Life Force Research Articles

African Liveliness as a Secular Moral Theory: Problems and Prospects

Abstract An important belief in African Traditional Religion holds that everything, both animate and inanimate objects, are imbued with an imperceptible energy known as life force. Since life force is the greatest value, it is the grounds of morality. However, it is undertheorized in contemporary African ethics, with work on personhood and harmonious relationships taking centerstage. I seek to fill this gap in the literature by further developing an entirely secular and naturalistic moral theory of life force that avoids metaphysical controversies and is known as liveliness, which was first gestured at by Thaddeus Metz (2012, 2022). I demonstrate that while a series of objections that Metz levels against liveliness affect teleological versions, they do not apply with equal force to deontological versions. Liveliness, particularly deontological versions, ought to be considered as a contender for the best African moral theory alongside those that focus on personhood or harmonious relationships.

AN INTEGRATIVE ANALYSIS OF PRANAVAHA SROTAS: CORRELATING AYUR-VEDIC RESPIRATORY CHANNELS WITH MODERN ANATOMICAL AND PHYS-IOLOGICAL INSIGHTS

This study presents an integrative analysis of Pranavaha Srotas (Respiratory Microchannels), correlating Ayurvedic concepts of respiratory channels with modern anatomical and physiological insights. Pranavaha Srotas, described in Ayurveda, pertains to the movement of Prana (life force) and is closely related to the func-tions of the respiratory system, including the nasal passages, pharynx, larynx, trachea, and bronchi. The re-search undertakes a comprehensive literature review to explore the Ayurvedic perspective on Pranavaha Srotas and its comparison with modern biomedical descriptions of the upper respiratory tract. The analysis delves into the background, significance, and unique principles of Ayurveda, aiming to bridge the gap between these two knowledge systems. It highlights the role of Pranavaha Srotas in health and disease, emphasising its signifi-cance in contemporary respiratory conditions, including the COVID-19 pandemic. The study offers a detailed comparative analysis, enhancing the understanding of respiratory channels through a holistic approach that in-tegrates Ayurvedic wisdom and modern scientific knowledge.

Role of Rasayana in communicable diseases with special reference to Covid-19: A Review

Communicable diseases continue to be prevalent and pose serious problems for public health. Recently, COVID 19 emerged out as one of the communicable diseases which was declared as a pandemic. COVID-19 pandemic has left its imprints on various health systems globally and caused immense social and economic disruptions. The scientific community across the globe is expecting potential leads from traditional systems of healthcare. Rasayana (rejuvenation therapy) is one of the comprehensive disciplines of Ayurveda which includes various approaches like use of herbs, food articles, herbo-mineral formulations, dietary and lifestyle changes. It strengthens the body’s immune system by improving health of body tissues and promoting a balanced state of body. Rasayana essentially imparts nutrition to the body at all levels from macro to micro-cellular level. Rasayana therapy replenishes the vital fluids of the body and it enhances the Ojas (vital force of life) resulting in increased energy and balanced mental and emotional health. Rasayana therapy is particularly helpful in management of such disorders where immunity and infections are playing central role like COVID-19. The therapy is helpful to increase the immunity of a person and hence protects from communicable diseases like COVID-19. As COVID 19 is still active, so Rasayana therapy can play a vital role to combat with the disease.

A Review Study on Comparison of G+10 Structure with Several Materials Masonry, Concrete and Glass Fiber Reinforced Gypsum Panel (GFRG)

Glass fiber reinforced gypsum plasterboard (GFRG) is an environmentally friendly product. They are made of modified plaster and reinforced with fiberglass strips. Its main use is in the construction of walls, but it can also be used in combination with reinforced concrete on floors and roofs. The panels have voids that can be filled with concrete or reinforced with steel bars to increase strength and ductility. These panels can be used as an alternative building material to replace bricks and concrete blocks. IIT Madras has conducted several research studies and developed a structural design manual for designing buildings constructed by GFRG. Phosphor gypsum is a by-product of the fertilizer industry. In addition to its use as a fertilizer, building material, and soil stabilizer, approximately 85% of phosphor gypsum is disposed of near phosphate plants, which require large disposal sites. Phosphorus from gypsum can be effectively removed by creating glass fiber reinforced gypsum plasterboard (GFRG), also known as fast wall. They may or may not be used as support structures. In this research work we design three different models of G+10 in 5th zone of earthquake as on IS code. The lateral load such as earthquake is to be classified as live horizontal forces acting on the structure depending on the structure’s geographic location, height, shape and structural material. In this study, a multi-story Glass fiber reinforced panel and Brick-infill and concrete block infill wall building has been shown and performed by using software ETABS constructed on a plan ground having G+10 stories. Keywords: GFRG Panels, Concrete Blocks, Clay Bricks, Lateral Loading, Light weight Construction and Masonry etc.

