History Research Articles

Understanding American Historical Change through Cultural Traditions, Physical Environment, & Literature: A Comparative Reflection in Global Community

This article embarks on a comprehensive exploration of the intricate interplay between cultural traditions, the physical landscape, and the realm of poetry or literature, particularly in their capacity as architects of public myths within societal consciousness. It endeavors to serve as a nuanced comparative reflection, offering valuable insights to English language and literature students. Leveraging the rich historical and cultural tapestry of America, it seeks to illuminate the multifaceted contexts underlying language and literature studies amidst the dynamic trends and formidable challenges of contemporary global society, where both tangible and virtual boundaries are increasingly contested. Rooted in an understanding spanning from the seventeenth century to the twentieth century, the author meticulously selects a myriad of historical records and literary masterpieces, each implicitly or explicitly portraying diverse facets of environmental dynamics and the notion of frontier. These meticulously curated depictions and conceptual frameworks from various sources constitute the cornerstone of the author's analytical approach, elucidating the intricate interconnectedness between American cultural ethos and its surrounding ecological milieu

Loneliness in midlife: Historical increases and elevated levels in the United States compared with Europe.

Loneliness is gaining attention globally as a public health issue because elevated loneliness increases one's risk for depression, compromised immunity, chronic illness, and mortality. Our objective is to zoom into how loneliness has historically evolved through midlife and investigate whether elevations in loneliness are confined to the United States or are similarly transpiring across peer European nations. We use harmonized data on loneliness from nationally representative longitudinal panel surveys from the United States and 13 European nations to directly quantify similarities and differences in historical change of midlife loneliness trajectories. Compared with any other European nation/region, overall levels of loneliness in the United States are consistently higher by a magnitude of 0.3-0.8 SDs. Middle-aged adults in the United States, England, and Mediterranean Europe today report higher levels of loneliness than earlier born cohorts, whereas no historical changes (if not historically lower levels) were observed in Continental and Nordic Europe. Our discussion focuses on possible reasons for cross-national differences in midlife loneliness, including cultural factors, social and economic inequalities, and differences in social safety nets. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Articulatory characteristics and vowel space analysis of Mandarin Chinese non-low vowels in Korean-speaking learners

Vowels are a fundamental component of Mandarin Chinese syllables. Accurate pronunciation of Mandarin Chinese relies on the distinct articulation of different vowels, especially the visually similar “ü” and “u”. Korean-speaking learners of Chinese Mandarin as a second language commonly exhibit non-standard pronunciation or errors in articulating “ü”, leading to confusion, particularly in non-low vowels centered around this sound. Using Praat to analyze the Formant values of non-low vowel sounds from six participants, a comparison between Korean L2 Chinese speakers and native Chinese speakers revealed vowel spaces differentiated through F2 values for /u/ and /o/, while /ɣ/ and /o/ are distinguished by F1 values. The sound similar to Korean “ㅟ” differs from /y/ in that the former is a gliding sound transitioning from low to high. The distinction between /y/ and /u/, /o/, /ɣ/ was found to be unclear, with /y/ often merging into sounds like “iu” and “io”. This aligns with historical vowel changes in Chinese “ü”, noted in previous linguistic studies, showing variations like “iu” and “io” over different periods. Korean L2 Chinese speakers tend to substitute /ɯ/ for /u/ and “ㅟ” (/ɯ/+/i/) for /y/, avoiding rounded lip movements in pronunciation, thus reducing effort and the need for additional phonemes. Furthermore, the F3 value for Korean L2 Chinese /y/ is notably lower, suggesting that the correct articulation should closely resemble the tongue position of /i/, combined with rounded lips.

Modular Bibliographical Profiling of Historic Book Reviews

Modular Bibliographical Profiling of Historic Book Reviews

“I had no knowledge of this”: disrupting majoritarian narratives regarding Mexican American K12 students and employing documentary film in the preparation of equity-oriented school leaders

ABSTRACT This qualitative study examines the experiences of primarily Latinx and Black aspirant school leaders in a social-justice oriented principal preparation program situated within a Hispanic Serving Institution in South Texas. Through the usage of weekly journal reflections and semi-structured interviews, this action research study employs Critical Race Theory, critical race heuristics, majoritarian narratives, and counter-stories as theoretical lenses to map the perspectives of aspiring school leaders as they view the film Stolen Education a documentary highlighting the historical injustices Mexican American K12 students endured in South Texas. Findings from this research highlight the erasure of Latinx history from K12 history books; the role of linguistic genocide in the film and in participants’ family histories; and the linkages between past and present injustices for Latinx pupils in K12 schools. The authors provide a discussion and implications on preparing school leaders given a growing conservative movement to squelch social justice issues from P20 education.

