bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Foundation-theoretic Epistemology II: Conditional Justification and Non-circularity
Authors: Schurz Gerhard
Published: April 2024

In this chapter, the ‘second half’ of the theory of first-order justification is elaborated: the theory of conditional first-order justification. The developed justification concept is not limited to the narrow boundaries of deductive-monotonic arguments, but it fully accounts for the probabilistic and defeasible nature of inductive and abductive arguments. A further crucial difference between these three kinds of inferences is that while deductions don’t allow the introduction of new relevant non-logical terms in the conclusion, inductive inferences introduce new relevant individual constants and theory-generating abductions introduce new relevant predicates. Contrary to a position that is criticized as ‘naive probabilism’, probabilistic support relations are not logically determined but have to be inductively supported by empirical evidence. A theory of justification nets is developed that allows us to reduce rule-circular justifications to premise-circular ones. It is shown that fully circular argument chains are epistemically worthless because they allow the justification of mutually contradictory beliefs. In contrast, justification circles that are additionally supported by independent evidence, so-called partial circles, are epistemically valuable. In the final section the notion of a conditional justification is formally explicated as similar to the notion of a ‘proof’ in logic as a sequence of propositions, with the difference that the involved rule steps need not be deductive but may also be inductive or abductive in nature, being annotated with associated conditional probabilities.
Solutions of the Boltzmann Equation
Authors: Li Hui , McCourt Frederick R.W.
Published: April 2024

The present chapter examines procedures for solving the linearized Boltzmann equation for both pure monatomic gases and binary mixtures, relying upon well-developed techniques for solving linear equations, as relatively little is yet known about obtaining general solutions to equations that involve nonlinear integral operators. The present treatment extends the description beyond the first Chapman–Cowling approximation for the various transport coefficients, giving explicit expressions at the level of the second approximation. Expressions have also been given for all effective cross-sections that appear at the level of the second approximation. Both classical and quantum mechanical evaluations of effective cross-sections have been included. It also includes a discussion of dynamical models for binary atomic collisions, the moment method, and its extension to binary mixtures
Why has trust declined?
Authors: Seyd Ben
Published: April 2024

This chapter extends the descriptive picture of the previous chapter by exploring why levels of trust in Britain have declined over the past four or more decades. The longitudinal analysis identifies changing levels of trust among individuals located in different socio-economic groups within the population. In particular, the findings point to a growing gap in trust between society’s ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’. This analysis is extended to other European countries and provides important clues about why trust has declined in some advanced democracies. At the same time, the evidence from Britain does not suggest that declining trust reflects age or generational effects. Beyond socio-economic and demographic factors, the chapter also considers how far changes in trust reflect people’s attitudes, in particular feelings of political representation and evaluations and expectations of government delivery.
The Individual in International Law in the Nineteenth Century, 1789-1914
Authors: Van Hulle Inge
Published: April 2024

The nineteenth century witnessed the dominance of State-centrism in international legal theory, shaping the historiography of international law. However, advancements in communication and transportation technologies expanded individuals’ global horizons, leading to the potential for conflicts and international legal actions. This chapter discusses moments when individuals challenged or reinforced State authority, by focusing on individuals such as theorists, participants, or unwitting law-makers. The first part explores the influence of State centrism on legal doctrine and the emergence of new sub-themes and fields related to individuals’ economic activities overseas. The subsequent sections discuss individuals as practitioners and lobbyists, highlighting diplomatic protection, extraterritoriality, and humanitarianism. Lastly, the concept of ‘vernacular international law’ demonstrates individuals’ relative freedom in crafting international legal instruments. Ultimately, western attempts to control individuals through international law facilitated free trade imperialism and colonialism while selectively benefiting certain groups and repressing others on the fringes of society.
Before Human Rights
Authors: Peters Anne
Published: April 2024

In response to World War I, the Russian revolution, and the dismantling of empires, a gamut of international legal institutions and procedures emerged: international labour law, the mandate system, the regimes for refugees and stateless persons, the rights of option, plebiscites, and the protection of vested rights. Individuals acquired access to international courts and tribunals and were allowed to enforce international treaty-based rights in domestic courts. These practical innovations served macro-political objectives, such as alleviating inter-State tensions, resolving war reparation matters, and serving transnationalised commerce. They inspired a doctrinal debate on the international legal personhood of individuals, embedded in broader paradigms of democracy and solidarity. The internal methodological turn from legal positivism to a more sociological approach and the external shock of the horrors of National socialism and World War II (re-)united the technicalities (including procedures) with more principled considerations on the inviolability of the human person.
L’Invention de l’Universalité du Droit International
Authors: Mégret Frédéric
Published: April 2024

