bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Beyond the Personal OmniGod
Authors: Bishop John , Perszyk Ken
Published: February 2023

The aim of this chapter is to motivate a search for a viable alternative to the standard analytic philosophers’ conception of God as the personal omniGod—that is, a personal being who is omnipotent, omniscient, and perfectly good. It is argued that reasonable doubts may be raised especially about the religious adequacy of this standard conception. Taking God to be a supreme personal being arguably leaves us with an inadequate account of divine transcendence and immanence. This claim is bolstered by an appeal to an apophatic understanding of the classical doctrine of divine simplicity. It is argued, furthermore, that a ‘right relationship’ version of a (‘normatively relativized’) ‘logical’ Argument from Evil is successful, even considering what a personal God may be able to do in the hereafter to ‘defeat’ horrendous evils (as proposed in sophisticated speculative theodicies of the sort offered by Marilyn Adams). Relative to certain normative commitments that it seems reasonable to hold, a personal God with ultimate control over a creation marred by horrendous evils could not be regarded as perfectly good (and hence could not be regarded as having the perfect worth required to be the true object of worship). Outright atheism need not follow, however, since there may be a different and better understanding of the theist God which it is reasonable to judge as religiously adequate.
Personalist and Non-Personalist Understandings of Theism
Authors: Bishop John , Perszyk Ken
Published: February 2023

This chapter provides reasons for favouring a non-personalist understanding of theism over alternatives that retain a metaphysics of the divine as a supernatural personal being. It traces the path that led the authors to euteleology as their specific proposal for a non-personalist alternative to personal-omniGod theism. Alternatives canvassed include theological anti-realism or fictionalism; minor and major modifications to God’s omnipotence, including process theism; classical medieval theism, interpreted as based on a non-personalist metaphysics of the divine; and the idea that God is Love. The chapter concludes by ‘tabling’ (for elaboration and defence in Chapters 3 and 4) a realist euteleological metaphysics, focused on the claims that reality has an inherent overall telos (its supreme good) and that the Universe exists ultimately only because its telos is realized within it.
Philip V of Macedon in Polybius' Histories
Authors: Nicholson Emma
Published: February 2023

Philip V of Macedon in Polybius’ Histories offers a historiographical and literary study of Polybius’ portrait of Philip V and aims to advance our knowledge of both the Macedonian king and the historian and his Histories. It takes a chronological and thematic approach, exploring how Polybius’ political, historiographical, and didactic aims impact the king’s depiction from beginning to end. The first half focuses on political and rhetorical aspects: it highlights the embedded Achaean perspective of the narrative and how this fundamentally shapes Philip’s image; it re-evaluates key character-defining episodes, such as the sack of Thermum and the attempt on Messene; and it problematizes Polybius’ claim that Philip became increasingly treacherous and tyrannical towards the Greeks after 215 bc. The second half explores how Polybius develops his interpretation of the king through ideological and literary means: it investigates how Polybius uses cultural politics to blacken Philip’s image and justify the exchange of Macedon and Rome as hegemonic powers in the Greek world; it rationalizes his use of a tragic mode for Philip’s last years, examining the implications this styling has for our historical understanding of the king; and it considers how tensions between Polybius’ narrative and commentary on Philip may be the result of his combination of historiographical and biographical modes of presentation. It finishes by resituating Philip in the broader context of the Histories, drawing comparisons between his portrait and that of other kings and leaders, and discussing how kings are shaped by and contribute to larger debates in the Histories.
Introduction
Authors: Nicholson Emma
Published: February 2023

The introduction outlines the aims of the monograph, introduces the figures of Philip V and Polybius, surveys the surviving literary, epigraphic, and numismatic sources pertaining to Philip V, and discusses the current state of scholarship on Philip V and Polybius and how this monograph proposes to contribute to these debates from a historiographical and literary perspective. It finishes with an examination of the aims and methodology of the Histories and how these features impact the portrait of Philip V (its ‘pragmatic’ and didactic nature, its style and universal structure, the symploke, and tyche’s impact on Macedon), and an outline of the structure of the volume.
Philip and the Romans
Authors: Nicholson Emma
Published: February 2023

Chapter 4 explores Polybius’ portrait of Philip in relation to the Romans and posits that the historian attempted to offer an answer to the real world question of whether the Greeks should have sided with Macedon or Rome by exchanging their ideological and cultural positions in the Greek world. Following an outline of Polybius’ use of cultural politics, and his conceptions of Hellenism and barbarism, Philip’s character development is shown to represent a transition from Hellenic kingship to barbaric tyranny, and to occur in reverse correlation to the Romans’ change from barbaric to Hellenic qualities. The chapter then offers a close reading of the conference of Nicaea and the battle of Cynoscephalae and demonstrates how Polybius explains and justifies Macedonia’s defeat by Rome via these Greek cultural norms.
The Limits of Transformational Authoritarian Constitutions
Authors: Crouch Melissa
Published: February 2023

