under inert conditions and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was performed. Electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy indicate that the binder films are smooth and continuous across the wafer surface, and no impact on the electrochemical behavior was observed. However, notable differences were detected using XPS, which revealed both difference in SEI composition and location relative to the binder-electrolyte and binder-substrate interfaces. These observations and insights will be useful in cell designs, binder selection, and reliability estimates because the location of SEI formation may influence cyclic performance of electrodes.
Investigating Reinforced Concrete Beams with Web Opening under Static and Cyclic Loads
Authors: Fawzy Ali , EL-Helloty Arafa , Mahmoud Mahmoud Hassan , Summra Aymen
Published: July 2024

This study aims to investigate experimentally and theoretically the behavior of reinforced concrete beams with openings subjected to static and cyclic loads. The experimental program consists of testing eight specimens with a rectangular opening at the shear zone, two of the beams serve as a control beam (without openings) subjected to static and cyclic loads, three beams with rectangular openings of variable height and subjected to static loads, and three beams with rectangular openings of variable height and subjected to cyclic loads. All openings were rectangular of constant length and varied at heights of 20%, 30%, and 40% of the beam height. The beams were loaded at two points using a steel plate until the failure stage was reached. Numerical studies were performed on ANSYS software, and the finite element results were verified through experiments. The response has been discussed in terms of the deformation occurring in all beams, the crack pattern, and failure modes, resulting from static and repeated loading. Results indicated that the load failure of the beams subjected to cyclic loads decreased by a rate ranging from 86% to 90% of those static loads. The results also showed that the load failure rate decreases as the opening height increases. The percentages of decrease were (58%, 62%, and 90%) compared to the load failure rate of the control beam (without opening), which corresponds to opening heights of 20%, 30%, and 40% of the beam’s height.
Technoeconomic Assessment of Gasifier Baking Stoves for Commercial Purposes
Authors: Hailu Assefa Tesfaye , Nega Tayachew , Hobicho Leliso
Published: July 2024

The energy supply in Ethiopia is dominated by biomass energy, mainly for household consumption. The development of gasification‐based gasifier baking stoves for energy demand is the subject of this study. The novelty of the gasifier baking stove is its ability to bake food more quickly while using less wood fuel. Biomass fuels are used inefficiently in poorly ventilated kitchens, resulting in indoor air pollution and the consumption of large amounts of wood fuel. Biomass gasifier baking stoves can improve fuel efficiency, baking time, and indoor air pollution while producing char as a byproduct. The proposed new gasifier study shows an average fuel use efficiency of 45% and time savings of 12% compared to Mirt stoves. Furthermore, the grate cover of the biomass gasifier stove is also used to regulate the airflow rate. The primary air that enters the reactor is controlled by a manually operated slide grate cover. The water boiling test and control cooking test were developed to mirror the performance of a modern baking and cooking stove. The baking stove was tested with Eucalyptus globulus as a feedstock. A technoeconomic assessment was conducted on a biomass gasifier baking stove for commercial purposes. For the technoeconomic assessment, we mostly employed the simple payback period projection. The economic analysis was conducted using Ethiopian supply and market rates, which may differ from region to region. The baking stove has an initial capital cost of about 15,100 ETB and a payback period of 2.49 years, which makes it economically viable for those living in remote locations. According to the study, the typical emissions from a biomass gasifier stove running on eucalyptus wood fuel are 0.24 ppm CO and 8.91 ppm CO2. The results of the stove’s economic study demonstrate that using eucalyptus wood fuel results in a shorter payback period. The performance efficiency of the new gasifier stove in terms of wood fuel and time saving as compared to the Mirt stove is 45% and 12%, respectively.
Refinements of Various Types of Fractional Inequalities via Generalized Convexity
Authors: Tang Yong , Farid Ghulam , Youssif M. Y. , Aboabuda Zakieldeen , Elhag Amna E. , Mahreen Kahkashan
Published: July 2024

This paper aims to find generalizations of inequalities that hold for unified integral operators by applying strongly exponentially (α, ℏ − m) − p‐convex functions. These inequalities generate results for several fractional integral operators and simultaneously hold for convex, strongly convex, and exponentially convex functions. The particular cases of presented inequalities are directly connected with many recently published results.
R&D Partner Diversity, Ambidextrous Learning, and Innovation Quality of Firms
Authors: Zhao Zhongtao , Yu Zhaofeng , Li Yunwei , Tian Jing
Published: July 2024

