scholarly journals Heralds at the Bells: Messages of Hope from West Balkan Bards During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Folklorica ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 85-117
Author(s):  
Dorian Jurić
Keyword(s):  
Historical Context ◽  
Traditional Form ◽  
Subjective Opinion ◽  
Vantage Points ◽  
Degree Of Convergence ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Critical Overview

Between March and May of 2020, a number of guslars (bards) and other traditional singers from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia flooded YouTube with songs about the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the musicians chose divergent vantage points from which to approach the topic of the pandemic, all settled on a similar goal. They sought to deliver a message of solidarity and hope to those struggling with the realities of life under lockdown measures and to allay the fears and uncertainties that spread with the virus. This article provides a critical overview of the guslars’ songs to explore their shared and divergent tropes, themes, and tones, and to highlight the goals of their singers in disseminating their messages in traditional form. Here I comment on what the high degree of convergence in the songs’ final messages reveals about vernacular responses to the pandemic and folk views on the measures taken to halt the virus’s spread. Finally, the article places these songs into a wider historical context of contemporary singing to the gusle, remarking on the vagaries of navigating authority when one sings subjective opinion in the name of a collective.

scholarly journals Differing effects of size and lifestyle on bone structure in mammals

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eli Amson ◽  
Faysal Bibi
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Bone Structure ◽  
Lumbar Vertebra ◽  
Vertebrate Evolution ◽  
Functional Factors ◽  
Degree Of Convergence ◽  
High Degree

AbstractThe skeleton is involved in most aspects of vertebrate life history. Previous macroevolutionary analyses have shown that structural, historical, and functional factors influence the gross morphology of bone. The inner structure of bone has, however, received comparatively little attention. Here we address this gap in our understanding of vertebrate evolution by quantifying bone structure in appendicular and axial elements (humerus and mid-lumbar vertebra) across therian mammals (placentals + marsupials). Our sampling captures all transitions to aerial, fully aquatic, and subterranean lifestyles in extant mammal clades. We found that mammalian inner bone structure is highly disparate. We show that vertebral structure mostly correlates with body size, but not lifestyle, while the opposite is true for humeral structure. The latter also shows a high degree of convergence among the clades that have acquired specialised lifestyles. Our results suggest that radically different extrinsic constraints can apply to bone structure in different skeletal elements.

Integration of cornea and cardiorespiratory afferents in the nucleus of the solitary tract of the rat

2002 ◽  
Vol 282 (4) ◽  
pp. H1278-H1287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Boscan ◽  
Julian F. R. Paton
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Solitary Tract ◽  
Peripheral Chemoreceptor ◽  
Single Unit Recordings ◽  
Degree Of Convergence ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Working Heart ◽  
Stimulation Of ◽  
Nerve Discharge

We determined the activity of neurons within the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) after stimulation of the cornea and assessed whether this input affected the processing of baroreceptor and peripheral chemoreceptor inputs. In an in situ, unanesthetized decerebrate working heart-brain stem preparation of the rat, noxious mechanical or electrical stimulation was applied to the cornea, and extracellular single unit recordings were made from NTS neurons. Cornea nociceptor stimulation evoked bradycardia and an increase in the cycle length of the phrenic nerve discharge. Of 90 NTS neurons with ongoing activity, corneal stimulation excited 51 and depressed 39. There was a high degree of convergence to these NTS neurons from either baroreceptors or chemoreceptors. The excitatory synaptic response in 12 of 19 baroreceptive and 10 of 15 chemoreceptive neurons was attenuated significantly during concomitant electrical stimulation of the cornea. This inhibition was GABAA receptor mediated, being blocked by pressure ejection of bicuculline. Thus the NTS integrates information from corneal receptors, some of which converges onto neurons mediating reflexes from baroreceptors and chemoreceptors to inhibit these inputs.

Afferent projections to the lateral cervical nucleus: a microelectrode study

1963 ◽  
Vol 204 (4) ◽  
pp. 667-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Morin ◽  
S. T. Kitai ◽  
H. Portnoy ◽  
C. Demirjian
Keyword(s):  
Tactile Stimulation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Joint Movement ◽  
Single Neurons ◽  
Small Areas ◽  
Afferent Projections ◽  
Lateral Cervical Nucleus ◽  
Degree Of Convergence ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Stimulation Of

The lateral cervical nucleus was explored with microelectrodes in lightly anesthetized cats. Extracellular responses were recorded from 160 neurons following physiological stimulation of the ipsilateral side of the body from the neck to the tail. The stimuli activating the neurons were touch, pressure, and joint movement. Neurons responding to touch were more prevalent than neurons responding to pressure on the skin or on deep structures; those responding to joint movements were a small fraction of the neuronal sample studied. For the three stimuli tested, the limbs were more prominently represented than the trunk. Tactile and pressure peripheral fields activating single neurons were of three types: restricted (a few hairs, small areas within one segment of a limb), large (wide areas of the trunk, whole limb), and very large (whole ipsilateral aspect of the body, both limbs). Restricted fields were less numerous than the large fields. One-third of the fields activating single neurons following tactile stimulation was of the very large type. The existence of the very large fields indicated a high degree of convergence of afferents onto neurons of the cervical nucleus.

