Search Results (415)

An exposed sedimentary succession, ca 115 m of a total of 1000 m, from the Eastern Carpathian foredeep was, for the first time, analyzed using facies analysis and scale- and time-independent sequence stratigraphy methods to reveal the depositional environment and its cyclic sedimentation. The outcropping deposits, belonging to the Șomuz Formation, dated on the basis of molluscs, foraminifera, and ostracods, are uppermost Volhynian (upper Serravalian). The three recurrent facies associations we have distinguished indicate a storm-dominated shoreface–offshore transition environment. Five-decametre-thick high-frequency sequences (HFS1–5), at most of 4th order, bounded by maximum regressive surfaces, were defined in the studied interval. The maximum thickness of the Volhynian deposits in the area, known both from well sites and outcrops, allowed us to estimate the sedimentation rate at ca 1.5 m/kyr. The fossil content shows that the entire sedimentary succession was deposited in very shallow to shallow water during the whole Volhynian (12.65 - ca 12.01 Ma). The time interval we studied was estimated at ca 75 kyr, so the average time of one HFS is ca 15 kyr. At this scale, considering that both high subsidence and Eastern Paratethys sea-level rise added to accommodation, the sediment supply must have been the main control of cyclic sedimentation, which, in turn, must have been controlled by precession climatic changes in the source area. The estimated time of an HFS is shorter than a precession cycle, but better dating might support or refute this hypothesis. This paper may awaken the interest of the owners of better data, especially from subsurface (seismic, well logs), to complete the data from natural exposures. Full article

This article examines the concept of female-to-male transformation in Daoism inner alchemy for women (nüdan 女丹) and Buddhism, both of which have records of female practitioners and nuns being required to transform their bodies into men, such as “women change their bodies to become men” (nühuan nanti 女換男體) in nüdan and “transform a woman into a man”(nüzhuan nanshen 女轉男身) in Buddhism. When considering these literal meanings in isolation, this can be interpreted as suggesting that these religions uphold the superiority of the male body with its physical attributes over the female body. Women who practice religious meditation must be transgender to have the possibility of becoming a Daoist immortal or an enlightened Buddhist. But is this the case? This article employs an analytical approach to examine the interpretations of the transgender concept of “female-to-male transformation” in Daoist nüdan and Buddhism. The analysis reveals the metaphorical expressive function of this concept and thereby refutes the simplistic view that equates it with gender discrimination. The present paper reveals the profound differences and commonalities between nüdan and the Buddhist concept of “female-to-male transformation” through comparative analysis of their fundamental concepts, gender metaphors, and cultivation paths. The study demonstrates that while these two traditional systems address gender and transcendence differently, both provide women with diverse paths to spiritual liberation through their unique methods of cultivation. Full article

The process of dissection is essential to the study of anatomy, with the variety of colours, shapes, patterns and textures revealing the distinctive features of each anatomical system, but it can also be misleading, because while the body’s constituent ‘parts’ have traditionally been classified according to their appearance, assumed functions and perceived importance, this basic information can be interpreted in different ways. Living organisms are intrinsically indeterminate, which implies that the conclusions arrived at through the study of anatomy are not necessarily congruent with the anatomical reality, and the abstract classifications of the connective tissues (CTs) are a case in point. This paper highlights a seventeenth-century interpretation of CT anatomy that was pushed aside as the musculoskeletal duality assumed functional dominance and relegated the fascial tissues to mere ancillary roles. In other words, an architectural framework of tensioned fibrous tissues that encompasses a complex body-wide heterarchy of space-filling compartments under compression and reasserts the structural significance of the soft CTs. The problems with orthodox classifications are then discussed alongside a mechano-structural role for the ‘loose’ fibrillar network: a closed-chain kinematic system that guides changes in the relative positions of adjacent compartments and refutes the notion of fascial ‘layers’. Full article