R&D partner diversity (RPD) is crucial for enhancing a firm’s innovation level, with innovation quality being a pivotal indicator of the firm’s overall capacity for innovation. However, the relationship between RPD and innovation quality has received little attention in the literature. This paper aims to unravel the influence of RPD on innovation quality and the underlying mechanisms. We conduct empirical research utilizing data from 463 publicly listed Chinese manufacturing companies to achieve this goal. Using a negative binomial model for data analysis, we find that RPD has a positive impact on the quality of innovation. The micromechanism analysis reveals that both exploratory learning and exploitative learning play a mediating role in the relationship between RPD and innovation quality. Furthermore, we discover that the strength of the relationship between RPD and innovation quality varies depending on the types of R&D partners and corporate ownership. Specifically, firms that collaborate with universities, competitors, users, or research institutes strengthen the positive effect, whereas forming alliances with other entities within the same group mitigates it. RPD has a more significant positive influence on the quality of innovation in non‐state‐owned enterprises compared to state‐owned enterprises. These findings are robust to a battery of sensitivity tests, which provide valuable insights for firms seeking to enhance their innovation quality by fostering diverse R&D partnerships.
The Function of Necroptosis and Its Treatment Target in IBD
Authors: Akanyibah Francis Atim , Zhu Yi , Jin Tao , Ocansey Dickson Kofi Wiredu , Mao Fei , Qiu Wei
Published: July 2024

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which encompasses Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is a complicated illness whose exact cause is yet unknown. Necroptosis is associated with IBD pathogenesis, leading to intestinal barrier abnormalities and uncontrolled inflammation. Molecules involved in necroptosis, however, exhibit different expression levels in IBD and its associated colorectal cancer. Multiple studies have shown that inhibiting these molecules alleviates necroptosis‐induced IBD. Moreover, due to the severe scarcity of clinical medications for treating IBD caused by necroptosis, we review the various functions of crucial necroptosis molecules in IBD, the stimuli regulating necroptosis, and the current emerging therapeutic strategies for treating IBD‐associated necroptosis. Eventually, understanding the pathogenesis of necroptosis in IBD will enable the development of additional therapeutic approaches for the illness.
Spatial Modeling of Travel Demand Accounting for Multicollinearity and Different Sampling Strategies: A Stop‐Level Case Study
Authors: de França Marques Samuel , Pitombo Cira Souza , Gómez-Hernández J. Jaime
Published: July 2024

Stop‐level ridership data serve as a basis for various studies toward increasing bus patronage and promoting sustainable land use planning. To address limitations found in previous studies, this study proposes a novel approach based on Geographically Weighted Principal Component Analysis (GWPCA) and Ordinary Kriging to predict the stop‐level boarding or alighting data along bus lines in São Paulo (Brazil), considering four different sampling methods. The main contributions are as follows: by accounting for the spatial heterogeneity of the predictor dataset, the GWPCA can identify the most important factor affecting transit ridership even in bus stops with no information on boarding and alighting; the spatial modeling of stop‐level ridership data using GWPCA components as explanatory variables allows visualizing the spatially varying effects from predictors on ridership, supporting the land use planning at a local level; GWPCA coupled with kriging simultaneously addresses the multicollinearity of predictor data, its spatial heterogeneity, and the spatial dependence of the stop‐level ridership variable, thus enhancing the goodness‐of‐fit measures of the transit ridership prediction in unsampled stops; and a balanced sample on predictor data and well‐spread in the geographic space might be preferred to accurately estimate missing stop‐level ridership data. In addition to solve the lack of stop‐level ridership data, supporting a reliable bus system planning, the proposed method indicates what predictors should be addressed by policymakers to stimulate a transit‐oriented development. The method can be successfully applied to other travel demand variables facing a lack of data such as traffic volume in road segments and mode choice at the household level.
Preferential Crystallographic Orientation and Optical Properties in (Ag,Zn)‐Based Oxide Nanoparticle Thin Film Depending on Spark Voltage
Authors: Güngör Ebru , Güngör Tayyar
Published: July 2024