This chapter considers the shift from authoritarianism to constitutional democracy through the legacies of past constitutions. It reflects on how Indonesia arrived at this period of constitutional democracy by characterizing the country’s constitutional developments in five main stages: the first and second period of the revolution constitution (1945–1949; 1959–1999); the interim period of constitutional democracy (1949–1959); the first period of constitutional democracy under the amended 1945 Constitution (1999–2019); and the second period of tangible threats to and decline of constitutional democracy (2019–present). The chapter argues that Indonesia’s initial 1945 Constitution was a constitution co-opted by authoritarian rule. The amended 1945 Constitution is a transformational authoritarian constitution in the sense that constitution-makers took the framework of the authoritarian constitution and, through amendment, transformed its commitments to constitutional democracy. Yet there is the risk of reversion to some aspects of the initial 1945 Constitution, which shows the paradox at the heart of choosing a transformational authoritarian constitution, rather than drafting a new one.
Striking the Right Balance
Authors: Diprose Rachael
Published: February 2023

Indonesia has achieved significant political and institutional reforms over the past two decades. Four sets of amendments to the 1945 Constitution allowed for the enactment of Indonesia’s decentralization laws, transferring significant fiscal and political authority to districts and municipalities, bypassing the once powerful provincial administrations unless sectoral imperatives cross-cut district boundaries. This went some way to addressing subnational demands for greater autonomy that had long beleaguered Indonesia’s central administration, which in the extreme resulted in regional rebellions and separatist insurgencies. The new centre-periphery bargain that was struck mitigated some past pressures and presented new opportunities, including more customized local services and subnational policy innovation suited to Indonesia’s varied local contexts. Yet, regional autonomy also created new challenges—the substantial increase in the scale of actors vying for power and influence in subnational regions has generated new tensions, especially over land claims and resource extraction rights, alongside centre-periphery struggles for licensing authority. In response, successive central administrations have sought to strengthen central powers in the mining sector, also winding back district government licensing authority in lucrative resource sectors. The question remains as to whether the slow creep of recentralization strikes the right balance in Indonesia’s centre-periphery and intra-periphery distribution of power and authority. Lessons from history elucidate the risks of extreme re-centralization, particularly if subnational regions receive few benefits. Contemporary lessons from Bangka Belitung and Banyuwangi show there is no easy fix for resource contestation through regulation or force, also illustrating the importance of creating inclusive subnational bargains.
The Constitutional and Legislative Foundations of Indonesia’s Electoral Regime
Authors: Aman Adhy , Tomsa Dirk
Published: February 2023

This chapter will outline the evolution of the institutional framework for elections in Indonesia and analyse how a lack of detailed constitutional provisions about the electoral system and frequent changes to the legislative framework have affected the conduct of elections and the trajectory of the political party system. Moreover, the chapter will also reflect on the roles of the General Election Commission (KPU) and the General Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) in safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process in Indonesia. It highlights that the vague constitutional provisions have provided flexibility for lawmakers to alter electoral institutions and processes through statutory laws occasionally checked by the Constitutional Court as guardian of the Constitution. Yet, while this flexibility has advantages, the frequent changes to Indonesia’s electoral systems for presidential and parliamentary elections have also posed enormous challenges for electoral management bodies, candidates, and voters. That Indonesia’s electoral regime remains one of the most democratic in Southeast Asia despite these challenges is largely due to the checks and balances provided by the Honorary Council of General Election Organisers (DKPP) and Bawaslu who have ensured that the General Election Commission conducts elections in line with its constitutional mandate of being national, permanent, and independent.
The Indonesian Constitutional Court and Informal Constitutional Change
Authors: Hendrianto Stefanus
Published: February 2023

During the constitutional reform process from 1999 to 2002, the 1945 Constitution underwent major revisions. Although the formal process of constitutional amendment ended in 2002, the creation of the Constitutional Court in 2003 prompted the process of informal amendment. This chapter argues that the main driving force of informal constitutional change is the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court. Since its beginning, the Constitutional Court has fostered constitutional change through its interpretation of the written text. For instance, the Court’s interpretation of Article 33 on the Economic Clause has changed the scope and meaning of the Economic Clause. Similarly, in the area of electoral law, the Court has interpreted the meaning of some provisions in the Constitution beyond the written text. The role of the Constitutional Court in fostering informal constitutional change has occurred not only through the interpretation of the text, but also through the use of procedural tools, and it has even invented new procedural rules. In sum, this chapter argues that the Constitutional Court has become the primary actor in the silent transformation of the 1945 Constitution through informal constitutional change.
Legal Certainty in the Indonesian Constitutional Court
Authors: Cammack Mark
Published: February 2023

