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Abstract For researchers, writing a paper is an essential task, and it is crucial for them to have an environment to facilitate the paper writing process. In addition, writing in English is more difficult for many non-native English speakers. The Database Center for Life Science (DBCLS) provides researchers in the life sciences with several text-mining related services, such as Allie and inMeXes, which were developed to facilitate paper writing. Allie is an abbreviation database that shows researchers expanded forms and several relevant data, such as the papers that contain the abbreviations and their corresponding expanded forms. Since a large amount of abbreviations are coined, remembering their meanings is difficult, even in one’s research field. Therefore, Allie helps one lookup abbreviations. inMeXes is an incremental search service for English phrases appearing in PubMed. Researchers can learn English phrases used in life science papers, such as the use of prepositions or widely used phrases that contain a specific word. Allie and inMeXes are updated monthly and yearly, respectively, to provide the latest information.

We introduce the collection of papers from the first workshop on the habitability of the venusian cloud layer organized by the Roscosmos/IKI-NASA Joint Science Definition Team (JSDT) for Russia's Venera-D mission and hosted by the Space Research Institute in Moscow, Russia, during October 2–5, 2019. The collection also includes three papers that were developed independently of the workshop but are relevant to venusian cloud habitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This commentary is a response to Veronica Csillag’s exploration of the influence of historical and transgenerational trauma on the lives of immigrants, and on the psychoanalytic process (this issue). Dr. Csillag’s paper deepens our understanding of the intrapsychic life of immigrants who have suffered collective trauma pre-migration and continue to suffer from “ghosts” from the past. Her ideas are critical to examining not only the specific traumas incurred in Europe related to the Nazi Holocaust and totalitarian and socialist regimes but also to contemporary traumas related to social identity and position in the United States. In this commentary, I elaborate three primary areas within Dr. Csillag’s contribution: (a) the illusion of choice in traumatic migration, (b) secrecy and privacy, and (c) experience of the outsider and the insider. My discussion underscores the importance of engaging with historical and ongoing trauma in psychoanalytic psychotherapy as a path to healing within individual and collective dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Humanity has become a dominant force in shaping the face of Earth 1-9 . An emerging question is how the overall material output of human activities compares to the overall natural biomass. Here we quantify the human-made mass, referred to as 'anthropogenic mass', and compare it to the overall living biomass on Earth, which currently equals approximately 1.1 teratonnes 10,11 . We find that Earth is exactly at the crossover point; in the year 2020 (± 6), the anthropogenic mass, which has recently doubled roughly every 20 years, will surpass all global living biomass. On average, for each person on the globe, anthropogenic mass equal to more than his or her bodyweight is produced every week. This quantification of the human enterprise gives a mass-based quantitative and symbolic characterization of the human-induced epoch of the Anthropocene.

The genus Latibulus Gistel, 1848 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) is taxonomically reviewed in Iran. Specimens were collected using Malaise traps in the Isfahan province, during 2013–2015. Two species, Latibulus argiolus (Rossi, 1790) (spring form) and Latibulus orientalis (Horstmann, 1987) (summer form) are identified, of which L. orientalis is a new record for the fauna of Iran. In addition, L. argiolus is recorded from central part of Iran (Isfahan) for the first time. The geographical distribution of the recorded species in relation to the overall knowledge in the target area and adjacent regions is also discussed.

231 species of the family Vespidae (Hymenoptera, Vespoidea) of Iran, in 55 genera belonging to 4 subfamilies Eumeninae (45 genera, 184 species), Masarinae (5 genera, 24 species), Polistinae (2 genera, 17 species) and Vespinae (3 genera, 6 species) are listed. An overall assessment of the distribution pattern of the vespid species in Iran indicates a complex fauna of different biogeographic regions. 111 species are found in both Eastern and Western Palaearctic regions, while 67 species were found only in the Eastern Palaearctic region. Few species (14 species – 6.1%) of various genera are known as elements of central and western Asian area and their area of distribution is not known in Europe (West Palaearctic) and in the Far East. The species that were found both in the Oriental and Afrotropical Regions comprises 11.7 and 15.6% the Iranian vespid fauna, respectively. Many species (48, 20.8%) are exclusively recorded from Iran and as yet there is no record of these species from other countries. The highest percentage of the vespid species are recorded from Sistan-o Baluchestan (42 species, 18.2%), Alborz (42 species, 18.2%), Fars (39 species, 16.9%) and Tehran provinces (38 Species 16.5%), representing the fauna of the Southeastern, North- and South Central of the country.

