Fortunate Events Research Articles

Love and anger in Amazonia and in academia: a disciple’s account of Joanna Overing’s oeuvre and teachings

In the Caquetá, Colombia, in 1995, I asked an Englishman who was doing fieldwork for his Ph.D. at Oxford for advice about graduate studies in the UK. “Maybe consider going to Joanna Overing,” he recommended. He thought that she and her students were doing the most exciting research in Amazonianist anthropology at the time. Meeting him was the first in a chain of fortunate events that led to my doing a Ph.D. under Joanna’s supervision and witnessing a golden but embattled era in her career. This is my personal account of her loves and peeves, her generous supervisory style, her theories, and her place in the history of our discipline and regional specialization, as I now see these. Regarding the latter, I focus especially on her brilliant writing on how contingent associations of Western anthropologists’ analytical terms hinder proper understanding of others’ political philosophies and ways of life; I attend as well to her attention to the centrality of moral understandings in social life, and to her participation in debates about Amazonian engagements with alterity, consanguinity, and conviviality.

The Religious Life of Muslims of Miya Patan Pokhara

Muslims of Miya Patan of Pokhara practice their religion in accordance with Islamic law. The Muslims differ to the Hindus or other indigenous people in terms of religious beliefs and its practice. Hindus usually view them as the opposite religion. Because of the cultural assimilation and modernization of the society perception has been gradually changing among Muslims. Muslims of Pokhara practice their religion rigorously and liberally. Instead of young adults with modern education, religious leaders (such Maulana, Imams, and others) are reported to have very strong religious standards and values. In modern non-Muslim culture, religious belief and practice: people have forgotten the philosophical and spiritual advantages of faith. Muslims continue to follow Sariyat in all facets of their religious practice. It should be seen as a fortunate event, and we should take lesson from them. This article is based on qualitative research and aims to look at Muslim religious practice in Miya Patan of Pokhara. It makes an attempt to address the general situation of Muslim religious practices in Pokhara. In-depth interviews and library research are being used to gather data about the subjects under discussion. It is limited to historical study on the subject. Finding of the research can be generalized to study the entire situation of Muslim religious practice in Nepal.

A series of fortunate events

A series of fortunate events

Case report: Nasal polyp exfoliated into the tracheal tube in a patient with a difficult airway during nasotracheal intubation

BackgroundDifficult airway has always been one of the greatest challenges for anesthesiologists. Patients with difficult airways and severe obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) often find themselves in life-threatening danger before their artificial airway is established and after their artificial airway is removed.Case presentationThe study reported a case of nasal polyps shedding into the tracheal tube when nasotracheal intubation in a patient diagnosed with a difficult airway and OSAHS; the patient was being prepared for a transoral tonsillectomy under general anesthesia. The uniqueness of this case was that nasal polyps were scraped off using the tracheal tube during nasotracheal intubation, and detected in real-time; this ultimately prevented an airway foreign body obstruction. Reviewing the literature on intubation methods for difficult airways, awake endotracheal intubation guided by fiberoptic bronchoscopy remains to be the gold standard for airway management. Additionally, nasotracheal intubation can provide more operating space for oral surgery. In this case, the unexpected nasal polyp fell off into the tracheal tube during intubation, as is visualized on the following pictures. This fortunate event prevented the nasal polyp from falling into the trachea and bronchus.ConclusionIt is necessary to rule out any nasal abnormalities in patients requiring nasotracheal intubation; otherwise, blind nasal intubation may be dangerous.

Snared in an Evil Time: How Age-Dependent Environmental and Demographic Variability Contribute to Variance in Lifetime Outcomes.

AbstractTo what degree is lifetime success determined by innate individual quality versus external events and random chance, whether success is measured by lifetime reproductive output, life span, years that a tree spends in the canopy, or some other measure? And how do external events and chance interact with development (survival and growth) to drive success? To answer these questions, we extend our earlier age partitioning of luck in lifetime outcomes in two ways: we incorporate effects of external environmental variation, and we subdivide demographic luck into contributions from survival and growth. Applying our methods to four case studies, we find that luck in survival, in growth, or in environmental variation can all be the dominant driver of success, depending on life history, but variation in individual quality remains a lesser driver. Luck in its various forms is most important at very early ages and again close to the time when individuals typically first begin to be successful (e.g., entering the canopy, reaching reproductive maturity), but different forms of luck peak at different times. For example, a favorable year can boost a tree into the canopy, while luck in survival is required to take full advantage of that fortunate event.