This paper explores Carl Schmitt’s concepts of the friend and the enemy through the lens of Katechon. Contemporary scholarship often treats Schmitt’s friend–enemy distinction as an occasional decision driven by political contingency. This paper refutes such a purely political reading and instead argues Schmitt’s political enemies have a deeper theological origin—Gnosticism. The Gnostics, emerging from a mistaken rejection of theodicy, developed a cosmological dualism and apocalypticism that, in the 20th century, manifested politically in the forms of liberal universalism and social pluralism. To illuminate the theological depth of Schmitt’s thought, this paper investigates a recurring yet underexplored concept—Katechon, the restrainer who holds back the end times. By linking Katechon to Schmitt’s political projects—the nomos of the earth and the decisionist state—this paper reveals the theological foundation underlying his understanding of the political: enmity is not contingent but theologically predestined by human fallenness and God’s redemptive plan. However, Schmitt’s project of political theology ends in paradox: Katechon, meant to restrain chaos, turns into its opposite owing to its intrinsic logical flaw. Full article

One of the more well-known of Wittgenstein’s thoughts about the nature of religious beliefs is that we go wrong if we try to vindicate or refute religious beliefs in the same way as we do in the sciences. This may make it seem as if Wittgenstein held a view where the world can be divided into two separate spheres, one hard, objective, world of facts where beliefs are held because we have proof for them, and another subjective, softer, vaguer, where our beliefs cannot be proven and are held for completely different reasons. Religious beliefs would thus fall into the second category. In this text, I will argue (1) that even though it is true that Wittgenstein did not think that religious beliefs were on a par with scientific beliefs (held for similar reasons, vindicated in similar ways), he nevertheless did not divide the world into two (in the above mentioned way); and (2) that Wittgenstein’s reflections on the nature of religious beliefs tells us something important about what it means to hold a belief (in general) that challenges several predominant theoretical views about beliefs. I will, with some help from C.S. Lewis, try to show that thinking about the differences in beliefs according to the predominant model—where the “beliefs” are fundamentally different in a scientific and a religious idioms, which leads us to think that one of them has to be endorsing the right, true, belief; or that they are incommensurable—is a model that misrepresents the “conflict.” The matter may not be as intellectual as one may be prone to think—given that the concept of “belief” is at the center—but may rather be best understood (and, hence, the difficulties most efficiently overcome) if we learn to exercise other features of our experience. In particular, we need to learn how to listen and look at things that sound and look strange. A self-critical training of one’s ears is what is needed. (And for these reasons, the article starts in a different register than one might expect.) Full article

This study examines a specific section of the Symposium by Methodius of Olympus, a Church Father of the late 3rd and early 4th centuries, focusing on the critique of astrological fatalism. In Methodius’s Symposium, the virgin Thecla offers a series of rational arguments against the notion of an inescapable fate governing human events, emphasizing the primacy of human free will and responsibility. Notably, Thecla’s refutation of fatalism relies almost entirely on classical philosophical reasoning—citing Homer and echoing Platonic thought—rather than on Scripture, thereby engaging pagan cultural ideas on common ground. The paper highlights how Thecla’s excursus on fate, unique within the dialogue, underscores the centrality of human freedom in Methodius’s theology. Furthermore, a comparison with Methodius’s dialogue On Free Will suggests that the Symposium’s anti-fatalistic arguments are consistent with his broader defence of free will as God’s greatest gift to humanity, which requires the synergistic participation of human freedom alongside divine grace. Full article

