bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Variola Virus and Clade I Mpox Virus Differentially Modulate Cellular Responses Longitudinally in Monocytes During Infection
Authors: Wahl Victoria , Olson Victoria A , Kondas Ashley V , Jahrling Peter B , Damon Inger K , Kindrachuk Jason
Published: November 2023

Variola virus (VARV), the etiological agent of smallpox, had enormous impacts on global health prior to its eradication. In the absence of global vaccination programs, mpox virus (MPXV) has become a growing public health threat that includes endemic and nonendemic regions across the globe. While human mpox resembles smallpox in clinical presentation, there are considerable knowledge gaps regarding conserved molecular pathogenesis between these 2 orthopoxviruses. Thus, we sought to compare MPXV and VARV infections in human monocytes through kinome analysis. We performed a longitudinal analysis of host cellular responses to VARV infection in human monocytes as well as a comparative analysis to clade I MPXV-mediated responses. While both viruses elicited strong activation of cell responses early during infection as compared to later time points, several key differences in cell signaling events were identified and validated. These observations will help in the design and development of panorthopoxvirus therapeutics.
Surveillance of Complicated Mpox Cases Unresponsive to Oral Tecovirimat in Los Angeles County, 2022
Authors: Karan Abraar , Shah Naman , Garrigues Jacob M , Alarcόn Jemma , Hemarajata Peera , Finn Lauren E , Poortinga Kathleen , Danza Phoebe , Kulkarni Sonali , Kim Moon , Terashita Dawn , Green Nicole M , Balter Sharon
Published: November 2023

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health established a surveillance system to identify complicated (advanced human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] or hospitalized) mpox cases. From 1 August to 30 November 2022, we identified 1581 mpox cases, of which 134 (8.5%) were complicated. A subset of 8 cases did not recover after either initiating or completing a course of oral tecovirimat. All 8 patients were HIV positive and had advanced HIV (CD4 count <200 cells/μL). We identified 8 distinct mutations previously associated with tecovirimat resistance in specimens collected from 6 patients. Ongoing surveillance of viral evolution requires close coordination between health departments and frontline providers.
InterviewFinancial Regulation and Governance in the Age of AI
Authors: Powell Grant
Published: November 2023

Grant Powell MBCS spoke to Nathalie Lowe and Dr Henrike Mueller from the Financial Conduct Authority about their work in AI and the challenges associated with regulating technically evolving markets.
The Experience of Neurodiverse and Disabled People in IT
Authors: Runciman Brian
Published: November 2023

In 2022 BCS focused on the experience of black women in IT as a leader into our regular diversity analysis. For 2023 we are focusing on the experience of disabled and neurodivergent people who work in IT. Brian Runciman MBCS gives a taster of the forthcoming report.
Futurology
Authors: Lucas Matt
Published: November 2023

Matt Lucas, Senior Product Manager at IBM, and Isabel Fischer, Associate Professor of Information Systems at Warwick Business School, consider the skills required to thrive in an AI-enabled world.
Mentoring
Authors: Yetim Adem
Published: November 2023

Adem Yetim FBCS provides insight into the importance of building robust mentor- mentee relationships to enhance understanding and support ethical navigation in the dynamic world of AI.
Beware of the Green
Authors: North Andrew
Published: November 2023

Andrew North, a Director in KPMG's Technology Risk team with over 30 years' experience of assuring IT change programmes, sets out why programme leaders should be wary of green project status reports, and what they should be asking for to help them spot issues early and support their teams to deliver successful projects.
Signal Processing and Machine Learning Algorithm to Classify Anaesthesia Depth
Authors: Powell Grant
Published: November 2023

Volume 30, Issue 1 of the BMJ Health and Care Informatics Journal features a new piece of original research. Oscar Mosquera Dussan, Eduardo Tuta-Quintero and Dr Daniel A. Botero-Rosas present the findings of a study into how information can impact on the monitoring of anaesthetic depth (AD) during surgical procedures.
Automation
Authors: Major Danny
Published: November 2023

Danny Major FBCS explores the potential of conversational AI and how its successful integration can satisfy a wide range of business needs.
SARS-CoV-2 genomics and impact on clinical care for COVID-19
Authors: Lorenzo-Redondo Ramon , de Sant’Anna Carvalho Alexandre Machado , Hultquist Judd F , Ozer Egon A
Published: November 2023

The emergence and worldwide spread of SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the adaptation and rapid deployment of viral WGS and analysis techniques that had been previously applied on a more limited basis to other viral pathogens, such as HIV and influenza viruses. The need for WGS was driven in part by the low mutation rate of SARS-CoV-2, which necessitated measuring variation along the entire genome sequence to effectively differentiate lineages and characterize viral evolution. Several WGS approaches designed to maximize throughput and accuracy were quickly adopted by surveillance labs around the world. These broad-based SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequencing efforts revealed ongoing evolution of the virus, highlighted by the successive emergence of new viral variants throughout the course of the pandemic. These genomic insights were instrumental in characterizing the effects of viral mutations on transmissibility, immune escape and viral tropism, which in turn helped guide public health policy, the use of monoclonal antibody therapeutics and vaccine development strategies. As the use of direct-acting antivirals for the treatment of COVID-19 became more widespread, the potential for emergence of antiviral resistance has driven ongoing efforts to delineate resistance mutations and to monitor global sequence databases for their emergence. Given the critical role of viral genomics in the international effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, coordinated efforts should be made to expand global genomic surveillance capacity and infrastructure towards the anticipation and prevention of future pandemics.
Lessons identified for a future pandemic
Authors: Cunningham Neil , Hopkins Susan
Published: November 2023

Pandemics are complex events requiring a coordinated, global response. The response to the pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in system preparedness.

