cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
title: Buddhism in the Northern Deccan under the Satavahana rulers (c. 30 B.C.-225 A.D.).
Creators: name: Hettiarachchy, Jayadevanandasara
Publisher: name: SOAS University of London
Year: 1973

description: This study deals with the history of Buddhism in the northern Deccan during the Satavhana period. The first chapter examines the evidence relating to the first appearance of Buddhism in this area, its timing and the support by the state and different sections of the population. This is followed by a discussion of the problems surrounding the chronology of the Satavhana dynasty and evidence is advanced to support the 'shorter chronology'. In the third chapter the Buddhist monuments attributable to the Satavhana period are dated utilising the chronology of the Satavhanas provided in the second chapter. The inscriptional evidence provided by these monuments is described in detail. The fourth chapter contains an analysis and description of the sects and sub-sects which constituted the Buddhist Order. Emphasis is placed on the geographical location of these sects and sub-sects. The fifth chapter is devoted to an account of the monastic organisation of the period - the construction of the monasteries, their administration, the means provided for their maintenance and the monks in lay society. In the last chapter the place of Buddhism in the society of the northern Deccan is described, attention being directed to the relationship between the Samgha and the Satavhana rulers, the merchant class and other strata of lay society.
title: Pots of gold? The representation of identity in contemporary South African art at the end of the rainbow nation.
Creators: name: Godfrey, Keith P.
Publisher: name: SOAS University of London
Year: 2005

description: South Africa faced a major challenge to produce an inclusive national identity from the ruins of common community that apartheid had left in its wake. Achieving a new national identity involved a massive project of nationalist reinvention, the 'rainbow' nation. Existence of a national consciousness was limited to the imagined anti-apartheid state 'reverse' nation. South Africans, including artists, initially supported the dynamic process of the formation of the new inclusive state and national community. However, disenchantment with the 'rainbowist' vision has led South Africans to recongregate around apartheid constituencies and tensions between competing nationalisms. Johannesburg and Cape Town act as catalyzers in the development of a post-apartheid society. Art produced there, and its (re-)presentation, provides an empirical base on which to analyze the negotiation of identities and the contested 'location of culture' in the societal architecture of the 'new' South Africa. Artists were a vital component in the construction of nationalism in the post-apartheid state. Tensions between the competing nationalist visions of how South Africa should culturally represent itself, both domestically and abroad, manifested themselves in the major exhibitions held since 1994. Internally, tensions between nationalisms clearly manifested themselves in the Johannesburg biennales. Outside the country, exhibitions played on the euphoria of transformation to propose a cultural unity that was illusory, but that fulfilled audience expectations and supported a national 'rainbowist' branding. Representation of the post-apartheid nation has divided artists between those identifying with the project to promote a South African nationalism and those preferring to be considered solely on the basis on their own artistic output. The framing of artistic debates in identity terms has led to an exodus of some artists to Europe. Other artists have remained to engage with the quest to achieve a post-apartheid national identity.
Cost-effectiveness of oral anticancer drugs and associated individualised dosing approaches in patients with cancer: protocol for a systematic review
Creators: name: Dyk, Madelé Van
name: Bulamu, Norma
name: Boylan, Chelsea
name: Mc Laughlin, Anna M.
name: Kichenadasse, Ganessan
name: May, Nikki
name: Michelet, Robin
name: Kloft, Charlotte
name: Kaambwa, Billingsley
Publisher: name: Freie Universität Berlin
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: health economics
subject: oncology
subject: clinical pharmacology
subject: oral medicine
subject: 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik::570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie::570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie

description: Introduction Oral anticancer drugs (OADs) have rapidly expanded with more than 70 OADs targeting several molecular targets. Many of the OADs exert an exposure–response relationship but still, a ‘one-size fits-all’ dose is used, ignoring interindividual variability. Several of these OADs share similar mechanisms of actions and thus target the same cancer and has resulted in a substantial research focus on comparing the health benefit of each. However, significantly less is known about the cost–benefit associated with OADs. This paper will provide a protocol to systematically review studies that have evaluated the cost-effectiveness of OADs and their associated individualised dosing interventions. Methods and analysis Systematic review methodology will be applied to identify, select and extract data from published economic evaluation (costs and outcomes/benefits) studies of OADs and their associated individualised dosing interventions. Bibliographic databases (eg, Ovid EMBASE, Ovid MEDLINE) will be used to perform the systematic literature search (between 1 January 2000 and October 2020). Only full economic evaluations will be included, but no restrictions on study outcomes will be applied. The quality of included primary studies will be assessed using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards checklist for reporting economic evaluations. Studies with low-quality evidence will be excluded. A narrative synthesis of the results from the included studies will be undertaken, with a subgroup analysis where appropriate. Ethics and dissemination This systematic review will not require ethics approval as there will not be any collection of primary data. Findings of this review will be disseminated through publications in peer-reviewed journals, presentations at workshops or conferences and sharing through a media release. Findings from this review will provide evidence to direct and inform policy-makers where cost-neutral strategies may be effective or where dose individualising strategies may be economically beneficial. Additionally, gaps will be identified in the current literature to inform future-related research.
Private Military and Security Companies and Gendered Human Rights Challenges: Oversight or Blatant Disregard?
Creators: name: MacLeod, Sorcha
name: Amstel, Nelleke Van
Publisher: name: Freie Universität Berlin
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: certification
subject: corporate grievance mechanisms
subject: gender
subject: human rights policies
subject: PMSCs
subject: 300 Sozialwissenschaften::340 Recht::340 Recht

