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Agroecology, agency, and bottom-up governance are deemed essential for sustainable food security, yet alternative food initiatives face difficulties accessing decision-making spaces related to public policy and resources. During the pandemic, grassroots movements emerged in Spanish cities to tackle food insecurity through mutual aid, drawing inspiration from agroecological principles. How these initiatives engage with governmental actors and policies remains unexplored. The article uses semi-structured interviews and participant observations to examine two cases of Agroecology-oriented Food Redistribution Initiatives (AFRIs) in Seville and the Barcelona metropolitan areas. It aims to address three main research questions: 1) What kinds of actors and relations characterise the considered food initiatives? 2) How is sustainable food security understood and performed? 3) How do the initiatives relate with governmental actors and what problems emerge in this interaction? AFRIs emerge as assemblages uniting diverse social actors with a shared focus on food security, understanding it as the right to access sustainable, healthy food, intertwined with other basic needs and related social struggles. Sustainable practices are accompanied by the maintenance of conventional elements in the initiatives, which results in hybrid food networks. Relationships with local government institutions vary between the cases, revealing challenges and ambivalences regarding their role in supporting the provision of fresh and sustainable produce. While the study’s findings indicate that scaling up agroecology does not necessarily result in conventionalization and co-optation, such efforts also come with trade-offs. Despite collaborative endeavors, initiatives like the Barcelona AFRI may find themselves in a marginal role and fall short of fundamentally transforming the prevailing food aid model on a broader scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution of seabirds at the macro scale (1000–3000 km) is influenced by physical and biological factors. Oceanic fronts represent important areas aggregating foraging seabirds, however, fronts can also act as barriers, possibly influencing their distribution patterns. Here, we investigated how fronts and environmental variables may drive the spatial distribution of seabird assemblages in the Southwestern Atlantic and Southern Oceans. Additionally, we tested if assemblages of seabirds fit into previously proposed biogeographical classifications, as these may work as surrogates to monitor assemblages. Seabird counts were carried out in November and March (2002, 2003, 2012). Sea surface temperature and salinity, bathymetry, chlorophyll-a, and the mean location of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) fronts were used for the analysis of species composition. We used model-based multivariate methods to access differences in species composition across previously proposed biogeographic classifications. Model-based ordinations suggested no perfect fit of seabird species composition to these biogeographic classifications, with a high degree of overlap among their categories. However, multivariate generalised linear models indicated differences among them. Pairwise comparisons among biogeographic categories suggested differences in species composition resulted from categories to the north and to the south of the Antarctic Polar Front—Thalassarche melanophris, Procellaria aequinoctialis and Macronectes giganteus occurred in higher numbers to the north, whereas Pygocelis penguins and Thalassoica antarctica occurred only to the south. The results suggest that not all fronts in the ACC play a role in seabird distribution. Therefore, depending on the spatial scale of analysis, fronts do not necessarily dictate the biogeographical patterns of seabirds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beads are a prominent category of material culture in the African past. Crosscutting their study across temporal periods and geographical areas are some general methodological and theoretical convergences: the categorisation of beads in terms of materials and methods of manufacture, an emphasis on provenance and distribution, and the analysis of beads as 'social signals' in relation to identity, networks and status. This paper outlines the conceptual framework of 'making' and discusses how such a framework can expand on existing analyses and provide new avenues for studying beads in the African past. Beads, like all forms of material culture, are the culmination of a dynamic process between materials and makers: the intermixing of ideas, substances and tools in time and space. A focus on making draws our attention to exploring the processes of bead composition in deeper focus, examining not only recycling and reuse but also the ways in which beads were made into composite items, such as garments or adornments. At the same time, a focus on making brings to light a concern for the encounters between material properties, knowledge, memory and sensory affects, encouraging an exploration of bead making as an assemblage of material and non-material things. We draw on a range of case studies from various regions across the African continent to illustrate the relevance of our approach for developing new insights into beads in the archaeological record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diverse knowledge insights are essential to inform action on bringing about transformations in how societies live with changing Earth, ocean and coastal systems. However, knowledge forms typically used in governance systems are stubbornly limited. This paper analyses the extent to which an expanding ontology of the concept of 'infrastructure' can contribute to building more integrated knowledge for governance in ocean and coastal contexts. This paper asks: What can creative and critical engagement with infrastructure thinking offer to efforts to bring together diverse forms of knowledge and to develop more effective and ethical governance in changing coastal contexts? Employing a qualitative assessment of how the concept of infrastructure is defined in multiple disciplines and contexts, the paper identifies three heuristic types of structures, things and processes that can collectively inform interdisciplinary dialogue and governance dialogue: (i) built/physical infrastructure, (ii) environmental infrastructure, and (iii) societal/cultural infrastructure. Drawing on insights from critical infrastructure studies and more-than-human perspectives, the paper then identifies ontological and methodological challenges of integration, values, and power/agency for those who engage a multi-faceted conception of infrastructure to frame analysis and action. Bringing these insights together, the paper argues that infrastructure thinking provides a means to facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue, and a useful lens with which to analytically integrate diverse forms of knowledge about/in ocean and coastal contexts. However, cautious and critical perspectives are needed to support efforts in (re)thinking and integrating for collective action and governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on life history interviews conducted with former fishers and other older residents in Great Yarmouth – one of the 20% most deprived districts in England – this article explores how memories of a once flourishing fishing industry are used to make sense of the decline that followed the end of the industry in the 1960s. Focusing on the material and affective constituents of people's memories, embodied in three categories of fishing-related objects (boats and quay, nets and fish) through which their stories are told, I explore how those formerly involved in fishing-related activities understand and experience the past and their world in the present. Using biographical and historical memories to reclaim their role in the making of a town that they consider to 'have missed the boat', they are able to make sense of the transformations that occurred and to reclaim their role as place makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of