Philosophy is a discipline which, perhaps more than any other, is preoccupied with its history. At the same time, this preoccupation has as much to do with maintaining and reclaiming traditions as with critiquing and transforming them. Some figures leave indelible marks on schools of thought, even while attributing credit to their forebears on whose shoulders they in turn innovate and critique. The legacy of these figures is instantiated through the generative role they play in inspiring new schools of thought. Such reception is by no means inherently positive. In fact, it is often disagreement rather than affirmation that sustains the lasting impact of an original thinker.

This article provides a close analysis of Dance on Hands (《掌上舞》, Zhangshang wu), performed by the Chinese popular gewu tuan (song and dance troupe) Meihua shaonü gewu tuan (梅花少女歌舞团, Plum Blossom Girls’ Song and Dance Troupe). In this article, I analyze twelve photographs of Dance on Hands alongside literary descriptions of the Han Dynasty empress Zhao Feiyan’s dance of the same name. Drawing on newspaper reports from the 1930s and 1940s, as well as intersecting secondary sources on literature, theater, and physical culture of the period, I situate Dance on Hands within China’s colonial modern context. I argue that the performance negotiates a dynamic interplay between tradition and modernity, as well as Chinese and Western femininity, while also traversing racialized, classed, and gendered boundaries between the popular and the avant-garde.

The Russo-Ottoman War of 1877-78 was a pivotal event for the Ottoman Empire in various ways, but one of its defining characteristics is its association with the large-scale displacement of people. This article seeks to contribute to the history of migration and displacement in the late Ottoman Empire by exploring how Muslim refugees understood and narrated their experiences. Methodologically it underscores the use of narrative sources, such as memoirs and literary works. The aim is to examine displacement from the perspective of the refugees through sources reflecting their voices, rather than from the standpoint of state and administrative actors. The article focuses on an account of the Russo-Ottoman War of 1877-78 and subsequent flight (hicret) by Hüseyin Raci, a Muslim ʿalim, teacher, and poet from Eski Zağra, a city in the Balkans, while also drawing connections with other literary works penned by Muslim refugees.

After seeing the ballet Nocturne (1909) in 1952, Ai Qing (1910-1996), one of the pioneers of Chinese modern poetry, wrote a poem praising the celebrated Soviet ballerina Galina Ulanova for her performance in Les Sylphides (1909).1 His depiction of Ulanova as “cloud,” “wind,” “moonlight,” and “goddess” visualizes the ethereal and exalted feminine ballet body, reflecting Chinese intellectuals’ early admiration for the art of ballet in the nascent People’s Republic of China (PRC). During China’s Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), however, representations of femininity onstage shifted. Female soldier characters who are short-haired, dressed in navy military uniforms, and armed with rifles dominated the dance stage of China in revolutionary ballet. Since the 1980s, the delicate, fairy-like ballerina clad in a tutu has returned to the Chinese stage as the mainstream ballet ideal, aligning with the state’s economic reforms and its strategy of political globalization in postsocialist China.2 With the increasing cultural exchange between Chinese and European/American dancers and choreographers, dance practitioners in China see ballet as a universal, homogenous language. Classical ballet training is often framed as a “scientific and practical course” that conveys a “common, unified, monistic” aesthetic (Meng 2004, 2).

Positive human–wildlife coexistence, especially in contexts of rewilding and the reintroduction of large carnivores, partially depends on communication between stakeholders. The media, and in particular local journalism, can play a crucial role in determining people’s knowledge of and attitudes towards wildlife. In this article, we analyse the online coverage of bears produced by the most widely circulated local newspaper in Trentino (Italy), where bears have been reintroduced thanks to a rewilding project funded by the European Union. Employing quantitative and qualitative content analysis of 375 articles, we look into the main features of the media coverage of bears over one year (2024). We find that articles tend to focus on controversial and uncommon events, such as culls and interactions. The most prevalent sources of quotations in the articles are politicians and activists, while experts, local residents, and individuals in the farming sector are less often quoted. The majority of articles are framed through the lens of the socio-political struggle generated by bear presence. Micro-dynamics of the online media coverage include high polarisation, fragmentation of narratives, and the marginalisation of relevant stakeholders (i.e., local communities, experts, European institutions).

Recent research has shown that 6-month-olds relate novel words suffixed with -s, like babs, that are embedded in passages, with just the stem bab, demonstrating an early sensitivity to morphological relatedness. This study builds on these findings by investigating the role of allomorphy in early morphological acquisition. We tested whether infants relate novel words suffixed with [-z] and [-s] allomorphs of the -s suffix and their stems. We find that English-learning 6-month-olds relate novel words suffixed with the [-z], but not [-s], allomorph with stems, providing evidence for an acquisition trajectory where infants discover morphemes one allomorph at a time.