The Chinese Pothi: A Missing Link in the History of the Chinese Book

This paper examines Chinese pothi manuscripts from Dunhuang, arguing that this book form played an important role in the history of the Chinese book. Ultimately emulating Indian palm leaf manuscripts, the few dozen examples of Chinese pothi come from Dunhuang, where they appeared during the Tibetan control of the region. Rather than being a local phenomenon, the pothi form was instrumental in the development of more mainstream book forms, most notably the concertina.

100 years of monitoring in the Swiss National Park reveals overall decreasing rock glacier velocities

The rock glaciers of the Swiss National Park were the first in the world where in-situ measurements of surface displacement were undertaken, starting with the pioneering work of Chaix in 1918. Our research is focused on the four rock glaciers described by Chaix, bridging the historical data gap that existed between their early 20th-century measurements and the most recent observations. Through the application of photogrammetric techniques, we geomorphologically analyze the spatiotemporal evolution of rock glaciers in the region, and disentangle the interplay with their adjacent glaciers. We show that these rock glaciers are in different phases of degradation with a general trend of deceleration and loss of volume. Our findings reveal historical kinematic changes influenced by the hydrological contributions of adjacent glaciers, which were closely connected since the Little Ice Age but are now severely degraded. The observed hydrological control, suggests that ongoing climate-induced glacier degradation will likely result in a future scenario with limited new accelerations. Instead, a steady water flow from adjacent glaciers may sustain a gradual secondary creep, progressively slowing as permafrost degradation continues, driven by predicted warming and dry climatic conditions in the Alps.

A Comparative Lexical Analysis of Kazakh, Russian and English Children’s Folklore

Occupying a special position in the oral folk art of any nation, children’s folklore is a complex field, which interrelates two areas: folklore for children and folklore created by children, learned from adults, and passed on from some children to other children. Human world and values are reflected in folklore - thus the ethnographic study of children’s folklore contributes to the understanding of the specifics of various cultures, and children’s participation in them. The purpose of the study is to describe children’s folklore in the Kazakh, Russian, and English languages from the linguistic and cultural comparative perspectives. The importance of identifying the lexical and phraseological features of different genres of children’s folklore and describing their common and culturally marked characteristics lies in the fact that despite the availability of ethnographic studies of children’s folklore in some cultures, there doesn’t exist a single research on cross-cultural comparative perspectives of various genres of children’s folklore. The study employed analytical descriptive, and comparative methods. The research data were collected through the online sociolinguistic surveys parallelly conducted in the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation. Texts of children’s folklore in English were taken from the collections Nursery Rhymes and Mother Goose’s Songs . The amount of research data made nearly 2000 Kazakh, Russian and English children’s folklore texts. The study revealed that the genre variety of children’s folklore leaves an imprint on the language of each genre. The lexical and phraseological analysis of various genres of children’s folklore demonstrated an active use of neologisms, transrational language and personal names. Children’s folklore is characterized not only by genre and intragenre dynamics, but also by historical changes.

A systematic review of climate change science relevant to Australian design flood estimation

Abstract. In response to flood risk, design flood estimation is a cornerstone of planning, infrastructure design, setting of insurance premiums, and emergency response planning. Under stationary assumptions, flood guidance and the methods used in design flood estimation are firmly established in practice and mature in their theoretical foundations, but under climate change, guidance is still in its infancy. Human-caused climate change is influencing factors that contribute to flood risk such as rainfall extremes and soil moisture, and there is a need for updated flood guidance. However, a barrier to updating flood guidance is the translation of the science into practical application. For example, most science pertaining to historical changes to flood risk focuses on examining trends in annual maximum flood events or the application of non-stationary flood frequency analysis. Although this science is valuable, in practice, design flood estimation focuses on exceedance probabilities much rarer than annual maximum events, such as the 1 % annual exceedance probability event or even rarer, using rainfall-based procedures, at locations where there are few to no observations of streamflow. Here, we perform a systematic review to summarize the state-of-the-art understanding of the impact of climate change on design flood estimation in the Australian context, while also drawing on international literature. In addition, a meta-analysis, whereby results from multiple studies are combined, is conducted for extreme rainfall to provide quantitative estimates of possible future changes. This information is described in the context of contemporary design flood estimation practice to facilitate the inclusion of climate science into design flood estimation practice.