Background: Family caregivers have a vital role to play in palliative care for chronically ill patients. In Taiwan, caregiver demographics are evolving, with the number of male caregivers increasing. Gender differences influence psychosocial behaviours, thought processes and communication styles. In healthcare, acknowledgement of gender differences facilitates effective delivery of high‐quality care. Aim: The aim of this study is to explore male caregivers' decision‐making process for palliative care for chronically ill family members. Methods: This study employed grounded theory to generate a substantive theory of male caregivers' decision‐making process for palliative care for chronically ill family members. We recruited 22 male participants from three inner‐city teaching hospitals in Taiwan. Findings: Regarding the decision‐making process of palliative care of chronic ill family, where male caregivers do not want their loved ones suffering anymore, the male caregivers' decision‐making process was impacted, first, by caregivers' views on the last stage of life; second, by their wish for good care during the end of life; and third, by their conviction that the patients' wishes should be respected. Furthermore, caregivers' philosophy of life and death is also a supportive ground for decision‐making. This philosophy was influenced by their education in palliative care, financial status and religious beliefs and practices. The core category emerging from this study is encapsulated by a participant's assertion, 'How difficult is it? There are no male and female differences'. Conclusion: We found that palliative care experiences of male caregivers are important for the decision‐making process for palliative care for their chronically ill family members. Caregivers want their loved ones to receive good care as the last step in life, to respect their wishes and no more suffering for the patient. Therefore, health professionals should be familiar with the palliative care process that caregivers go through to offer updated information when needed. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Taiwanese philosophy of end‐of‐life care focuses on family values and shares the power of making critical decisions between patients and their relatives.Due to cultural preferences, the dedicated family caregiver often becomes the only channel for honouring the patient's wishes.Male and female caregivers can have different coping mechanisms; males are less likely to seek support and are more stressed by financial burdens. What this paper adds? The patient and the whole family should be considered in the discussion of end‐of‐life care.Male caregivers indicated palliative care should be linked to comfort care, avoidance of suffering and respecting patients' wishes. The implication of this paper: Male caregivers should be well supported, good care for their loved ones and fulfil the patient's wishes and no more suffering.Education in palliative care and religious and financial support should be provided along with palliative care services to both male caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Festivals play an important role in improving death and grief literacy, enabling members of the public to engage with these often-sensitive topics. Good Grief Weston festival was co-designed and delivered with the community in Weston-super-Mare, a coastal town in South-West England with high levels of socioeconomic disadvantage but rich community assets. It was held in person over 8 days in May 2023. Objectives: To evaluate the reach and impact of Good Grief Weston festival and gather data to inform future festivals. Design: Mixed methods evaluation (survey and focus groups). Methods: Online and paper surveys assessing participants' characteristics and experiences were administrated during and after the festival. Survey participants who indicated their willingness to participate were invited to attend a focus group. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Data were collected by trained community co-researchers. Results: Approximately 3000 people attended the festival. Of 204 completed surveys, 64.5% were from women, age range ⩽15 to ⩾75 years; 88.2% identified as White; 14.9% deaf, disabled/with a chronic condition; 18.9% neurodivergent; 9.0% gay, bisexual or queer. Festival participants were entertained (70.9%), inspired (68.5%), felt part of a like-minded community (54.3%), talked to someone new (49.2%), learnt about grief/bereavement (34.3%), shared or expressed experiences (30.3%) and found out about local support (19.7%). 71.3% reported that they felt more confident talking about grief after attending. Median experience rating was 5 (IQR 0; possible range 1 = poor to 5 = excellent). In free-text comments, participants expressed appreciation for the festival and described benefits in attending. Two focus groups were conducted (n = 8 participants, all women), lasting c.1.5 h. Focus groups added rich descriptions of the festival's value, and data to inform the next festival. Conclusion: Findings suggest festivals of this nature can play a central role in a public health approach. Plain language summary: What was the impact of Good Grief Weston festival? Why was the study done? Previous studies have shown that many people feel unsupported by their community after the death of a loved one. We designed a festival to improve knowledge and support for bereaved people. We did this study to assess how the festival affected the people who attended. What did the researchers do? The team included researchers and people and organisations from the local community. Together, we designed and ran a festival on the topic of death, grief and bereavement in Weston-super-Mare, a coastal town with areas of high deprivation. The festival took place over an eight-day period in May 2023 and included creative, interactive and educational events. The team collected feedback on attendees' experiences of the festival. We did this using online and paper feedback forms, postcards, and focus groups to collect as many opinions as possible. What did the researchers find? We found that a wide range of people attended