History of Intellectual Culture : International Yearbook of Knowledge and Society

With concepts of participation discussed in multiple disciplines from media studies to anthropology, from political sciences to sociology, the first issue of the new yearbook History of Intellectual Culture (HIC) dedicates a thematic section to the way knowledge can and arguably must be conceptualized as "participatory".Introducing and exploring "participatory knowledge", the volume aims to draw attention to the potential of looking at knowledge formation and circulation through a new lens and to open a dialogue about how and what concepts and theories of participation can contribute to the history of knowledge. By asking who gets to participate in defining what counts as knowledge and in deciding whose knowledge is circulated, modes of participation enter into the examination of knowledge on various levels and within multiple cultural contexts.The articles in this volume attest to the great variety of approaches, contexts, and interpretations of "participatory knowledge", from the sociological projects of the Frankfurt School to the Uppsala-based Institute for Race Biology, from the Argentinian National Folklore Survey to current hashtag activism and Covid-19-archive projects. HIC sees knowledge as rooted in social and political structures, determined by modes of transfer and produced in collaborative processes. The notion of "participatory knowledge" highlights in a compelling way how knowledge is rooted in cultural practices and social configurations

Convergent evolution of pregnancy-specific glycoproteins in human and horse

Pregnancy-specific glycoproteins (PSGs) are members of the carcinoembryonic antigen cell adhesion molecule (CEACAM) family that are secreted by trophoblast cells. PSGs may modulate immune, angiogenic and platelet responses during pregnancy. Until now, PSGs are only found in species that have a highly invasive (hemochorial) placentation including humans, mice and rats. Surprisingly, analyzing the CEACAM gene family of the horse, which has a non-invasive epitheliochorial placenta, with the exception of the transient endometrial cups, we identified equine CEACAM family members that seem to be related to PSGs of rodents and primates. We identified seven genes that encode secreted PSG-like CEACAMs. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that they evolved independently from an equine CEACAM1-like ancestor rather than from a common PSG-like ancestor with rodents and primates. Significantly, expression of PSG-like genes (CEACAM44, CEACAM48, CEACAM49 and CEACAM55) was found in non-invasive as well as invasive trophoblast cells such as purified chorionic girdle cells and endometrial cup cells. Chorionic girdle cells are highly invasive trophoblast cells that invade the endometrium of the mare where they form endometrial cups and are in close contact with maternal immune cells. Therefore, the microenvironment of invasive equine trophoblast cells has striking similarities to the microenvironment of trophoblast cells in hemochorial placentas, suggesting that equine PSG-like CEACAMs and rodent and primate PSGs have undergone convergent evolution. This is supported by our finding that equine PSG-like CEACAM49 exhibits similar activity to certain rodent and human PSGs in a functional assay of platelet–fibrinogen binding. Our results have implications for understanding the evolution of PSGs and their functions in maternal–fetal interactions

Magnetic NiFe₂O₄ Nanoparticles Prepared via Non-Aqueous Microwave-Assisted Synthesis for Application in Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation

Phase‐pure spinel‐type magnetic nickel ferrite (NiFe(2)O(4)) nanocrystals in the size range of 4 to 11 nm were successfully synthesized by a fast and energy‐saving microwave‐assisted approach. Size and accessible surface areas can be tuned precisely by the reaction parameters. Our results highlight the correlation between size, degree of inversion, and magnetic characteristics of NiFe(2)O(4) nanoparticles, which enables fine‐tuning of these parameters for a particular application without changing the elemental composition. Moreover, the application potential of the synthesized powders for the electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline media was demonstrated, showing that a low degree of inversion is beneficial for the overall performance. The most active sample reaches an overpotential of 380 mV for water oxidation at 10 mA cm(−2) and 38.8 mA cm(−2) at 1.7 V vs. RHE, combined with a low Tafel slope of 63 mV dec(−1)

Chemical imaging of mixed metal oxide catalysts for propylene oxidation: from model binary systems to complex multicomponent systems

Industrially-applied mixed metal oxide catalysts often possess an ensemble of structural components with complementary functions. Characterisation of these hierarchical systems is challenging, particularly moving from binary to quaternary systems. Here a quaternary Bi−Mo−Co−Fe oxide catalyst showing significantly greater activity than binary Bi−Mo oxides for selective propylene oxidation to acrolein was studied with chemical imaging techniques from the microscale to nanoscale. Conventional techniques like XRD and Raman spectroscopy could only distinguish a small number of components. Spatially-resolved characterisation provided a clearer picture of metal oxide phase composition, starting from elemental distribution by SEM-EDX and spatially-resolved mapping of metal oxide components by 2D Raman spectroscopy. This was extended to 3D using multiscale hard X-ray tomography with fluorescence, phase, and diffraction contrast. The identification and co-localisation of phases in 2D and 3D can assist in rationalising catalytic performance during propylene oxidation, based on studies of model, binary, or ternary catalyst systems in literature. This approach is generally applicable and attractive for characterisation of complex mixed metal oxide systems. © 2021 The Authors. ChemCatChem published by Wiley-VCH Gmb

Ein Gedicht im Kreuzfeuer der Gefühle:Zur affektiven Dimension der Debatte um Eugen Gomringers Konstellation »avenidas«

Im Sommer 2017 entbrannte an der Alice Salomon Hochschule Berlin ein Streit um Eugen Gomringers Gedicht avenidas, der sich zu einer bundesweiten Debatte über Kunstfreiheit und Sexismus ausweitete. Studierende hatten die Entfernung des Textes von der Fassade der Hochschule gefordert: Das Gedicht reproduziere nach Ansicht der Studierenden eine patriarchale Kunsttradition und rufe Erinnerungen an sexuelle Belästigung wach. Der Entschluss der Hochschule, dieser Forderung nachzukommen, löste eine gesellschaftliche Kontroverse aus. Dieser Beitrag untersucht die Debatte um avenidas aus affekttheoretischer Perspektive. Im Mittelpunkt steht die Frage, welche emotionalen Rhetoriken von den verschiedenen Parteien verwendet werden und wie diese zur Konstruktion diskursiver Gruppen in der Kontroverse beitragen