restrictive practices within health and social care has attracted policy and practice attention, predominantly focusing on children and young people with mental health conditions, learning disabilities and autism. However, despite growing appreciation of the need to improve care quality for people living with dementia (PLWD), the potentially routine use of restrictive practices in their care has received little attention. PLWD are at significant risk of experiencing restrictive practices during unscheduled acute hospital admissions. In everyday routine hospital care of PLWD, concerns about subtle and less visible forms of restrictive practices and their impacts remain. This article draws on Deleuze's concepts of 'assemblage' and 'event' to conceptualise restrictive practices as institutional, interconnection social and political attitudes and organisational cultural practices. We argue that this approach illuminates the diverse ways restrictive practices are used, legitimatised and perpetuated in the care of PLWD. We examine restrictive practices in acute care contexts, understanding their use requires examining the wider socio‐political, organisational cultures and professional practice contexts in which clinical practices occurs. Whereas 'events' and 'assemblages' have predominantly been used to examine embodied entanglements in diverse health contexts, examining restrictive practices as a structural assemblage extends the application of this theoretical framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of rurality has been widely debated among scholars, yet rarely questioned in tourism research. We argue that new approaches to rurality in rural tourism research need to be explored if a more inclusive and diverse rurality is to be found. For this purpose, three fundamental dimensions of dominant approaches to tourism rurality, particularly in the Global North, are problematized in the paper: rural as the opposite of, what is not an urban space, rurality as idyllic/romantic landscapes, and rural authenticity as symbolically and existentially perceived by the visitor. The paper then contends that these three dominant taken-for-granted dimensions reinforce a normative conception of rurality which potentially marginalizes, obstructs, and excludes the flourishing of alternative ruralities in rural tourism destinations. A new theoretical approach to rural tourism, which draws on Massey's relational perspective of space and a new-materialist ontology is proposed, where more inclusive and diverse forms of tourism rurality and more open and non-hierarchical rural assemblages can be envisaged as a result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we engage the frame of language ontologies to explore what language is or might be, vis-à-vis empirical data from practicing language teachers and researchers. We conducted semi-structured interviews with fourteen participants to explore their accounts and self-reported practices of language(s)/languaging. We present five ontological accounts of language(s)/languaging as shared by the participants during the interviews: language as a tool for communication, language as thought, language as culture, language as system, and languaging as practice. We discuss the implications of these five ontological accounts for teaching, learning, and understanding language as a multiplicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Aim Location Time Period Major Taxa Studied Methods Results Main Conclusions Understanding the spatial structuring of ecological communities involves considering the interplay between evolutionary history and environmental factors. This study investigates how the phylogenetic structure of Canidae influences the geographical distribution and trait patterns of lineages globally, and how these patterns relate to Bergmann's and Rapoport's rules.Americas, Africa, Eurasia.12 million years ago—present.Canidae.Using distribution data and phylogenetic information for 37 Canidae species, we analysed key ecological, functional and evolutionary variables. We applied phylogenetic fuzzy‐weighting via principal coordinates of phylogenetic structure (PCPS) and variance partitioning analysis (VPA) to assess the contributions of phylogenetic structure and environmental factors to trait variation among species.Our results revealed distinct global patterns in body size, body weight, range size, habitat use and evolutionary distinctiveness among lineages. We also identified the shared contributions of phylogenetic structure and temperature to trait variation using variance partitioning analysis. The PCPS axes highlighted the influence of phylogenetic relationships on Canidae assemblages, particularly in South America.Importantly, the study challenges the applicability of Bergmann's and Rapoport's rules across continents. The unique diversification history of Canidae in South America and Africa and their diverse environmental conditions likely contribute to the observed trait patterns that make both continents so distinguished when compared to North America and Eurasia. Our findings underscore the need to incorporate phylogenetic information in models assessing trait variation across geographic scales for unbiased estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional diversity is a key component of biodiversity that reflects various dimensions of ecosystem functioning and the roles organisms play within communities and ecosystems. It is widely used to understand how ecological processes influence biotic assemblages. With an aim to increase our knowledge about dragonfly ecological requirements in tufa-depositing karst habitats, we assessed functional diversity of their assemblages, various life history traits (e.g., stream zonation preference, substrate preference, reproduction type), and relationship between functional diversity and physico-chemical water properties in three types of karst lotic habitats (springs, streams, and tufa barriers) in a biodiversity hotspot in the western Balkan Peninsula. Dragonfly functional diversity was mainly characterized by traits typical for lotic rheophile species with medium dispersal capacity. Among the investigated habitats, tufa barriers, characterized by higher (micro)habitat heterogeneity, higher water velocity, as well as lower conductivity and concentration of nitrates, can be considered as dragonfly functional diversity hotspots. Functional diversity and most of the life history traits were comparable among different substrate types in the studied habitats, indicating higher importance of habitat type in shaping dragonfly functional diversity patterns in karst lotic habitats. Our results should be considered in the management and conservation activities of vulnerable karst freshwater ecosystems and their dragonfly assemblages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the insights of media ecology, this essay explores the potential of media to mobilize representations, feelings, and habits to transform individuals into extensions of media themselves. Specifically, I undertake an analysis of the South Korean film Oldboy, which I argue demonstrates how, in the contemporary moment, media narratively and affectively mobilize individuals to become not only ideological subjects but also media appendages that, consequently, carry out cinema's central functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Are the many crises of higher education real, or are they in the eye of the beholder? They are evidently something of both: The crises to which we are characteristically alerted are manifestations in the real of the world and indicate much about our scholars' perceptions and even their values. To say this, however, invites the question: can we sort the wheat from the chaff? Might there be a way of validating any effort to identify a crisis that lies in the world, independently of claims made about it? There is straightaway a fundamental difficulty after all; namely, that the very concept of crisis is fact and value, both pointing to a phenomenon in the world and making a judgement about it. It seems then that, in the language of crisis, we may be conflating ontology with epistemology and