description: It is well documented that the private military and security industry has the capacity to do great gendered harms to both those it encounters and those it employs.1 Significantly, it is also a sector where a variety of human rights-based approaches, instruments and mechanisms have emerged beyond the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs).2 The International Code of Conduct for Private Security Providers (ICoC) addresses gender, and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and explicitly requires private military and security companies (PMSCs) to integrate a gender perspective in their practices.3 Through an examination of publicly available documents and policies required for PMSCs certified as complying with the ICoC, this piece evaluates whether PMSCs do in fact integrate a gender perspective into their human rights policies and grievance procedures (see Table 1).4 Our study of certified PMSCs demonstrates that despite increased attention to the potential for negative gender impacts in the sector, companies have not developed gender-responsive policies and procedures. It can be said, therefore, that gender is not addressed in any meaningful way by PMSCs. More specifically, we conclude that PMSCs have not yet shown the required holistic understanding of gendered impacts and barriers that is required to respect human rights, and that further efforts are needed in the sector.
Epidemiological study on factors influencing the occurrence of helminth eggs in horses in Germany based on sent-in diagnostic samples
Creators: name: Boelow, Heike
name: Krücken, Jürgen
name: Samson-Himmelstjerna, Georg Von
Publisher: name: Freie Universität Berlin
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Strongyles
subject: Parascaris spp.
subject: Mini-FLOTAC
subject: Combined sedimentation/flotation
subject: Equine parasites
subject: Faecal egg count
subject: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften::630 Landwirtschaft::630 Landwirtschaft und verwandte Bereiche

description: Gastrointestinal nematodes are ubiquitous parasites of grazing equines with Parascaris spp., and strongyles being the most relevant ones regarding the prevalence and potential disease severity. Despite their importance, epidemiological data regarding the presence and egg-shedding intensities of these parasites are scarce. Data from 1067 horse samples collected on German horse farms initially to compare diagnostic methods were used for epidemiological analyses. Due to its higher sensitivity, presence/absence data were based on a combined sedimentation/flotation technique while faecal egg counts were based on Mini-FLOTAC. For strongyles, 46.5% of the samples were positive and the median egg-shedding intensity was 40 (range 5–2590). In multivariate analyses, prevalence and egg-shedding intensity were significantly influenced by season, age group and sample type. The drug used for the last treatment and the number of foals on the yard only affected prevalence while the number of horses on the yard and sex were only significant for egg-shedding intensity. For Parascaris spp., a prevalence of 4.6% and a median egg-shedding intensity of 0 (range 5–905) were observed. In multivariate analyses, the age group, the time since the last anthelmintic treatment, presence and number of foals had significant effects on ascarid prevalence whereas egg-shedding intensity was significantly influenced by age group and season only. Parascaris occurred only on yards with foals, but with an increasing number of foals, Parascaris egg-shedding intensity decreased. Prevalence and egg-shedding intensity were influenced by different but partially overlapping variables for Parascaris and strongyles.
Reassessing evidence of Moon–Earth dynamics from tidal bundles at 3.2 Ga (Moodies Group, Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa)
Creators: name: Heubeck, Christoph
name: Bläsing, Saskia
name: Drabon, Nadja
name: Eulenfeld, Tom
name: Grund, Marc Ulrich
name: Homann, Martin
name: Rensburg, Deon Janse Van
name: Köhler, Inga
name: Nabhan, Sami
name: Rabethge, Carolin
Publisher: name: Freie Universität Berlin
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Archean
subject: Barberton Greenstone Belt
subject: Earth–Moon distance
subject: Earth–Moon dynamics
subject: Moodies Group
subject: tidal sedimentation
subject: time-series analysis
subject: 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik::550 Geowissenschaften, Geologie::550 Geowissenschaften

description: Past orbital parameters of the Moon are difficult to reconstruct from geological records because relevant data sets of tidal strata are scarce or incomplete. The sole Archean data point is from the Moodies Group (ca 3.22 Ga) of the Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa. From the time-series analysis of tidal bundles from a well-exposed subaqueous sand wave of this unit, Eriksson and Simpson (Geology, 28, 831) suggested that the Moon’s anomalistic month at 3.2 Ga was closer to 20 days than the present 27.5 days. This is in apparent accordance with models of orbital mechanics which place the Archean Moon in a closer orbit with a shorter period, resulting in stronger tidal action. Although this study’s detailed geological mapping and section measuring of the site confirmed that the sandstone bed in question is likely a migrating dune, the presence of angular mud clasts, channel-margin slumps, laterally aggrading channel fills and bidirectional paleocurrents in overlying and underlying beds suggests that this bedform was likely located in a nearshore channel near lower-intertidal flats and subtidal estuarine bars; it thus carries risk of incomplete preservation. Repeated measurements of foreset thicknesses along the published traverse, measured perpendicular to bedding, failed to show consistent spectral peaks. Larger data sets acquired along traverses measured parallel to bedding along the 20.5 m wide exposure are affected by minor faulting, uneven outcrop weathering, changing illumination, weather, observer bias and show a low reproducibility. The most robust measurements herein confirm the periodicity peak of approximately 14 in the original data of Eriksson and Simpson (Geology, 28, 831). Because laminae may have been eroded, the measurements may represent a lower bound of about 28 lunar days per synodic month. This estimate agrees well with Earth–Moon dynamic models which consider the conservation of angular momentum and place the Archaean Moon in a lower orbit around a faster-spinning Earth.
Charge dilution effects in a direct-injection gasoline engine with advanced spark ignition and valvetrain systems
Creators: name: Okroj, Pawel
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2019