The effect of spark voltage on nanoparticle (NP) formation, crystal structure, and optical properties of Zn and Ag‐containing metal oxides produced using the spark‐discharge (SD) technique was investigated. Quasispherical‐shaped nanocrystals were observed in ZnO, Ag:ZnO, and AgO NP samples prepared at different spark voltages. The NP sizes in ZnO and Ag:ZnO samples were close and decreased as the spark voltage increased. It was observed that when AgO was prepared with only low‐spark voltage (4.3 kV), tetrahedron/octahedron‐shaped NPs were also formed. 4.3 kV spark voltage increased the crystal growth rate in the (100)‐plane and 7 kV spark voltage also increased the crystal growth in the (002)‐plane in hexagonal wurtzite ZnO and Ag:ZnO samples. Therefore, the a‐axial preferred orientation of these samples at low‐spark voltage had switched to the c‐axial preferred orientation at high‐spark voltage. For AgO, the increase in spark voltage revealed the monoclinic structure more strongly. The film thicknesses of AgO samples were close to each other with both spark voltages. Although, it was determined that the AgO prepared with 7 kV was optically more transparent and its optical band gap was significantly widened. This case may be due to the more presence of dodecahedral‐shaped particles in the morphology of the AgO sample prepared. Therefore, the wider optical band gap of metal oxides decorated with such nanoparticles could indicate facet dependency. In addition, the film thickness and optical band gap of both ZnO and Ag:ZnO samples increased significantly depending on the increase of spark voltage. The optical band gap narrowed (redshifted) due to the effect of Ag ions entering the ZnO structure. As the spark voltage increased, the difference between the optical band gaps of ZnO and Ag:ZnO also increased. With the spark‐voltage effect, the change in preferential crystallographic orientations of ZnO and Ag:ZnO samples and the change in optical band gap depending on the NP shape of the AgO sample can offer significant advantages in terms of optoelectronics.
Acute Abdomen as a Clinical Presentation of COVID‐19‐Associated Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children
Authors: Hajiesmaeil Memar Elmira , Tahghighi Fatemeh , Yousefzadegan Sedigheh , Sadeghirad Parisa , Mousavi Ashraf , Zare Mahmoudabadi Ramin , Saeidi Hossein , Ayati Mehri , Naderi Sahar , Memarian Sara , Zeinalabedin Seyedmusa , Ashjaei Bahar , Raji Hojatollah , Tahernia Leila , Alimadadi Hosein , Ziaee Vahid
Published: July 2024

Background. On December 2019, a novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) spread worldwide and became a pandemic. Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS‐C) due to cytokine release syndrome following COVID‐19 presents with various manifestations. We hypothesize that one of the rare manifestations is acute abdomen. Case Presentation. In this case series, eight cases (five girls and three boys) of gastrointestinal (GI) involvement and acute abdomen were reported to be associated with the cytokine storm due to COVID‐19 infection. All patients were of Iranian nationality (Caucasian ethnicity), with a mean age of 8.9 years (range 3.5–14). They all presented with fever and acute abdominal pain. Additionally, maculopapular rash and edema of the extremities were common presentations. Free fluid on abdominal ultrasound or computerized tomography (CT) scan was observed in all patients. All cases tested positive for COVID‐19. In six cases, laparotomy or abdominal surgery was performed for a diagnosis of acute abdomen, but appendicitis was confirmed in only one case. None of the cases presented with phlegmon. Elevated serum lipase and amylase levels were noted in two cases. Seven patients received corticosteroid pulse therapy. Clinical symptoms improved after one or two doses, and all patients were discharged after 4 weeks of follow‐up with no mortality or morbidity. Conclusion. Patients experiencing unexplained acute abdominal pain along with fever, skin rash, and peripheral edema, who had a history of COVID‐19 infection prior to or during the episode of acute abdomen symptoms, should be considered to have MIS‐C. Furthermore, methylprednisolone pulse therapy could be a safe treatment option, reducing hospitalization duration in this patient population.
Supplementary Figure S6 from CD70-Targeted Allogeneic CAR T-Cell Therapy for Advanced Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Pal Sumanta K. , Tran Ben , Haanen John B.A.G. , Hurwitz Michael E. , Sacher Adrian , Tannir Nizar M. , Budde Lihua E. , Harrison Simon J. , Klobuch Sebastian , Patel Sagar S. , Meza Luis , Dequeant Mary-Lee , Ma Anna , He Qiuling Ally , Williams Leah M. , Keegan Alissa , Gurary Ellen B. , Dar Henia , Karnik Sushant , Guo Changan , Heath Heidi , Yuen Rachel R. , Morrow Phuong K. , Agarwal Neeraj , Srour Samer A.
Published: July 2024