ethics. When we hear talk of crisis, we may be being told more about the claim‐maker than the feature of the world that is in question. However, I suggest that, if we deploy the artifice of ecosystem, and so adopt an ecological approach to the matter, we can move on two planes at once: We can point to phenomena of crises in higher education that are in the world and that also warrant our evaluative judgements of them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In studies of the important contemporary Christian music (CCM) subculture within American evangelicalism, scholars have developed an increasingly robust body of sociological analysis; this article bridges from that scholarship to offer a cultural history of how a decentralized group of ex-hippies coalesced to establish a multimillion-dollar industry. Centring the concept of sublation as used by David Morgan, the article adopts a multimethod approach to study how More Power to Ya by Petra—one of the most popular albums from one of the industry's most influential bands—exemplified the strategy Christian rock artists employed to move from a place of marginalization within evangelical Christianity to one of acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reference points provide crucial spatial information for people with visual disabilities, and existing literature categorizes and describes their functions. However, these studies still adhere to a geographical pointillist logic that perceives points as fixed and stable entities and overlooks corporeal processes through which reference points are created. Utilizing concepts from Deleuze-Guattarian philosophy and drawing from sit-down and go-along interviews with visually disabled people, this article answers the question of how to conceptualize reference points from a non-pointillist perspective. By elucidating how reference points need to be actualized through affirmative bodily acts of complex spatio-temporal assemblages, it dismantles their seemingly disembodied and static nature. Consequently, the text explores reference points interwoven with diverse assemblages and examines scenarios in which suitable assemblages could not be assembled, nor could reference points, therefore, be actualized. Thus, the article departs from conceiving of points solely as nouns and presents them in verbal terms, effectively reconciling stability with dynamism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food and life are intimately entangled. To grasp the underlying complexity of this seemingly simple statement, this article first introduces the approach to food/eating as an assemblage enacted by various heterogeneous components, and further develops it by engaging with actor network theory and material semiotics. Thereafter the focus turns to 'entanglement', as inspired by quantum physics, to elicit the basic dynamics of the entanglement of food and more-than-human beings, conceived of as involving mutual and differential becomings within and among assemblages. The article illustrates these entangled becomings by drawing upon examples from Sri Lanka, which in an intercultural philosophical fashion serve to establish an articulation (in the sense of a connection) between the proposed abstract approach to food and some basic premises of Buddhism and Ayurveda, a South Asian health system. Overall, the article crafts a conceptual toolbox and performs ontological groundwork wherein food and human beings as entangled assemblages provide a productive, refined, and sensitive research apparatus for the intimate study of more-than-human life and organization while also spurring novel theorizations through food/eating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper maps the distribution of post-conflict violence in Belfast and how it has restructured socially, economically and spatially. An end to hostilities and stable transition produces and is produced by a more complex set of distinctly urban assemblages, actors, resources and places. Bringing the ideas of 'ordering' into relation with assemblage theory, the paper suggests that explanations for the survival, volume, type and distribution of violence cannot be understood within exclusively ethnonational frames, identarian politics or military logics. In Belfast, the data reveal a more variegated map of peace and consumption; inner-city alienation and the intensification of division; as well as the emergence of new geographies of displaced violence. The paper concludes by emphasising the need to understand how urban processes and competing ethnic orders create highly differentiated spaces that explain the resilience of violence after hostilities have formally closed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The influence of the International Baccalaureate (IB) has grown impressively on a global scale. In Latin America, the IB has been mainly introduced in private schools that cater for the most affluent sectors of society and, consequently, has been mostly interpreted as contributing to processes of social reproduction and the widening of inequalities However, since the mid-2000s the IB has been promoted in state schools in countries such as Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica and in the City of Buenos Aires in Argentina. This paper analyses the enactment of the IBDP in public schools in Costa Rica and Peru drawing on a mixed methods multiple case study. It shows how, in countries with significant socioeconomic disparities, the possibility of offering the IBDP to students at public schools was mostly justified as a matter of equity, understood as opening access to an educational programme that was only available to the most privileged sectors of society. By problematising the notions of privilege and eliteness, we discuss the complex relations between inequalities and educational opportunities and question the extent to which these programmes are affecting social structures in Costa Rica and Peru. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems (MCEs) represent unique ecological habitats that range from 30 to 150 m deep, harbouring phylogenetically distinct species and offering refuge for many taxa during times of environmental stress. Yet owing to inaccessibility of ecosystems at these depths, most MCEs remain unexplored, with quantifications of ecological communities in these habitats lacking across many regions. Here, using open- and closed-circuit technical diving, we quantified benthic and fish community composition at four mesophotic reef sites (45 m depth) in Grand Cayman. We show significant differences in benthic community composition over a small spatial scale driven by disparate coverage of sponges, crustose coralline algae, and sand/rubble, yet consistent patterns of macroalgal dominance representing >50% coverage at each site and low hard coral cover at an average of 2.4%. Reef fish species richness, biomass, and density was consistent across sites, however the relative contribution of individual species to community composition differed significantly. Macrocarnivores were found to be the dominant contributors to biomass, with invertivores the most speciose, and omnivores and planktivores at the highest densities, consistent with previous descriptions of mesophotic fish assemblages in other regions. Similarly, the low hard coral cover and high macroalgae and sponge cover of the benthic communities also appear ecologically similar to several described mesophotic reefs yet is not uniform across the Caribbean. The ecological organisation of Grand Cayman's MCEs may result from a variety of factors such as isolation from other major land masses, geology, local geography, and anthropogenic activity at both the local and global scale and highlight the importance of continued exploration and documentation of MCE communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questions: Marine rocky outcrops are model systems of community assembly under harsh conditions. The prevailing environmental conditions that determine a coast–inland gradient of stress and disturbance impose a strong environmental filter on community assembly. However, the Atlantic rocky outcrops of Uruguay challenge this assumption