The Indonesian Constitutional Court has interpreted its constitutional review powers expansively to offer a broad category of individuals and groups who feel that their constitutional rights have been impaired an avenue for obtaining unmediated access to the means for obtaining redress. One of the tools the Court has used to enlarge its constitutional review jurisdiction is the constitutional guarantee of legal certainty. Early applications of this provision reflected an understanding of the requirement of legal certainty as establishing a narrow and essentially formal test for the validity of the law. Inevitably, however, the use of a claim of legal uncertainty to bring a constitutional challenge began to grow, and litigants can now use the provision to obtain judicial review of almost any statute on any grounds.
Origins of Music
Authors: Svard Lois
Published: February 2023

Earliest evidence of music-making goes back at least 40,000 years to the Upper Paleolithic Era when humans were first arriving in Europe. Two conflicting ideas about the origins of music point to music either as an “invention,” something that piggybacked onto other brain functions, or as evolutionary in origin, having biological foundations. Researchers who support music as evolutionary suggest a proto-musical language for communication that was important in mother-infant bonding and in group bonding. That proto-musical language later split into language and music—language to express facts and ideas and music to express emotion. We have inherited our compulsion to be engaged with music because it was necessary for survival for our Stone Age ancestors. Researchers in the origins of music refer to “music” as cultural product, and to “musicality” as the set of cognitive and biological traits that make it possible to make music. The voice was no doubt the first musical instrument, followed closely by, or perhaps simultaneously with, drumming either on the body or other available surfaces. Instruments such as the flute followed, and it is possible to know from replicas how 40,000-year-old flutes, such as the Gießenklösterle flute, sounded.
Born for Music
Authors: Svard Lois
Published: February 2023

Infants are born with remarkable musical abilities. They show beat perception at an early age, demonstrate music memory and embodied cognition, recognize a melody regardless of beginning pitch (what scientists call relative pitch), and if drumming with an adult, show abilities in synchronization by the age of two and a half. There is a sensitive period for learning music as there is for language—the first five to six years of a child’s life. Children have a template in their minds for the sound of language before they begin to learn the alphabet or words. Similarly, they should have a template in their minds for the sound of music before they can begin to learn notation. Many music educators, such as Zoltan Kodály, Carl Orff, Shin’ichi Suzuki, and Edwin Gordon, have advocated singing and movement first, notation later—known as “sound before sign” or “sound before symbol.” Infants and toddlers who are in interactive music classes with parents not only become enculturated much earlier to the organizations and structures of their native music, but they also display better early communication skills. Singing, playing rhythmic games, and moving to music with children provide a foundation for later music learning.
Learn an Instrument—Change Your Brain
Authors: Svard Lois
Published: February 2023

Multiple brain areas are involved in the processing of music, including regions in both hemispheres, all four lobes, the brainstem, and the cerebellum. Each person’s brain changes in response to his learning and experience; these changes are called neuroplasticity. Because music is a multisensory as well as a motor experience, because musicians have usually begun studying early in life, and because nearly all the brain areas involved in making music show neuroplastic changes, musicians are of particular interest to researchers, and musicians’ brains have come to be considered models of both functional and structural neuroplasticity, having changed due to years of practice. The auditory-motor connection may be the oldest pathway for music, but as we learn music, one neuron connects with another, forming neural networks throughout the brain connecting the many areas necessary for making music, including all the sensory areas, motor areas, and areas involved in processing emotion and memory. All sensory information enters the brain as electrical impulses, and all communication within the brain occurs via electricity and chemicals.
Learning and Memory—Two Sides of the Same Coin
Authors: Svard Lois
Published: February 2023

Learning and memory are two sides of the same coin: learning is the process by which new information is encoded in the brain; memory is the encoding of the information itself. The three categories of memory are sensory, short-term memory (including working memory), and long-term memory. All are necessary for musicians. There are two kinds of long-term memory: declarative, which is memory for a piece of music, and procedural, which is memory for how to play an instrument. There are five stages one goes through in learning and performing music: encoding, consolidation, storage, retrieval, and reconsolidation. When one walks onstage to perform, the brain initiates a motor-action plan, smaller motor movements incorporated into larger sequences of movements happening in a particular order. When one has a memory slip, it is not motor memory, or procedural memory, that is lost; it is declarative memory, the facts and details of the piece. Successful practice includes meaningful encoding of the musical material, use of a retrieval structure to access the material, and practice to ensure rapid retrieval from long-term memory.
Imagery—Music in the Mind’s Eye, Ear, Body
Authors: Svard Lois
Published: February 2023