the festival. Most people who took part in the research rated the festival as 'excellent'. They told us they learnt about grief and bereavement and found out about local support services. Attendees met new people, shared their experiences, and felt that the festival built community spirit. They also made suggestions to improve any future festivals. What do the findings mean? The findings show that in-person festivals can effectively engage the public on the topic of death, grief and bereavement. They can also help develop connections between people and organisations in communities. These connections and learning opportunities may help communities to support their members through bereavement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper aimed to identify the level of psychological hardiness, the level of death anxiety, and the level of existential vacuum among the elderly, also the role of the predictive ability of death anxiety and existential vacuum in the psychological hardiness of the elderly at the governorates of Tafilyah and Ma'an in light of the Corona pandemic in Jordan. The descriptive-analytical approach was utilized. sample consists (500) elderly, that were selected by a simple random approach. Then the needed statistical measure was operated to achieve the required results. The results indicated a low level of psychological hardiness, a high level of death anxiety, and an existential vacuum in the elderly. The results show a suitable predictive ability for each of death anxiety and the existential vacuum in reducing psychological hardiness. The research paper recommended the necessity of rehabilitating the elderly in Jordan regarding the mental and psychological aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated mechanical faults in oil‐immersed power transformers with disc‐type windings. Short‐circuit tests were conducted on eight aged removed transformers. Before the short‐circuit tests, accelerated aging tests were conducted on all the transformers to discuss the life limit of transformers. Six out of eight transformers experienced the internal ground faults. Although the radial electromagnetic force and the tolerance of the insulation paper against it have been mainly focused in discussing the life of the power transformers, the ground faults were triggered by the crush of the pressboard by the axial electromagnetic force. The axial compressive stress applied to the pressboards varies from the transformer to the transformer, depending on the design of the windings. The transformer, whose axial compressive stress was relatively lower, passed the short‐circuit test. However, even for the similar deterioration degree of the pressboard, the transformer, whose axial compressive stress was relatively higher, experienced the ground fault. These results indicate that the axial compressive stress during an external short circuit and deterioration of the pressboard are critical factors that determine the life of transformers with disc‐type windings. © 2021 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The useful life of an LED is presently determined by the IESNA LM80-08 lumen maintenance standard. Even though an LED system has many components, the current industry practice rates LED system lifetime based on a single component, namely, the LED. LED system life is one of the least understood parameters, especially in application environments. As a result, any lifetime claim for a complete LED lighting system, such as a lamp or luminaire, is a guess. This paper describes an accelerated life test of an LED system to predict the lifetime at any given environment temperature and system use (ON-OFF) pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the relationship among secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and meaning in life in nurses during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Background: Changes in working conditions during the pandemic also changed the needs of nurses. In addition to physical health, the COVID‐19 pandemic led to many psychosocial health problems such as sleep disturbances, depression, and traumatic stress. This makes nurses vulnerable to psychological side effects of the pandemic. Design: A cross‐sectional study was conducted. Methods: This study was conducted with 166 nurses. Data were collected online at May–June 2021. A Personal Information Form, the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, Compassion Fatigue Scale, and Meaning in Life Scale were used. The STROBE reporting checklist was followed. Results: As secondary traumatic stress levels increase, compassion fatigue increases, meaning in life decreases, and the search for meaning in life increases. Conclusion: Predictors of secondary traumatic stress were shown to be compassion fatigue, change in sleep habits, meaning in life, marital status, and having a chronic illness. This suggested that working during the pandemic posed significant risks in terms of manifesting negative consequences on mental health in the long term. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Nurses often face stressful situations such as personal life challenges, the nature of the job that requires focus, and patient care.Nurses are exposed to the detrimental psychological effects of the pandemic because they are among the first medical professionals to meet COVID‐19 infected individuals.The pandemic has created many positive and negative effects on nurses. What this paper adds? This study reports that the mental health of nurses should be protected and strengthened by identifying the psychosocial health problems experienced by nurses due to the COVID‐19 pandemic.Findings inform on choice of effective interventions to protect the mental health of nurses. The implications of this paper: Failure to manage global crisis such as pandemics will cause traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, decreased meaning in life, and burnout in nurses.In order to protect nurses from the long‐term negative effects of pandemics, necessary programmes should be developed to strengthen their mental, physical, and spiritual health, to support their