as they exhibit high plant diversity at small spatial scales. We investigated this study system to answer: (1) which environmental factors determine diversity at the local scale; (2) and how does the regional pool influence species composition along the coast–inland gradient? Methods: We analyzed the local and regional determinants of plant community assembly in four rocky sites along the Uruguayan coast. Through a random sampling approach stratified by distance to the coast, we recorded species occurrences and microenvironmental conditions. Observed taxa were assigned into different species assemblages according to their typical vegetation type. Generalized Linear Model (GLM)–Poisson regression, quantile regressions and hierarchical cluster analyses were used to identify the factors underlying local richness and the spatial vegetation structure. Results: Nine different vegetation types generate a mass effect that enhances local diversity. Unexpectedly, 56% of the species are from non‐marine environments — e.g. grasslands or hydrophilous herblands. Species assemblages were spatially clustered, with a turnover of these clusters along the coast–inland gradient. Elevation, distance to the coast and vegetation cover promoted richness, likely due to an attenuation of marine filters. Meanwhile, substrate availability reduced richness, likely due to competitive exclusion as a result of more resources and homogeneous microenvironmental conditions. Conclusions: The high local diversity along the marine rocky outcrops of Uruguay is best explained by a functionally diverse regional species pool, which interacts with local heterogeneity, and by conditions that enhance or attenuate the effect of marine stress. Effective conservation and management strategies are key to minimize the detrimental effects of urbanization, fragmentation, and non‐native plant invasions on these diverse habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Termites are considered as important pests of maize plantations in Republic of Benin. However, very little information is available on their assemblage composition, abundance, damages, and on the sensitivity of common maize varieties in Benin. This study aims to fill these gaps and provide baseline for the development of an integrated termite management in maize plantations. Therefore, 60 maize fields across 30 villages located in four agro-ecological zones of southern Benin were prospected using the standardized method of belt transects. In addition, the resistance of five maize varieties to termite attacks was evaluated on-farm during two consecutive seasons (2018 and 2019). Fifteen termite species belonging to 11 genera, 6 subfamilies and 3 families were collected in the prospected maize fields. Four species (Macrotermes subhyalinus Rambur, Coptotermes sjostedti Holmgren, Amitermes evuncifer Silvestri, and Trinevitermes germinatus Wasmann) were found in all agro-ecological zones with A. evuncifer as the most abundant species. High similarity indices of termite assemblages were found between the four agro-ecological zones. Wood-feeders group and species nesting in hypogeal nests were the mostly abundant in all agro-ecological zones. The attack rate of termites in maize fields was 16.9% and did not vary significantly between agro-ecological zones. A. evuncifer and C. sjostedti were significantly the most destructive species on the five evaluated varieties, although Trinevitermes oeconomus Trägardh was most abundant in leaf sheaths; M. subhyalinus and Macrotermes bellicossus Smeathman in the stem; Pseudacanthotermes militaris Hagen and Odontotermes sp. in the roots. Termite damage level to maize depended of the variety. Korga variety was classified as highly resistant to termite attacks; Agbadé kouin winiwini variety as resistant; Igbado tchakpa variety as moderately resistant. While, Elèkpèrè and Forkui varieties were classified as highly susceptible. The three maize varieties identified as resistant to termite attack should be included in the development of an integrated termite management program and in future breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate warming has triggered shifts in plant distributions, resulting in changes within communities, characterized by an increase in warm‐demanding species and a decrease in cold‐adapted species – referred to as thermophilization. Researchers conventionally rely on co‐occurrence data from vegetation assemblages to examine these community dynamics. Despite the increasing availability of presence‐only data in recent decades, their potential has largely remained unexplored due to concerns about their reliability. Our study aimed to determine whether climate‐induced changes in community dynamics, as inferred from presence‐only data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), corresponded with those derived from co‐occurrence plot data. To assess the differences between these datasets, we computed a community temperature index (CTI) using a transfer function, weighted‐averaging partial least squares regression (WA‐PLS). We calibrated the transfect function model based on the species–temperature relationship using data before recent climate warming. Then we assessed the differences in CTI and examined the temporal trend in thermophilization. In a preliminary analysis, we assessed the performance of this calibration using three datasets: 1) Norwegian co‐occurrence data, 2) presence‐only data from a broader European region organized into pseudo‐plots (potentially capturing a larger part of the species niches), and 3) a combined dataset merging 1) and 2). The transfer function including the combined dataset performed best. Subsequently, we compared the CTI for the co‐occurrence plots paired up spatially and temporally with presence‐only pseudo‐plots. The results demonstrated that presence‐only data can effectively evaluate species assemblage responses to climate warming, with consistent CTI and thermophilization values to what was found for the co‐occurrence data. Employing presence‐only data for evaluating community responses opens up better spatial and temporal resolution and much more detailed analyses of such responses. Our results therefore outline how a large amount of presence‐only data can be used to enhance our understanding of community dynamics in a warmer world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coral recruitment is a vital process for the maintenance and recovery of coral reefs, particularly due to their decline from global change. While it is well established that larval settlement cues significantly influence coral recruitment, the investigation of recruitment success associated with the surrounding community mainly focuses on algae. To investigate other factors controlling this process, we examined the impact of benthic invertebrate assemblages on coral recruitment using artificial reefs. Three types of artificial reefs (mono‐, bi‐, and tri‐species) with different assemblages of three common species, Pocillopora acuta, Acropora cytherea, and Tridacna maxima, were studied over 8 months. This study revealed that benthic assemblages play a significant role in coral recruitment and survival. High biodiversity was found to enhance coral recruitment and inhibit potential negative cues from A. cytherea. Our findings underscore the importance of preserving high biodiversity using not only hard coral but a wide range of phyla, including bivalves, in coral restoration efforts. Maintaining sustainable populations is an important goal to reach in the face of the multiple threats that impact coral reefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews more than 40 journal articles that describe the traits of phytoplankton functional groups (FGs) and their responses to biotic and abiotic factors in freshwater environments. Scholars have used different approaches with varying assumptions, making it necessary to subject the available information to a modest review. The paper sheds light on the potential responses of phytoplankton assemblages to biotic factors such as allelopathy, vertical migration, prey-predator interactions, macrophytes dominance, zooplankton grazing, and abiotic factors