FRAGMENTS OF SLAVONIC-IRANIAN MYTHOPOETIC TEXT: SYNTACTIC CONSTRUCTIONS WITH *svęt- : *śṷanta-

The paper aims to reconstruct the common elements of the Slavonic and Iranian mythopoetic text, referring to the idea of the sanctity and sacred. The need to reconstruct the elements of this phenomenon of the communicative culture history makes out topicality of the proposed study. The objects of the investigation are: 1) set phrases, which in Iranian and Slavonic consist of the genetically identical lexemes; 2) Slavonic and Iranian set phrases, in which the only term is genetically common for both languages (*svętъ : *śṷanta-), while the second part here is represented by the synonyms with the different etymons; 3) two-termed (dithematic, bibasic) compound words with *svęt- : *śṷanta-, which are often the result of contraction of primary set phrases. Etymological, morphological and lexical-semantic features of analyzed units as well as reconstructed prototypes constitute the subject of the study. As the result of the proposed research, a set of ancient common to Iranians and Slavs formulaic expressions (and anthroponyms derived from them) are revealed; it is determined, that all the analyzed syntactic constructions were formed in the process of cultural contacts between speakers of both languages; their formal and semantic reconstruction is justified. Conclusions. Comparative-historical analysis of the ancient Slavonic and Iranian cliched phrases with the core component *svętъ : *śṷanta- and related to them dithematic personal names reveals the traces of the common Slavonic-Iranian text, formed within the poetic speech. Etymological composition of such «mycrotexts» along side with reflected therein complex of religious and ethic ideas, which is common to both cultural-linguistic traditions, leaves no doubt that we deal with the heritage of Slavonc-Iranian contacts. Especially indicative are the examples of full genetical identity in composition of formulaic constructions among the Slavs and Iranians. The semantic basis of formulaic expressions, common to both languages, is formed with the complex of discrete meanings, referring to the notions of abundance, life force and its increase. The material demonstrates the significant specific weight of Proto-Slavonic units with the exponent *svęt- alongside with the rudimentary and clearly areally and also chronologically limited data of Iranian languages. Permanent renewability of the tradition to use the syntactic cliches with *svęt- was facilitated by their involvement into the field of the derivation of Slavonic anthroponymic composites and later their demand in the texts of Christian religious topic. The perspectives for further work in the outlined vector are seen in comparison of the collected material with data of Baltic languages.

Kindness, Eros and Agnes Grey

Anne Brontë’s Agnes Grey (1847) is about many things: chief among them is kindness. In this short novel, the words ‘kind’ and ‘kindness’ appear over 50 times. In the course of the work, we are brought to see that kindness is not a weak flame over which the downtrodden can warm their hands a little but rather a bonfire of a life force, the source of social good, and between Agnes Grey and Edward Weston, mutual kindness—specifically the shared valuing of kindness itself—ignites eros. As Marianne Thormӓhlen rightly observed, ‘Agnes Grey’s falling in love with Mr Weston is erotically charged in ways which present-day readers easily overlook’. I want to argue that this erotic charge is an intensification of currents of feeling that characterise Agnes’s whole narrative. The way Agnes describes, late in the novel, the pressure of her lover’s hand could also describe her experiences of kindness, both given and received, throughout her life: ‘emphatic, yet gentle’.