Cette contribution s’interroge sur la création de l’« universel » en droit international, entendue comme catégorie spécifique de l’imaginaire juridique occidental. A travers la transformation du droit public européen en droit international à proprement parler, c’est tout le rapport du droit international à son altérité qui est posé. L’invention de l’universalité, dans ce contexte, est bien avant tout au XXème siècle une réponse au défi « régionaliste » notamment du « droit international américain. » Alors que le privilège du droit international avait été dénié aux nations non-européennes, on se précipite au contraire pour opposer l’universalité du droit international à ceux qui veulent désormais échapper à ses poussées impérialistes. Cela implique de réinterpréter le droit international à la lumière des exigences de la vie internationale, comme une nécessité incontournable. Fort de son pluralisme constitutif, le droit international semble bien équipé pour résister aux assauts de la diversité régionale. Mais son ascendance est toute relative face à l’affirmation toujours plus forte de phénomènes de décentralisation. This chapter reflects on the creation of the idea of universality in international law which it understands as a specific byproduct and category of the Western legal imagination. The transformation of a European public law into international law properly so-called raised the question of the relationship between international law and its other. In this context, the invention of universality can be understood as primarily a response to the regionalist challenge, including the so-called “American international law”, that emerged in the first half of the twentieth Century. Whilst the benefit of international law had long been denied to non-European nations, European scholars now rushed to invoke universality to resist those who would have fled international law’s imperialist dimensions. This led to a new understanding of international law no longer as the emanation of European consciousness but as based on the unavoidable necessities of international life. Paradoxically, it may be that today it is thanks to its pluralism, that international law is in a position to withstand the threats of regional diversity. Yet, its ascendency remains relative in relation to growing decentralizing forces.
Human Rights Nationalism as Universality Challenge
Authors: Altwicker Tilmann
Published: April 2024

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR, the Court) has developed an implicit jurisprudence on human rights universality. In the present context, human rights universality is understood in a normative sense, reflecting three normative qualities regarding human rights norms (their abstractness, inclusiveness, and rationality). In its universality jurisprudence, the ECtHR has operationalized these normative qualities and developed tools to adjust them to individual cases. This chapter argues that the greatest challenge to the abstractness and rationality claims presently comes from the recent wave of human rights nationalism. Human rights nationalism is voiced by a variety of actors (judges, political parties) prioritizing domestic interpretations of human rights over universalizing interpretations at a supra-state level. This trend establishes ‘national relativism–universality’ as a new binary. Human rights nationalism is hard, if not impossible, to accommodate within an international human rights mechanism. It has a tendency to ultimately play out the idea of domestic (democratic) control against the idea of international judicial protection of human rights.
Regionalism, Hegemony, and Universality in the International Order of the Far East
Authors: Shahabuddin Mohammad
Published: April 2024

This chapter contextualizes Japan’s engagement with the notion of universality ingrained in nineteenth-century European international law and argues that such engagements were informed by the historical pattern of Japanese responses to hegemony and the discourse on cultural superiority in the Far East that shifted from Sinocentrism to the unbroken imperial lineage to the national-spirit. Although Japanese scholars accepted and engaged with the European standard of civilization after the forced opening up of Japan to the Western world in the mid-nineteenth century, they did so for instrumental purposes and soon translated ‘civilization’ into a language of imperialism to reassert supremacy in the region. This narrative offers an analytical framework not only to go beyond Eurocentrism but also to identify various other loci of hegemony.
Universality in International Law Beyond the European
Authors: Baderin Mashood
Published: April 2024

While universality is a necessary corollary of international law, its global effectiveness is hampered by its apparent Eurocentric essentialism. Consequently, many states of the Global South, especially in the Muslim world, often perceive international law suspiciously as a trojan horse with a hidden baggage of imperialism, hegemony, and the imposition of Western civilizational superiority. For a more globally effective international law, this chapter argues dialogically, from an Islamic law perspective, for a more inclusive universality that acknowledges the possible contributions that non-Western worldviews and civilizations can make to strengthen its universal acceptability. It identifies that the Eurocentric universality of international law is perpetuated through four major channels: (1) the textbook historical narrative of international law, (2) norm recognition and formation in international law, (3) judicial interpretation and recognized principles of international law, and (4) political manipulations of international law. It proposes complementarity between European and Islamic perspectives of international law and argues for recognition of relevant Islamic principles relating to each of the four identified issues to ensure genuine universalism in international law beyond the European in relation to the Muslim world.
The Power of Images
Authors: Roy-Trudel Elisabeth
Published: April 2024

Modern law is heavily focused and relies on the sense of vision. It commonly uses images to translate and further develop abstract legal concepts, such as justice, human rights, and legal subjectivity. This chapter argues that more attention needs to be paid to the visual discourse in international human rights law, which creates and entrenches certain forms of domination and exclusion, and which prevents large sections of society from accessing rights. This seems essential precisely because of the claim of international human rights law to universal authority and applicability. A critical visual discourse analysis of key moments in the history of human rights reveals some of the ways in which images have shaped legal ideology, consciousness, and subjectivities. Moreover, drawing on sensuous scholarship, the chapter suggests that recognizing and accepting a sensorial plurality is a crucial step towards the realization of international human rights law’s promise of global justice.
German ‘Dogmatik’—An Untranslatable Concept if Ever There Was One?
Authors: Beham Markus
Published: April 2024

