How unprecedented is the current backlash against the public health enterprise? In this article, the author explores previous attacks against public health practice in three exemplary domains: mass vaccination programs, air pollution control, and occupational safety. The author argues that in all three, public health was remarkably durable throughout the 20th century, and that most controversies over its powers—or even direct onslaughts from hostile elected officials—have failed to overturn long-standing practices or institutions, even if implementation may be altered for the worse. Once public health traditions and the infrastructure that erects them become entrenched, they have remained difficult to fully eliminate. There are signs, however, that the second Trump administration's assault on public health is different, both in the ferocity and velocity of its actions and in the new 21st-century context it inhabits, with different legal precedents, cultural beliefs, communication practices, and political norms. Throughout, the author also identifies historical seeds of public health's current crisis in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Since the 20th century, the extensive use of pesticides has played a crucial role in increasing agricultural productivity and addressing global food demand. However, their widespread application has led to significant environmental and human health concerns. Pesticide residues are frequently detected in soil, water and air, where they can persist for decades, accumulate in food chains, and interfere with natural environmental processes. Traditional remediation methods are often costly and inefficient, determining an increase of interest in more sustainable alternatives. In this context, bioremediation using microorganisms has gained attention, with yeasts, like Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida tropicalis and Trichosporon cutaneum, showing particular potential due to their metabolic versatility, ability to tolerate extreme environmental conditions, and ability to degrade a wide range of pesticides. This comprehensive review provides an overview of the current state of research on yeast-based pesticide bioremediation, highlighting the most effective ecotypes, the current known degradation mechanisms and the emerging research lines aimed at progressively guiding this knowledge toward future field applications.

Unveiling the genus Taraxacum: From folk medicine to chemodiversity-driven pharmacological and toxicological outcomes-A systematic review.

The significance of mining phenological data from the early 20th century: Insights from more than 100 years of cherry blossom phenology in Kumagaya, Japan

Compulsory schooling laws introduced across Europe in the 20th century aimed to expand educational attainment and may have shaped key determinants of cognitive health. We exploit variations in compulsory schooling laws in England to assess whether increased education, mandated by these policies, impacts cognitive function, dementia risk, and related risk factors in older age. We focus on two major reforms: the 1947 reform, which raised the school-leaving age from 14 to 15, and the 1972 reform, which increased it to 16. Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) and a novel dementia risk algorithm based on the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP), we find that while both reforms increased schooling, their effects on cognitive aging differ. We find suggestive evidence that the 1947 reform improved cognitive outcomes and reduced dementia and mild cognitive impairment risk specifically for women and individuals from low parental education backgrounds. In contrast, we find no statistically detectable reductions in dementia risk associated with exposure to the 1972 reform. Our findings suggest that the impact of compulsory schooling laws on cognitive aging and dementia is context dependent. Findings highlight the importance of institutional context and heterogeneity when assessing the long-run effects of education policies.

Direct submentoplasty remains a valuable alternative to rhytidectomy in male patients, addressing cervical laxity and fullness while avoiding feminization, periauricular scars, and prolonged recovery associated with traditional rhytidectomy.Since the early 20th century, submental skin excision has undergone refinement, progressing from horizontal ellipses to advanced configurations such as the Grecian urn pattern. These modifications aim to optimize scar camouflage while correcting horizontal and vertical redundancy.Key anatomic contributors to cervical aging include skin and platysmal laxity, supra- and subplatysmal fat, anterior belly of the digastric hypertrophy, ptotic submandibular glands, and a low-lying hyoid. Comprehensive preoperative analysis is required to address these factors.For patients presenting with submental fullness accompanied by good skin elasticity and minimal skin laxity, an isolated deep structural neck lift without skin excision may be sufficient. Optimal candidates for direct cervicoplasty (skin excision) demonstrate submental laxity limited to above the thyroid cartilage, minimal jowling, and acceptance of an anterior cervical scar.The isolated deep structural neck lift addresses the platysma and its underlying structures without the need for skin excision. A direct cervicoplasty with skin excision affords wide exposure for addressing the skin, platysma, and the subplatysmal anatomy. Skin excision patterns are varied and tailored to the patient's needs.Scar modulation strategies, drain management, lymphatic assistance with positioning/massage, and salivary flow management are key to a hastened recovery.Direct submentoplasty remains an essential tool in the aging male patient, offering reproducible results in appropriately selected patients who are willing to accept its limitations.