CONSORT flow diagram for COBALT-RCC trial design schematic
Supplementary Tables 2-5 from The Pan-RAF–MEK Nondegrading Molecular Glue NST-628 Is a Potent and Brain-Penetrant Inhibitor of the RAS–MAPK Pathway with Activity across Diverse RAS- and RAF-Driven Cancers
Authors: Ryan Meagan B. , Quade Bradley , Schenk Natasha , Fang Zhong , Zingg Marshall , Cohen Steven E. , Swalm Brooke M. , Li Chun , Özen Ayşegül , Ye Chaoyang , Ritorto Maria Stella , Huang Xin , Dar Arvin C. , Han Yongxin , Hoeflich Klaus P. , Hale Michael , Hagel Margit
Published: July 2024

Data collection and refinement statistics for crystal structures; Cryo-EM data collection, processing, and model statistics
Supplementary Table 9 from The Pan-RAF–MEK Nondegrading Molecular Glue NST-628 Is a Potent and Brain-Penetrant Inhibitor of the RAS–MAPK Pathway with Activity across Diverse RAS- and RAF-Driven Cancers
Authors: Ryan Meagan B. , Quade Bradley , Schenk Natasha , Fang Zhong , Zingg Marshall , Cohen Steven E. , Swalm Brooke M. , Li Chun , Özen Ayşegül , Ye Chaoyang , Ritorto Maria Stella , Huang Xin , Dar Arvin C. , Han Yongxin , Hoeflich Klaus P. , Hale Michael , Hagel Margit
Published: July 2024

WES results
Validation of Noninvasive Derivation of the Central Aortic Pressure Waveform from Fingertip Photoplethysmography Using a Novel Selective Transfer Function Method
Authors: Cox James R. , Akeila Ehad , Avolio Alberto P. , Butlin Mark , Liao Catherine , Bentley Gisele J. , Qasem Ahmad
Published: July 2024

Introduction: Central aortic pressure waveform analyses can provide clinically relevant information beyond conventional brachial blood pressure (BP) assessment. This waveform can be reproduced noninvasively through application of a generalized transfer function (GTF) on a peripheral waveform, as conventionally performed by applanation tonometry. Photoplethysmography (PPG) is an alternate approach; however, differences in measurement site and modality demand the use of a transfer function (TF) specific for those differences. This study aimed to compare central aortic waveform features generated from radial tonometry (reference) using a proprietary GTF with a central aortic waveform and its features generated from a simultaneous fingertip PPG measurement using a selective method where one of three different TFs is chosen based on the input signal harmonic profile. Methods: Brachial BP was measured in triplicate under resting conditions and was used for subsequent calibration. Multiple simultaneous radial tonometry (SphygmoCor CVMS) and fingertip PPG measurements were then performed in individual participants (n = 21, 10 females, age: 39 ± 16 years). Measurements were converted into central aortic waveforms with their respective TFs. Twenty central aortic pressure waveform parameters were compared through correlation analysis, Bland-Altman plots, and a repeated measure mixed-effects ANOVA model. Central aortic waveform shape was compared using the root-mean-squared error (RMSE). Results: Correlation (r) of PPG-derived parameters with radially tonometry-derived central aortic parameters was high ranging from 0.79 to 0.99. Mean differences of pressure-related parameters were within 1.3 mm Hg, and differences of time-related parameters ranged from −2.2 to 3.4%. While some parameters were statistically different, these differences are not physiologically meaningful. Central aortic waveform shape had an average RMSE of 1.8 ± 0.9%. Conclusion: Fingertip PPG-derived central aortic waveform parameters using a novel selective TF were comparable to central aortic waveform features derived from radial tonometry using a previously validated GTF.
Digital Storytelling to Amplify Heritage Learner Identities and Voices
Authors: George Angela
Published: July 2024

This study presents four case studies of heritage learners of Spanish who participated in a digital storytelling project in an advanced Spanish course at a university in Western Canada. Through a series of face-to-face and remote workshops, each learner scripted a story containing a language-related event that allowed them to make meaning and reflect on their past experiences as related to language attitudes and ideologies experienced by themselves and others during the event. Data was collected from multiple sources including the participants’ videos and video scripts, written reflections, a questionnaire, and interviews. The participants’ stances and positionings within their digital stories, interviews, and reflections on the project offer revealing insights into their meaning-making processes through digital storytelling. Using a narrative analytical approach, the data analysis resulted in four overarching themes of personal growth, heritage speaker identity, positioning by others, and linguistic [in]security.
Facilitative Processing of Grammatical Gender in Heritage Speakers with Two Gender Systems
Authors: Fuchs Zuzanna , Zeng Wenqi
Published: July 2024