Some reflections on the Contextualist approach to ethico-legal texts of the Quran

2008 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-237
Author(s):  
Abdullah Saeed
Keyword(s):  
Historical Context ◽  
Frequent Use ◽  
Legal Texts ◽  
Contextualist Approach ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Different Levels

AbstractA “contextualist” reading of the Quran is becoming increasingly popular, particularly among those Muslims referred to as “progressive-ijtihadis”. One of the primary concerns of this reading is that in order to understand and interpret the ethico-legal content of the Quran and relate that content to the changing needs and circumstances of Muslims today, it is important to approach the text at different levels, giving a high degree of emphasis to the socio-historical context of the text. In the classical tafsīr this emphasis on socio-historical context was not considered important, particularly in the interpretation of the ethico-legal texts, despite the frequent use of asbāb al-nuzūl literature. In this paper, I will explore how progressive-ijtihadis are adopting a contextualist reading of ethico-legal texts of the Quran. To illustrate this, I will use one or two such texts (verses) and their interpretations by the progressive-ijtihadis and will seek to demonstrate the contours of this approach, and highlight some of the challenges this approach is facing.

scholarly journals Activity Patterns of Interneurons in the Caudal Ganglion of the Crayfish

1960 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 655-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Kennedy ◽  
James B. Preston
Keyword(s):  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Synaptic Activity ◽  
Constant Frequency ◽  
Natural Stimuli ◽  
Synaptic Potentials ◽  
Tactile Stimuli ◽  
Afferent Inputs ◽  
Degree Of Convergence ◽  
High Degree

Responses of ascending interneurons from the caudal ganglion of crayfish have been recorded from single units isolated by dissection from the ventral nerve cord; in addition, post-synaptic activity within the ganglionic neuropile has been studied with intracellular micropipettes. The following classes of interneurons have been found: (1) Large fibers which responded to tactile stimuli with single spikes or phasic bursts. These units usually showed broad receptive fields; and spontaneous activity, when present, showed transitory depressions following responses to natural stimuli. (2) A group of fibers, including many small ones, which responded to proprioceptive stimuli with tonic discharges of varying adaptation rate. (3) Interneurons which showed responses both to tactile stimuli and to activation of the sixth ganglion photoreceptor; and (4) units with constant frequency discharges which were unmodifiable by any of the above afferent inputs. Intracellular recording of post-synaptic activity has shown (1) that widely graded excitatory post-synaptic potentials occur; (2) that multiple firing from single synaptic potentials is usual; (3) that the post-synaptic responses to phasic natural stimuli and to electrical stimulation of ganglionic roots are similar. The existence of widely graded post-synaptic potentials and of extensive receptive fields suggests a high degree of convergence from primary afferents to interneurons. The activation of such post-synaptic units involves integrative synaptic transfer, without 1:1 correspondence between pre- and post-fiber activity.

Hal Hartley

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark L. Berrettini
Keyword(s):  
Character Development ◽  
Gender Norms ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Human Relations ◽  
Visual World ◽  
Feature Films ◽  
Narrative Cinema ◽  
Narrative Constructions ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Critical Overview

Since the late 1980s, Hal Hartley has challenged standards of realist narrative cinema with daring narrative constructions, character development, and the creation of an unconventional visual world. This pioneering critical overview of his work and its cultural–historical context discusses seven of Hartley's feature films, including The Unbelievable Truth, Trust, Simple Men, Amateur, Henry Fool, Fay Grim, and The Book of Life. Drawing on journalism, theories of representation, narrative and genre, and cinema history, the book discusses the absurdist–comedic representation of serious themes in Hartley's films: impossible love, coincidence and human relations, extreme isolation, and the restrictions posed by gender norms. It looks at the films' consistently absurd tone and notes how these themes reappear within framing narratives that shift from the seemingly mundane in Hartley's earliest works to the vibrantly creative and fantastic in his later films. The book concludes with a pair of in-depth interviews with the director from two distinct points in his career.

