bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CELEBRIMBOR: core and accessory genes from metagenomes
Authors: Hellewell Joel , Horsfield Samuel T , von Wachsmann Johanna , Gurbich Tatiana A , Finn Robert D , Iqbal Zamin , Roberts Leah W , Lees John A
Published: September 2024

Motivation

Metagenome-Assembled Genomes (MAGs) or Single-cell Amplified Genomes (SAGs) are often incomplete, with sequences missing due to errors in assembly or low coverage. This presents a particular challenge for the identification of true gene frequencies within a microbial population, as core genes missing in only a few assemblies will be mischaracterized by current pangenome approaches.

Results

Here, we present CELEBRIMBOR, a Snakemake pangenome analysis pipeline which uses a measure of genome completeness to automatically adjust the frequency threshold at which core genes are identified, enabling accurate core gene identification in MAGs and SAGs.

Availability and implementation

CELEBRIMBOR is published under open source Apache 2.0 licence at https://github.com/bacpop/CELEBRIMBOR and is available as a Docker container from this repository. Supplementary material is available in the online version of the article.
Generative haplotype prediction outperforms statistical methods for small variant detection in next-generation sequencing data
Authors: O’Fallon Brendan , Bolia Ashini , Durtschi Jacob , Yang Luobin , Fredrickson Eric , Best Hunter
Published: September 2024

Motivation

Detection of germline variants in next-generation sequencing data is an essential component of modern genomics analysis. Variant detection tools typically rely on statistical algorithms such as de Bruijn graphs or Hidden Markov models, and are often coupled with heuristic techniques and thresholds to maximize accuracy. Despite significant progress in recent years, current methods still generate thousands of false-positive detections in a typical human whole genome, creating a significant manual review burden.

Results

We introduce a new approach that replaces the handcrafted statistical techniques of previous methods with a single deep generative model. Using a standard transformer-based encoder and double-decoder architecture, our model learns to construct diploid germline haplotypes in a generative fashion identical to modern large language models. We train our model on 37 whole genome sequences from Genome-in-a-Bottle samples, and demonstrate that our method learns to produce accurate haplotypes with correct phase and genotype for all classes of small variants. We compare our method, called Jenever, to FreeBayes, GATK HaplotypeCaller, Clair3, and DeepVariant, and demonstrate that our method has superior overall accuracy compared to other methods. At F1-maximizing quality thresholds, our model delivers the highest sensitivity, precision, and the fewest genotyping errors for insertion and deletion variants. For single nucleotide variants, our model demonstrates the highest sensitivity but at somewhat lower precision, and achieves the highest overall F1 score among all callers we tested.

Availability and implementation

Jenever is implemented as a python-based command line tool. Source code is available at https://github.com/ARUP-NGS/jenever/
Enhancing the natural absorbing capacity of rivers to restore their resilience
Authors: Wohl Ellen , Fryirs Kirstie , Grabowski Robert C , Morrison Ryan R , Sear David
Published: September 2024

Resilience, which can also be described as absorbing capacity, describes the amount of change that a system can undergo in response to disturbance and maintain a characteristic, self-sustaining regime of functions, processes, or sets of feedback loops. Rivers exhibit varying levels of resilience, but the net effect of industrialized anthropogenic alteration has been to suppress river resilience. As changing climate alters the inputs to rivers and human modification alters the morphology and connectivity of rivers, restoration increasingly considers how to enhance resilience. Characteristics that underpin river absorbing capacity include natural regimes, connectivity, physical and ecological integrity, and heterogeneity. River management emphasizing channel stabilization and homogenization has reduced river absorbing capacity. We propose that the paths to restoring rivers include defining relevant measures of absorbing capacity and understanding the scales of restoration and the sociopolitical elements of river restoration. We provide a conceptual framing for choosing measures that could be used to assess river absorbing capacity.
The relationship between changes in functional connectivity gradients and cognitive–emotional disorders in sudden sensorineural hearing loss
Authors: Li Biao , Xu Xiao-Min , Wu Yuan-Qing , Miao Xiu-Qian , Feng Yuan , Chen Yu-Chen , Salvi Richard , Xu Jin-Jing , Qi Jian-Wei
Published: September 2024

