Cosmopolitan Type Research Articles

Genetic regions affecting the replication and pathogenicity of dengue virus type 2.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease that has spread to over 100 countries. Its symptoms vary from the relatively mild acute febrile illness called dengue fever to the much more severe dengue shock syndrome. Dengue is caused by dengue virus (DENV), which belongs to the Flavivirus genus of the family Flaviviridae. There are four serotypes of DENV, i.e., DENV1 to DENV4, and each serotype is divided into distinct genotypes. Thailand is an endemic area where all four serotypes of DENV co-circulate. Genome sequencing of the DENV2 that was isolated in Thailand in 2016 and 2017 revealed the emergence of the Cosmopolitan genotype and its co-circulation with the Asian-I genotype. However, it was unclear whether different genotypes have different levels of viral replication and pathogenicity. Focus-forming assay (FFA) results showed that clinical isolates of these genotypes differed in focus size and proliferative capacity. Using circular polymerase extension reaction, we generated parental and chimeric viruses with swapped genes between these two DENV2 genotypes, and compared their focus sizes and infectivity titers using FFA. The results showed that the focus size was larger when the structural proteins and/or non-structural NS1-NS2B proteins were derived from the Cosmopolitan virus. The infectious titers were consistent with the focus sizes. Single-round infectious particle assay results confirmed that chimeric viruses with Cosmopolitan type structural proteins, particularly prM/E, had significantly increased luciferase activity. Replicon assay results showed that Cosmopolitan NS1-NS2B proteins had increased reporter gene expression levels. Furthermore, in interferon-receptor knock-out mice, viruses with Cosmopolitan structural and NS1-NS2B proteins had higher titers in the blood, and caused critical disease courses. These results suggested that differences in the sequences within the structural and NS1-NS2B proteins may be responsible for the differences in replication, pathogenicity, and infectivity between the Asian-I and Cosmopolitan viruses.

Cosmopolitanism in contemporary European societies: mapping and comparing different types of openness across Europe

ABSTRACT Cosmopolitanism, which is often defined as openness to other cultures and individuals, is significant for understanding processes of stratification in contemporary, globalised societies that are home to increasingly diverse populations. In this paper, we broaden the perspective on cosmopolitanism to include cultural, interpersonal, and political dimensions. We test the associations between these types of cosmopolitanism and three types of correlates: socio-demographic characteristics, personal exposure to other cultures, and exposure to other cultures via various media. We analyse data from nine European countries that differ in the characteristics of their population, cultural traditions, and political models. Results indicate that differences between respondents in the nine countries are better explained by individual characteristics than by country characteristics. Furthermore, it is mainly personal and mediated exposure to other cultures, rather than socio-demographic variables, that play a significant role in influencing respondents’ cosmopolitan tendencies.

A Himalayan prince between India and Europe: Suchet Singh of Chamba and the limits of colonial subjectivity

This article discusses the life-story of Suchet Singh (1841–1896). The ruler of the Himalayan kingdom of Chamba, Singh was deposed by the colonial authorities soon after his accession in 1870, and spent the rest of his life seeking restitution. We argue that the strategies employed by Singh, who combined appeals to the international press with political manoeuvrings in India and Europe, evince a novel type of cosmopolitanism. This new development allowed elites from the colonies to contest the empire by exploiting unprecedented technological advancements in communications and travel alongside the support of a widening liberal lobby in the metropole. While Singh ultimately failed to regain his patrimony and died destitute in exile, his life story demonstrates the capacity of judicious engagement with the public sphere and the cultivation of global support-networks to improve the standing of colonial subjects in the Age of Empire.