Musicians tend to use visual and auditory imagery when they practice but are less familiar with motor imagery. When we imagine the movements necessary to play an instrument, or motor imagery, we are using kinesthesia, the sense that delivers information to the brain about effort, movement, position, and weight delivery, One can learn a great deal about the value of motor imagery through the story of pianist Fei-Ping Hsu, who practiced for ten years using motor imagery when he was not allowed to physically practice during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Hsu was able to return to playing and forge an international career following the end of the Revolution due to his use of motor imagery. Rather than the generic term “mental practice,” one should more accurately use visual imagery, auditory imagery, and motor imagery, which are specific brain processes. Visual perception and imagery share processing areas in the brain, as do auditory perception and imagery. In motor imagery, all the areas of the brain involved in music processing are active, with the single exception of the primary motor cortex, which sends signals to the muscles. Motor imagery has been shown in multiple studies to be the only kind of imagery that causes neuroplastic changes in the brain in a nearly identical way to physical practice.
Resurrection, Selfhood, and the Church
Authors: Trigg Christopher
Published: February 2023

In the middle decades of the seventeenth century, the authorities of the Massachusetts Bay Colony were challenged by a series of radical religious thinkers: Anne Hutchinson, Samuel Gorton, and the Quakers. Chapter 1 demonstrates that unconventional theologies of resurrection were central to these controversies. Moving beyond the Puritan premise that conversion prefigured resurrection, radicals claimed that converted men and women had already risen from the dead in a spiritual sense. This realized eschatology emboldened them to imagine and establish new forms of religious and political communities in the colonies. The chapter contests the long-standing scholarly narrative linking Reformed religion to the disenchantment and individualization of mortality, showing that it was radicals on the fringes of Protestantism who anticipated secular attitudes toward death more closely. By stripping the end of biological existence of spiritual meaning, they foreshadowed the modern separation of death from life.
The Nature of Propositional Ignorance
Authors: Peels Rik
Published: February 2023

This chapter sketches both the Standard and New Views on ignorance. On these views, ignorance is, respectively, the lack of knowledge and the lack of true belief. The chapter then considers in detail several considerations for each of them. The chapter explains why the author favors the New View, even though there is also some evidence for the Standard View. After that, the chapter explores whether ignorance implies a violated duty to inquire, as Duncan Pritchard has argued. Finally, it addresses the objection that an account of ignorance should be able to explain why ignorance has negative epistemic value.
Varieties of Propositional Ignorance
Authors: Peels Rik
Published: February 2023

This chapter considers in more detail six varieties of propositional ignorance: disbelieving, suspending, undecided, unconsidered, deep, and complete ignorance. It was argued in the previous chapters that there are at least two rival views to the New View that the author has defended, namely, the Standard View, on which ignorance is lack of knowledge, and Duncan Pritchard’s Normative View, on which ignorance is the lack of true belief that issues from the violation of a duty to inquire. This means that—depending on which view on ignorance one embraces—one could distinguish at least two more varieties of ignorance, namely, true belief that falls short of knowledge and true belief from duty violation. This chapter explores each of these alleged varieties of ignorance. Subsequently, it spells out the difference between first- and second-order ignorance. Finally, it shows how distinguishing these varieties of ignorance can be helpful in developing a philosophical thesis or argument by applying it to John Rawls’s well-known “veil of ignorance” argument.
Strategic Ignorance
Authors: Peels Rik
Published: February 2023

This chapter applies the epistemology of ignorance developed in part 1 to ideas and concepts in agnotology. It is argued that the conception of strategic ignorance in agnotology is not a rival to the New View defended in chapter 3, as it is a conception that zooms in on contingent properties of ignorance rather than accounting for the nature of ignorance. It also considers whether the field of agnotology better fits with the Standard View or with the New View. Subsequently, it discusses strategic ignorance on a group level. After that, it turns to the different kinds of ignorance distinguished in chapter 2: Can one in agnogenetic practices aim at objectual and practical ignorance as well? It also addresses the question of whether agnotology’s strategic ignorance is disbelieving, suspending, undecided, unconsidered, deep, or complete ignorance. Finally, it explains how agnotology can gain from taking the notion of degrees of ignorance on board.
Conceptual Framing
Authors: McGraw Andrew
Published: February 2023

This chapter outlines the intellectual history and conceptual framing that shape the presentation of ethnographic cases in the subsequent chapters. After a review of the models of music and ethics that informed the author’s prior assumptions, the chapter describes a conceptual frame that emerged over the course of fieldwork. The experience of music as ethics emerges at the intersection of four components of social thought: our general concept of ethics; our ideas about the nature of musical meaning; our attitudes about the good that music offers; and our beliefs about the proper ways to exchange and distribute the good.
Twin Oaks Intentional Community
Authors: McGraw Andrew
Published: February 2023

Twin Oaks is a community of approximately one hundred members in rural Louisa, Virginia, originally inspired by the utopian writings of the American psychologist B. F. Skinner. The community’s values are based on the four core principles of income sharing, nonviolence, egalitarianism, and cooperation. Music’s ethical status at Twin Oaks is related to the community’s internal economy, inspired by Skinner’s novel Walden Two. Its labor system poses special problems and possibilities for musicians living in the community and encourages complex conversations about the value of artistic activity in which members pose versions of the question: What kind of good should music be and how should we value it? At first glance, the “planner–manager” system of governance that Twin Oaks adopted from Skinner’s novel appears highly bureaucratic and restrictive. But in fact it is organized around nearly continuous, collective deliberation and situated reasoning—social capacities that are honed through the community’s musical practices.
Richmond City Jail
Authors: McGraw Andrew
Published: February 2023