description: Current legislative trends and customer demand drive the need for clean and efficient vehicles. Homogenous lean combustion is widely recognised within the industry as the viable mean of pushing efficiency of gasoline engines to the territory which was previously reserved for higher compression diesel engines. Diluted mixtures are thermodynamically very attractive, however they present challenges related to limited ignitability and often require assistance to realise their theoretical potential. Such assistance can be related to either enhanced flow motion inside the cylinder or a higher energy ignition system. Experimental work was carried using the single cylinder engine test facility which was designed and commissioned in partnership with the project sponsor – Jaguar Land Rover. The aim was set on understanding the limitations of a current combustion system, and implementing advanced technology packages in the proof of concept studies to increase engine tolerance towards diluted mixtures. An advanced valvetrain system with capabilities of continuously variable valve lift was used to assess effects of deactivating one of the intake valves. It was found that increased TKE at ignition led to significant improvements in combustion stability and shorter burn durations, however the benefits were largely offset by heat transfer penalty. Heat transfer effects were quantified at various speeds and loads to provide comprehensive understanding of implementing the valve deactivation strategy. An optimisation study followed based on the findings and staggered lift was used on one of the valves. By utilising advanced, optimised valvetrain strategies dilution tolerance was significantly increased and indicated thermal efficiency of the engine surpassed 40%. Prototype high energy ignition systems from two suppliers were also tested with the use of very high sampling rate data acquisition system built for the purpose of this work. It was found that significant benefits in dilution tolerance could be achieved, especially when combining the valvetrain and ignition systems potential.
EFFECT OF TAXATION ON THE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF NIGERIAN MANUFACTURING FIRMS
Creators: name: Ogugua, S.P.O., Ph.D.
name: Okafor,, Maureen A. (CNA)
Publisher: name: top journals
Year: 2025
Subjects: Taxation, Financial performance, Capital gains tax, Value added tax

description: This study evaluated the effect of taxation on the financial performance of Nigerian manufacturing firms. The objectives were to determine the effect of capital gain tax on return on asset and evaluate the effect of value added tax on profit for Nigerian Manufacturing firms. The study adopted ex-post facto research design. The population of the study comprises all the twenty-five (25) manufacturing firms listed on the Nigeria Stock Exchange as at 31st December, 2024. Multiple (Panel Least Squares) regression analysis were used as the main tool of analysis for test of hypotheses formulated for the study while t-statistics was used as a supporting tool of analysis. The study found that capital gain tax has positive and significant effect on return on assets of Nigerian manufacturing firms with t-statistics of 4.734520 which was greater than 2.0 and probability value of 0.0001 which was less than 0.05. It was equally observed that value added tax has positive and significant effect on return on assets of Nigerian manufacturing firms with t-statistics of 4.889020 which was greater than 2.0 and probability value of 0.0017 which was less than 0.05. In conclusion, the findings of this study revealed a consistent pattern of positive and significant effects of Capital Gain Tax, and Value Added Tax, on the return on assets of Nigerian manufacturing firms. It was recommended among other things that the government should maintain and optimize capital gains tax policies to sustain their positive effect on return on assets of Nigerian manufacturing firms. Tax incentives and regulatory stability can further encourage reinvestment in productive assets, fostering long-term financial growth and industrial expansion.
title: Constructing contemporary Cuban female identity : Female traces in the visual arts.
Creators: name: Van Eijck, Jo-Ann
Publisher: name: SOAS University of London
Year: 2004