such as nutrient deficiency, turbulence and mixing processes, light, and temperature. It also highlights the status of studies on phytoplankton FGs in Ethiopian water bodies. While FGs have relevant applications in ecosystem assessment and monitoring, the difficulties faced are briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The post-anthropocentric concept of posthumanism decentralizes human experiences and dismantles absolute human agency. This is done by endorsing the importance of relationality between various human, non-human, material and abstract elements in constituting/composing experiences, events or matters. In education, posthumanist philosophy envisages an inclusive, interdisciplinary perspective that endorses the human and non-human agencies dynamically engaging in material and abstract relations, inside as well as outside the classroom, to reconstruct traditional pedagogies that focus on texts, teachers and the lack of learner agency. Conceived in the qualitative paradigm, the present study attempts to examine the role of learner agency, motivation, and the affect of assemblages in developing the speaking proficiency of tertiarylevel learners in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) classroom in India. As part of the intervention, learners created wordless graphic assemblages (in groups) with arbitrary images using an online digital comic builder platform to create stories. Their post-task activities, such as discussions, hypothetical questioning, and Socratic seminars oriented towards the development of their speaking proficiency, were analysed. The findings of the study show that graphic assemblages can be used as an affective posthuman pedagogical tool to enhance learners' speaking skills and operationalize their higher-order thinking skills. It also augments agency, facilitates affect, and increases motivation among learners. The results of the study suggest that the graphic assemblages fulfil different teaching and learning objectives. It also provides scope for educators to formulate strategies involving creative practices in a language classroom using a posthuman educational perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although rallies are essential to political communication campaigns, they have been little studied. Thus, this article presents an ethnographic observation of the Democratic campaign rallies during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Two research questions structure the paper: How do material things—including human bodies—and their transportation structure the production and reproduction of rallies as political communication systems? What kind of political communication assemblages constructs the materiality of rallies? The text presents three conclusions. 1) A substantial part of the materiality of these rallies was composed of human bodies and many other things that were transported to a specific space to have copresent interactions with other bodies. 2) The production of these rallies required creating an infrastructural space built upon transporting a myriad of material objects to a specific place. These objects constituted the material bases for developing these rallies as a set of political communication practices. 3) These rallies can be conceptualised as mobile and itinerant assemblages for transportation and communication. These rallies were a means of transportation that moved the candidate's body across a vast territory and a (political) media of communication designed to transcend the time and space in which these events were produced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

My paper wishes to delve into concepts such as assemblage and sympoiesis and examine them within the framework of my ethnographic fieldwork on beekeeping in the Western chain of the Italian Alps. I believe that the implications of notions such as sympoiesis and assemblage can be seen to surface in the context of beekeeping and bee culture, as they emerge as multispecies activities where everything and everyone involved can be regarded as a social actor. In this respect, the most relevant issues I would like to tackle are referred to knowledge production and know-how among beekeepers who keep their apiaries in the plains for most part of the year and move them to mountain areas for the summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses commuting by elderly Ukrainian passengers on tramways and trolleybuses as a symbiosis between human bodies and public electric vehicles. First, aging is presented as an important part of the socio-material order of Ukrainian cities. Then, using ethnographic methods, the research traces how elderly, mostly female, bodies and aging vehicles are singled out as a symbiotic assemblage formed under rigid social assistance policies. Mutual dependencies between bodies and vehicles help them both remain in the city. In the discussion, this symbiotic assemblage is connected to the larger policy and political context of Ukraine in terms of Europeanization. Using assemblage thinking and the notion of symbiosis allows us to see elderly commuters on Ukrainian tram and trolleybuses not as mere end-users of the city but as co-creators of urban space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contributes to the understanding of incentives for peacekeeping contribution from non-democratic countries through the largely unexplored case of peacekeeping under authoritarian rule in The Gambia. It argues that President Yahya Jammeh (1994–2017) aimed to use peacekeeping to help keep himself in power, fitting a broader global pattern of peacekeeping for regime maintenance. However, the research also demonstrates that leadership's aims for peacekeeping can be misaligned with the experiences of soldiers. Rather than draw soldiers closer to the regime, the peacekeeping experience involved a distancing from the forces for Gambian soldiers when they returned home. The findings draw on interviews with returned peacekeepers and military decision makers in The Gambia, as well as publications from the armed forces and new public sources of information made available after the 2017 political transition. The article proposes that viewing the deployment experience as a global peacekeeping assemblage helps to understand the more subtle, yet significant, ways in which soldiers' views can shift following peacekeeping deployments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the impacts of climate change unfold, coastal cities are beginning to adapt to the emerging physical and financial risks. In our case study of climate adaptation in Boston, we advance the concept of hegemonic performativity, which shows how political pressures lead an assemblage – a network of human and nonhuman actors, including models, algorithms, instruments, market devices, and experts – to converge on a consensus in ways that privilege particular goals, actors, interests, and forms of knowledge. Our findings show how an assemblage is performative in building consensus around a particular climate response that tames uncertainty by excluding extreme risks and incorporating more palatable scenarios and parameters so that adaptation appears manageable and compatible with business-as-(almost)-usual. The mechanism of silencing facilitates consensus by downplaying community voices, equity concerns, and more extreme climate scenarios. Our study highlights how the operation of an assemblage is performative in shaping adaptation plans, physical interventions in urban infrastructure, and associated financial mechanisms with considerable effects on who and what is protected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distinct origin and hydrological characteristics of reservoirs, shaped by fluctuating water levels and seasonal variations, play a crucial role in determining aquatic species assemblages across diverse limnological zones. This study aimed to analyze fish and crayfish assemblages in the nearshore area of a canyon-shaped Mediterranean reservoir, seeking to identify seasonal and spatial convergent patterns and infer the factors influencing them. Samplings were conducted at five stations along the longitudinal profile of the