This chapter traces the meaning of the concept of ‘Dogmatik’ within the Germanophone legal tradition—particularly, of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland—and places it within the context of international legal scholarship to demonstrate its often implicit workings. Among the multitude of legal techniques and instruments of international legal theory, the concept is surely among the more obscure, illustrated by the lack of a corresponding technical term in the working languages of international law. The chapter highlights how such a particular legal tradition may support the universal aspirations of a normative project, as international law is, and thereby transcends the binary understanding of the universal. It first maps out the concept before discussing its particularities for, and impact on the study and understanding of, international law. As a contribution to comparative international law, it is suggested that ‘Dogmatik’ is a precondition for much systematization that has occurred in creating a ‘universal language’ of international law. Amidst the perceived chaos of international relations and the isolation of individual cases, its power lies in painting the picture of an overarching ‘higher legal order’, battling fragmentation and stabilizing the aspiration to universality.
Introduction
Authors: Upton Robert E.
Published: April 2024

This introduction outlines Tilak’s large symbolic importance in India’s culture today, as an ‘icon of modern India’. It describes the various relevances and uses he has, and the main strands of his diverse popular perception, in which he is remembered variously as patriot, dissenter, fighter, terrorist, anti-reformer, reformer, Hindutva ideologue, and secularist. Focusing on the question of Tilak’s relationship with Hindutva, and the broad assumption within and outside academia of his role as an important progenitor of the ideology, it establishes that it is the lack of systematic treatments of Tilak’s ideas that has enabed such conceptions to grow. This frames the problem the book seeks to deal with, before the subsequent chapters on Tilak’s own intellectual output, their own intellectual approach, and their alternative vision of Tilak, are outlined. The chapter also reflects on what the study of Tilak suggests in terms of the practice of the ‘global’ intellectual history of modern South Asia generally, and demonstrates Tilak’s central importance to it.
Remembering Tilak
Authors: Upton Robert E.
Published: April 2024

This chapter adopts a cultural history approach, surveying the contesting of Tilak’s memory in the Indian public sphere since his death, giving rise to a range of bitterly disputed contemporary readings. Through this it also contextualizes the historiography on Tilak, while illustrating the porous boundaries between official, popular, and academic accounts. Beginning with Tilak’s remarkable initial remembrance as national ‘founding father’ from 1920 within India and its diaspora, and the relevance of the ‘charismatic’ suffering of his sedition imprisonments for this, it then describes Gandhi’s appropriation of Tilak’s memory, and the subsequent remembering of Tilak as Gandhian; and then details how Tilak’s endorsement of violence was conversely celebrated by many, particularly on the emergent Hindu right in 1920s Maharashtra, helping to posthumously cement his credentials as a Hindutva ideologue, while therefore necessitating a reworking of his ideas. Non-Brahmin political organization, and women’s activism, have helped to concentrate popular and academic attention upon his ‘casteist’, ‘Arya-supremacist’ politics, and his gendered understanding of Indian society; and there has been a partly responsive move to insisting that Tilak was simply a ‘legendary social reformer’. As the post-independence state has used Tilak’s patriotic memory for legitimation, others have instead used him to critique and resist state power. But criticism of Tilak on grounds of religious politics or ‘extremism’ has become more strenuously resisted, and critics (or even textbooks) silenced, in recent years, contemporaneous with the growth in power of the Hindu right, potentially increasing the influence of a specific vision of his politics today.
Continuous Spontaneous Localization (CSL) Theory
Authors: Pearle Philip
Published: April 2024

This chapter introduces the two equations that completely define CSL, for the simplest case, that is, a state vector in a two-dimensional Hilbert space. One equation is the modified evolution equation for the state vector which depends upon a Brownian motion function of time, B(t), a Hermitian operator A called the “collapse-generating operator,” and a collapse rate parameter λ. The state vector evolution is linear, but not unitary, so its norm changes with time. The second equation is called the probability rule. It says the probability a particular B(t) occurs in Nature is proportional to the squared norm of the state vector, that is, high norm state vectors are most likely to occur. The chapter shows how an initial state vector that is a superposition of the eigenstates of A evolves to one eigenstate, with the Born probability, as predicted by standard quantum theory. Finally, it discusses the density matrix description of the ensemble of evolutions under all possible B(t).
CSL Theory Refinements
Authors: Pearle Philip
Published: April 2024

Since the Hilbert space for state vectors describing Nature is, of course, of higher dimension than two, generalization of the state vector evolution equation given in the previous chapter is needed. It is explained why the Brownian motion function needs to be replaced by its time derivative, that is, white noise w(t). The collapse-generating operator A is allowed to be arbitrary. As an example, the case of a free particle moving in one dimension, where A=X (the particle’s position operator), is completely solved. Then, further generalizing, the single collapse-generating operator A is replaced by a family Ai, a complete commuting set of operators, one of whose joint eigenstates is the end result of collapse. Each operator is linked to its own white noise function wi(t). The chapter then discussed time-ordering, which comes into play in the generalized evolution equation. The chapter also covers the associated density matrix. The chapter concludes with a final generalization where the discrete index i is replaced by the continuous index x, so the operators A(x) (x is a point in space) and the white noise field w(x,t) appear in the evolution equation.
Spontaneous Localization (SL) Theory
Authors: Pearle Philip
Published: April 2024

