This text presents a sociological approach to the historical role that the figure of the witch has played and continues to play. Omnipresent in mythology and art, it is hardly surprising that fashion and cinema have drawn upon her as both a source of...
This article explores the role played by the relationship between witch and familiar in the early modern witch trials. It positions animal familiars at the intersection of early modern belief in witchcraft and magic, examining demonologies, legal and...
In this article, we propose an educational path to learn mathematics in the framework of the European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students (ERASMUS) project developed in an Italian high school class on the topic of the cont...
Probiotic bacteria help maintain microbiome homeostasis and promote gut health. Maintaining the competitive advantage of the probiotics over pathogenic bacteria is a challenge, as they are part of the gut microbiome that is continuously exposed to di...
Bovine intramammary infections (IMIs) are the main cause of economic loss in milk production. Antibiotics are often ineffective in treating infections due to antimicrobial resistance and the formation of bacterial biofilms that enhance bacterial surv...
WitchTok describes a sub-section of the social media platform TikTok, which caters to Contemporary Pagans and other practitioners of modern Witchcraft. Through short micro-videos, users share snapshots of their lives, providing a window into their re...
Cassava witches’ broom disease (CWBD) is one of the main diseases of cassava in Southeast Asia (SEA). Affected cassava plants show reduced internodal length and proliferation of leaves (phyllody) in the middle and top part of the plant, which r...
Thaumatin-like proteins (TLPs) are pathogenesis-related proteins with pivotal roles in plant defense mechanisms. In this study, various bioinformatics and RNA-seq methods were used to analyze the biotic and abiotic stress responses of the TLP family...
Significant scientific advances to elucidate the Moniliophthora perniciosa pathosystem have been achieved in recent years, but the molecular biology of this pathogen-host interaction is still a field with many unanswered questions. In order to presen...
Female villains, both fictional and real, are subject to unconscious gender bias when part of their iniquity involves the disruption of male authority. Disney’s most popular animated villain, Maleficent, from Sleeping Beauty (1959) and Elizabet...
This article examines historically competing categories of magic and religion and their gendered traces in the history of religious studies. On one hand, we have a genealogy that traces the term, “magic”, back to an early modern European Christianity...
WPR (WEB1/PMI2-related) genes play a crucial role in regulating chloroplast movement and leaf coloration in plants. Previous studies have shown that these genes are implicated in leaf yellowing, both in Arabidopsis thaliana and in Paulownia fortunei...
In this paper, we shall examine some major religious roles for women in West Bengal, India, and the challenges they must face. Among the Santals, an Adivasi group, religious women must avoid being called witches, for women’s power is seen as da...
The typical symptom of Paulownia witches’ broom (PaWB), caused by phytoplasma infection, is excessive branching, which is mainly triggered by auxin metabolism disorder. Aux/IAA is the early auxin-responsive gene that participates in regulating...
Jujube witches’ broom disease (JWB), caused by Candidatus Phytoplasma ziziphi, is the most destructive phytoplasma disease threatening the jujube industry. Tetracycline derivatives treatments have been validated to be capable of recovering juju...
Hamamelis virginiana L. bark extract is a traditional remedy for skin affections, including atopic dermatitis/eczema (AD). Hamamelis preparations contain tannins, including hamamelitannin (HT), although their pharmacological role in AD is still unkno...
As significant Ca2+ sensors, calmodulin (CaM) and calmodulin-like proteins (CML), have been associated with a variety of environmental conditions in plants. However, whether CaMs/CMLs are related to the stress of phytoplasma infection has not been re...
The jujube witches’ broom (JWB) disease is a severe threat to jujube trees, with only a few cultivars being genuinely tolerant or resistant to phytoplasma. The defense mechanism of jujube trees against phytoplasma is still unclear. In this stud...
To reveal the distribution and transmission pathway of Paulownia witches’-broom (PaWB) disease, which is caused by phytoplasmas related to genetic variation, and the adaptability to the hosts and environments of the pathogenic population in dif...
The fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa secretes protein effectors that manipulate the physiology of the host plant, but few effectors of this fungus have had their functions confirmed. We performed functional characterization of a promising candidate e...
The present study is the translation of Chapter 3 of the book of Ildikó Sz. Kristóf, entitled “Ördögi mesterséget nem cselekedtem.” A boszorkányüldözés társadalmi és kul...
BBX transcription factors are key regulators of plant growth, development, and stress responses, yet their functions in jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.), an economically important fruit tree, remain largely unexplored. Here, we systematically identifie...
This article investigates the factors that provoked the trial and death sentence of four witches in Bologna in 1559. That is, it aims to elucidate how a witch hunt (albeit a small one) was triggered in a context where demonology was present, but the...
whISOBAX (WH), an extract of the witch-hazel plant that is native to the Northeast coast of the United States, contains significant amounts of a phenolic compound, Hamamelitannin (HAMA). Green tea (GT) is a widely consumed plant that contains various...
Shakespeare’s Macbeth has traveled a long way from its original milieu. This paper takes three major 21st-century Indian adaptions of Macbeth as its primary texts. The city of Mumbai in the west in Maqbool, an imaginary coastal Bengal village i...