scholarly journals A new Middle Miocene tarsier from Thailand and the reconstruction of its orbital morphology using a geometric–morphometric method

2010 ◽  
Vol 278 (1714) ◽  
pp. 1956-1963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaowalak Chaimanee ◽  
Renaud Lebrun ◽  
Chotima Yamee ◽  
Jean-Jacques Jaeger
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Middle Miocene ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Geometric Morphometric ◽  
Morphometric Method ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Degree Of Convergence ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Geometric Morphometric Method

Tarsius is an extant genus of primates endemic to the islands of Southeast Asia that is characterized by enormously enlarged orbits reflecting its nocturnal activity pattern. Tarsiers play a pivotal role in reconstructing primate phylogeny, because they appear to comprise, along with Anthropoidea, one of only two extant haplorhine clades. Their fossils are extremely rare. Here, we describe a new species of Tarsius from the Middle Miocene of Thailand. We reconstructed aspects of its orbital morphology using a geometric–morphometric method. The result shows that the new species of Tarsius had a very large orbit (falling within the range of variation of modern Tarsius ) with a high degree of frontation and a low degree of convergence. Its relatively divergent lower premolar roots suggest a longer mesial tooth row and therefore a longer muzzle than in extant species. The new species documents a previous unknown Miocene group of Tarsius , indicating greater taxonomic diversity and morphological complexity during tarsier evolution. The current restriction of tarsiers to offshore islands in Southeast Asia appears to be a relatively recent phenomenon.

scholarly journals REFLECTIONS ON THE RECENT HISTORIOGRAPHY OF EASTERN CONGO

2013 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 417-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
RENÉ LEMARCHAND
Keyword(s):  
Recent Literature ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Second World War ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
World War ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Eastern Congo ◽  
Vantage Points ◽  
Second World

AbstractConsidering the scale of violence that has accompanied the crisis in eastern Congo, the avalanche of academic writings on the subject is hardly surprising. Whether it helps us better understand the region's tortured history is a matter of opinion. This critical article grapples with the contributions of the recent literature on what has been described as the deadliest conflict since the Second World War. The aim, in brief, is to reflect on the historical context of the crisis, examine its relation to the politics of neighboring states, identify and assess the theoretical vantage points from which it has been approached, and, in conclusion, sketch out promising new directions for further research by social scientists. A unifying question that runs throughout the recent literature on the eastern Congo is how might a functioning state be restored or how might civil society organizations serve as alternatives to such a state – but there is little unanimity in the answers.

scholarly journals The use of the Arabic script in northern Mozambique

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-142
Author(s):  
Liazzat J.K. Bonate
Keyword(s):  
General Public ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
First Person ◽  
Muslim Population ◽  
African Languages ◽  
Historical Archives ◽  
Private Correspondence ◽  
Arabic Script ◽  
Vantage Points

Northern Mozambican Muslim population has been using the Arabic script for writing in KiSwahili and local African languages for centuries. Even today, many people continue using this script in private correspondence. Despite the abundance of the documents in this script that are housed at the Mozambique Historical Archives as well as in private hands, these documents have never been addressed or researched either from linguistic, historical, cultural or religious vantage points. For the last seven years, the Archives have been trying to draw attention of the scholars and obtain funds for the preservation and research of the documents. In this article two short letters from the collection of the Mozambique Historical Archives are transcribed and translated with the help of a local shaykh who was educated within the regional historical Islamic literacy tradition. Then, the content and the protagonists of the letters were identified and analyzed with the reference to the historical context and the events of the time. Besides serving as the evidence for historical occurrences, the letters also provide a general public with a unique opportunity of “hearing the voices” of the authors and in their own words (in first person).

scholarly journals Context and Convergence: Some Remarks on the Law and Society Movement

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-20
Author(s):  
Lawrence M. Friedman
Keyword(s):  
Law And Society ◽  
Historical Study ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Legal Studies ◽  
Problems And Solutions ◽  
The Law ◽  
The One ◽  
Degree Of Convergence ◽  
High Degree ◽  
The Impact

The law and society movement has grown greatly in recent years.  It explores two macro-questions:  the sources of law, on the one hand, and the impact of law, on the other.  It rejects the orthodox view of “legal science”, but embraces the methods of the social sciences. My own work has, recently, dealt with the issue of legal impact; and has also delved into socio-legal history.  Historical study can act as a kind of control group for law and society studies; comparative and cross—cultural studies can perform the same function.  Studies of modern legal system demonstrate a high degree of convergence—in an interconnected world, societies share both problems and solutions. Socio-legal studies themselves have converged; and share a common intellectual language.     

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