Synoptic Overview Research Articles

The Devil’s in the Details

Benjamin Purzycki and Richard Sosis’ Religion Evolving (2022) offers an impressive synoptic overview of current theory and findings in the scientific study of religion, and a potentially important new model. This theory merits further development but requires some attention to issues of definition.

Integration and Promotion: Integrating Sustainability Research into Computer Science Teaching through Serious Games Assignments

“Serious Games” is a final-year 20 credit point module, undertaken as the default optional module for students on Undergraduate courses entitled BSc Computing and BSc Computer Science (Games Technology) at Nottingham Trent University, UK. The module focuses on developing students’ critical evaluation skills, enhancing their ability to design and implement solutions for a real-world design brief, working with clients and making final products accessible to a broad target audience. Historically this was achieved through engagement with a single client, often via a wider research project or local educational establishment of some sort. More recently, the module has retained two client project briefs, which the students are then empowered to choose between. With each client brief the module team has sought to add extra value for the students. For the previous two academic years, the module team has partnered with Green Academy, a strategic team within the University whose priorities include stimulating pedagogical innovation and practice sharing within the area of sustainability and pioneering a shared understanding of sustainability education. The resulting partnership has introduced a brief for students which combines vital industry skills with sustainability literacy. Working with and alongside the students who are undertaking the module, the module has developed Serious Games on a diverse range of local and global sustainability issues and has exposed students to university research culture and our sustainability research specialisms. It has also necessitated that students engage with and contextualise the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the UNESCO ESD competencies which they are tasked with integrating into their design solutions. The long-term intent of this partnership is for these design decisions to be utilised in the Green Academy’s ongoing strategy to further enhance the University’s pedagogical framework and sustainability education offer, and to improve the provision of Serious Games for use by clients outside the University. This report is a synoptic overview of the module design and insights from the two-year partnership as well as how these observations have been leveraged to improve the design and delivery of the module for future clients and students.

Emerging roles of lipid and metabolic sensing in the neuroendocrine control of body weight and reproduction.

The hypothalamus lies at the intersection of brain and hormonal mechanisms governing essential bodily functions, including metabolic/body weight homeostasis and reproduction. While metabolism and fertility are precisely regulated by independent neuroendocrine axes, these are tightly connected, as reflection of the bidirectional interplay between the energy status of the organisms and their capacity to reproduce; a connection with important pathophysiological implications in disorders affecting these two crucial systems. Beyond the well-characterized roles of key hormones (e.g., leptin, insulin, ghrelin) and neuropeptides (e.g., melanocortins, kisspeptins) in the integral control of metabolism and reproduction, mounting evidence has pointed out a relevant function of cell energy sensors and lipid sensing mechanisms in the hypothalamic control of metabolism, with prominent roles also for metabolic sensors, such as mTOR, AMPK and SIRT1, in the nutritional regulation of key aspects of reproduction, such as pubertal maturation. We provide herein a synoptic overview of these novel regulatory pathways, with a particular focus on their putative function in the metabolic control of puberty, and delineate new avenues for further exploration of the intricate mechanisms whereby metabolism and reproduction are tightly connected.

<em>Mimesis</em> und <em>Methexis:</em> Skizze einer Poetik der Teilhabe für die Gegenwart

The paper draws on the history of the concept of participation (methexis) in its conflictual relation to imitation or representation (mimesis) for a deepened understanding of identity-related questions in contemporary literature. Plato subjected mimesis to rigorous critique in favor of participation in 'ideas'. In contrast, the history of poetics since Aristotle develops along the valorization of mimesis, while participation here was not understood as an aesthetic category at all. In a synoptic overview, the first part of the paper argues, that mimesis and methexis can only be understood in their dialectic relationship as modern literature has witnessed a periodic return of the problem of participation in poetics. Against the background of this dialectic, the specific profile of contemporary literature and its treatment of questions related to identity becomes visible. The second part of the paper shows this with regard to Olivia Wenzel's novel 1000 serpentinen angst (2020) and Kim de l'Horizon's Blutbuch (2020), that articulate two very different poetic traditions of methexis.