This study first situates the discourse on Proudhon’s federalism and nationalism within the framework of his comprehensive economic, social, and philosophical system. Proudhon attempts to construct a federalism based on an associational and decentralized political structure that could accommodate plural groups and avoid the exclusive interpretation of sovereignty that prevailed in nationalism at the time. Such federalism is not only a design of political institutions but also a reflection of his economic mutualism and the idea of commutative justice. Then, this study proposes a relatively concise and intuitive dual critique framework to focus on how his federalism directly refutes nationalism. Proudhon’s federalism aims to protect the culture, language, and identity of minority groups from the oppression of the unitary nation-state internally, and advocates the establishment of an external confederation beyond national borders to eliminate national conflicts and achieve universal peace. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study analyzes the database of the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) to examine the correlation between the age of onset and the prevalence of cognitive impairment with the number of subjects carrying APOE4 alleles. The research also evaluates the interaction of race and gender in the effect of APOE4 on cognition and age of onset to determine whether the findings support or refute the Nigerian paradox. This paradox refers to the observed resistance of Nigerians to the increasing prevalence of cognitive impairment associated with a higher APOE4 count. Methods: The NACC67 dataset consists of 195,196 rows and 1024 columns, yielding data from 40,210 individual subjects, including information on race, gender, APOE alleles, and cognitive impairment. Among these subjects, 24,673 had recorded data on the age when cognitive decline was first observed. Logistic regression, Chi-square tests, and ANOVA analyses were performed to explore these relationships. The hypotheses tested were as follows: (1) that the APOE4 count is associated with both the prevalence and earlier onset of cognitive impairment and (2) whether the Nigerian paradox (a resistance to APOE4-associated cognitive impairment) could be observed in racial groups represented in the NACC dataset. Results: The results showed a significant positive association between cognitive impairment and the APOE4 count. A logistic regression analysis assessed potential interactions between race or gender and the relationship between the APOE4 count, cognitive impairment prevalence, and the age of onset. No significant interactions were observed among White, Black, Asian, and “Other” racial groups. Across all racial groups except for Pacific Islanders, an increase in APOE4 count was associated with an earlier onset of cognitive impairment and a higher prevalence of the condition. A statistically significant correlation between APOE4 count and age of onset was found only in Black and White individuals. The female gender, the White race, and a higher APOE4 count were associated with a greater prevalence of cognitive impairment and an earlier onset. However, gender and race did not significantly modify the effect of the APOE4 count on cognitive impairment. Conclusions: These findings do not support the Nigerian paradox in White, Black, Asian, and “Other” racial groups, comprising a total of 39,660 subjects. The association between APOE4 and the age of cognitive decline remained consistent across gender and racial groups. Full article

Ball lightning (BL) has been observed for centuries. There are a large number of books, review articles, and original scientific papers devoted to different aspects of the BL phenomenon. Yet, the basic features of this phenomenon have never been explained by known physics. The main problem is the source which could power the dynamics of BL. We advocate the idea that dark matter (DM) in the form of axion quark nuggets (AQNs) made of standard model quarks and gluons (similar to the old idea of Witten’s strangelets) could internally generate the required power. The AQN model was invented long ago without any relation to BL physics. It was invented with a single motivation to explain the observed similarity, ${\Omega }_{\mathrm{DM}}\sim {\Omega }_{\mathrm{visible}}$, between visible and DM components. This relation represents a very generic feature of this framework, not sensitive to any parameters of the construction. However, with the same set of parameters being fixed long ago, this model is capable of addressing the key elements of the BL phenomenology, including the source of the energy powering the BL events. In particular, we argue that the visible size of BL, its typical life time, the frequency of its appearance, etc., are all consistent with the suggested proposal that BL represents a profound manifestation of DM physics represented by AQN objects. In this work, we limit ourselves to the analysis of the thunderstorm-related BL phenomena, though weather-unrelated BL events are also known to occur. We also formulate a number of specific possible tests which can refute or unambiguously substantiate this unorthodox proposal on the nature of BL. Full article