Punctuated equilibria (PE) was presented 50 years ago as an alternative to the widespread assumption that most evolution proceeds by gradual phyletic change within lineages. Unfortunately, PE has been widely misunderstood, misrepresented, and unfairly dismissed since this first publication. We argue that much of this misunderstanding centers around a misinterpretation of the meaning of “mode” in evolution, and its significance, properly understood, for how we understand macroevolutionary processes. PE proposed that most morphospecies do not show significant anagenetic trends through their stratigraphic ranges, and that most new morphospecies that are recognized arise via cladogenesis. To the degree that this is true, most exploration of disparity space must be associated with cladogenesis.

We surveyed a sample of the recent paleontological literature to assess the frequency with which new morphospecies appear in the fossil record via anagenesis versus cladogenesis using a persistence of ancestor criterion and found the overwhelmingly dominant mode of species origin to be cladogenesis. This is a valuable but underutilized approach to this problem, which could be exploited with more studies of species-level phylogenies of fossil taxa. Combined with the conclusions of other studies that stasis or nondirectional change is common, this finding of the dominance of cladogenesis affirms that PE is very much alive and of substantial significance for understanding macroevolutionary patterns.

This article poses a synthetic analytical approach to casing migratory projects that set out to effectuate a redistribution of power and resources: migration as contentious politics. Contentious migration is presented as an attempt by a collective to mobilize adequate political leverage to advance claims in the location of immigration through spatial relocation and demographic change. To demonstrate the analytical leverage of this approach, this article then conducts a case study of the under-examined Hechalutz settlement movement active in North America between 1905 and 1953, which facilitated the settler migration of American youth to rural agricultural colonies on the colonial frontiers of late-Ottoman and British Mandatory Palestine. It draws on extensive, original findings in colony and national archives, examining official movement publications, correspondences, emissary notes, meeting minutes and daily records from the training farms across North America, diaries, and obituaries. Through eventful analysis, the article explicates three salient mechanisms of the mobilization for contentious migration: (1) environmental (attributing political opportunity and threat); (2) relational (forging networks, as a proxy for diffusion and organizational cohesion); and (3) cognitive (devising resonant diagnostic, prognostic, and motivational framings).

This article analyses samples of unexplored photographic series produced by US photographer Alan Fisher (1913–88) in Brazil between 1950 and 1953. These images are part of visual reports produced for the United States Information Service (USIS) documenting the screening of newsreels, short films and cartoons in factories and rural communities in Brazil. The article repositions Fisher as a key figure for understanding US information warfare in mid-century Brazil. It theorises these screenings as political-performative events and develops an approach that accounts for the persuasive (and deceptive) dimension of these campaigns while acknowledging the audience’s agency and strategic complicity.

Cardio-facial-cutaneous syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that typically presents with a combination of CHDs, distinctive facial features, and cutaneous abnormalities. Cardio-facial-cutaneous syndrome is usually caused by a genetic change in the BRAF gene but can also be due to genetic change in the MAP2K1, MAP2K2, or KRAS genes. It is an autosomal dominant condition, but most cases are not inherited, due to new genetic change that occurs in the formation of the egg or sperm or shortly after fertilisation. It has been seen previously in the literature where the patient required a mitral valve replacement because of insufficiency. In this case report, we describe a patient with cardio-facial-cutaneous syndrome who also presented with mitral valve prolapse. This rare association expands the spectrum of cardiovascular manifestations in cardio-facial-cutaneous syndrome and highlights the importance of comprehensive cardiovascular evaluation in these patients.

When people die in the context of armed conflicts, international humanitarian law (IHL) provides important legal protection for the dead and their families. Overall, it seeks to ensure that the dead are respected and recovered no matter who they were, and that information on them is collected with a view to identification. A key aim of these IHL rules is to uphold the right of families to know the fate of their relatives. Recognizing the inherent difficulties of accounting for those who have gone missing or died, these rules continue to apply even after the end of conflict. This article provides an overview of the IHL obligations protecting the dead in international and non-international armed conflicts, complemented by other bodies of international law. It then focuses on key legal questions arising in contemporary wars and practical implications for warring parties on processes to account for the dead, respect for the deceased and their graves, and the return of human remains to their families. Finally, the article explores issues of practice and key recommendations to drive forward action by States and parties to armed conflict in order to effectively integrate and apply obligations on the ground.