personal life habits and to improve their working conditions.Protective interventions, such as assessment and monitoring of nurses' mental health, can support strengthened crisis management practices. Preventive interventions and programmes based on individual needs should be implemented in order to improve nurses' ability to cope with difficult emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine recovery through lived experience. It is part of a series that explores candid accounts of addiction and recovery to identify important components in the recovery process. Design/methodology/approach: The G-CHIME model comprises six elements important to addiction recovery (growth, connectedness, hope, identity, meaning in life and empowerment). It provides a standard against which to consider addiction recovery, having been used in this series, as well as in the design of interventions that improve well-being and strengthen recovery. In this paper, a first-hand account is presented, followed by a semi-structured e-interview with the author of the account. Narrative analysis is used to explore the account and interview through the G-CHIME model. Findings: This paper shows that addiction recovery is a remarkable process that can be effectively explained using the G-CHIME model. The significance of each component in the model is apparent from the account and e-interview presented. Originality/value: Each account of recovery in this series is unique, and as yet, untold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine recovery through lived experience. It is part of a series that explores candid accounts of addiction and recovery to identify important components in the recovery process. Design/methodology/approach: The G-CHIME model comprises six elements important to addiction recovery (growth, connectedness, hope, identity, meaning in life and empowerment). It provides a standard against which to consider addiction recovery, having been used in this series, as well as in the design of interventions that improve well-being and strengthen recovery. In this paper, a first-hand account is presented, followed by a semi-structured e-interview with the author of the account. Narrative analysis is used to explore the account and interview through the G-CHIME model. Findings: This paper shows that addiction recovery is a remarkable process that can be effectively explained using the G-CHIME model. The significance of each component in the model is apparent from the account and e-interview presented. Originality/value: Each account of recovery in this series is unique and, as yet, untold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bereavement and mourning are arguably one of the research interests of psychologists, psychoanalysts, and psychiatrists since Freud's publication of Mourning and Melancholia. This paper is a qualitative case study that sought to examine the mourning experience of the participant from childhood until his adolescence. For theoretical foundation, the four tasks of mourning primarily developed by James Worden was utilized for the proper direction of the research inquiry; namely: a.) accepting the reality of death; b.) experiencing the feeling of grief; c.) adjusting and creating new meanings in the post-loss world; and d.) reconfiguring the bond with the lost person. The paper finds that the participant's cognitive attitude, emotional experiences, and personal observations of the environment enable him to overcome actively (in an overlapping manner) the three tasks of mourning. However, the failure to find an enduring connection with his deceased parents is not a result of strong attachment but with the absence of personal belief about the meta-existence of God. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ars & Humanitas is the property of Ars & Humanitas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Our contemporary life is an intertwined arrangement of 'Life' with digital technologies. Increasingly, we are seeing the prevalence of automation and machines, predominantly through artificial intelligence (AI), as a means to make sense of our worlds, engage with our employers, understand the political system and interact with our social lives as some of the key methods among a wide variety of other interpersonal communication processes. Not only are these often machine-based activities seen through digital communication itself, but also in the surrounding regulatory systems, the growing concerns of digital inequality, the act of datafication, and the infrastructures that enable and inhibit digital communication. These are some of the key themes that emerged from the selected papers in this special issue emerging from the 2020 Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) conference, entirely held online and themed around 'Life'. In this special issue, we present seven papers from senior and emerging scholars within Asia, Europe, Africa, and North and South America that address and unpack the contemporary moment of communication in our Life. The papers in this special issue discuss chatbots, games, smart lighting, wearables, doorbells, sensors, biometrics, and facial recognition technology - – very much everyday technologies that shape many of our lives. They ground our expectations of AI and highlight the importance of context in internet research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The social vespid wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Vespinae and Polistinae) was studied in Bhutan during 2014-2016. A total of fifteen species were collected and identified that all of them are reported as new records from Bhutan: Vespa vivax Smith, V. velutina variana van der Vecht, V. fumida van der Vecht, Dolichovespula lama (du Buysson), Vespula flaviceps Smith, V. nursei Archer, V. vulgaris (Linnaeus), V. structor (Smith), Polistes (Polistella) nigritarsus (Cameron), Parapolybia varia (Fabricius), P. nodosa van der Vecht, Ropalidia artifex (de Saussure), R. stigma (Smith), R. ornaticeps (Cameron) and R. rufoplagiata gravelyi (Dover & Rao). Diagnostic characters and geographical distribution of all species are presented.