Background/Objectives: There is clear evidence that maternal micronutrient deficiencies result in adverse maternal and fetal health outcomes. Therefore, corrective supplementation should be considered when dietary intake is insufficient, particularly for vitamin D (VD), omega-3 fatty acids (O3), folic acid (FA), or prenatal multiple micronutrient products (PMM). Despite its significance, intake patterns in Hungary remain largely unexplored, and evaluating adherence to recommended intake levels would be of even greater importance. This is the first Hungarian study to provide a comprehensive overview of the frequency and adherence patterns of micronutrient supplementation among pregnant women, while also analyzing their association with predictors and outcomes. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 300 pregnant women who delivered in a university hospital. Data were collected using a self-reported questionnaire and clinical maternal and neonatal records. Results: The prevalence of FA, VD, O3, and PMM intake among the participants was 89.0%, 76.4%, 58.7%, and 67.6%, respectively. However, adherence to recommendations was notably lower: 41.1% for VD, 37.5% for O3, 36% for PMM, and 31% for FA. Higher adherence was associated with older maternal age, higher educational level, county town residence, planned pregnancy, primiparity, previous spontaneous abortion, and early initiation of antenatal care. Our findings refute concerns about the obesogenic effect of supplementation for both mothers and newborns. FA intake correlated with a lower likelihood of cesarean section, while O3 use was associated with improved uterine contractility and reduced risk of gestational diabetes mellitus. Conclusions: Our study underscores the need for individualized counselling on micronutrient supplementation, with particular emphasis on appropriate timing, dosage, and potential benefits. Full article

Multiwavelength modelling of the light variations in the chemically peculiar star CU Vir is presented. The modelling is based on the recent Doppler Imaging of CU Vir, which provides maps of the surface distribution of Si, Fe, He, and Cr. Intensity maps in both individual photometric filters and in the wide wavelength range from UV to NIR were calculated, taking into account the individual chemical abundances on the stellar surface. Comparison with observations revealed good agreement of both the light curves and their amplitude along the spectrum. Additionally, we analysed changes in the photometric period of the CU Vir from 1955 to 2022, including TESS measurements. The data of the last decades clearly indicate a gradual decrease in this period. Measurements of the CU Vir period over the next two decades will be crucial for verifying or refuting the periodic nature of its variations. Full article

Drawing upon a meticulous delineation of pure consciousness’s fundamental and necessary features—including unstructuredness, maximal simplicity, selflessness, awareness as such, zero-perspective, and the absence of specific phenomenal qualities—this article asserts that a full-fledged experience of pure consciousness is attainable within the psychedelic state. Critically, this psychedelic manifestation is argued to be phenomenologically indistinguishable in its core properties from pure consciousness accessed via meditative practices. Consequently, this finding not only problematizes, but actually directly refutes Metzinger’s thesis, which posits meditation as the sole “best and most natural candidate” for achieving pure consciousness. Moreover, this work champions a soft phenomenological perennialism. This perspective navigates a middle ground between rigid perennialism and radical constructivism, underscoring the identical phenomenological core shared by all pure consciousness experiences, including those induced by psychedelics. This exploration further posits that psychedelic pure consciousness experiences can yield significant epistemic insights into the fundamental nature of consciousness, the self, and reality. Beyond this, a systematic phenomenology of pure consciousness is demonstrated to offer profound contributions to our understanding of certain religious–spiritual concepts such as God. Nonetheless, while acknowledging naturalistic critiques, a significant caveat is issued: extreme caution is warranted regarding religious–spiritual interpretations gleaned from such phenomenologies. Ultimately, the paper underscores the burgeoning importance of a spiritual naturalistic interpretation of pure consciousness. Full article

This study analyses the effectiveness of a contextualized teaching and learning sequence (TLS) based on forensic entomology (FE) to disprove the idea of spontaneous generation (SG) among students enrolled in the Higher Vocational Education and Training (VET) Cycle in Pathological Anatomy and Cytodiagnosis. Through an inquiry- and project-based learning approach, students replicate a version of Francesco Redi’s historical experiments, enabling them to engage with core scientific concepts such as the metamorphic cycle of insects and the role of entomology in forensic science. The research adopts a semiquantitative and exploratory design. It investigates: (1) whether students’ prior knowledge about FE and related biological processes is sufficient to refute SG; (2) to what extent this knowledge is influenced by their previous academic background and gender; and (3) whether a contextualized TLS can significantly enhance their conceptual understanding. The results reveal that most students begin with limited initial knowledge of FE and multiple misconceptions related to SG, irrespective of their previous study. Gender differences were observed at baseline, with women showing lower prior knowledge, but these differences disappeared after the intervention. The post-intervention data demonstrate a significant improvement in student’s ability to reject SG and explain biological processes coherently. The study highlights the importance of integrating entomology into health-related VET programs, both as a means to promote scientific literacy and correct misconceptions and as a pedagogical tool to foster critical thinking. It also highlights the potential and historically grounded methodologies to equalize learning outcomes and strengthen the scientific preparation of future healthcare professionals. Full article