Tuvan Family Photo Album: Social Practices of Creation and Storage

The authors analyze the social practices of creating and storing a Tuvan family photo album throughout the XX - early XXI century. The sources of the study are the materials of narrative biographical interviews with ten respondents - indigenous residents of Tuva of different ages which were recorded by the authors in April - May 2023. The appearance of photo albums, the features of their creation and storage reflect the general history of photo albums in the Soviet state, and now in Russia. The authors point out that in the history of photo albums there appear the Tuvan traditions, for example, in photo frames inside the yurt there are photographs of relatives, domestic animals (horses), and elements of national cuisine. But due to the events of the XX century, the issue of loss and theft of photographs and photo albums became relevant for Tuvans. In the XXI century, Tuvans have a wide variety of photo albums on different media, and today family photo albums also represent the ethnicity of people.

Warming waters lead to increased habitat suitability for juvenile bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas)

Coastal ecosystems are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and other stressors, including urbanization and overfishing. Consequently, distributions of coastal fish have begun to change, particularly in response to increasing temperatures linked to climate change. However, few studies have evaluated how natural and anthropogenic disturbances can alter species distributions in conjunction with geophysical habitat alterations, such as changes to land use and land cover (LU/LC). Here, we examine the spatiotemporal changes in the distribution of juvenile bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) using a multi-decadal fishery-independent survey of coastal Alabama. Using a boosted regression tree (BRT) modeling framework, we assess the covariance of environmental conditions (sea surface temperature, depth, salinity, dissolved oxygen, riverine discharge, Chl-a) as well as historic changes to LU/LC to the distribution of bull sharks. Species distribution models resultant from BRTs for early (2003–2005) and recent (2018–2020) monitoring periods indicated a mean increase in habitat suitability (i.e., probability of capture) for juvenile bull sharks from 0.028 to 0.082, concomitant with substantial increases in mean annual temperature (0.058°C/yr), Chl-a (2.32 mg/m3), and urbanization (increased LU/LC) since 2000. These results align with observed five-fold increases in the relative abundance of juvenile bull sharks across the study period and demonstrate the impacts of changing environmental conditions on their distribution and relative abundance. As climate change persists, coastal communities will continue to change, altering the structure of ecological communities and the success of nearshore fisheries.

Evolution of world running record performances for men and women: physiological characteristics.

Running world records (WRs) contain information about physiological characteristics that determine running performance. The progression of WRs over time encode the evolution of these characteristics. Here we demonstrate that a previously established model for running performance describes WRs since 1918 for men and since 1984 for women with high accuracy. The physiological parameters extracted from WR for each year are interpreted in terms of historical changes in training approaches and corresponding physiological adaptions, technological progress, social effects, and also the use of performance enhancing drugs. While the last two decades had witnessed stagnation of WRs, recent improvements in endurance have enable new WRs, presumably aided by recent technological advancements.

Патриотическая риторика как макростратегия в китайском масс-медийном дискурсе на английском языке

The aim of the study is to identify the regularities of verbal realization of patriotic rhetoric as a macro-strategy in Chinese media in the English language. The paper examines ways of expressing patriotic rhetoric taking into account the multi-variant and multilingual nature of the audience of English-language media information. The scientific novelty of the study is related to posing a problem potentially significant for comparative rhetoric when contrasting the PRC’s patriotic rhetoric in Chinese and in English. The results show that patriotic rhetoric in Chinese media in the English language differs in axiological, conceptual, and cultural specificity. The axiology of argumentative rhetoric is based on historically conditioned civilizational axioms and contemporary ideological concepts of China. The specificity of rhetorical strategies reflects deep civilizational values of collectivism, cyclical time perception, justice as a result of historical changes. The verbal realization of the macro-strategy in English-language Chinese media is influenced by historical and cultural traditions of speech behavior and features of Chinese communicative style. Explicit and implicit rhetorical formulas are realized through linguistic and discursive-pragmatic means.

Shared phylogeographic patterns and environmental responses of co-distributed soybean pests: Insights from comparative phylogeographic studies of Riptortus pedestris and Riptortus linearis in the subtropics of East Asia

Comparative phylogeographic studies of closely related species sharing co-distribution areas can elucidate the role of shared historical factors and environmental changes in shaping their phylogeographic pattern. The bean bugs, Riptortus pedestris and Riptortus linearis, which both inhabit subtropical regions in East Asia, are recognized as highly destructive soybean pests. Many previous studies have investigated the biological characteristics, pheromones, chemicals and control mechanisms of these two pests, but few studies have explored their phylogeographic patterns and underlying factors. In this study, we generated a double-digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD-seq) dataset to investigate phylogeographic patterns and construct ecological niche models (ENM) for both Riptortus species. Our findings revealed similar niche occupancies and population genetic structures between the two species, with each comprising two phylogeographic lineages (i.e., the mainland China and the Indochina Peninsula clades) that diverged approximately 0.1 and 0.3 million years ago, respectively. This divergence likely resulted from the combined effects of temperatures variation and geographical barriers in the mountainous regions of Southwest China. Further demographic history and ENM analyses suggested that both pests underwent rapid expansion prior to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Furthermore, ENM predicts a northward shift of both pests into new soybean-producing regions due to global warming. Our study indicated that co-distribution soybean pests with overlapping ecological niches and similar life histories in subtropical regions of East Asia exhibit congruent phylogeographic and demographic patterns in response to shared historical biogeographic drivers.