Lessons arising from the COVID-19 pandemic are characterized by four broad themes: (i) investment in public health and health infrastructure, (ii) countermeasures (medical and non-medical), (iii) risk communication and public health measures and (iv) investment in people and partnerships.

Learning from the COVID-19 pandemic identifies an approach that focusses on capacities and capabilities that are pathogen agnostic, ensuring that we can respond to diverse emerging infectious disease threats will be essential. The lessons learned from previous and ongoing infectious disease outbreaks should be kept under constant review, in line with technological and scientific advances, to improve our ability to detect, mitigate and respond to new and emerging threats.
An overview of COVID-19 global epidemiology and discussion of potential drivers of variable global pandemic impacts
Authors: Ashmore Polly , Sherwood Emma
Published: November 2023

With a WHO-estimated excess mortality burden of 14.9 million over the course of 2020 and 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major human impact so far. It has also affected a range of disciplines, systems and practices from mathematical modelling to behavioural sciences, pharmaceutical development to health system management. This article explores these developments and, to set the scene, this paper summarizes the global epidemiology of COVID-19 from January 2020 to June 2021 and considers some potential drivers of variation.
Multi-dimensional condensation of intracellular biomolecules
Authors: Yanagawa Masataka , Shimobayashi Shunsuke F
Published: November 2023

Liquid–liquid phase separation has been recognized as universal mechanisms in living cells for the formation of RNA-protein condensates and ordered lipid domains. These biomolecular condensates or domains nucleate, diffuse and interact with each other across physical dimensions to perform their biological functions. Here we summarize key features of biophysical principles underlying the multi-dimensional condensation of RNA-protein condensates and ordered lipid domains, which are related to nuclear transcription, and signaling on cell membranes. Uncovering physicochemical factors that govern the spatiotemporal coupling of those condensates presents a new avenue in their functions and associated human diseases.
Extension of theglmm.hppackage to zero-inflated generalized linear mixed models and multiple regression
Authors: Lai Jiangshan , Zhu Weijie , Cui Dongfang , Mao Lingfeng
Published: November 2023

glmm.hp is an R package designed to evaluate the relative importance of collinear predictors within generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs). Since its initial release in January 2022, it has been rapidly gained recognition and popularity among ecologists. However, the previous glmm.hp package was limited to work GLMMs derived exclusively from the lme4 and nlme packages. The latest glmm.hp package has extended its functions. It has integrated results obtained from the glmmTMB package, thus enabling it to handle zero-inflated generalized linear mixed models (ZIGLMMs) effectively. Furthermore, it has introduced the new functionalities of commonality analysis and hierarchical partitioning for multiple linear regression models by considering both unadjusted R2 and adjusted R2. This paper will serve as a demonstration for the applications of these new functionalities, making them more accessible to users.
Hypoxia-induced one-carbon metabolic reprogramming in glioma stem-like cells
Authors: He Xuan-Cheng , Wang Jian , Shi Min-Yang , Liu Chang-Mei , Teng Zhao-Qian
Published: November 2023

Glioma stem cells (GSCs) in the hypoxic niches contribute to tumor initiation, progression, and recurrence in glioblastoma (GBM). Metabolic pathways are altered in GSCs under hypoxia, but the mechanism underlying the altered one-carbon metabolism in GSCs by hypoxia is largely unknown. Here, we report that hypoxia induces down-regulation of DHFR as well as up-regulation of MAT2A in GBM tumorsphere cells, and confers them the ability of cell proliferation that is independent of exogenous folate. Importantly, short-term inhibition of the methionine cycle or exposure to the MAT2A inhibitor is sufficient to cripple the tumor-initiating capability of GBM tumorsphere cells. Therefore, we present a novel perspective on how hypoxia alters the pattern of one-carbon metabolism in GBM tumorsphere cells and provide evidence that restriction of methionine intake or targeting MAT2A inhibits the tumorigenicity of GBM tumorsphere cells.
Memory and the Human Anterior Thalamus
Authors: Sweeney-Reed Catherine M. , Knight Robert T.
Published: November 2023