Before examining experimental consequences of CSL, this chapter discusses the spontaneous localization (SL) theory of Ghirardi, Rimini and Weber (GRW). As for CSL, the chapter presents the structure of the theory, and then specializes it to a non-relativistic theory. SL does not add a term to Schrodinger’s equation. Instead, the state vector is suddenly altered by a “hit” (GRW’s ‘spontaneous localization’), that is, multiplication by an operator, followed by renormalization. The hits occur at random times. The chapter shows the specific choice of operator made by GRW for their non-relativistic theory. Emphasized are two aspects of SL that helped the journey to CSL. One is that the collapse is always acting (one need not “turn it on.” The other is the “smeared” character of the GRW operator. The chapter then shows how the density matrix is calculated. Finally, it discusses the numerical values, chosen by GRW, of the two parameters of SL theory, λ and a, that are provisionally adopted for CSL.
Supplement to Chapter 1
Authors: Pearle Philip
Published: April 2024

This chapter supplements Chapter 1. It looks at various aspects of the Gambler’s Ruin game. As a recap for the reader, the Gambler’s Ruin game is where two gamblers bet on a coin toss. The game continues until one player wins all the money. It provides a precise analogue to the collapse behavior for a superposition of two states evolving under random influence to one or another of those states. The chapter explains how the Gambler’s Ruin criteria can be expressed as ensemble averages, and discusses fair game considerations
Supplement to Chapter 3
Authors: Pearle Philip
Published: April 2024

This chapter is a supplement to Chapter 3. It provides details regarding the mathematics involved in solving two one-dimensional motion probles, the free particle and the harmonic oscillator, when the collapse–generating operator is the position operator. A wave function solution is fully provided in both cases. The density matrix is also calculated, and then expressions for varous mean values of quantities of physical interest are obtained.
Supplement to Chapter 4
Authors: Pearle Philip
Published: April 2024

This chapter supplements Chapter 4. It introduces the quantum field operators that create and annihilate a particle at a particular position. These quantum field operators are useful in calculating here the universal mean energy increase of any object. This completes the calculation started in Chapter 4, where the results obtained here are utilized. Next, Galilean-invariance of non-relativistic CSL is proved, that is, time-translation invariance, space-translation invariance and boost-invariance.
Supplement to Chapter 7
Authors: Pearle Philip
Published: April 2024

This chapter supplements Chapter 7. It begins by discussing how, as one increases the radius of a sphere surrounding the proton in a hydrogen atom, eventually one can say it is observable reality that the electron is in the atom. Next, observable reality is considered for the case of an electron in a two-slit interference experiment. Lastly, the chapter mentions the possibility of an observability criterion based upon photons reaching the eye from objects, and goes on to develop construction of an operator that criterion would need, an operator representing the number of photons of momentum k0 reaching the eye.
CSL Expressed as a Schrödinger Stochastic DE
Authors: Pearle Philip
Published: April 2024

Chapter 16 uses the results of Chapter 15 to show how to construct the CSL Stratonovich and Ito Schrödinger equations for the normalized state vector. It is emphasized that there is a non-linear dependence on the state vector. It then goes on to show how the (linear) density matrix evolution equation follows is constructed from that. The chapter ends with a discussion regarding specialization to non-relativistic CSL.
Applying the CSL Stratonovich Equation to the Free Particle Undergoing Collapse in Position
Authors: Pearle Philip
Published: April 2024

This chapter addresses the problem of applying the continuous spontaneous localization (CSL) Stratonovich equation to the free particle undergoing collapse in position, by finding the solution in Gaussian form. This solution was previously obtained in Chapter 10 by using the linear Schrödinger equation/probability rule formulation of CSL (which was used in the first seven chapters of this book). This chapter shows how the same result is obtained from the stochastic differential equation formulation of CSL.
Applying the CSL Stratonovich Equation to the Harmonic Oscillator Undergoing Collapse in Position
Authors: Pearle Philip
Published: April 2024

This chapter addresses the problem of applying the continuous spontaneous localization (CSL) Stratonovich equation to a harmonic oscillator particle undergoing collapse in position, by finding the solution in Gaussian form. This solution was not previously obtained. It is quite complicated, and provides a demonstration of the power of the SDE approach to CSL.
Electronic Forex, 1992–2007
Authors: Michie Ranald C.
Published: April 2024

After 1990, the foreign exchange market was revolutionized by technological developments. The laying of fibre-optic cables transformed the speed of international communications, reducing even further the time delay between different financial centres. At the same time, trading was also transformed by the introduction of computing technology, as this could cope with a much greater volume of transactions. The banks and inter-dealer brokers that benefitted from this revolution were the few willing to invest in the technology required, recruit and retain the expert staff, and maintain offices in the leading financial centres. The result was to further concentrate the foreign exchange market in a small number of financial centres around the world, led by London.
Chalcis and Eretria
Authors: Fachard Sylvian , Verdan Samuel
Published: April 2024