reservoir at depths around 7 m using gillnets and hoops nets. A seasonal pattern emerged regarding species abundance and biomass, with higher values recorded during the warmer period. Additionally, a spatial trend was observed, indicating higher species abundance in the middle part of the reservoir and lower abundance near the dam, particularly during the colder period. Water transparency, temperature, and the distance from the dam were identified as the most significant factors affecting species assemblages in terms of abundance and biomass. This research provides valuable insights into the intricate interplay between environmental factors, seasonal changes, and the assemblages of aquatic species in a Mediterranean reservoir, contributing to our understanding of its ecological dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the key problems of modern ecology is to analyze the structure of ecosystems in Arctic water bodies, which are sensitive to global climatic changes and anthropogenic stress. It is important to determine the general principles of the formation of aquatic communities in different polar landscapes. An attempt was made to characterize the potential influence of altitude on the dominance structure, taxonomic richness, and species composition of benthic and planktonic microcrustacean assemblages on the example of the Anabar Plateau. In parallel, a comparative analysis of assemblages’ regulation in the Lena River Delta (flat tundra), the Anabar Plateau and the Putorana Plateau (mountainous massifs) in northern Middle Siberia was conducted. A total of 96 crustacean taxa were found in the water bodies of the Anabar Plateau: 44 Copepoda, 50 Cladocera, one species each of Anostraca and Laevicaudata. Of these, 44 species are newly found in the region. Structure of the microcrustacean assemblages on the Anabar Plateau depends on mountainousness and the associated hydrochemical and hydrological characteristics of the water bodies. For zooplankton, altitude and macrophyte composition are the main determinants of the assemblage structure. For meiobenthos, altitude and water mineralization are the key environmental factors. A comprehensive analysis of the original and literature data revealed that the formation of fauna and assemblages of microcrustaceans in Arctic water bodies is a result of a complex influence of climate and landscape. The species richness of thermophilic Cladocera exhibits a notable decline with increasing latitude, in contrast to that of thermotolerant Copepoda. In lowland regions, the variability of assemblages is determined by a set of hydrological and hydrochemical factors correlating with the age of the water body. In mountains, the assemblage variability is related to altitude above sea level, which determines the main characteristics of water body.

In The Machine in the Garden ( 1964), Leo Marx set American studies on a search for "a distinctively American theory of society" (4). Demonstrating how an image of mechanistic modernity first occurred then recurred throughout cultural depictions of a predominantly rural landscape, Marx examines the impact of industrialization on American society. This essay argues that contemporary southern fiction is displaying a similarly recurring motif of its own, a motif representative of a new perception of place for the region. Place, according to the southern studies conception as a region of constancy capable of informing our identities, no longer exists. The posthumanist subject instead inhabits a shared space suitable for their symbiotic coexistence, and contemporary authors are starting to depict this element of posthuman existence. Marx's machines recur anew, their rusting carcasses re-purposed by the coexisting elements around them. Rather than a shocking intrusion into the rural landscape, the rusting shells of the symbols of modern society are representative of the non-exceptionalism of the posthuman. Using Jesmyn Ward ' s Where the Line Bleeds, Salvage the Bones, and Sing, Unburied, Sing, this essay will consider how such imagery indicates a shift in the presentation of place in southern fiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I present my methodological approach to researching the sex practices of trans people developed during my PhD project How we Fuck. Using my body as both a fertile site of knowledge production (Bain and Nash, 2006), and an instrument for intimate analysis, I articulate an approach to 'intimacy-as-method' within an assemblage framework (Deleuze and Guattari, 1987) to provide new ways of engaging in empirical sex research. Intimacy-as-method draws attention to how senses, bodies, affects, human and more-than-human agents ('things') coalesce to produce both trans sex, and trans sex research(ers) (Fox and Alldred, 2015). If ontologically unstable 'things' gain their stability by assembling relationally, then how can we create the conditions that liberate both trans sex from dominant narratives of suffering, and (trans) sex research from its conventions of squeamishness? I argue that considering the dynamic and mutable ways in which trans sex (and trans sex research) is produced expands the capacities and limitations of what trans bodies can 'do', making space for novel assemblages, new embodied knowledges, and expansive possibilities of How we Fuck. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article critically examines the construction of the artistic identity and career of Ai-Da, 'the world's first ultra-realistic humanoid robot artist'. Engaging with scholarship on posthumanism and creative assemblages, and creative work, identity and expertise, this article conceptualises Ai-Da's distinctive positioning and focuses on the practices used to construct a creative worker identity and career. The article uses qualitative content analysis to examine journalistic coverage, promotional and presentation activities, exhibitions and performances, and social media postings over a four-year period from Ai-Da's first launch to international visibility. The analysis shows how Ai-Da is positioned as a high-profile, border crossing artist, engaging in debates about Artificial Intelligence (AI), art, and the environment. It considers the creative assemblage of Ai-Da as a humanoid robot artist, the creator Aidan Meller and the team working with him, and the wider contextual factors of aesthetic expertise, networks and knowledge of art worlds which have shaped Ai-Da's artistic identity and career trajectory. The focus on how Ai-Da signals expertise on social media helps to frame the specific techniques used to speak about and for Ai-Da on social media platforms and wider media coverage. This includes articulating inspiration, showcasing artistic processes and cultivating audience relationships. In concluding, the implications of connecting critical perspectives on creative work with developments in art, AI and robot artists are explored: firstly, for understanding how the practices for constructing an artistic identity shape the development of robot artists; secondly, for understanding how developments in art and AI can frame reflections on artistic identity and careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nPoints of interestBlindness (in)directly affects all aspects of daily life and participation in society. Living with a visual impairment can be mapped in terms of the intra-actions between blindness and an individual’s networks. This study conceptualised visual impairment in the context of James and his different networks across his lifespan in an attempt to understand the contextualised and complex meaning of his disability. The lived experiences of James and his networks were unravelled, and their perspectives revealed two main encounters: decisions and processes on (inclusive) education and connecting with others. James and his networks discussed how he succeeded in regular education and how he adhered to higher educational norms. The narratives highlighted the pressure to ‘pass’, to have a space to belong in social spheres, and to function within social networks. The concept of ‘assemblage’, the entangled gathering of embodiment and relationalities, was helpful in unravelling