The cerebral cortex and hippocampus are well-established as key brain structures in memory processing. The role of the cerebral cortex in human memory has been extensively investigated due to the wide availability of electroencephalography (EEG), which enables non-invasive electrophysiological recordings of cortical activity during memory formation, storage, and retrieval, and because the spatial resolution of functional neuroimaging allows identification of modulation of brain activity in functionally specialized cortical regions during memory processing. Animal and human lesion, as well as neuroimaging studies, also indicate engagement of the anterior nuclei of the thalamus (ANT) in memory processing, and the extensive cortical and hippocampal anatomical connectivity of the ANT has led to the proposal that they are key a part of an extended memory system. The recent introduction of deep brain stimulation of the ANT to treat refractory epilepsy has opened new avenues for examining the role of these structures in human memory, both through evaluation of the effects of perturbing ANT electrical activity on memory performance during stimulation, and recordings of electrophysiological signals directly from the ANT during memory processing. Simultaneous EEG recording of cortical activity has also enabled insights into how the cerebral cortex and ANT interact during memory processing, with the findings providing evidence that the ANT, and their interactions with cerebral cortex, play a critical role in memory formation.
Bronchial aspirate obtained during bronchoscopy yields increased fungal load compared to bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in patients at risk of invasive aspergillosis and Pneumocystis pneumonia
Authors: Dellière Sarah , Amar Yaël , Hamane Samia , Aissaoui Nesrine , Denis Blandine , Bergeron Anne , Tazi Abdellatif , Alanio Alexandre
Published: November 2023

Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) is a standard respiratory sample for diagnosing invasive fungal diseases like Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) and invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). However, procedural variations exist across medical centers and wards. This study aimed to compare the diagnostic potential of BALF and bronchial aspirate (BA) obtained during bronchoscopy in 173 patients suspected of fungal infections. A prospective observational study was conducted from April 2020 to November 2021. BALF and BA were collected during bronchoscopy and subjected to direct examination, fungal culture, Aspergillus fumigatus qPCR (AfqPCR), and Pneumocystis jirovecii qPCR (PjqPCR). Galactomannan detection was performed on BALF. Patients were classified based on established European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) criteria. Out of 173 patients, 75 tested positive for at least one test in BA or BALF. For Aspergillus, proportion of positive AfqPCR (14.5% vs. 9.2%; P < 0.0001) and fungal loads (Cq of 31.3 vs. 32.8; P = 0.0018) were significantly higher in BA compared to BALF. For Pneumocystis, fungal loads by PjqPCR was also higher in BA compared to BALF (Cq of 34.2 vs. 35.7; P = 0.003). BA only detected A. fumigatus and P. jirovecii in 12 (42.9%) and 8 (19.5%) patients, respectively. BA obtained during a BAL procedure can be a suitable sample type for increased detection of P. jirovecii and A. fumigatus by qPCR. The use of BA in diagnostic algorithms requires further investigation in prospective studies.
G213.0−0.6, a true supernova remnant or just an H  ii region?
Authors: Gao X Y , Wu C J , Sun X H , Reich W , Han J L
Published: November 2023

G213.0−0.6 is a faint extended source situated in the anticentre region of the Galactic plane. It has been classified as a shell-type supernova remnant (SNR) based on its shell-like morphology, steep radio continuum spectrum, and high ratio of [S ii]/Hα. With new optical emission line data of Hα, [S ii], and [N ii] recently observed by the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope, the ratios of [S ii]/Hα and [N ii]/Hα are re-assessed. The lower values than those previously reported put G213.0−0.6 around the borderline of SNR-H ii region classification. We decompose the steep-spectrum synchrotron and the flat-spectrum thermal free-free emission in the area of G213.0−0.6 with multi-frequency radio continuum data. G213.0−0.6 is found to show a flat spectrum, in conflict with the properties of a shell-type SNR. Such a result is further confirmed by TT-plots made between the 863-MHz, 1.4-GHz, and 4.8-GHz data. Combining the evidence extracted in both optical and radio continuum, we argue that G213.0−0.6 is possibly not an SNR, but an H ii region instead. The VLSR pertaining to the Hα filaments places G213.0−0.6 approximately 1.9 kpc away in the Perseus Arm.
On the stability and pulsation in models of B[e] star MWC 137
Authors: Parida Sugyan , Yadav Abhay Pratap , Kraus Michaela , Glatzel Wolfgang , Joshi Yogesh Chandra , Joshi Santosh
Published: November 2023

B[e] type stars are characterized by strong emission lines, photometric, and spectroscopic variabilities and unsteady mass-loss rates. MWC 137 is a galactic B[e] type star situated in the constellation Orion. Recent photometric observation of MWC 137 by TESS has revealed variabilities with a dominant period of 1.9 d. The origin of this variability is not known but suspected to be from stellar pulsation. To understand the nature and origin of this variability, we have constructed three different set of models of MWC 137 and performed non-adiabatic linear stability analysis. Several low order modes are found to be unstable in which models having mass in the range of 31–34 M⊙ and 43–46 M⊙ have period close to 1.9 d. The evolution of instabilities in the non-linear regime for model having solar chemical composition and mass of 45 M⊙ leads to finite amplitude pulsation with a period of 1.9 d. Therefore, in the present study we confirm that this variability in MWC 137 is due to pulsation. Evolutionary tracks passing through the location of MWC 137 in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram indicate that the star is either in post main sequence evolutionary phase or about to enter in this evolutionary phase.
Inference of Admixture Origins in Indigenous African Cattle
Authors: Kim Kwondo , Kim Donghee , Hanotte Olivier , Lee Charles , Kim Heebal , Jeong Choongwon
Published: November 2023

