The Problem of Climate-Induced Displacement

The members of a community owe their identity to the State to which they belong which inculcates a sense of belongingness to their own community, people, and land. The loss of identity to a State due to disruptive climate change is a fear in this century. Excessive utilization and consumption of fossil fuels and non-renewable energy sources across the globe have caused unprecedented increase in global temperatures. Sudden incidents of unprecedented floods on Bhola Islands in Bangladesh, or the disappearance of the Kiribati and Lohachara Islands due to rising sea-level have forced communities to flee their own country. This has raised questions about the status of such climate migrants. Media reports have designated them as “climate refugees.” But are they really refugees? The research aims at understanding the nexus between climate change and mass displacement of communities, the status of such migrants and the International legal framework on the status of such migrants.

A Sub-1 Hz Resonance Frequency Resonator Enabled by Multi-Step Tuning for Micro-Seismometer

We propose a sub-1 Hz resonance frequency MEMS resonator that can be used for seismometers. The low resonance frequency is achieved by an electrically tunable spring with an ultra-small spring constant. Generally, it is difficult to electrically fine-tune the resonance frequency at a near-zero spring constant because the frequency shift per voltage will diverge at the limit of zero spring constant. To circumvent this issue, we propose a multi-step electrical tuning method. We show by simulations that the resonance frequency can be tuned by 0.008 Hz/mV even in the sub-1 Hz region. The small spring constant, however, reduces the shock robustness and dynamic range of the seismometer. To prevent this, we employ a force-balanced method in which the mass displacement is nulled by the feedback force. We show that the displacement can be obtained from the voltage that generates the feedback force.

Iliopectineal line: A valuable radiological reference for spino-pelvic parameters

Objectives: Spinopelvic parameters are crucial to address sagittal spinal imbalance; such measurements require standardized lateral radiographs that include spine and hips, which are neither always available, nor readily feasible intra-operatively. The aim of this study was to describe pelvic radiological reference points that could provide reliable sagittal balance estimates from conventional lumbosacral lateral radiographs. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional, radiological-based study was conducted. Readings were taken from institute’s digital radiology library, blinded to personal and clinical data. The correlation was made to conventional pelvic incidence (CPI), conventional pelvic tilt (CPT), and sacral slope (SS), measured for the same patients, and from the same standardized standing radiographs that included femoral heads. Results: Radiological images for 140 adult subjects, with suspected or established spine problems were studied. The average lumbar lordosis (LL) of 3 readers was 47 ± 13 (13–81) with an interclass agreement of 0.9, SS was 41 ± 9 with an interclass agreement of 0.9, CPI was 53 ± 10 with an interclass agreement of 0.8, CPT was 14 ± 8 with an interclass agreement of 0.9, iliopectineal inclination (IPI) of 4 readers was 64 ± 8 with an interclass agreement of 0.7 and iliopectineal tilt (IPT) was 24 ± 8 with an interclass agreement of 0.8 LL was with 6° of CPI and 16° of IPI. The CPI was equal to (CPI = SS + [CPT + 1.2]) and (IPI = SS + [IPT + 0.6]). The IPI was negatively correlated with CPI –0.2 P = 0.006, and IPI was negatively correlated with CPT –0.333 P < 0.001. Conclusion: Iliopectineal line provides reproducible readings, closer values to LL, and addresses the center of mass displacement.

A solidariedade palotina com os migrantes | The pallottine solidarity with migrants

O artigo apresenta o atual carisma palotino no apostolado com os migrantes em conexão com a Sagrada Escritura e o Magistério da Igreja, bem como a história vivida por São Vicente Pallotti. São quatro aspectos que se relacionam entre si, mas sistematicamente estudados: antes de tudo a experiência da migração no Antigo Testamento e o mandamento de Deus ao povo judeu para amar os migrantes, porque também eles foram migrantes no Egito. No Novo Testamento, Jesus Cristo foi identificado como migrante, quando a primeira comunidade cristã foi enviada a anunciar o Evangelho a todos os povos e recomendou a acolhida e a hospitalidade aos estrangeiros. O segundo ponto é a ação apostólica de Pallotti com os migrantes devido ao deslocamento em massa no século XIX e o cuidado necessário aos migrantes italianos, seja pela necessidade espiritual seja pela solidariedade social. Os primeiros Palotinos foram também para os Estados Unidos, Brasil, Argentina, Uruguai, entre outros países. A terceira parte é sobre o ensinamento da Igreja a respeito da migração, começando por Pio XII, passando pelo Vaticano II e alcançando o atual pontificado de Francisco. Em conclusão, há uma proposta para o apostolado universal e sinodal realizado pela família Palotina. The article presents the current Pallottine charism on the apostolate with migrants in connection with Holy Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church, as well as the history lived by St. Vincent Pallotti. There are four aspects that relate to each other but are systematically studied: first of all the experience of migration in the Old Testament and God's commandment to the Jewish people to love the migrant because he too was a migrant in Egypt. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is identified as a migrant, while the first Christian community was sent to proclaim the Gospel to all peoples and recommended welcoming and hospitality to foreigners. The second point is Pallotti's apostolic action with migrants due to the mass displacement in the nineteenth century and the necessary care for Italian migrants both for spiritual necessity and social solidarity. The first Pallottines also went to the United States of America, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, etc. The third part is on the ecclesial teaching on migrations beginning with Pius XII, passing through Vatican II and achieving the current pontificate of Francis. In conclusion there is a proposal for the universal and synodal apostolate carried out by the Pallottine Family.