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss, a prevalent emergency in otolaryngology, is known to potentially precipitate cognitive and emotional disorders in affected individuals. Extensive research has documented the phenomenon of cortical functional reorganization in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss. However, the potential link between this neural functional remodelling and cognitive–emotional disorders remains unclear. To investigate this issue, 30 bilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss patients and 30 healthy adults were recruited for this study. We collected clinical data and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from the participants. Gradient mapping analysis was employed to calculate the first three gradients for each subject. Subsequently, gradient changes in sudden sensorineural hearing loss patients were compared with healthy controls at global, regional and network levels. Finally, we explored the relationship between gradient values and clinical variables. The results revealed that at the global level, sudden sensorineural hearing loss did not exhibit significant differences in the primary gradient but showed a state of compression in the second and third gradients. At the regional level, sudden sensorineural hearing loss patients exhibited a significant reduction in the primary gradient values in the temporal pole and ventral prefrontal cortex, which were closely related to neuro-scale scores. Regarding the network level, sudden sensorineural hearing loss did not show significant differences in the primary gradient but instead displayed significant changes in the control network and default mode network in the second and third gradients. This study revealed disruptions in the functional hierarchy of sudden sensorineural hearing loss, and the alterations in functional connectivity gradients were closely associated with cognitive and emotional disturbances in patients. These findings provide new evidence for understanding the functional remodelling that occurs in sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
Autophagy3D: a comprehensive autophagy structure database
Authors: Neha  , Castin Jesu , Fatihi Saman , Gahlot Deepanshi , Arun Akanksha , Thukral Lipi
Published: September 2024

Autophagy pathway plays a central role in cellular degradation. The proteins involved in the core autophagy process are mostly localised on membranes or interact indirectly with lipid-associated proteins. Therefore, progress in structure determination of ‘core autophagy proteins’ remained relatively limited. Recent paradigm shift in structural biology that includes cutting-edge cryo-EM technology and robust AI-based Alphafold2 predicted models has significantly increased data points in biology. Here, we developed Autophagy3D, a web-based resource that provides an efficient way to access data associated with 40 core human autophagic proteins (80322 structures), their protein-protein interactors and ortholog structures from various species. Autophagy3D also offers detailed visualizations of protein structures, and, hence deriving direct biological insights. The database significantly enhances access to information as full datasets are available for download. The Autophagy3D can be publicly accessed via https://autophagy3d.igib.res.in.

Database URL: https://autophagy3d.igib.res.in
Beta-blockers for secondary prevention following myocardial infarction in patients without reduced ejection fraction or heart failure: an updated meta-analysis
Authors: Chi Kuan-Yu , Lee Pei-Lun , Chowdhury Ishmum , Akman Zafer , Mangalesh Sridhar , Song Junmin , Satish Vikyath , Babapour Golsa , Kang Yi-No , Schwartz Rachel , Chang Yu , Borkowski Pawel , Nanna Michele , Damluji Abdulla A , Nanna Michael G
Published: September 2024

Aims

The 2023 ESC guidelines for acute coronary syndrome note that contemporary data are heterogenous regarding beta-blocker (BB) use post-myocardial infarction (MI) in patients without reduced ejection fraction (EF) or heart failure (HF). We aimed to address the heterogeneity in contemporary data around BB post-MI in this population.

Methods and results

We searched six databases from 1 January 2000 to 1 September 2024 to identify contemporary studies enrolling MI patients without reduced EF (≤40%) or history of HF receiving BB at index MI and comparing outcomes between BB users and non-users. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes included major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) and cardiovascular (CV) mortality. Random-effects meta-analysis was conducted using the restricted maximum likelihood method. There were 24 studies including 290 349 patients enrolled in the contemporary era. Overall, BB use was associated with a significant 11% reduction in all-cause mortality [hazard ratio (HR), 0.89; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.81–0.97; I2 = 40], however with moderate-to-high statistical heterogeneity. Pre-specified subgroup analyses demonstrate comparable all-cause mortality (HR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.94–1.06; I2 = 0%), CV mortality (HR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.85–1.15; I2 = 0%), and MACCE (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.01–1.52; I2 = 0%) in patients with a 1-year event-free period, defined as no death, recurrent MI, or HF while on BB following index MI. In patients with no event-free period, meta-regression revealed that BB mortality benefits were modified by the study inclusion period (P = 0.01), reflecting a temporal trend of decreasing BB mortality benefits over time. Based on the temporal trend, in patients with preserved EF post-2010, BB exhibited no reduction in all-cause mortality (HR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.90–1.04; I2 = 0%), but a non-significant trend towards increased CV mortality (HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 0.96–1.72; I2 = 0%) and a significant increase in MACCE (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.01–1.52; I2 = 0%).

Conclusion

In the contemporary reperfusion era, BB may not confer additional mortality benefits beyond a 1-year event-free period post-MI in patients without reduced EF. Moreover, post-MI BB use was associated with detrimental effects in patients with preserved EF.
Should We Work Smarter or Harder for Our Health? A Comparison of Intensity and Domain-Based Time-Use Compositions and Their Associations With Cognitive and Cardiometabolic Health
Authors: Mellow Maddison L , Dumuid Dorothea , Wade Alexandra , Olds Timothy , Stanford Ty , Keage Hannah , Hunter Montana , Ware Nicholas , Simpson Felicity M , Karayanidis Frini , Smith Ashleigh E
Published: September 2024

Background

Each day is made up of a composition of “time-use behaviors.” These can be classified by their intensity (eg, light or moderate–vigorous physical activity [PA]) or domain (eg, chores, socializing). Intensity-based time-use behaviors are linked with cognitive function and cardiometabolic health in older adults, but it is unknown whether these relationships differ depending on the domain (or type/context) of behavior.