Present-day African cattle retain a unique genetic profile composed of a mixture of the Bos taurus and Bos indicus populations introduced into the continent at different time periods. However, details of the admixture history and the exact origins of the source populations remain obscure. Here, we infer the source of admixture in the earliest domestic cattle in Africa, African taurine. We detect a significant contribution (up to ∼20%) from a basal taurine lineage, which might represent the now-extinct African aurochs. In addition, we show that the indicine ancestry of African cattle, although most closely related to so-far sampled North Indian indicine breeds, has a small amount of additional genetic affinity to Southeast Asian indicine breeds. Our findings support the hypothesis of aurochs introgression into African taurine and generate a novel hypothesis that the origin of indicine ancestry in Africa might be different indicine populations than the ones found in North India today.
EMDB—the Electron Microscopy Data Bank
Authors:   The wwPDB Consortium, Turner Jack , Abbott Sanja , Fonseca Neli , Pye Ryan , Carrijo Lucas , Duraisamy Amudha Kumari , Salih Osman , Wang Zhe , Kleywegt Gerard J , Morris Kyle L , Patwardhan Ardan , Burley Stephen K , Crichlow Gregg , Feng Zukang , Flatt Justin W , Ghosh Sutapa , Hudson Brian P , Lawson Catherine L , Liang Yuhe , Peisach Ezra , Persikova Irina , Sekharan Monica , Shao Chenghua , Young Jasmine , Velankar Sameer , Armstrong David , Bage Marcus , Bueno Wesley Morellato , Evans Genevieve , Gaborova Romana , Ganguly Sudakshina , Gupta Deepti , Harrus Deborah , Tanweer Ahsan , Bansal Manju , Rangannan Vetriselvi , Kurisu Genji , Cho Hasumi , Ikegawa Yasuyo , Kengaku Yumiko , Kim Ju Yaen , Niwa Satomi , Sato Junko , Takuwa Ayako , Yu Jian , Hoch Jeffrey C , Baskaran Kumaran , Xu Wenqing , Zhang Weizhe , Ma Xiaodan
Published: November 2023

The Electron Microscopy Data Bank (EMDB) is the global public archive of three-dimensional electron microscopy (3DEM) maps of biological specimens derived from transmission electron microscopy experiments. As of 2021, EMDB is managed by the Worldwide Protein Data Bank consortium (wwPDB; wwpdb.org) as a wwPDB Core Archive, and the EMDB team is a core member of the consortium. Today, EMDB houses over 30 000 entries with maps containing macromolecules, complexes, viruses, organelles and cells. Herein, we provide an overview of the rapidly growing EMDB archive, including its current holdings, recent updates, and future plans.
DNA superhelicity
Authors: Benham Craig J
Published: November 2023

Closing each strand of a DNA duplex upon itself fixes its linking number L. This topological condition couples together the secondary and tertiary structures of the resulting ccDNA topoisomer, a constraint that is not present in otherwise identical nicked or linear DNAs. Fixing L has a range of structural, energetic and functional consequences. Here we consider how L having different integer values (that is, different superhelicities) affects ccDNA molecules. The approaches used are primarily theoretical, and are developed from a historical perspective. In brief, processes that either relax or increase superhelicity, or repartition what is there, may either release or require free energy. The energies involved can be substantial, sufficient to influence many events, directly or indirectly. Here two examples are developed. The changes of unconstrained superhelicity that occur during nucleosome attachment and release are examined. And a simple theoretical model of superhelically driven DNA structural transitions is described that calculates equilibrium distributions for populations of identical topoisomers. This model is used to examine how these distributions change with superhelicity and other factors, and applied to analyze several situations of biological interest.
Direct visualization of replication and R-loop collision using single-molecule imaging
Authors: Kim Subin , Shin Woo Hee , Kang Yujin , Kim Hongtae , Lee Ja Yil
Published: November 2023

R-loops are three-stranded nucleic acid structures that can cause replication stress by blocking replication fork progression. However, the detailed mechanism underlying the collision of DNA replication forks and R-loops remains elusive. To investigate how R-loops induce replication stress, we use single-molecule fluorescence imaging to directly visualize the collision of replicating Phi29 DNA polymerase (Phi29 DNAp), the simplest replication system, and R-loops. We demonstrate that a single R-loop can block replication, and the blockage is more pronounced when an RNA–DNA hybrid is on the non-template strand. We show that this asymmetry results from secondary structure formation on the non-template strand, which impedes the progression of Phi29 DNAp. We also show that G-quadruplex formation on the displaced single-stranded DNA in an R-loop enhances the replication stalling. Moreover, we observe the collision between Phi29 DNAp and RNA transcripts synthesized by T7 RNA polymerase (T7 RNAp). RNA transcripts cause more stalling because of the presence of T7 RNAp. Our work provides insights into how R-loops impede DNA replication at single-molecule resolution.
Interactome of intact chromatosome variants with site-specifically ubiquitylated and acetylated linker histone H1.2
Authors: Saumer Philip , Scheffner Martin , Marx Andreas , Stengel Florian
Published: November 2023