Studying abroad: the role of consumer cosmopolitanism in the enrolment decisions

PurposeCosmopolitans transcend their local boundaries by interacting and actively seeking other cultures, and the applications of these characteristics to consumption behaviour is called consumer cosmopolitanism. To outline inferences on what school leavers would experience, consider or do when planning to study abroad, this paper aims to examine people who have experienced Erasmus concerning the relationship between their level and type of consumer cosmopolitanism and the decisions related to enrolling in the Erasmus programme, which include the decision itself, motivations, choice of destination, pursuing cultural differences and search for different levels of globalisation.Design/methodology/approachAfter proposing a conceptual model, data were collected by surveying undergraduate or postgraduate students. Then a set of multivariate analyses were developed to validate the hypotheses.FindingsContrarily to what could be expected, results indicate that consumer cosmopolitanism decreases the likelihood for students to enrol on the programme. Additionally, three types of consumer cosmopolitanism were found: low, cultural and high cosmopolitans. According to results, low cosmopolitans display lower likelihoods of enrolment than the other two types. This evidence supports that intention to enrol is not always a good predictor of behaviour and that a gap is proven here as well. This study also suggests that cosmopolitan consumers do not reveal a preference for countries with similar/different cultures or levels of globalization to that of their own country, but, conversely, experiencing a different culture remains one of the leading motivations for these consumers.Originality/valueAlthough cosmopolitanism has been extensively studied in different research fields, its link with the decisions on studying abroad has barely been explored.

Finnish UNESCO school educators’ understanding of global citizenship education: Analysis through typologies, ecosocial understanding, and human rights

This article sheds light on the unexplored field of UNESCO schools in Finland, and the results clarify the relationships between curricula, international commitments, and the understanding of educators in the educational field. It examines how teachers and principals of UNESCO’s Associated Schools Network (ASPnet) in Finland describe their understanding of the role of global citizenship education (GCE). It draws on the typology proposed by Oxley and Morris in which forms of global education are divided into cosmopolitan types and—more critically—advocacy types and subtypes. The article also draws on concepts connected to GCE in the Finnish curricula (namely, ecosocial understanding and human rights). Findings indicate that educators perceived equality, democracy, and ecological sustainability as part of UNESCO schools and their own work. On the other hand, the need for increasing student-centered approaches was noted, racism was perceived as a difficult topic, and active deconstruction of inequalities was less referenced. When analyzing the results through typologies of global citizenship, the critical, spiritual, and economic aspects of GCE received less attention.

Women Trespassing Borders: Imaginaries of Cosmopolitanism from Below in Mia Alvar’s In the Country

Mobility has been historically tied to conceptions of cosmopolitanism, bringing forward imaginaries of belonging-in-the-world and going beyond the narrow limits of parochial allegiances into embracing virtues of openness as global citizens shaped by the experience crossing borders and encounter with the Other. Despite dominant ideas about cosmopolitans as elite itinerants of middle-class intellectuals, artists, tourists, expatriates and capitalists, global migration with its entailing forms of mobilities from below—economic migrants, transmigrants, refugees, exiles—has redefined the term to include forms of minor and vernacular cosmopolitanisms that emerge among the migrant underclass. However, just like these forms of mobilities, these types of cosmopolitanism are also bound and shaped by class, gender and ethnicity. This paper explores versions of cosmopolitanism from below in the stories of Mia Alvar in her book, In the Country, that center on female domestic workers from the Philippines. Through the transnational itineraries of these border-crossing women protagonists in contemporary Filipino fiction, the article examines the intersections and contradictions of class, gender and race in cosmopolitan imaginaries of mobilities in Southeast Asia.

Transitory Courtyards as a Feature of Sustainable Urbanism on the East African Coast

The tropical urbanism of coastal East Africa has a thousand-year-long history, making it a recognized example of sustainable urbanism. Although economically dependent on trade, the precolonial Islamic towns of the so-called Swahili coast did not feature markets or other public buildings dedicated to mercantile activities before the European colonial involvement. In this regard, Swahili urban tradition differed from other tropical Islamic cities, such as in Morocco, Mali, Egypt or the Middle East, where markets fulfilled the role of social and economic hubs and, in terms of movement, major transitory/meeting spaces in the trading towns. Yet, the Swahili urban tradition thrived for centuries as a well-connected cosmopolitan type of tropical urbanism. As research has suggested, the public role of spaces associated with trade might have been fulfilled by houses. Using approaches of space syntax and network analysis, this article studies the morphology of the houses considering whether it could have been the courtyards that simulated the role of markets thanks to their transitory spatial configuration. The results are discussed reflecting on other models of houses with courtyards, especially the modern Swahili house appearing later in the colonial era when markets began to be established, and Islamic houses known from elsewhere.