During the development of theories that took place in the human and social sciences during the second half of the 20th century, when the current of postmodernism was particularly prevalent among French thinkers (French Theory), the human body preoccupied philosophy and sociology as a social construction in relation to other parameters such as the question of power and knowledge. The purpose of this study is to highlight the main aspects of the relevant interventions according to the pioneering conception of Michel Foucault, and the criticisms made by persons with opposing philosophical and sociological views on scientific questions, taking as a case study the medical and nursing care in the clinical field. One of the parameters that was affected is the way in which nursing education is influenced by the postmodern approach in the context of the clinical field such as operating theatre (OT), intensive care units, wards and the emergency department. One question is formed regarding the power of people in charge of nursing education, with the resulting discipline and the ability to produce knowledge, the way knowledge is preserved and the power structures within which nursing education is provided. The observation of nursing consciousness from the theoretical perspective of postmodernism gives rise to certain hypotheses regarding the contribution to maintaining knowledge and the implementation of good practices in the clinical environment. Similarly, the development of skills raises the question of contribution to the maintenance of a nurse's knowledge and empowering him/her to provide quality healthcare.

Psychological research typically distinguishes between normative (e.g., peaceful protests, petitions) and non-normative (e.g., property destruction, riots) collective action. This binary framework has proved useful in exploring the psychological factors that shape different forms of collective action. However, recent critiques suggest it oversimplifies the fluid, contested, and context-dependent nature of collective protest. Our paper develops these critiques through qualitative analysis of walking interview accounts and courtroom transcripts of an event occurring at a 2020 Black Lives Matter rally in the city of Bristol, UK. During this event, a public statue of Edward Colston (1636-1721), a 17th century slaver, was toppled, defaced, and thrown in the River Avon, and four protestors were subsequently charged with, then acquitted of, criminal damage. Implications for conceptualising and investigating collective action are explored and the importance of recovering the situated meanings and consequences of local understandings of normative and non-normative action emphasised.

Adaptive algorithm for pigment identification from unmixing spectral data: Case study with two versions of a XVI century painting.

• Ichthyofaunal assemblage from 13th century deposits in the western Iberian Peninsula’s coast. • Relevance of aquatic resources in late medieval coastal towns. • Presence of different fish processing methods and a possible hub for dried hake production. Archaeological excavations in Almada (Portugal) revealed the presence of numerous storage pits filled with domestic waste. Both artefactual analysis and radiocarbon dating establish medieval chronologies from the 13th c. Located at the confluence of riverine and marine environments, Almada’s faunal assemblages reveal a diverse exploitation of aquatic resources. This study analyses fish remains from four sites, revealing the exploitation of a diverse range of fish (∼45 taxa) caught in different fishing grounds, as suggested by the high frequencies recorded for sparids (Sparidae) european hake ( Merluccius merluccius ) and sardine ( Sardina pilchardus ).We aim to verify whether changes can be documented both in the range of taxa, and the skeletal spectra, potentially revealing differential processing of fish for local consumption. By comparing these results to other Iberian sites, this study contributes to broader debates on medieval fisheries, recovery bias, trade, and species preferences across regions and settlement types.

16th -17th centuries – The Yarkand Khanate played a significant role in the development of the Uyghur people's cultural and political power. From the late 16th century, scholars affiliated with the Naqshbandi order held political authority, and later the Dzungars governed the region for a period of time. From the second half of the 18th century onward, the Chinese-Manchu occupation intensified the Uyghur people’s struggle for freedom. In the active resistance against colonial policy and reactionary ideology, progressive sociopolitical issues came to the forefront among the Uyghur people throughout the 19th century. In the first half of the 19th century, Uyghur intellectuals such as Muhammad Sadiq Kashgari, Abdurahim Nizari, Turdi Garibi, Imir Husayn Saburi, Nazugum, and others addressed socio-political as well as philosophical and ethical issues, fought for the spiritual and social liberation of the people, and carried out active efforts in this direction. Their works contain ethical and original ideas that remain relevant today and undoubtedly contribute to the moral education of the younger generation. From this perspective, the study of the Uyghur people's centuries-long history of socio-philosophical and ethical thought holds great significance.