Evidence for constancy in the modularity of trunk muscle activity preceding reaching: Implications for the role of preparatory postural activity.

Postural muscle activity precedes voluntary movements of the upper limbs. The traditional view of this activity is that it anticipates perturbations to balance caused by the movement of a limb. However, findings from reach-based paradigms have shown that postural adjustments can initiate center of mass displacement for mobility, rather than minimize its displacement for stability. Within this context, altering reaching distance beyond the base of support would place increasing constraints on equilibrium during stance. If the underlying composition of anticipatory postural activity is linked to stability, coordination between muscles (i.e., motor modules) may evolve differently as equilibrium constraints increase. We analyzed the composition of motor modules in functional trunk muscles as participants performed multi-directional reaching movements to targets within and beyond arm's length. Bilateral trunk and reaching arm muscle activity were recorded. Despite different trunk requirements necessary for successful movement, and the changing biomechanical (i.e. postural) constraints that accompany alterations in reach distance, Non-negative Matrix Factorization identified functional motor modules derived from preparatory trunk muscle activity that shared common features. Relative similarity in modular weightings (i.e., composition) and spatial activation profiles that reflect movement goals across tasks necessitating differing levels of trunk involvement provides evidence that preparatory postural adjustments are linked to the same task priorities (i.e. movement generation rather than stability).

Crafting displacement: Reconfigurations of heritage among Syrian artisans in Amman

Heritage has been established as a core factor in shaping identity and community. Alongside the human suffering and mass displacement arising from the conflicts in Iraq and Syria, there has been increased attention on heritage as a victim of war. While scholarship has predominantly focussed on the impacts of conflict on built heritage, through semi-structured interviews and oral histories produced in collaboration with three Syrian artisans displaced to Amman, I unravel the relationship between artisanal crafts, the intangible practices that manifest in them, and the spatial environments through which they are conceived. As such, I highlight processes of change occurring through migration in relation to this heritage, to illustrate how reconfigurations of space have led to reconfigurations of craft. By suggesting an approach that emphasises the reconfiguration of heritage rather than its destruction, I accentuate the resilience of people and processes of un- and re-making.

Anterior reduction and C1-ring osteosynthesis with Jefferson-fracture reduction plate (JeRP) via transoral approach for unstable atlas fractures

Background To introduce a novel transoral instrumentation in the treatment of unstable fractures of the atlas. Methods From January 2008 to May 2018, 22 patients with unstable C1 fractures who received Jefferson-fracture reduction plate (JeRP) via transoral approach were retrospectively analyzed. The case history and the radiographs before and after surgery were noted. The type of fracture, the reduction of the fracture, and position of the internal fixation were assessed through preoperative and postoperative CT scans. Results All 22 patients successfully underwent anterior C1-ring osteosynthesis using the JeRP system, with a follow-up of 26.84 ± 9.23 months. Among them, 9 patients had transverse atlantal ligament (TAL) injury, including 3 in Dickman type I and 6 in type II. The preoperative lateral mass displacement (LMD) decreased from 7.13 ± 1.46 mm to 1.02 ± 0.65 mm after the operation. Bone union was achieved in all patients without implant failure or loss of reduction. There were no surgery-related complications, such as wound infection, neurological deficit, or vertebral artery injury. However, atlantoaxial dislocation occurred in 3 patients with Dickman type I TAL injury 3 months postoperatively without any neurological symptoms or neck pain. Conclusions Transoral C1-ring osteosynthesis with JeRP is an effective surgical strategy to treat unstable atlas fractures with a safe, direct, and satisfactory reduction. The primary indication for the JeRP system is an unstable fracture (Gehweiler type I/III) or/ and TAL injury (Dickman type II).

In the Limelight? Interpreters’ Visibility in Transborder Interpreting

This paper explores photographs that were taken along the Austrian and Slovene border between 2015 and 2018 as ethnographic records of a specific field of interpreting. The photographs show interpreters who helped bridge communication barriers in situations when the mass displacement of refugees from the Middle East resulted in an increased demand for interpreters for a range of languages that had previously not been as sought after. The photographs come from a corpus of pictures and accompanying texts that were compiled through a picture search in digital media. Drawing on the constructs of (in)visibility and bodily semiotics, a set of chosen examples is analysed qualitatively, using a visually oriented approach to examine interpreters’ positionality and agency in transborder humanitarian interpreting. The results suggest a high degree of interactional agency and visibility, but less social visibility.