The Testimonial “We”: Collaborative Life Writing in Senthuran Varatharajah’s Vor der Zunahme der Zeichen

In contemporary novels about refugees’ experiences, the subject of first-person witness often serves narratively as a means of centering the voices of those forcibly displaced. This reading of Senthuran Varatharajah’s novel Vor der Zunahme der Zeichen examines how the novel diverges from a focus on the singular testimony of a first-person subject to enable political recognition of shared experiences of flight. In its structure as a Facebook conversation between two strangers, Senthil and Valmira, sharing distinct experiences about arriving in Germany as asylum-seekers, Vor der Zunahme privileges a dialogue that underscores how their life histories are embedded in family histories and cultural memories of major historical events such as the Sri Lankan Civil War and Kosovo War. While previous readings of Vor der Zunahme have focused on its portrayal of trauma and language (Fagan), postdigital practices (Ubieto), peripherality (Majkiewicz), and conditions of displacement (Teupert) and cosmopolitanism (Lizarazu), this article considers how the novel engages social media to center the interpersonal aspect of life writing and reflect on forms of witnessing the transgenerational and cultural-historical aspects of personal narratives about flight and diasporic experiences

Editor Thank You to Reviewers for 108(4)

The editors of 108(4) would like to thank the reviewers of this issue. We have also included a note on new journal processes

Influence of Degree of Doneness on the Alpha-Gal Content of Striploins and its Relationship with Red Meat Allergy

Objective: Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS) is an acquired sensitivity to galactose-alpha-1, 3-galactose (⍺-Gal) after exposure to a bite from the Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum). Affected individuals can experience a range of symptoms from mild itching to potentially fatal anaphylaxis after consuming products containing mammalian tissues that contain ⍺-Gal. Little research has been done to examine the ⍺-Gal content of different products; thus, the objective of this study was to establish the ⍺-Gal content of striploin steaks cooked to varying degrees of doneness to evaluate if heat treatment reduces the ⍺-Gal content of red meat. Study Description: Ten beef striploins were collected from a Midwest beef processing plant and transported under refrigeration to the Kansas State University Meat Laboratory (n = 10). Striploins were cut into four steaks each and either left raw or cooked to medium rare (MR; 130°F), medium (MED; 140°F), or well done (WD; 160°F). Whole muscle proteins were extracted, and proteins were separated by gel electrophoresis, transferred to a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane, and tested by immunoblot against a primary anti-⍺-Gal antibody. Each gel contained a reference sample of ⍺-Gal conjugated human serum albumin with known ⍺-Gal content. Results: Striploins that were cooked to WD had the greatest ⍺-Gal concentration among all cooking treatments, followed by steaks cooked to MR and MED, while steaks that were left raw had the lowest ⍺-Gal concentration (P \u3c 0.01). The Bottom Line: Our results are consistent with other studies, which indicated that cooking seems to concentrate ⍺-Gal glycans to a higher degree than that of the raw striploins. Further research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of other interventions to improve the care and management of AGS patients

Liebe Schwester \u27Dear Sister\u27: Luise Rinser\u27s Unique Relationship with Her Readers

The life of German author Luise Rinser (1911-2002) spanned almost an entire century. During this time, she witnessed and chronicled two world wars as well as many political and cultural changes in her novels, short stories, essays, and biographical writings. Rinser is a problematic figure as she has retrospectively cleansed and embellished her life story when writing her autobiographical texts. However, the focus of this article is Rinser’s unique relationship to her readers in her autobiographical writing. I argue readers perceived their relationship with the author as a friendship and, even if Rinser did not return that friendship directly, there is a reciprocity between this author and her readers that is rare in the literary world

Are We Global Yet? Progress on Expanding the Agricultural Communications Academic Discipline Internationally

This commentary explores the agricultural communications discipline\u27s evolution domestically in the U.S., leading to a discussion of the need for the academic discipline to expand internationally to countries where the profession is well established. To encourage early- and mid-career faculty to get involved in helping expand the discipline, descriptions of ongoing international programs are provided, featuring interviews with the faculty members who are leading them. Featured are programs led by faculty in agricultural communications programs at numerous institutions: Illinois (numerous countries); Florida (Canada); Texas Tech (Australia); Virginia Tech (Ghana); and Arkansas (United Kingdom). The commentary ends with a call to action, asking faculty to find solidarity in the effort to expand the discipline internationally

The Effects of Aging Period and Freezing Sequence on Consumer Palatability Ratings, Tenderness, and Color Stability of Longissimus Dorsi, Semitendinosus, and Biceps Femoris Steaks