Satellite imagery reveals the nature of the Archaean granite-greenstone basement of the Kruger National Park, South Africa, including the newly discovered Olifants River Greenstone Belt

Abstract Archaean greenstone remnants comprising mainly metamorphosed basaltic lavas and lesser metasedimentary interlayers are components of the granite-gneiss-migmatite basement terrane of the central and northern parts of the Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa’s premier wildlife nature reserve. Most of the greenstone remnants represent extensions into the Kruger Park of better developed and exposed greenstone belts that exist beyond the borders to the west, including the Giyani and Murchison greenstone belts. Geological mapping in the national park presents challenges as exposures are poor and discontinuous, with the dense bush and wildlife adding to the difficulties. Satellite remote sensing provided an ideal solution and in this study Google Earth imagery proved to be especially helpful. The imagery provides a synoptic overview of the terrane making it possible to establish the outline of greenstone remnants irrespective of the dense bush cover. Google Earth imagery furthermore provided a preliminary impression of a hitherto unknown, yet sizeable, greenstone belt remnant in a remote area south of the Olifants River in the central section of the KNP. Referred to as the Olifants River Greenstone Belt in this study the remnant occurs as a major Type 2 interference fold resembling a mushroom-shaped diapir with a broad bulbous core fringed by laterally flattened skirts. Images are presented that illustrate various components of this imposing structure. Google Earth images furthermore display the general character of the Archaean granite-greenstone basement and the Palaeo- and Mesoproterozoic intrusive dyke swarms on the northeastern flank of the Kaapvaal Craton.

Overcoming Fractures of Cross-Cultural Understanding: Modern Chinese Knowledge Production on the Arab World

Despite the long history of Chinese-Arab interactions since the seventh century, modern Chinese scholarship on the Arab world has a much shorter story. The global historical context that led to such a situation is the Western dominance in knowledge production. Most Chinese scholars research on issues related to the West and/or China-Western interactions. Only a small proportion of researchers cast their eyes on the “other East”—the Arab world. Consequently, Arab/Arabic studies occupies a marginal space in Chinese academies. In addition, although Edward Said had fiercely argued more than forty years ago in Orientalism that subtle but persistent Eurocentric prejudice against Arab-Islamic peoples and their culture perpetrates Western misunderstanding about the region, such biased representations were sometimes uncritically transferred by Chinese scholars when they were acquiring knowledge about the region via translations of Orientalist accounts written in English. Another major obstacle is the inherent linguistic and orthographic difficulties involved. Although some researchers have made great endeavors to overcome such challenges, most publish only in Chinese. As a result, their findings are not widely known. This article, therefore, scrutinizes and contextualizes modern Chinese scholarship on the Arab world in order to introduce it to a wider international audience, especially for those who are keenly observing the increasing Chinese-Arab engagements in the twenty-first century. In addition to providing synoptic overviews of major institutions, scholars, and their representative works, the article also critically analyzes the historical contexts that led to the initial formation, subsequent divergent developments in Chinese-language academies on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and the present challenges of the respective state of the fields. I argue that due to bigger population, larger geographical size, and more government funding, Arab/Arabic studies in mainland China is more developed than that in Taiwan, though scholars based on the mainland are facing more pressure on censorship and self-censorship. Both fields, however, were pioneered by the same group of Chinese Hui Muslim scholars who went to study at al-Azhar University in Egypt in the 1930s and the 1940s, not unlike cosmopolitan Muslims around the world at the time who traveled to Cairo for multiple and complex reasons. When they returned, institutionalizing Arab/Arabic-Islamic studies in Chinese academies became one of their most visible and long-lasting legacies. Contingencies in their lives, mainly job opportunities upon graduation, played an important role in their later bifurcated career trajectories. The process during which these Hui Azharites ceased to be “cosmopolitan Muslims” and instead became “Chinese Arabists” reflects an important transformation in Chinese-Arab interactions during the Cold War politics. Later generations of scholars developed systematic pedagogies on teaching Arabic to native Chinese speakers by publishing Arabic-Chinese dictionaries as well as textbooks and grammar books. Their role as cross-cultural intermediaries is significant and widely impactful. These little-known scholars deserve to be recognized for their intellectual pursuits.