Methods

This study included 397 older adults (65.5 ± 3.0 years, 69% female, 16.0 ± 3.0 years education) from Adelaide and Newcastle, Australia. Time-use behaviors were recorded using the Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adults, cognitive function was measured using the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination III and Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, and waist–hip ratio were also recorded. Two 24-hour time-use compositions were derived from each participant’s Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adults, including a 4-part intensity composition (sleep, sedentary behavior, light, and moderate–vigorous PA) and an 8-part domain composition (Sleep, Self-Care, Chores, Screen Time, Quiet Time, Household Administration, Sport/Exercise, and Social).

Results

Linear regressions found significant associations between the domain composition and both Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination III (p = .010) and waist–hip ratio (p = .009), and between the intensity composition and waist–hip ratio (p = .025). Isotemporal substitution modeling demonstrated that the domains of sedentary behaviors and PA impacted their associations with Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination III, while any PA appeared beneficial for waist–hip ratio.

Conclusions

Findings suggest the domain of behavior should be considered when aiming to support cognitive function, whereas, for cardiometabolic health, it appears sufficient to promote any type of PA.
Effect of structured individual and combined education on blood glucose regulation in type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Arslan Zarif Cagla , Tuzun Sabah , Öner Can , Haciağaoğlu Nazli , Çetin Hüseyin , Şimşek Engin Ersin
Published: September 2024

Although various approaches have been used in diabetes self-management education (DSME) programs, the effect of DSME programs on glycemic control is controversial. This study aimed to compare the effects of structured individual education and combined education on glycemic regulation in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study included T2DM patients who applied to the Ust Kaynarca Diabetes Center between 1 January 2018 and 11 March 2020. All data were retrospectively evaluated from hospital information systems. Patients who received only individual education were defined as the individual education group (IEG), and patients who received both individual and group education were defined as the combined education group (CEG). A total of 496 T2DM patients, with 248 (50.0%) in the IEG and 248 (50.0%) in the CEG, were included in the study. The change in HbA1c (ΔHbA1c) value for the IEG was 1.0% (2.5%), while the ΔHbA1c value for the CEG was 1.9% (2.8%) (P < 0.001). When factors affecting the glycemic control were evaluated, it was determined that the type of education [odds ratio (OR) = 2.295, P < 0.001], gender (OR = 1.799, P = 0.007), presence of hyperlipidemia (OR = 0.559, P = 0.032) and presence of medications added to treatment (OR = 1.558, P = 0.041) were effective on glycemic control. Combined education, in which individual and group education are conducted together, is more effective than individual education in glucose regulation.
Assessment of industry 4.0 readiness in smart manufacturing: evidence for the south African economy
Authors: Inyang Victoria , Kanakana Grace M
Published: September 2024

This study focuses on the significant transformation triggered by Industry 4.0 (14.0) within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the manufacturing sector. The research aims to explore the readiness and the extent to which I4.0 criteria are integrated into the operations and business models of the South African industry. This study employed a quantitative research approach, with selected industry professionals as participants through purposeful sampling via Google Form distribution. Nineteen semi-structured interviews were subsequently conducted, utilizing an extensive and intricate questionnaire. The collected data was subjected to thematic analysis for comprehensive examination of the responses. The research revealed that I4.0 demands higher skills compared to traditional manufacturing practices. The study offers valuable insights for human resource practitioners and manufacturing professionals. Furthermore, the study establishes a foundation for future research exploring the development of Industry 4.0 skills competencies within the South African industry.
Innovative approaches to scaling up hydrogen production and storage for renewable energy integration
Authors: Kuterbekov Kairat A , Kabyshev Asset , Bekmyrza Kenzhebatyr , Kubenova Marzhan , Kabdrakhimova Gaukhar , Ayalew Abebe T
Published: September 2024

The global imperative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and phase out fossil fuels has prompted hydrogen to emerge as a critical player in the transition to sustainable energy systems and eco-friendly transport solutions. This study endeavors to examine innovative technologies for hydrogen production and storage, with the objective of overcoming the obstacles that impede their widespread adoption. The integration of hydrogen with renewable energy sources is one of the methods that have been investigated. Specifically, the effectiveness of coupling hydrogen fuel cells with wind or solar power systems has been examined in order to ensure a reliable energy supply and improve grid stability. The results of this study present innovative methods for mass hydrogen production, including electrolysis of water and advanced techniques for extracting hydrogen from fossil fuels while minimizing environmental impact. Additionally, this study evaluates strategies for underground hydrogen storage, considering local geological conditions to optimize storage efficiency and safety. The findings indicate that salt caverns offer a secure and stable hydrogen containment system and have a high storage efficiency of up to 90%. The evaluation of depleted gas fields demonstrated promising results in terms of sealing integrity and storage efficiency (88%). The outcomes provide insights into the feasibility of large-scale hydrogen generation and storage, offering valuable guidance for future energy solutions dependent on hydrogen in diverse geographic contexts.
Evaluating the impact of rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing for bloodstream infections: a review of actionability, antibiotic use and patient outcome metrics
Authors: MacVane Shawn H , Dwivedi Hari P
Published: September 2024