This article examines ritual practices of magical path blocking, which were widespread among Russians and other Eurasian ethnic groups in the 19th and 20th centuries. The research reconstructs a complex of beliefs and ritual actions associated with the creation of symbolic barriers. Drawing on ethnographic, folkloric, and dialecto-logical sources, the author examines such actions within the framework of key rites of passage (such as weddings and funerals), as well as in the context of protection against diseases and evil spirits, the search for missing per-sons, and the identification of individuals accused of sorcery or witchcraft. The study positions these rituals as one of the elements of the road tradition in Russia — a system of stable behavioral stereotypes associated with travel on foot or by horse-drawn transport. Until the first half of the 20th century, the road tradition constituted a signifi-cant aspect of everyday life in Russia. This area of scientific knowledge obviously intersects with ethnography, anthropology, and cultural studies. Symbolic path obstruction had different forms. The article examines such va-rieties as “cutting off a road”, “closing a road”, “chopping the cholera”, “throwing the crosses”, etc. These actions were typically accompanied by the recitation of incantations. The article considers such rituals as performative expressions of cultural meanings rooted in the collective worldview. Analysis reveals that such rituals were grounded in the universal principle of demarcating “one's own” and “other's” space.

This study examines the mystical elements in pre-Islamic Arab society and their role as formative influences on the development of Islamic Sufism. While much of European Orientalist scholarship of the 19th and 20th centuries often viewed Sufism as a foreign or externally introduced phenomenon, more recent research emphasizes its intrinsic connection to Islam, the importance of considering pre-Islamic socio-religious contexts was forgetten. This article is a part of my research that explores ascetic tendencies, mystical practices, and spiritual experiences among the Arabs of the Jahiliyyah period, drawing attention to early forms of piety, meditation, and esoteric exercises that prefigure Sufi doctrines. It investigates the influence of surrounding cultures, including Christian and Jewish mysticism, as well as Greek philosophical currents, while stressing that these external elements interacted with a pre-existing mystical substratum within Arab society rather than generating Sufism in isolation. The role of divination, mystical medicine, and encounters with supernatural phenomena are also discussed as integral components of the mystical worldview. Pre-Islamic Arabs’ exposure to monotheistic, polytheistic, and esoteric traditions, facilitated by trade networks and intercultural exchanges, created a fertile environment for spiritual exploration, which subsequently informed the emergence of Islamic Sufism. By tracing these pre-Islamic mystical trends, the study seeks to clarify the socio-cultural foundations of Sufism, highlighting the continuity between earlier Arab spiritual practices and the ascetic, esoteric, and devotional dimensions of Islamic mysticism.

Renaissance humanism placed the value of the human being and the interests of the individual at the forefront. As a result, the problem of man became the main subject of philosophical discussion, while reason and experience formed the foundation of Renaissance philosophy. Renaissance philosophy succeeded in challenging the authority of the Middle Ages and creating a new, free worldview. Since the doctrines promoted by the Church could no longer satisfy people, there arose a need for an approach that would diminish the Church’s influence and place the human being at the center. Although such changes began to manifest in various regions, it is generally accepted that their origins lie in Italy. Influenced by ancient traditions, the primary focus of Renaissance philosophy became the problem of man. In the 14th century, translations of ancient works were carried out, and discussions and debates were held about them. In this sense, humanism, in a narrow meaning, referred to philological innovations based on the study of ancient literature. The philosophical essence of Renaissance humanism was reflected in its emphasis on individualism, reason (rationality), and the humanities. Humanists believed that each individual is unique and possesses the power to shape their own destiny. Despite certain shortcomings, humanism as a whole represented a system of thought that emphasized the importance of studying the spiritual world of the human being and approached the individual from the perspective of their natural essence. Renaissance humanism had a profound influence on subsequent philosophical movements, leaving a distinctive mark on their development.

The city of Kars, located at the crossroads of Anatolia and the Caucasus, is inhabited mainly by three Turkic-speaking groups: local Anatolians, Azerbaijani migrants from Western Azerbaijan, and Terekeme. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, wars, revolutions, and Soviet occupation prompted mass migrations of Azerbaijanis to Kars and other provinces, significantly reshaping the city’s demographic structure. In the early 20th century, the prominent Islamic scholar Axund Malik Mahammad Ishigli, fleeing Soviet persecution, settled in Kars and engaged in religious and social activities. In 1952, under his leadership, the first Ja’fari-Shi’a mosque in Turkey, the Yeni Mahalle Mosque, was constructed. He also promoted religious education through his work Doğru Yol, emphasizing Islamic unity and distancing from sectarianism, acting as a unifying figure across different religious and ethnic communities.