description: This study will assess five contemporary female artists to explore ways in which their art production can be meaningfully read in relation to their sense of being Cuban and what this might mean for them at this juncture in Cuba's history. The first three chapters introduce the artists - Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Marta Maria Perez, Belkis Ayon, Tania Bruguera and Sandra Ramos - and the unique Cuban visual arts spectrum post-1980, vis-a-vis movements, people, ideology, education and the impact of socialist influences. Key factors regarding Cuban identity will also be examined; gender, race, socio-cultural and religious practices, as these elements have been fundamental to the self-conscious identity constructions of these women through their art. As products of the revolutionary process, artists have delivered sophisticated avant-garde high art creations that embody the worldviews of the Cuban people. And, as professional artists, they are afforded specific ideological, ethical and social responsibilities and privileges within Cuban society. Their creative endeavours have become much-needed critical spaces to comment when other Cubans cannot and to consider issues of specific relevance to their country. Drawing on the resources of iconography and various semiotic devices, the following three chapters focus on these women's lives and artistic trajectories via the topics they address, such as myth, religion, displacement and the Cuban Diaspora. As a recurrent element in their work and one historically connected to the Cuban visual arts tradition and notions of identity, their portrayals of the female body will be read as sites for socio-cultural, personal and ideological discourse within the parameters of the contemporary socialist Cuban framework. Also, the nature of the plastic arts medium and the possibilities inherent in being a Cuban artist will be examined, and the other 'bodies' present in their work; the body of the audience and the body of the artwork.
Serum and Urinary Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Concentrations in Dehydrated Horses
Creators: name: Spijk, Julia N. Van
name: Lo, Hsiao-Chien
name: Merle, Roswitha
name: Richter, Ina-Gabriele
name: Diemar, Anne
name: Stoeckle, Sabita D.
name: Gehlen, Heidrun
Publisher: name: Freie Universität Berlin
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: matrix metalloproteinase
subject: biomarker
subject: renal function
subject: dehydration
subject: gelatinase B
subject: equine kidney disease
subject: MMP-9
subject: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften::630 Landwirtschaft::630 Landwirtschaft und verwandte Bereiche

description: Matrix metalloproteinase-9 is increased in renal tissue in human kidney disease, but its role as a biomarker for kidney disease has not been fully evaluated yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum MMP-9 (sMMP-9) and urinary MMP-9 (uMMP-9) concentrations in dehydrated horses. Dehydrated horses were prospectively included. Blood and urinary samples were taken at admission, and after 12, 24, and 48 h (t0, t12, t24, t48), an anti-equine MMP-9 sandwich ELISA was used. Four healthy horses served as the controls. Serum creatinine, urea, symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), urine-specific gravity, urinary protein concentration, fractional sodium excretion, and urinary gamma–glutamyl transferase/creatinine ratio (uGGT/Cr) were measured. Statistical analysis included a repeated measures ANOVA and mixed linear regression model. Overall, 40 dehydrated horses were included (mild dehydration 13/40, moderate 16/40, severe 11/40). Acute kidney injury was found in 1/40 horses; 7/40 horses showed elevated serum creatinine, 11/40 horses elevated serum SDMA, and 5/28 elevated uGGT/Cr at presentation. In dehydrated horses, sMMP-9 concentrations were significantly higher on t0 (median: 589 ng/mL, range: 172–3597 ng/mL) compared to t12 (340 ng/mL, 132–1213 ng/mL), t24 (308 ng/mL, 162–1048 ng/mL), and t48 (258 ng/mL, 130–744 ng/mL). In healthy horses, sMMP-9 (239 ng/mL, 142–508 ng/mL) showed no differences over time or compared to patients. uMMP-9 and uMMP-9/creatinine did not differ over time or to the controls. No differences were found between dehydration groups. Urinary casts (p = 0.001; estimate = 135) and uGGT/Cr (p = 0.03; estimate = 6.5) correlated with sMMP-9. Serum urea was associated with uMMP-9/Cr (p = 0.01, estimate 0.9). In conclusion, sMMP-9 was elevated at arrival in dehydrated patients compared to later measurements. Correlations to uGGT/Cr and urinary casts need further evaluation.
title: An investigation into the fifty-six Vinayakas in Banaras and their origins.
Creators: name: Bermijn, Isabelle
Publisher: name: SOAS University of London
Year: 1999

description: This thesis investigates a unique and hitherto unresearched phenomenon in the sacred city of Banaras: the fifty-six Vinayakas. These Vinayakas are arranged throughout the city in seven notional concentric circles with eight directionally oriented images in each. The Vinayakas are fully documented for the first time: each one is photographed, drawn, described and analysed. Textual references are given for each and a methodology is developed for dating them into four periods over twelve centuries. The grouping is situated within the evolution of the city, within the religious history of the origins and development of Ganesha, the textual and scriptural history of Banaras, and symbolically and ritually within the concept of the mandala. The Mahatmya in which they are first described, the Kasi Khanda, is dated and analysed. The text, which establishes the Lordship of Visvanatha, relates the religious history of Banaras chronologically through a series of myths which simultaneously effect the cosmologisation of Kasi. The concept of the mandala is examined and it is found that although the Vinayakas meet all the criteria of a physical mandala they are not themselves a mandala. The only mandala is Kasi itself which the Vinayakas mark out and protect. The origin of the Vinayakas is investigated and the dynasty and ruler responsible for their installation is putatively identified. Because the establishment of the Vinayakas is effectively the introduction of the concept of Kasi as a complete microcosm and the beginning of the process of its cosmologisation, the dating of the group of Vinayakas permits the dating of a major chapter in the religious history of north India.
title: Xi'an old music in new China: "Living fossil" or "flowing river"?
Creators: name: Cheng, Yu
Publisher: name: SOAS University of London
Year: 2005