Distribution of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in a Waste-to-Energy Plant─Tracking PFASs in Internal Residual Streams.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) constitute a diverse group of man-made chemicals characterized by their water- and oil-repellent properties and persistency. Given their widespread use in consumer products, PFASs will inevitably be present in waste streams sent to Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plants. We have previously observed a subset of PFASs in residual streams (ashes, treated process water, and flue gas) from a WtE plant. However, the transport and distribution of PFASs inside the WtE plant have remained unaddressed. This study is part of a comprehensive investigation to create a synoptic overview of the distribution of PFASs in WtE residues. PFASs were found in all sample types except for boiler ash. The total levels of 18 individual PFASs (Σ18PFASs) in untreated flue gas ranged from 5.2 to 9.5 ng m-3, decreasing with 35% ± 10% after wet flue gas treatment. Σ18PFASs in the condensate ranged from 46 to 50 ng L-1, of which perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) made up 90% on a ng L-1 basis. PFHxA was also dominant in filter ash, where Σ18PFASs ranged from 0.28 to 0.79 ng g-1. This study shows that flue gas treatment can capture some PFASs and transfer them into WtE residues.

Methodological Naturalism, Analyzed

AbstractI present and evaluate three interpretations of methodological naturalism (MN), the principle that scientific explanations may only appeal to natural phenomena: as an essential feature of science, as a provisional guideline grounded in the historical failure of supernatural hypotheses, and as a synthesis of these two approaches. In doing so, I provide both a synoptic overview of current scholarship on MN, as well a contribution to that discussion by arguing in favor of a restricted version of MN, placing it on a firmer theoretical foundation than that supplied by previous studies, and replying to recent objections.

A Pharmacognostic, phytochemical and pharmacological review of Pterocarpus marsupium: Comprehensive Review

Research in herbal drug is need of the hour to find definite lead for discovery of medicine from plant source. Many traditional medicinal plants are under screening to scientifically reinforce their traditional claims. Pterocarpus marsupium is time tested important source of herbal medicine which has been used extensively for treatment of diabetes mellitus. It has also exhibited antimicrobial activity, analgesic activity, anticataract activity. Acute toxicity test determines safe dose of the Pterocarpus marsupium. Various extraction methods such as Infusion, Decoction, Maceration, Percolation and Hot Water Extraction s employed for efficient extraction of phytoconstituents. Primary phytoconstituents present in the bark comprises of liquiritigenin, isoliquiritigenin, pterosupin, epicatechin, and pterostilbene. Current review is carried out to study pharmacognstic, phytochemical and pharmacological activity of the drug, which can be useful for researcher to provide synoptic overview about Pterocarpus marsupium 
 Keywords: Pterocarpus marsupium, Review, Fabaceae, Indian kino, Asan

Censorship: Books, the Halakhah, and Jewish Continuity, A Synoptic Overview

Attacks on the Talmud were often motivated by sheer ignorance. That ignorance was not new, nor did it motivate the attacks of the thirteenth century. From late ancient times, Jews had been accused of perverting the biblical text, and how much more were rabbinic texts judged deviant. The thirteenth century attack was also two-sided. Along with those calling for burning, others called for exploiting the Talmud’s supposedly Christological proofs. This approach appeared again in the early sixteenth century, but it made no headway. Convert censors were of no help here, but were focused on conversion. At the same time, ignorance, which had not waned, was decisive, so that prohibitions were porous. Tranquillo Corcos, for one, was able to cite almost anything he wanted.

How Have We Always Been Posthuman?

This paper problematises the justification of ‘postist’ revisions of humanism. In the first part of the paper, a line of thought that persistently marks the self-perception of man is presented. It stretches from Plato, through Pico della Mirandola and Kant, all the way to existentialism and philosophical anthropology in the twentieth century. In it, man is understood as chronically deficient in their own ‘nature’ or ‘essence’, and his privileged status is built from this rootlessness. The second part of the paper is dedicated to the relationship of transhumanism and critical posthumanism to humanism. Transhumanism is found to harmoniously continue and/or radicalise the humanist project of self-creating and self-transcending man, while critical posthumanism advocates a rethinking and redescription of man in view of what are considered to have been the disastrous consequences of humanism: a transgression in relation to everything different from man by anthropomorphising it and anthropocentrically measuring it against himself. The concluding part of the paper detects a certain arbitrariness in the understanding of humanism by its critics, reminds that even within such a broadly understood humanism, critical moments have been inherited as its own content and corrective, and that announcements of radical cuts and ruptures with the humanistic tradition are perhaps redundant. It is also noted that something non-negligible has changed with the contemporary challenges of technoscience – artificial intelligence, informatics, robotics –but it is contested that this change in social history requires a cardinal rejection, change or neglect of the intellectual heritage that enables responses to it and/or a rational dispute about it. A synoptic overview of humanist landmarks and their post-humanist condemnations is suggested, which would respect the heritage of humanist thought and the right or even the obligation built into it of its critical review.