Pedipalp anatomy of the Australian black rock scorpion, Urodacus manicatus, with implications for functional morphology

Pedipalps – chelate ‘pincers’ as the second pair of prosomal appendages – are a striking feature of scorpions and are employed in varied biological functions. Despite the distinctive morphology and ecological importance of these appendages, their anatomy remains underexplored. To rectify this, we examined the pedipalps of the Australian black rock scorpion, Urodacus manicatus, using a multifaceted approach consisting of microcomputed tomography, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and live pinch force measurements. In doing so, we document the following aspects of the pedipalps: (1) the musculature in three dimensions; (2) the cuticular microstructure, focusing on the chelae (tibial and tarsal podomeres); (3) the elemental construction of the chelae teeth; and (4) the chelae pinch force. We recognise 25 muscle groups in U. manicatus pedipalps, substantially more than previously documented in scorpions. The cuticular microstructure – endo-, meso-, and exocuticle – of U. manicatus pedipalps is shown to be similar to other scorpions and that mesocuticle reinforces the chelae for predation and burrowing. Elemental mapping of the chelae teeth highlights enrichment in calcium, chlorine, nickel, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, vanadium, and zinc, with a marked lack of carbon. These elements reinforce the teeth, increasing robustness to better enable prey capture and incapacitation. Finally, the pinch force data demonstrate that U. manicatus can exert high pinch forces (4.1 N), further highlighting the application of chelae in subduing prey, as opposed to holding prey for envenomation. We demonstrate that U. manicatus has an array of adaptions for functioning as a sit-and-wait predator that primarily uses highly reinforced chelae to process prey.

Addressing the Colonial Legacies of Science

Science needs to address its colonial legacies. While the Te Ara Paerangi Future Pathways envisioned reforms of the research, science and innovation system has lost momentum, individuals and organisations across Aotearoa recognise, and are reaffirming, that the country’s future prospects lie in embracing Tiriti-led policies and practices. In 2021 Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research (a Crown research institute mandated to ensure that the life force and vitality of the land is strong) committed to weaving the principles of te Tiriti o Waitangi into its fabric. As employees, we use social practice theory in this article to evaluate the changes our organisation is experiencing on its journey to being Tiriti-led, and assess the lessons, impacts, successes and failures. This case study highlights the values–action gaps currently evident across the science system and provides insights into the various elements required to enable transformative change and new social norms within knowledge production policies and practice.

Ashvamedha Yagya in the Vedas

The Ashvamedha Yagya has been hailed as the monarch of rituals in the Indian tradition. Since Vedic times, the Ashvamedha holds a distinguished position among sacrificial rites. The horse symbolizes power. In the Shatapatha Brahmana, potent entities such as the nation, Indra, and the Sun are metaphorically portrayed as horses. The term 'Medha' is synonymous with 'Yagya'. The Nighantu texts provide 15 synonyms for Yagya, one of which is 'Medha'. In the comprehensive meaning of Ashvamedha, in Vedic rhetoric, 'Medha' signifies the awakening of intellect or wisdom. Delving into the philosophical significance of Ashvamedha in scriptural contexts is imperative to grasp this invaluable heritage. This research paper endeavors to understand Ashvamedha in the backdrop of Vedic literature, particularly by deciphering the meanings of the mantras presented in the Vedas. In Rigveda 5/27/4, Ashvamedha signifies the ultimate truth or reality; in Rigveda 5/27/5, it symbolizes the flow of creative power and the bliss represented by the essence of Soma; and in Rigveda 8/68/15 and 8/68/16, Ashvamedha is said to lead to the attainment of strength and the flow of life force. Ashvamedha leads to the enhancement of our intellect, meaning the awakening of wisdom, through which a human is established in the Supreme. The Vedas tell us that the purification of human consciousness through Ashvamedha - the awakening of wisdom - is the reward of Ashvamedha, and that the worship (Medha) of the divine power flow (Ashva) is the expansive, cosmic purpose of Ashvamedha.

Speech Task Force and Quality of Life after Surgery in Children with Cleft Lip and Palate: Limitation of Professionals.