This study investigates facilitative processing of grammatical gender in heritage Spanish speakers whose dominant language is German, using eye-tracking in the Visual World Paradigm. Bilinguals with two gender systems are known to have an integrated mental lexicon with shared gender features that are co-activated during language processing and can result in interference. The present study shows that, despite observed effects of gender congruency with German, heritage speakers were able to use gender information on prenominal articles in Spanish to facilitate lexical retrieval of the target noun. This suggests that processing of gender agreement in the heritage language is resilient to competition from gender in the dominant language during real-time spoken-language comprehension. Moreover, direct comparison with previous results from heritage Spanish speakers in the USA does not show evidence that overall speed of facilitative processing in the heritage language is modulated by the presence or absence of gender in the majority language.
Dionysus and His Discontents
Authors: Nikolopoulou Kalliopi
Published: July 2024

The essay presents a comparative analysis of three modernist novellas—Heart of Darkness, Death in Venice, and The Turn of the Screw—focusing on their use of Dionysian motifs, whereby “Dionysian” is intended in its Nietzschean context. Alongside the thematic literary connections it draws, the essay also reflects on the motives and implications of Nietzsche’s Dionysism for modernist aesthetics: Nietzsche’s eventual subsumption of the Apollonian under the Dionysian ushers in modernity’s espousal of irrationality, disease, darkness, and concealment as its privileged moments of expression. However, this new Dionysism is also symptomatic of the anxiety experienced in the aftermath of the death of God (and the concomitant death of the soul), and the essay demonstrates that the figure of the irrational in all three novellas is conveyed in terms of the struggle of a soul.
Transforming Culture: a Culture of Care in Animal Research
Authors: Ameli Katharina , Krämer Stephanie
Published: July 2024

The EU adopted Directive 2010/63/EU, thereby creating an instrument for legally implementing effective measures to regulate animal experimentation. In this framework, the 3Rs principle for replacement, reduction, and refinement of animal experiments proposed by Russell and Burch (1959) is of paramount importance. The highest goal of the 3Rs can be understood as a Culture of Care (CoC), entailing complete renunciation of sentient beings as test subjects. The implementation of a CoC is explicitly mentioned in Recital 31 of the EU-Directive. This article elaborates on historical underpinnings of the CoC concept and uses qualitative social research to trace its characteristics. Data were based on non-standardized survey procedures (topic-oriented, guideline-based expert interviews) and were collected at the management, scientific, supervisory and care levels in relation to animal experimentation. The goal of the qualitative approach is to understand contexts, conditions, strategies, and consequences of the CoC and depict them as a theoretical model.
Artemis’ Garments and Paul’s Aprons (Acts 19:11–12)
Authors: Marcello Fabrizio
Published: July 2024

The practice of dressing the cult statue of Artemis in radiant garments was quite widespread in antiquity. During religious festivals, such garments were carried in procession and displayed for the benefit of spectators. By virtue of their contact with the statue, such robes were considered to be bearers of the power of the deity itself. This may provide an intriguing parallel to the strange scene wherein Paul’s thaumaturgical activity in Ephesus is undertaken by means of cloths which, upon contact with his skin, acquire a healing and exorcising power. This article tries to develop the comparison. In turn, the effectiveness of the apostle’s poor textiles in the face of the splendor of the patroness of Ephesus constitutes a profound theological statement. This statement not only offers an implicit critique of pagan worship, but also firmly establishes in the apostle’s hands a humble and unobtrusive, yet highly effective, means of salvation.
Paramerlinius shamimi n. sp. (Nematoda: Merliniidae) from India with a tabular key for the genus Paramerlinius
Authors: Venkadesh Ganesan , Kumar Satya , Rawat Shilpi , Vyshali Gandhi , Somvanshi Vishal S. , Khan Matiyar R.
Published: July 2024