Antenatal corticosteroids are given to pregnant people at risk of preterm birth to reduce newborn morbidity, including respiratory distress syndrome. However, there has been concern surrounding potential adverse effects on subsequent generations. Animal studies have demonstrated endocrine and metabolic changes in those exposed to corticosteroids in utero (F1) and in the second generation (F2). We aimed to assess the effects of parental antenatal corticosteroid exposure on health of the second generation (F2) of Auckland Steroid Trial (AST) participants. In the AST, women (F0) expected to birth between 24 and 36 weeks’ gestation were randomised to betamethasone or placebo. When their children (F1) were 50 years old, they and their children (F2) were followed up with a self-report questionnaire and data linkage. The primary outcome for this analysis was body mass index (BMI) z-score in the F2 generation. Secondary outcomes included respiratory, cardiovascular, neurodevelopmental, mental and general health, and social outcomes. Of the 213 F2 participants, 144 had BMI data available. There was no difference in BMI z-score between participants whose parent was exposed to betamethasone versus placebo (mean (SD) 0.63 (1.45), N = 77 vs 0.41 (1.28), N = 67, adjusted mean difference (95% confidence interval) = 0.16 (-0.37, 0.69)). There was no evidence of a difference in rates of overweight, diabetes, respiratory disease, cardiometabolic risk factors, neurodevelopmental difficulties, mental health difficulties and social outcomes between parental betamethasone versus placebo exposure groups, but confidence intervals were wide. These findings are reassuring regarding the intergenerational safety of antenatal corticosteroids.

From 1912 to 1949, the Republic of China (ROC) underwent a profound period of transformation and revitalization. Following the collapse of the Qing Dynasty in 1912, the ROC era was characterized by significant social changes, including the emergence of new social classes, the expansion of modern education, and widespread political mobilization (Fairbank and Goldman 2006). Among these changes, the status of Chinese women saw remarkable progress. Because Chinese women were no longer confined to being merely the product and property of their families (Fairbank and Goldman 2006), they began to experience newfound freedoms. This included greater participation in the workforce, increased access to education, and enhanced autonomy in choosing their life partners. As traditional norms were challenged and new opportunities for social and economic participation emerged, these shifts marked a pivotal moment in the modernization of Chinese society. As Diana Lary highlights, this era represented a crucial shift towards gender equality and the broader renaissance of China within its society (Lary 2007). A key moment in this transformation was the May Fourth Movement of 1919, which called for the rejection of traditional Confucian values in favor of modernization, alongside political, social, and cultural reforms, including the advancement of women’s rights. A prominent platform for these ideals was New Youth (新青年), a journal founded by Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao, which championed Marxism, science, democracy, and women’s emancipation. Influential female political figures, such as Soong Ching-ling, the wife of Sun Yat-sen, utilized their power to advocate for gender equality and women’s education. These cultural and political shifts gave rise to the figure of the “New Woman” (新女性), symbolizing empowerment, independence, and modernity.

While often described as a unified process imposed by external actors on weak, conflict-ridden countries, international state building increasingly comprises a variety of actors involved in different ways in (re)building a diverse set of institutions. Civilian preferences are often excluded from this fragmented environment. We identify and explicate three dimensions along which postconflict state building meaningfully varies: the actor involved, the type of institution targeted, and the form of involvement. We then examine how variation along each dimension impacts civilians’ state-building preferences with two rounds of original survey experiments fielded in Liberia. We find that Liberians largely prefer state-building processes overseen by a subset of international actors; that they prefer state building focused on security-oriented institutions over non-security-oriented institutions; and that different forms of involvement in the process meaningfully influence their preferences. We also find that these preferences depend on civilians’ characteristics. Ultimately, we provide an initial, conceptual mapping of the diversified landscape of international state building, as well as an empirical “unpacking” of the conditions that may shape civilians’ preferences toward the process.

Probiotics represent a promising alternative to antibiotics in livestock production. This study investigated the effects of compound probiotic fermentation (FAM, comprising Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus subtilis) on nitrogen utilization and nutrient digestibility in weaned piglets. A total of 180 piglets (28 days old; initial weight: 8.21 ± 0.67 kg) were allocated to three groups: control (basal diet), FAM (basal diet + 0.1% FAM), and antibiotic (basal diet + 55 mg/kg kitasamycin + 75 mg/kg chlortetracycline). After a 30-day trial, FAM supplementation significantly increased apparent nutrient digestibility of crude protein and ether extract, enhanced duodenal and jejunal digestive enzyme activities, and reduced fecal nitrogen excretion and serum urea nitrogen levels (p < 0.05). Serum metabolomics revealed that FAM upregulated metabolites linked to energy metabolism (e.g., creatine, L-carnosine), which are metabolites of amino acid metabolism, and enriched pathways such as amino acid biosynthesis and protein digestion. These findings demonstrate that FAM improves nitrogen utilization efficiency and gut health in piglets via biosynthesis and metabolism of amino acids, offering a viable alternative to antibiotics.