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of histones have fundamental effects on chromatin structure and function. While the impact of PTMs on the function of core histones are increasingly well understood, this is much less the case for modifications of linker histone H1, which is at least in part due to a lack of proper tools. In this work, we establish the assembly of intact chromatosomes containing site-specifically ubiquitylated and acetylated linker histone H1.2 variants obtained by a combination of chemical biology approaches. We then use these complexes in a tailored affinity enrichment mass spectrometry workflow to identify and comprehensively characterize chromatosome-specific cellular interactomes and the impact of site-specific linker histone modifications on a proteome-wide scale. We validate and benchmark our approach by western-blotting and by confirming the involvement of chromatin-bound H1.2 in the recruitment of proteins involved in DNA double-strand break repair using an in vitro ligation assay. We relate our data to previous work and in particular compare it to data on modification-specific interaction partners of free H1. Taken together, our data supports the role of chromatin-bound H1 as a regulatory protein with distinct functions beyond DNA compaction and constitutes an important resource for future investigations of histone epigenetic modifications.
TroR is the primary regulator of the iron homeostasis transcription network in the halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii
Authors: Martinez Pastor Mar , Sakrikar Saaz , Hwang Sungmin , Hackley Rylee K , Soborowski Andrew L , Maupin-Furlow Julie A , Schmid Amy K
Published: November 2023

Maintaining the intracellular iron concentration within the homeostatic range is vital to meet cellular metabolic needs and reduce oxidative stress. Previous research revealed that the haloarchaeon Halobacterium salinarum encodes four diphtheria toxin repressor (DtxR) family transcription factors (TFs) that together regulate the iron response through an interconnected transcriptional regulatory network (TRN). However, the conservation of the TRN and the metal specificity of DtxR TFs remained poorly understood. Here we identified and characterized the TRN of Haloferax volcanii for comparison. Genetic analysis demonstrated that Hfx. volcanii relies on three DtxR transcriptional regulators (Idr, SirR, and TroR), with TroR as the primary regulator of iron homeostasis. Bioinformatics and molecular approaches revealed that TroR binds a conserved cis-regulatory motif located ∼100 nt upstream of the start codon of iron-related target genes. Transcriptomics analysis demonstrated that, under conditions of iron sufficiency, TroR repressed iron uptake and induced iron storage mechanisms. TroR repressed the expression of one other DtxR TF, Idr. This reduced DtxR TRN complexity relative to that of Hbt. salinarum appeared correlated with natural variations in iron availability. Based on these data, we hypothesize that variable environmental conditions such as iron availability appear to select for increasing TRN complexity.
Cigarette Smoking
Authors: Koenig Harold G. , VanderWeele Tyler J. , Peteet John R.
Published: November 2023

This chapter examines the relationship between religious involvement and cigarette smoking. It first discusses the strength of nicotine addiction and presents information on the prevalence and predictors of cigarette smoking. It then examines predictors of cigarette smoking, such as low socioeconomic status, having family members or friends who smoke, and having a severe mental illness. Next, the effects of cigarette smoking and nicotine-containing products on physical health are examined. Religious teachings on behaviors that adversely affect physical health, such as smoking, are summarized. Research is then reviewed on the relationship between religion and cigarette smoking, first summarizing the results of earlier studies and then exploring research published within the past 10 years. Finally, recommendations for future research are provided, and applications in the clinic and community are suggested.
Diet and Weight
Authors: Koenig Harold G. , VanderWeele Tyler J. , Peteet John R.
Published: November 2023

Obesity is reaching epidemic proportions in the United States and around the world, with serious adverse health consequences. If Americans do not collectively adopt healthier eating habits, it has been estimated that nearly half of the population will be obese in the next 10 years. While genetic, economic, social, and cultural factors all play a role, also important is lack of knowledge, easy access to high-calorie poor nutrition foods, and lack of self-control. The relationship between religiosity, diet, and weight is a complex one, although systematic research suggests that religiosity can play a role in improving diet, controlling weight, and reducing rates of obesity. Religious interventions in faith-based settings are also reviewed. The authors emphasize that much further research is needed to determine how religious resources can be utilized in creating interventions to improve diet, reduce caloric intake, increase exercise, and stop this obesity epidemic.
Wedded to Trouble
Authors: Luthman Johanna
Published: November 2023