Indigenous Cosmopolitanisms of Music in Sámi Theatre

Which kinds of Sáminess are expressed and engaged with music in Sámi theatre? Through descriptions of the kinds of musical genres and sounds presented, the article argue that the music of Sámi theatre can typically be described as cosmopolitan. As the musical expressions and engagements convey what is Sáminess, they present cosmopolitan versions of Sáminess. The author interprets performance moments as presenting types of Indigenous cosmopolitanism, in other words, Indigenous cosmopolitanisms. The article approaches music as musicking, which refers to all of the social interactions that go into creating a musical experience. Because this is theatre, this includes the social processes of staging other theatre values that relate with the music during theatrical performances. Other theatre values include costumes, set design, props, lighting, sound effects beyond music and movement such as dance and blocking. Overall, the productions perform a dynamic and fluid Sáminess that incorporates sounds, sights and movements from around the world, while often being “rooted” in what it is to be Sámi today and historically. Although most productions include identifiably Sámi music genres such as joik, it is worthwhile to note that some don’t. In these productions, the author identifies specific varieties of cosmopolitanism, such as vernacular cosmopolitanism, different forms of rooted cosmopolitanism and pan-Indigenous cosmopolitanism. The article examines case studies from Sámi theatre companies in Norway, Beaivváš Sámi Našunálateáhter and Åarjelhsaemien Teatere. The cases, among other productions, are the joik operas The Frost Haired and the Dream Seer and Allaq; the dance theatre productions Eatnemen Vuelieh and Gïeje; and the stage plays Silbajárviand Almmiriika.

How children and adults challenge each other’s performances of everyday cosmopolitanism

ABSTRACT Based on in-depth interviews with children aged 11–14, and their parents and teachers, this article discusses the various ways in which children and adults claim to value ethnic diversity, and how they challenge each other’s understandings of racism and performances of everyday cosmopolitanism. We illustrate how certain speech norms emerge during the interviews, and how especially adults seem to perform their cultural openness in such a way as to be perceived favourably. We distinguish between three different types of cosmopolitanism. While parents mainly perform “cultural cosmopolitanism” – that is representing themselves as open towards those with other cultural backgrounds – their children display “social cosmopolitanism”, which is grounded in their everyday social interactions. Teachers, in turn, seem to be especially concerned with performing “moral cosmopolitanism”, demonstrating social engagement and non-racism.

European Outliers? Rethinking Europeanisation and Euroscepticism in Britain and Denmark

ABSTRACT In the light of Brexit and ongoing doubts about the future of a united Europe, have Britain and Denmark really been outliers to the collective European project, as suggested by their political positioning towards the EU? Despite the Euroscepticism expressed in referenda and public attitudes, we question whether these two countries are inherently less Europeanised, sociologically speaking, than other member states habitually seen as closer to the European project. Using data from the EUCROSS survey about the transnational practices and identifications of ordinary European citizens in five member states, we show that Britain and Denmark have been positioned close to Germany in terms of the degree and type of European cosmopolitanism and transnationalism found in these countries, and are more transnational societies than Spain and Italy. Moreover, in other ways, Britain and Denmark have been exemplary European societies, embodying the EU's cosmopolitan ‘normative power' agenda. We suggest that the marked divide between the ‘everyday Europeanisation’ of these societies and their political hostility to the EU is a paradox that lies at the heart of the democratic crisis of the continent, a schism that may now be directly corrosive to the longer term cosmopolitanism fostered by European integration.

