On February 6, 2023, a Mw 7.8 earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria. Over 50 000 people were confirmed dead, and nearly 130 000 were injured. The Turkish government was leading the response there through coordination by the Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD). A massive search and rescue operation continued, and humanitarian partners were rapidly ramping up efforts to provide life-saving assistance. Over 53 000 Turkish emergency workers were deployed to the regions affected by the earthquakes. More than 100 nations and international organizations mounted a massive, unprecedented response. Among them, the State of Israel dispatched 2 missions, with the first on the ground the same day as the earthquake. Under guidance of the local health authorities, it was determined that the most effective approach would be to support an existing medical facility rather than establishing a standalone field operation. Teams responding to disaster zones should arrive only after a formal request and deploy after full coordination with the local country. The devastated country understands best what is really needed. Deploying in full collaboration has an advantage of better cultural understanding and long-term effect in restoring the local needs.

In this essay, I explore possibilities for phenomenology beyond Hegel with respect to questions of conscience, guilt, and ethics. In the first section, I briefly introduce Heidegger’s phenomenology. The next section provides an interpretation of conscience in Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit. Like Hegel, Heidegger claims that conscience states my guilt prior to any specific wrongdoings; Heidegger’s ideas around the ‘call of conscience’ are thus considered next. Building on differences and connections between Hegel’s and Heidegger’s phenomenologies of conscience, the final section outlines implications for a phenomenologically responsive ethics.

Two contradictory tendencies mark the historiography of Christianity in South Africa. First, the country has been a rich crucible for important scholarship on Christianity. In a country where 80 per cent of the population currently claim Christian affiliation, it is not hard to imagine why this would be the case. The country has a centuries-old Christian presence, spanning the Protestantism of early Dutch settlers in the Cape to the many European and North American missionaries of all persuasions who descended upon South Africa in subsequent centuries (some estimated that the south-eastern region of Natal in the nineteenth century was the most missionised area in the world at that time). An equally great magnet for scholarship was the size and diversity of the independent church movement in South Africa – or those Christians who broke away from missionary oversight to form Black-led congregations, many affiliated with other Black Christian organisations in the Atlantic world. By the mid-century, thousands of churches labelling themselves as Zionist, Apostolic and Ethiopian filled South Africa and attracted a commensurately rich scholarship; many such studies focused on how Christianity was Africanised via the independent church movement. In a darker vein, a further impetus for scholarly interest was the way in which Protestantism was wielded by (some) Afrikaners to justify the apartheid regime. Unsurprisingly, this led to an expansive twentieth-century literature on state power and Christianity, both social scientific as well as theological. Finally, historical studies in general have tended to cluster more densely in South Africa than is the case for many other regions of the African continent – a phenomenon that is due to the country's thriving research scene and its many tertiary education institutions. Viewed from this perspective, the large number of histories of Christianity in South Africa should be seen as a smaller subset of the extensive scholarship on South Africa itself.

The embedding problem of Markov chains examines whether a stochastic matrix$\mathbf{P} $ can arise as the transition matrix from time 0 to time 1 of a continuous-time Markov chain. When the chain is homogeneous, it checks if $ \mathbf{P}=\exp{\mathbf{Q}}$ for a rate matrix $ \mathbf{Q}$ with zero row sums and non-negative off-diagonal elements, called a Markov generator. It is known that a Markov generator may not always exist or be unique. This paper addresses finding $ \mathbf{Q}$, assuming that the process has at most one jump per unit time interval, and focuses on the problem of aligning the conditional one-jump transition matrix from time 0 to time 1 with $ \mathbf{P}$. We derive a formula for this matrix in terms of $ \mathbf{Q}$ and establish that for any $ \mathbf{P}$ with non-zero diagonal entries, a unique $ \mathbf{Q}$, called the ${\unicode{x1D7D9}}$-generator, exists. We compare the ${\unicode{x1D7D9}}$-generator with the one-jump rate matrix from Jarrow, Lando, and Turnbull (1997), showing which is a better approximate Markov generator of $ \mathbf{P}$ in some practical cases.