Systematic Literature Review of Open Infrastructure BIM

Representation and modeling using the building information modeling (BIM) methodology of civil works have become the subject of increasing attention in recent years, thanks to the potential offered by Open Infrastructure BIM (I-BIM). However, the complexity of infrastructure works, i.e., the variety of construction and technological systems, makes Open I-BIM very complex and challenging. The lack of systemic knowledge on the subject is another challenging factor. The aim of the following research work is to provide a synoptic overview of the existing scientific research, accompanied by the most recent studies in the field of computer modeling, its applications, and the main opportunities that Open I-BIM offers to the infrastructure sector. After a thorough review of 198 scientific articles published between 2013 and 2023, this study systematically presents a holistic review and critical reflection on the current status of the use of Open BIM in the infrastructure sector, with a focus on the development of the tools and methods used. The outcome of this work constitutes a systematic review of the literature with a bibliometric analysis on Open I-BIM, which is able to provide a knowledge base for identifying research trends, common problems, and the potential of developed methods.

The “neo-intermediation” of large on-line platforms: Perspectives of analysis of the “state of health” of the digital information ecosystem

AbstractThe key role played by online platforms in the neo-intermediation of the public debate requires a review of current tools for mapping the digital information ecosystem, highlighting the political nature of such an analysis: Starting from a synoptic overview of the main models of platform governance, we try to understand whether the ongoing European shift towards the Limited Government Regulation (LGR) model will be able to counterbalance the “systemic opinion power” of the giant platforms and restore the “health” of the digital information ecosystem. A close analysis of the European Digital Services Act (DSA) has highlighted some limitations in achieving its goals, because of the features of the LGR on the one hand, and the disruptive features of the algorithmic neo-intermediation phenomenon on the other. Thus, we suggest a tripartite regulatory model, that can be defined as “neo-editorial accountability.” However, increasing users’ critical algorithmic awareness is an essential prerequisite for implementing the suggested template, and mitigating an outstanding effect of the LGR model: the normalization of the ideological assumptions underlying informational capitalism.

Interfacial Engineering of Particulate & Surfactant Systems for Enhanced Performance in Industrial Applications

Particulate and surfactant systems are an integral part either in processing or product lines in essentially every major industry, including Energy and Minerals, Pharmaceutical, Agriculture & Food, Microelectronics, Healthcare, Cosmetics, Consumer Products, and Analytical Instrumentation & Services. In most applications, product and process specifications depend on the synergistic or competitive interactions between the particles and reagent schemes. The primary goal of our research efforts has been to generate the structure-property-performance correlations-based knowledge and technology platforms for industry to develop more sustainable products and processes. Engineering the physicochemical/mechanical properties of surfaces, particles, and self-assembling surfactant systems enables their enhanced performance in industrial applications. Specifically, understanding and control of the nano and atomic-scale forces between particles and synthesis of functionalized particles form the foundation for targeted contributions in biomedical, advanced materials and minerals, sensor, and coating technologies. A synoptic overview of selected projects is presented in this review. Additional details can be found in the topic-specific references listed at the end of this manuscript.

Klerksdorp Tornado on March 4, 2007, in South Africa: A Synoptic Overview

This research delves into the factors contributing to tornado formation in South Africa, with a specific focus on the Klerksdorp tornado that occurred on March 4, 2007, in Northwest Province. Despite their recurrent occurrence and significant potential for damage, tornadoes have received relatively little attention. Between 1990 and 2014, these weather phenomena incurred estimated costs exceeding half a billion American dollars in addition to other weather-related disasters. In this study, data from multiple observation systems, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) in Germany, and the South African Weather Service (SAWS), were thoroughly analyzed. The findings reveal that the Klerksdorp tornado was linked to a cold front and a cut-off low, which were the dominant weather systems on the day of the tornado. This case study enhances our comprehension of tornado dynamics in South Africa, aiding in improving short-term forecasts and potentially early warning systems. Future research should concentrate on the recurring nature of tornadoes in association with tropical weather systems and locally-driven factors.