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is a core function of the clinical microbiology laboratory and is critical to the management of patients with bloodstream infections (BSIs) to facilitate optimal antibiotic therapy selection. Recent technological advances have resulted in several rapid methods for determining susceptibility direct from positive blood culture that can provide turnaround times in under 8 h, which is considerably shorter than conventional culture-based methods. As diagnostic results do not directly produce a medical intervention, actionability is a primary determinant of the effect these technologies have on antibiotic use and ultimately patient outcomes. Randomized controlled trials and observational studies consistently show that rapid AST significantly reduces time to results and improves antimicrobial therapy for patients with BSI across various methods, patient populations and organisms. To date, the clinical impact of rapid AST has been demonstrated in some observational studies, but randomized controlled trials have not been sufficiently powered to validate many of these findings. This article reviews various metrics that have been described in the literature to measure the impact of rapid AST on actionability, antibiotic exposure and patient outcomes, as well as highlighting how implementation and workflow processes can affect these metrics.
Blockade of the CCR3 receptor reduces neutrophil recruitment to the lung during acute inflammation
Authors: Lopez-Leal Fatima , Cabellos-Avelar Tecilli , Correa-Becerril Diego A , Juarez-Macias Brenda , Cervantes-Diaz Rodrigo , Reyes-Huerta Raul F , Juarez-Vega Guillermo , Gutierrez-Castaneda Daniel , Castro-Jimenez Tannya Karen , Bustos-Arriaga Jose , Maravillas-Montero Jose Luis , Perez-Lopez Araceli
Published: September 2024

Neutrophils represent one of the host's first lines of defense against invading pathogens. However, an aberrant activation can cause damage to the host. In the case of respiratory infections with viral or bacterial pathogens, one of the most common complications is the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome, in which neutrophil infiltration into the lung is a hallmark. Neutrophils gain expression of chemokine receptors under inflammatory conditions, and their activation can amplify the neutrophil responses. Earlier studies showed that neutrophils recruited to the lung mucosa during bacterial infection upregulate expression of CCR3 and ex vivo stimulation of CCR3 results in an increased neutrophil activation. Therefore, the modulation of effector functions or migration of neutrophils to target sites through chemokine receptors constitutes an opportunity for pharmacological intervention. We aimed to determine whether the blockade of the CCR3 using the specific antagonist SB-328437 reduces neutrophil recruitment and inflammation in the lung in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung injury model and influenza infection in mice. We found that neutrophils acquire CCR3 expression in the lung alveolar space. The intraperitoneal administration of SB-328437 reduced neutrophil recruitment to the lung alveolar space and reduced tissue damage in both the LPS-induced lung injury model and influenza infection. Moreover, treatment with SB-328437 reduced the percentage of neutrophils producing TNFα and neutrophil activation in the alveolar space. Together, these data suggest that CCR3 blockade might be a pharmacological strategy to prevent the aberrant neutrophil activation that results detrimental for the host but preserves sufficient effector response to control the pathogen.
Chronic sleep deprivation induces erectile dysfunction through increased oxidative stress, apoptosis, endothelial dysfunction, and corporal fibrosis in a rat model
Authors: Zhang Yuyang , Su Mingqin , Liu Guodong , Wu Xu , Feng Xingliang , Tang Dongdong , Jiang Hui , Zhang Xiansheng
Published: September 2024

Background

Sleep is foundational for nocturnal erections, facilitating nutrient exchange and waste removal, which has brought widespread attention to the relationship between sleep and erectile dysfunction (ED). However, there is currently a lack of basic research confirming whether chronic sleep deprivation (CSD) leads to erectile impairment and its underlying pathological mechanisms.

Aim

The study sought to investigate whether CSD impairs erectile function in rats and the potential tissue damage it may cause in rats.

Methods

The modified multiple platform method was employed to induce CSD in 14 rats, randomly divided into a platform control group and a CSD group. After 3 weeks, erectile function was evaluated by measuring intracavernosal pressure following cavernous nerve stimulation.

Outcomes

Arterial blood samples were then analyzed for testosterone levels, and cavernous tissues were processed for advanced molecular biology assays, including Western blotting and immunofluorescence.