This chapter describes music as ethics in the Richmond, Virginia, city jail. Music’s role in the institution changed in late 2014 when residents were transferred from the old Richmond City Jail (RCJ) to a new facility, the Richmond City Justice Center (RCJC). The studio program was allowed to continue in the RCJC, but access was tightly restricted to a select population. The community that met regularly in the basement education room in the old RCJ, prior to the move to the RCJC, called itself the Sanctuary, a group of approximately fifty residents who met to write poetry, make music, study, or just hang out. The valuation and exchange of music in the Sanctuary was often subverted to the ethical norms articulated by this semi-stable community. The ethical meaning and value of music became more ambiguous following the dissolution of the Sanctuary community after residents were transferred to the RCJC.
Essentializing Social Groups
Authors: Kampourakis Kostas
Published: February 2023

This chapter considers how people essentialize social groups, taking nations as an example. The first section explains what identity and belonging are, and why they matter to people. It focuses on national belonging as an example, and it considers why people think of national groups as clearly delimited. Essentialism provides an answer to this question, and the chapter explains why DNA serves as an appropriate placeholder for our supposedly inner essences. The marketing of ancestry companies may be interpreted as promoting an essentialist view of social groups, which are often perceived, sometimes even described, as genetic communities. In fact, it is argued that not only the communities but the respective categories, which can be called genetic ethnicities, are essentialized. The chapter concludes with a discussion of a poll on the variety of views that exist in how people in various countries may essentialize, or not, national identities.
From Race to Ethnicity in Ancestry Testing
Authors: Kampourakis Kostas
Published: February 2023

In this chapter I explain how racist and racialist assumptions became an integral part of the study of human populations in the 19th century. But even when these assumptions were outright rejected in the mid-20th century, the idea that human populations are genetically distinct continued to persist. Even today, there are scholars who think of races as having a biological basis, even if they outright reject racism. However, race has no biological basis; it is real but socially constructed. After explaining why this is the case, I clarify why even though there are biological differences among the various races, this does not entail that races themselves are biological. I also define ethnicity and explain why replacing the word race with ethnicity does not solve the problem, insofar as the assumptions for the biological basis of the differences among social groups persist. Finally, I explain why DNA markers are indicia, not criteria, for ethnicity.
We Are All Africans, Ultimately
Authors: Kampourakis Kostas
Published: February 2023

This chapter provides an overview of the first studies that aimed to figure out the deep roots of humanity, with references to a genetic Eve and Adam. Such a search for “deep roots” has limitations, however, as it relies on YDNA and mtDNA that correspond to no more than 1% of human DNA combined. As a result, the information about ancestry provided by mtDNA and YDNA analysis is limited. This chapter also offers an account of how scientists compare human populations in terms of DNA variation, clarifying that any differences are relative rather than absolute. Our current understanding of human DNA points unequivocally to a panhuman origin in Africa. However, it is not possible from YDNA and mtDNA haplotypes to infer our deep ancestry, as often claimed. Indeed, comparisons with whole-genome analyses have revealed discrepancies. Our ancestry is global and African, and any individualized point of ancestry in place and time is rather arbitrary. Ancestry is thus global and collective, rather than local and individual.
Social Constructs versus “Natural Order”
Authors: Kampourakis Kostas
Published: February 2023

This chapter begins with a presentation of the concept of biogeographical ancestry that aimed to replace race and then it explains its problems. It highlights that the ancestry informative markers (AIMs) on which the respective analyses are based are informative only under particular assumptions and conditions, which results in biased conclusions. Despite arguments to the contrary, it is not possible to individuate human populations because there are no populations that have their own distinctive AIMs. Differences in the distribution of AIMs also depend largely on our choice of AIMs and the sampling procedures used. Most importantly, the populations that geneticists study are arbitrarily chosen and defined. Because of this and because human DNA variation is continuous, any differences we find most likely represent the kind of choices made rather than real differences.
Role of the MHA in Internal Security
Authors: Sinha Shakti
Published: February 2023

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is the key instrument through which a constitutionally empowered federal government exercises its control over the states’ internal security. The MHA has a capacious ambit, but while it has shed some roles, its internal security role has grown in response to an increase in threats, both perceived and real, as well as the weaknesses of the police forces of states. This role expansion has been boosted by substantially greater personnel and financial resources. While the MHA has always relied on a mix of strategies encompassing force, economic programs, and political accommodation, it increasingly appears to be privileging order over individual liberty in its broader approach towards internal security challenges.
India’s Internal Security Doctrine in Practice
Authors: Singh Sushant
Published: February 2023