The chapter discusses the marriage between Lord Roos and Anne Lake, the unexpected pregnancy of the young countess of Exeter, and Roos’s embassy to Spain. It describes the marriage practices among the nobility and gentry in England and the importance of marriage for adult manhood. The marriage between Roos and Anne Lake was viewed by most as an excellent match between an established noble and an important politician’s family. When the countess of Exeter unexpectedly became pregnant and gave birth to a child in the summer of 1616, rumors flew that her elderly husband might not be the father. The chapter also discusses the ideas that May-December marriages were problematic, potentially leading to the young wife looking outside her marriage for sexual satisfaction, making a cuckold of the elderly husband. Roos was appointed to go as an ambassador to Spain but had trouble raising the needed funds, which leads him to take a disadvantageous loan from his new father-in-law. Lord Roos’s financial difficulties will lead to the beginning of the coming disputes over Roos’s Walthamstow estate. Furthermore, Roos’s Spanish embassy was not as successful as he had hoped.
To the Court of Star Chamber
Authors: Luthman Johanna
Published: November 2023

This chapter describes the four slander suits that were filed in the Court of Star Chamber in the spring and summer of 1618, and the three that continued (one was dismissed). The Lakes and Lady Roos brought two of the cases, and the earl and countess of Exeter the other two. It details the workings of the court of Star Chamber. Slander was becoming a more commonly prosecuted crime in the Jacobean period, and many slander cases were prosecuted in Star Chamber. The families chose this court because it provided maximum exposure for their cases, as the king’s council, their peers, would serve as judges, and because the punishments would be heavier. Lady Roos and the Lakes also did not have sufficient evidence, or royal support, to bring suits for adultery or poisoning, so they chose slander as well. The chapter also outlines the sometimes contentious process of collecting witness testimonies, and the pressure on, and potential rewards for, servants and dependents to testify. The main sources for this chapter include the Star Chamber court cases and letters from courtiers and court observers.
Phronesis
Authors: Kristjánsson Kristján , Fowers Blaine
Published: November 2023

A diverse bandwagon of academics is working with and celebrating the notion of phronesis, or ‘practical wisdom’, as a metacognitive capacity, guiding morally aspirational cognition and action. However, this new phronesis discourse is characterized by frequently unrecognized tensions, lacunae, and ambivalences. The book has five main aims: (1) to set the recently surging interest in phronesis (practical wisdom) in Psychology, Philosophy, Professional Ethics, and Education in an historical and theoretical context; (2) to analyse and elaborate upon Aristotle’s ‘standard model’ of phronesis in a philosophically credible way that allows for a psychologically serviceable and empirically tractable conceptualization; (3) to juxtapose our new Aristotelian phronesis model with a recent consensual model of wisdom in Psychology, and respond to different kinds of scepticism about the usefulness of the phronesis construct; (4) to elicit many practical implications of our model for the development and education of phronesis and its application in areas of professional practice and daily conduct; and (5) to explore the relevance of phronesis in areas that have mostly eluded investigation so far, including the spheres of civic/political virtues and collective (managerial) decision-making. The book works through some relevant puzzles created by the recent phronesis discourse. It ameliorates lacunae in the literature and pushes the research agenda in new, radically cross-disciplinary directions, drawing in equal measure on insights from Psychology, Philosophy, and Education. Through its revised and applied Aristotelianism, the book contributes to debates about the salience of phronesis within Moral Psychology, Moral Philosophy, Moral Education, and Professional Ethics.
A Neo-Aristotelian Phronesis Model and Some Philosophical Alternatives
Authors: Kristjánsson Kristján , Fowers Blaine J.
Published: November 2023

This chapter explains the need to advance on the ‘standard neo-Aristotelian model’ in light of contemporary research. It argues for a four-componential neo-Aristotelian phronesis model allowing for empirical as well as theoretical scrutiny. The four functions are (a) the constitutive function, or the ability to perceive the ethically salient elements of a situation; (b) the integrative function that allows one to choose the best action when conflicting demands arise; (c) the blueprint function or the person’s general understanding of how actions conduce to a flourishing life that motivates and guides a person’s actions, and (d) the emotional regulative function, or the ability to integrate one’s emotional experience with reason to appropriately shape those emotional responses in wise action. The chapter ends by looking at other philosophical accounts of phronesis and scepticism about the need for a phronesis model.
Comparing Our Phronesis Model with the New ‘Common Model’ and Other Psychological Alternatives
Authors: Kristjánsson Kristján , Fowers Blaine J.
Published: November 2023

This chapter compares the Aristotelian phronesis model, from Chapter 2, with the new common model, explained in Chapter 3. The former offers a philosophically grounded, psychologically practicable model of wise (phronetic) decision-making that conceives of morality in realist terms and sees moral considerations as reason-informed. The new common model makes significant progress on previous conceptualizations of wisdom in Psychology by circumscribing the sort of wisdom under scrutiny (as practical, nonabstract), and by foregrounding the role of moral aspirations as grounding the perspectival metacognition at work in wisdom. However, the common model goes awry by lacking vital substantive content. The neo-Aristotelian phronesis model offers a more detailed and overt take on a number of wisdom considerations and variables, carrying substantial explanatory power qua theoretical construct above and beyond the common model. The chapter ends by exploring why other constructs in Psychology, such as metacognition, do not render phronesis redundant.
Educating Phronesis
Authors: Kristjánsson Kristján , Fowers Blaine J.
Published: November 2023