Chalcis and Eretria, located less than 20 km from each other on the island of Euboea, were remarkably dynamic communities during the Archaic period. The site of Lefkandi, located between Chalcis and Eretria, was abandoned c. 700, and its territory was absorbed by Chalcis. The relationship between Chalcis and Eretria, although frequently hostile, was close, and they developed a uniquely Euboean identity and material culture. Off the island, Chalcidians and Eretrians played a pivotal role in Greeks’ intensive mobility, settlement abroad, and participation in Mediterranean trading networks. In the sixth century, both poleis expanded the territory they controlled on Euboea. The late sixth and early fifth centuries were a difficult time for both Chalcis and Eretria; the latter was conquered by Athens in 506, the former sacked by the Persians in 490. The story of Chalcis and Eretria thus forms an integral part of the larger story of the Greek world during the Archaic period, replete with bold enterprises, parochial infighting, and constant change.
Trace Element and Isotope Geochemistry of Tschicoma Formation Intermediate Composition Dome Complexes, Jemez Mountains Volcanic Field, New Mexico, USA
Authors: Waelkens Clara M , Stix John , Goff Fraser , Weis Dominique
Published: April 2024

Repeated intrusions of mafic magma have long been known to be a driver of long-lived magmatic systems. Although the importance of mafic recharge of silicic magma systems is well-documented in igneous petrology, the origin of this recharge magma is sometimes obscure. By examining the pre-caldera intermediate dome complexes of the Tschicoma Formation and their relationship to a dacitic recharge event into the Tshirege Member of the Bandelier Tuff, we aim to better understand the origin of mafic recharge events into the Bandelier magma chamber of Valles caldera, and the relationship between different stages of volcanic activity within the broader Jemez Mountains volcanic field (JMVF). Based on major, trace element and radiogenic isotopic data, we divide the Tschicoma Formation into three geochemical groups with similar petrologic evolutionary paths. The Cerro Grande, Cerro Rubio and Pajarito Mountain volcanic dome complexes form group A and have assimilated various amounts of a granitoid crustal component with low εNd, εHf and radiogenic Pb. Group B consists of the Sawyer Dome, Rendija Canyon and Caballo Mountain dome complexes, which have principally evolved through different degrees of fractional crystallization of the same parent magma, itself a result of complex interactions of a mafic mantle-derived magma with the crust. The dacite domes and flows around Tschicoma Peak and the newly described Cañada Bonita dacite form group C and are the result of mixing of Rendija Canyon magma with mafic recharge magma which is preserved as distinct mafic enclaves. At a later stage of the JMVF, during the eruption of the Tshirege Member, distinctive hornblende–dacite pumices formed as a result of the influx of more mafic recharge magma into the system, which mobilized a pre-existing dacite intrusion and injected it into the Tshirege rhyolite ( Stimac, 1996; Boroet al.,2020). Based on trace element and isotopic compositions, we propose that dacite which was injected into the Tshirege magma chamber was related to the earlier-erupted Tschicoma Formation and itself represents a mixing product of Tshirege rhyolite and a precursor to the Tschicoma dacites. This implies that the Tschicoma magmatic system was long-lived yet dormant during the eruption of the Otowi Member of the Bandelier Tuff, then was reactivated shortly before the Tshirege eruption, temporarily co-existing and interacting with the Bandelier system as it erupted.
Nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat receptor homologs Pib and PibH8 interact and contribute to immunity in rice
Authors: Wang Zhanchun , Yang Dewei , Zhong Guitao , Li Shengping , Wang Wei , Tang Dingzhong
Published: April 2024

Plant nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat receptors (NLRs) sense pathogen effectors and activate effector-triggered immunity (ETI). Many plant NLRs form pairs with other NLRs to recognize effectors and initiate ETI. PIRICULARIA ORYZAE RESISTANCE IN BL1 (Pib), an NLR protein in rice (Oryza sativa), activates resistance by recognizing the rice blast effector AvrPib. The activation of Pib is suppressed by SH3 DOMAIN-CONTAINING PROTEIN 2 (OsSH3P2) in the absence of AvrPib. However, how Pib triggers defense responses and whether Pib pairs with another NLR are not clear. In this study, we identified Pib by map-based cloning and showed that a homolog of Pib, PIB HOMOLOGUE 8 (PibH8), interacts with Pib. Pib and PibH8 mediate resistance to the Magnaporthe oryzae isolate Guy11, a rice blast strain carrying AvrPib. Interestingly, the pib/pibh8 double mutant exhibited enhanced susceptibility to Guy11 compared to the single mutant. Furthermore, PibH8 can oligomerize through its coiled-coil (CC) domain, which also contributes to the Pib–PibH8 interaction, suggesting that Pib and PibH8 may form a complex to recognize AvrPib. OsSH3P2 inhibited the interaction of Pib and PibH8 through association with the CC domain of PibH8. Taken together, these results indicate that both Pib and PibH8 are required for rice blast resistance to M. oryzae carrying AvrPib, which is negatively regulated by OsSH3P2. This study not only identifies an NLR that functions in rice blast resistance but also reveals a possible complex immune strategy in which homologous NLR proteins may regulate the complete activation of plant immunity.
Towards higher standardization of funding acknowledgements in scientific publications: Current status in the case of a national and a European research fellowship scheme
Authors: Bordons María , Morillo Fernanda , Álvarez-Bornstein Belén
Published: April 2024