The population of the genus Paramerlinius was discovered from potato rhizosphere in a government potato seed farm, located in Tiksen, Munsiari, Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, India. It is here described as Paramerlinius shamimi n. sp. based on morphological, morphometric and molecular data. The new species is characterised by having a body length of 841.8-1208.8 μm, continuous head bearing 7-8 annuli, a prominent stylet (28.4-32.3 μm) with well-developed posteriorly sloping basal knobs, six lateral incisures at the mid-body, a well-developed median bulb, a secretory-excretory (S-E) pore (123.5-160.7 μm) almost at the level of basal bulb, hemizonid covering 2-3 annuli that are located 3-4 annuli above the S-E pore, phasmids located in the front half of the tail, tail subcylindrical, having a hemispherical smooth terminus (62.7-94.1 μm) with 38-48 tail annuli, males common, spicule arcuate (27.4-31.4 μm), gubernaculum curved ventrally (8.8-9.8 μm) and peloderan bursa. Molecular characterisation of the population was performed by sequencing nuclear ribosomal DNA (rRNA) genes, viz. ITS-1, 18S (partial) and D2-D3 region of 28S rRNA. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses of P. shamimi n.sp. using the D2-D3 region show it forms a distinct clade with other unidentified Paramerlinius spp. and P. neohexagrammus and, using 18S rRNA, groups it in the same clade as P. hexagrammus. A tabular key for 13 species including P. shamimi n.sp. under the genus Paramerlinius is given.
The Fraternity of Milk: Sovereignty and Anthropotheophagy in Derrida’s Unpublished Seminar Manger l’autre (1989–1990)
Authors: Campos-Salvaterra Valeria
Published: July 2024

In the unpublished seminars given in the United States and France between 1989–1991, Manger l’autre: Politiques de l’Amitié and Rhétoriques du Cannibalisme, Derrida analyzes the rhetorical function that the act of eating has in the Western tradition’s philosophical texts. In this paper I analyze the reading Derrida makes in those seminars of Saint Augustine’s Confessions, in order to show that they are entangled with a critique of political sovereignty. For Derrida, Augustine has a cogito of his own, which is a cogito du manger l’autre. Augustine’s formulation is “I think, eat and drink” (ego cogito, manduco et bibo), and Derrida understands it as a way of constituting both the self of the ego and the self of the community. The first form of Christian community configured through the intake of food is the fraternity of milk: infants that suck the same milk from the breast of their nurse or mother. The second configuration of the community is, of course, the sacrament of Eucharist, in which the body of the father is divided (partagé) among the brothers. I show how the analysis Derrida makes of Augustine in these seminars is a way of deconstructing the very concept of community and its relation to sovereignty. This is attempted by Derrida through the problem of jealousy: the brothers of milk will always be jealous of each other, being themselves the condition for the breaking of the community and their sovereignty. But the second form of community is also threatened by food: since the holy wafer is an edible thing and the act of incorporation of food is really an act of theophagy.
Greek Orthodox Communities, Religious Festivals, and National Identity in the Late Ottoman Empire
Authors: Gökatalay Semih
Published: July 2024

This article investigates the extent to which religious festivals played a formative role in shaping dynamic relations between Greek Orthodox Ottomans and the Ottoman and Greek states in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A considerable number of festivals held on recurring cycles in the Ottoman Empire served as a unifying force by bringing together Greek Orthodox groups hailing from disparate geographical locations in the Ottoman Empire, Greece, and elsewhere. Although they were primarily religious occasions, these festivals, especially Easter, carried substantial cultural and social importance since they served as a crucial catalyst in the emergence and articulation of nationalist ideals among Ottoman Greeks.
The Muslim Friend: Cross-Confessional Male Intimacy in Eighteenth-Century Italy
Authors: Marotta Achille
Published: July 2024

In early modern Italy, stereotypes about Muslim men’s supposed inclination towards the vice of ‘sodomy’ gave rise to fears that Christian masculinity was being tainted. Eighteenth-century court records from the Republic of Genoa and the Papal States contain numerous instances of cross-confessional male relations that faced persecution by state authorities. In each of these cases, Christian men were prosecuted for taking a sexually ‘passive’ role in relation to sexually ‘active’ Muslims, while the reverse scenario was never pursued. This article argues that the sexual focus of judicial authorities obscured the enduring bonds of affection and mutual obligation that developed between men across religious lines. The existence of these relationships unveils an intimate sphere of connections across faith in the early modern Mediterranean while highlighting an intersectional site of Christian social anxiety, where fears of religious contamination overlapped with concerns about same-sex intimacy.
Breaking the Postmodern Deadlock: Metamodernism’s Methodological Revolution
Authors: Josephson Storm Jason Ānanda
Published: July 2024