The Metaphysics of Justice: Ayelala’s Rise in Benin and Other Parts of Edo State

This article discusses the origin, spread and efficacy of the deity Ayelala, who is responsible for the execution of justice. After an account of the deification of Ayelala, it discusses the recent spread of the deity, originally from the areas inhabited by the Ijaw, Ilaje, and Ikale, to Benin, where her presence has been highly effective in combating public crimes such as theft, robbery and kidnapping. Beyond the punishment and control of public crimes, a report of Ayelala’s revelations about the causes of a personal death also illustrates the deity’s ability to provide justice in personal matters. The article argues that doubts about Ayelala’s existence, as put forward by some critics, are illogical and indeed irrelevant as long as the deity is seen to produce results. Building on the arguments of the British anthropologist E. E. Evans-Pritchard, who suggests that witchcraft explains unfortunate events, this article argues that the experience of certain fortunate events, such as the punishment of evildoers or the revelation of metaphysical causes of death, confirm the existence of Ayelala as a counter-force to witchcraft and other forms of metaphysical evil.

Books and Other Reviews

KEY POINTS Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment — Glenn Suter A Series of Fortunate Events: Chance and the Making of the Planet, Life, and You — Glenn Suter The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon — Robert Stevenson

Late Rupture of a Thrombosed Aortic Abdominal Aneurysm – a Case Report

Abstract Introduction: Severe back pain caused by a thrombosed and ruptured aortic abdominal aneurysm can imitate a lumbar disc herniation. Case presentation: We present the case of a 72-year-old diabetic patient with chronic atrial fibrillation, who had been experiencing high-intensity low back pain and claudication in the last year prior to his presentation. After experiencing a minor trauma, a lumbar MRI examination was performed, which revealed a retroperitoneal tumoral mass compressing and eroding the L2–L4 vertebral bodies. Computed tomography angiography showed an infrarenal aortic aneurysm (3.374 × 3.765 cm) which appeared to have ruptured and thrombosed. The question arising was when did the rupture occur, how massive was the damage, and how suitable for reconstruction was the aortic wall below the origin of the renal arteries. An open repair was scheduled and performed. The intraoperative finding was ruptured aneurysm of the thrombosed infra-abdominal aorta. The thrombosis extended along the common iliac and external iliac branches. We performed an aortobifemoral bypass using a 16 × 8 mm Dacron graft, clamping the aorta above the origin of the renal arteries. Conclusion: The unintentional diagnosis, due to a minor fall, was overall a fortunate event for this patient. Aortic aneurysms may present with lumbar pain that can be mistakenly interpreted as a spinal issue.

The disassembly of lipid droplets in Chlamydomonas.

Lipid droplets (LDs) are ubiquitous and specialized organelles in eukaryotic cells. Consisting of a triacylglycerol core surrounded by a monolayer of membrane lipids, LDs are decorated with proteins and have myriad functions, from carbon/energy storage to membrane lipid remodeling and signal transduction. The biogenesis and turnover of LDs are therefore tightly coordinated with cellular metabolic needs in a fluctuating environment. Lipid droplet turnover requires remodeling of the protein coat, lipolysis, autophagy and fatty acid β-oxidation. Several key components of these processes have been identified in Chlamydomonas (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii), including the major lipid droplet protein, a CXC-domain containing regulatory protein, the phosphatidylethanolamine-binding DTH1 (DELAYED IN TAG HYDROLYSIS1), two lipases and two enzymes involved in fatty acid β-oxidation. Here, we review LD turnover and discuss its physiological significance in Chlamydomonas, a major model green microalga in research on algal oil.

The blues, and an almost shocking surprise – Unexpected PE in a catatonic patient, that almost had ECT

AimsTo present a case of a near-miss, where an unexpected Pulmonary Embolism (PE) was identified in a patient with psychotic depression and catatonia, who almost had Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT). Our aim is to highlight the importance of Venous-Thrombo Embolism (VTE) risk assessment in all psychiatric inpatients, particularly those with catatonia, and those about to undergo ECT.MethodA 53-year-old female admitted with her first presentation of psychotic depression, catatonia, poor oral intake, and significant weight loss in the community for months prior to admission. She was recommended for emergency ECT as the severity of her self-neglect was becoming life threatening. Her first ECT session was cancelled due to low potassium levels prior to ECT, which proved to be a fortunate event. She developed sudden onset chest pain the next day, and following further medical investigations; was diagnosed to have a bilateral PE, and subsequently treated with Apixaban. Due to the potential risk of ECT dislodging the clots, treatment was done by optimising medication alone; Venlafaxine 300 mg, Mirtazapine 45 mg, Haloperidol 6 mg. She made a slow but successful recovery, and was discharged home, with ongoing support from Early Intervention in Psychosis services.ResultWe conducted a literature search, and it is well known that there is an increased risk of VTE in catatonic patients, as well as other psychiatric inpatients; due to anti-psychotic medication. Furthermore, cases have been reported where ECT was associated with increased risk of death in patients with known VTE/PE.On retrospective review of the patient's risks of developing VTE in the community, it was clear, that she was at very high risk of developing VTE. It was also noted that she should have had a VTE risk assessment on admission, in accordance with NICE guidelines; where all acute psychiatric inpatients should have this assessed as soon as possible.ConclusionThrough a process of assessment and treatment, VTE is often preventable. Identification of high-risk patients on admission to hospital is therefore crucial. It is thus, imperative that a comprehensive VTE risk assessment is completed on admission and regularly reviewed.This case highlights the risk of missing VTE assessments in WAA Inpatients, particularly those with catatonia, about to undergo ECT, which could have been fatal. As such, VTE/PE risk assessment in such patients, about to undergo ECT, is particularly crucial.Clinicians need to have a high index of suspicion of VTE/PE, particularly in patients with catatonia.