Acknowledgement of funding sources in scientific publications is becoming mandatory in science. As funders' instructions are often vague, there is great variability in the way authors acknowledge funding, this hindering the linking of grants to their subsequent publications. The aim of this study is to analyse how funding is acknowledged in scientific publications in two important research fellowship schemes: the Spanish Ramón y Cajal programme (RyC) and the European Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Actions (MSCA). WoS publications in 2017 by Spain-based researchers that include funding acknowledgements from either of the two programmes are identified. Firstly, compliance with funders’ recommendations in terms of the elements included in acknowledgements is analysed. Secondly, the degree of comprehensiveness in the authors’ description of the grants is studied by focusing on how often different items are reported (funding agency, programme, grant number, grantee, year of the call, etc). Thirdly, the use of normalized structured notations in acknowledgements is examined. Around 78% of RyC vs. 84% of MSCA grants comply with funders’ recommendations regarding the elements to be included in the acknowledgements. A comprehensive description of grants is unusual in both programmes. Structured notations are included in two-thirds of RyC vs. one-third of MSCA grants. Advantages of using structured notations are highlighted, since they provide unique identification of grants, improve the comprehensiveness and normalization of funding data, facilitate automatic data processing and could be compatible with global grant identifiers. Further standardization of funding data in acknowledgements is needed to optimize their use in science policy studies.
The Care Economy al América Latina: A Multi-scalar Feminist Project
Authors: Mahon Rianne
Published: April 2024

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) created an opening to put the care economy on the global agenda, but the idea found particularly fertile ground in Latin America and the Caribbean well before COVID. This article examines the way the idea and practice of a care economy has been developed by feminists in the region. It looks at the role played by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and the triennial Regional Conferences on Women in putting it on the regional agenda. Turning to the Uruguayan example, it looks at how feminists were able successfully to push for a national care system, using the idea of the care economy as a coalition magnet. When facing blockages at the national scale elsewhere, however, Latin American feminists have adopted a multi-scalar strategy, finding openings especially at the local scale, as the examples of Bogotá and Mexico City suggest.
Unpacking the trust concept: closing the common law–civil law gap
Authors: Noseda Filippo
Published: April 2024

This article builds on the practical experience of a Swiss lawyer turned English solicitor, first in understanding the trust concept and then explaining it to others. The main stumbling block is the idea of a ‘split’ ownership, but also misconceptions about common law, its legal sources and even the language used by common lawyers to describe the trust mechanism. A proper understanding of the trust mechanism requires a degree of ‘unpacking’, ‘unlearning’ and even ‘rewiring’, and the first part of this article uses familiar language to deconstruct and demystify several misconceptions. The second part will provide some reverse engineering and put everything back together. Common lawyers may find this ‘deconstructing’ and ‘reconstructing’ exercise helpful, too, as it provides some insight into the challenges faced by their peers outside the common law world in understanding what is going on here.
Diversity and Aggressiveness of the Diaporthe Species Complex on Sunflower in Serbia
Authors: Krsmanović Slobodan , Riccioni Luca , Dedić Boško , Mathew Febina Merlin , Tolimir Miodrag , Stojšin Vera , Petrović Kristina
Published: April 2024

This study aimed to investigate the Diaporthe species associated with Phomopsis stem canker of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) in Serbia. The significant increase in sunflower and soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) cultivation may have created the bridge favorable conditions for the distribution of Diaporthe species in this region. The present study identified five Diaporthe species on sunflower: D. gulyae, D. helianthi, D. pseudolongicolla, D. stewartii, and the newly identified D. riccionae based on morphological, molecular, and pathogenic characteristics. The research emphasizes the importance of effective inoculation methods and evaluates the aggressiveness of isolates. Sunflower plants were inoculated using the stem wound method, while seeds of sunflower and soybean were inoculated using the standard seed method. Most of the tested isolates demonstrated high aggressiveness, resulting in more than 80% premature wilting of sunflower plants. Additionally, this research examined the aggressiveness of Diaporthe species on sunflower seeds, highlighting D. stewartii and D. pseudolongicolla as common pathogens of both sunflower and soybean. The most aggressive species on seeds was D. stewartii, causing seed decay of up to 100% in sunflower and 97% in soybean. The findings suggest the development of resilient sunflower genotypes through breeding programs and the implementation of strategies to manage cross-contamination risks between sunflower and soybean crops. Furthermore, this study provides insights into the interactions between Diaporthe species and the seeds of sunflower and soybean. Future research will enhance our understanding of the impact of Diaporthe species on sunflower and soybean.
The National Institutes of Health Lasker Clinical Research Scholars Program: A Decade of Launching Clinician-Scientist Careers
Authors: Dearolf Charles R. , Lee Janice S. , Pickett Christopher L. , Santangelo George , Schor Nina F.
Published: April 2024

Purpose

In response to the decades-long decrease in U.S. clinician-scientists, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation launched the Lasker Clinical Research Scholars Program in academic year 2011 to 2012. The investigators examined the early outcomes of this program.