description: This is the first extended study of Xi'an guyue, a wind-and-percussion instrumental music native to Xi'an, northwest China. Xi'an guyue is one China's most acclaimed, oldest and most sophisticated musical traditions by virtue of its extensive old notations and wide range of performing forms including hymns, percussion pieces, processional pieces and "sitting music" suites. The tradition can be seen as constituting three distinct but overlapping strands; urban (which embraces both Buddhist and Daoist traditions); rural; and most recently a state-sponsored music conservatory representation of the tradition. Though the conservatory draws from the folk roots, it has departed from the traditional musical and socio-cultural contexts and its representation is typically modem. The thesis discusses a range of inter- and intra-musical questions set against the broader context of the contemporary Chinese theoretical debate as to whether cultural traditions should be regarded as either fixed and invariant (the "living fossil" position) or adaptive and changing in response to changes in wider social conditions and contexts (the "flowing river" position). The thesis also engages with Western scholarship regarding tradition and change. The first part of the thesis (chapters 2-4) explores the relationship of Xi'an Guyue to the prevailing historical, social, political and religious or ceremonial contexts and shows how this has affected the social significance and meaning of the tradition. The second part (chapters 5-6) examines the tradition's musical and tonal elements, traces and analyses the historical links between the genre's notation and earlier related Tang and Song and later Ming and Qing gongche systems; the inter-generational transmission of the tradition; and other aspects and musicological questions pertaining to the tradition's instruments, repertoires, musical structures and so forth. The study provides an ethnographic and contemporary historical study of the inter-subjective, socio-political, and musicological dimensions of Xi'an guyue. It shows the ways in which the existence, development and social meanings of the three main branches of the tradition are intimately bound up with their respective social cosmologies. As such, the thesis strongly supports the "flowing river" school of thought.
Ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of room-temperature oxygen adsorption on Cu(1 0 0) and Cu(1 1 1)
Creators: name: Liu, Bo-Hong
name: Huber, Maximilian
name: Spronsen, Matthijs A. Van
name: Salmeron, Miquel
name: Bluhm, Hendrik
Publisher: name: Freie Universität Berlin
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
subject: APXPS
subject: Surface oxide
subject: Copper single crystal
subject: Copper oxidation
subject: Cu(1 1 1)
subject: Cu(1 0 0)
subject: 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik::540 Chemie::540 Chemie und zugeordnete Wissenschaften

description: We investigated the room-temperature chemisorption of oxygen on Cu(100) and Cu(111) using ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS). A shoulder-to-shoulder comparison between the oxygen-gas titration on the two surfaces reveals that Cu(100) is the more active for oxygen dissociative chemisorption when the surfaces are clean. The (2 root 2 x root 2)R45 degrees missing-row reconstruction appears in Cu(100)'s LEED image after about 10(4) Langmuir of oxygen exposure, whereas on Cu(111), no long-range ordering was observed throughout the whole experiment. An oxide layer consisting of cuprous and cupric oxide shows up on Cu(111) at an oxygen exposure that is significantly lower than for Cu(100). This observation suggests that the presence of (2 root 2 x root 2)R45 degrees missing-row reconstruction layer slows down Cu(100) oxidation. Literature has widely reported that surface morphology influences the copper oxidation process. This study provides an XPS demonstration that copper surface oxide formation in O-2 at room temperature depends on the surface crystallographic orientation.
title: Religious appreciation and the mundane-sacred: A neglected area of philosophy.
Creators: name: Cohen, Jonah A.
Publisher: name: SOAS University of London
Year: 2004

description: This dissertation belongs within the field of the philosophy of religion. The thesis proposes three basic ideas. First, there is a kind of religious language and religious experience disregarded in philosophy: the kind of religious language that is philosophically examined is called "mundane-sacred judgment;" the mental state behind that language is called "religious appreciation." Second, these phenomena are relevant to the philosophy of religion and therefore should not be ignored. Third, the philosophical model by which these two linguistic and experiential facts of religion are explicated is aesthetics. Just as metaphysics often supplies the concepts and logical problems associated with, say, the philosophical study of mystical or prayer experience, so it will be shown that the philosophy of aesthetics provides the ideas and difficulties connected with the philosophical study of mundane-sacred judgment and religious appreciation. To show this, the dissertation draws analogies between, on the one hand, "mundane-sacred judgment" and "aesthetic judgment", and, on the other hand, "religious appreciation" and "aesthetic appreciation." It also shows that, like aesthetics, the goals of the philosophical study of mundane-sacred judgment and religious appreciation are (1) to elucidate the meaning of this language and (2) to characterize its associated experience. Because the primary aim of the thesis is to suggest the existence of a neglected religious language and experience, and how they are relevant to philosophy, no single interpretation of them is proffered. Accordingly, the thesis looks at a broad constellation of philosophical ideas - ranging from ancient philosophy, to phenomenology, to analytic philosophy - and how those differing ideas might apply to this subject. Throughout, then, the reader is encouraged and challenged to consider various philosophical interpretations of mundane-sacred judgment and religious appreciation. In this way, the field of philosophical debate underlying these religious issues is delineated.
Studying the Key Intermediate of RNA Autohydrolysis by Cryogenic Gas-Phase Infrared Spectroscopy
Creators: name: Greis, Kim
name: Kirschbaum, Carla
name: Taccone, Martín I.
name: Götze, Michael
name: Gewinner, Sandy
name: Schöllkopf, Wieland
name: Meijer, Gerard
name: Helden, Gert Von
name: Pagel, Kevin
Publisher: name: Freie Universität Berlin
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Autohydrolysis
subject: Fragmentation
subject: Infrared Spectroscopy
subject: Mass Spectrometry
subject: RNA
subject: 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik::540 Chemie::540 Chemie und zugeordnete Wissenschaften