Closing the Gaps in US Rocket Propellant Production, 1940–1945

Abstract The article supplements and revises past historiographical explanations on why the US entered World War ii without propellant based engines, for tactical rockets and how that gap was overcome. Short range rockets were used extensively by all sides in the War for various purposes, but in the interwar period (1919–1939), rocket advances were made mostly in Europe with the US lagging behind. The rockets engines were based on solid propellant tubes, but in 1940 there was hardly any US tubes design knowledge and no production facilities. Technological and production gaps had to be closed, and from 1940 were made with a significant help from Britain and under the leadership of the civilian National Defense Research Council (ndrc) agency, merged in 1941 into the Office of Scientific Research and Development (osrd). Due to the pressing needs to equip American forces with rockets, a joint group of ndrc and Army developers modified in early 1942 an existing gun propellant production technology for rocket tubes. Used initially for the Bazooka this adoption was found later to be extremely problematic in production and performance of tubes in the widely-used, Army’s 4.5-inch barrage and fighter plane rockets. Working in parallel, a joint group of ndrc and navy developers was able to construct the more modern tube production process already used abroad, avoiding the main army difficulties and taking the lead. The growing needs for these superior Navy rockets, some of which were used extensively by the Army, led to gaps between supplies and demands by 1943. Two fortunate events, one of them connected with the Soviet Union, helped to relieve the shortage.

Book Reviews: AI in the Wild, A Series of Fortunate Events, The New Map

Book Reviews: AI in the Wild, A Series of Fortunate Events, The New Map

A reading list for uncertain times A Series of Fortunate Events: Chance and the Making of the Planet, Life, and You , Sean B. Carroll , Princeton University Press, 2020. 224 pp. Unsustainable Inequalities: Social Justice and the Environment , Lucas Chancel, Malcolm DeBevoise, translator , Belknap Press, 2020. 184 pp. Failure to Disrupt: Why Technology Alone Can't Transform Education

From an incisive ethnography of predictive policing to a compelling indictment of technology-enabled learning tools, the books on this year's fall reading list offer valuable context to the myriad challenges currently facing humanity. Dive deep into a public health disaster shrouded in secrecy, sit with the uncomfortable questions raised by a fictional foray into the future of intimacy, confront the challenges to sustainable development posed by environmental racism, and learn what a QR-coded chicken in rural China portends about the future of agriculture. When you are through, sit back and marvel at the odds stacked against humanity from the start with an entertaining romp through evolution and then leave your earthly worries behind with an ambitious tour of the Solar System.

Kastenholz, Raimund. A corpus dictionary of Vai. Klingenheben’s collection of lexical data

The publication of the Vai dictionary based on August Klingenheben’s collection and edited by Raimund Kastenholz is a very fortunate event for African studies. It finally makes the rich lexical database that was compiled by August Klingenheben (1886-1967) accessible. The thorough and consistent editorial work carried out by Kastenholz has made available the results of Klingenheben’s research and documentation project on Vai, which, as we learn from the introduction, spanned a period of over f...

Olga Malinkiewicz

Olga Malinkiewicz was sitting in a meeting with investors earlier this year when it hit her just how far her company, Saule Technologies, has come. Her colleague was presenting a short status report on Saule’s production facility, set to output its first products later this year. Since the firm’s founding in 2014, “we worked so much that I never had time to think about [our progress],” Malinkiewicz says, “but when you step back and see it from a distance, it is crazy, crazy fast.” Based in Warsaw and Wrocław, Poland, Saule aims to commercialize thin, flexible perovskite solar cells that can be affixed anywhere that heavy, crystalline silicon panels can’t, like on curved surfaces and portable devices. Becoming an entrepreneur was not something Malinkiewicz ever thought she would do, she says, but a series of fortunate events has led her here. Saule arose from a discovery made by Malinkiewicz during

A Series of Fortunate Events: Introducing Chlamydomonas as a Reference Organism.

The unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a classical reference organism for studying photosynthesis, chloroplast biology, cell cycle control, and cilia structure and function. It is also an emerging model for studying sensory cilia, the production of high-value bioproducts, and in situ structural determination. Much of the early appeal of Chlamydomonas was rooted in its promise as a genetic system, but like other classic model organisms, this rise to prominence predated the discovery of the structure of DNA, whole-genome sequences, and molecular techniques for gene manipulation. The haploid genome of C. reinhardtii facilitates genetic analyses and offers many of the advantages of microbial systems applied to a photosynthetic organism. C. reinhardtii has contributed to our understanding of chloroplast-based photosynthesis and cilia biology. Despite pervasive transgene silencing, technological advances have allowed researchers to address outstanding lines of inquiry in algal research. The most thoroughly studied unicellular alga, C. reinhardtii, is the current standard for algal research, and although genome editing is still far from efficient and routine, it nevertheless serves as a template for other algae. We present a historical retrospective of the rise of C. reinhardtii to illuminate its past and present. We also present resources for current and future scientists who may wish to expand their studies to the realm of microalgae.

The rise of the X-ray atomic pair distribution function method: a series of fortunate events.

The atomic pair distribution function (PDF) technique is a powerful approach to gain quantitative insight into the structure of materials where the structural coherence extends only over a few nanometres. In this paper, I focus on PDF from synchrotron X-rays and describe what is the PDF and where it came from, as well as key moments on the journey that have contributed to its enormous recent growth and expanding impact in materials science today. Synchrotron X-ray sources played a starring role in this story. This article is part of the theme issue 'Fifty years of synchrotron science: achievements and opportunities'.

Modulation of Locally Generated Equatorial Noise by ULF Wave

AbstractIn this paper we report a rare and fortunate event of fast magnetosonic (MS, also called equatorial noise) waves modulated by compressional ultralow frequency (ULF) waves measured by Van Allen Probes. The characteristics of MS waves, ULF waves, proton distribution, and their potential correlations are analyzed. The results show that ULF waves can modulate the energetic ring proton distribution and in turn modulate the MS generation. Furthermore, the variation of MS intensities is attributed to not only ULF wave activities but also the variation of background parameters, for example, number density. The results confirm the opinion that MS waves are generated by proton ring distribution and propose a new modulation phenomenon.

The Wedding Present—‘Dare’

When the indie band The Wedding Present decided to reprise their 1992 album Seamonsters for a 20thanniversary tour, they were lacking a guitarist. By a series of fortunate events I found myself in that role as I boarded a flight to Los Angeles to kick off a round-the-world-trip, playing these songs to thousands of fans. As an ethnographer, from the outset I wanted to document the process of taking on this role in order to better understand what it means to learn to be in a band of untrained but highly-skilled musicians. I also wanted to understand what it means to be in a tight-knit community of fans who create meaning and belonging together. The fieldwork was deeply participatory and opportunistic in this sense: this was not a project that I could have planned for. My role as an active member in the group provided rich insights into the span of everyday life in a rock band – from the momentary, miraculous subtleties of performing together live, to the banal politics of sharing hotel rooms, loading the van, days spent driving, and time spent not doing much in particular. The song ‘Dare’ captures for me much of the magic of this strange, exhilarating fieldwork experience.

Remnant Volition

This study of Walter Benjamin’s ‘theory of fortune,’ understood as a contribution to the ‘theory of events,’ focuses on a detailed reading of a notebook entry from 1932, published under the title ‘Practice.’ In that note Benjamin cites one ordinary example of a ‘fortunate event’: you lose an object, look for it, fail to find it, forget about it; later on, you look for a second object and find the first one. Benjamin describes this event, the finding of an object that you are no longer looking for, as an event that can be attributed to your hand. The concept of a “remnant volition” determines the singular sense in which, in this example, you still wanted to find the first object, although the volition to do so was not active when you were looking for the second object. A volition can be remnant, generally speaking, when it is disjoined from the agent’s anticipation of its fulfillment. Thus, a fortunate event is the fulfillment of a remnant volition by an agent’s body, and practice is a form of activity that makes this possible, for it allows an agent’s will to “abdicate in favor of the body.” In my reading of this notebook entry I contrast Benjamin’s account of practice to Aristotle’s; I argue (by way of Benveniste) for a reactivation of the concept of ‘lucre’; and I determine the relevance of this account to Benjamin’s (and our) understanding of Proust’s theory of ‘aesthetic commitment.’ I also consider some implications of this odd conceptual construction for the philosophy of action.