This chapter begins by charting the vagaries of educational discourses on phronesis, and by eliciting some developmental insights from Aristotle. The chapter tries to reconstruct a systematic model of moral development out of those basics. It then elicits various hypotheses about the development of phronesis from the Aristotelian and neo-Aristotelian literature and, hence, lays the foundations of an educational research programme on phronesis. A serviceable conceptualization will need to offer ways to evaluate the educational credibility of each hypothesis in real life, rather than just serving as a new philosophical plaything. The chapter then reviews various findings from the educational literature on phronesis. The fourth section explores some lessons learnt from a study of a phronesis intervention for Police Science students, in particular about the limited role of teaching in the design of such an intervention. The chapter closes with some reflections about the education of civic phronesis.
Can Female Performers Be Heard?
Authors: Luthfa Samina
Published: November 2023

This chapter investigates female theatre actors’ identity formation and their struggles in surviving on stage by using feminist research as an anti-oppressive tool. This chapter presents archival data and life stories of eight female performers of Bangladesh who worked on Dhaka stage from the 1950s till the 2010s. Using a participatory reflexive research method, the author observes that historically women’s gender roles inside the theatre troupes had changed, so did the nature of dignity they hold in the eyes of general people, the theatre community, and their co-workers in their own troupe. Moreover, the amount of abuse or harassment increased, though the nature and type of perpetrators changed. Their accounts reveal that family remains as important in the 2010s as it was in the 1950s in determining how one will survive in theatre and the same goes with gendered roles, body image, or gendered construction of feminine beauty. These narratives also speak a lot about how they strategize and decide on steps to survive and remain active in theatre—their ‘arts of resistance’.
The Enigmatic World of Sadhansanginis
Authors: Chakravarti Sudhir
Published: November 2023

One of the most integral yet little-known practices in baul culture is coupled meditation, in which the male baul commences in sadhana (ascetic praxis) with a female partner, who are called sadhansanginis. The difficulty of the practice’s translatability to a modern, urban culture has led to the rise of many complex questions, including that of the prevalence of patriarchal norms in baul society. Through a sociological study of baul practices, from experiences collected over many years of encounters with sadhansanginis, this chapter aims to examine the complexities of this tradition. Locating baul culture within intersections of gender and caste-based hierarchies, the chapter attempts to shed much needed light on the agency (or lack of it) of the sadhansangini within baul culture.
Living Computers
Authors: Brazma Alvis
Published: November 2023

This book explores life as an information processing phenomenon. I posit that life and the recording of information emerged together inextricably linked and that nothing is as central to life, as its ability to record, communicate, and process information. For most of the last several billion years, almost all nonredundant durable information that has existed on Earth has been stored in DNA. As life on Earth was evolving, information in DNA was accumulating, at least at early stages of evolution. A few hundred thousand years ago, human language emerged, and for the first time, large amounts of information started accumulating also outside DNA. The emergence of language triggered evolutionary mechanisms different from, and faster than biological evolution, namely, cultural evolution. Most likely, information is now growing faster in the world’s libraries and computer clouds than in the genomes of all species on Earth taken together. The emergence of human language was a transition as remarkable as the emergence of life itself. Despite the existence of language and the new means of information recording and processing it enabled, at the current stage of evolution, the information in DNA is indispensable; without information in DNA all cultural information and life itself would disappear soon. But need life be like this? Or could future civilisations, in thousands or millions of years, possibly colonising planets of distant galaxies, be based on entirely different principles? Will there be another transition in which DNA becomes less central? The book is aimed at everybody interested in science and comfortable with elementary mathematics: high-school students, teachers, engineers, medical doctors, and business managers, amongst others. It will also be of interest to students and scholars of a wide range of disciplines, from physics, computing, and biology to social sciences and philosophy.
Communicating Between Auditory Regions and the Rest of the Brain
Authors: Zatorre Robert
Published: November 2023

The auditory dorsal stream consists of a complex set of interconnected regions linking the auditory cortex with the parietal lobe, dorsal premotor cortex, and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, among others. These links allow several functional properties to emerge that are critical for music. The ability to manipulate information in working memory depends upon this circuitry and allows musical function like transposition to happen. This same dorsal pathway also provides the interface needed for auditory-motor integration, including the organization of actions in time and space to generate musical sounds, which in turn is related to abstract temporal representations, such as metrical structure. These functions can be thought of in the context of transformations from one domain to another. From a predictive coding perspective, the dorsal stream allows the prediction of when anticipated events will occur.
Gartersnakes of the Beaver Archipelago
Authors: Burghardt Gordon M , Krause Mark A , Placyk Jr John S , . Gillingham James C
Published: November 2023

The Beaver Archipelago is a series of islands in northern Lake Michigan, USA, roughly equidistant from the lower and upper peninsulas of the state of Michigan. Of the eight species of snakes found in the archipelago, prey generalist Common Gartersnakes, Thamnophis sirtalis, are by far the most common, inhabiting both the nearby mainland and all the islands on which snakes are found. The island system and nearby mainland were under glaciers until their retreat about 10,000 years ago, and the islands and the herpetofauna did not form until considerably later. Genetic studies have documented that insular snakes have genes from populations inhabiting both adjacent mainlands. The authors report on morphological, behavioral, and ecological similarities and differences both within and among islands as well as with mainland populations. Generally, adults differ more across the populations than do neonates. Experimental data document that both genetics and developmental plasticity underlie some of the differences found.
Pierre Boulez
Authors: Salem Joseph
Published: November 2023

