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[Review of the book] The Busoa Language of Southeast Sulawesi: Grammar Sketch, Texts, Vocabulary by René van den Berg
No full textBusoa (ISO 693-3 bup) is an Austronesian (An) language spoken on Buton Island in the Kabupaten Buton Selatan 'South Buton Regency' of Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. The language is endangered (given an EGIDS rating of 7—Shifting) and is only spoken in two villages. According to the author, speaker numbers are minimal, estimated to be only "800 to 900" (p. 3).
Geographically, Busoa is a Western Austronesian2 language. Genetically, it is one of five in the Munic micro-group. At a higher level, it belongs in the Muna-Buton group of the Celebic supergroup, located within the Malayo-Polynesian first-order branch of An.
The community of Busoa speakers remains primarily agrarian, despite rapid modernization in the last thirty years. The linguistic vitality of the language is low, displaying features often seen in speech communities where language is shifting. Busoa has no monolingual speakers; it is under sustained pressure from the nation-state language of Bahasa Indonesia and a prestigious lingua franca (Wolio). There is a break in intergenerational transmission, and the community appears to be broadly indifferent to the language's decline
[Keynote Presentation for] Creative State Summit 2018: Young People, Creativity and Radical Promise.
No full textWhat does the democratisation of creativity mean and how are we educating young people about the possibilities of creative practice as an agent of change? In conversation with four Grade 5/6 students from a primary school in Melbourne’s North, this presentation by artists Sarah Austin and Alex Walker will consider whether creativity can continue to offer radical promise in a world where everyone is considered creative
The chequered history of scholar-led OA: Doing it and supporting it
No full textOpen Access has many definitions, but a simple one is the ‘(…) the removal of price and permission restrictions to scholarly research’ (Moore, 2017: 1). To truly support a global authorship and readership, scholar-led OA in socially just, decolonial, and convivial ways is a true alternative to corporate publishing. I offer some suggestions for advancing this movement, while recognising the task has been made much harder by corporate publisher responses (with high APCs) in recent years. Scholars should devote fragments of their available time to support scholar-led journals. But unfortunately, scholar-led openness is easier to theorise than it is to do
Science and Social Anthropology: Resolving Hierarchical and Horizontal Knowledge Structures
No full textThe relationship between social anthropology and the so-called ‘natural’ sciences has a long and fraught history, beginning with the field’s inception in the 1870s. Despite periodic attempts at thematic reinvention, social anthropology consequently remains trapped in what has been termed a ‘pre-paradigmatic’ state, without consensus among social anthropologists on either a self-consistent object of study for their field, parameters of study, or a causal model for explaining that object. Pedagogic sociology offers a causal explanation for this lack of integration, by describing how formal education systems define and segregate ‘natural’ and ‘social’ sciences, and by further describing a mechanism for achieving dese¬gregation. Corroborating observations made by both natural scientists and social anthropologists, this chapter uses a pedagogic sociological model to describe the lack of integration between natural and social science generally, and between natural science and social anthropology in particular. This pedagogic sociological model is then used to describe a potential pathway towards a resolving integration between social anthropology and natural science, with reference to incipient formal empirical methods and to Cultural Model Theory
Whole genome sequencing improves tissue-of-origin diagnosis and treatment options for cancer of unknown primary
No full textGenomics can inform both tissue-of-origin (TOO) and precision treatments for patients with cancer of unknown primary (CUP). Here, we use whole genome and transcriptome sequencing (WGTS) for 72 patients and show diagnostic superiority of WGTS over panel testing (386–523 genes) in 71 paired cases. WGTS detects all reportable DNA features found by panel as well as additional mutations of diagnostic or therapeutic relevance in 76% of cases. Curated WGTS features and a CUP prediction algorithm (CUPPA) trained on WGTS data of known cancer types informs TOO in 71% of cases otherwise undiagnosed by clinicopathology review. WGTS informs treatments for 79% of patients, compared to 59% by panel testing. Finally, WGS of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from patients with a high cfDNA tumour fraction (>7%), enables high-likelihood CUPPA predictions in 41% of cases. WGTS is therefore superior to panel testing, broadens treatment options, and is feasible using routine pathology samples and cfDNA
Slowing fetal growth velocity from the mid-trimester may signal increased risks of perinatal morbidity and mortality: a retrospective cohort study
No full textBackground: Undetected fetal growth restriction is a major risk factor for stillbirth. Detecting small babies is a cornerstone of obstetric care, but we fail to detect most uteroplacental insufficiency impairing fetal growth, and most small fetuses. Slowing fetal growth is thought to flag fetal growth restriction, but uncertainty about what constitutes poor growth has hindered clinical translation. We aim to validate slowing fetal growth velocity as a measurable risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes, and to better define growth velocity assessment to aid clinical interpretation. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of ultrasound and birth outcome data. All patients with singleton pregnancies and at least two ultrasound fetal size assessments between 18+0 and 39+6 weeks, from January 2009 to May 2022, were included. Universal third trimester ultrasound is not performed at our institution; hence, all pregnancies were referred for at least one scan. Primary outcomes were perinatal mortality (stillbirth or neonatal death) and a composite of adverse perinatal outcomes. Fetal growth velocity was calculated between first and last scans, standardized as exact estimated fetal weight (EFW) z-score change per week. Results: Among 24,395 pregnancies, most first scans were routine mid-trimester ultrasounds (median 20+4 weeks), with a median 12+3 weeks between first and last scans. Each z-score/week reduction in EFW growth rate increased perinatal mortality 23-fold (odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI)) = 23.25 (7.03–66.45), p −7), and adverse perinatal outcome 17-fold (OR (95% CI) = 17.54 (12.93–23.84), p −74). Slowing fetal growth as EFW z-score change/week was associated with adverse perinatal outcome even among those with fetal size considered normal (Hadlock EFW ≥ 10th centile) at last scan, and when confined to term births (OR (95% CI) = 2.35 (1.66–3.33), p −5; OR (95% CI) = 3.17 (2.10–4.76), p −7, respectively). A growth rate cut-off of − 0.13 EFW z-scores/week was identified as optimal for perinatal mortality by Youden Index. Growth slower than this was associated with sixfold increased odds of perinatal death (OR (95% CI) = 6.40 (3.91–10.30), p −18). Conclusions: Slowing fetal growth velocity identifies pregnancies at increased risk of poor outcomes. A slowing growth rate < − 0.13 z-scores/week may represent a pragmatic clinical threshold. Fetal growth rate between scans could be incorporated into ultrasound reporting to better identify fetuses at risk
Prevalence of depression and its network structure and association with quality of life in older adults with hypertension: findings of a national survey
No full textIntroduction: Based on the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), this study aimed to examine the prevalence and correlates of depression, and its network structure and association with quality of life (QOL) in older adults with hypertension. Methods: Depression and QOL were measured using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale (CESD-10) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-brief version, respectively. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed. Network analysis was used to explore the interconnections between depressive symptoms. The flow function was used to identify depressive symptoms that were directly associated with QOL. Results: A total of 5032 older adults with hypertension were included. The prevalence of depression (CESD-10 total score ≥ 10) was 28.3% (95% confidence interval: 27.08%–29.59%), which was significantly associated with poor QOL (P < 0.001). Participants who were male (P < 0.001), resided in urban areas (P = 0.006), lived with their family (P < 0.001), had perceived fair or good economic status (P < 0.001), and higher level of instrumental activities of daily living (P < 0.001) had lower risk of depression. In the network model of depression, CESD3 ‘Feeling blue/depressed’, CESD4 ‘Everything was an effort’ and CESD8 ‘Loneliness’ were the most central symptoms. CESD10 ‘Sleep disturbances’ had the highest negative association with QOL, followed by CESD5 ‘Hopelessness’, and CESD7 ‘Lack of happiness’. Conclusion: Depression was common among older adults with hypertension and significantly associated with poor QOL. To prevent and reduce the negative impact of depression in this population, appropriate interventions should target both central symptoms and the depressive symptoms associated with QOL
What do patients with a rare cancer living in rural, regional or remote areas and stakeholders want from a peer support program? A qualitative study
No full textBackground: Patients with a rare cancer in rural, regional, and remote Australia experience heightened challenges in their illness journey, including significant psychosocial impacts. Although peer support has shown benefits for common cancer patients living in urban areas, these programs often do not reach underserved groups for instance those with a rare cancer, or those living in rural, regional or remote areas. This study aimed to explore the characteristics of peer support programs for patients with a rare cancer living in rural, regional or remote areas. Methods: Focus groups and interviews were conducted with 39 people with a rare cancer and 10 healthcare providers to explore key points for inclusion in a peer support service for people diagnosed with a rare cancer living in rural, regional or remote areas. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically, using Nvivo. Results: Participants described their peer support needs using the key terms who, what, how, where, and when. Participants advocated for a flexible, multicomponent intervention that could meet the varied and fluctuating needs of this group. Participants also noted challenges with the practical delivery of such a service, specifically, the risk of receiving misinformation, adverse emotional reactions, interpersonal challenges and implementation issues. Conclusions: This study highlights the role of peer support in addressing unmet needs of patients with a rare cancer, particularly in rural areas, emphasising the importance of tailored, flexible, and multimodal interventions for the delivery of peer support that addresses diverse needs
“The Whispering of Generations”: Memories of National Socialism and the Second World War in Uwe Timm’s Post-Reunification Literature
No full text© 2025 Valeria MorelliSince his debut in the 1970s, Uwe Timm (born 1940) has been one of the most significant second-generation voices in post-WWII and post-reunification German literature. His work offers a chronicle of 20th-century German history and an ethnographic gaze on the German past through everyday and personal stories. Timm affords literature a central role in remembering the National Socialist past and the Second World War. In particular, he is interested in private memories of the war generation, which his characters save from the passing of time and the death of their storytellers by transmitting them to future generations. His literature thus forms a means to transfer these memories from their personal, communicative format to cultural memory.