Paulownia species not only have significant economic benefits but also show great potential in ecological conservation. However, they are highly susceptible to phytoplasma infections, causing Paulownia witches’ broom (PaWB), which severely rest...
In this paper, my objective is to delve into the history of women accused of practicing witchcraft in Sicily during the early modern period. This investigation draws upon documented evidence from the Spanish Inquisition spanning from 1516 to 1782, al...
Witch hazel extracts have been used for decades as cosmetic ingredients in skin care products. Our present study aims to evaluate its potential in anti-pollution products using a previously reported in vitro model. Calcium is a universal second messe...
In comparison with the estimated number of about 60,000 executed so-called witches (women and men), the number of executed and punished witch-priests seems to be rather irrelevant. This statement, however, overlooks the fact that it was only during m...
This paper explores price effects caused by the expiration of derivatives in the cryptocurrency market. Applying different statistical tests (ANOVA, Mann–Whitney, and t-tests) and econometric methods (the modified cumulative abnormal return approach,...
Witches’ broom disease has led to major losses in lime and alfalfa production in Oman. This paper identifies bioclimatic variables that contribute to the prediction of distribution of witches’ broom disease in current and future climatic scenarios. I...
The figure of the witch (bruxa) has been historically and contextually diverse, often shaped by gendered perceptions. With the rise of the feminist movement and Contemporary Paganism, the term ‘witch’ transformed into a powerful symbol of...
Two unrelated plant species, green pea and parthenium weed, harboring typical phytoplasma symptoms, were discovered in Yunlin, Taiwan. Green pea (Pisum sativum.) and parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus L.) are both herbaceous annual plants belo...
This contribution reconstructs the reflection on witches of Johannes Trithemius (1462–1516), a German Benedictine who took up the pen on several occasions to declare against the spread of witchcraft and the need to solve this problem. The metho...
Phytoplasmas are mycoplasma-like pathogens of witches’ broom disease, and are responsible for serious yield losses of Paulownia trees worldwide. The molecular mechanisms of disease development in Paulownia are of considerable interest, but still poo...
Paulownia witches’ broom (PaWB), caused by phytoplasma, is an important disease of Paulownia. To further identify the key miRNAs associated with the formation of PaWB symptoms, miRNA and degradome sequencing were performed to explore important...
Previous studies had identified novel antimicrobial peptides derived from witch flounder. In this work, we extended the search for the activity of peptide that showed antibacterial activity on clinically isolated bacterial cells and bacterial biofilm...
Moniliophthora perniciosa is one of the main pathogens affecting cocoa, and controlling it generally involves planting resistant genotypes followed by phytosanitary pruning. The identification of plant genes related to defense mechanisms is crucial t...
Between the 15th and 17th centuries, as the Northern Hemisphere entered the Little Ice Age, the scale and frequency of hailstorms increased. In Ming Dynasty China, following the Han Dynasty’s “Interaction Between Heaven and Mankind”...
Background: Eyelid dermatitis is a common, multifactorial, chronic, and/or relapsing condition with a considerable impact on life quality that represents a diagnostic and treatment challenge. Methods: We carried out a single-blind, controlled, random...
Hamamelis virginiana L. (witch hazel) is a traditionally used medicinal plant, well-known for its dermatological applications. The plant’s bark and leaves contain a rich array of bioactive compounds, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, catech...
Phyllocoptes fructiphilus Keifer (Acari: Eriophyidae) is the vector of rose rosette virus (RRV), which causes rose rosette disease (RRD) in North America. The RRD symptoms, such as witches’ broom, flower, and leaf deformation, disrupt the aesth...
Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth a well-known hemi-parasitic weed, it also has been used widely in African folk medicine to remedy broad spectra of diseases. The current contribution is an attempt to establish reproducible in vitro callusing system. I...
The relationship of wu (巫) to shamanism is problematic, with virtually all mentions of historical and contemporary Chinese wu ritualists translated into English as shaman. Ethnological research is presented to illustrate cross-cultural pattern...
Phytoplasmas are insect-transmitted bacterial pathogens associated with diseases in a wide range of host plants, resulting in significant economic and ecological losses. Perennial deciduous trees in the genus Paulownia are widely planted for wood har...
Hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) is traditionally used in dermatology for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the number of studies on its chemical composition and potentials in skin protection remains limited. This study aime...
To learn about the gene structure, phylogenetic evolution, and function under biotic and abiotic stresses of BTB (Bric-a-Brac/Tramtrack/Broad Complex) genes in Paulownia fortunei, a whole-genome sequence evaluation was carried out, and a total of 62...
Virginian witch hazel (WH; Hamamelis virginiana L.; family: Hamamelidaceae) is a North American plant that is used traditionally to treat a variety of ailments, including bacterial infections. Solvents of varying polarity (water, methanol, ethyl acet...
Ecuador is one of the major cocoa producers worldwide, but its productivity has lately been affected by diseases. Endophytic biocontrol agents have been used to minimize pathogenic effects; however, compounds produced by endophytes are minimally unde...
Paulownia witches’ broom (PaWB) is an epidemic disease caused by phytoplasmas infection, which is responsible for large production and economic losses. The study of PaWB has made significant progress, but the specific molecular mechanisms assoc...
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