Interactions between the increased penetration of the power system by renewable energy sources (RESs) and the energy pricing mechanism in the EU (day-ahead market) can lead to many unexpected and paradoxical consequences. This article analyses the case of the long-term maintenance of prices around zero on the day-ahead market in south-western Europe at a certain time of a day. This is an important case since, at the same time, this area generates electricity from a similar source mix as it is in the target for the EU. Zero or very low energy prices are becoming increasingly common across the EU. This can pose a problem for the stability of the electricity supply, as it translates into a lower power of used disposable power sources, which can be used as a reserve when the majority of the energy supply comes from renewable energy sources. Furthermore, this work refutes the most frequently proposed solution to the problem of excessively low prices based on energy storage systems. This work attempts to analyze the long-term low-price situation in Spain and extrapolate the expected consequences based on it; however, it is difficult to find all the factors that occur in the power system and influence the price market and vice versa. The issue is multidimensional and complex, and the analyzed situation revealed a number of trends. Therefore, a multifaceted problem remains. A constant electricity supply must be ensured at a reasonable price, thus avoiding the exposure of individual consumers to energy shortages or significant price increases, while, at the same time, the EU must reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and its legislation must push for reduced CO₂ emissions. On the other hand, the EU must provide some type of market mechanism to support the achievement of these goals because the current pricing mechanism based on the day-ahead market does not seem to be effective. This article aims to spark a discussion about this problem; it does not provide any simple solutions to it. Full article

Introduction: Burnout syndrome, long described as an “occupational phenomenon”, now affects 15–20% of the general workforce and more than 50% of clinicians, teachers, social-care staff and first responders. Its precise nosological standing remains disputed. We conducted a mechanistic review of electroencephalography (EEG) studies to determine whether burnout is accompanied by reproducible brain-function alterations that justify disease-level classification. Methods: Following PRISMA-adapted guidelines, two independent reviewers searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library and reference lists (January 1980–May 2025) using combinations of “burnout,” “EEG”, “electroencephalography” and “event-related potential.” Only English-language clinical investigations were eligible. Eighteen studies (n = 2194 participants) met the inclusion criteria. Data were synthesised across three domains: resting-state spectra/connectivity, event-related potentials (ERPs) and longitudinal change. Results: Resting EEG consistently showed (i) a 0.4–0.6 Hz slowing of individual-alpha frequency, (ii) 20–35% global alpha-power reduction and (iii) fragmentation of high-alpha (11–13 Hz) fronto-parietal coherence, with stage- and sex-dependent modulation. ERP paradigms revealed a distinctive “alarm-heavy/evaluation-poor” profile; enlarged N2 and ERN components signalled hyper-reactive conflict and error detection, whereas P3b, Pe, reward-P3 and late CNV amplitudes were attenuated by 25–50%, indicating depleted evaluative and preparatory resources. Feedback processing showed intact or heightened FRN but blunted FRP, and affective tasks demonstrated threat-biassed P3a latency shifts alongside dampened VPP/EPN to positive cues. These alterations persisted in longitudinal cohorts yet normalised after recovery, supporting trait-plus-state dynamics. The electrophysiological fingerprint differed from major depression (no frontal-alpha asymmetry, opposite connectivity pattern). Conclusions: Across paradigms, burnout exhibits a coherent neurophysiological signature comparable in magnitude to established psychiatric disorders, refuting its current classification as a non-disease. Objective EEG markers can complement symptom scales for earlier diagnosis, treatment monitoring and public-health surveillance. Recognising burnout as a clinical disorder—and funding prevention and care accordingly—is medically justified and economically imperative. Full article