Search Results (48)

Global biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate; however, evidence suggests that this decline occurs far more slowly on Indigenous-owned land. This can be attributed to cultural worldviews in which protecting nature and living in harmony with the environment are fundamental principles, an ethos central to African societies and many other Indigenous communities worldwide. This study examines the role of Vhavenda traditional belief systems, Indigenous knowledge, and cultural practices in the management and conservation of natural resources and the environment. In contemporary Limpopo Province, the Vhavenda clans of northern South Africa remain among the country’s most traditional communities, continuing rituals and practices that have been transmitted across generations. According to the 2022 national census, the area inhabited by the Vhavenda tribe, records the country’s highest concentration of centenarians, a demographic pattern which they attribute to the region’s cultural continuity and relative geographical isolation, which have enabled the preservation of its spiritual and ecological heritage. The research employed an insider ethnographic methodology, collecting data through personal interviews and a focus group discussion. Findings reveal that Indigenous beliefs, knowledge systems, and taboos play a substantial role in promoting sustainable land use. They restrict development on ecologically sensitive landscapes and discourage harmful practices, such as deforestation and cultivation along water bodies. These practices are enforced through complex customary laws, often articulated through prohibitive norms (“thou shalt not”), that safeguard plants, animals, water sources, and other natural resources. The study further illustrates that these prohibitions reflect a nuanced understanding of the biophysical environment, with the most sensitive and vulnerable ecosystems and ecologically important species, including keystone, foundation, and indicator species, receiving protection. Overall, the research shows the importance of recognising, protecting, and integrating Indigenous cultural systems as a critical component of effective biodiversity conservation. Full article

Roger Scruton identified three basic forms of communal loyalties that produce the first-person plural “we”: the national, the tribal, and the credal. Scruton argues that it is the national that maximally permits plurality and difference without jeopardising peaceful coexistence; it even makes possible self-sacrifice for the stranger. The generation of such a first-person plural requires a commitment both to non-contractual forms of obligation for its members and non-purposive activities that transcend questions of utility. These can be seen as keeping alive the question of the bonum honestum, which founds the common good. Pope John Paul II discusses the first-person plural in phenomenological-personalistic terms, as an accidental formation patterned according to the substantial I–Thou relationship between persons. The I–Thou points towards the true good, and this is what allows nations to arise. But various forms of masquerading are here possible, whether it be credal loyalty pretending to be national, or dutiful and moral customs devoid of the bonum honestum as a stabilisation. Both threaten true freedom. John Paul II shows that it is the task of the “we” community to inherit the national patrimony. It is Massimo Recalcati that shows us that, for all its beneficial wealth, this inheriting involves an inevitable mourning and incurring of “symbolic debt”. Only a correct relation to this debt will allow the first-person plural properly to arise and inherit the national patrimony. Full article

Floodplain lakes play a significant role in maintaining biological diversity and providing a food base for aquatic organisms. In 2023–2024, for the first time, we studied phytoplankton of five floodplain lakes of the transboundary Irtysh River in Kazakhstan. A total of 149 species and forms of planktonic algae were recorded, with a low level of similarity between the lakes. The ratio of indicator species (predominance of eutraphents and meso-eutraphents), abundance (3301.6–168,961.1 thou. cells L⁻¹), biomass (2.41–83.67 mg L⁻¹) of phytoplankton communities, and composition of dominant phyla and species (Cyanobacteria: Microcystis pulverea, M. aeruginosa, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae; Chlorophyta: Volvox globator; Dinoflagellata: Ceratium hirundinella and others) testified to a high level of organic pollution of floodplain lakes. Chemical variables (nitrogen compound content, PI) supported this conclusion. Analysis of the RDA revealed that the biomass of Cyanobacteria was controlled by nitrate nitrogen, while phosphates controlled that of Chlorophyta. The applied integrated approach showed an improvement in the trophic status of lakes in a high-water year and can be useful in assessing the ecological state of aquatic ecosystems in other regions. Full article