X-linked dystonia parkinsonism: epidemiology, genetics, clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment.

X-linked dystonia parkinsonism (XDP) is a rare X-linked recessive degenerative movement disorder that only affects Filipino descent, predominantly males. Its underlying cause is associated with the genetic alterations in the TAF1/DYT3 multiple transcription system. SINE-VNTR-Alu (SVA) retrotransposon insertion was suggested to be the responsible genetic mutation. Clinically, it initially presents as focal dystonia and generalizes within years. Parkinsonism arises years later and coexists with dystonia. Nonmotor symptoms like cognitive impairment and mood disorders are also common among XDP patients. XDP diagnosis relies on clinical history and physical examination. On imaging, abnormalities of the striatum, such as atrophy, are widely seen and can explain the clinical presentations with a three-model pathway of the striatum. Treatments aim for symptomatic relief of dystonia and parkinsonism and to prevent complications. Oral medications, chemo-denervation, and surgery are used in XDP patients. This review summarizes the currently important information regarding XDP, providing a synoptic overview and understanding of XDP for future studies.

Analysis of urban heat island and urban ecological quality based on remote sensing imagery transformation in semarang city

Urban physical and biotic heterogeneity phenomena that caused by the decrease of vegetation and the expansion of built-up land can influence the urban climate response. The increase of land surface temperature brings on the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon. Spectral resolution, temporal resolution, and the synoptic overview capability of remote sensing data are capable in urban study. Remote sensing imagery is able to extract the land surface temperature changes widely and simultaneously. The aims of this research are to identify UHI phenomenon and analyze the ecological condition in Semarang City using Landsat 7 ETM+ in 2002 and Landsat 8 OLI in 2019. Urban Thermal Field Variance Index (UTFVI) transformation is used to measure the intensity of UHI. Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) that based on principal component analysis transformation is used to analyze the urban ecological quality with the occurrence of UHI phenomenon. The results show that the land surface temperature mean value increase to 3,19°C so that some parts of Semarang occured UHI. The trend is also increased and stronger. It is consistent with the decrease of RSEI. The increase of temperature and UHI phenomenon during 2002-2019 impact on the degradation of urban ecological quality in Semarang City.

Building a trust ecosystem for remote inspection technologies in ship hull inspections

ABSTRACT The article contributes to the discussion concerning the role of trust in robotic and autonomous systems (RAS), with a sharp focus on remote inspection technologies (RITs) for vessel inspection, survey and maintenance. To this end, the article provides a first-hand insight into one of the major findings from BUGWRIGHT2—a collaborative project co-funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme that aims to change the European vessel-structure maintenance landscape. In doing so, this article explores trust from a psychological perspective, reflecting on its characteristics and predictors, followed by a discussion on the AI-trust ecosystem as envisaged by the European Commission. Structured interviews with thirty-three subject matter experts guide the main analysis revealing that trust is an essential precondition for integrating RITs into the current manual-driven inspection system. A synoptic overview of the vital trust elements is provided before carving out the ways forward for developing a trustworthy environment governed by Human-Robot Interaction.

Spatial and temporal distribution of satellite turbidity in response to different environmental variables in the Bahía Blanca Estuary, South-Western Atlantic

ABSTRACT This work combines in situ measurements with a time series of satellite turbidity derived from Landsat 8-OLI images to provide a first synoptic overview of the main hydrometeorological drivers of turbidity in the Bahía Blanca Estuary (Argentina). An empirical relationship between turbidity and SPM concentrations was established for the study area (R2 = 0.92; RMSE = 0.098 mg m−3; NMAE = 6.2%). Several atmospheric correction schemes and turbidity retrieval algorithms were tested and the combination of the SWIR-v and the retrieval algorithm by Dogliotti et al. (2015) were applied to 121 Landsat 8-OLI scenes (2013–2021). The effects of tides, winds, and rainfall on satellite turbidity were evaluated through Generalized Linear Models (GLM) built for three different sectors along Canal Principal, from the inner zone to its mouth. Regardless of the zone, cumulative rainfall had negligible effects on turbidity. Tides had a significant effect in the inner and middle zones. In the inner zone, higher turbidity values significantly associated with ebb tide conditions, which produce erosion. In the middle section tidal current speeds positively correlated with turbidity, suggesting sediment resuspension over shallow banks. Close to the mouth of the estuary, turbidity responded entirely to winds. Winds blowing from de NW, aligned with the azimuth of Canal Principal, would aid to the export of estuarine sediments to the shelf.