Salman Rushdie's Midnight’s Children: Cultural Cosmopolitan Reflection

This article aims to prove Salman Rushdie's Midnight’s Children as a cultural cosmopolitan novel through the lance of cosmopolitanism. Out of various types, cultural cosmopolitanism is my focus in this paper. Culturally, cosmopolitanism means openness to different cultures. Cosmopolitanism is a kind of cultural outlook involving an intellectual and aesthetic attitude of openness towards peoples, places and experiences from different cultures, especially from different nations. This type of cosmopolitanism refers to an ideal about culture or identity. Cultural cosmopolitans view that membership in a particular community is not essential for one’s social identity. It stresses that such cultural membership is irrelevant. It refers to partiality for cultures besides one’s own culture of origin as with a traveler or globally conscious person. The parochial feeling of nation and nationalism is, sometimes, an obstacle to the unity and humanitarian feeling. After the outbreak of pandemic Covid 19, people living in any corner of the world have realized- to a great extent- that the feeling of cosmopolitanism and humanism should be at the center of every human. Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children evokes people, in this cosmos, cannot be confined within the boundary of limited nationalism.

Validacija skale kozmopolitizma: empirijska verifikacija konceptualnog okvira kulturnoga kozmopolitizma

Validacija skale kozmopolitizma: empirijska verifikacija konceptualnog okvira kulturnoga kozmopolitizma

Strange Characters: Dialogic Selves and Cosmopolitanism in Carl Van Vechten's Peter Whiffle

Carl Van Vechten's novel Peter Whiffle. His Life and Works (1922) is a work of ‘autobiografiction’, merging biography and autobiography, and drawing attention to the fictional elements of life writing. It problematizes authorship and posits selfhood as a dialogic, polyphonic construct, dependent on the strategies, content and structure of narrative. The article explores the complex intertextual presence of George Moore's Confessions of a Young Man in Van Vechten's novel: they both propose different aspects of a similar story of two friends with cosmopolitan and refined tastes, whose subjectivities are mediated by constant references to other literary characters, and who depend on one another's narratives to have access to their own selves, or at least to become authors of works of art about themselves. Drawing on Adriana Cavarero's and Lucia Boldrini's studies on auto/biographical selves, and on Rebecca Walkowitz's and Homi Bhabha's theories of cosmopolitanism, the article argues that Peter Whiffle's emphasis on dialogic subjectivity questions the notion of authorship and creates a problematic, parodic form of cosmopolitanism. This type of cosmopolitanism does not contribute to any productive experiences of self-knowledge or of knowledge of the foreign ‘other’, but rather asks crucial questions on the very possibility of these experiences.

Three Types of Cosmopolitanism? Liberalism, Democracy, and Tian-xia

Three Types of Cosmopolitanism? Liberalism, Democracy, and Tian-xia

Varieties of populism and the challenges to Global Constitutionalism: Dangers, promises and implications

AbstractThis article analyses the rise of populism and its discursive challenge to global constitutionalism (GC). It shows that populist contestation is more ambivalent than often suggested: its challenge depends on the populist variety and can both undermine or support liberal principles of GC. Building on the ideational approach to populism and a framework of transnational politicisation, a proposed typology identifies bothcommunitarian types of populismandcosmopolitan types of populism.Illustrative case studies of the Alternative for Germany, the Polish Law and Justice Party, the Democracy in Europe Movement and Peru’s Alberto Fujimori substantiate these empirically. While all cases contest a perceived lack of popular sovereignty in a largely non-majoritarian global constitutional order, varieties of populism present contrasting responses: communitarian types push for global de-constitutionalisation in line with illiberal nationalist majoritarianism, while cosmopolitan types support global constitutionalisation according to liberal and democratic principles. Further, neo-socialist populists campaign against neoliberal principles in GC, but remain divided about supporting political principles beyond the state. These findings suggest an emerging politicisation of the process of global constitutionalisation at the societal level according to principles of democratic legitimacy; and global constitutional differentiation depending on outcomes of these normatively ambivalent and empirically contingent political contests.

KRÓTKI ZARYS EWOLUCJI FILOLOGII: UJĘCIE ‘PORTALOWE’

In the paper, the author postulates that philology may be characterized by an evolutionary sequence: from classical philology, to modern native and nonnative types of philologies, to the expected panphilology. The portals perspective applied in the paper has allowed the author to investigate all four evolutionary phases with special emphasis on the latest phase of the proposed evolutionary sequence. Panphilology has been described in greater detail as characterized by such features as an open and eclectic type of studies, cosmopolitanism and students' freedom in selecting their highly individual paths of studies.