The contribution of this paper lies in its extension of the phenomenological insights of Martin Buber and Jean-Luc Marion—in particular, Buber’s philosophy of dialogue and the I–thou relation, and Marion’s articulation of saturated phenomenality—to the unique context of the relation between a spiritual Master and a disciple. The author of this paper is the disciple in question, such that a certain autobiographical dimension to the analysis is inevitable and even necessary. From this it follows that the analysis presented in no way aspires to apply universally to all Master–disciple relationships, though some generality may be possible to the extent that both Buber’s and Marion’s phenomenological insights may be generalizable to some degree. At heart, what is hoped is that the thick phenomenological descriptions contained in the analysis, expressions of a sustained application of the work of Buber and Marion to a unique context, will be of interest to the reader. Full article

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is the causative agent of a widespread infectious disease affecting both domestic and wild carnivores. Owing to its ability to cross species barriers and its high fatality rate in unvaccinated animals, CDV poses a significant conservation threat to endangered wildlife worldwide. To date, two distinct CDV lineages have been reported in Colombia, with cases documented separately in domestic dogs and wild peri-urban carnivores. This study aimed to detect and characterize the concurrent circulation of CDV in naturally infected domestic dogs and crab-eating foxes (Cerdocyon thous) from the same area in Colombia. Through molecular and phylogenetic analyses, we identified the South America/North America-4 lineage infecting both populations simultaneously. Our findings revealed high genetic variability, multiple virus reintroductions, and a close relationship with CDV strains previously detected in the United States. These results confirm the simultaneous circulation of CDV in the domestic and wildlife interface and underscore the urgent need for an integrated approach to CDV prevention and control involving both domestic and wildlife health interventions. Full article

The aim of this study is to identify the excellent goods that are required for the project of forming a moral community in a business firm. Trinitarian theology is used to reflect on these goods. Though there is a massive gap between the way the triune community expresses itself and the way human communities do, the Christian doctrine that humans are made in the image of God, and therefore imago trinitatis, suggests that Trinitarian theology offers a pattern for moral community in a firm. The Persons of the relational Trinity express love through an I–Thou–We modality. The work of Martin Buber and Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II) on the I–Thou or interhuman relation is first discussed. It is then noted that Wojtyla goes further in contending that I–Thou alone does not in and of itself constitute a human community; it is only when a plurality of “I”s act together to advance the common good that we can speak of the “we” (the social dimension). It is argued that a correlational reading of social Trinitarian thought and Wojtyla’s personalist phenomenology indicates what is required in a firm aspiring to be a genuinely moral community—namely, both intersubjectivity (I–Thou relationality) and a social profile (the “we”). It is further argued that these modalities are actualized in a business firm through moral friendship, good will (I–Thou), and commitment to the common good (“we”). These are foundational stones of a moral community. Full article

We assembled and annotated the complete mitochondrial genomes of Lycalopex vetulus (hoary fox), Cerdocyon thous (bush dog), Tayassu pecari (white-lipped peccary), and Tadarida brasiliensis (Brazilian free-tailed bat). The mitogenomes exhibited typical vertebrate structures, containing 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and a D-loop region. Phylogenetic reconstruction using the 13 protein-coding genes revealed robust relationships among species within Carnivora, Chiroptera, and Artiodactyla, corroborating previous studies. Secondary structure analysis of tRNAs and ribosomal genes showed slight variations among species of the same order. This research highlights the importance of mitochondrial genomics in understanding the evolutionary relationships and genetic diversity of Cerrado mammals, contributing to conservation efforts for this unique ecosystem. Full article

With 1600 titles Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI. is the most academically published pope in Church history. His stature as a theologian is only comparable to that of Leo the Great or Gregory the Great. In an age that has lost an appreciation for the human being as a person, the peritus Ratzinger introduced at the Second Vatican Council the notion that divine revelation is ultimately identical with the Godman Jesus Christ. In his view, Jesus Christ, as a divine person with both divine and human natures, redeems the postmodern human being from solipsistic self-preoccupation and existentialist despair. Such is the result of a positivistic and rationalistic approach to the figure of Jesus Christ. At the beginning of the 21st century, Pope Benedict XVI inaugurated an epochal, personalist, and Christocentric shift by penning the Jesus of Nazareth trilogy, taking serious Kant’s critiques and writing thus the first “post-critical” Christology presented to postmodernity. Nowhere else does Ratzinger write so extensively on “the man from Nazareth”. Full article