India does not have a formal internal security doctrine in place, but based on the strategies followed in various regions that have produced internal security challenges, a fair assessment can be made of the doctrine in practice and the variations in its implementation. This informal doctrine seeks a political resolution, without affecting the integrity of the country and within the constitutional framework, by isolating armed rebels from the people and targeting them through use of minimum force. The armed forces have to work closely with the civil administration for developmental work to win the people over, which also helps restore civilian control over the area as violence declines. Even within the variations in its implementation across regions and time, the underlying tenet has remained unchanged. But it has been recently misinterpreted as a doctrine of patience and stamina—of wearing the rebels out—which portends ill for the future.
Role of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in India
Authors: Azad Yashovardhan
Published: February 2023

CAPF is the critical arm of the state for managing internal security—fighting Maoists, insurgency in the North East, and terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. They also guard the borders and key installations. Violence in all sectors of deployment has come down considerably in the last decade. Yet, their numbers continue to go up due to increasing requests of the states for CAPF to help in bandobast duties. Diversion from their main tasks has an adverse impact on operational efficiency. But such observations by parliamentary committees have been largely ignored. The morale of CAPF is also dented by rising figures of suicides, fratricides, desertions, and harsh conditions of service. The government is firm on maintaining the civilian character of CAPF but quite slack on civilian oversight. Few errant officers are punished for encounter killings. It is imperative to bring the CAPF under the Right to Information Act for greater accountability and transparency.
Included but Not Equal?
Authors: Ghosh Sahana
Published: February 2023

The inclusion of women in the Border Security Force (BSF) has foregrounded several long-standing concerns around adequate infrastructures, professional development, and soldiers’ welfare, as well as raised important issues about the BSF’s functional effectiveness and gender equality in the future. This chapter draws on ethnographic research with members of the BSF to examine the inclusion of women in the BSF, why it was considered necessary, how it affects the institution, and what kinds of internal institutional debates and material conditions of work impact the recruitment, deployment, and integration of women in the BSF. Emphasizing the importance of connecting questions of gender equality with broader issues of labor and welfare for all soldiers in the Force, the chapter concludes with critical reflections on the transformative potential of this policy for shifting patriarchal military culture inside and outside security institutions.
Opportunistic vs selective feeding strategies of zooplankton under changing environmental conditions
Authors: Serandour Baptiste , Jan Kinlan M G , Novotny Andreas , Winder Monika
Published: February 2023

The plankton community consists of diverse interacting species. The estimation of species interactions in nature is challenging. There is limited knowledge on how plankton interactions are influenced by environmental conditions because of limited understanding of zooplankton feeding strategies and factors affecting trophic interactions. In this study, we used DNA-metabarcoding to investigate trophic interactions in mesozooplankton predators and the influence of prey availability on their feeding behavior. We found that mesozooplankton feeding strategies vary within species across an environmental gradient. Some species, such as Temora longicornis consistently used a selective strategy, while diets of Centropages hamatus and Acartia spp. varied between stations, showing a trophic plasticity with the prey community. We found a dominance of Synechococcales reads in Temora’s gut content and a high prey diversity for the cladoceran Evadne nordmanni. Our study shows the wide range of prey species that supports mesozooplankton community and helps to understand the spatial and temporal complexity of plankton species interactions and discriminate the selectivity ability of four zooplankton key species. Due to the central role of plankton in marine waters, a better comprehension of the spatiotemporal variability in species interactions helps to estimate fluxes to benthic and pelagic predators.
Clinical characteristics of early-onset paediatric systemic lupus erythematosus in a single centre in China
Authors: Hou Yipei , Wang Li , Luo Chong , Tang Wenjing , Dai Rongxin , An Yunfei , Tang Xuemei
Published: February 2023

Objectives

We sought to investigate the sex distribution, clinical presentations, disease outcomes and genetic background of early-onset paediatric SLE (eo-pSLE) in a single centre in China to help enable early diagnosis and timely treatment.

Methods

The clinical data of children aged less than 5 years old with SLE (n = 19) from January 2012 to December 2021 were reviewed and analysed. We performed DNA sequencing in 11 out of 19 patients to survey the genetic aetiologies.

Results

Our study included 6 males and 13 females. The mean age at onset was 3.73 years. The median diagnostic delay was 9 months and was longer in male patients (P = 0.02). Four patients had an SLE-relevant family history. The most common clinical manifestations at diagnosis were fever, rash and hepatosplenomegaly. ANA positivity and low C3 were identified in all children. The renal (94.74%), mucocutaneous (94.74%), haematological (89.47%), respiratory (89.47%), digestive (84.21%), cardiovascular (57.89%) and neuropsychiatric (52.63%) systems were involved to varying degrees. We identified 13 SLE-associated gene mutations in 9 out of 11 patients: TREX1, PIK3CD, LRBA, KRAS, STAT4, C3, ITGAM, CYBB, TLR5, RIPK1, BACH2, CFHR5 and SYK. One male patient showed a 47, XXY chromosomal abnormality.