the complex and contextual conceptualisations of blindness in James’ lived experiences.This article presents a personal narrative of the experiences of James, his family, and his friends in relation to blindness.This study’s perspective fundamentally assumes that everyone, including people with disabilities, is embedded in several networks of human and non-human elements.Disability is not an individual condition; rather, it is something relational and contextual. We want to understand the complexities of the participants’ experiences.In James’ networks, educational development in regular education is identified as a life goal that requires the input of everyone and everything.For living blindness, James and his networks also identified the relevance of being socially embedded and bonding with peers and friends.This article presents a personal narrative of the experiences of James, his family, and his friends in relation to blindness.This study’s perspective fundamentally assumes that everyone, including people with disabilities, is embedded in several networks of human and non-human elements.Disability is not an individual condition; rather, it is something relational and contextual. We want to understand the complexities of the participants’ experiences.In James’ networks, educational development in regular education is identified as a life goal that requires the input of everyone and everything.For living blindness, James and his networks also identified the relevance of being socially embedded and bonding with peers and friends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article develops an empirically grounded frame for analysing varieties of alternativeness, using the case of such collaborative housing groups in Vienna (so-called Baugruppen) which aim to overcome the commodification of housing as well as the standardisation in social housing provision. Through experimenting with alternative ways of organising and living together they strive for social and political change. Taking inspiration from literature on commoning and alternative spaces, the article draws on French pragmatist sociology as well as post-actor-network theory (ANT) and assemblage approaches to focus on relational practices and different kinds of commonality as a basis for collective action. It analyses varieties of alternativeness as relational constellations by tracing how different groups compose commonality amongst each other, and how they relate to various actors. In doing so, it contributes to a situated understanding of the relations and relational practices that sustain alternatives, as well as the possibilities of scaling and transformation that specific variations of alternative housing hold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calanoid copepods (CC) are key contributors to the biological carbon pump and pelagic trophic dynamics. The deep-water regions of Perdido and the Bay of Campeche in the western and southern Gulf of Mexico (GM), respectively, differ in hydrography and productivity, leading to potential differences in copepod biomass and community structure. Zooplankton (0-200 m) were collected from the shelf edge to the deep-water region during the winter and summer autumn 2016. Calanoids contributed 38-60% of total zooplankton biomass and 55-70% of overall copepod abundance. The Bay of Campeche had the highest total zooplankton biovolume (287±120 ml 1000 m−3) and total mean copepod abundance (CC and non-calanoids ~146,000 ind. 1000 m−3) during summer-autumn, likely resulting from cross-shelf nutrient transport fueling local productivity. Adult females dominated calanoid numerical abundance (43-50%), thus suggesting a high reproductive potential. Cluster analysis showed differences between seasons (~40% dissimilarity) but not regions. Environmental conditions explained 22% of the variability in community composition; the winter assemblage was significantly related to oxygen concentrations, whereas the summer-autumn community was related to warmer conditions and higher integrated chlorophyll- a concentrations. The CC community responded to seasonal changes more than regionally related hydrographic differences, with likely implications for organic matter cycling and export. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the mechanisms of parasite community assembly can be confounded by phylogenetic distance among host species. Addressing this requires focusing on parasite communities within closely related taxa. Thus, we took a macroecological approach to examining parasite community structure within Killifish species in the genus Fundulus to disentangle the effects of host phylogeny and ecological variables. We constructed a database of parasite communities within Fundulus species from 15 published and unpublished surveys covering the Atlantic coast of the US and Canada. The database was expanded by sampling sites in underrepresented provinces and states, totaling 10 Fundulus species from 57 unique geographic sites. Univariate analysis of observed parasite species richness among Fundulus populations in the dataset found that latitude, climate type, and salinity were the dominant factors determining parasite species richness. Multivariate analysis found that host species and landscape type were the most important factors in determining the similarity of parasite assemblages. Unexpectedly, parasite species richness decreased in low latitudes, and host phylogenetic distance was not found to be a significant factor in the similarity of parasite communities. These results indicate that commonly reported large-scale drivers of parasite community structure, such as latitude and phylogeny, could have diminished significance at the host genus level relative to host ecology, biogeography, and local landscape factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the conceptual-methodological framework of assembling urbanism, the paper sheds light on the strategies, actors and labors of mobilization of the integrated approach to urban development in Ukraine in the late 2000s, its further consolidation after the Euromaidan Revolution of 2013–2014 and transformation into a dominant policy assemblage with discursive and normative power for strategic socio-spatial changes at the national and municipal levels. The research findings deepen the understanding of the complexity of mobilization––assembling––translation processes, revealing the dynamic and affective dimension of relations between heterogeneous actors and underscoring the role of political and politics in assembling urbanism studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In current scenario the whole world facing a big problem for the collection and assemblages the heavy metal in Agriculture land or crop soil-fertility. The heavy metal contamination (HMC) is very harmful for our beautiful earth planet as well as human health issue. Due to the collection and assemblages of heavy metals in earth crust the soil -fertility will be reduced day by day, it is directly or indirectly affected the whole ecosystem and our environment. There are the many innovative methods or technique to analysis and determination for the assemblages and collection the heavy metal pollution or contaminated soil-fertility in Agriculture land, but they have some basic problem like high cost issue is a big problem, time taking process or method and technique, sophistication or complication issues of processes, some problem in planning and strategy issues. The main heavy metals are generally found in earth crust is Zn, Cd, Hg, Pb, Cr, Cu and As. The soil-fertility of farming crop depends on the contamination of heavy metals. These heavy metals will be isolate from the crop soil by some innovative methods, technique or research approaches like- phytochemical, phtyoremediation, phytodegradation processes. My research and analysis work on the assemblages or collection of common heavy metals (Cd, Cr, As, Pb, Hg, Cu, and Zn) in paddy crop soil atmosphere. The corn pickup and acquired the heavy metals in compare then paddy was very prone, it is commonly found. The descending order of assemblages and collection in paddy grains - (Cd > Cu > Cr > Pb > Hg > Zn).