Background Shortage of speech and language therapists results in lack of speech services. The aims of this study were to find the effectiveness of a combination speech therapy model at Level IV: General speech and language pathologist (GSLP) and Level V: Specific speech and language pathologist (SSLP) in reduction of the number of articulation errors and promotion the quality of life (QoL) for children with cleft palate with or without cleft lip (CP ± L). Methods Fifteen children with CP ± L, aged 4 years 1 month to 10 years 9 months (median = 76 months; minimum:maximum = 49:129 months) were enrolled in this study. Pre- and post-assessment included oral peripheral examination; articulation tests via Articulation Screening Test, Thai Universal Parameters of Speech Outcomes for People with Cleft Palate, Hearing Evaluation, The World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief_Thai (WHOQOL-BRIEF-THAI) version questionnaire for QoL were performed. Speech therapy included a 3-day intensive speech camp by SSLP, five 30-minute speech therapy sessions by a GSLP, and five 1-day follow-up speech camps by SSLP that provided four 45-minute speech therapy sessions for each child. Results Post-articulation revealed statistically significant reduction of the numbers of articulation errors at word, sentence, and screening levels (median difference [MD] = 3, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2-5; MD = 6, 95% CI = 4.5-8; MD = 2.25, 95% CI = 1.5-3, respectively) and improvement of QoL. Conclusion A speech task force consisting of a combination of Level IV: GSLP and Level V: SSLP could significantly reduce the number of articulation errors and promote QoL.

Gender Transition Between Life and Death

ABSTRACT Starting from the case vignette of Jude, a young teenager who claimed to be “oppressed by gender” after making a spectacular suicidal gesture, I want to explore what can lead from death to life, which would make us consider death more as a life force, a force that allows for a re-birth. Clinical work opens a path towards figuring out how to live with the death drive, which, paradoxically renders life possible. Here death emerges not as the opposite of life but rather as a condition for life. This essay takes inspiration on a clinical meditation about the suicidal tendencies of analysands lost in “gender disorders” who “find themselves” in a trans identity. Reference will be made to Freud’s case of the young homosexual woman and to my work on trans identity as an “act.”

In Vitro Immunomodulatory Activity of Sagalanoi Chooranam (Poly Herbal Formulation) in RAW Macrophage Cell Line

Within the realm of Siddha medicine, an ancient and venerable traditional healing system hailing from India, a comprehensive methodology is deployed to combat liver disorders. This approach is characterised by the utilisation of herbal remedies, accentuating the reinstatement of equilibrium in the body's vital life force, known as "Vatham," "Pitham," and "Kapham." The utilisation of cell line studies is crucial in assessing the immunomodulatory properties of herbal medicine, offering invaluable insights into their capacity to influence the immune system and advancing our comprehension of their therapeutic benefits. The primary objective of this investigation was to elucidate the potential immunomodulatory properties of sagalanoi chooranam, a polyherbal Siddha formulation, through the execution of anti-proliferative assays conducted. On the RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line. Various test solutions were precisely prepared, encompassing a spectrum of concentrations (50, 100 and 200 μg/ml). The RAW 264.7 cells were diligently cultured and then carefully subjected to stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to initiate cellular activation. Following this activation, the test formulation was introduced at varying concentrations, after which the cells underwent a 24-hour incubation period. The resultant nitrite levels, serving as indicators of immunomodulatory response, were evaluated within the cell lysate. The outcomes unveiled a notable decline in nitrite levels, correlating with the dosage of the test formulation during the incubation with RAW 264.7 cells. The outcomes of the study elucidate a conspicuous decline in nitrite levels in direct correlation with escalating concentrations of the test formulation, contrasting starkly with the control group exclusively subjected to LPS. Furthermore, the investigation meticulously probed the ramifications of the test formulation on cellular viability. The vitality of RAW 264.7 cells exhibited a discernible downward trajectory as the concentration of the test formulation ascended. Noteworthy is the fact that, at the concentration of 200 μg/ml, cellular viability registered at a mere 55.53 ± 3.567%. Collectively, these findings lend credence to the hypothesis that the test formulation possesses a dose-dependent capacity to attenuate both nitrite levels and cellular viability within the RAW 264.7 cell milieu, underscoring its auspicious immunomodulatory attributes. This research expands our insights into the potential immunological ramifications of the test formulation and underscores its plausible utility within the realm of immunomodulation.