Results

After inducing CSD, rats exhibited a marked reduction in erectile function, yet their serum testosterone levels remained statistically unchanged when compared with the control group. More importantly, rats in the CSD group exhibited a significant increase in oxidative stress levels, accompanied by low expression of HO-1 and high expression of NOX1 and NOX4. Subsequently, elevated oxidative stress induced increased apoptosis in smooth muscle and endothelial cells, as evidenced by significant decreases in CD31 and α-smooth muscle actin expression in the CSD group, demonstrated through Western blotting and immunofluorescence assays. Endothelial cell apoptosis led to a significant decrease in endothelial nitric oxide synthase, resulting in lowered levels of nitric oxide and cyclic guanosine monophosphate, which severely impaired the erectile mechanism. Additionally, activation of the transforming growth factor β1 fibrotic pathway led to increased levels of tissue fibrosis, resulting in irreversible damage to the penile tissue in the CSD group.

Clinical implications

Our study lacks further exploration of the molecular mechanisms linking CSD and ED, representing a future research focus for potential targeted therapies.

Strengths and limitations

Our findings demonstrated that CSD significantly impairs erectile function in rats.

Conclusion

CSD severely impairs erectile function in rats. When exposed to CSD, rats exhibit significantly elevated oxidative stress levels, which lead to increased tissue apoptosis, endothelial dysfunction, and ultimately irreversible fibrotic changes in the tissues. Further researches into the potential molecular mechanisms are needed to identify possible therapeutic targets for ED related to CSD.
Low-Carbohydrate Dietary Interventions for Metabolic Control in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: An Overview of Systematic Reviews
Authors: Beretta Mileni Vanti , Flores Cíntia Aparecida Oliveira , Colameo Gabriella Fontes , Echabe Luana Weissheimer , Busnello Fernanda Michielin
Published: September 2024

Context

Dietary interventions providing different amounts of carbohydrates have been proposed as a means of achieving glycemic control and weight loss in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM); however, the supporting evidence is heterogeneous, making this recommendation difficult to apply in nutritional clinical practice.

Objective

The aim was to assess the quality of evidence from meta-analyses on low-carbohydrate (LC) dietary interventions for glycemic control, weight loss, and lipid profile in individuals with T2DM.

Data Sources

The MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched until September 2023.

Data Extraction

A systematic review was conducted. Systematic reviews with meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials designed to assess glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) reductions in individuals with T2DM were eligible. The AMSTAR-2 critical appraisal tool was used to evaluate the methodological aspects of all included studies. The GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) approach was used to assess the certainty of the evidence.

Data Analysis

The LC interventions were associated with a reduction in HbA1c (%) of −0.42 (-1.45 to -0.09; high certainty of evidence) without considering follow-up time; at up to 3 months of follow-up of -0.28 (-0.13 to -0.43); at up to 6 months of follow-up of -0.40 (-0.61 to -0.09); at 6 to 12 months of follow-up of -0.32 (-0.49 to 0.11); and at >12 months of follow-up time of -0.31 (-0.14 to -0.65) compared with control diets.

Conclusion

LC diets can help reduce HbA1c in individuals with T2DM in the short term (up to 3 months). However, dietary recommendations must always be individualized, as the studies reviewed herein analyzed different populations and used different definitions of what constitutes an LC diet.

Systematic Review Registration

PROSPERO no. CRD42023404197.
Evaluation of Antibiotic Use for Dental-Related Infections in Dental Clinics Associated With an Academic Safety Net Institution
Authors: Deaney Michael A , Cooper Margaret M , Jenkins Timothy C , Meyers Kimberly A , Shihadeh Katherine C
Published: September 2024

This retrospective study found lower antibiotic prescribing rates by outpatient dentists than previous literature, but with deviations from guideline recommendations in antibiotic indications and durations of treatment for oral pain and swelling. These findings will guide future stewardship interventions to promote guideline-directed therapy plans.
Bingeing, Tolerance, and Withdrawal
Authors: Bishop Katie , Avena Nicole M. , Gearhardt Ashley N.
Published: September 2024

In light of the obesity epidemic, the concept of “food addiction” has been questioned often in the media and more recently has become a major subject of interest in research. There are multiple criteria used to define something as being an addictive substance or behavior, but here we focus specifically on bingeing, tolerance, and withdrawal. This chapter reviews animal model and clinical evidence that supports the theory that highly processed foods (i.e., foods with refined carbohydrates and/or added fats) can cause changes in the brain that are similar to those seen in response to addictive drugs, and can induce signs of bingeing, tolerance, and withdrawal. In humans, reports of withdrawal are common, and measures of withdrawal from highly processed foods are associated with failed dietary attempts and higher body weights. Research on reward-related neural responses and taste preference adaptations in humans support the potential role of tolerance in response to highly processed food intake. This supports the position that highly processed foods can have addiction-like characteristics. Important future directions in this topic include understanding how experiences of withdrawal from highly processed food may contribute to dietary change failure, and how tolerance adaptations in response to highly processed food shape taste preferences, particularly for children.
Bright Circle
Authors: Fuller Randall
Published: September 2024