Method

Thirty-nine scholars have matriculated into the program as of May 2023. Productivity was assessed for all scholars who joined the program before October 2020 (n = 31). Extramural early-stage investigators (ESIs) were used as a control group, and coarsened exact matching was used to compare the groups. The scholars were compared with the matched ESIs on 4 productivity metrics: publication count, weighted relative citation ratio, clinical impact, and approximate potential to translate. Publication records for both groups were compiled using the NIH Office of Portfolio Analysis’ name disambiguation method and manually curated to ensure integrity of the data set.

Results

Of the 39 scholars, 29 were compared with 121 matched extramural ESIs. Five years before matriculation, the 2 groups had comparable numbers of publications, but scholars had a higher median weighted relative citation ratio, clinical impact, and approximate potential to translate score. Five years after matriculation, the scholars had a higher median number of publications than the ESIs, and the gap between scholars and ESIs, with scholars having higher scores, had widened for all metrics except approximate potential to translate scores. Of 10 of the 39 scholars at or approaching tenure eligibility, 6 have attained tenure (3 at NIH and 3 in academic institutions) and 4 are on track to attain tenure at NIH.

Conclusions

All the Lasker clinical research scholars are substantially involved in clinical and translational research. Their productivity matches or exceeds that of a matched cohort of ESIs at U.S. academic institutions.
Determinants of early-onset colorectal cancer: a multicenter case-control study in Iran
Authors: Collatuzzo Giulia , Seyyedsalehi Monireh Sadat , Rashidian Hamideh , Hadji Maryam , Safari-Faramani Roya , Rezaianzadeh Abbas , Malekzadeh Reza , Zendehdel Kazem , Boffetta Paolo
Published: April 2024

Background

We aimed to study the risk factors of early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence in the Iranian population. Early onset CRC in Iran is a relevant health issue that deserves further epidemiological efforts to be defined and controlled as far as possible. Early age screening of low-tract of the intestine would be particularly useful in families of colorectal cancer patients

Methods

We analyzed data from a multicenter hospital-based case-control study in Iran (The Iranian Study of Opium and Cancer). Sociodemographic and lifestyle information was collected using validated questionnaires. Multivariate logistic regressions estimated the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association of early-onset CRC in individuals under the age of 50 and potential risk factors, including physical activity, socioeconomic status, body shape at age 15, dietary factors, vitamin D, cigarettes and waterpipe smoking, opium use and family history of CRC. Additionally, a subgroup analysis was conducted for individuals with a very young age of CRC onset (i.e. <35 years).

Results

We analyzed data of 189 developed CRC below age 50 (99 colon and 90 rectum), and 66 patients under the age 35 (13 colon and 21 rectum). Early CRC was inversely associated with vegetables (OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.38–0.92 for 422–576 g/day) and vitamin D (OR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.26–0.94), and positively associated with red meat intake (OR, 1.80; 1.15–2.83 per 25.65 g/day). Vegetables (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.27–0.98 for 576 g/day), red meat (OR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.11–3.79 for 25.65 g/day), vitamin D (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.10–0.86) and opium use (OR, 2.61; 95% CI, 1.01–6.74) were associated with early rectum cancer. Results were heterogeneous by cancer site for high fruit and vegetables intakes and cigarette smoking. Family history was associated with CRC (OR, 3.16; 95% CI, 1.29–10.9) and rectum cancer (OR, 3.22; 95% CI, 1.24–14.4) in subjects younger than 35, and, to a lesser extent, with CRC and rectum cancer before age 50.

Conclusion

Early-onset CRC was related to the intake of vegetables, vitamin D and red meat in Iran. Early-onset rectum cancer was associated with regular opium use. Family history was associated with early CRC and early rectum cancer, particularly below the age of 35.
A behavioral economics approach to enhancing HIV preexposure and postexposure prophylaxis implementation
Authors: Li Jingjing , Liu Yaxin , Nehl Eric , Tucker Joseph D.
Published: April 2024

Purpose of review

The ’PrEP cliff’ phenomenon poses a critical challenge in global HIV PrEP implementation, marked by significant dropouts across the entire PrEP care continuum. This article reviews new strategies to address ‘PrEP cliff’.

Recent findings

Canadian clinicians have developed a service delivery model that offers presumptive PEP to patients in need and transits eligible PEP users to PrEP. Early findings are promising. This service model not only establishes a safety net for those who were not protected by PrEP, but it also leverages the immediate salience and perceived benefits of PEP as a natural nudge towards PrEP use. Aligning with Behavioral Economics, specifically the Salience Theory, this strategy holds potential in tackling PrEP implementation challenges.