description: Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, mRNA-based vaccines have gained tremendous importance. The development and analysis of modified RNA molecules benefit from advanced mass spectrometry and require sufficient understanding of fragmentation processes. Analogous to the degradation of RNA in solution by autohydrolysis, backbone cleavage of RNA strands was equally observed in the gas phase; however, the fragmentation mechanism remained elusive. In this work, autohydrolysis-like intermediates were generated from isolated RNA dinucleotides in the gas phase and investigated using cryogenic infrared spectroscopy in helium nanodroplets. Data from both experiment and density functional theory provide evidence for the formation of a five-membered cyclic phosphate intermediate and rule out linear or six-membered structures. Furthermore, the experiments show that another prominent condensed-phase reaction of RNA nucleotides can be induced in the gas phase: the tautomerization of cytosine. Both observed reactions are therefore highly universal and intrinsic properties of the investigated molecules.
Quantum spins and hybridization in artificially-constructed chains of magnetic adatoms on a superconductor
Creators: name: Liebhaber, Eva
name: Rütten, Lisa M.
name: Reecht, Gaël
name: Steiner, Jacob F.
name: Sebastian Rohlf, Sebastian
name: Rossnagel, Kai
name: Oppen, Felix Von
name: Franke, Katharina J.
Publisher: name: Freie Universität Berlin
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Superconducting properties and materials
subject: Surfaces, interfaces and thin films
subject: quantum spins
subject: 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik::530 Physik::530 Physik

description: Magnetic adatom chains on surfaces constitute fascinating quantum spin systems. Superconducting substrates suppress interactions with bulk electronic excitations but couple the adatom spins to a chain of subgap Yu-Shiba-Rusinov (YSR) quasiparticles. Using a scanning tunneling microscope, we investigate such correlated spin-fermion systems by constructing Fe chains adatom by adatom on superconducting NbSe2. The adatoms couple entirely via the substrate, retaining their quantum spin nature. In dimers, we observe that the deepest YSR state undergoes a quantum phase transition due to Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida interactions, a distinct signature of quantum spins. Chains exhibit coherent hybridization and band formation of the YSR excitations, indicating ferromagnetic coupling. Longer chains develop separate domains due to coexisting charge-density-wave order of NbSe2. Despite the spin-orbit-coupled substrate, we find no signatures of Majoranas, possibly because quantum spins reduce the parameter range for topological superconductivity. We suggest that adatom chains are versatile systems for investigating correlated-electron physics and its interplay with topological superconductivity.
The type-2 Streptococcus canis M protein SCM-2 binds fibrinogen and facilitates antiphagocytic properties
Creators: name: Lapschies, Antje-Maria
name: Aubry, Etienne
name: Kohler, Thomas P.
name: Goldmann, Oliver
name: Hammerschmidt, Sven
name: Nerlich, Andreas
name: Eichhorn, Inga
name: Vorst, Kira Van
name: Fulde, Marcus
Publisher: name: Freie Universität Berlin
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Streptococcus canis
subject: SCM
subject: fibrinogen-binding
subject: anti-phagocytosis
subject: pathogen-host interaction
subject: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften::630 Landwirtschaft::630 Landwirtschaft und verwandte Bereiche

description: Streptococcus canis is a zoonotic agent that causes severe invasive diseases in domestic animals and humans, but little is known about its pathogenesis and virulence mechanisms so far. SCM, the M-like protein expressed by S. canis, is considered one of the major virulence determinants. Here, we report on the two distinct groups of SCM. SCM-1 proteins were already described to interact with its ligands IgG and plasminogen as well as with itself and confer antiphagocytic capability of SCM-1 expressing bacterial isolates. In contrast, the function of SCM-2 type remained unclear to date. Using whole-genome sequencing and subsequent bioinformatics, FACS analysis, fluorescence microscopy and surface plasmon resonance spectrometry, we demonstrate that, although different in amino acid sequence, a selection of diverse SCM-2-type S. canis isolates, phylogenetically representing the full breadth of SCM-2 sequences, were able to bind fibrinogen. Using targeted mutagenesis of an SCM-2 isolate, we further demonstrated that this strain was significantly less able to survive in canine blood. With respect to similar studies showing a correlation between fibrinogen binding and survival in whole blood, we hypothesize that SCM-2 has an important contribution to the pathogenesis of S. canis in the host.
Antarctic Glacial Meltwater Impacts the Diversity of Fungal Parasites Associated With Benthic Diatoms in Shallow Coastal Zones
Creators: name: Ilicic, Doris
name: Woodhouse, Jason
name: Karsten, Ulf
name: Zimmermann, Jonas
name: Wichard, Thomas
name: Quartino, Maria Liliana
name: Campana, Gabriela Laura
name: Livenets, Alexandra
name: Wyngaert, Silke Van Den
name: Grossart, Hans-Peter
Publisher: name: Freie Universität Berlin
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Antarctica
subject: aquatic fungi
subject: Chytridiomycota
subject: phytoplankton host
subject: salinity gradient
subject: Illumina amplicon sequencing
subject: Carlini Station
subject: 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik::570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie::570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie

