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In this paper, we study random walks on groups that contain superlinear-divergent geodesics, in the line of thoughts of Goldsborough and Sisto. The existence of a superlinear-divergent geodesic is a quasi-isometry invariant which allows us to execute Gouëzel’s pivoting technique. We develop the theory of superlinear divergence and establish a central limit theorem for random walks on these groups.
Nancy Pelosi makes history. She was the first woman elected to a high-ranking position in the US House of Representatives when she became the Democratic Whip in 2001. She made more history as the first female Democratic Leader in 2003, and first woman elected as Speaker of the House in 2007. She made history by remaining the Democratic Leader even after losing the House majority. Pelosi made history yet again when she was again elected Speaker in 2019, joining Sam Rayburn as the only House leader to lose and then regain the Speakership.
This chapter seeks keywords and concepts that will enable us to grasp the contradictory and conflictive globality of the current moment and sharpen our analysis of equally contradictory and conflictive global pasts. In a plea to move beyond equating the global with openness, connection, and integration, I address the role of closure, boundaries, and limits in global history in a wider sense. For this purpose, I explore in an experimental and deliberately open-ended fashion how thinking about global spherescan be utilised fruitfully for the current practice of history writing. The first part explores the radically inclusive yet claustrophobic vision of the globe as a closed sphere from which there is no escape. Building on earlier closed-world and one-world discourses, this thinking gained prominence after the Second World War in the face of the threat of nuclear destruction and environmental degradation. I then move to think about the globe as composed of many bounded spheres – geopolitical but also social. Here, I take central examples from the realm of communication and language and discusses the public sphere as an exclusionary rather than inclusionary figure of thought.
The dimensional transition in turbulent jets of a shear-thinning fluid is studied via direct numerical simulations. Our findings reveal that under vertical confinement, the flow exhibits a unique mixed-dimensional (or 2.5-dimensional) state, where large-scale two-dimensional and small-scale three-dimensional structures coexist. This transition from three-dimensional turbulence near the inlet to two-dimensional dynamics downstream is dictated by the level of confinement: weak confinement guarantees turbulence to remain three-dimensional, whereas strong confinement forces the transition to two dimensions; the mixed-dimensional state is observed for moderate confinement and it emerges as soon as flow scales are larger than the vertical length. In this scenario, we observed that the mixed-dimensional state is an overall more energetic state, and it shows a multi-cascade process, where the direct cascade of energy at small scales and the direct cascade of enstrophy at large scales coexist. The results provide insights into the complex dynamics of confined turbulent flows, relevant in both natural and industrial settings.
In this article, I carry out an in-depth conceptualization of right-to-development governance to illustrate how, as a rights-based model suited to redressing the challenges that have held Africa back over the decades, it can leverage and accelerate the processes for development on the continent. I do so to provide clarity on the deficits in the understanding of the right to development and the dilemma of its implementation in Africa. Through a theoretical and qualitative socio-legal analysis, I frame the argument that Africa's development setbacks are largely generated and sustained by the lack of an operational model that can drive transformation on the continent. Besides having evolved as a claimable human right, the right to development is equally conceived as a model or paradigm for development which is yet to be fully explored to inform development thinking and practice on the continent, and thus enable shared prosperity and improved quality of life and standards of living for the peoples of Africa. The proposed right-to-development governance model is appropriately theorized in this article to provide the basis for its operationalization, which, as explained, entails a nuanced blend of nominal capitalism, communitarian socialism and contemporary culturalism.
After the Green Revolution successfully raised wheat and rice yields in more auspicious farming contexts, attention in agricultural development turned to crops that grew on poorer soils and in regions of indifferent rainfall. When Rockefeller Foundation agronomists reached out to India with an urge to establish an international center for research on such crops in the 1970s, they found eager hosts. The foundation’s agronomists had been active in India during the 1950s and 1960s and built a community of local collaborators. Indian scientists saw the proposal for an international center as offering the next frontier in crop development. The possibility of a center also met with considerable appeal among the political establishment in India. Two prime ministers from opposite political camps, Indira Gandhi and Chaudhary Charan Singh, came to support the eventual International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) due to common ground in their respective politics of the poor and farmers’ politics. As the chapter shows, the circumstances of postcolonial India allowed for the emergence of institutionalized expertise outside the direct realm of the local state.
Distance is a central concern for global historians. It is a physical and external condition of social life that global processes bridge. Exchanges, encounters and conflicts between strangers are common themes of global historians. Distance is also a cultural and conceptual condition, one that defines relations between strangers far – and near. Mobility and the advent of new modes of transportation and communications had ambiguous effects of closing the gap between strangers while heightening social distances, the need to explain them and policies to redress them.