Conclusion

Early-onset (<5 years) pSLE is characterized by an insidious onset, typical immunological patterns, and the involvement of multiple organs. Immunological screening and genetic testing should be performed as soon as feasible in patients with an early onset of multisystemic autoimmune diseases to confirm the diagnosis.
Efficacy of skin-to-skin vs. cloth-to-cloth contact for thermoregulation in low birth weight newborns: a randomized crossover trial
Authors: Pujara Reshma K , Upadhyay Vaibhava , Thacker Jigar P , Rana Bhavna B , Patel Sangita S , Joshi Jigna M , Shinde Mayur K , Nimbalkar Somashekhar M , Patel Dipen V
Published: February 2023

Objective

Skin-to-skin contact (SSC) is effective to maintain normal temperature in low birth weight (LBW) newborns. However, there are several barriers related to privacy and space availability for its optimum utilization. We used cloth-to-cloth contact (CCC), i.e. placing the newborn in Kangaroo position without removing cloths as an innovative alternative to SSC to test its efficacy for thermoregulation and feasibility as compared to SSC in LBW newborns.

Methods

The newborns eligible for Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in step-down nursery were included in this randomized crossover trial. Newborns received SSC or CCC as per randomization on the first day and then crossed over to other group on the next day and so on. A feasibility questionnaire was asked to the mothers and the nurses. Axillary temperature was measured at various time intervals. Group comparisons were made by either using independent sample t-test or Chi-square test.

Results

A total of 23 newborns received KMC for total 152 occasions in the SSC group and 149 times in the CCC group. There was no significant temperature difference between the groups at any time-point. Mean (standard deviation) gain of temperature at 120 min in the CCC group [0.43 (0.34)°C] was comparable to the SSC group [0.49 (0.36)°C] (p = 0.13). We did not observe any adverse effect of CCC. Most mothers and nurses perceived CCC feasible in hospital settings and felt that it could be feasible in-home settings too.

Conclusion

CCC was safe, more feasible and not inferior to SSC for maintaining thermoregulation in LBW newborns.
Inadequate Neuraxial Anesthesia in Patients Undergoing Elective Cesarean Section: A Systematic Review
Authors: Patel R. , Kua J. , Sharawi N. , Bauer M.E. , Blake L. , Moonesinghe S.R. , Sultan P.
Published: February 2023

(Anaesthesia. 2022;77:598–604)

While neuraxial anesthesia (NA) is often a common and safe form of anesthesia, it does not always properly manage pain, especially during cesarean delivery (CD). Previous studies determining the rate of inadequate NA during CD have small sample sizes and different diagnostic criteria, resulting in a wide range of reported rates of neuraxial failure, from 1.7% to 19.7%. Understanding the incidence and risks associated with failed NA would provide valuable data to guide clinicians in counseling their patients, to prompt earlier recognition and intervention if NA failure occurs, and to direct future research. By systematic review, this study sought to investigate the rate of failed neuraxial block during CD as defined by the need to repeat NA or abandon NA in favor of general anesthesia, administer intraoperative IV analgesia (excluding benzodiazepines), or supplement the epidural during the procedure. Secondary outcomes included comparing neuraxial mode failure rates and determining the rates of conversion to general anesthesia.
The Time is Now: Addressing the Need for Training in Maternal Critical Care Medicine
Authors: Padilla C. , Zakowski M. , Einav S. , Weiniger C.F. , Landau R. , Chestnut D.H.
Published: February 2023

(Int J Obstet Anesth. 2022;50:103544)

Indirect medical conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and sepsis, now cause the majority of deaths during the peripartum period within the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. In addition average maternal age, and the number of co-morbidities and rates of severe maternal morbidity have all increased alongside pregnancy-related deaths from indirect medical conditions. Despite efforts from the National Partnership for Maternal Safety, the Royal College of Midwives, and the Obstetric Anaesthetists’ Association, delays in diagnosis and treatment and disparities in care continue. Current tools may not be able to prevent important adverse events. This article addresses dual fellowship training for critical care medicine (CCM) and obstetric anesthesiology as way to address these issues in maternal care.
Trends and Outcomes for Deliveries With Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy From 2000 to 2018: A Repeated Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Wen T. , Schmidt C.N. , Sobhani N.C. , Guglielminotti J. , Miller E.C. , Sutton D. , Lahtermaher Y. , D’Alton M.E. , Friedman A.M.
Published: February 2023

(BJOG. 2021;129:1050–1060)