description: Aquatic ecosystems are frequently overlooked as fungal habitats, although there is increasing evidence that their diversity and ecological importance are greater than previously considered. Aquatic fungi are critical and abundant components of nutrient cycling and food web dynamics, e.g., exerting top-down control on phytoplankton communities and forming symbioses with many marine microorganisms. However, their relevance for microphytobenthic communities is almost unexplored. In the light of global warming, polar regions face extreme changes in abiotic factors with a severe impact on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Therefore, this study aimed to describe, for the first time, fungal diversity in Antarctic benthic habitats along the salinity gradient and to determine the co-occurrence of fungal parasites with their algal hosts, which were dominated by benthic diatoms. Our results reveal that Ascomycota and Chytridiomycota are the most abundant fungal taxa in these habitats. We show that also in Antarctic waters, salinity has a major impact on shaping not just fungal but rather the whole eukaryotic community composition, with a diversity of aquatic fungi increasing as salinity decreases. Moreover, we determined correlations between putative fungal parasites and potential benthic diatom hosts, highlighting the need for further systematic analysis of fungal diversity along with studies on taxonomy and ecological roles of Chytridiomycota.
title: The rise and decline of Chola power in Ceylon.
Creators: name: Wijetunga, Wijetunga Mudalige Karunaratna
Publisher: name: SOAS University of London
Year: 1962

description: The present thesis attempts to critically examine the rise, decline and effects of Cola rule over the northern half of Ceylon during the first three quarters of the eleventh century. The short introduction explains the need for a comprehensive investigation into many of the more important aspects of those critical years. It also stresses the need for a closer examination of the motives "behind the sudden expansion of Cola power outside India. This is followed by a chapter (i) on the Sources pertaining to our study. The main study begins with Chapter II with an account of the relations between Ceylon and South India up to the tenth century. Chapter III traces the rise of the Cola Vijayalaya line in South India and its impact on Ceylon. This becomes evident with the accession of Parantaka I (906-955 A.C.). But in spite of his attempt to conquer Ceylon the position remained unchanged till the accession of Rajaraja I (985-955 A.C. There is also a conflicting account of an Indian invasion of the north of Ceylon in the time of Mahinda IV (956-972 A.C.). Chapter IV is devoted to the Cola occupation of Rajarattha in the time of Rajaraja I, and the consolidation of their power during the reigns Rajendra I and Rajadhiraja I. Chapter V covers the vital phase of the struggle between the Sinhalese and the Colas. Taking advantage of the difficulties of the Colas following the death of Virara-jendra the Sinhalese under the leadership of Vijayabahu I were able to overthrow the power of the Colas in Ceylon. Thus their power in Ceylon came to an end, but the relations between the Sinhalese and the Colas continued to be unfriendly for over another hundred years. Chapter VI is devoted to a study of the administration of Rajaratha (Anuradhapura kingdom) and its economic conditions under the Colas. What we have undertaken here is the first serious survey of its kind. The last chapter (VII) discusses the effect of the Cola occupation on the society and religion in Ceylon. The more important results of our investigations are summarised in a Conclusion.
title: The "Uji-shui-monogatari".
Creators: name: Mills, Douglas E.
Publisher: name: SOAS University of London
Year: 1963