Berberine attenuates cancer cell growth via modulating the cell cycle dynamics but not apoptosis in human colorectal HCT-116 3D spheroid model

Colorectal carcinoma is a cosmopolitan type of cancer with a poor prognosis, motivating seeking novel strategies to prevent disease development and progression. The poor prognosis is attributed to the severe toxic side effects of the current therapeutic regimes. Hence, novel less toxic treatment strategies are urgently warranted. Berberine is a natural compound with several biological and pharmacological properties, including anti-fungal, anti-diabetic, cardioprotective effects. Some reports showed that berberine inhibits cell growth by inducing cell cycle arrest and promotion of apoptosis in cancer cells. Importantly, the anticancer potential of berberine in colorectal cancer has not been previously investigated. Hence, this work aims to investigate whether berberine possesses anticancer properties against colorectal HCT116 cancer cells. The potential effect of berberine on cell cycle regulation and apoptosis will also be deeply investigated. This work was conducted using the more physiological 3D spheroid culture model that mimics better the impact of the tumor microenvironment as well as the cell-cell interaction in the cellular response to therapy. When compared to the previous studies, this work will explain the mode of action of berberine in more physiological conditions that better mimics the in vivo situation. To achieve the goal of this work, spheroid growth assay, as well as proliferation assay, were performed. Spheroid cell suspensions were further investigated using flow cytometry to assess the cell cycle distribution of cells upon berberine application. BrdU immunostaining was performed to elucidate the S-phase fraction of cells. The proliferation potential and the level of apoptosis were also investigated by Ki67 and Annexin V labeling, respectively. The results showed that berberine attenuated tumor spheroid growth and limits the proliferative capacity of HCT116 cells. This could be attributed to the berberine-mediated G1-phase cell cycle delay. The S-phase fraction of cells was significantly decreased upon berberine application. Unexpectedly, berberine did not induce a significant difference in the % of apoptotic cell fraction of cells as compared to the controls. Collectively, these results suggest that berberine possesses an anti-tumor efficacy in 3D culture preparations via modulating the cell cycle progression. Specifically, berberine induces G1-phase cell cycle delay and decreases the S-phase fraction of cells. Thus, it limits the proliferative capacity of cells. Also, berberine did not induce programmed cell death in the HCT116 spheroids.

Aesthetico-Cultural Cosmopolitanism and French Youth: The Taste of the World by Vincenzo Cicchelli, and Sylvie Octobre

Reviewed by: Aesthetico-Cultural Cosmopolitanism and French Youth: The Taste of the World by Vincenzo Cicchelli, and Sylvie Octobre Virginie Ems-Bléneau Cicchelli, Vincenzo, and Sylvie Octobre. Aesthetico-Cultural Cosmopolitanism and French Youth: The Taste of the World. Palgrave Macmillan, 2018. ISBN 978-3-319-66310-4. Pp. 405. This sociological study of France's youth maps out the intricate correlation between patterns of cultural consumption and degrees of cosmopolitanism. In this context, aesthetico-cultural cosmopolitanism refers to the level of interest and awareness that French youth show regarding (inter)national aesthetic products (literature, film, music, news, architecture, etc.), and the manner in which these products impact their understanding, or imaginary, of the world. Through their analysis of both a large-scale quantitative survey and of qualitative interviews, the authors have identified five aesthetico-cultural profiles. The majority of French youth falls within one of three types of cosmopolitanism: inadvertent cosmopolitans (34%) indiscriminately consume a variety of foreign contents dubbed or translated into French; specific cosmopolitans (32%) on the other hand are more selective as they seek out particular contents of a [End Page 209] culture or genre; like inadvertent cosmopolitans, cosmopolitan fans (17%) consume an array of cultural products, but this group is more likely to do so in the original language. What distinguishes these three types of cosmopolitanism is therefore the individual's intent to consume, as well as their level of engagement with foreign cultural products. By contrast, a smaller number French youth voiced a strong rejection of international contents (the national fans, 11%), or a lack of taste for cultural materials in general (the impossible cosmopolitans, 6%). Interestingly, the survey reveals that familiarity compels appreciation, as young people usually voiced dislike toward things they did not know, and appreciation for things they did. Even though this book is a sociological study of French Youth, many of its findings will resonate in other societies and disciplines. Language educators for example will find it interesting that"the desire to learn a foreign language is overwhelmingly linked to the joy of discovery" (143), and not to utilitarian objectives such as finding a job or passing a class. The authors did observe however that when the consumption of cultural products in their original language "becomes too onerous, [it] conflict[s] with the pleasure expected out of the activity" (141) and brings one to lose interest. Although this survey finds that French youth greatly derive their knowledge and understanding of the world from cultural media, interviewees often expressed their concerns as to the accuracy of representation, with certain forms considered more realistic (television series), and other more artistic or escapist (independent films, plastic arts, music). The authors note that those who possess the greatest cultural resources tend to question the veracity of aestheticocultural contents and become more critical of products they see as "disingenuously serv[ing] the interests of global capitalism, [...] or because [they are] deemed insufficient and overly one-dimensional" (262). Finally, while many young people see aesthetico-cultural cosmopolitanism as a means to"transcend one's social and cultural horizons" (269), this unbridled multiplication of cultural models can foster tensions and divisions, especially for individuals with a weak sense of cultural identity. The danger lies in pushing these fragile individuals to retreat into the national, have psychological breakdowns, or reject all forms of otherness. Virginie Ems-Bléneau Georgia Southern University Copyright © 2019 American Association of Teachers of French