Age and duration of hypertension are associated with carotid artery tortuosity.

Tortuosity of the carotid artery is a common angiographic finding that may impact blood flow and neuronal function. However, information on its prevalence and risk factors remains limited. In this study, we determined to explore the factors affecting carotid artery tortuosity. The head and neck computed tomography angiography (CTA) imaging and cerebral angiography data performed at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University between January 2019 and September 2021 were collected, and a total of 356 cases were enrolled in the study after screening. Carotid artery tortuosity refers to the angle between the two adjacent segments of the carotid artery, from the opening of the aortic arch on either side to the external orifice of the carotid canal, being less than 150°. A retrospective analysis was performed to compare the general information, laboratory indicators, personal history, and medical history between the two groups. The χ2 test, t-test, and Mann-Whitney U-test were performed to compare the parameters between the two groups. If there were significant differences between the groups, multivariate logistic regression was performed to analyze the factors affecting carotid artery tortuosity. A total of 222 of the 356 cases were determined to have carotid artery tortuosity, accounting for 63.6%. There were statistically significant differences in age, body mass index (BMI), duration of diabetes and hypertension, levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), diastolic blood pressure, history of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, and the usage of antihypertensive drugs between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of the above factors showed that age (OR = 5.063, 95% CI 2.963-10.26, p < 0.001) and duration of hypertension (OR = 2.356, 95% CI 1.353-8.625, p = 0.021) were associated with a higher incidence of carotid artery tortuosity. Compared to patients who did not consume antihypertensive drugs, the incidence of carotid artery tortuosity was significantly less (OR = 0.094, 95% CI 0.002-0.713, p = 0.019) in those consuming antihypertensive drugs. Carotid artery tortuosity is a relatively common carotid artery disease. The incidence of carotid artery tortuosity may increase with age and the duration of hypertension. The consumption of antihypertensive drugs may reduce the incidence of carotid artery tortuosity.

Acellular Dermal Matrices as an New Alternative for Treatment in Reproductive Organ Static Disorders: A Pilot Study.

Background: The study aimed to evaluate the clinical effects of utilizing acellular dermal matrix (ADM) for treating pelvic organ prolapse. The motivation behind exploring a new treatment method stems from the limited efficacy of current surgical options, which are often associated with side effects. Methods: Ten patients with reproductive organ prolapse underwent surgery at the Chair and Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics, and Gynecological Oncology in Katowice. ADM was used as a support material, with eight patients receiving double TOT and two undergoing a six-point fixation mesh procedure. Pelvic organ prolapse was evaluated pre-operatively and one month post-surgery using the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) System. General medical history and complaints were assessed using the short form (PFDIQ-SF20). The study included ten patients aged 39 to 71 (mean: 63.6 years), all with a history of at least one vaginal delivery (mean of two). None had undergone a cesarean section. Four patients exhibited POP-Q 3, and five had POP-Q 2. Results: The mean PFDIQ-SF20 score before surgery was 70.6 points. No major complications occurred during or after surgery. One patient experienced a vaginal fungal infection and an allergic reaction to sutures. Post-operation, ailments reduced by an average of 60.76 points, with five patients reporting no complaints. Conclusions: ADM emerges as a material of interest for gynecological surgery, with initial reports highlighting its effectiveness and optimistic safety profile. Further research is warranted to explore its potential as a promising option in pelvic organ prolapse treatment.