Occlusal force orchestrates alveolar bone homeostasis via Piezo1 in female mice.

Healthy alveolar bone is the cornerstone of oral function and oral treatment. Alveolar bone is highly dynamic during the entire lifespan and is affected by both systemic and local factors. Importantly, alveolar bone is subjected to unique occlusal force in daily life, and mechanical force is a powerful trigger of bone remodeling, but the effect of occlusal force in maintaining alveolar bone mass remains ambiguous. In this study, the Piezo1 channel is identified as an occlusal force sensor. Activation of Piezo1 rescues alveolar bone loss caused by a loss of occlusal force. Moreover, we identify Piezo1 as the mediator of occlusal force in osteoblasts, maintaining alveolar bone homeostasis by directly promoting osteogenesis and by sequentially regulating catabolic metabolism through Fas ligand (FasL)-induced osteoclastic apoptosis. Interestingly, Piezo1 activation also exhibits remarkable efficacy in the treatment of alveolar bone osteoporosis caused by estrogen deficiency, which is highly prevalent among middle-aged and elderly women. Promisingly, Piezo1 may serve not only as a treatment target for occlusal force loss-induced alveolar bone loss but also as a potential target for metabolic bone loss, especially in older patients.

Analysis of the environmental damage and agricultural utilization in Forest Area of Dieang Plateau, Central Java, Indonesia

Dieng Plateau is a renowned tourist attraction due to its captivating panoramas, protected forest, agricultural viability, and geothermal resources. However, encouraging social life forces the local community to depend on the surrounding forest by utilizing the forest area as agricultural land. These activities harm the environment. This study aimed to determine the level of environmental damage and agricultural utilization in forest area of Dieng Plateau. Data collection methods were observation and interviews, with a purposive determination of the sample. Data analysis was carried out spatially to determine the level of environmental damage. The results showed that the erosion rate in the Dieng Plateau was in the moderate (33-35 cm), heavy (86-100 cm) and very heavy class (92-235 cm). The level of canopy cover is in the moderately dense class (60%), sparse class (20-40%) and very sparse class (<20%). The level of land productivity is in the low class (40%), moderate class (45-53%), high class (70%) and very high (93%). The level of environmental management ranged from poor to excellent. The level of environmental damage in total is in the rather severe and damaged class. For this reason, it is necessary to implementing environmental damage control strategies by land rehabilitation and closely monitoring agricultural activities by the forest area management and local government authorities are essential measures.

Creating Kinship Through the Animating Potential of Qi

I detail how a return to Asia as a third-generation Chinese American grants me the cultural resources to be in fluid relation with others. This article illustrates how the cultivation of one’s vital energy or qi life force can serve as an onto-epistemology and a methodological orientation, given its unique existence as both movement and substance, offering up a perspective to live within the interstices of the potential and the actual. In this autoethnography, I detail how local Taiwanese dynamics illustrate the vitality of qi’s characteristics, often demonstrating a socially embedded pedagogy of cultivating a heightened awareness of others, in essence, issuing dynamic invitations to kinship. Last, this article issues a call to open to a spirit of continual activation of possibility as a radical replacement to a perception of reality as a series of arrivals at static conditions.

Maternal, Snake-Tailed Foundress Melusine: A Transformative, Monstrously Transgressive Serpent Woman under the Gaze

Abstract: This article evaluates the fascination of the protean serpent woman or siren Melusine, demonstrating the illustrious heritage of this hybrid foundress of the Lusignan dynasty. Her supernatural achievements are celebrated through history, literature, and culture, despite her betrayal by her weaker husband. As feminine nymph or maternal foundress, Melusine and her achievements serve as exemplary for powerful women. She represents woman castigated as abject, monstrous, and possessed of a terrifying vagina dentata from the voyeuristic male perspective, whose usurping gaze destroys her authority. She yet remains revered and desired for her creative life force and the phallic or hermaphroditic power represented by her tail. Whether as snake-tailed woman in Eden or connected with fertility goddesses or the Virgin Mary, the protean Melusine emerges as a magnetic, sovereign figure in her self-sufficient sexuality. Her transgressive prowess as a theriomorphic, transformative woman breaks through boundaries and overturns debilitating assumptions regarding her sex, blazoning her unruly force. Castigated as Other while revered as divine, her story rises above any slighting gaze to amaze us with her stunning tale or tail, evoking admiration despite all attempts to diminish her.