This article explores the importance of the Casa Sonzogno publishing house for the Italian operetta market from the second half of the nineteenth century until the eve of the First World War, including its offshoot company Casa musicale Lorenzo Sonzogno. The article focuses particularly on Casa Sonzogno’s policies of importation, translation and intermedial adaptation of foreign (mainly French) light music-theatre works, especially in the context of the wider social, economic and technological environment of Milan at the turn of the twentieth century, and considers Sonzogno’s concorsi for young composers. The article then addresses the experimental activities of the Casa musicale Lorenzo Sonzogno (1909–15), notably across opera, operetta and cinema. Casa Sonzogno’s centrality to the establishment of an Italian operetta market, I argue, both highlights the crucial role of publishers in the Italian operetta industry, and offers an alternative theatrical history to familiar narratives focused on Casa Ricordi and Italian opera.
This chapter explores the changing imaginaries of technological governance in the European Union (EU), on the basis of one increasingly significant element of the EU policy: ecodesign. The grounds for treating ecodesign as especially significant are at least twofold. First, ecodesign presents a success story in governmental steering of technological development in the EU. Remaining for the most part on the sidelines of public discussion, ecodesign has fundamentally impacted the daily life of all Europeans, making a very broad swathe of everyday products (vacuum cleaners, lamps, or washing machines) more energy efficient and longer lasting. Second, the expansion and deepening of ecodesign framework creates important background conditions for shaping technological futures. It sets the grounds for the conversation on how technology relates to a sustainable economy; what kind of technological advances are necessary; the desirable relation between production, distribution, and consumption; and finally, the distributive consequences of both technological and legal interventions. These questions will become ever more salient as the EU pursues sustainable futures, from the digital economy to the energy transition, from a more balanced transportation mix to sustainable food provision.
One of the most enduring criticisms of papal infallibility is that it seems to set the pope apart from the Church. Much has already been done to correct this impression, but the current ‘synodal moment’ offers a unique opportunity to substantially further this ecclesiological integration. Along such lines, the present article first proposes that the teachings on infallibility in Lumen gentium be read through the chapter on the People of God (LG25 through LG12), thereby treating the pope as a member of the faithful and drawing out the charismatic dimension of infallibility. The article then pivots to exploring the widely overlooked Eastern Catholic reception of Vatican I. Specifically, it details the dogmatic importance of a clause added to Pastor aeternus by two patriarchs as part of their conditional acceptance – something drawing from a deeper tradition of synodal examination of papal teaching. These two sections converge to reveal a more synodal infallibility at the level of initial discernment and reception. More so, these genuinely synodal elements of papal infallibility are discovered as existing within the previous tradition. Elements that, going forward, can fruitfully be given a new hermeneutical priority.
Fibrosis is a pathological condition that affects various organs by increasing fibrous connective tissue while reducing parenchymal cells. This imbalance can lead to compromised organ function and potential failure, posing significant health risks. The condition’s complexity necessitates the exploration of effective treatments to mitigate its progression and adverse outcomes.
Aims
This study aims to investigate the role of ghrelin, a peptide hormone known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic properties, in modulating fibrosis across different organs. By binding to the growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a (GHSR-1a), ghrelin has shown potential in attenuating the fibrotic process, particularly through its interaction with the TGF-β signalling pathway.
Methods
An extensive review of clinical and animal model studies focusing on liver, kidney, lung, and myocardial fibrosis was conducted. The primary focus was on examining how ghrelin influences the TGF-β signalling pathway, with an emphasis on the regulation of TGF-β expression and the suppression of Smad signalling molecules. The methodology involved analysing data from various studies to understand ghrelin’s molecular mechanisms in combating fibrosis.
Results
The findings from the reviewed studies indicate that ghrelin exerts significant anti-fibrotic effects across multiple organ systems. Specifically, ghrelin was found to downregulate TGF-β expression and suppress Smad signalling molecules, leading to a marked reduction in fibrous tissue accumulation and preservation of organ function. In liver fibrosis models, ghrelin reduced TGF-β1 levels and Smad3 phosphorylation, while in kidney and cardiac fibrosis, similar protective effects were observed. The data also suggest that ghrelin’s effects are mediated through both canonical and non-canonical TGF-β pathways.
Conclusions
Ghrelin presents a promising therapeutic agent in the management of fibrosis due to its potent anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic actions. Its ability to modulate the TGF-β signalling pathway underscores a vital molecular mechanism through which ghrelin can mitigate fibrotic progression in various organs. Future research should focus on further elucidating ghrelin’s molecular interactions and potential clinical applications in fibrosis treatment, offering new avenues for developing effective anti-fibrotic therapies.