description: This study describes the tale-collection Uji-shui-monogatari, usually assigned to the early thirteenth century, and attempts to assess its position in its genre. A background to the study of the work is first provided, in an outline of the historical development of such literature and a survey of the general trends in recent Japanese studies in this field. Further surveys of Japanese work are given later concerning the date of Uji-shui-monogatari and its relationship with other works. Original contributions are made in the following respects: (1) The style and literary qualities of the work are discussed, and the content of the stories is analysed in order to bring out the picture of the time which they give. (Detailed summaries of all the stories are given in an appendix.) (2) A comprehensive and systematic analysis is made of the nature and extent of parallels between Uji-shui-monogatari and other works. (3) An attempt is made to re-assess the date, structure and position of Uji-shui-monogatari. It is maintained that while the factor of oral tradition cannot be neglected, the interrelationships of the group of works to which Uji-shui- monogatari belongs must be basically through written texts. It is suggested as a possibility that Uji-shui-monogatari is not, as is usually said, simply based on, but actually incorporates some text of the now-lost eleventh-century Uji-dai-nagon-monogatari. But it is maintained that in any case the work shows a lack of uniformity which casts doubt on the usual view that it was written by one man and (except for one story) at one time. Unquestionably some stories date from the early thirteenth century, but linguistic and other comparisons with Kon jaku-monogatari do not point unequivocally to this period, and some even suggest that Uji-shui-monogatari preserves an earlier form of tales than this twelfth-century work.
Faster maximal clique enumeration in large real-world link streams
Creators: name: Baudin, Alexis
name: Magnien, Clémence
name: Tabourier, Lionel
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Data Structures and Algorithms (cs.DS)
subject: Computational Complexity (cs.CC)
subject: Information Retrieval (cs.IR)
subject: Social and Information Networks (cs.SI)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: Link streams offer a good model for representing interactions over time. They consist of links $(b,e,u,v)$, where $u$ and $v$ are vertices interacting during the whole time interval $[b,e]$. In this paper, we deal with the problem of enumerating maximal cliques in link streams. A clique is a pair $(C,[t_0,t_1])$, where $C$ is a set of vertices that all interact pairwise during the full interval $[t_0,t_1]$. It is maximal when neither its set of vertices nor its time interval can be increased. Some of the main works solving this problem are based on the famous Bron-Kerbosch algorithm for enumerating maximal cliques in graphs. We take this idea as a starting point to propose a new algorithm which matches the cliques of the instantaneous graphs formed by links existing at a given time $t$ to the maximal cliques of the link stream. We prove its validity and compute its complexity, which is better than the state-of-the art ones in many cases of interest. We also study the output-sensitive complexity, which is close to the output size, thereby showing that our algorithm is efficient. To confirm this, we perform experiments on link streams used in the state of the art, and on massive link streams, up to 100 million links. In all cases our algorithm is faster, mostly by a factor of at least 10 and up to a factor of $10^4$. Moreover, it scales to massive link streams for which the existing algorithms are not able to provide the solution.
description: 28 pages, 6 figure, 5 tables
Autochthonous Babesia canis infections in 49 dogs in Germany
Creators: name: Weingart, Christiane
name: Helm, Christina S.
name: Müller, Elisabeth
name: Schäfer, Ingo
name: Skrodzki, Marianne
name: Samson-Himmelstjerna, Georg Von
name: Krücken, Jürgen
name: Kohn, Barbara
Publisher: name: Freie Universität Berlin
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: canine babesiosis
subject: complications
subject: genotype
subject: vector-borne disease
subject: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften::630 Landwirtschaft::630 Landwirtschaft und verwandte Bereiche

description: Background Vector-borne diseases are of increasing importance in Germany. Since 2015, autochthonous cases have been increasingly documented in Berlin/Brandenburg. Objectives Describe autochthonous Babesia canis infection in the Berlin/Brandenburg region. Animals Forty-nine dogs with autochthonous B. canis infection. Methods Evaluation of history, clinical signs, laboratory abnormalities, treatment, and outcome. Results Dogs were presented between March and August (9) and September and January (40) in the years 2015-2021. Historical and clinical findings were lethargy (100%), pale mucous membranes (63%), fever (50%), and pigmenturia (52%). Common clinicopathological findings were thrombocytopenia (100%), anemia (85%), intravascular hemolysis (52%), pancytopenia (41%), and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS; 37%). Babesia detection was based on blood smear evaluation (n = 40) and PCR targeting the 18S rRNA gene of piroplasms (n = 49). Sequencing indicated 99.47% to 100% identity to B. canis sequences from GenBank. All dogs were treated with imidocarb (2.4-6.3 mg/kg; median, 5 mg/kg); 8 dogs received 1, 35 received 2, and 1 dog each received 3, 4, or 5 injections, respectively. Continued PCR-positive results were detected in 7 dogs after the 1st, in 5 after the 2nd, in 2 after the 3rd, and in 1 28 days after the 4th injection. Four dogs were euthanized and 3 dogs died. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Autochthonous B. canis infections in Berlin/Brandenburg were associated with severe clinicopathological changes, SIRS, and multiorgan involvement. Testing by PCR during and after treatment is advisable to monitor treatment success. Screening of blood donors in high-risk areas and year-round tick protection is strongly recommended.
title: Ancient Indian warfare, with special reference to the Vedic period.
Creators: name: Singh, Sarva D.
Publisher: name: SOAS University of London
Year: 1962

description: This thesis embodies the first detailed study of ancient Indian warfare with special reference to the Vedic period. The evidence of archaeology, the Vedic literature, the Nikayas, the Vinaya, and the Epics, has been critically sifted to present a faithful picture of early Indian warfare prior to c.400 B.C. In an introduction we explain the nature of our enquiry, and discuss the sources of our information together with our terms of reference. The first four chapters deal with the four traditional limbs of the Indian army - infantry, chariots, cavalry and elephants. An attempt is made to bring out their growth and development with time. Ancient arms and armour are then discussed and described in the light of literary and archaeological evidence. Forts and fortifications form the theme of the sixth chapter, which traces the growth of human settlements from lowly beginnings to large urban centres fully cognizant of fortified defence. The seventh chapter deals with the development of order and organisation, the rise of monarchy and the warrior nobility, besides the growth of other offices and the division of functions. In the eighth chapter we have discussed the ethics of war and the evolution of moral maxims governing the conduct of warfare from the Rgvedic period down to that of the Epics. The conclusion sums up a few of the more important points made in the body of the thesis.