The effect of diminished ovarian reserves after undergoing hysterectomies with bilateral salpingectomies is one of the health concerns among reproductive-age women with benign gynecological diseases. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), an antioxidant, is crucial in mitochondrial energy production, improving oocyte quality and quantity. This study compares the benefit of a 14-d preoperative (CoQ10) v. placebo on ovarian reserve by measuring anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) in women undergoing hysterectomy with bilateral salpingectomy. A double-blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled trial was conducted. Forty-four women with benign gynecological diseases were randomised to receive either oral CoQ10 300 mg per d or placebo for 14 d before undergoing hysterectomy with bilateral salpingectomy. Serum AMH levels were collected for analysis before taking CoQ10 and 6 weeks postoperatively in each group. The baseline demographic, clinical characteristics and baseline AMH levels were comparable between the groups (1·47 (0·45, 2·49) v. 1·29 (0·47, 2·11), P = 0·763). The serum AMH levels after the surgery were significantly decreased from preoperative levels (median 0·99 (0·37, 1·63) v. 1·34 (0·57, 2·30)), P = 0·001. However, there was no significant difference in the AMH change between the CoQ10 group and the placebo group (AMH per cent change −28·2 % (64·09, −4·81) v. −20·07 % (–61·51, −2·92)), P = 0·99, respectively. Age, gynecological disease, operative time and blood loss were not significantly associated with the AMH change. There were no significant side effects or adverse operative outcomes among CoQ10 users. In conclusion, hysterectomy with bilateral salpingectomy led to a significantly decreased AMH level. However, pretreatment with CoQ10 for 2 weeks was ineffective in protecting an ovarian reserve.

In December 2017 the Venetian Region (local Authority), financed the creation of the Operational Group (OG) ‘Serinnovation’, within the framework of the Rural Development Plan supported by the European Community. The OG aims at coordinating and spreading innovation in sericulture through mechanisation of processes and centralisation of some rearing steps, the use of waste as by-products and traceability to promote local productions. The project acts on perceived quality by increasing the added value, through production cost efficiency, and on the recovery of the waste material for further applications (circular economy). The final target was to develop a niche-process to obtain traceable ‘Made-in-Italy’ silk for the luxury market and non-textile applications. A first strategy to increase the efficiency of the process was to build an automatic leaf cutting machine to prepare the feed for the first three instars of the silkworm (Bombyx mori Linnaeus). This new machine – based on a patent – was validated through several tests and compared with the cutting system previously used. The study was completed by a bioassay of production and survival rate associated with the introduction of this innovation. The results showed that labour saving is in the order of 10% compared to a semi-manual process, the leaf quality is not affected, survival of larvae and silk production are not significantly different from the control. This methodology is proposed as a study case for other similar mechanisation processes in entomological production, as the impact of innovations on insect physiology should be carefully considered.

In this article, we calculate the Birkhoff spectrum in terms of the Hausdorff dimension of level sets for Birkhoff averages of continuous potentials for a certain family of diagonally affine iterated function systems. Also, we study Besicovitch–Eggleston sets for finite generalized Lüroth series number systems with redundancy. The redundancy refers to the fact that each number $x \in [0,1]$ has uncountably many expansions in the system. We determine the Hausdorff dimension of digit frequency sets for such expansions along fibres.

This paper critically addresses the logics of exceptionality inherent to emerging regulations of the gender field, with a focus on Spain’s recent self-determination-based regulation of gender. To achieve this, it offers a biopolitical analysis of the concept of “public order” and its influence on gender governance, drawing parallels to Agamben’s concept of the state of exception and exploring the connections between contemporary regulations and the gendered public order of nineteenth-century France. Finally, it analyzes the exclusions and restrictions that the Spanish trans law reserves for migrants, non-binary people, and minors, contributing to the ongoing discourse on the limitations to gender autonomy in contemporary Western societies.