Functional diversity is a key component of biodiversity that reflects various dimensions of ecosystem functioning and the roles organisms play within communities and ecosystems. It is widely used to understand how ecological processes influence biotic assemblages. With an aim to increase our knowledge about dragonfly ecological requirements in tufa-depositing karst habitats, we assessed functional diversity of their assemblages, various life history traits (e.g., stream zonation preference, substrate preference, reproduction type), and relationship between functional diversity and physico-chemical water properties in three types of karst lotic habitats (springs, streams, and tufa barriers) in a biodiversity hotspot in the western Balkan Peninsula. Dragonfly functional diversity was mainly characterized by traits typical for lotic rheophile species with medium dispersal capacity. Among the investigated habitats, tufa barriers, characterized by higher (micro)habitat heterogeneity, higher water velocity, as well as lower conductivity and concentration of nitrates, can be considered as dragonfly functional diversity hotspots. Functional diversity and most of the life history traits were comparable among different substrate types in the studied habitats, indicating higher importance of habitat type in shaping dragonfly functional diversity patterns in karst lotic habitats. Our results should be considered in the management and conservation activities of vulnerable karst freshwater ecosystems and their dragonfly assemblages.

Drawing on the insights of media ecology, this essay explores the potential of media to mobilize representations, feelings, and habits to transform individuals into extensions of media themselves. Specifically, I undertake an analysis of the South Korean film Oldboy, which I argue demonstrates how, in the contemporary moment, media narratively and affectively mobilize individuals to become not only ideological subjects but also media appendages that, consequently, carry out cinema’s central functions.

Background and Aim: Giardia intestinalis is one of the most prevalent intestinal parasites in humans and animals, and children in close contact with livestock are particularly at risk of infection. This study aimed to detect assemblages of G. intestinalis and determine the origin of zoonotic transmission of Giardia in children and calves in different parts of Babylon province, Iraq. Materials and Methods: One hundred stool samples from children (68 boys and 32 girls) and 100 fecal samples from calves (46 males and 54 females) of different ages were randomly collected. Molecular techniques were used to estimate the prevalence of G. intestinalis in children and calves. A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed by targeting the triose phosphate isomerase gene in the samples to detect G. intestinalis assemblages. Results: The overall rates of infection with G. intestinalis in children and calves were 21% and 34%, respectively, using the conventional microscopic method. The results illustrated that 61.90% (13/21) and 38.09% (8/21) of positive samples from children were allocated to assemblages A and B, respectively (p > 0.05). In calves, assemblages A and B were detecte in 82.35% (28/34) and 17.64% (6/34) of positive samples from calves, respectively (p ≤ 0.001). Ten PCR products were sequenced and submitted to the GenBank database. Phylogenetic analysis detected five human sequences each belonging to G. intestinalis assemblages A (OM850335–OM850339) and B (OM850340–OM850344). Similarly, five calf sequences each belonged to G. intestinalis assemblages A (ON75756–ON757660) and B (ON757661–ON757665). Conclusion: The detection of large numbers of G. intestinalis assemblage A in both humans and cattle indicated that cattle could be a main source of zoonotic G. intestinalis infection in children in Babylon province, Iraq.

Giardiasis is a protozoan disease that affects the health of animals, as well as other humans all over the world. Based on its host spectrum and genetic variability, Giardia duodenalis is classified into 8 assemblages (A–H). The present study was aimed at comparing the efficiency of the three most frequently used methods (the flotation method, the SNAP test and the ELISA assay) for the detection of giardiasis in carnivores in terms of the applicability thereof for the scientific purposes and the practicality of their application in the veterinary clinical practice. In the period from March 2020 to February 2022, a total of 173 faecal samples (141 samples collected from shelter dogs; 28 samples from pet dogs; and 6 samples from working dogs) were examined by applying the flotation method. The prevalence of Giardia duodenalis identified by the flotation method was 25 %. The SNAP test conducted with the fresh faecal samples revealed the high-level efficiency of 96 %, whereas the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) achieved the efficiency of 65 %. By applying the nested PCR method, five samples were positively tested for assemblages C and D (G. canis) by the amplification of the bg and tpi loci. The dogs from shelters which were positive for G. duodenalis were also presented with a coinfection caused by other intestinal parasites, such as Trichuris vulpis (28.0 %) and parasites from the Ancylostomatidae family (8.0 %).

The concept of urban borderlands helps us to understand how divisions take place in the city. Urban borderlands expand territorially beyond the mere linear border, drawing together what exists in or across both sides of the divide. In that they are not merely physical, but of course always socially, culturally, and experientially densely charged, the notion of the urban borderland offers itself as a useful analytic in the study of urban conditions that are marked by contiguity and coexistence. Contributions in this issue explore the potential of urban borderline studies across global cities, spanning various scales and employing theoretical frameworks such as borderlands, liminality, and multiple identities. This issue emphasizes the importance of considering bordering processes in urban planning and design and shows that urban borderlands are sites of contestation, negotiation, and coexistence, offering valuable lessons for the future of urban research and practice.