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the effect of freezing and aging sequence on palatability, overall tenderness, and objective color readings of three different beef muscles and two aging periods. Study Description: The longissimus dorsi (LD), semitendinosus (ST), and biceps femoris (BF) were fabricated into 1-in steaks and assigned to one of the following treatment combinations: age (21 days) then freeze, freeze then age (21 days), age (28 days) then freeze, or freeze then age (28 days). Consumers evaluated samples for flavor, juiciness, tenderness, overall liking, and acceptability for each sensory trait. Samples designated for Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) were allowed 20 minutes to bloom for raw color evaluation and then cooked for analysis. Results: The freezing treatment or aging period did not impact (P \u3e 0.05) consumer sensory rating of tenderness, flavor, or overall liking. The consumers rated the LD as the juiciest (P \u3c 0.05) compared to the ST and BF. As expected, the LD resulted in the highest (P \u3c 0.05) tenderness rating for the consumer. The LD had the lowest (P \u3c 0.05) WBSF values, indicating it was the most tender. Within flavor, the consumers rated the LD as the most flavorful (P \u3c 0.05) followed by the ST, and then the BF. For raw and cooked color, the L* (lightness) values differed (P \u3c 0.05) between all main effects, including freezing treatments (Age Freeze \u3e Freeze Age), aging periods (21 days \u3e 28 days), and muscle (ST \u3e LD \u3e BF). These results showed freezing and then aging or aging and then freezing does not affect palatability or shear force values. This indicates that reversing the freezing order is not an effective way to improve the tenderness of historically tough muscles. The Bottom Line: The results indicate reversing the typical age and freezing order does not improve tenderness and therefore is not a valid way to improve palatability of historically tough muscles

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Systems Thinking for In-Depth Insect Pest Identification in Vegetable Farming through Collaborative Diversity Initiatives with Farmers

This paper addresses the ongoing challenge of vegetable pest management in Sub-Saharan Africa by offering a comprehensive framework for farmers to effectively identify, manage, and control pests. It enhances agricultural sustainability and productivity by applying systems thinking principles and proposing a holistic training program. The methodology emphasizes continuous assessment, using performance tasks and diverse evidence sources to ensure farmers acquire and apply knowledge effectively in real-world agricultural settings. Through integrating multimedia tools, field demonstrations, and participatory evaluations, the training is designed to be engaging and adaptable to various learning styles. To meet the diverse needs of farmers, the program uses the backward design approach and the Distinctions, Systems, Relationships, and Perspectives framework, promoting inclusive, context-sensitive agricultural development. This ensures that training is both practical and accessible, fostering sustainable pest management practices that can be scaled and adapted to different regions. Researchers, extension professionals, and educators will find this paper valuable for its focus on innovative, hands-on training models. It aligns with contemporary agricultural goals, emphasizing adaptable and scalable solutions for sustainable farming. The integration of practical learning, multimedia, and participatory evaluations ensures that the program is versatile and effective, making it a relevant resource for those working to improve agricultural education in SSA and beyond

Migration and Diasporic Identity in Scholastique Mukasonga’s Un si beau diplôme !

In Un si beau diplôme! (2018), Franco-Rwandan author Scholastique Mukasonga recounts her experiences as a refugee in Burundi and her quest to obtain a degree in social work. She also describes the challenges she had to overcome to get her foreign degree recognized and to be able to practice her chosen profession when she and her family immigrated to Djibouti in 1986, and then to France in 1992. Mukasonga concludes her text by narrating a recent visit to an economically and socially transformed Rwanda. As a whole, the text underscores the importance of her degree, which was ultimately essential to her survival. However, this essay focuses on how Mukasonga navigates each of these physical displacements. For instance, she was able to navigate the gender-specific perils of exile as a female refugee in Burundi by developing her professional identity of social worker, by refusing to be immobilized by her refugee status, and with the support of other female refugees. I also study her experiences of inclusion and racial exclusion in Djibouti and France and how she developed a more expansive and inclusive sense of identity, that of an African and French woman. Finally, I examine how Mukasonga’s return to a changed Rwanda allowed her to reconnect and altered her perspective on her homeland. This essay argues that Mukasonga’s experiences expand our understanding of migration by not only engaging with issues of gender, hegemony, belonging, agency, otherness, solidarity, and diasporic identity, but also by counteracting and transcending dominant discourses and expectations of migratory experiences

Community-based Environmental Management: The Case of St. Martin’s Island, Bangladesh

Policies and actions taken to conserve local natural resources should focus on the needs and interests of multiple stakeholders who are involved in a selected context. However, sometimes, local contextual factors and barriers are not prioritized in natural resource conservation efforts. As a result, the primary goal of environmental policies, which is to conserve natural resources, becomes unattainable, and the policies fail to leave long-term and sustainable impacts on local communities. This study examines the factors influencing the environmental decision-making among various stakeholders to mitigate the environmental degradation of St. Martin’s Island, Bangladesh. The two primary objectives of this study were to explore the contextual factors that inform local environmental management efforts on St. Martin’s Island and analyze the barriers that stakeholders face while supporting conservation efforts on the island. This ethnographic qualitative study used semi-structured interviews and participant observation. The study identified a number of crucial contextual factors and barriers that prevented locals’ active participation in environmental decision-making. The findings revealed that economic reliance on local natural resources, extensive tourism activities, limited opportunities for collaborative actions at multiple levels, and inadequate local facilities contribute significantly to the overall scenario of environmental degradation on St. Martin’s Island. These findings can guide Extension efforts focusing on environmental degradation in international contexts. The findings also have the potential for future research focusing on stakeholder engagement in environmental decision-making