Covid-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020, and the world has witnessed significant changes since then. Spain has been forced to go into extreme lockdown, cancelling all school classes and outdoor activities for children, which may have significant consequences on young people. This paper explores how young children have experienced lockdown as a consequence of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and what they think about their future lives after Covid-19. Data were collected from 73 students aged from 7 to 9 years old, using participant-produced drawings and short questions with children's and parents' descriptive comments. We used a children's rights perspective and the Freirean approach of a pedagogy of love and hope to analyse the data. Results suggest that participants have been through significant changes in their routines, and that what they miss most from their lives before Covid-19 is playing outdoors with their friends and visiting their grandparents. To our knowledge, this paper is the first of its kind in investigating how the Covid-19 pandemic has influenced the ways that children lived during pandemic and its possible implications for their futures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers an overview of the content of the present issue of „Tekstualia“ and problematizes the issue of Reymont's status and meaning of his role as a writer in Polish and world literature since his Nobel Prize in Literature in 1924. The article also tries to offer an overview of the scientific papers included in „Tekstualia" issue, but also (as an introduction) offers a kind of reconnaissance which focuses on different points of view and glosses about Reymont's papers and works (especially novels, short stories, novellas, diaries, memoirs and adaptations of his great novel -- The Peasants). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All religions should develop convincing responses to emerging bioethical problems stemming from medical and technological advancements. Additionally, believers need to know their faiths' interpretations of bioethical issues to be able to make medical decisions in line with their religious values. Therefore, Islamic bioethics should provide Muslims with conclusive and credible answers regarding newly rising problems in health care by revisiting the religious norms and decrees. However, the diversity in the Islamic denominations, the traditionalist aspect of the Sunni jurisprudence demanding strict compliance with the scriptural texts, the lack of unanimously accepted authority, and the limited number of academic works in Islamic bioethics (at least in English) complicate exploring new standards or rules for new ethical matters. In this view, the present paper aims to delineate two primary Islamic theological schools and propose al-Ghazali's maslaha as a general framework to analyze bioethical issues in the Sunni tradition. Maslaha allows exercising discretion in light of the protection of five fundamental values: religion, life, reason, lineage, and property. Maslaha has the potential to enable Sunni Muslims to appraise contemporary ethical questions, concerns, and dilemmas through an Islamic view and make more autonomous decisions by having religious guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine recovery through lived experience. It is part of a series that explores candid accounts of addiction and recovery to identify important components in the recovery process. Design/methodology/approach: The G-CHIME model comprises six elements important to addiction recovery (growth, connectedness, hope, identity, meaning in life and empowerment). It provides a standard against which to consider addiction recovery, having been used in this series, as well as in the design of interventions that improve well-being and strengthen recovery. In this paper, a first-hand account is presented, followed by a semi-structured e-interview with the author of the account. Narrative analysis is used to explore the account and interview through the G-CHIME model. Findings: This paper shows that addiction recovery is a remarkable process that can be effectively explained using the G-CHIME model. The significance of each component in the model is apparent from the account and e-interview presented. Originality/value: Each account of recovery in this series is unique and, as yet, untold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To map the concepts of the caring life-course theory that are used in life-course approaches from different disciplines; establish whether there is a common recognition of, or language used, to describe care in those life-course approaches; and identify the role and contribution of care to the life-course literature. Design: This discursive paper uses a narrative review process to explore points of convergence and divergence between life-course approaches and the caring life-course theory. Methods: Categories for analysis were developed deductively and inductively, focusing on the constructs of fundamental care, capacity and capability, care network, care transition, care trajectory and care biography. Results: We identified four disciplinary perspectives: (1) life-course sociology; (2) life-course epidemiology; (3) lifespan developmental psychology; and (4) life-course health development. While six core constructs of the caring life-course theory were described, either explicitly or implicitly, in existing life-course approaches, no single