Mediatized Taiwan Mandarin

AbstractThis study examines the changing perceptions of Taiwan Mandarin (TM) among Chinese mainlanders and how televised media contribute to the formation of language ideology. This study shows that televised media play a role in reinforcing the socio-semiotic link between ideologies and linguistic practice. TM is traditionally associated with chic, urban television celebrities and young cosmopolitan types. However, the results of an online survey measuring language attitudes towards televised TM among young mainlanders indicate that the social prestige of TM may be waning for this demographic. TM is now perceived by many millennials on the mainland as gentle, pretentious and emasculated. The changing attitude among millennials on the Chinese mainland towards TM can be ascribed in part to (1) social and economic changes on the mainland and (2) the way TM is stylized in televised media.

A Framework for Understanding Marine Cosmopolitanism in the Anthropocene.

Recent years have witnessed growing appreciation for the ways in which human-mediated species introductions have reshaped marine biogeography. Despite this we have yet to grapple fully with the scale and impact of anthropogenic dispersal in both creating and determining contemporary distributions of marine taxa. In particular, the past several decades of research on marine biological invasions have revealed that broad geographic distributions of coastal marine organisms—historically referred to simply as “cosmopolitanism”—may belie complex interplay of both natural and anthropogenic processes. Here we describe a framework for understanding contemporary cosmopolitanism, informed by a synthesis of the marine bioinvasion literature. Our framework defines several novel categories in an attempt to provide a unified terminology for discussing cosmopolitan distributions in the world’s oceans. We reserve the term eucosmopolitan to refer to those species for which data exist to support a true, natural, and prehistorically global (or extremely broad) distribution. While in the past this has been the default assumption for species observed to exhibit contemporary cosmopolitan distributions, we argue that given recent advances in marine invasion science this assignment should require positive evidence. In contrast, neocosmopolitan describes those species that have demonstrably achieved extensive geographic ranges only through historical anthropogenic dispersal, often facilitated over centuries of human maritime traffic. We discuss the history and human geography underpinning these neocosmopolitan distributions, and illustrate the extent to which these factors may have altered natural biogeographic patterns. We define the category pseudocosmopolitan to encompass taxa for which a broad distribution is determined (typically after molecular investigation) to reflect multiple, sometimes regionally endemic, lineages with uncertain taxonomic status; such species may remain cosmopolitan only so long as taxonomic uncertainty persists, after which they may splinter into multiple geographically restricted species. We discuss the methods employed to identify such species and to resolve both their taxonomic status and their biogeographic histories. We argue that recognizing these different types of cosmopolitanism, and the important role that invasion science has played in understanding them, is critically important for the future study of both historical and modern marine biogeography, ecology, and biodiversity.