In November 1839, a group of young women in Boston formed a conversation society “to answer the great questions” of special importance to women: “What are we born to do? How shall we do it?” Five of these women are at the center of Bright Circle, a group biography of remarkable thinkers and artists who played path-breaking roles in the transcendentalist movement. Transcendentalism remains the most important literary and philosophical movement to have originated in the United States. Only recently have scholars come to realize that it could not have been possible without a network of fiercely intelligent women who made substantial contributions to the new movement even as they found themselves silenced by their culturally assigned roles as women. Bright Circle reorients our understanding of transcendentalism and helps us to see the movement as far more collaborative than is commonly understood. In so doing, it recounts the lives of Mary Moody Emerson, Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, Sophia Peabody Hawthorne, Lydia Jackson Emerson, and Margaret Fuller as they pushed their male counterparts to consider the rights of enslaved people of color and women and argued that social justice was not separable from philosophy or aesthetics. In examining these women, we learn that many ideas considered original to Emerson and Thoreau were first articulated by those who had little opportunity of publicly expressing them.
Introduction
Authors: Fuller Randall
Published: September 2024

The five women who make up Bright Circle were brilliant, original, prodigiously talented. Each helped create transcendentalism. Each found in the movement a vision of the independent self that was enormously alluring. And each ultimately found that vision untenable, unsustainable—all but impossible for a woman living in the first half of the nineteenth century. Participating in Margaret Fuller’s famous Conversations, hosted in Elizabeth Palmer Peabody’s bookshop in Boston, they grappled with these ideas, questioned the values of their culture as well as their place in it, sharing the rich complications of their lives, the profound complexities of their existence.
Elizabeth Palmer Peabody at 13 West Street
Authors: Fuller Randall
Published: September 2024

Elizabeth Palmer Peabody (1804–94) worked more than anyone else, male or female, to disseminate the new transcendentalist ideas. A cultural entrepreneur, Peabody deployed her prodigious energy to organize conversations for women, to transcribe the proceedings of the Transcendental Club, and to operate a transcendentalist bookstore in Boston that served as a conduit for new ideas from England and the Continent. Peabody coined the term “transcendentalism” to describe those new ideas. Gossipy, indiscreet, a celebrity in Boston, Peabody struggled throughout her life to align her powerful attraction to men and women with her culture’s understanding of propriety. And while her numerous writings never secured the same respect as those by others in her circle, her talent for bringing likeminded people together helped solidify transcendentalism into a recognizable movement.
Epilogue
Authors: Fuller Randall
Published: September 2024

The epilogue traces the lives and afterlives of the Bright Circle in the years following Margaret Fuller’s tragic death in 1850. Fuller had become the first woman international correspondent and was living in Italy before her return to the U.S. News of her death rattled the lives of the other four women; each sought in her own way to fulfil the promise of Fuller’s Conversations. The epilogue concludes with a lecture at the end of the century recognizing Fuller as the true spirit of transcendentalism.
Reorganizing menstruation through work and time
Authors: Owen Lara
Published: September 2024

Coexist was a social enterprise with over thirty employees running a large community hub in the centre of Bristol. The organization announced its intention to create the first menstrual workplace policy in the UK in 2016, a novelty that generated huge media interest. This chapter covers the eighteen-month period during which the author conducted ethnographic research into the development and implementation of the policy. The chapter explores why and how Coexist began the process of reimagining menstruation in the workplace, how the policy was developed, the combination of conflict and cooperation that led to its eventual consolidation, and the changes the policy brought to the organization as well as to the people making direct use of it. It also looks into the ways in which the policy became entangled with other agendas and outer forces. These included not only the media, but also the growing process of gentrification of the building and its area, which posed an existential threat to the organization. This threat and accompanying instability allowed for new ways of organizing, but also made the policy (and its users) vulnerable to being co-opted into the search for social and financial capital before they were ready.
Creating a feminist methodology for menstruation
Authors: Owen Lara
Published: September 2024

This chapter details the development by the author of a feminist methodology for a long-silenced topic. Most often, feminist methodologies share certain core commitments instead of a specific method or set of methods that are associated with a related feminist onto-epistemology. For this research, a set of core feminist commitments was established early on. These were ‘withness’ and ‘witnessing’; stigma-sensitivity; courage; rigour; holism; and sustainability. The core commitments were applied at all stages of the research. In addition, a dual data analysis method was developed that included both affect and the actual words spoken, to take account of the paraverbal and affective dimensions of participant responses in interviews.
The enculturation problem
Authors: Metzinger Thomas
Published: September 2024

The ‘enculturation problem’ is the problem of how to integrate the psychedelic experience into culture and societal practice, in a way that is rational, evidence-based, and ethically convincing. In a first-order approximation, the enculturation problem can be framed as a problem for applied ethics and policy-making: How can the psychedelic experience be culturally integrated in a way that minimizes risks and maximizes benefits for society as a whole? Viewed in this way, the enculturation problem centrally involves harm reduction, technology assessment, and ethically informed innovation in the domain of legal regulation. This chapter examines various aspects of the problem in detail and offers some suggestions about how it might be solved. It argues that part of what is needed is the development of a genuine Bewussteinskultur, or ‘culture of consciousness’.
“Unworthy of Freedom”: Policing War Workers and Emancipation in the Courts-Martial
Authors: Lande Jonathan
Published: September 2024