approach fully describes the role and contribution of care across the lifespan. Conclusion: Life-course approaches have largely neglected the contribution and role of care in informing the life-course discourse. This review highlights the significance of care beyond traditional healthcare settings and recognizes it as a fundamental human need for well-being and development, which can contribute to existing lifecourse literature. Implication for the Profession and/or Patient Care: There is a need to understand care as a complex system and embrace a whole-system, life-course approach to enable nurses and other healthcare professionals to provide high-quality, patient-centred care. Impact: Incorporating care within a life-course approach provides opportunities to integrate and deliver care centred around the person, their life transitions, trajectories and care networks, including informal carers and healthcare professionals. No Patient or Public Contribution: Patients or members of the public were not involved in this study as it is a discursive paper based on the relevant literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a mathematical theory of behavioral swarms, where the state of interacting entities, which are called active particles, includes in addition to position and velocity, an internal variable, called activity, which has the ability to interact with mechanical variables thus affecting the interaction rules. In turn, the mechanical variables can modify the dynamics of activity variable. This approach is useful for describing the dynamics of living systems with a finite number of interacting entities. This paper provides a general conceptual framework that extends the pioneering work [N. Bellomo, S.-Y. Ha and N. Outada, Towards a mathematical theory of behavioral swarms, ESAIM : Control Theory Var. Calculus 26 (2020) 125, https:/ /doi.org/10.1051/cocv/2020071]. The theory is firstly developed for the constant number of active particles. Then, it is considered for the case of particles tending to infinity. This theory is useful for describing the dynamics of living systems. Therefore, it provides the conceptual basis for developing a mathematical theory of behavioral swarms, which naturally lead to the study of a theory of swarm intelligence. A study of the dynamics of swarms shows how the theory can be applied to real world collective dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers an interpretation of Locke's understanding of life, challenging a familiar reading which treats him as endorsing a mechanical reduction of the living body. Against the mechanists, Locke clearly states that the internal movement constitutive of life is excited from within the organism, and he also holds that the coordination of the bodily organs (their unity of function) cannot be understood mechanically. Rather, the different parts of the organism enjoy a ‘vital union', a concept that Locke borrows from Henry More and the Cambridge Platonists. In the final part of the paper, it is shown how personhood, on Locke's understanding, partakes in this vital union and how the person is thus embodied in the human organism, or ‘Man’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated Information Theory (IIT) is one of the most prominent candidates for a theory of consciousness, although it has received much criticism for trying to live up to expectations. Based on the relevance of three issues generalized from the developments of IITs, we have summarized the main ideas of IIT into two levels. At the second level, IIT claims to be strictly anchoring consciousness, but the first level on which it is based is more about autonomous systems or systems that have reached some other critical complexity. In this paper, we argue that the clear gap between the two levels of explanation of IIT has led to these criticisms and that its panpsychist tendency plays a crucial role in this. We suggest that the problems of IIT are far from being "pseudoscience", and by adding more necessary elements, when the first level is combined with the second level, IIT can genuinely move toward an appropriate theory of consciousness that can provide necessary and sufficient interpretations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the wake of the death of Jina (Mahsa) Amini, a powerful image emerged: women in Iran defiantly casting aside their hijabs and rallying under the slogan of "Woman, Life, Freedom." This paper explores and reflects upon what I call, following Verónica Gago, a feminist strike in Iran that organizes disorderly and cross-sectoral withdrawals of women from structures that exploit and assault them and restores their bargaining power and agency. Through the analytical perspective of intersectionality, this paper inquires into how the political underpinnings of the gendered apparatus in the Islamic regime of Iran have propelled the imagination of a common body among the diverse array of women. Further, it scrutinizes how the #WomanLifeFreedom uprising unveils a feminist strike and what it entails. This paper aims to show how the feminist strike in Iran expands the notion of strike as a tool against the conditions of work and showcases its all-encompassing basis against living conditions and restrictions on freedom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an extension of a conversation begun at the CARN 2020 Conference. It outlines how an accelerated, rushed lifestyle impacts negatively on almost every aspect of life. In education, the