The development of the research on the history of libraries: a handful of reflections from the French perspective

Studies on the history of libraries as a research field within a domain of the French historiographic tradition first appeared towards the end of the 1980s. Its theoretical underpinnings were in fact provided by the existing studies on the history of books and the founding works by Henri-Jean Martin (1924–2007). Despite a sizeable number of publications following the publication of the Histoire des bibliothèques françaises (Paris, 1988–1992, 4 vols.), this particular research area somehow failed to take advantage of the dynamics generally attributed to works on the history of books. Largely focusing on institutional and present-day issues, a substantial portion of the study on the history of libraries continued for a long time to be isolated and dominated by library-based authors only. A change in this situation came as late as the first decade of the 21st century and was greatly influenced by the works of the recently deceased historian Frédéric Barbier (1952–2023). Since that time, we have been witnessing a significant widening of perspectives, very much in line with the wish expressed by F. Barbier himself in his Histoire des bibliothèques en Occident (ed. I, Paris, 2013). This area of research (history of libraries) attracts interests of more and more researchers and has become a transnational domain at the pan-European level. The present research study documents these cultural and timeless transitions (challenging the perceived divisions between the Middle Ages and the Ancien Régime, and the Ancien Régime and modern times), and thus becoming multidisciplinary as well as interdisciplinary studies that integrate a number of disciplines (political history, social history, history of culture, architecture, etc.). At the same time, research on the history of libraries retains a strong relationship with studies on the history of books and media. The position and standing of libraries, that went through profound transformations due to both cuts in their budgets and the implications of the digital revolution in the first years of the 21st century, seems to be endangered, both as an institution and a place. However, their purpose in modern democracy is not outdated and they still perform a significant mission by making it possible for all to have equal access to cultural resources and media. Libraries provide non-vertical mediation (i.e. cataloguing and metadata creation, classification and storage …), that is still essential to make data and documents available. They continue to accommodate in one cultural space – that becomes more and more comfortable and friendly – both readers and visitors that learn to “live together” within this space, conforming at the same time to applicable rules and regulations. Despite their seemingly disadvantageous situation, one may though assume that modern libraries will continue to provide fresh and stimulating material for historical research for long years to come

Environmental DNA identifies coastal plant community shift 1,000 years ago in Torrens Island, South Australia

Anthropogenic activities are causing detrimental changes to coastal plants– namely seagrass, mangrove, and tidal marshes. Looking beyond recent times to past vegetation dynamics is critical to assess the response and resilience of an environment to change. Here, we develop a high-resolution multi-proxy approach, providing a new evidence base to decipher long-term change in coastal plant communities. Combining targeted environmental DNA analysis with chemical analysis of soils, we reconstructed 4,000 years of change at a temperate wetland on Torrens Island South Australia and identified an ecosystem shift that occurred ~ 1000 years ago. What was once a subtidal seagrass system shifted to an intertidal mangrove environment that persists at this site today. We demonstrate that high-resolution historical changes in coastal vegetation can be attained using these proxies. This approach could be applied to other ecosystems to improve the way we protect, conserve, and restore vegetated ecosystems.

The Central European history in constitutional preambles: state narrative and governance implications

ABSTRACT The study deals with the historical narrative of the modern Central European constitutions. The earlier 20th century constitutions were also in some way responsive to historical changes, but in the post-1989 constitutions, the historical narrative has also acquired a strong legitimating function. This was partly related to the fact that several states gained state independence at the time. Another important aspect is the confrontation with the communist past. Typically the constitutional preambles deal with history. The normative nature of the preambles is disputed, but they can play an important role in the process of legal interpretation by constitutional courtes. The most interesting in this respect is the Hungarian preamble adopted in 2011, which is both the longest and the most ideological in the Central European region. The ideological elements in the post-transitional constitutions has not weakened over time, but rather strengthened. This is particularly obvious in Hungarian constitutional development. However, a strong historical narrative can sometimes become counterproductive. This is especially true for states, where there is no co-decision consensus on the judgement of certain key historical events and thus an one-sided presentation of historical issues can also make it difficult for constitutions to fulfil their social integration function.

Discourse in the context of language history – research potential and perspectives

The aim of the paper is to indicate the research potential and perspective of discourse as a historical and dynamic phenomenon. Methodology used in the paper concentrates on discourse linguistics, stylistics, and text linguistics, which is related to the conceptof language as a mode of communication manifested at its higher levels. What is important, the author is convinced that historical dimensions can be embedded into the definition of discourse. The first aspect constitutes the extension of the reflection at the discourse level in historical language studies. However, the inverse relation is most interesting. It is worth noting that the language history research could enrich the concept of discourse. Referring to previous research on the history of Polish scientific discourse and discourse of the excluded, the author formulates a thesis on the influence of the historical research on the concept of discourse, which could manifest itself in the following ways: (1) remodelling of the definition of discourse; (2) discourse dynamics; and (3) external discourse changes (cultural, sociological). The main conclusions are as follows: (1) The complementarity of language historyand discourse linguistics should be considered. (2) Discourse definition is an open category and, among others, depends on historical changes. (3) The dynamic nature of discourse could be the basis for adopting historical discourse studies as a subdisciplineof linguistics. (4) Historical aspects of discourse can encourage research on communication as a dynamic, multifaceted, and complex component of culture.