This chapter delves into the courts-martial trials of soldiers charged with desertion. Analysis affirms that the overriding goal of the military justice system was not justice—it was discipline. This applied to cases of deserters. Rather than questioning the loyalty of alleged deserters in the courts, judge advocates appointed to maintain discipline through military law treated men charged with desertion as workers who violated enlistment contracts. Officers sitting on the courts-martial adjudicated along these lines, and as such, they ignored men’s reasons for leaving. They determined guilt based upon whether a recruit knowingly enlisted and decamped. In these cases, white and Black soldiers were treated similarly. These cases, like all for Black soldiers, were remarkable, for Black men and women before the war could not expect justice or equal treatment in many American courtrooms. However, as dramatic as the cases were by comparison to cases involving African Americans before the war, because judge advocates and officers sitting in judgment did not account for Black southerners’ prior enslavement and that they ran to secure freedom, the courts-martial became inadvertently a space to control emancipation. Even if the courts were comparatively fair, they policed men trying to live freely.
Jologs Sublime
Authors: Gabrillo James
Published: September 2024

In the book’s closing chapter, Manila’s musical-comedy-bar culture is conceptualized as a physical and symbolic manifestation of pop convergence. The comedy bar is a space of collective cultural participation where ideas and concepts developed throughout the book overlap and manifest through multi-layered performance. The entertainment industry’s pop convergences further render the concept of jologs sublime, as performance texts play on the self-conscious entanglement of aesthetics, spectacle, and overstatement in order to deliver multimedia commodities that consistently appear and sound novel. Here the jologs sublime is harnessed and put forward as appropriate analytical lens to comprehend the complex multimedia texts of Philippine popular culture at the turn of the century. The chapter opens with an exploration of the musical spectacle on the new millennium youth film Jologs as framework for the conveyance of the jologs concept, nodding to some of the principal aesthetic and contextual tropes examined across the book’s chapters.
Faith, Family, and Work
Authors: Ecklund Elaine Howard , Daniels Denise , Scheitle Christopher P
Published: September 2024

Many employees experience significant work-family tension, and this tension may be exacerbated by one’s religiosity and gender. Highly religious workers are more likely than their less religious counterparts to be partnered and to have children at home, resulting in higher levels of work-family conflict. Work-family conflict is also more prevalent for women than for men, but as men’s roles in the family change, balancing work and family is becoming increasingly challenging for them as well. Religious communities are sometimes a resource and support for workers, but at other times exacerbate experiences of work-life conflict, especially for working women. Leaders of faith communities should consider ways they can provide tangible support to working parents, particularly by communicating the value of women who work and of men who contribute to household and childcare responsibilities.
The Power of Play
Authors: Lesser Andrew
Published: September 2024

This introductory chapter outlines the framework of the text and its purpose as it relates to individual readers with various musical backgrounds. It continues with a discussion of why digital games can be an effective tool for learning and development, such as cognitive development, engagement, scaffolding, and social-emotional learning, along with how games can relate to National Core Arts Standards. This is further explained by connecting digital games to current curriculum frameworks of technology in music education, such as Triple E, SAMR, and TPACK. The chapter concludes with an outline of how digital game-based learning can be applied to influential music education pedagogies.
Antidemocratic Publics
Authors: Waisbord Silvio
Published: September 2024

This chapter argues that January 6th not only reveals the centrality of digital organizing for contemporary U.S. right-wing politics, but it also complicates early arguments about the consequences of digital politics. January 6th demonstrates the significance of digital organizing in right-wing populism and antidemocratic publics and raises questions about comparative aspects of digital mobilization among different ideological movements. The political implications of digital organizing cannot be predicated simply on the basis of participation; the goals and the tactics of organized publics determine (anti)democratic components and consequences.
Applied Ariosto
Authors: Harness Kelley
Published: September 2024

Approximately 250 noblemen participated in the Florentine horse ballets during the seventeenth century. They represented many of the city’s principal families, as well as families from outside Tuscany. This chapter focuses on the demographic make-up of this group, specifically their ages, nationalities, positions held at court, membership in the Order of Santo Stefano, and the noble titles they held or aspired to. In the case of the seven riders bearing Spanish surnames, the invitation to participate in a Medici horse ballet helped cement their status as naturalized Florentine citizens. For all riders, participation in one or more horse ballets—which required both horsemanship and ability at arms—confirmed their possession of knightly skills while also demonstrating and maintaining their alliances with other noble families and the ruling Medici grand dukes. Riders brought honor to their families through their public performances of male nobility.
Borderland Blends
Authors: Calvillo Jonathan E.
Published: September 2024