The article examines the political bias factor in Iran’s attitude toward the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918–1920) and the role of Turkism in shaping this bias. The study reveals that the geopolitical transformations of the early 20th century, the rise of national ideologies, and emerging state-building initiatives in the region conflicted with Iran’s security and administrative interests. When the ADR’s policies on national selfidentification, language, and cultural identity are compared with the existing ethnic and political dynamics within Iran, the Iranian government’s cautious approach to regional developments becomes more evident. By analyzing Iran’s diplomatic actions, contemporary press rhetoric, and the ideological discourse of the period, the article identifies the underlying causes of this biased stance. The findings demonstrate that the Turkism factor was influential in Iran’s regional policy; however, it emerged as a complex element shaped by multilayered geopolitical and domestic political dynamics.

This article presents the results of a study of the materials recovered from the Medieval cemetery in Vologda, dating to the 15th–16th centuries. In contrast to previously examined collections, the sample derived from the Ilyinsky Monastery cemetery is confined to a relatively narrow chronological range. This feature enhances the potential for a more precise assessment of how local historical circumstances influenced the demographic structure of the urban population. The sample comprises the remains of 121 individuals. The study was conducted in accordance with standard anthropological methods. The mortality distribution of the individuals within the sample reveals some deviations from a typical pattern. In particular, the group features a high proportion of children (63 %), with infants under one year of age accounting for 52 % of all children. Among adults, a predominance of males has been identified (70 % vs 30 %). The mortality distribution within the male subgroup exhibits two peaks: the first in early adulthood (25–29 years) and the second in the older age category (50+ years). Furthermore, a considerably lower average age at death among females has been revealed compared to other contemporaneous population groups in Vologda.

This article presents a cultural-chronological interpretation of archaeological materials recovered from mound No. 3, excavated by M.P. Gryaznov in 1939 at the Yakonur site. This multi-temporal burial and memorial complex is situ-ated near the eponymous village in the Ust-Kan District of the Altai Republic. The mound in question is a substantial structure containing two graves. Of these, burial 1 proved to be the most informative, featuring the remains of an individual interred alongside a horse. An analysis of the associated inventory (including ornaments and horse equipment) made it possible to date burial mound No. 3 to the period spanning the second half of the 9th century to the first half of the 10th century AD. The burial is attributed to the cultural tradition of the early medieval Turks. The revealed peculiarities in the funerary ritual suggest a possible decline in the traditional practices of the local commu-nity, potentially influenced by other nomadic groups. Furthermore, the materials of the Yakonur complex and the presence of contemporaneous burials conducted according to the cremation rite may indicate cultural interaction between the Turks and the Kyrgyz during the late 1st millennium AD. Additionally, it is plausible to hypothesize con-tacts between the population of the Western Altai and the bearers of the Srostki culture, as well as with the Kimeks.

ABSTRACT The migration of Yemenis to Ethiopia in the 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly to Gondar, remains a complex and understudied phenomenon. This study examines Italy’s political maneuvers during its occupation, and focusing on the Arab settlers in the Gondar region and the Ethiopia’s relations with the Arab world and local responses to them. Using a qualitative approach based on archival records, diplomatic diaries, reports, and both published and unpublished sources, the research highlights the enduring legacy of colonization. Yemenis migrated to Ethiopia as laborer and trader under Italian sponsorship, fostering marriages and social bonds that facilitated cultural integration. However, after three decades of coexistence, the Eritrean secessionist struggle disrupted these legal communities, and by 1969 and 1970’s many Yemeni migrants began returning to Yemen due to escalating conflict in the Gondar governorate. They also faced discrimination in their homeland based on skin color and language, even after receiving support.

The concept of biological evolution, though formalized in the 19th century, finds an astonishing symbolic parallel in the Dashavatara tradition of Hindu mythology. The Dashavatara, which comprises the ten principal avatars of Lord Vishnu, presents a sequential appearance of divine forms that closely resembles the chronological order of evolutionary stages described by modern biology. This article aims to explore this curious alignment between ancient metaphysical thought and contemporary science by providing an in-depth analysis of each avatar in relation to corresponding stages of biological and anthropological evolution. Drawing from the Bhagavata Purana, Garuda Purana, and Matsya Purana, as well as evolutionary theory and paleoanthropology, this interdisciplinary examination opens a dialogue between science and spirituality. The Dashavatara provides a fascinating framework for reflecting on humanity’s understanding of life’s progression from aquatic organisms to spiritually awakened beings.