Part biography, part survey, Pierre Boulez: The Formative Years (1925–1962) explores the creative process of a mercurial musician among an array of interrelated contexts, sketches, and correspondence. As a revisionist history, The Formative Years highlights Boulez’s sensitivity to the negative reception of his works. Despite his reputation as an autodidact, Boulez was reliant on a series of teachers, peers, and mentors to gauge the success of his musical ideas, from his first exploits on the piano through his drafting of Pli selon pli in the early 1960s. He used this feedback to practice continual self-reform. Across his writings and compositions, Boulez revisited old material to reconfigure elements from his past. Over time, his cumulative efforts became the palimpsests of a fragmented self in conflict with his world. A book that both celebrates and critiques its subject, The Formative Years challenges the idea that Boulez was a modernist. As he struggled to first find a voice and later control it, he frequently turned to models such as René Char, Anton Webern, and Stephane Mallarmé. But as his music matured, he found new expressive possibilities in the reiterative techniques of poststructuralism. His most experimental sketches feature recomposed transcriptions of previous works as a means for expanding the expressive boundaries of serialism. The journey evidenced by his sketches forces a reconsideration of serialism’s influence among a host of other postmodern genres.
Breathing into Śivarājayoga
Authors: Cantú Keith Edward
Published: November 2023

This chapter provides an extensive treatment of the system of Sabhapati’s three branches of yoga, hatha yoga (Haṭhayoga), or the “yoga of force,” Haṭharājayoga, or the “royal yoga of force,” and Śivarājayoga, or the “royal yoga for Shiva.” Each branch is treated with numerous quotations and references to Sabhapati’s works that treat each branch. The chapter also includes multiple visual diagrams that depict Shivarājayoga and offers an overview of the roles that subtle physiology such as the Tantric cakras or lotuses play in his literature. The final part of the chapter provides an analysis of some of the core techniques of Sabhapati’s system of Śivarājayoga, including its connection with kundalini and the notion of “divine pilgrimage” both within and outside the yogic body.
Money, Money, Money
Authors: Brock Clare R.
Published: November 2023

Chapter 7 considers the implications of increased informational and negotiation subsidies from interest groups on policy outcomes. It probes the trade-off for many interest groups between increased influence on policy, at the cost of more expensive advocacy, and less timely congressional action. While high-salience, must-pass legislation, like the farm bill, often makes it through the legislative process, lower salience legislation that was once comparatively easy to pass is more often a casualty of gridlock. This chapter highlights the consequences of this trade-off: a widening divide between “rich” and “poor” interest groups in terms of influence and success. Relatively poorer groups lobby less than richer groups and are less likely to have in-house lobbyists to do the work. Wealthier groups are able to hire more long-term lobbyists, and therefore ultimately engage in more successful advocacy. This is an increasingly important phenomenon as the legislative timeline stretches longer from ideation to execution.
Promises to do Favors
Authors: Gordley James
Published: November 2023

A party who promises a gift of money or property incurs a cost to benefit the other party. As we will be using the term, a party who promises to do another a favor wishes to confer a benefit on the other without incurring any cost. In a non-commercial context, that party is being generous. In a commercial context, such promises are most often made to facilitate a contract of exchange between the parties. In both cases, the rules governing the enforceability of these promises prevent parties who intended a favor to be costless from incurring costs that they did not expect.
Voluntary Exchange (with Hao Jiang)
Authors: Gordley James
Published: November 2023

Parties contract so that each will obtain a performance of greater value than the one given in return. When the performance is not of greater value, a party may be given relief for mistake or frustration of purpose so long as withdrawing from the contract is not unfair to the other party. If these doctrines are correctly understood, there is no need for a doctrine of innocent misrepresentation. Fraud should matter for the same reasons that it matters in tort law. Duress should be grounds for relief when it leads a party to contract on unfair terms or to pay more for a performance that its value to that party.
Conditions
Authors: Gordley James
Published: November 2023

The conventional approach to conditions is to say that they must be strictly fulfilledalthough perfect fulfillment may be excused when it results in a forfeiture. The better approach is to consider the purpose of a condition. It should be strictly fulfilled if it specifies or defines the performance due from the other party, such as the deadline for exercising an option. It need not be strictly fulfilled if it protects a party against the increased costs of performance, or safeguards the expected benefits of performance, or facilitates the determination of when a performance is due. Sometimes the condition is that one of the parties must be satisfied with the performance. A party who is not actually satisfied should not be bound if, as a result, that party cannot use that performance for the purposeintended: a client who commissions a painting cannot use it for its intended purpose unless it satisfies the client’s personal taste. A party who is unreasonably dissatisfied should be bound if the purpose of the condition is to ensure that a performance is made correctly: for example, that engineering specifications have been followed.