This chapter argues that one of the key resonance channels that shaped Hip Hop in Brown Los Angeles runs through the Borderlands. Brown Los Angeles, this chapter argues, is a Borderlands space, a liminal reality where resonances of past colonial histories collide with ongoing inequalities to forge adaptive cultural expressions. Life in Brown Los Angeles is tied to a larger Borderlands region, the expansive geographies that encompass and radiate from the US-Mexico border. Particular elements of Borderlands life, as presented in this chapter, resonated with Hip Hop early on. Pachuquismo, especially, was a subculture that sustained resonances between Hip Hop and Brown Los Angeles. The chapter follows the creative work of Raul Garcia, known as Jonny Chingas, as emblematic of how Borderlands pachuquismo interacted with Hip Hop to facilitate Hip Hop’s embrace within Brown Los Angeles.
Game Recognize Game
Authors: Calvillo Jonathan E.
Published: September 2024

This chapter explores the concept of mutual recognition as a form of resonance that was catalytic in shaping early sites of Hip Hop sociability in Los Angeles. In mutual recognition, two or more individuals recognize each other as potential collaborators within a shared creative field. As the expectations of what Hip Hop would be on the West Coast were barely coalescing, mutual recognition was critical in the formation of creative partnerships and artistic collaborations. The Radio Club was a critical site of mutual recognition that helped cement Hip Hop’s place in Los Angeles. The chapter documents the life of the Radio Club through the eyes of various creatives from Brown Los Angeles who participated at the club. Drawing especially from the story of Crase, a young New York graffiti artist who relocated to Los Angeles, the chapter spotlights the influential nature of the Radio Club.
Restoring the Legitimacy of the Security Council
Authors: Johnstone Ian
Published: September 2024

This chapter deals with the Security Council’s legitimacy deficit. It goes beyond the standard critique of the Council’s composition and lack of representativeness and delves deeper into the legitimacy and effectiveness of the Council’s processes and performance. Questions about its performance legitimacy can arise in two ways: when it acts irresponsibly, and when it fails to act at all. The chapter posits that the main reason the Security Council is facing a legitimacy crisis today is its failure to act in response to many threats to international peace and security. Accordingly, one way of addressing that crisis is by generating a greater sense of responsibility to act. The chapter offers a set of proposals—underpinned by the twin principles of participation and publicity—to improve the quality of the Security Council’s deliberations, including empowering elected members, engaging regional groups, opening informal processes, and magnifying audience effect through greater public scrutiny.
Tapping the Full Potential of the General Assembly
Authors: Khalil Mona Ali
Published: September 2024

The UN General Assembly (UNGA) has untapped powers under Resolution 377 (V), also known as “Uniting for Peace”. When a veto prevents the UN Security Council (UNSC) from fulfilling its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, the UNGA can exercise its residual authority and authorize collective measures to respond to aggression and mass atrocity crimes.The tenth and eleventh emergency special sessions on the situations in Palestine and Ukraine demonstrate that the UNGA has yet to tap the full potential of that resolution. Unlike the UNSC, however, the UNGA can only provide a legal basis for action by states that are willing to act; it cannot impose binding obligations on states that do not. Nonetheless, when the UNSC is paralyzed, UNGA can authorize military assistance, deploy peacekeeping missions and recommend sanctions to give effect to the will of the international community in accordance with the UN Charter.
This Is a Chapter about Deception
Authors: Cox Courtney M.
Published: September 2024

This chapter tells a cautionary methodological tale about interstitial theorizing using the example of “deception.” Interstitial concepts in private law serve different functions; one is to create domains that cut across the traditional silos of private law, like tort, property, and contract. Once a domain is created, jurists and scholars can then render the law consistent across it. “Deception” has as strong a claim as any to serving this function, and scholars have begun theorizing the so-called law of deception. But focusing on the wrong concept as creating such a domain can distort our understanding of the law, unnecessarily limiting its path. This chapter illustrates this danger. The chapter first offers a philosophical analysis of the pre-legal concept of “deception.” The chapter then uses that analysis to question whether the tort of deceit—the leading example of the so-called law of deception—is really about deception at all.
The Concept of Personality in Private Law
Authors: Miller Paul B.
Published: September 2024

This chapter examines the concept of personality in private law. That we have such a concept is easily missed. We live in a time in which entrenched legal nominalism and moral anti-realism have generated fragmentary conceptions of personality. Some examine the concept in a reductionist way, equating legal personhood with possession of requisites of agency, or by tethering it to ascriptions of legal status. Others suggest that “legal personality” consists merely in different ascriptions made of different objects whom lawmakers have declared “persons.” In the chapter, I challenge all of this. I claim that the concept of personality in common law is reasonably coherent, its development having been disciplined by recourse to a focal exemplar (cognitively mature and intact natural persons). Furthermore, I argue that the concept consists in three irreducible facets—legal agency (and its requisites), the ascription of legal entitlements and burdens, and legal statuses.