Background/Objectives: Surgical removal of deep endometriosis lesions is an established method of reducing patient symptoms, but it often results in iatrogenic adhesions that lead to further problems. This pilot study presents the safety evaluation of a novel self-cross-linked hyaluronic acid gel used to reduce adhesions after non-bowel deep endometriosis surgery. Methods: A single cohort, single-center, non-randomized pilot study was conducted in patients diagnosed with non-bowel deep endometriosis who underwent a three-stage treatment regimen consisting of first surgery, hormone therapy and second surgery. The present report is limited to an analysis of the inflammatory parameters, pain and complications occurring within a 72 h period following the initial laparoscopy (FLL) utilizing the anti-adhesion gel. Results: 60 patients (28.48 ± 5.9 years old) were included. 24 h after the intervention, a slight elevation in C-reactive protein levels was observed in 38.33% of cases (0.98 ± 1.46 mg/dL), with a statistically significant difference after FLL (0.98 ± 1.46 mg/dL before FLL vs. 1.03 ± 1.29 mg/dL after FLL; p =< 0.001); there were no patients with levels above 10 mg/dL before or after surgery. 24 h after FLL, 29.33% of patients had a leukocyte count greater than 11 Thous/μL, with a maximum observed value of 16.2 Thous/μL. The count was found to be statistically significantly higher after FLL (6.03 ± 1.91 Thous/μL before FLL vs. 9.15 ± 2.61 Thous/μL after FLL; p =< 0.001). At 72 h post-intervention, postoperative pain was reported in up to 63.33% of cases, and one urinary tract infection with fever occurred but was not considered to be related to the product. No serious adverse events were observed. Conclusions: The results of this exploratory study showed a safe range of inflammatory response within a 24 h period following the application of the novel self-cross-linked hyaluronic acid antiadhesion gel (HyaRegen^®) in patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for non-bowel deep endometriosis. Full article

In continental and analytical philosophy, which developed in parallel in the 20th century, there was a turn to language, which in particular was marked by the creation of a philosophy of dialogue in continental philosophy and dialogical logic in analytical. Despite their significant differences, these two directions have much in common and can significantly complement each other. The philosophy of dialogue considers reality as the subject of dialogue between persons—I, Thou, He/She, We. World, activity and culture are dialogic and interpersonal in nature. Languages and texts are the basis for understanding reality and activity. Dialogical logic describes reality as an object of a dialogical game. This allows us to consider rationality, activity and communication from a unified perspective. The article compares these two directions of dialogical thought with each other and examines the aspects in which they can complement each other. Full article

This article has three main goals: (1) To explain in a clear and comprehensible way the difficult basic-word “I-Thou”, which is the basis of Buber’s concept of dialogue, and in fact is the core of his entire teaching (even though it eventually spread over many fields). My main argument in this article is that “I-Thou” is not the “dialogue” that is often spoken of in the name of Buber (not only on the popular level but also in academic circles, and even commonly among those who deal directly with Buber’s teaching) but, rather, that “I-Thou” is a pointing-toward-word—pointing the way for the one whose heart is willing to direct his life to the path of devotion to God—a life whose practical meaning according to Buber is the effort to make room for the presence of the divine (“Shekhinah”) within the stream of earthly normal life, the flow of physical, instinctive life, the flow of life as they are, within “This-World” as it is. (2) This article attempts to follow the sources in Buber’s writings to clearly explain Buber’s faith (which Buber saw as the core of the movement of Hasidism that preceded him). Who is the God that Buber clings to? Why did Buber try to replace the common appellation “God” with a new term of his own: “The Eternal Thou”? (3) It aims to show how the researchers who tried to present Buber as a social or political thinker and removed from his teaching the centrality of his faith entirely distorted his teaching and displaced from it the core of the foundation on which all of Buber’s teaching rests. Full article

“Wilt thou be made whole?” This is a question posed by Jesus in the Gospels. Wholeness for Jesus means being in right relationship with God and in right relationship with other human beings. Wholeness can also be defined as completeness or well-being. This essay argues that preaching ministries committed to addressing the total well-being of all of God’s people must include sermons about mental health. As evidence of the need, the author cites statistics from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that at least one in four people in the United States is affected by mental illness directly or indirectly during their lifetime. Then, to equip preachers to address mental health concerns, the author: addresses the causes of mental health stigma both in and beyond the pulpit; shares theological and hermeneutical approaches and concerns of disability proposed by the theologians Nancy Eiesland and John Swinton and homiletician Kathy Black; and provides resources for preachers to use in their preaching. Full article