Love in the Poetry of Francisco de Aldana: Beyond Neoplatonism by Paul Joseph Lennon

Reviewed by: Love in the Poetry of Francisco de Aldana: Beyond Neoplatonism by Paul Joseph Lennon Imogen Choi Love in the Poetry of Francisco de Aldana: Beyond Neoplatonism. By Paul Joseph Lennon. Woodbridge: Tamesis. 2019. xii+203 pp. £60. ISBN 978-1-85566-336-7. Paul Joseph Lennon's monograph is an important new study of the love lyric of the Spanish Neapolitan soldier poet Francisco de Aldana (c. 1540–1578). The central argument is that Aldana presents a 'hybrid approach to love', both physical and spiritual, based on a 'synthesis of competing elements' (p. 175), thus acknowledging both the complexities and imperfections of sexual relationships and their capacity to bring about fleeting moments of transcendence. The mainstay of the analysis is a series of illustrative close readings of selected poems, which are set in rigorous context. Neoplatonism and Petrarchism loom large, as might be expected, but there is also consideration of imitation of classical and contemporary models, notably Ovid, Lucretius, Garcilaso de la Vega, and Ariosto, erotic and burlesque poetry, intersections with the plastic arts, and philosophical influences such as Epicureanism. A brief Introduction gives a thumbnail sketch of Aldana's life and work, with an illuminating examination of the early modern reception of his poetry through Cosme de Aldana's posthumous editorial interventions. Chapter 1 ('The Complexities of Love') provides a synoptic overview of fifteenth-and sixteenth-century ideas about love and sexuality as shown through a series of Italian Neoplatonic and Petrarchan treatises, followed by their application to some of Aldana's lyric poetry. The discussion stresses the distortions inherent in the syncretic readings of both Plato and Petrarch, which resulted in conceptual strain, as well as the fact that the treatists' approach to sexuality varied. Bembo, Nifo, and Ebreo are singled out for their greater tolerance of physical as well as spiritual manifestations of intimacy between lovers. Throughout the book there are occasional misreadings of Aldana's religious language: here, for instance, the understanding of 'inteligencias' (p. 32) as meaning human souls rather than angels (Aquinas's 'intellectual creatures'), or 'vestir hábito estrecho de religión' as referring to a desire for Neoplatonic union with the beloved rather than entering a religious order (pp. 39–41). Chapter 2 ('The Temerity to Love') assesses in detail a persuasion poem addressed to the lyric voice's beloved, 'Pues tan piadosa luz', via several shorter poems. The central moment is the envisaged union of the two lovers through the metaphor of a storm-tossed ship, a rare depiction of the power of reciprocal love. Chapter 3 ('The Nature of Love') is a masterful analysis of four of Aldana's 'bucolic' dialogue sonnets, two of which, the Damón-Galatea pairing, are among his best-known pieces. Taken together, the poems showcase the frustrations and pleasures of a non-idealized love, with an unusually proactive female persona. Chapter 4 ('(De)Mythologising Love') discusses two varieties of mythological poems: 'Medoro y Angélica', which expands on the consummation of the two characters' marriage in the Orlando furioso, and a sonnet and incomplete poem in octaves on the affair of Venus and Mars. The contextual preamble is perhaps overly [End Page 305] rigid in suggesting that Graeco-Roman mythology was primarily approached in an 'overtly moral' allegorical vein in this period (p. 125), but the real highlight is the close reading of the 'Angélica'. The poem is experimental both in its use of voyeurism, which goes beyond the bounds of decorum in its description of the female body while preserving a 'faux-Petrarchan appearance' (p. 138), and in its indirect portrayal of female sexual awakening. The discussion of Venus and Mars might have benefited from a consideration of Aldana's dialogue with epic and lyric beyond Ovid (the lexis seems heavily inflected with Garcilaso and Ercilla), but is another cogent exploration of the poems' gendered and intertextual dimensions. Finally, a conclusion or 'Coda' analyses a gloss of Garcilaso's 'Pasando el mar Leandro el animoso' to show how Aldana's reinvention of the myth acts as a final 'testament to the intrepid nature of human love' (p. 174). This book will be indispensable to future scholars of...