This paper is a response to the roundtable on Metamodernism: The Future of Theory, focusing on the work’s methodological implications and theoretical advancements. Using traffic jams as a case study, Jason Ānanda Josephson Storm illustrates how his approach both incorporates and transcends the insights of discourse studies. He abridges a version of his theory of process “social kinds,” which he describes as dynamic, socially constructed clusters of properties, defined by the anchoring processes – dynamic-nominalist, mimetic, and ergonic – that uniquely contribute to their properties. He shows how focusing on these anchoring processes challenges conventional methodologies and could herald new research paths in religious studies and other fields, advocating for a shift towards a more inclusive and dynamic interpretation of social phenomena.
Framing Christian Succession: Eusebius, Constantine’s Sons and the Vita Constantini
Authors: Besl Marco
Published: July 2024

Eusebius’ Vita Constantini, finalised after Constantine’s death, is one of the most important sources for the reign of Constantine I. But Eusebius’ retrospective view of Constantine’s life is not only revealing for Constantine’s rule itself. This article will examine how and in which contexts Eusebius depicts and presents the three sons and successors of Constantine in the VC. It will be shown that Eusebius develops an idea of Christian succession and thereby attempts to master the challenges posed by Constantine’s death, which lay in the uncertainty of how politics will continue, especially concerning religious issues. In particular, some comparison with other panegyrists of the 4th century, such as Libanius and Themistius, will demonstrate that Eusebius legitimised imperial succession on the basis of Christian theology in an original and profound way. He thus emerges as a panegyrist not only of Constantine himself, but also of his sons.
Chaplains Forming a Meaningful Relationship with Older People With Dementia – Insights to Pastoral Care in Nursing Home Settings
Authors: Saarelainen Suvi-Maria , Vähäkangas Auli , Pirhonen Jari
Published: July 2024

This article investigates the formation of meaningful pastoral care relationships by chaplains with older people with dementia in nursing homes. The study responds to the recently highlighted need for theological exploration of wellbeing by providing a theological analysis of how a meaningful pastoral care relationship is formed from chaplains’ perspectives. The study employs thematic analysis of ten interviews to uncover core themes. These include the embodied aspects of pastoral care, which highlight the non-verbal dimensions of pastoral care; emotional support, emphasizing the chaplains’ role in providing comfort and empathy; interpersonal relations, detailing the dynamics between chaplains, older people with severe dementia, and the care environment; and supporting the personal relationship with God, underscoring the individual’s religious and spiritual connections. This research contributes to understanding how theological considerations inform pastoral care practices, offering insights into the nuanced religious and spiritual needs of older adults with dementia within a nursing home setting.
Gendered Practices in Transboundary Water Negotiations
Authors: ter Horst Rozemarijn , Sehring Jenniver , Said Alexandra
Published: July 2024

This paper analyzes how practices in water diplomacy, and in particular in international water negotiations, are gendered and with what effects. We conduct a comparative analysis of three intergovernmental decision-making forums on international rivers: the Nile Technical Advisory Committee, the Chu-Talas Water Commission, and the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine. These three cases demonstrate how gender is relational and creates situations in which gendered norms and values are strengthened, challenged, and changed, and sometimes used strategically to gain more power. In addition, two specific dynamics were observed: first, aligning with gendered stereotypes, confrontational practices in water negotiations are perceived as masculine and cooperative ones as feminine. Second, women’s participation in negotiations leads to both male and female negotiators adapting their behavior, resulting in a tendency towards less openly confrontational dynamics in more gender-balanced settings.
Missional Church and the Healing of Memories: A Missiological Construction of African Pentecostal Praxis
Authors: White Peter
Published: July 2024

This article explores the role of the church in addressing the emotional and spiritual needs of individuals and communities, particularly in the context of African Pentecostalism. The article argues that the church is called to actively engage with its surrounding culture and to bring healing and restoration to those who have experienced trauma or pain. In the African Pentecostal context, this often involves addressing issues related to cultural identity, historical injustice, and social inequality. Through its emphasis on the power of the Holy Spirit and the importance of community, African Pentecostalism offers a unique perspective on how the church can facilitate the healing of memories and promote reconciliation and restoration. The use of “African Pentecostals” in this article refers to the Pentecostal churches whose doctrines align with the mainline Pentecostal theology and praxis (the classical Pentecostal Churches and the Neo-Pentecostal Churches).
Does Practicality Support Noncognitivism?
Authors: Raskoff Sarah Zoe
Published: July 2024