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy include gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, and eclampsia, and have been an increasing threat to maternal well-being during delivery in the last 20 years. These complications are commonly associated with other disorders or conditions such as obesity, chronic hypertension, advanced maternal age, multiple gestations, and diabetes. The consequences of hypertensive complications can include stroke, renal failure, and liver injury.
Headache and Distress During Pregnancy
Authors: Ozdemir K. , Sahin S. , Sevimli Guler D. , Unsal A.
Published: February 2023

(Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2022;157:686–693)

Pregnancy increases the risk of maternal stress and anxiety, and headaches (HA) are a common symptom within pregnancy. Given the many causes and types of headaches, this study aimed to determine HA prevalence, investigate associated variables relating to headaches, and assess distress levels among women with HA during pregnancy.
Methods of Bloodless Care, Clinical Outcomes, and Costs for Adult Patients Who Decline Allogeneic Transfusions
Authors: Frank S.M. , Pippa A. , Sherd I. , Scott A.V. , Lo B.D. , Cruz N.C. , Hendricks E.A. , Ness P.M. , Chaturvedi S. , Resar L.M.S.
Published: February 2023

(Anesth Analg. 2022;135:576–585)

When blood banking and storage began in the 1940s, blood transfusions became common, however, some patients desired a “bloodless” approach to health care without allogeneic transfusions. Over time, many large, randomized trials have shown that a restrictive transfusion strategy is optimal compared with a liberal one. Bloodless care has grown in popularity. This study aimed to report data on a large group of patients receiving bloodless care, health care methods, and outcomes.
Long-term Complications of Unintentional Dural Puncture During Labor Epidural Analgesia: A Case–control Study
Authors: Lacombe A. , Downey K. , Ye X.Y. , Carvalho J.C.A.
Published: February 2023

(Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2022;47:364–369)

Despite epidural labor analgesia use being widespread, unintentional dural puncture (UDP) occurs at a rate of 0.5% to 1.5% depending on the type of institution (training vs. nontraining). The short-term adverse outcome—postural postdural puncture headache (PDPH), and associated nausea, vomiting, auditory disturbances, visual disturbances, neck stiffness, and reduced ADLs may resolve with conservative management. If these adverse outcomes do not resolve with conservative management, lumbar epidural blood patch (EBP) is considered the definitive treatment. Anecdotally, UDP may lead to long-term complications, but published data for long-term follow-up is lacking. The aim of this study is to investigate whether laboring women who experienced an UDP were at risk for developing long-term complications and to investigate whether EBP influences outcomes.
Comparison of Carbetocin as a Bolus or Infusion With Prophylactic Phenylephrine on Maternal Heart Rate During Cesarean Delivery Under Spinal Anesthesia: A Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Boisselle M.É. , Zaphiratos V.V. , Fortier A. , Richebé P. , Loubert C.
Published: February 2023

(Can J Anesth/J Can Anesth. 2022:69:715–725)

Carbetocin is used in elective cesarean deliveries to reduce the risk of postpartum hemorrhage, and the current practice is to administer the drug as a bolus injection. Side effects of carbetocin include low blood pressure and elevated or irregular heart rate. For some patients, this may lead to hemodynamic alterations and raises the question of potential benefits to heart rate and other hemodynamic factors by administering carbetocin via a 10-minute infusion. This study compared a bolus injection to a 10-minute infusion, both with a prophylactic infusion of phenylephrine, to understand if there are significant and clinically applicable differences in heart rate. This study primarily examined variation in heart rate within 20 minutes of drug administration, but also examined other hemodynamic factors such as blood pressure and stroke volume.
Comparative Performance of Obstetric Comorbidity Indices Within Categories of Race and Ethnicity: An External Validation Study
Authors: Tangel V.E. , Bryant-Huppert J. , JIang S.Y. , Oxford-Horrey C.M. , Dzotsi S. , Kjaer K. , White R.S.
Published: February 2023

(Int J Obstet Anesth. 2022;50:103543)

In the United States, black mothers are more likely to experience and die from severe maternal morbidity (SMM), regardless of patient-level or hospital-level factors. In addition, adjustment indices and a comorbidity scoring system designed to prevent bias from SMM risk assessment were developed and validated in locations without adequate race and ethnicity representation. This study analyzed data from Florida, Maryland, Kentucky, Washington, and New York to externally validate the Bateman and Leonard indices accounting for sociodemographic and racial and ethnic diversity.
A New Index for Obstetric Safety and Quality of Care: Integrating Cesarean Delivery Rates With Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes
Authors: Ramani S. , Halpern T.A. , Akerman M. , Ananth C.V. , Vintzileos A.M.
Published: February 2023

(Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2022;226:556.e1–9)

Cesarean delivery rates have been used as an outcome quality measure for evaluating obstetricians and hospitals. This rate, however, does not account for high-risk maternal factors. This study aimed to create and evaluate a new metric for comparing the quality of obstetric care, using the cesarean delivery rate among nulliparous patients with vertex-presenting singleton fetuses at term adjusted for pre-delivery maternal risk factors, neonatal morbidities, and maternal morbidities.