The opportunistic bacteria growing in biofilms play a decisive role in the pathogenesis of chronic infectious diseases. Biofilm-dwelling bacteria behave differently than planktonic bacteria and are likely to increase resistance and tolerance to antimicrobial therapeutics. Antimicrobial adjuvants have emerged as a promising strategy to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and restore the efficacy of existing antibiotics. A combination of antibiotics and potential antimicrobial adjuvants, (e.g., extracellular polymeric substance (EPS)-degrading enzymes and quorum sensing inhibitors (QSI) can improve the effects of antibiotics and potentially reduce bacterial resistance). In addition, encapsulation of antimicrobials within nanoparticulate systems can improve their stability and their delivery into biofilms. Lipid nanocarriers (LNCs) have been established as having the potential to improve the efficacy of existing antibiotics in combination with antimicrobial adjuvants. Among them, liquid crystal nanoparticles (LCNPs), liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) are promising due to their superior properties compared to traditional formulations, including their greater biocompatibility, higher drug loading capacity, drug protection from chemical or enzymatic degradation, controlled drug release, targeted delivery, ease of preparation, and scale-up feasibility. This article reviews the recent advances in developing various LNCs to co-deliver some well-studied antimicrobial adjuvants combined with antibiotics from different classes. The efficacy of various combination treatments is compared against bacterial biofilms, and synergistic therapeutics that deserve further investigation are also highlighted. This review identifies promising LNCs for the delivery of combination therapies that are in recent development. It discusses how LNC-enabled co-delivery of antibiotics and adjuvants can advance current clinical antimicrobial treatments, leading to innovative products, enabling the reuse of antibiotics, and providing opportunities for saving millions of lives from bacterial infections. Full article

Ditsi Carolino’s “Huwag Kang Papatay” (Thou Shall Not Kill, 2017) is an unconventional Jesus film. As a documentary, it presents the problems and the responses by members of the Roman Catholic Church in Metro Manila to the so-called “War on Drugs” (commonly known as Tokhang) of the Duterte government that resulted in thousands of extrajudicial killing (EJK) victims. From a biblical lens, this paper analyzes examples of grassroots recontextualizing interpretations of select Matthean passages like (1) Mt 6:9−13, the Lord’s Prayer, in the context of praying for an extrajudicial killing victim; (2) Mt 2:1−18, a street theater adaptation showing the massacre of the innocents, representing the beginning of the EJKs; and (3) Mt 27:27−50, a street theater adaptation of Jesus’ passion recontextualized in the plight of the victimized drug personalities. These episodes are examined using insights from biblical narrative criticism, performance criticism, empire studies, ritual studies and a liberationist approaches. The paper concludes that biblical interpretations from the ground in this documentary film demonstrate Matthew’s anti-empire message by recontextualizing Jesus’s story in the context of extrajudicial killings to advocate for political dialogue and action-response against human rights violations and development issues caused by the EJKs. Full article

In the Odyssey, Homer’s Penelope and Circe have fundamentally important roles in ensuring the progression and success of the hero’s, Odysseus, journey home. Their actions in the Odyssey invite complex readings of the two women. Despite this, onscreen Penelope is often depicted as the “good, faithful” wife, and Circe as the “temptress”. Whilst these interpretations are not wrong, they are limited, cultivating a diminutive cultural understanding about Homer’s women. In this article I will use The Simpsons episode ‘Tales from the Public Domain’ as the foundation of my analysis, whereby I argue that screen adaptations perpetuate these gendered tropes further by relying on what is “known” about these women, instead of investigating their roles in ways that are significantly more complex. To achieve this, I will analyse how gender roles are presented in The Simpsons’ adaptation of the Odyssey, with a special focus on Penelope’s and Circe’s interaction with, and relationship to, the story’s hero, Odysseus. I will compare these representations to examples from other screen adaptations from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, including Mario Camerini’s Ulysses, Andrei Konchalovsky’s The Odyssey, and Joel and Ethan Coen’s O Brother, Where Art Thou?. Full article