Breast cancer patients and survivors deal with physical and psychological challenges due to oncological treatments. The existing literature highlights the importance of compassion in reducing the main cancer-related effects in terms of emotions, quality of life, and dysfunctional coping skills. Over the past few years, compassion-based interventions (CBIs) have been considered an interesting approach to reduce anxiety and depression symptoms and improve quality of life and well-being. However, there have not been many studies that show the benefits of these interventions in breast cancer patients and survivors. The primary objective of this systematic review is to provide evidence of the impact of CBIs on specific variables identified in the literature as affected by this pathology. The variables that will be studied are (a) emotional issues (e.g., anxiety, stress, and depression symptoms); (b) quality of life; and (c) positive coping skills. A systematic search during the previous 10 years up to November 2023 was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines across multiple databases, such as PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Scopus. Nine eligible randomized controlled trials were included in this article, with a total of 813 breast cancer patients and survivors. Findings show that CBIs increased compassion, mindful observation, and acting with awareness skills, leading to a significant reduction of anxiety and stress levels, depression, and negative affect. Additionally, less body image distress and greater body appreciation were reported as a consequence of the interventions. This review shows the CBI’s efficacy on emotions, positive coping skills, and quality of life in breast cancer patients and survivors. Guidelines for future studies are listed to promote CBIs as a clinically useful intervention for breast cancer patients and survivors.

Politicians are increasingly subjected to violence, both online and offline. Recent studies highlight a gendered pattern to this violence. But, as societies diversify and minorities increasingly hold political office, we have yet to assess whether members of these groups face disproportionate levels of violence. Our research investigates levels and types of violence against immigrant background politicians in Sweden, where over one-third is either foreign-born or has a foreign-born parent, using a unique three-wave survey ($ N=23,000 $) on Swedish elected officials. Across every form of violence examined, politicians with immigrant backgrounds report experiencing significantly more physical and psychological violence than their counterparts. These experiences are not without political consequence: immigrant background politicians, and among them especially women, are significantly more likely than their counterparts to consider exiting politics due to harassment. Together, these findings suggest that violence may be driving this already underrepresented group of immigrant background politicians out of office.

The existence of Ordovician Peruvian cephalopods has been known since at least the 1910s. However, they have not been effectively documented previously with only a few described taxa listed in open nomenclature. Here, we describe a cephalopod assemblage at the finest taxonomic level possible. The specimens were collected from the Floian section (Baltograptus minutus graptolite Zone) of the San José Formation from the Kimbiri area, northwest of Cuzco (= Cusco), and from a section along the Inambari River, southeastern Peru. The dark mudstone-siltstone of the San José Formation was deposited within the Central Andean Basin. The assemblage contains five species of small orthoceracones belonging to four families and three orders, consisting of one indeterminate dissidocerid, one bathmoceratid (Saloceras sp.), one rioceratid (Rioceras? sp.), and two baltoceratids belonging to Annbactroceras grecicostatum (Kobayashi, 1937), and Bactroceras cocafolium new species. The dominance of small orthoceracones is typical for early Paleozoic pelagic cephalopod assemblages. One species, A. grecicostatum, is known from elsewhere in the Central Andean Basin. The other taxa indicate a peri-Gondwana-Avalonia paleogeographical relationship of the cephalopod fauna, which is consistent with previously published data from brachiopods and trilobites.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/f5cc9686-75f2-46de-bdd9-f279e3b45677

The WHO describes micronutrient deficiencies, or hidden hunger, as a form of malnutrition that occurs due to low intake and/or absorption of minerals and vitamins, putting human development and health at risk. In many cases, emphasis, effort and even policy revolve around the prevention of deficiency of one particular micronutrient in isolation. This is understandable as that micronutrient may be among a group of nutrients of public health concern. Vitamin D is a good exemplar. This review will highlight how the actions taken to tackle low vitamin D status have been highly dependent on the generation of new data and/or new approaches to analysis of existing data, to help develop the evidence-base, inform advice/guidelines, and in some cases, translate into policy. Beyond focus on individual micronutrients, there has also been increasing international attention around hidden hunger, or deficiencies of a range of micronutrients, which can exist unaccompanied by obvious clinical signs but can adversely affect human development and health. A widely quoted estimate of the global prevalence of hidden hunger is a staggering two billion people, but this is now over 30 years old. This review will outline how strategic data sharing and generation is seeking to address this key knowledge gap in relation to the true prevalence of hidden hunger in Europe, a key starting point towards defining sustainable and cost-effective, food-based strategies for its prevention. The availability of data on prevalence and food-based strategies can help inform public policy to eradicate micronutrient deficiency in Europe.