Ethos of Revisionist History in Krishna Sen Ichchhuk’s Poems

This study attempts to explore and analyze how Ichchhuk revisits the official history of Nepal and rewrites it from the perspective of marginalized group in his poems “Haata Lagyo Sunya” (Achieved Zero in Hand), “Machha-Machha Bhyaguto” (Fish-Fish Frog) and “Euta Gauleko Diary” (One Villager’s Diary). It also projects how the poet blurs the boundary between fact and fiction in the light of new-historicist perspective that gives equal value to both history and literature. This research seeks to find out how the poet brings forth the history from the below and problematizes the history from the top model that has been characterized with the deceptive discourse of freedom, equality, democracy and human rights. The paper displays what contributing factors are responsible to dismantle the mainstream history and write history of the people. It also depicts the poet’s appeal to people with optimistic feeling and revolutionary spirit to create unity among the people of the margin and fight back against the powerful rulers to bring new sunshine in human life being liberated from the oppressive clutch of the feudal and fascist leaders who always deceive the people with illusive fish history. This article demonstrates Ichchhuk’s courage, will power and life force to valorize the common people’s history and to defy the official history. To justify how history should be rewritten, the researcher uses the new-historicist ideas of Michel Foucault, Stephen Greenblatt and Catherine Gallagher. This research work shows how poets like Ichchhuk raise consciousness in marginalized people of the world and raise voice in order to establish an egalitarian human society dismantling the official history and writing the inclusive history of the people.

Die praxis der Übersetzung

Abstract Around 1800, to be more precise, in Early German Romanticism, a decisive leap to an aesthetic imperative of form is being articulated. This new concept of form borrows its template from (empirical) life, where again in the concept of “vital force” (Lebenskraft) the origin for the drive of life is thought? to be found. This paper aims to investigate how this concept, emerging? in the life sciences, not only is being implemented into, but is also declared to be the motor of the life of literature. The initial observation of this investigation is the statement that (the) life (of literature) comes into being because force gives it form. Literature, in turn, can bring this process to view – this is its epistemological merit. Because literature in Early German Romanticism not only elevates itself to a form of life, but also sees the shaping of life as the result of an engagement with literature, the propaedeutic of which is in turn itself, literature – according to the hypothesis – becomes the vital force of life and thus praxis.

Literary review of Marma Chikitsa

Ayurveda, the ancient science of holistic medicine and well-being, has been meticulously passed down through generations by Indian sages. Among the invaluable aspects of Ayurveda bestowed upon us by these revered Acharyas is the Marma science. Although not highly advanced in the context of modern science, Marma science emphasizes crucial points on the body surface known as Marmas. The occurrence of an injury at these vital points can potentially lead to disability, dysfunction, or even the termination of life. Intriguingly, Marmas serve as pivotal junctures where the entire spectrum of our physical and mental energy can be intentionally heightened, diminished, or redirected, facilitating transformative effects through the judicious application of Marma techniques. Considered as specialized pranic switches within the body, stimulating Marma points can lead to the balanced flow of Prana (life force) in different body parts, thereby yielding the desired therapeutic benefits. This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of Marmas, offering a general description and highlighting the utility of Marma Chikitsa in promoting overall well-being.

Erich Fromm: Clinical Mountain Guide

ABSTRACT Each psychoanalytic theory influences the clinician’s focus. This paper examines the impact of Erich Fromm’s writing on the analyst’s attention to the material in sessions. Briefly, Fromm’s work highlights the importance of the analyst’s passion, courage, pursuit of truth, capacity to bear uncertainty and suffering, and dedication to helping people embrace their freedom and realize their full potential. Fromm has inspired generations of clinicians to become politically active citizens, maintain enlivening curiosity, and kindle the life force in themselves and those they treat. What role does theory play in the moment-by-moment behavior of the analyst in a session? I first address the general question of my view of the role of theory in clinical work. Then I turn to the more specific issue of Fromm’s influence.