A natural pathway between PEP and PrEP has been widely observed. The Canadian service model exemplifies an innovative strategy that leverages this organic pathway and enhances the utility of both PEP and PrEP services. We offer theoretical insights into the reasons behind these PEP–PrEP transitions and evolve the Canadian model into a cohesive framework for implementation.
Redistribution of Epithelium and Stroma and Their Relationship With Corneal Curvature After 1-Month Cessation of Overnight Orthokeratology
Authors: Yang Ying , Chen Can , Chen Zhi , Zeng Li , Xue Feng , Zhou Jiaqi
Published: April 2024

Objectives:

To investigate the changes in the thickness of epithelium and stroma and their relationship with corneal curvature following the cessation of overnight orthokeratology for a period of 1 month.

Methods:

This prospective study consecutively included 20 juveniles (20 right eyes) who had undergone overnight orthokeratology for a minimum of one year and were willing to discontinue the treatment. The study measured and compared epithelial and corneal curvature using optical coherence tomography and Medmont topographer at the first day of cessation and 1 month after cessation. In addition, changes in uncorrected visual acuity and refractive error before and after the cessation of the treatment were analyzed.

Results:

The study found a significant increase in the thickness of the epithelium in the central 2-mm area after the cessation of the treatment (t = −4.807, P<0.001). Moreover, the stroma in the paracentral area (2–5 mm) and peripheral area (5–6 mm) showed a general thinning trend (P=0.016, P=0.016). Regarding the correlation analysis, the change in central epithelial thickness (ΔCET) was significantly correlated with the change in paracentral corneal curvature (ΔPCCC) (r=0.610, P=0.007) and the change in peripheral corneal curvature (ΔPCC) (r=0.597, P=0.009). Similarly, the change in central stromal thickness (ΔCST) was significantly correlated with the change in central corneal curvature (ΔCCC) (r=0.500, P=0.035), ΔPCCC (r=0.700, P=0.001), and ΔPCC (r=0.635, P=0.005).

Conclusions:

The study found that the corneal remodeling induced by orthokeratology was reversible after the cessation of the treatment. Specifically, changes in the epithelium were found to be more prominent in the central area, while changes in the stroma were more pronounced in the paracentral and peripheral areas. In addition, the study established a significant correlation between central corneal remodeling and changes in curvature.
Effects of Preoperative Intravenous Versus Subcutaneous Tranexamic Acid on Postoperative Periorbital Ecchymosis and Edema Following Upper Eyelid Blepharoplasty: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled, Comparative Study
Authors: Marous Charlotte L. , Farhat Omar J. , Cefalu Matthew , Rothschild Michael I. , Alapati Sailaja , Wladis Edward J.
Published: April 2024

Purpose:

To compare the effects of preoperative tranexamic acid (TXA) administered intravenously (IV) versus subcutaneously on postoperative ecchymosis and edema in patients undergoing bilateral upper eyelid blepharoplasty.

Methods:

A prospective, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study of patients undergoing bilateral upper eyelid blepharoplasty at a single-center. Eligible participants were randomized to preoperatively receive either (1) 1 g of TXA in 100 ml normal saline IV, (2) 50 µl/ml of TXA in local anesthesia, or (3) no TXA. Primary outcomes included ecchymosis and edema at postoperative day 1 (POD1) and 7 (POD7). Secondary outcomes included operative time, pain, time until resuming activities of daily living, patient satisfaction, and adverse events.

Results:

By comparison (IV TXA vs. local subcutaneous TXA vs. no TXA), ecchymosis scores were significantly lower on POD1 (1.31 vs. 1.56 vs. 2.09, p = 0.02) and on POD7 (0.51 vs. 0.66 vs. 0.98, p = 0.04) among those that received TXA. By comparison (IV TXA vs. local subcutaneous TXA vs. no TXA), significant reductions in edema scores occurred in those that received TXA on POD1 (1.59 vs. 1.43 vs. 1.91, p = 0.005) and on POD7 (0.85 vs. 0.60 vs. 0.99, p = 0.04). By comparison (IV TXA vs. local subcutaneous TXA vs. no TXA) patients treated with intravenous and local subcutaneous TXA preoperatively were more likely to experience shorter operative times (10.8 vs. 11.8 vs. 12.9 minutes, p = 0.01), reduced time to resuming activities of daily livings (1.6 vs. 1.6 vs. 2.3 days, p < 0.0001), and higher satisfaction scores at POD1 (8.8 vs. 8.7 vs. 7.9, p = 0.0002). No adverse events occurred were reported.

Conclusion:

In an analysis of 106 patients, preoperative TXA administered either IV or subcutaneously safely reduced postoperative ecchymosis and edema in patients undergoing upper eyelid blepharoplasty. While statistical superiority between intravenous versus local subcutaneous TXA treatment was not definitively identified, our results suggest clinical superiority with IV dosing.