Given the absence of a full-length study devoted specifically to the memory of National Socialism and the Second World War in Timm’s literature, this thesis investigates the representation of memories and meta-reflections on memory of the Nazi past in a set of Timm’s key post-reunification narratives. These works have not been previously examined together and offer three different narrative approaches to confronting the past: the light-hearted tone and folksy approach of the novella "Die Entdeckung der Currywurst" (1993) contrast with the sombre reflective mood of the family novel "Am Beispiel meines Bruders" (2003) and the detailed, almost scientific investigation of Nazi eugenics in the historical novel "Ikarien" (2017). My analysis is informed by Jan and Aleida Assmann’s memory framework and by research on the construction and mediation of memory across generations and within the family (inter alia, Marianne Hirsch’s and Harald Welzer’s work) and on “fictions of memory” (Birgit Neumann’s and Ansgar Nuenning’s research).
This study shows that National Socialism and the Second World War prove to be a significant and enduring preoccupation in Timm’s works from the middle and later period of his writing onwards. It argues that Timm’s literature is an archive of micro-histories and more differentiated counter-narratives of the past, some of which have been overshadowed in official memory culture or have been forgotten, suppressed or overlooked. Timm’s literature shows the importance of both history/the archive and personal/family memory in exploring the past. As part of a pluralistic and dialogic memory culture that acknowledges the necessary co-presence of memories and counter-memories of the same event, it challenges monolithic accounts of history and reveals the constructed and contingent nature of memory.
More broadly, this study attests to the ongoing importance of questions of historical responsibility and remembrance of the Nazi past in contemporary German literature. It draws attention to the intergenerational reverberations of historical trauma faced by the second generation of post-war writers, for whom the Nazi past is still very much present in the unresolved and hidden traces it has left in the present and within families. By encouraging the reader to engage with the episodic and personal nature of the past and gain a new understanding of the circumstances and conditions that led to violence and racism on such a destructive scale, Timm’s literature fosters an intergenerational dialogue about Germany’s traumatic past and its enduring legacies in the present
Building resilience or reinforcing vulnerability? The enduring allure of hard infrastructure as adaptation
No full textThis paper examines a climate buffer infrastructural paradox: that, despite an expansive archive documenting the limits of hard structural solutions, they retain their allure as a popular technical solution to protect against climatic hazards. The Leyte Tide Embankment Project (LTEP) in the Philippines, also known as “The Great Wall of Leyte”, is one of dozens of climate buffer megaprojects proliferating globally that promise to protect coastal zones from increasingly devastating climate hazards. Using the LTEP as a case study, we ask: what and who drives and sustains hard infrastructure as climate adaptation, and through what processes? To analyse this question, we conducted 45 in-depth interviews with project proponents, government officials, academics, practitioners and community members, as well as reviewed relevant documents to unravel the relations of power and politics that position the project as an effective and popular adaptation strategy. Through the lenses of urban political ecology and infrastructure studies, we argue that the LTEP derives its allure from the infrastructural politics of (in)visibility: the strategic deployment of hard infrastructures as visual tools to advance political agendas. These politics selectively highlight elements that symbolise protection and progress while obscuring aspects that fail to meet technical and aesthetic standards. The infrastructural politics of (in)visibility are shaped by multi-scalar power dynamics linking global and local interests that are propelled by a constellation of actors with diverse agendas and become active sites of negotiation and contestation where communities can organise and voice dissent