Normative judgments are practical: they bear a close connection to motivation. Noncognitivists often claim that they have a distinctive explanatory advantage accounting for this connection. After all, if normative judgments just are noncognitive, desire-like states, then it is no mystery why they bear an intimate connection to motivation: desire-like states motivate. In this paper, however, I argue that noncognitivism does not have this explanatory advantage after all. The problem is that noncognitivists cannot provide a characterization of the practicality of normative judgment that allows them to retain this advantage. Noncognitivists either posit a strong and controversial connection between normative judgment and motivation that cognitivists have no trouble rejecting, or they posit a weaker connection that cognitivists can explain just as well. Either way, noncognitivists cannot argue from the practicality of normative judgments to their claim that normative judgments are noncognitive, desire-like states. The practicality of normative judgments does not support noncognitivism.
Women’s Special Seats in Tanzania: Entanglements, Dilemmas, and the Struggle for Political Representation
Authors: Mwendah Hadija K. , Nyanto Salvatory S.
Published: July 2024

The government resorted to affirmative action of women special seats as a ‘temporary gap filling’ strategy in 1985. However, the policy is still being implemented to date as an approach for increasing women representation, leading to entanglements, dilemmas and struggles. In this article, we use qualitative data and experiences of women from both the ruling party CCM and leading opposition party CHADEMA to examine the impact of women’s special seats to women’s political agency and empowerment. We argue that, the continued reliance on women special seats beyond its intended temporary measure has perpetuated systematic barriers, ultimately obstructing rather than facilitating women’s empowerment and representation in politics. We interrogate these unintended entanglements, dilemmas and struggles, and highlight an urgent need for transformative reforms to ensure gender equality and inclusive political representation in Tanzania.
Introduction
Authors: Hsiung Hansun , Paulino Montero Elena , Serrano Elena
Published: July 2024

Our special issue approaches knowledge as a product of intermingled sensory experiences in ways that confound neat divisions of body/mind, exterior/interior, subject/object, cognition, emotion, and imagination. Rejecting “cognitive ocularcentrism,” as well as approaches that focus on any single sense, we articulate an intersensorial framework premised on the entanglement of touch with other senses, particularly sight. Through this, we highlight hidden epistemic multiplicities, intersubjectivities, and literary strategies for the study of gender in the history of science, especially in reference to the gendering of personae and emotions. The putative rise of the visual in modern science was always already intersensorial, no matter how much cognitive ocularcentrism sought to tame this. By attending to seeming distractions within knowledge production, our issue seeks to reintegrate science back into the immersive flow of intersensorial experience and recover the sensuous webs that connect actors, geographies, fields, and time periods habitually separated.
Global Governance, Human Security, and unpko s
Authors: Howe Brendan M.
Published: July 2024

The process of international organization has fundamentally, even though not exclusively, been to address the problem of interstate war. The institutionalization of multilateral security cooperation at the global level, under first the League of Nations (albeit a false dawn), and more recently and successfully, the UN system, has contributed significantly to the resolution of existing conflicts and the generation of a more peaceful international society. UN peacekeeping operations (unpko s), viewed traditionally as forces placed between parties to a conflict with the aim of preventing future breakdowns of peace and security, have played a major part. International organization can further, however, be seen as a transitional process from the international anarchic conditions which generate conflict, towards the aspiration of global governance, whereby states are actively brought together to solve common problems, reconcile conflicting interests, and generate collective good. At the intersection of the three pillars of the UN (Security, Development, and Human Rights), we find the concept of human security, which, despite being essentially contested, has become increasingly prominent not only at the organisation, but also in terms of policy prescription for other actors. This human-centring in global governance has impacted unpko s through a more complex role for peacekeepers, including, but not limited to, the expansion of conditions under which deadly force may be used, the protection of civilians and vulnerable groups in conflict affected societies, and peacebuilding, even state-building activities. These developments are not without their critics. This article, therefore, addresses first the evolution of the human security paradigm within the UN’s global governance mission. It then turns to the growing impact of human security upon unpko s. This is followed by areas of contestation and challenges to human-centred peace promotion. Finally, the article concludes with policy prescription for better operationalisation of human security at the UN and through its pko s.