fast-paced life is reflected in the trend towards incessant production. This trend impacts negatively on the lives of university lecturers, teacher-educators, students and on teacher-researchers, and is reflected in the unrelenting demand for research output and performance reports. It is mirrored in the lack of time for thoughtful, critical reflection and impacts on the quality of scholarship and on professional agency. It also has negative implications for health and well-being. The contrary motion of the 'slow' movement formulates a sustainable alternative to the onslaught of speed. It manifests itself in the slow movement initiatives which are percolating into the fields of education and research also. The first section of this paper explains why the development of a 'slow approach' to action research might be sought. The second section of the paper outlines how a slow approach to action research might be envisaged in a practical manner. It outlines ideas around (i) personal awareness, (ii) intellectual awareness and (iii) relational awareness as suggested slow approaches to action research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate whether there exists in different societies something analogous to the idea of 'life purpose.' Drawing on examples from across the entire range of ASSA project field sites, the paper is organised as a spectrum, starting from the case of Japan where ikigai is the most explicit example of having a life purpose and is a commonly used expression. We then argue that, in some regions, such as Palestine, the idea of life purpose is entirely subsumed within religion. This is followed by several cases where social reproduction seems to dominate life purpose, often based on securing the success of future generations. We then turn to more implicit examples of life purpose, starting with Xinyuan Wang's study of the relationship between the Cultural Revolution and the smartphone revolution in Shanghai. We then examine the case of Ireland where life purpose is extrapolated from a more general expansive cosmology. We end the paper with the possibility that some people in England may see an advantage in not having any sense of life purpose. In the conclusion, we argue that, just as we now recognise that social cohesion does not require the moral guidance of religion, so too is there no need to have a category of life purpose. But, either implicitly or explicitly, most cultures do have a variety of ideals that we might equate with life purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Svätopluk Štúr is a strong critic of strands of German thought that emphasize the will to power as an organizing principle of human society. Štúr is particularly critical of Nietzsche's vitalism, which Štúr believes culminated in national socialism and the destruction of the Second World War. This paper describes and examines Štúr's criticism of a number of German thinkers and focuses especially on Štúr's criticism of Nietzsche. Štúr criticizes Nietzsche's emphasis on life over knowledge. Štúr offers a different philosophy of life grounded in the dignity of human beings and the social consequences of ideas and actions. This paper concludes by examining what Štúr means by dignity in terms of a moral agent and as opposed to Nietzsche's emphasis on vitalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the case of missing persons in Israel, to show how the category of "missingness" is constructed by the people who have been left behind, and how this may threaten the life-death dichotomy assumption. The field of missing persons in Israel is characterized not only by high uncertainty, but also by the absence of relevant cultural scripts. Based on a narrative ethnography of missingness in Israel, I claim that a new and subversive social category of "missingness" can be constructed following the absence of cultural scripts. The left-behinds fluctuate not only between different assumptions about the missing person's fate; they also fluctuate between acceptance of the life-death dichotomy, thus yearning for a solution to a temporary in-between state, and blurring this dichotomy, and thus constructing "missingness" as a new stable and subversive ontological category. Under this category, new rites of passage are also negotiated and constructed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Purpose: This paper analyses the value system proclaimed by environmental ethics, emphasizing that it plays a key role in integrating and unifying the thinking and activities of each and every member of Earth population around the overriding common goal of protecting and defending the natural environment. It builds and strengthens a moral community focused on protecting and defending the primary values - life and the health of the planet, emphasizing the significance of responsibility, community, a culture of moderation, solidarity or justice Design: The structure of the study relies on descriptive and comparative analysis of views and opinions dealing with the topic quoted in the paper’s title. Findings: In a divided world, where vested interests take precedence over the interests of humanity and the Earth, below presented values show the communal support on which intercultural dialogue should and can successfully be based, consolidating people concerned about the fate of our civilization and striving to build a new beneficial relationship between the world of humans and the world of nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]